So Angelina and Brad have finally arrived, and Angelina was dressed to impress. I think she’s now put those pregnancy rumours to bed as she appeared in a thigh high split dress which was both figure hugging and flattering. The delectable duo were out in Cannes for the screening of Tarantino’s ‘Inglorious Basterds’, Angelina’s Versace gown is truly magnificent. From the floor skimming length, to the nude colour and one-shoulder, this dress is so on trend it hurts. And she looks incredible, we had begun to wonder whether Jolie had been lost to the realms of mum dressing, but no she is back on her best form. Stunning!
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Gossip Girl works 80s style
We all know that 80s bad taste is the trend of the season, and we know that Gossip Girl is a great way to get a fashion fix. For American viewers, last night saw the first flashback scene of Serena’s mother Lily van der Woodsen as a bright young thing back in the 80s, or to many the decade fashion forgot. We see little Lily played by Brittany Snow trying on a whole host of 80s fashions. It was a little taste of things to come, the spin off doesn’t have a title yet, how about ‘Material Girl? But the show will follow Lily during her wild days in LA.
Read MoreHead and shoulders above the rest
Given the speed with which Romero Bryan. Bryan has already adopted the Balmain style shoulder in his own clothing, adapting t-shirts for nights out: “Giving myself wider shoulders makes my waistline appear a lot smaller giving me the perfect V shape body,” says Bryan. “If I ruled the fashion world there would definitely be more shoulder pads!” The truth is that menswear designers and tailors have a better understanding of the power of the shoulder pad than anyone.
Read MoreRihanna to become Vogue coverstar?
Despite numerous style malfunctions in recent days, Rihanna is reportedly being groomed for the cover of US Vogue. At the now
Read MoreHow not to wear YSL caged heels!
One of the most beautiful items of Spring/Summer 09 was ruined for fashion lovers by the sight of them on Beyonce’s feet. Beyonce has always been one for eccentric fashion tastes and has on a number of occasions got it very very wrong. But over recent years she has started to get it very right. She looked good in her refined and stylish. So I was horrified to see Beyonce attempting to wear those beautiful £1,000 YSL shoes without an inch of style. Some of you may think I’m being harsh, and perhaps I am but this is not a good outfit for so many reasons. The trilby paired with giant hoops isn’t a great look, then you’ve got the see-though vest paired with some not very flattering ripped crops. The belt is probably the most offending item as it looks like it’s meant to match the shoes when it just doesn’t. The final issue is that although her legs are superstar gorgeous, pairing high leg shoes with crops always looks wrong. I would have loved to have seen her pair them with a sundress or maxi skirt, they do need to be prettied up just because they are such a dominant style. She’s such a gorgeous girl but I really don’t feel that this outfit does her or those amazing YSLs justice. How do you rate Beyonce’s style? Are you loving or loathing her throw it on look?
Read MoreBalmania Skips Men This Season
Balmania—the excessive craze for anything contrived by fashion house, Balmain. Last spring, Christophe Decarnin of Balmain served up some exquisitely tailored, shoulder augmented jackets spirited by a Michael Jackson meets militaristic élan. No less than a season after Balmain’s SS09 show, did the jackets reappear in a crazed manner. Literally, Balmain coats were on the backs of close every dainty female who were, quite frankly, “head over shoulders” for Balmain. Now what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, but sadly not this time around. Snapshots from Balmain’s AW09 collection pour le homme are out and the gargantuan shoulders that sent women the world over batty is strangely absent. What we do get are some rather average motorcycle jackets (the zipper detailing is not shabby though, I’ll give them that) and a distressed leather trench (yes, the leg work is done). I know, I know…beggars can’t be choosers, then again, I would have loved to get in on the Balmania epidemic and experience some of this shoulder region accentuation. Till next season I guess… [Source]
Read MoreThe credit crunch defying swimsuit
If you thought that Balmain jacket we reported on was a little excessive, then check out this beauty from swimwear brand Pistol Panties. The swimsuit is called ‘Anita’ and is exclusively stocked in Selfridges. It costs a whopping £2,000. Yes, that’s right £2,000 for a swimsuit, oh and you can’t even swim in it. Anita is made from 5,000 Swarovski crystals, which is why it is unswimmable. But it gets even stranger, there are waiting lists for this little number, yes there is more than one person who wants to buy it! It is limited edition and will be stocked in Selfridges in London, Manchester and Birmingham. I don’t know about you, but this all seems a little excessive to me. I’ve never really understood swimsuits that were made purely for posing. But this really is ridiculous, I do like the pattern though. So if you’re reading
Read MoreSharp shoulders sported by Victoria Beckham
Shoulders are huge both in size and status. They are the must have silhouette for Spring/Summer 09 and will continue right through into Autumn/Winter. And you can always rely on Victoria Beckham to dabble in the trends before anyone else. And her she is in all her Balmain Spring/Summer 09 glory. As a colleague commented it’s like Audrey Hepburn joined the Hell’s Angels, but I kind of like it. The jeans are without doubt amazing, and the jacket is very Adam and the Ants but it really works. This high fashion look was all in aid of some well deserved shopping in Milan. And possibly to celebrate her new status as a voiceover artist. If you didn’t hear she’s done a voice for the cartoon Spongebob Squarepants in which she plays a Princess. We’ve also heard that she may be making a bit of a career out of voiceovers so watch this space. Back to the clothes, I do love the whole ensemble, but I would love to see a bag on her arm that isn’t a Hermes Birkin. How do you feel about the exaggerated shoulders? Is it a trend you’re feeling or fearing? [Image]
Read MoreThe big chill. Rising hemlines for AW09
The sun is finally shining (well, sort of) and it’s time to start thinking about our spring/summer wardrobes. Right? Well to be honest, after all the excitement of Fashion Week, I just can’t help but look towards the colder months of 2009 and dwell over one particular recurring theme from the season’s shows: the ever rising hemline. It appears that ‘short’ was the name of the game for many designers, which might come as something of a surprise to those of us who like to wrap up and keep the cold out during the blustery season.
