Friday
Saturday
Corporate gets sexy!
Going to work has never been more fun now that fashion hit has the workplace dress sense! Forget boring straight cut suits and say hello to gorgeous glamourous shifts and A Line tailored skirts and this Spring sees us going bright so no bland pastal colours because corporate just got sexy!
With work wear now so transferable for the after parties theres no excuse of being late to anything now as now workwear is designed to take the time and effort out of getting ready. By day its a shift, team up with heels and some accessories and your good to go!
Where once it was acceptable to wear suits only we can now wear the tailored shifts and the most modern dress yet the wrap dress (Thank you Diane von Furstenberg!)during the day and then in the evening too. Is this another triumph for functional fashion? With our social lives becoming in tune with our work its become important for our clothes to be versatile particulary for us ladies who might want to spend more time on our makeup then getting dressed again! (Hence our dresses and skirts needing to be suitiable for day and evening wear).
Lets say Goodbye to Monday Morning blue say and hello to lively greens, yellows, pinks and oranges. Make your workplace your catwalk this season!
With work wear now so transferable for the after parties theres no excuse of being late to anything now as now workwear is designed to take the time and effort out of getting ready. By day its a shift, team up with heels and some accessories and your good to go!
Where once it was acceptable to wear suits only we can now wear the tailored shifts and the most modern dress yet the wrap dress (Thank you Diane von Furstenberg!)during the day and then in the evening too. Is this another triumph for functional fashion? With our social lives becoming in tune with our work its become important for our clothes to be versatile particulary for us ladies who might want to spend more time on our makeup then getting dressed again! (Hence our dresses and skirts needing to be suitiable for day and evening wear).
Lets say Goodbye to Monday Morning blue say and hello to lively greens, yellows, pinks and oranges. Make your workplace your catwalk this season!
Thursday
Next best thing...
Looking at this years Next A/W collection I felt compelled to write about it. I don't know about you but in the past when I normally thought of Next and its branding, it was branded at the slightly maturer market i.e. 25+ (Yes in fashion years thats ancient daaaarling!) and you would only go to Next when you needed a suit or smart clothing.
However now the re-branding of Next is one of the best fashion transformations ever! Judging from their collection I really do believe that Next can easily rival any designer upmarket boutique- everything is bang on trend!
So far (Yes I have a look list I am to invest in!) I have invested in some jewellery by the fashion label the fashion label they have instore: Runway fashion. Looking at the jewellery, a lip shaped ring with a diamonte, diamonte (I wish they were diamonds!) skull encrusted earrings and some red heart shaped studs, Next has clearly invested in some good lines- hence my point of the amazing 'fransformation' (fashion transformation).
No longer will people think Next is just about buying suits for work (although they do great ones!) but for all our fashion needs. The Next best thing has arrived people :)
However now the re-branding of Next is one of the best fashion transformations ever! Judging from their collection I really do believe that Next can easily rival any designer upmarket boutique- everything is bang on trend!
So far (Yes I have a look list I am to invest in!) I have invested in some jewellery by the fashion label the fashion label they have instore: Runway fashion. Looking at the jewellery, a lip shaped ring with a diamonte, diamonte (I wish they were diamonds!) skull encrusted earrings and some red heart shaped studs, Next has clearly invested in some good lines- hence my point of the amazing 'fransformation' (fashion transformation).
No longer will people think Next is just about buying suits for work (although they do great ones!) but for all our fashion needs. The Next best thing has arrived people :)
Friday
The Sari gets Sexy
The Sari. Endless (What seems like endless) yards of material. For centurys women in India have adorned their bodies with the Sari that represents womanhood and modesty. The West I feel particulary find the Sari amazing as its nothing like the fashion that exists here, its not a dress, not a skirt and definately not trousers it is what it is. A sari. In its own entity.
