Juicy Couture Hires Hip Designer Erin Fetherston

The all-American company Juicy Couture have announced that they are hiring top designer Erin Fetherston to become the label's new creative consultant as part of a celebration for the Tracksuits' tenth birthday next year. Juicy Couture are popular for their recreation of making the Tracksuit sexy and glamorous with many of Hollywood's greatest stars sporting the tracksuit such as Madonna and Jennifer Lopez.

Erin Fetherston will be continuing to work on her own collections whilst working alongside Juicy Couture which begins in May 2010, and she will be working on the resort 2011 collections and introducing a few limited edition pieces. Her first project will be to help re-invent the Tracksuit, taking it a step further from its iconic, low-slung drawstring pant and hooded zip top, usually made in fleece, velour, or cashmere in pastel-toned colours.

Fetherston, originally from California, graduated from Berkeley with a BA, and from there headed to France where she studied Fashion for three years at the Parsons School of Design in Paris. It was in Paris where she launched her own brand back in 2005, but has since relocated to New York where she is now regarded as an up-coming new star. She has since teamed up with photographer Ellen Von Unwerth, who shot Erin's boudoir romantic signature look in organza and chiffon, which has celebrity fans such as Winona Ryder, Anne Hathaway, and Cameron Diaz.

Juicy Couture was founded by Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor, wife of Duran-Duran's John Taylor, although is now owned by Liz Claiborne. Juicy Couture found their fame with the popular Tracksuit, but have since gone further and produced a full range of clothing, accessories, and perfumes.

Picture taken from www.telegraph.co.uk

Retro Fashion Week

If retro and vintage fashion is your thing, then you will be excited to hear about retro fashion week which will be taking place between 17th and 23rd May 2010. It is an interactive event that features the latest in retro fashion, beauty and designs. It is a bit like any other fashion week but especially for thise who have a passion for retro fashion. It will feature a range of retro designers, retro beauty companies, retro shops, retro models, performers, singers and more.

We love the idea. Retro fashion seems to have exploded in the last few years and we can't think of a more fun way to celebrate. If you are not quite sure what Retro is, it is described in Wikepedia as a culturally outdated or aged style, trend, mode, or fashion, from the overall postmodern past, but have since that time become functionally or superficially the norm once again. Online stores like Modcloth, Retro Chick and Atom Retro all have a good selection of Retro clothing, if you want to get in the retro mood, why not take a look.

Everyone around the world is invited to join in with Retro Fashion Week, to sign up, go to http://retrofashionweek.com

Skinny styles for men - trousers, jeans, jackets and ties

Skinny jeans for men have gradually become more and more on trend over the last few years and now tailored trousers are getting a distinctly more slim cut look to them. Suit jackets have slimmer lapels and skinny ties are the way to go for 2010. The new skinny silhouette that has become such a big menswear trend is a great way to look smart for work without looking boring or outdated. A refreshing new way to wear the unavoidable black or grey suit. For those looking to try out this slightly rock and roll look, Debenhams have a great selection of skinny suits. Cheap Monday at Urban Outfitters is also the place to find a great selection of mens skinny jeans.

Black suit jacket -  J by Jasper Conran at Debenhams

Navy Mohair Slim Fit Trousers by Red Herring - Debenhams

Grey Stripe Skinny Ties - Debenhams

 Cheap Monday Skinny Jeans - Urban Outfitters

Samantha Cameron voted Best-Dressed Woman in Politics

Tory leader David Cameron's wife Samantha has come top of a poll to see who women think is the Best-Dressed woman in Politics. The poll came from fashion website http://www.mycelebrityfashion.co.uk/ after the website received a large number of searches for fashionable clothing and items worn by Samantha Cameron, and America's First Lady. 1,334 women aged between 18-30 were asked to look at images of the Political ladies and asked to choose the three most stylish. The women were also asked to say what they admired the most in each candidate, and 82% of them chose Samantha for her "overall sophistication". The Prime Minister's wife Sarah Brown came in fifth place behind Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg's wife, Miriam Gonzalez Durantez. The full list can be found at www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/hilaryalexander. Samantha creates her look by cleverly infusing basic high-street pieces mixed with beautiful jewellery and other accessories, or by wearing simple yet elegant designer clothes from both old and new names alike.

