Ode to Luella
We thought she rather deserved a mention after being credited by The British Fashion Awards with the Designer of the Year Award 2008.
So why did she win?
Central Saint Martin graduate Luella Bartley first came onto the scene in 2000 with her London Fashion Week debut show entitled, ‘Daddy, Who Were the Clash?’. She then went on to launch her own signature label and has gone from strength to strength showing at New York Fashion Week ever since.
Last September Bartley made a welcome return to LFW, she initially came to publicise the opening of her boutique in Mayfair but then decided to stay in the capital, and aren’t we glad she did, because since then she’s given us some stellar catwalk shows. Her collections were an overnight sensation and the Luella label acquired quite a following, especially amongst the ‘It-Brit’ celebrities such as; Alexa Chung, Lily Allen and Kelly Osbourne.
The Luella Look
Amidst all the quirkiness of her catwalk shows, the Luella label specialises in; cute, feminine pieces that are fun but also very wearable at the same time. The high street seems to think so too, as shops such as Urban Outfitters and Topshop, often replicate the ‘Luella look’, (remember the batman t-shirts?). Therefore proving that Luella has mass-market appeal, and after famously saying herself that her clothes are the kind you can, ‘get drunk and fall down in’, I can see why!
Here’s a look at the top 5 trademark pieces from Luella’s collections throughout the years:
1.) The Giselle Bag
Model Giselle Bundchen opened Luella’s first New York show carrying this aptly named bag which became a must have item.
2.) Prom Dresses
A celeb fave this gorgeous girly dress has been worn throughout 2007/8.
3.) The Floral Skirt
The floral skirt became a big hit in high street stores such as Urban Outfitters, along with the geek chic jam-jar style glasses.
4.) The Tea Dress
The tea dress remains a firm favourite from Luella as it reigns throughout her catwalks, last Spring it was floral ones, this Autumn its checks.
5.) That Batman Print
Luella predicted Batman fever way before the premier of new Batman film, ‘The Dark Knight’.
Making such a big influence on the British fashion scene in such a short space of time, I’m sure there’s a lot more to come from this influential designer and I can’t wait to see what she’ll come up with next year.
Topshop now catering for DD’s!
Hurrah, finally a high street fashion store that hasn’t forgotten about those of us with breasts slightly larger than that of an A cup! As Topshop have recently introduced bras that are also available in DD versions for the same price. Giving us ample bust ladies slightly more choice in the lingerie department as quite frankly I was fed up of my familiar lingerie haunts.
I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this gorgeous set:
Could this be the start of high street fashion recognising that real people curves?! Hopefully they’ll extend their range further and cater for DD and beyond…
Copy Cat High Street
For years now trends have trickled down from the catwalk onto the high street but lately they seem to be taking their inspirations from the catwalk a little too literally. In fact they seem to be getting away with just blatently copying them stitch for stitch.
So what’s in it for the designer, do they get a share of this profit? who knows. If not it doesn’t seem very fair, after all the huge chain stores are making money on the back of the designers creative originality. Perhaps however it is flattering to the designer and of course they will recieve more attention and publicity as it shows that joe public wants a piece of the action too. Or could it be that once the high street start copying their garments it de-values the status of the piece and makes customers think twice about paying through their nose for something they can pick up in Topshop??
Here is an example of blatent catwalk copying. Topshop is my favourite example as they seem to be replicating the whole Luella range this Spring/Summer. Some may argue that they pay for the quality of designer clothing however surely a t-shirt is just a t-shirt, right?
Luella Original V.S Topshop remake for £18.
I love Polyvore!
I had to tell you all about this website I stumbled accross rather accidently as I was on facebook, I added it as an application and have been hooked ever since!…
Be careful as this collage making tool is highly addictive! Polyvore gives you the opportunity to mix and match things such as; celebrities, fashion, beauty and other random items to create a ’set’. You can get creative and make as many sets as you want, then you can even join groups to publish your sets and get them noticed by other members. The groups also offer competitions to see who can create the best set according to a particular theme.
