Olympics: inspiration for sandals
Let’s take a break from London 2012 and go old skool – like, REALLY old skool. Think ancient Greece and mythical heroes…or even Disney’s Hercules! Are these the coolest gladiator sandals EVER?!
Ikaria metallic leather wing sandals £130 from Net-a-Porter
Disney’s Hercules
Flying high
The orignial Hermes (mythical hero of handbags)
Best dressed: Serpentine summer party
Where: Party at Kensington Gardens in London at the annual Serpentine Gallery party
Who: Celebs and models – arty like.
Style notes: Lots of Chanel, studs and metallics vs floaty boho dresses and vintage beading.
Here’s out heavenly seven:
Cara Delevingne wears Chanel (well!)
Laura Bailey works the metallic trend
Holly Valance looks super shiny in last season’s D&G
Stud-tastic – Jade Jagger
Amber le Bon goes boho
I love this look on Suki Waterhouse
My fav look: stylist Caroline Sieber’s vintage Chanel. J’adore.
Pics: The Daily Mail and Telegraph.
PFW: metallics live on
Wallets rejoice – metallics are still hot for AW12 so keep hold of all your sparkly favourites to re-style later this year.
Yes you’ve guessed it, there were sequins at Elie Saab but mirrored panels at Miu Miu and shards of crystal at Chanel as well as plenty of shiny silk, metallic brocade, delicate foiled finishes and smooth fabrics with a subtle metallic weave in precious metal and mineral-inspired shades. The message? Shiny is good in different textures and it’s for the day-time too.
Sophisticated foil at Chanel
Lots of bronze and rose gold at Gaultier
Metallics and mirrors at Miu Miu
My favourite Chanel dress
Sexy in silver at Paco Rabanne
Cute metallic trousers at Vanessa Bruno
Shiny brocade at Louis Vuitton
Sequins for evening at Elie Saab
Pics: Fashion 156, Elle and The Telegraph.
Sexy in Silver: Georgia May Jagger vs Keira Knightley
Proof metallics are still Hot: Georgia May Jagger wears space-age silver sequins for Harper’s Bazaar’s March Issue, while Keira Knightley vamps it up for GQ in a sexy silver knit. (Better late than never…LFW has scrambled my brain!)
Fierce!
Keira 4 GQ
LFW: Digital print + metallics on day 1
Good news! Two of our favourite trends have got a new lease of life for Autumn!
Metallics have got dirty and more natural with pewter and copper replacing bright silver. The Felder Felder collection was apparently inspired by photos of nudes in caves by Ryan McGinley and you can see all the pretty stony colours in the beautiful prints.
Beautiful cave-inspired print
Copper leather skirt + chunky knit = instant winter warmer
This might be my favourite
Jean-Pierre Braganza’s collection had a more industrial feel with moody pewter with metallic-detail patterns and more structured silhouettes. The brighter prints had delicious shots of purple through them and hidden chandeliers.
Look carefully for the chandeliers!
Sexy, structured pewter
PPQ mixed grown-up monochrome prints with moss green metallics and shiny black pieces and while there were quirky touches – the occasional heart sequin on a check and clusters of gems, tweed, sensible knits and floaty demure dresses mark a turning point for the LFW favourite. Apparently the inspiration was the ‘apocalyptic romance of winter’.
Soooo grown-up!
Metallic Moss
Check out the tweed! (Oh and the furry pants and metallic top)
All pics from Vogue.
10 Fashion New Year’s resolutions
It’s that time of year again when we all primes to be better and look forward to the New Year. So instead of the usual giving up bad habits/being on time/losing weight etc we thought we’d share our fashion resolutions.
1-Wear more colour
Whether it is rich jewel tones as seen at Burberry and Cadbury’s purples at Bottega Veneta or pretty pastels like, Philip Lim, Jaeger and Mulberry, we aim to wear more colour in 2012 and not just to colour pop!