This was a double-award day for Samantha Cameron- she has emerged in a new role as 'Forces Sweetheart'- appointed patron of the Tickets for Troops charity after a performance of the musical 'Oliver' at Theatre Royal, London, where she met the cast and injured servicemen. The Conservatives established the charity in 2009 to offer free tickets to servicemen and Military Personnel to attend sporting and cultural events. Backing the charity includes Manchester United and Arsenal football clubs, and with venues such as the O2 Arena and the Hammersmith Apollo. Samantha joins Joanna Lumley, Gary Linekar, Dame Vera Lynn and Sir Ian Botham as patrons of the charity.

Photo Credit
www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/hilaryalexander

Invincible Men's Diving Watches

A watch is  a vital part of a mans outfit, it communicates both style and affluence as well as allowing you to know what the time is (of course). For a touch of the modern James Bond a sporty or diving watch is ideal and has a great masculine look. Chunky and funky with lots of practical and useful features for those who love gadgets, a diving or sub aqua watch is a great addition to any outfit even if you never even plan on getting in the water.  Here is a selection of some of our favourite diving watches from super cool Hollywood brand Invicta. Invicta actually means Invincible in latin and we love these watches for their sleek uncompromising style, definitely a statement and an investment as they won't go out of fashion.

 

Invicta Reserve Men's Subaqua Venom Swiss Quartz Watch - a great combination of orange face and metallic  casing, this watch is for those that really want to make a style statement with their watch.

 

Invicta Reserve Men's Specialty Subaqua Swiss Quartz Stainless Steel Watch - this sleek angular lines of tis stainless steel watch make it the perfect accompanyment to a sharp designer suit.

Invicta Reserve Men's Ocean Reef Swiss Quartz 18K Gold-plated Polyurethane Watch - if luxury is what you are after, then this one is for you. The gold plating ensures that everyone knows you are doing well for yourself.

SATC 2

Sex and the City is a programme which holds a special place in most fashionistas hearts - the clothes, the handbags and oohh the shoes. The story lines are pretty good too but obviously not as interesting as the fashion. The latest Sex and the City Film is due to be released in the cinemas on 3rd June and we  can't wait, what better excuse for a girls night out.

The film follows Carrie and Big along the struggles of married life and the struggles of Charlotte through motherhood. Things look like they could go a bit pear shaped when Carrie bumps into Aidan on her travels, will she cheat on Big, we will just have to wait and see!

There are some great guest apperances by Penelope Cruz, Miley Cyrus and Liza Minnelli and we are expected plenty of gorgeous fashion. Rumour has it that there will be a appearance of some jewellery by Wendy Brandes (one of our favourite jewellery designers)

Skeggings - the latest leggings hybrid

First we had the treggings, a combination of trousers and leggings, then the jeggings, a cross between jeans and leggings, but the latest legging hybrid to hit the market is the skeggings, a skirt and leggings all in one. With leggings being such a massive trend at the moment and many already wearing the leggings skirt combo on an everyday basis, it was only a matter of time before someone came up with the idea of combining the two into one piece of clothing.

Admittedly the word 'Skegging' does not really roll off the tongue and has limited appeal, but the actual piece of clothing actually does make sense. Have you every wanted to wear your leggings with your favourite t shirt but found the t shirt was just too short? There are very few people in life who can look good in leggings without some sort of coverage around the bum and thigh area. With the added skirt feature, you don't need to worry about how long your top is. The skeggings by Johnathan Aston also have a flat seam giving a really streamlined silhouette and comfortable fit. At only £19.99 each, we think they are an amazing bargain and much cheaper than buying a pair of leggings and a skirt separately.

What do you think, would you wear them?

