Is that you Rihanna?

Most people who know me are aware that I am really not a fan of Ms Fenty for a few reasons. One of which being that, personally, I feel that her sense of "style" leaves a lot to be desired, and doesn't leave much to the imagination, let's just say. 


However, I was pleasantly surprised when I came across this image of her wearing a fabulous olive-green, halter neck creation from Alexander Wang's pre A/W 2012-13 collection whilst she promoted her new film Battleship this week.
She paired the dress with black Christian Louboutin pointed courts and a Maria Black gold bracelet.


It's always good to give praise where it is due and so I'll say that she looks gorgeous and rather elegant in this number. It's also a far cry and lovely change from what we're used to: the 80's grunge look she seems to be consistently sporting of late.


Well hats off Ri - more of the same, please..

..Less of this...

!!!!!

There are no words...

Handsome Prints

The Print Trend - Spring/Summer 2012 

As I'm sure you've observed, prints are a massive trend for this Spring/Summer season.
The High Street is exploding with a whole plethora of prints that are vibrant, exciting and fun to wear and most definitely make a fashion statement with!
Currently, some of the most popular prints are:


Baroque

Tank top, blazer and cropped bandeau - River Island 
Maxi dress - Mango 
Shorts - Topshop

Floral

Jeans, sleeveless blouse - Topshop
Wedged sandals - New  Look
Scarf - Zara
Body con dress - H&M
Brogues - Accessorize

Animal

Scarf - Accessorize
Leopard print body-con dress - Topshop
Snakeskin shift dress - French Connection
Snake skin hand bag - Fiorelli
Leopard print peep toe shoe - Kurt Geiger
Snakeskin bangle - Accessorize
Zebra print cardigan -Dorothy Perkins

Aztec

 Head band - Urban Outfitters       
Shopper bag - Mango
Chunky knit cardigan, sequinned dress
 and sleeveless top - ASOS
Beaded bangle - Forever 21
Jeans - Topshop

There are many different ways to wear prints. But just how you pull a printed outfit together depends on your personality and to some degree, how daring or adventurous you are! 

So let's take a closer look at the various ways to wear prints:

Pairing with a matching block colour:

Prints and matching block colour on the catwalk: PPQ and Rue Du Mail S/S 2012

On Style Icons: Joan Smalls and Solange Knowles both wearing a fabulous print and matching block colour outfit

The easiest way to wear print (and one way to guarantee pulling it off!) is the conventional way -  to simply pair it with a complimentary block colour. 
Not sure which precise colour matches with your chosen printed piece? You're not alone. I find that this is a common query that Clients raise in the Personal Shopping appointments that I conduct. 
What I always advise is to try this fail-safe technique: simply select one of the prominent colours in your printed piece and pair it with an item in that very same colour. Voila! There you have your perfectly colour coordinated outfit! 
Pour examplé:

ASOS

Printed accessories:


Have you never felt brave enough to wear print but want to test the waters this season? Maybe begin with small steps and ease your way into this trend by opting for  printed accessories instead, ie. shoes, scarf or a handbag etc. 

Ashley Olsen and Beyoncé don animal print accessories.

Clashing Prints:

Clashing printed vest and skirt - ASOS

Olivia Palermo totally nailing the clashing print trend: 
she pits together leopard print 

court shoes and floral print trousers - an interesting 
and more subtle

way to clash prints

Clashing prints is the most adventurous and fun way to put together a printed outfit but is certainly only for the most committed of fashionistas! 

If you've not ever ventured into the world of clashing prints but want to experiment and are unsure how to do so, here's another style tip: select 2 clashing prints of a similar size within the same colour palette  and team them together.

Here we have Solange's interpretation of what an exciting clashing print outfit should look like using this technique:

As always, Solange inspires us with her take on the trends. 

To view my clashing prints outfit, go to my Style Diary.

What is your favourite print this season and how will you wear it?

Paris Fashion Week 2012 Highlights - Alexander McQueen A/W '12 Collection

Sarah Burton outdone herself with her spectacle in Paris yesterday. What was displayed was innovative creativity at a high level. 
Sci-fi and futuristic elements (the mirrored visors were just genius!) fused with abundant flamboyance in the form of voluminous and interesting shapes cleverly using ostrich feathers, goat fur and Mongolian lamb.
Generally, I find myself most intrigued by edgy and unusual creations and love to blog about them. I find this collection particularly inspiring:

Images courtesy of style.com

Red Carpet Fashion - The Oscars 2012

The Best Dressed

Some of my favourite ensembles from the "Glamouratti Squad" at this year's Academy Awards..

Milla Jovovich in Elie Saab

Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoii with Lorraine Schwartz jewels. 

I love the fact that she is wearing a dress created of fabric 
which has fluidity to it as her voluptuous body shape 
requires this type of fabric as it is more flattering.