Its one thing every woman should have whether Asian or Western as its the most versatile piece of clothing you will ever have. Want to hide lumps and bumps- The Sari can hide that, simply put your 'Palla' (material that hangs off the shoulder)towards your shoulder so it hangs at the back. Want to show off the a gorgeous design on your Sari blouse (some sari's are designed specifically for this purpose) same rule applies. This style of wearing the sari is also known as 'Punjabi' style as people of the Punjab region in India wear it this way.
Do you have a boyish, straight up/down figure and want to create some curves? The sari can do that too just tie it tighter at the waist and bring the palla round the back of your shoulder so it sits at the front. This way is great if your palla has a gorgeous design too and if your sari blouse is plain, although in my experience most aren't. Want to show off those sexy abs, swing it to the front baby and flaunt it! This style of tying the sari is known as 'Gujarati'style as the people of Gujarath region in India wear it this way.
As mentioned before the sari represents modesty but looking at the new collection of Satya Paul (http://www.satyapaul.com/main.html). The Sari got sexy! The blouses are shorter, the Palla's shorter and tailored for the modern woman. His designs have always been unique but now they are out there and women in India are embracing them. Although modern he has kept to the traditions and by still having the long beautiful materials, covering most of the body but his designs are teaching women to embrace their curves and feel sexy.
Western fashion has always dictated the more flesh you flash the sexier you are. However looking at Sari's and what they represent, Satya Paul's collection clearly shows that modesty is and always will be sexy.
So there you have it ladies the Sari. Versatile, traditional, sexy. Don't all rush at once to snap one of up, this is one fashion that will never go out, but snap one of up as you owe it your wardrobe.
Its one thing every woman should have whether Asian or Western as its the most versatile piece of clothing you will ever have. Want to hide lumps and bumps- The Sari can hide that, simply put your 'Palla' (material that hangs off the shoulder)towards your shoulder so it hangs at the back. Want to show off the a gorgeous design on your Sari blouse (some sari's are designed specifically for this purpose) same rule applies. This style of wearing the sari is also known as 'Punjabi' style as people of the Punjab region in India wear it this way.
Do you have a boyish, straight up/down figure and want to create some curves? The sari can do that too just tie it tighter at the waist and bring the palla round the back of your shoulder so it sits at the front. This way is great if your palla has a gorgeous design too and if your sari blouse is plain, although in my experience most aren't. Want to show off those sexy abs, swing it to the front baby and flaunt it! This style of tying the sari is known as 'Gujarati'style as the people of Gujarath region in India wear it this way.
As mentioned before the sari represents modesty but looking at the new collection of Satya Paul (http://www.satyapaul.com/main.html). The Sari got sexy! The blouses are shorter, the Palla's shorter and tailored for the modern woman. His designs have always been unique but now they are out there and women in India are embracing them. Although modern he has kept to the traditions and by still having the long beautiful materials, covering most of the body but his designs are teaching women to embrace their curves and feel sexy.
Western fashion has always dictated the more flesh you flash the sexier you are. However looking at Sari's and what they represent, Satya Paul's collection clearly shows that modesty is and always will be sexy.
So there you have it ladies the Sari. Versatile, traditional, sexy. Don't all rush at once to snap one of up, this is one fashion that will never go out, but snap one of up as you owe it your wardrobe.
Fashion gets real
Hold the press, start eating again girls because curves are soooo in! It's what we have all been waiting for: Fashion is finally getting real. Milan banned models from the catwalk who had a BMI less then 18 (That would have been a short show) and last year Louis V was the first to kick it off by using curvier models (really meaning they actually eat) for his Autumn Winter 09 collection.
Now Giles Deacon has used Kelly Brook and Abby Clancy for his Spring/Summer 2011 catwalk show. What better way to endorse a healthy figure then the lovely Miss Brook (can't say much about Ms Clancy, apart from are they real- see Marie Claire website for pictures of the show and you will know what I mean!). Kelly has done some work for New Look before, same as Giles Deacon who has a fashion line with them so the combination of the two was perfect: 'Real' woman and 'Real' clothing designs that can make women feel unique without looking a bit Lady Gaga.