GQ.com Announces GQ Fashion 100 List

British Men's Magazine GQ have just announced their list of the Top 100 Most Important People In Menswear in the UK. The judges for the GQ Fashion 100 List have had to judge the movers and shakers on the most important and influential people in the Men's Fashion Industry, whether they are the wealthiest, have the best social connections, the best creativity or simply their good looks which inspire other men to steal their style. Not surprisingly, coming in at number 1 is Sir Philip Green, the self-made billionaire who owns the Arcadia Group which includes shops such as Miss Selfridge, Topshop, Burtons, and Dorothy Perkins. As these are our main high-street stores,Philip Green dominates the British retail scene. He also supported inspirational menswear at London Fashion Week, earning him more respect as a businessman.

Coming in at second place is Jaegar owner Harold Tillman, who recently became a huge name in the luxury menswear market, Harold is Chairman of the British Fashion Council and was recently made a global Ambassador for the Best of British. The fifth place award went to Twilight actor Robert Pattinson, whose recent rise to fame has earned him a place as one of Britain's sexiest men; a role model for many other men to follow his style. He has also been voted as GQ's best-dressed man of 2010. Other top 10 winners include Paul Kelly of Selfridges, Sir Paul Smith- an inspirational Nottingham shop owner, and Christopher Bailey of Burberry. The full GQ list can be found at http://www.gq.com/.

GQ, originally Gentlemen's Quarterly, was launched in 1931 but didn't become a monthly magazine until 1957. The magazine concentrates on Men's Fashion, Health, Style, and Wellbeing whilst keeping to a style that make men feel comfortable in purchasing such a magazine.

Picture taken from www.GQ.com

New Peacocks website

The new Peacocks website which will launch next week aims to make Peacocks the UKs number one value fashion retailer offering customers an unrivalled online shopping experience. The new website follows an increase of 90% in online sales for Peacocks and will not only double the number of products available but also have improved functionality and features and provide a more user friendly service for shoppers.

The most exciting news about the new Peacocks website is that it will sell the full range of Pearl Lowe for Peacocks range with the new collection due to launch May 13th.

The website will also have a bespoke build the look facility which will allow users to create their own looks on a mannequin using clothes from the Peacocks range.

We are loving the great range of dresses for SS10.

Lace and Print Floral Dress

Ladies Ruffle Hem Dress

Strappy Sundress

The grey jersey blazer

For men, it can sometimes be difficult to find the right balance between smart and casual wear. A full on suit would usually be too much for a night out but perhaps a t shirt or sweatshirt too casual. This seasons trend for tailored jackets in grey jersey is the perfect solution. The jersey fabric gives it a slightly more casual feel than a traditional blazer and the lighter colour makes it perfect for wearing in the spring and summer. It also works really well when worn over t shirts or polo shirts for a classy but right on trend look.

We love this Blue Inc version of the grey jersey blazer with contrast piping, pewter-finish buttons and some interesting pocket detail. It is even machine washable so you won't have to fork out for dry cleaning. Perfect for stylish and trendy men who want to work that smart casual look and stand out from the crowd.

Covert Candy Vintage Clothes

Unless you have been asleep for the last year, you can't have failed to notice that the UK has gone clothes swap mad, vintage mad and Eco chic recycling upcycling mad. Part of the reason for this is some great new websites making it possible to swap clothes with people from all over the world and giving us access to great vintage clothes without having to trawl carboot sales etc at some unearthly time on a Sunday morning.

Covert Candy is a unique online platform and community for exchanging, swapping and buying vintage clothes online. It uses  aunique credits system where you can cash in your clothes and decide what to get in return at a later date. It allows you to get items from any user on the site and not just the ones who want your clothes in return.

If you don't have any vintage clothes that you want to swap, no problem, you also have a vintage shop where you can buy gorgeous vintage pieces as surprisingly affordable prices. Actually the CovertCandy vintage clothes are much better than a well known vintage boutique that I recently visited in London. The clothes are hand selected from vintage wholesalers across Paris.