So as you can see it’s all good fun!
Try it out for yourself at; www.polyvore.com and check out my sets by clicking on the badge below!
Body Con
The body con dress is one of the hottest party looks right now. Although it does take a hot body to pull it off, everything has to be tip top toned; arms, tum and thighs, best get to the gym now then…
My favourite is this little beauty from All Saints, at £80 it’s pricey but as you can see, well worth it. This also happens to be the same dress as seen on big brother evictee Steph when she entered the house.
This trend was also seen on the ever stylish Rachel Bilson, a personal favourite of mine, who wore it to perfection, keeping the attention grabbing dress simplified with just a matching clutch.Oh how I envy that figure of hers!…
Cannes Film Festival- Natalie Portman
The Cannes film festival saw huge popularity amongst the celebs this year and where there are celebs on a red carpet there’s bound to be fabulous dresses to follow…
Natalie Portman had to (surprisingly) be the best dressed amongst the celebs this year, with an array of striking fashion-forward dresses worn to every premiere, she certainly made sure she stood out from the crowd.
Natalie has certainly been researching her trends; ruffles, purple and one shouldered dresses are all in style this season and I’m glad to see she’s one of very few celebs that doesn’t look like she’s been dipped in the St.Tropez!
My favourite has to be the white sculptural dress by Givenchy. It’s edgy yet stylish and Nat knows exactly how to work it by keeping it simple with swept up hair and limited accessories.
Her casual day however, not so good, this short suit is just ALL wrong…
Paris Hilton Hits Selfridges London
As Paris Hilton is currently in London with boyfriend Benji Madden it seemed an excellent opportunity for the heiress to promote her new perfume, ‘Can Can’.
She visited the Selfridges store in London on Thursday 15th to promote the perfume, coincidently the same day as Victoria Beckham was there to promote her new dVb range, however Paris managed to pip her to the post by bringing her launch forward to 12pm.
Enough about the promotion we wanna know what she was wearing! Pictured below you can see that Paris looks quite demure for the occasion and gives off a regal air about her, it almost looks as though she’s legged it from a wedding. Maybe all her own comparisons she’s made to herself and Princess Diana have finally gone to her head. I have noticed however that Miss. Hilton’s style has gone from trashy to classy within the past year and what with her recent weight loss, i’m beginning to think she’s taking tips from Simple Life best friend Nicole Richie.
Overall it’s a good outfit, loving the shoes and accessories, not sure about the weird metal ring covering her index finger though, perhaps that’s down to Benji…
My Top 10 Trends for Summer
In my opinion, these are the items to be seen in this Summer. Some of them you may already have from last year so re-use them! Just update them with new accessories. Here’s the items that made it onto the list…
1.) Nautical Stripes.
They can be vertical, horizontal or diagonal just so long as it’s stripey! This is on trend with the nautical theme if you wear your stripes in red/blue and white. Be wary of the golden rule however, horizontal stripes can make you look wider! My favourite is this blue and white striped top from french connection.
2.) The Denim Waistcoat.
This is a surprising one for me as i’ve never been a big fan of wearing denim as anything other than a pair of jeans, but since it’s back by popular demand this season my favourite denim form is the waistcoat. This looks cute over little white summer dresses or tank tops and also acts as a sneaky cover up if your not too confident about your tummy. It also brings back a bit of boho into your look so make like Sienna and team it with sandals and wavy/disheveled hair for that ultimate summertime look. Try this one from asos.com.
3.) The Head Scarf.
Perfect for Summer it will tie back that annoying fringe and look fab with a pair of oversized sunglasses, think Nicole Richie or Paris Hilton. I like this retro looking one from Topshop.
4.) All things Wild!
Anything safari will guarantee you style points this season. From safari jackets to animal printed clothing. It also ties in with the tribal theme so you could even mix and match these looks, i.e. wooden jewelery with an animal print dress. You get the idea…I love this cutely cropped safari jacket from warehouse.
5.) Floral Prints.
