- Use the same colour pallet as the floral print.
- If you're not ready to go head-to-toe in florals, why not wear a pair of floral shoes or a floral bag. Pick out your outfit colours from the floral print, like the picture above.
- Like with any print, it's practically impossible for a floral print not to look good with a solid neutral colour. Try teaming florals with black, white, grey, taupe, ivory and beige.
- For a more edgy look, pair a floaty floral top with denim shorts, tights and a cropped leather jacket.
Monday, 19 March 2012
Floral Fancies
Saturday, 17 March 2012
How To Dress:Sporty Clothes
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Bold Fashion Choices in the Bright Sunshine for New BFFs SamCam and Michelle Obama as they Enjoy Official Welcoming Ceremony
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
Fashion Fun
When I'm bored and I've got some time to kill, I like to go on http://www.dressupgames.com/.
Milan, New York, Paris, and London. Why Not Lagos?
Africa fashion week: Lagos event set to become fixture of global style calendar
Monday, 12 March 2012
Leading the Fashion Fundraising Pack
Sunday, 11 March 2012
Front Row Fakers
The fashion world is in shock after one of its own, the designer Nicole Farhi, blew the whistle on a long-held secret: that celebrities are sometimes paid to appear in the front row of catwalk shows.
Fahri called this an "abominable" and "stupid" practice, adding: "What do they show you in the papers after a fashion show? Not the clothes, but the celebrities who are being paid to sit at the show."
I agree this is a regrettable change to photo-culture. As news, London fashion week isn't up there with the Syrian uprising, but pictures of it break up the front page nicely. Illustrated massacre isn't necessarily the first thing you want to look at with breakfast, but, insofar as fashion developments are "news", the clothes are what should be pictured.
Besides, they're interesting to look at. Before "what was shown" got replaced by "who was there", I always enjoyed looking at the latest fabulous creations from the cutting edge of style and laughing heartily. I'm sure it added to the gaiety of nations for us all: examining a catwalk snap of a spindly girl in orange pantaloons and a tweed fascinator, with one nipple poking artfully out of an asymmetric tank top, and giggling at the idea of wearing it.
It's quite refreshing to see expensive stuff that you don't want. Looking at women in haute couture is like watching people trying to drive down narrow urban streets in brand-new 4x4s. It's a healthy reminder that having millions might bring comfort, security and lovely holidays, but the chances are you'd spend your days dressed like an idiot, swearing as you banged your wing mirror for the 18th time en route to painful appointments for colonic irrigation and new teeth.
We rarely see those hilarious pictures of models in bizarre "A/W 2013" clothes any more. They've been edged out by the front-row celebrity snaps; it's not nearly as much fun to look at Alexa Chung sending a text message.
Photos of the people in a fashion-show audience don't interest and amuse like the clothes do, because they're never surprising. By all means hold the front page if you get a picture of Kim Jong-Un sitting there. If a model's lanky frame is striding past the eager, captivated face of Mary Warnock, Ken Dodd or Robert Mugabe, go on and show me. I'd be interested to see appreciative applause for a witty hemline from Willie Thorne, Dame Edna Everage or Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub. But they're never there. It's only ever famous models, aspiring actresses and Bryan Adams. Thanks: I could have imagined that.
I should point out, for reasons of legal nicety, that there's no reason to suppose Bryan Adams has ever been paid to go to a fashion show. But I'd probably admire him more if he had, rather than schlepping there out of interest alone.
Nevertheless, I think there is a message here for David Cameron. They're not fools in the fashion business or, if they are, they're rich fools. If they think it's worth paying celebrities to be photographed in their environs, that means they know this will affect public behaviour.
That is how the trickle-down effect happens, from haute couture to high street: snap a star at a fashion show, get the reader's attention, then slip in the news that "short and pink" is the way to go for summer (I'm speaking of skirts, by the way; in body terms, I'm short and pink all the time) and the culture is changed.
Could we not use this technique to encourage other, higher-minded cultural shifts, on a national scale? I don't know how much it costs to hire celebrities, but it's got to be less than Trident. I hope the coalition will consider finding a budget to create the following "impromptu" photographic tableaux on our front pages some time soon.
What's your opinion on the front row fakers?
Is it wrong to pay celebrities to come to a fashion show?
Saturday, 10 March 2012
Primark: Inspiration or Stealing?
The chain, which has stores in the UK, Ireland and across the rest of Europe, seems to have paid extensive tribute to the much-loved label's resort 2012 collection.
While the Primark garments are not copies - there are enough significant differences to prevent such a claim - there are some distinctive hallmarks shared by the two lines.
Mr Gurung was alerted to the likeness via Twitter yesterday, when a fan sent him an Instagram snap of the Primark window display at its flagship store on London's Oxford Street
The original tweet from user Nickgfromdc read: 'Wow is that primark ripping off @prabalgurung?'
The designer replied: 'Oh boy looks like it TY 4 lettin us know.'
Friday, 9 March 2012
Future Fashion:BBC Home Of The Future
Steal Her Style: Jessie J
White: Graphic vs. Girly
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Student To Design Shoes for Duchess
Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge has today picked out her favourite shoe from the selection presented to her by a group of young designer's at De Montfort University. The Duchess revealed her choice of shoe as she accompanied the Queen on her visit to Leicester; the first port of call on her Diamond Jubilee tour.
Her choice was the fittingly Royal blue heeled shoe-boot pictured above, shown here with its designer Becka Hunt. Becka, who was born in Peterborough said of her shoe: "My design is inspired by 19th century fashions and based around the things Kate wears, her engagement ring and her style."
We've been really excited here at Shoewawa to see which shoe design Kate would pick, and can certainly see why she made the decision to pick Becka's design: like much of Kate's wardrobe it's a classic design with a modern slant, and it would look great worn alongside her stylish and feminine wardrobe pieces.
We're sure that Becka's attention to detail and thoughtful design process will have appealed to the Duchess too: matching it to the one piece Kate is never seen without - her sapphire engagement ring - is a stroke of pure genius. The prototype will soon be made into a bespoke pair of shoes for Kate to wear.
Well done to Becka and to all the students who took part - we're sure they'll go far and look forward to seeing their names on a shoe near us soon.
Steal Her Style: Taylor Swift
I decided to do a kind of 'style file' on Taylor Swift because the warmer weather will be coming soon, & I think Taylor's summer style always looks pretty & effortless.
Friday, 2 March 2012
How To Become a Fashion Designer (Part 2)
Thursday, 1 March 2012
S/S12 Fashions: Peplums
S/S12 Fashions: Pastels
- Steer clear of sickly sweet shades. Go for glacier blues, spearmint greens, bitter lemon & damask pink for a subtler palette.
- If you can't decide which shade to choose, why not combine a mix of pastel shades in colour-block or delicate washes.
TEXTURED LANTERN SKIRT
- Price: £35.00
CHINO TROUSERS
- Price: £28.00
CO-ORD FLUID BLAZER
- Price: £60.00
(All of the above are from Topshop).