Vintage clothes and swapping not only gives you the chance to buy stylish, quality and unique clothes at much better price than new clothes in the shops. It is also great for the environment.

Go check it out www.covertcandy.co.uk/. I guarentee that you will be addicted in minutes.

30% off designer dresses at My Wardrobe

If you are looking for a great investment buy and summer dress to brighten up your wardrobe for the season ahead, you can make some great saving with 30% OFF all full price dresses at My Wardrobe when using discount code MYDRESS at checkout until midnight on Sunday the 18th of April. We this this offer is just too good to miss, here are just a few of our favourite dresses.

Acne Beige Flynn Tie Dye Dress

American Vintage Mississippi Dress

Nicole Fahri Scribbled Ball Dress

Supertrash neutral mini dress

BCBG Max Azria Wrap Dress

The navy jersey maxi dress - 6 reasons to love it

We are in love with this very gorgeous navy jersey maxi dress by Dorothy Perkins and this is why:

• The style is so simple and chic, it fits so well with this spring minimalist look.
• Navy blue is also one of the must have colours for this summer, I am not going to say that navy is the new black, but you know what I mean. It can be combined with a neutral or beige jacket for laid back summer perfection.
• The maxi style in jersey fabric skims over the bodies contours and hides a multitude of sins, perfect for those days when you want to cover up in style.
• The  mind boggles with the different ways that you could accessorise this dress for so many different looks - our favourite would be a pair of leather sandals, a low slung tan leather belt and bold print scarf.
• It has to be one of the easiest, most comfortable and wearable pieces of the season.
• It only costs £18, so what is not to love!

Minimalist Style - is it just plain boring?

In stark contrast to the busy prints and pattern mixing that is going on at the moment, there is a completely different camp for those who prefer the 'less is more' approach. Minimalism first became fashionable in the nineties with designers like Helmut Lang, Jil Sander and Calvin Klein all playing a key role. The Slip dress (as seen at Calvin Klein) became a staple in almost every girls wardrobe and the clean cut tailoring of Helmut Lang and Jil Sander ruled.

Along with the recent nineties revival, there has also been quite a resurgence in interest for the minimalist labels of the nineties. Jil Sander has recently collaborated on a vast and very popular collection of clean cut tailored basics for Japanese brand Uniqlo.

But is this renewed interest in wearing very plain unaccessorised clothes just a bit boring second time around?

Many would argue not. This pared down aesthetic makes a welcome change to the oppulence and busyness of many recent trends. It is a look that everyone can wear and if done properly can look stunning. The minimalist style is also being kept fresh and up to date by a whole new breed of minimalst designers and labels that have their own take on minimalist fashion or minimalism with a twist. Take Acne for example, the laid back jeans label that is making a name for its simple cut tailoring. Then there is Alexander Wang, who has perfected the off duty model look, often made up or relaxed tailoring or minimalist pieces.

Here are some ideas on how to work the new minmalist style:

• Combine different neutral colours. Navy and beige is very now, but also try grey marl, ecru, light blue denim, tan and camel.
• Great tailoring is key part of to the look, go for as expensive as you  can afford and team with lower cost tshirts and shirts.
• Buy well cut pieces, and t shirts in draping fabrics.
• An oversized boyfriend jacket with a simple dress is probably the easiest way to wear this trend.
• It goes without saying, accessories should be kept to a minimum, hair and make up should be simple and natural looking.  

Paul and Joe Sister Strapless Fitted Dress

Day Birger et Mikkelson Leather Jacket

John Smedly Crew Neck Top

By Malene Birger Cropped Trousers

American Vintage Navy Dress

The New Marks and Spencer Advert

The new Marks and Spencer advert, which features Dannii Minogue for her first time along with models Twiggy, VV Brown, Ana Beatriz Barros and Lisa Snowdon, has made its debut across our screens. The girls show off Marks and Spencers' new Spring 2010 range, from fabulous floral prints to cool nauticals and a new lingerie collection to inject some sparkle in to your Spring wardrobe. The focus of the advert is the flexibility of the pieces to show how they would make a great investment for either day or night, whilst some pieces can be used for both with minor adjustments or with the addition of accessories.

