Saturday 31 March 2012

Indonesia to ban Miniskirt



I read recently that Indonesia's politicians are proposing the Miniskirt be banned in their country due to it encouraging men to rape women. This is, of course, completely outrageous; men should be controlling themselves rather than women being dictated as to what they wear. The Miniskirt is without a doubt, empowering for women to wear, it connotates innocence, fun and cute girlyness and whatever their age, sometimes a woman needs to feel like this! They come in all shapes and forms so that every girl can have a mini they love; mine is a dark blue velvet flared skirt I bought two years ago, what's yours?






Top: American Apparel 's Miniskirts
Middle: Left: Urban Outfitters Leather and Denim Minis Right: Zara pleated Miniskirt
Bottom: Mary Quant, The creator of the Mini

Thursday 22 March 2012

The Beautiful Fall

'FASHION, GENIUS AND GLORIOUS EXCESS IN 1970s PARIS'

Began reading 'The Beautiful Fall' yesterday, a book that entails the fascinating story of Lagerfelds and Saint Laurents friendship/rivalry. Already, the story is magical; set in the era of new found glamour and the rising of fashion, it is this unknown excitement that made the industry so enchanting at the time. Nowadays, we have become so accustomed to a world obsessed with fashion, that perhaps it's more difficult to make an impact; celebrities are up to date with the trends, the highstreet means affordable clothes are never far away and you're spoilt for choice by fashion magazines and, of course blogs. It's like a relationship, at the start, it's all crazy and passion but soon, familiarity may breed contempt - fashion is being thrown at us from every direction. Of course this is really what we want, we want to be in the relationship but it's just lost it's...new appeal. But, when the relationship lasts and we get past the immature fun, what really lies beneath is commitment and our eternal love for fashion.





Top: Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld. Left: Karl Lagerfeld's first collection for Chanel and Right: Yves Saint Laurent's first collection for Dior.

Sunday 18 March 2012

Underwear as Outerwear

Really nice underwear makes us girls feel sexy and confident so how can we channel this into our day-dress so we can feel that way from all our clothes rather than what's just lying beneath them? Very easily, but it's vital that comfort and relaxed are the main targets for the look rather than revealing and risqué so as to avoid feeling self-conscious and inevitably, judgmental comments. In order to achieve this we simply team our key items with knits and baggy joggers as shown so that even a bralet (if you dare) is just no big deal. A slip is the perfect easy alternative to the little black dress and is fitting for almost any evening occasion. The other two outfits also link in with the pastel and sports trends whilst still being completely wearable for those of us who live in the normal world! I will be purchasing the silk runner shorts very very soon. 

All pieces shown from Topshop. 

Friday 9 March 2012

Casual heels


I wore heels today and it occurred to me, as it always does when I wear them on an occasion where others are not, it's a tough world out there for us heel-lovers, a world filled with scruffy trainers and ugly Ugg boots. I don't have anything against flats but it's just upsetting to see an outfit that would be significantly improved by a good pair of heels. Some girls are too scared to brave the heels whether it be because of standing out too much, the pain or the 'she tries too hard' judgments. But I passionately encourage any woman to wear heels whenever she can; it's empowering, stylish and makes your legs look thinner! how can you say no?! For those of you who are not confident about casual heels, here's how it's done:   
1. Neutral tones - Black and tan are the obvious ways to go, team well with almost any outfit and don't shout out for attention. 
2. Wedges - Or a thick, chunky heel. These are comfy, easy to walk in and have a very laid-back look to them; very 'what? these old things!'
3.  Dress down - Keep the rest of your outfit casual too. Heels look great with a pair of jeans and a baggy tee. 
4. Consistency - On your day- heel debut, people may be in shock because you're wearing *GASP* heels. during. the. day. But after you've worn them a few times, as always it'll be old news and you can continue being chic in peace. 
5. Confidence - Don't doubt the heels. Once they're on, they're on. If all else fails, pretend you're on the catwalk. 





Above: My pick of the casual heels : From left to right: Topshop, Zara, Office, New Look, Office, New Look

Monday 5 March 2012

To Leopard Print or to not Leopard Print?


Bought these beauties last week. Never been 100% certain about leopard print because of it's tacky roots and over-use; it also always reminds me of Janice from Friends (Chandlers girlfriend). Saying this, print is looking unavoidable this up coming season and thought this would be a quick way to incorporate it into my current wardrobe without making too many adjustments (there will, undoubtedly be a splurge in ridiculous amounts of prints at some point though so keep an eye out) and what better way to do so with a sophisticated slipper rather than a floppy ballet pump. Here, I would like to announce how much I love New Looks shoes, yes they're a little cheap and not the best of quality but when like myself you get easily bored of shoes and want a quick fix at a low cost, there is literally nowhere better. 

Monday 27 February 2012

Oscars






When I first saw the photos of the dresses, I am sad to say that I was fairly disappointed by the choice of dresses; many were ill-fitting, predictable and well, a bit dull. Needless to say, I managed to find a few I liked as shown above...

Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton : Not a fan of the unnecessary bow on the waistband, however, it fits perfectly and I am proud to see someone dare a 'pop' of colour which undoubtedly, suits her to the bone. Nice dramatic tail and unusual lacey-effect material.
Gywneth Paltrow in Tom Ford : Clean cut, classic and pure and the cape adds a new dimension to the whole red carpet; never done before but not quite sure why... (note to self: must buy cape dress)
Kirsten Wiig in J Mendal : The mesh looks a little cheap when the dress clearly is not but the bodice is beautiful; matches her skin tone perfectly and shows off her tiny waist.
Milla Jovovich in Ellie Saab : Big fan of Ellie Saab, big fan of this dress. 'Glitz' and glam without being over the top. Elegance and 'Hollywood starlet' at it's best. And Milla doesn't look too bad either.
Angelina Jolie in Versace : Would I ever wear this? No, simply because of the ridiculous big... thing at the back which is not really seen. Saying this, it's allover Jolie; velvet, thigh-high split, black and as sexy as it gets. No one else could wear this like Angelina.

What I love about events such as the Oscars is how well the dresses personify their wearer. It proves that yes, fashion does express who we are; this expression may be overused and a little cheesy but I believe it to be true. Some would disagree with this statement but they would be taking it the wrong way. I am not meaning that we should judge a book but perhaps starting to understand what genre the book may be.

Monday 20 February 2012

Paper Toiles


In preparation for planning a 'Cultural Catwalk' in Nottingham, we're trying to work out what models can actually wear; possibly some paper dresses? These are simply practice ones and we only had an hour but I am impressed: we have here a belted tunic with translucent batwing sleeves. They were inspired by the pieces in the up and coming 'Living In Silk' exhibition which we are promoting.

http://www.dresstheworld.co.uk/nottingham/

Thursday 16 February 2012

Oh Zara



Yesterday, I made the mistake of going into my favourite high street shop of all. It was like being a kid in a candy shop, everything I saw, I immediately wanted. Zara have the incredible ability to design truly on-trend and special statement pieces without going overboard - they are WEARABLE. At the end of the day, yes I love McQueens dresses but I don't want to wear one to the shops; it is the high streets job to convert these trends into something we can actually wear rather than simply look at and admire. I think the problem comes when we stop admiring our own clothes, a lot of the high street take what was once the concept of the garments individuality and tone it down to a point where it is lost. It is this Balance which decides the success of the designs - the balance between the garment's wearability and it's character. Zara has this balanced to perfection.

Monday 13 February 2012

Jazz Age

     

 

Flapper's back and I love it. This time it's slightly more wearable though; there is no way the hightstreet would miss this for the world! I'm thinking Topshop and New Look, and preying that they design their own take in a simplified skirt version so that I can wear it with an old baggy knit during the day. Things have changed since the twenties (have they really?!); day and nightwear have merged into one so rather than waiting until the masquerade ball to wear our flapper dresses, this time round, we can wear them all day. And this is what I love about current fashion; there are no rules and we can wear what we want from any generation, from any shop. Hence, the return of fashions and trends are never the same - they may sound the same (FLAPPER), and be inspired my the same people (Zelda Fitzgerald); they may have dropped waists and plenty of fringing but they feel completely different. For me, this is why I love this trend; it's not about sequins and glitter and ridiculous glamour (although obviously this does contribute) but it's the way our designers can take beautiful garments from ninety years ago and make them applicable and just as satisfying to wear today. 

Sunday 12 February 2012

Whitney Houston tribute

Woke up to the news of Whitney Houston's death today; can't quite believe it. She was a beautiful woman and incredibly talented.  She is the only artist to have seven consecutive No. 1's on the Billboard Hot 100, and is the first woman to ever debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. And thus, a key figure in the rising of feminism. I can quite confidently say, her voice will never be forgotten.

She also, rocked sequins and glitter.

Saturday 11 February 2012

Where it all began



                         

Ode to Olivia Polermo

When I need none-fail looks, I look to this girl. Of course, she could make a bin bag look good but unlike other pretty girls, this doesn't mean she is lazy about her styling. She's perfected the art of simpleness and I can't ever remember seeing a photo of her where I don't immediately search for look-a-likes of her outfit.

So, how to achieve the effortless, Olivia look? Lots of effort. Firstly, hair must be perfect; I'm talking tonged and spritzed and serumed. A black tee and a good pair of city or denim shorts with heels or leopard print flats and you're good to go (sunnies if possible, but of course there is a 1% chance of this in the UK).

http://www.oliviapalermo.com/

Friday 10 February 2012

Today, I wore leather trousers.

If you don't own a pair of leather trousers, buy some NOW!! By leather, I mean polyester of course; mine were £15 from H&M and so they've stretched and sagged a bit but who cares?! Wear with a big slouchy jumper during the day and heels at night. The best bit of all, is that you don't have to be skinny!!! I know you don't believe me, but it's true.

First Post = Topshop.

I would like to open my Blog with an acknowledgment for Topshop. No fashion blog can ignore it's importance on the high street. I hate to think of a city without Topshop, imagine all those teenage girls without their reasonably priced, on-trend looks. This dress is my latest purchase and I love it. Topshop, I solute you.