The Lady Gaga phenomena has seemed to left the catwalks too. Looking at Moschino's srping/Summer 2011 line has got my fashion senses tingling at the thought of 'real' clothes coming back in. No more will we be trying to pull off unrealistic styles (cone shaped skirts anyone- Mr Deacon unfortunately is guilty for this, see his Paris Spring/summer show 2010), squeezing into clothes that were clearly made for a small child & trying to convince ourselves that we can pull of something that looks like an experiment gone wrong in a lab. "But thats only for inspiration, it gets filtered through as noral on our high street shops" I hear you cry but honestly how many of us really truly understand that side of fashion, particulary young girls?
I mean honestly would any of us really dare pull off a Lady Gaga without feeling like we are going to a fancy dress party?
Its nice Mr Moschino is starting to show clothes that we wear everyday, OK so most of us would have to sell a kidney to buy them but we can all look at them and say we could wear them, beacuse we have, i.e. everyone has a shirt or skirt in their wardrobes. I don't like the clashing prints on some of the collection though, that still for me is a fashion no-no, but real fashion? Yes- Yes, definately Yes please.
Now Giles Deacon has used Kelly Brook and Abby Clancy for his Spring/Summer 2011 catwalk show. What better way to endorse a healthy figure then the lovely Miss Brook (can't say much about Ms Clancy, apart from are they real- see Marie Claire website for pictures of the show and you will know what I mean!). Kelly has done some work for New Look before, same as Giles Deacon who has a fashion line with them so the combination of the two was perfect: 'Real' woman and 'Real' clothing designs that can make women feel unique without looking a bit Lady Gaga.
The Lady Gaga phenomena has seemed to left the catwalks too. Looking at Moschino's srping/Summer 2011 line has got my fashion senses tingling at the thought of 'real' clothes coming back in. No more will we be trying to pull off unrealistic styles (cone shaped skirts anyone- Mr Deacon unfortunately is guilty for this, see his Paris Spring/summer show 2010), squeezing into clothes that were clearly made for a small child & trying to convince ourselves that we can pull of something that looks like an experiment gone wrong in a lab. "But thats only for inspiration, it gets filtered through as noral on our high street shops" I hear you cry but honestly how many of us really truly understand that side of fashion, particulary young girls?
I mean honestly would any of us really dare pull off a Lady Gaga without feeling like we are going to a fancy dress party?
Its nice Mr Moschino is starting to show clothes that we wear everyday, OK so most of us would have to sell a kidney to buy them but we can all look at them and say we could wear them, beacuse we have, i.e. everyone has a shirt or skirt in their wardrobes. I don't like the clashing prints on some of the collection though, that still for me is a fashion no-no, but real fashion? Yes- Yes, definately Yes please.
Sunday
Vanity sizing... Vanity or Misleading?
Following up on the last blog the good ole people at Marie Claire (God they should really pay me for plugging them shamelessly!) have now informed us that shops across the UK, mainly our high street brands are sizing their clothes bigger then the size guides. So in actual fact they are going against the rules- Hold the press someone is actually rebelling against fashion?! There's a first! I like many of you probably knew that clothing sizes vary from shop to shop but now we have a term for it, its becoming more apparent.
Vanity sizing as its affectionately termed is happening with many of our favourite labels including Marks & Spencer and Topshop. It literally means that women are lead to believe they are buying a small size by making the clothes slightly bigger then they are. Flattering right? or Misleading? Lets just say you have picked up a size 6 (for those of us who are lucky to be that size) and it is slightly big for you as the sizing is made bigger, it can be seen as a disadvantage because when it does not fit you you can't just get a smaller size. This would only work for people who are 8 and above and hence maybe a bit misleading.
Lets face it you you want to remain your current size for as long as possible and don't really want to jump from size to size. On the other hand it can be flattering to know that your smaller then the sizes and in addition to this with regards to the last blog its about time that fashion becomes more 'real' and treats people as they are. Real.