The collection also shows off pieces that can flatter your shape, no matter what your shape or size is. With trendy jumpsuits, day and night dresses, daywear t-shirts, denim hotpants, bright and bold lingerie and swimwear and countless accessories, the Spring collection reaches out to many women whatever their taste or age. The advert tells you to 'Rediscover Denim'- and that is exactly what you will do when you see the different cuts that flatter all shapes and sizes; an exciting change from the usual cuts we are now so accustomed to.

Marks and Spencer have been on the go now since 1884, and since then they have brought us numerous fashion ranges right through the decades, keeping us up to date with the current trends. In 2006 Marks and Spencer launched their Look Behind The Label marketing campaign, with the aim to highlight to customers the different aspects of ethical and environmentally friendly products, which includes Fairtrade products, sustainable fishing and environmentally friendly textile dyes. The Fairtrade cotton used has extended to include Fairtrade Tea and Coffee sold in their in-store cafes.

Oxfam Vintage

If you love vintage clothes but don't always have time to trawl the charity shops in search of hidden gems, then we have some good news for you. Oxfam have just launched an online vintage boutique jam packed with gorgeous goodies from the past in the form of vintage clothes. The new vintage Oxfam online store gives you access to loads of vintage pieces of decades from the fifties to the eighties.

The vintage site also features blogs, advice and inspiration from Oxfam's guest style gurus - Whistles CEO Jane Shepherdson, BBC vintage expert Katherine Higgins and stylist to the stars Fee Doran. It allows you to search by decade as well as giving plenty of information on the key styles of each  decade.

Partly due to celebrities like Kate Moss and Dita Von Teese, vintage is becoming increasingly popular. Vintage pieces have stood the test of time, they are often amazing styles that are much better than many of the new clothes that you will find in the shops. The great thing about vintage is that it is great for the environment. It reduces the amount of clothes going into landfill and the environmental impacts of manufacturing new clothes. Also when shopping on the Oxfam vintage site you are helping support their charitable work.

picture from http://www.oxfam.org.uk/

The Suri Cruise Effect

Red Puffball Trench Baker Baby by Ted Baker

White Jersey Shirt Baker Baby by Ted Baker

Ben De Lisi Purple Cross Over Beaded Dress

Butterfly by Matthew Williamson embroidered dress and leggings

Tots are becoming more and more fashionable lately. The 'Suri Cruise effect' is the name given to the effect tha fashionable celeb tots have on us normal folks making us want to make our children in to mini versions of our fashionable selves. Suri Cruise, young daughter of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise is reputed to have a wardrobe of clothes worth $3 million- not bad for a three year old. There are also plenty of other celebrity children who are strutting their stuff in the style stakes including the Beckham boys, and Shiloh Jolie Pitt.

Debenhams have now come up with some figures behind the phenomena that has been dubbed the Suri Cruise Effect. Their survey of 1,500 parents, found that on average parents bought 7 new girls dresses and 5 pairs of new shoes for their daughters per season and10 new t-shirts and 5 pairs of jeans for their sons each season. Over half of parents shopping for their daughters said that they considered fashion to be as important functionality in picking our new clothes.

Whilst most of us want our children to look stylish and fashionable, we don't want to spend the earth especially when they grow out of them so quickly. Debenhams have a great range of designer childrens clothes at amazing prices. Every child can look like Suri Cruise without their parents spending $3 million.

Maxi dress glamour for SS10

The maxi dress is one of those trends that has been floating about for some time now. It transcends seasons and can work equally well in summer or winter. For summer the maxi dress usually tends to be more floaty and boho style and winter versions more formal or made from jersey.

For this spring and summer the maxi dress is taking a slightly different route. It is moving away from the hippy and boho camp into luxe and glamorous but still with that seventies vibe. There are still plenty of tribal prints and tie dye versions around but there is also the newer sleeved versions and floaty chiffon versions in shades of nude as seen at Chloe and Alberta Ferretti.