This is an oldie but a goodie for Summer. However this time florals have had a mix up and we’ve seen floral skirts being worn with printed tees for a geek-chic kind of look. Lipsy do a great range of florals at the minute.
6.) Ruffles.
Ruffles can be worn on anything; tops, skirts, dresses, jackets and even on your shoes. They add a flirty, girly touch to your outfit and are a great way of smartening up an outfit. So you can wear your ruffles for a special occassion or at night. Good old Topshop has this perfect ruffled top that can be worn either by day with jeans or dressed up by night. It comes in a variety of colours and is cheap at just £25. I even own this one myself!
7.) Pussy Bow Blouse.
A cute way to spice up your boring work blouse by replacing it with the pussy bow! A good way to look smart and stylish, all in one go. It can also be dressed down, tucked into a pair of belted jeans or even worn on a night out with a pair of black shorts. The pussy bow blouse is on the market in a variety of styles at the moment; printed, striped, bright block colours etc. If you think you’ll be too hot in Summer theres always the sleeveless version like this asos one for example.
8.) Straw/Wicker Shoppers.
Big enough for your beach towel and trendy too. You can also pick them up cheap from stores such as Mark One, Primark etc so you won’t mind getting a bit of sand in them! Or you could always invest in a pricey Antik Batik version (£95) as this will be one bag, that come Summer, will always be in style. Below is a gold straw basket bag from Dorothy Perkins, a snip at just £15.
9.) Gladiator Sandals.
Under the style microscope today is…
Nicole Richie. I’m loving this look as this maxi dress is bang on trend with it’s tribal-esque print. Nicole proves that even the tiniest of us can get away with wearing the maxi, if we do it right that is. The skyscraper heels and the low neckline balance her out and add to her height therefore enabling her to pull off the look. I would suggest adding more accessories however, a raffia clutch (which are all the rage right now) and some wooden bracelets, would add to the tribal feel.
Try this perfect summer look for yourself, you can find a graphic print maxi dress at asos.com (below) for only £39!
http://www.asos.com/Nicole-Richie/Asos/Graphic-Print-Keyhole-Maxi-Dress/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=278884&cid=2623&clr=Print&sh=0
Sex and the City Premiere
As this is my first fashion blog I was umming and arhhhing about what I should start the ball rolling with but since the premiere of Sex and the City film took place, in none other than London’s Leicester Square last night, it would seem ridiculous to talk about anything else!
The girls all looked individual with hints of their on screen characters seeping through into their choice of accessories. Kristen Davis wore a girly red/cerise dress with cream peep toes, how very lady-like Charlotte. Kim Cattrall, a racy red number, though it would have probably been too demure for Samantha! Cynthia Nixon looked surprisingly sexy (a word her character claims not to be) in a black dress with plunging neckline, she almost stole the show if it wasn’t for Miss Sarah Jessica Parker in…THAT hat! It’s almost as though they told the STAR of the show to stand out above everybody else!… The green dress she wore, an Alexander Mcqueen, was beautiful and very Carrie-esque however without the hat I felt that it lacked wow factor.
Overall I can’t help but feel slightly disappointed that the girls didn’t go to town a bit more and turn up in outrageous outfits like the ones we all know and love from SATC. It was all a bit uncoordinated and lackluster. Perhaps the best dresses are being saved for the New York premiere…
Nothing says effortless summer style quite like the gladiator sandal. You can throw them on with just about anything; jeans, skirts or shorts and they’re comfy too! You could even wear them to dress down a party frock. However be careful, I prefer the ankle strapped ones rather than the high legged ones as they can make short legs look even shorter! Try these from asos.com. The studs make them even more fashionable
10.) Hats all folks!
Hats have to be the one thing that will make you stand out whether your at Glastonbury or on the beach this Summer. Whether its a cowboy, floppy, fedora or trilby hat you wear, make sure its straw. I love this bright red raffia trilby from Urban Outfitters. It also comes in neutral and grey if your not feeling that brave!
So there you have it, the most fashionable IT items for this season. Wear to gain effortless style and make you look gorgeous this Summer…just don’t wear them all at once!