Is this another indicator of fashion becoming about 'real' people? Milan has already banned models on the catwalk who have a BMI less then 18.5, Britney Spears released photo's of herself au natural (non airbrush)and now its been revealed that Vanity Sizing is in process. Here's hoping :) its about time we enjoyed fashion rather then letting it make us obsess over how we should look. Live for fashion but remember to enjoy it at the same time too :)
For full article please visit:
http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/world/451160/clothes-shops-flatter-women-with-vanity-sizing.html
Vanity sizing as its affectionately termed is happening with many of our favourite labels including Marks & Spencer and Topshop. It literally means that women are lead to believe they are buying a small size by making the clothes slightly bigger then they are. Flattering right? or Misleading? Lets just say you have picked up a size 6 (for those of us who are lucky to be that size) and it is slightly big for you as the sizing is made bigger, it can be seen as a disadvantage because when it does not fit you you can't just get a smaller size. This would only work for people who are 8 and above and hence maybe a bit misleading.
Lets face it you you want to remain your current size for as long as possible and don't really want to jump from size to size. On the other hand it can be flattering to know that your smaller then the sizes and in addition to this with regards to the last blog its about time that fashion becomes more 'real' and treats people as they are. Real.
Is this another indicator of fashion becoming about 'real' people? Milan has already banned models on the catwalk who have a BMI less then 18.5, Britney Spears released photo's of herself au natural (non airbrush)and now its been revealed that Vanity Sizing is in process. Here's hoping :) its about time we enjoyed fashion rather then letting it make us obsess over how we should look. Live for fashion but remember to enjoy it at the same time too :)
For full article please visit:
http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/world/451160/clothes-shops-flatter-women-with-vanity-sizing.html
Wednesday
Fashion in all its glory
Just got this in my email from Marie Claire and just had to blog about it! I felt as my duty as a fashionista blogger to bring up this subject. It seems that Ms Spears has boldly gone where no female celebrity has gone before and let everyone see her in all her glory- without airbrushed pictures! Liberating feminist move or clever PR stunt? Being a cynical PR person it probably is the latter but I'd like to think its liberating too for women and Britney Spears too. Its liberating for women to see that celebrities are "normal" just like you and me and Briney must feel liberated too where she does not need to be worried about her body and clearly from the shots below she isn't.
It also shows how much she has grown up from that little school girl outfit we saw her in first, to the women she has become now. These pictures show that she is not only comfortable in her own skin but that she accepts all her "flaws".
These pictures also reveal the extent of air brushing that is done to pictures which then presents false expectations on womens body image. From the pictures we can see just how many inches are taken off from the picture (note the first picture below in particular) and how they look a bit unrealistic compared to her natural body which I think looks good anyway for someone who has had two children. If you compare the pictures you can see her 'before' picture is not bad at all and she looks great.
The picture which really surprised me is the one below where her bottom with airbrushing has decieded to defy gravity by being lifted a considerable amount and her legs have got stretched out and "toned" to the extent where they look a bit like chicken legs instead of "real" human legs.
I think if your going to use this airbrushing technique (and lets face it the fashion magazines are not really going to stop using this) then it should be a little realistic. I'll be the first to admit the airbrushing of her skin to even out the complexion looks good but I dont really agree with the 'trimming' that takes place as this is not what real women look like.
Its time that the fashion magazines and the industry took some responsbility in how images can influence women and in particular young girls in being paranoid about their body shapes. As I mentioned they in my opinion will never stop air brushing picures but surely a compromise should be reached where they have rules as to what can be airbrushed and how many inches of bottoms, breasts, legs etc can be taken off. This way the fashion industry can still be vain but in a better way where they create confidence in women's body shapes rather then have them obsess over unrealistic body ideals.