At Etro an amazing flattering wrap style with metallic embellishment struck just the right balance between laid back and very very chic. At Missoni straight style dresses with pink and lavender and lavender prints were both elegant and feminine and at Aquascutum, neutral tones and prints were teamed with trench coats for a great daytime look. Naturally this trend has also emerged on the high street. Here are some of our favourites.

Black Swirl Print Maxi - Wallis

Oyster Matt and Shine Maxi Dress - Wallis

Pink Border Print Maxi Dress

Planet Python Silk Maxi Dress

Happy 50th to Dr Martins

Dr Martins are celebrating their 50th year and to mark the occasion they have asked 10 artists to record their version of a cult classic track. The cutting edge bands chosen to participate in the celebrations include DāM-FunK, a Los Angeles-based electro funkster covering “The Things That Dreams Are Made Of” by the Human League and Buraka Som Sistema, a Lisbon band with a sound from Angola covering “Buffalo Stance” by the Swedish singer Neneh Cherry.

Dr Martins have also released a limited edition collection which includes the the iconic 8-eye 1460 boot and the classic 3-eye 1461 shoe, both of which are presented in Black and Cherry Red colours – those synonymous with the Dr. Martens brand.

Dr Martin boots have many assocations with music and sub cultures. They were first adopted by the skinheads but quickly adopted by all sorts of other tribes including mods, glams, punks, ska, psycho-hillbillies, grebos, Goths, industrialists, nu-metal, hardcore, straight-edge, grunge and Britpop. With the current nineties revival and grunge making a come back, Dr Martins are back in fashion yet again.

Scandinavian Designer Menswear

Copenhagen and Stockholm are some of the hottest or coolest places to visit and the moment and perhaps partly due to the wealth of designer brands that is errupting from Scandinavia recently. These brands are all about highly wearable fashion and street wear. For men these brands are perfect for the man who likes to follow fashion but in a slightly offbeat way. With denim and casual wear being a key focus for many of the Scandinavian menswear brands, it is all about the sort of clothes that most men love to wear but done in a hyper stylish way. Here is what we are loving about Scandinavian designer menswear.

Acne

Acne Pop Base Stitched Shirt

Acne Pop O Neck Cotton Knit

As one of the most wanted labels of the moment, the Swedish label Acne has a cult like following amongst fashionistas. From its humble beginings as a simple jeans company, Acne has exploded into something huge offereing a whole range of stylish pieces with laid back tailoring as a speciality. Acne is also one of the most sought after denim brands selling 300,000 pairs of jeans per year. For SS10 check out the Acne Pop Classics collection for jeans (of course), t shirts, sweat tops, checked shirts, cotton knits and parka jackets.

Cheap Monday




















Cheap Monday Vigour Mac

Cheap Monday Tight 45 Min Wash

Cheap Monday is another Swedish denim brand which has become well known for its comprehensive offering of affordable denim. Since its launch in 2004, it's skinny jean has become a real msut own piece. It too has morphed from just a denim brand to a whole lot more.

Uniforms for the Dedicated

Uniforms for the Dedicated Dally Check Shirt

Uniforms for the Dedicated Benjamin Heedle Cardigan

A new up and coming Swedish label Uniforms for the Dedicated has its own distinctive style. It is an interesting collaboration of a group of creatives including artists, musicians, illustrators and designers each bringing their own individual skills and experience. The label was awarded 'Rookie of the Year' in 2008 and 'Newcomer of the year' in 2009. We can't wait to see what 2010 will mean for the brand.

Won Hundred

Won Hundred Zip Hooded Lightweight Jacket

Won Hundred Miles Stripe Tee

Won Hundred is the label of Danish designer Nikolaj Nielsen. His collections are filled with classic wardrobe essentials with a modern twist. Another designer with a background in denim, his clothes are  incerdibly wearable and stylish and very hip.