Cameron Diaz in Gucci Premiere


Cameron Diaz has light (blonde) hair and light (blue) eyes 
therefore she is able to carry off light, bright colours well.
Especially as her skin is also somewhat tanned.

Stacy Keibler looking positively stunning in Marchesa

Judy Greer in Monique Lhuillier

Viola Davis looked fabulous in a custom-made Vera Wang gown.

How is it possible that someone can have so much cleavage on display
and still manage to look so classy? I  love this pea-green colour
on her - it suits her beautiful, glossy skin tone very well and her
 golden brown tresses are a great contrast.

Glenn Close in Zac Posen

Rose Byrne in Vivienne Westwood with Chanel jewels
 and Jimmy Choo shoes. 


She embodied glamour in 
this gorgeous shimmering number.






Images courtesy of Style.com

The show that everyone's talking about - London Fashion Week Highlights 2012

Burberry Prorsum Autumn/Winter 2012 Collection


Burberry sets the standard and, according to Vogue "acted as the official announcement of  some of London's trends" for this coming  Autumn/Winter. 


In synopsis: prominent features were heavy texture - tweed, wool and corduroy, stripes, large pocket detailing, high-waisted elasticated belts with bow features, calf-length skirts, blazers and coats with double-breasted, ruffle and peplum detail.
Key colours are shades of mustard, burgundy, olive and brown.


The "big hitters" of the fashion world show us how to layer up for next season.

London Fashion Week 2012 Highlights - Mary Katrantzou - A/W'12 Collection

Mary Katrantzou is one of the designers of the moment and the spotlight has been on her unusual and inventive collection at this year's LFW which took place at the Topshop Showspace.


Lampshade-sculpted dresses and Elizabethan corsetry, outfits were accented with spoons, phone dials, typewriter keys, luggage tassels and clothes hangers.
One dress was even cleverly created from yellow pencils - how droll!
Dramatic, stiff and structured silhouettes contrasted the softer and fluid creations.
These pieces would probably not be a choice for an everyday outfit and they would prove to be  daring for even the most outlandish among us. But I certainly do appreciated the uniqueness and creativity of this collection. It is no wonder that she was the winner of the Emerging Talent Awards at last year’s British Fashion Awards

Mary Katrantzou currently has a much coveted Spring/Summer '12 capsule collection in Topshop featuring the signature prints that she is famed for which has already "flown off the shelves"! A minimal amount of pieces are still available online.

Style File: Solange Knowles

Solange Knowles seems to be in a league of her own when it comes to her unique style. She just never appears to get it wrong.
Over the month of February she is the featured style icon on vogue.com for the "Today I'm wearing.." photo blog where she shares her chosen ensembles everyday.


When I realised that she is this month's "Today I'm wearing.." style-sharing star, I decided that I just simply had to blog about her!


I love her chameleonic and adventurous style and outfit choices and the fact that she is clearly not afraid to explore with a broad variation of colour, print/pattern, texture, style and design.
The words fabulous, elegant, original, ethereal, bold are just some words that come to mind when describing her style.


Here is her photo blog to date:


February 1st and 2nd

First outfit: T by Alexander Wang sweater, Guess by Marciano leather pants, BCBG shoes, Linda Farrow glasses and a CC Skye clutch . Second outfit: Tibi trousers, Alexander Wang shirt-dress, Dries Van Noten shoes,  Aldo rings, and Illesteva glasses 

February 3rd and 6th

Third outfit: H&M gloves, a Velvet sweater, Gucci leather leggings, Phosphorescence glasses, Nicholas Kirkwood for Rodarte shoes. Fourth outfit: Torn by Ronny Kobo minidress and Alaia shoes

February 7th (Day and Eve)

Fifth Outfit: Proenza Schouler jacket with a DVF blouse, Armani trousers, a vintage YSL envelope clutch, Lorraine Schwartz turquoise earrings, an Urban Outfitters hat and Lia Spohia and Konstantino rings. Sixth Outfit: Vera Wang gown

February 8th and 9th

Seventh Outfit: Velvet sweater, Zara trousers, Mulberry Alexa and Linda Farrow sunglasses. Eighth Outfit: Vintage jumper, American Apparel pleated skirt, a Phillip Lim belt and Miu Miu dragonfly shoes

February 10th and 13th

Ninth Outfit: Opening Ceremony crop top, Cacharel leather skirt,  Zanotti gold wedges and a Cavalli clutch. Tenth Outfit: Alexander Wang romper and shoes by  Dries Van Noten.

Solo, I salute you! 

Shoegasm!

Zara are always on point when it comes to their footwear range -ever elegant, chic and cutting edge.


As soon as I clapped eyes on this foot-candy from Zara, it was love at first sight! Making at least one of these pairs, or maybe even both (!) the new additions to my ever-increasing shoe collection will definitely be a step in the right direction!