2- Watch Grease and take notes
1950s Americana is in big-time thanks to Prada’s Grease-inspired collection complete with Cadillac print full-skirts. Mid century silhouettes were also seen at Louis Vuitton and Jil Sander – perfect for pear-shaped girls!
One of my favourite SS12 looks
3-Moan less in heels.
‘nuff said.
4-Be brave with futuristic fabrics
Keep hold of all your metallic clobber and style it up like Christopher Kane, Richard Nicholl and Paco Rabanne. The more futuristic the fabric and the more intriguing the construction, the better.
5-Invest wisely
Few of us have oodles of cash to spare in this near-recession, so it’s really important to invest in key seasonal pieces wisely. We intend to buy less fast-fashion (many just fun bits and bobs to revamp old staples) and snap up a couple of statement keep-forever pieces instead. We say this every year!
6-Get creative + arty
Lots of people refresh their intention to write a book/keep a diary/take up a hobby in January and we intend to embrace the art/fashion connection by wearing arty clothing- think Picasso-style jumpers by Jil Sander or romantic Van Gogh sunflower dresses by Rodarte. Alternatively we might just invest in some fashion-inspired art.
Sunny Rodarte
7-Recycle
We WILL re-oraganize our wardrobes! After giving some items to charity, we’ll be sure to dig out last summer’s candy-coloured denim jeans, patterned and pastel jumpers as well as those metallic pieces from this season.
8-Read more
With The Great Gatsby sure to be big fashion news we also intend to read more 1950s fiction as well as the usual plethora of fashion magazines and favourite blogs.
9-Become a super feminine female
Flowers, floatiness and classic lady-like silhouettes- this summer belongs to super feminine females. Thank you Christopher Kane, Mary Katrantzou, Erdem, and Louis Vuitton!
Flower power
10-Go crazy for collaborations
There’s Versace for H&M, Mary Katrantzou for Topshop and Marni for H&M coming up soon and we’ll be almost first in line for each. Amazing!
Top 10 trends of 2011 : Part 1
2011 has been one hell of a year for fashion and here are our top 10 trends (in no particular order). Which were your favourites?
1-SEQUINS + STARS
Dolce & Gabbana were responsible to the glut of sequins and stars on the high street (thank you!) We’re betting a LOT of Christmas party and NYE outfits are based on this stellar trend and those star dresses have been seen on practically every magazine cover and celebs like Beyonce.
Seeing stars
2-NEW HEMLINES + TROUSERS
We’ve lived in skinny jeans for years now (and I for one will not be giving them up without a fight) but this year we have been encouraged to try a kick-flare and 1970s palazzo pants. Maxi dresses and maxi skirts have also been huge- whether ethereal and floaty in bright colours for summer or grungy staples teamed with cropped jumpers for winter.
3-CRAZY HAIR
London hair salon Bleach has been taking the fashion world by storm as various celebs experimented with dip-dyes, blue rinses and bright pink tresses. Celeb round-up here! Nail art has also been massive.
4-METALLICS + FUTURISTIC FABRICS
One of the highlights of my year was seeing Christopher Kane and being able to wear glitter and metallic clothing in the day-time without looking over dressed. For me, Kane’s Gel bag is an iconic accessory of 2011 (hear about the inspiration here) and I’m super chuffed that metallics will continue to be big this spring.
Still want!
5-DESIGNER COLLABORATIONS
There have been so many (and we’re not counting celebrities turned designers – see Victoria Beckham for this year’s biggest success story!) We really liked Alexa Chung’s Madewell collection but the biggest mash-up obviously has to be Versace x H&M. We can’t wait for the spring instalment and Marni in 2012.
Haul!
What to buy in the sales
It’s that time of year again when the shops are full of sale ‘bargains’. The problem is that it can be easy to be seduced by cheap offers. We reckon it’s easier to make the most of the sales and look forward to sunnier times with a few tactics.
Make like the staple schemer: She knows that there are certain items in her wardrobe that she will wear to death regardless of changing trends. Stock up on good-quality classics like a tailored white shirt, or items you know you’ll love forever!