Read MoreLondon Fashion Week: Horace AW09
While waiting in a crowded reception room for the Horace show, I found myself standing next to a group that perfectly encapsulated the Horace spirit – rainbow haired, pierced and dressed in fluid layers of jersey and denim, new generation punks that were a walking talking advert for the label. A favourite of Agyness Deyn, Horace’s AW09 collection was inspired by 18th century monks and featured a muted palette of greys with splashes of acidic colour and blocks of black and white.
Read MoreThe Oscars 2009: Penelope Cruz
So as I write this Penelope Cruz just took home the award for Best Supporting Actress. We loved her in Vicky Cristina Barcelona but we’re not sure it was worth an Oscar. Her dress however…now that’s another matter. Her outfit may look similar to SJP’s dress, but the fact that its vintage Balmain gives her double fashion brownie points. Just look at the detail on that dress…
Read MoreTamara Mellon reveals her expansion plans for Jimmy Choo
Fabulous. That’s the word I would use to describe co-founder of Jimmy Choo, Tamara Mellon. Now, I know there are tons of other descriptive words probably more apt, but fabulous is enough for me. She’s a fabulous business woman, has a fabulous personality and dishes out fabulous pearls of wisdom. Yesterday evening I took a trip down to the London College of Fashion for The Sunday Times Style Lecture with Tamara Mellon. It was worth it.
Read MoreHeaven has come to Earth: Brown’s new shoe boutique!
If Browns, Browns Focus and Brownfashion.com weren’t exciting enough a new shoe boutique is opening this week! On 23rd January, the designer emporium will open its first footwear store on Brook Street, Mayfair. It will stock the very best designers: Azzedine Alaia, Balenciaga, Christian Louboutin. But designers will also create special edition shoes for the store, Balmain, Nicholas Kirkwood and Martin Margiela are just three who will be creating exclusive footwear. And if you’ve got the boyfriend in tow then never fear, there’s a men’s floor where they’ll be treated to designers galore including Comme des Garcons. There is also a lounge on the men’s floor which boasts coffee, newspapers and wifi, could it get any better?! Well, yes actually, there will be shoe repairs available as well as a personal shopping service and special events. And if that wasn’t nearly enough excitement you can pop in for a manicure/pedicure! Oh and I did I mention that the store boasts 12,000 sq ft? So that’s 12,000 sq feet of designer shoes! Ok girls, breathe, calm yourselves, just a few more days to wait! Oh I’m so excited I can’t cope! Visit www.brownsfashion.com
Read MoreFashion Fix: Gareth Pugh to design menswear
Gareth Pugh to launch menswear collection during Paris men’s fashion week [MFL FOR HIM] Essential beauty items for your party preparations! [Fabsugar UK]
Read MoreThe Fashion Confidential Four Day Sale Extravaganza!
Psst…our friends over at Fashion Confidential are hosting a fab 4 day designer accessories sample sale this week! Get up to 60% off top luxury brands including Balmain, Bottega Veneta, Burberry Prorsum, Fendi, Gucci, Lanvin, Marni, Michael Kors and lots more! The sale is by invitation only. Click here for your exclusive invite. Hurry! We have it on good authority that it’s going to be amazing!
Read MoreSpring 2009: Key trends we love!
Fast forward four months and visualise yourself heading off to the office in your underwear, strutting your stuff as a space invader, or working the Miami Vice look. Not such a pretty picture, is it?
Read MoreMilan and Paris: The cream of the crop
I’m suffering from a bout of fashion week withdrawal, so I spent most of last weekend sifting through footage and images from the shows, namely Paris and Milan. Looking back, this show season has actually been a blast..fast and fun and packed with lots of action. We had Bruno crashing shows, a model fainting at McQueen, and Valentino publicly sacking Fachinetti. Surprisingly none of the top stories had a thing to do with Marc Jacobs…aside from his fascination with skirts. Anyway..with fashion week still swirling around in my head, I’ve compiled my top 5 shows from both Milan and Paris, which was hard to do considering I had many favourites! Lanvin It would have been criminal not to include Lanvin in this roundup. Alber Elbaz outdid himself. The collection was colourful, dreamy, and to quote Rachel Zoe…”I die!” Gianfranco Ferre Aquilano and Rimondi did Ferre proud with this collection. I adored the use of shape and structure. Ankle skimming trousers made a number of appearances on the runway for SS09, but the duo did it best. Balmain Mixing 80’s (strong shoulders) and the 90’s (ripped jeans) Balmain was sharp and sexy! Louis Vuitton We’ve come to expect nothing but absolute genius from Marc Jacobs. For me, this collection was much better and more relevant than last season. Prada I have to admit this wasn’t my favourite collection from Prada but it was the most interesting. Who would have thought cropped tops with rumpled skirt suits could look so good? O.K so I know this was supposed to be a top 5 post, but I had to sneak in a sixth. I couldn’t not add Alexander McQueen. His SS09 collection was fun yet erotic, primitive yet sophisticated, and simply fabulous!
Read MoreLast chance to see… The Golden Age of Couture.
If you haven’t already been to see
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