This would mean a lot of graphic artist's (is that the offical job title for people who air brush these images for a living??) will be out of jobs (sorry about that!) but they will be saving fashion man/woman kind :)
Whether a PR stunt or a liberating feminist move its refreshing to see celebrities or pictures of women in their natural state so the world can really see how images like these are heavily airbrushed. I watched a program last year on this subject and airbrushing takes around ten hours to do! Other fun facts about fashion airbrushing (quiete an ovbious one when you think about it) 99% of all images in Hollywood are airbrushed!
So next time you find yourself obessing over eating too many carbs or you want that doughnut- take it because you may (or those lucky ones who may not) put on some pounds which will then make you obsess over how you don't have Britneys perky rear- remember that poor person who spent ten hours giving her a bottom lift and thus the fashion images you see are not real and have been altered drastically as you seen here.
A bold move from Ms Spears too and I do respect her for it, never really thought much of her before as I'm more of a aggy fan (not the one from the cleaning duo but I like that one too!) myself but I suppose I see her in a new more grown up light.
As usual fashion lovers please do let me know your thoughts as I know this subject always provokes food (excuse the pun again!) for thought.
For full article and pictures please follow this link:
www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/beauty/450528/pics-before-after-britney-s-airbrushed-candie-s-ads.html
It also shows how much she has grown up from that little school girl outfit we saw her in first, to the women she has become now. These pictures show that she is not only comfortable in her own skin but that she accepts all her "flaws".
These pictures also reveal the extent of air brushing that is done to pictures which then presents false expectations on womens body image. From the pictures we can see just how many inches are taken off from the picture (note the first picture below in particular) and how they look a bit unrealistic compared to her natural body which I think looks good anyway for someone who has had two children. If you compare the pictures you can see her 'before' picture is not bad at all and she looks great.
The picture which really surprised me is the one below where her bottom with airbrushing has decieded to defy gravity by being lifted a considerable amount and her legs have got stretched out and "toned" to the extent where they look a bit like chicken legs instead of "real" human legs.
I think if your going to use this airbrushing technique (and lets face it the fashion magazines are not really going to stop using this) then it should be a little realistic. I'll be the first to admit the airbrushing of her skin to even out the complexion looks good but I dont really agree with the 'trimming' that takes place as this is not what real women look like.
Its time that the fashion magazines and the industry took some responsbility in how images can influence women and in particular young girls in being paranoid about their body shapes. As I mentioned they in my opinion will never stop air brushing picures but surely a compromise should be reached where they have rules as to what can be airbrushed and how many inches of bottoms, breasts, legs etc can be taken off. This way the fashion industry can still be vain but in a better way where they create confidence in women's body shapes rather then have them obsess over unrealistic body ideals.
This would mean a lot of graphic artist's (is that the offical job title for people who air brush these images for a living??) will be out of jobs (sorry about that!) but they will be saving fashion man/woman kind :)
Whether a PR stunt or a liberating feminist move its refreshing to see celebrities or pictures of women in their natural state so the world can really see how images like these are heavily airbrushed. I watched a program last year on this subject and airbrushing takes around ten hours to do! Other fun facts about fashion airbrushing (quiete an ovbious one when you think about it) 99% of all images in Hollywood are airbrushed!
So next time you find yourself obessing over eating too many carbs or you want that doughnut- take it because you may (or those lucky ones who may not) put on some pounds which will then make you obsess over how you don't have Britneys perky rear- remember that poor person who spent ten hours giving her a bottom lift and thus the fashion images you see are not real and have been altered drastically as you seen here.
A bold move from Ms Spears too and I do respect her for it, never really thought much of her before as I'm more of a aggy fan (not the one from the cleaning duo but I like that one too!) myself but I suppose I see her in a new more grown up light.
As usual fashion lovers please do let me know your thoughts as I know this subject always provokes food (excuse the pun again!) for thought.
For full article and pictures please follow this link:
www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/beauty/450528/pics-before-after-britney-s-airbrushed-candie-s-ads.html
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