Splash some cash on essentials + save in the long-run
The up-scaling up-start: This girl is all about getting great value for money instead of grabbing whatever is cheap in a bargain bin. She scours websites and shops to buy a couple of designer items that she could normally not afford. So treat yourself to one star item if the price is right?
The researcher-savvy shopper: It’s a well known shopping fact that it is recommended you buy items of clothing that work with your existing wardrobe, are true to your personal style and flatter you body shape…not just because they are cheap! Make sure your sales purchases are 100% useful!
The forward-looking fashionista: She only buys sale items that are sure to be in fashion for the remainder of this winter – bonus points for SS12. It’s surprisingly easy to do. Here are a few pointers…
BUY:
Metallic – For catwalk inspiration check out Christopher Kane, Chanel, Giles Deacon + Antonio Berardi. There are plenty of metallic pieces on the high street already (stick to paler colours where possible) and futuristic fabrics are a huge trend for SS12.
Love this leather metallic sweater from ASOS - now £42
Florals – Granted this one might be a little trickier as most flowery prints are decidedly wintery at the moment. However, if you do see any bright or pastel floral prints a la Mary Katrantzou or Marni, go for it!
Pretty Pastels – Again, colour-blocked pretty pastels might be hard to come by but keep your eyes peeled!
Art Deco + 1950s – Snap up any Art Deco inspired pieces (in time for The Great Gatsby or to channel Gucci SS12) or pick up some full skirts or anything with a touch of 1950s Americana to get in on Prada’s summer vibe.
Citrus Colours – Tangy tones are all the rage for SS12 and Pantone has declared 2012 the year of ‘Tangerine Tango’ so snap up any bold, plain orange items as well as sherbet lemon pieces. Mulberry and Marni showed off some sunny yellow dresses, while tangerine was unmistakably THE colour seen at LFW thanks to Alexander McQueen, Amanda Wakeley and more.
Amazing premium jumper in boiled wool - now £27.50
Glam + Shiny Christmas gift guide 4
Give glam this Christmas with shimmering metallics, party classics and designer names to die for. The best bit is that an LBD or lace top will never go out of fashion and metallics are still set to be big news this SS12.
P.S. check out our other guides for kooky presents, fashionable home gifts and designer labels for under £50.
Guaranteed to glam up any dress: Aldo embellished platforms £65
ASOS 'mazing mirror metallic laptop bag £15 and SO chic
So 80s bodycon glam - Miss Selfridge's Bengaline mesh dress is for the brave. £39.99
J'adore: Trio of Chanel books available at Net-a-Porter
Super chic drape longline blazer £65 from Topshop
Wolf & Badger x Maria Francesca Pepe stud bracelet, £60 from culturelabel.com
Fashion greetings! Send Christian Lacroix boxed postcards £13.95 from Selfridges
NEED this Metallic slip by Boutique at Topshop (SO Christopher Kane SS12) £80
Ticking the metallic + Art Deco trend box- Pretty perspex purse £100 by French Connection
Sexy in a 90s way- lace shirt by Zara. £25.99
Heavenly 7: Metallic dresses + more to die for
Everywhere you look there is a metallic party dress and the trend for metallics in less brash finishes is set to be strong in SS12…thank you Giles Deacon, Christopher Kane, Chanel, Versace et al.
Here are 7 heavenly pieces to get you through the party season (including a couple of ‘I wish’ purchases).
Stunning sequinned skirt £39.99 from Zara
Seriously spacey structured dress spotted in Cos (also has great perspex jewellery)
Pretty in pink lace metallic sleeveless top £28 from River Island
Ultimate golden party dress? Herve Leger embellished houndstooth bandage dress £4,230
For cool party girls - love these rock + roll £25.99 sequinned shorts from TRF @ Zara
Fun for Xmas - ASOS Metallic Coated SkinnyJeans £50
V fashionable work of art: Marc Jacobs Iridescent paillette skirt £7,365
Snap Fashion 