Recent Posts

Friday, September 24, 2010

Pale is the New Tan

So it looks like A-listers are finally coming around to the idea that the orange skinned look is pretty gross. Great news for those of us who are too lazy to fake tan and too scared of the sun to go outside. Here are a few who are embracing being a whiter shade of pale (or just a whiter shade of their former selves in the cases of Ms Moss and Mrs Beckham).







Ewww, Prada!

To be completely overly dramatic, I am going to say that I am personally offended by the following shoes at Prada's SS11 show.



And close up....

....and side view (grab a bucket):

When I see things like this coming from high-fashion designers I get really worried about the resultant trends. Oh dear, I need fresh air...

Friday, September 17, 2010

She's So Heavy...

Heavy winter fabrics for full or semi circle skirts are here! Obviously Mad Men-inspired (I'm so sick of hearing everyone go on about it), but it is so nice to see something so feminine and still sensible for winter*. I love wool. I love knowing that one layer will keep me warm. (And apparently scientists have tried to replicate wool's amazing natural properties with a synthetic fibre, with the verdict being nothing beats wool).

So most of my discoveries were made in Zara the other day, and the skirt I am most excited about is this one.


The fabric and buttons are straight out of my childhood memories of my mum's wardrobe.
Although the buttons on the skirt in the shop were more like this....


....these ones are still gorgeous.


I just got a real thrill out of the old school-ness of this piece, and can't wait to start styling it with more modern pieces.


*Apologies to everyone down under who couldn't give a rat's about warm thick winter clothing right now. You'll thank me later. xx

Leather and Shearling

The trend started a few years back when boots were trendy again, and then the return of the oversized leather tote and then the biker jacket, and more recently over-the-knee boots (hmm thigh-high leather), so really the logical next step is clothing. Winter clothing in leather looks like it will be huge here for winter, thanks mainly to this gorgeous skirt from Louis Vuitton.

We're seeing pants, shorts, skirts, and even tees, mostly in neutral tones, lots of caramel, camel, beige (which is really just the same as camel), black, brown, greys etc. I would like to see more of it in a green, like a military or olive green, which really comes into play a little more in the accessories (oo I saw a great navy blue leather tote this week.).




For summer leather, shorts, soft jackets for nightfall, and skirts would all work really well, especially teamed with softer floaty summery fabrics or casual denim.


For any season A-line leather skirts are a big thumbs up (although any A-line skirt is appearing back in stores which is a huge relief for me as they are very flattering). Leather A-line skirts tend to be plain, no extras, where as other fabrics tend to have an embellishment of some kind.

And if you're not bold enough (or cashed up enough) to sport the leather clothing look, you can rock out the accessories. Belts and watches are my pick at the moment, sticking to skinny bands and skinny belts. The narrower the better.
And then sort of in this field, there's a huge trend for the "shearling" (aka sheepskin) look, which was kicked off by Burberry, if you didn't know already, and has been picked up by every one.

Although the sheepskin trend is finding its way into everything, the key look is the bomber/aviator style jacket, and I think this is one trend we're going to cringe about in hindsight because it does not suit everyone and everyone is going to wear it. It gives the wearer such boxy look and cuts you off at the waist, and hides everything you have underneath. So if you have curves that need to be shown off, or disproportionately huge shoulders or a massive bum then this will probably make you look WEIRD. Having said that (and as I fall into all 3 categories) I will be looking for a jacket that satisfies the trend but is cut in a different way so is still flattering to my shape.

How to wear Leather in spring?


Q: Can I still wear leather into spring and summer? How would I continue a relaxed Military look with it?

A: Military is not only about the button down blazer. It can be as simple as wearing Utility colors such as black, khaki, creme, grey and red. This look has a leather look cropped jacket from Cotton On as the feature.

Shorts are going to be huge this season so why not try a high waisted pair in Khaki or creme.

Add a scarf to link the colour scheme and to tie up your hair should you get caught in a gentle Springtime breeze

Wardrobe makeover!!! Blazer style


The blazer is the perfect jacket to be wearing come spring and cooler nights out in summer.

The key is to keep the blazer casual by rolling up the sleeves and leaving it open. To make it a signature spring must have, team it with a patterned skirt (stripes and paisley are so hot right now) and a plain camisole. Add either lace up wedges or some sandles and a flower brooch to finish!



Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Snap, Ani!

In response to Ani's earlier post, I am delighted that she and I seem to be so sartorially in sync.
I walked past a shop window last night and saw caramel high waisted pants and screamed out "80s! 80s pants!", but what really had me thrilled was that they were leather (as seen at MANGO):

So yes, yes and yes to everything you mentioned Ani. Yes to caramel coloured pants, yes to high waisted pants, yes to wide leg and yes to cuffs. Although I'll admit that I'm seeing cuffs more on cropped tapered trousers, which really is only an autumn trend as you really can't carry that over to winter unless you tuck them into boots (lightbulb! hahah I'm going to add cropped pants to my wardrobe now!). Also please note that there are some fantastic waistbands, a great detail if you have a nice waist and it encourages the trend of tucking in your shirt, the thought of which would have made me vomit a little bit 10 years ago.



And oh yes, leather is in, in a big way, but I haven't seen it so much on real people - but enough, I think this warrants a separate post.

As to Mash's comment on big hips, I think it's all about proportion. If you have big hips with a big bum and are carrying extra weight, then all of this is a no for you. But if you have big hips with a generally svelte figure (read: not overweight) than I think you can do this with the right accessories. Just be careful of big pockets and gathering at the waist.

Suit up!

So Since Gill posted about bustier tops being in fashion i thought to myself...I have always loved it when celebrities wear clothing that looks like underwear but isnt. Then I thought well how could this translate into something i would actually wear? below is the answer..l.i feel i will get a mixed responce :)

feeling a little mad men