Monday 9 May 2011

Peacocks over Prada - Affordable Fashion, the Awards

Being down to earth may be part of their day job, but not many TV hosts can do it as well as Lorraine Kelly – whose show’s fashion awards ignore high end designers in favour of value for money brands like Peacocks.

The High Street Fashion Awards celebrate fashion we can all enjoy – not just the rich, famous or extremely lucky, and the first category addresses affordable fashion.

Since the recession hit the brands nominated in the affordable fashion brands category have been among the few to do well from the recession, and they certainly have picked up their game in the fashion stakes to cater for the new market for value: Peacocks have introduced a designer inspired By Design range, as well as recruiting Pearl and Daisy Lowe to design vintage inspired dresses and swimwear. And once you know you can wear the latest designer trends for under forty pounds it really does become hard to shop elsewhere, even when you have a little cash to splash.



The Lorraine Show has long been a good way for the ordinary woman to learn about trends on a level that is approachable for everyone – from teenagers to grannies – and their varied choice of models and flexible styling tips reflect that. Adding a budget choice for everyone in The High Street Fashion Awards only boosts this reputation, with affordable, mid range and upmarket high street categories and nominees.

So well done Lorraine for staying true to your thrifty Scottish roots and promoting affordable fashion accessible to all – and well done Peacocks and co for being nominated.

Tuesday 3 May 2011

We Want Middleton

Ok, so we're obsessed. So what...

Thursday 28 April 2011

Maxi Dresses: Still a Fashion Dilemma?

Maxi dresses have been firmly in fashion for years now, in fact they even made an appearance this winter having once been a strictly summer only option.
But while maxi dresses are becoming more and more popular, there are a number of people who are still nervous to try them. With this in mind, I have decided to write a short guide on the benefits of maxi dresses to encourage anyone still unsure to take the plunge. Here are just some of the great things maxi dresses can bring to your wardrobe this summer:



Choice:

There are now maxi dresses to flatter every shape and size, and there are more options than ever in terms of colour, shape and fit, so if you’re thinking about embracing the trend but haven’t yet taken that brave step now is the time to try.

Versatility:

Maxi dresses are a great day to night option on holiday, a simple black one can look just as nice on the beach over a bikini as they can at the bar later that night with smart sandals and gold jewellery – maxi dresses mean less packing for all.

Comfort:

Dressing up in the summertime is no easy feat. Smart clothing is usually restrictive and it can be hard to keep cool with tight, formal skirts and blouses. Luckily maxi dresses are usually light and floaty, so you can look dressed up without feeling the heat.

Classic Style:

Maxi dresses have been seen everywhere right now, and are one trend that isn’t going away any time soon. We’ve been seeing them on catwalks and celebrities for years, and we’re sure they will look just as good at music festivals this year as this will the following - and maybe even the year after that!

Friday 15 April 2011

Fashion forever items

We all have items of clothing that for some unknown reason have an almost magical power - it could be something that as a purchase was agonised over prior to buying because of the price, or it could simply be something we picked up cheap with thought as to its style longevity. But there are items that outlast their contemporaries not only in terms of durability but in terms of look.

At the other end of the scale there's the kind of purchase that after you take it home, it just doesn't seem to look or feel right. Luckily that's what receipts are for - or, at a push, ebay. Because one individual's mispurchase is another individual's style perennial.

So, what's your forever garment?

Thursday 31 March 2011

Royal Wedding fashion slipstream

I've got little interest in the Royal Wedding itself - this is because unless I've been invited and am supping free champagne and beer then wedding's generally don't hold much interest.

But from a fashion perspective this one is going to be interesting. While few eyes will be on William's suit (the finest Saville Row I'm sure it will be) his wife-to-be Kate Middleton is going to start a fashion sensation - her engagement announcement was the moment when designers were inspired to make Kate-a-like products, so expect everything from wedding dresses to fascinators to shoes in the Kate mould from here on in.

Tuesday 29 March 2011

Street v Catwalk fashion

I've always wondered about the relation between street fashion and catwalk fashion.

If you're a hardcore clothes type (ie too cool even for the word fashionista) you'll have been to some fashion shows and seen first hand that the catwalk is part fine art, part dance, part theatre, part rock'n'roll and 100% fascinating. It's a much underrated art form, in fact - there should be write ups of fashion shows in the reviews section of the broadsheets.

But while the catwalk is an incredible thing for a someone like me to observe - (a neighbourhood kid, doing minimum wage jobs and never seeing the inside of an aeroplane until I was 19) - it's not all there is to clothes. As kids we enjoyed getting tracksuits from market stalls and t-shirts from supermarkets, and later as teenagers getting the latest pair of Adidas or Nike. Now, makes like that (and then all the skate labels too) don't do catwalk (that I know of...) so there then becomes a disjunction between street gear and designer gear. Or does there? In the 21st century I see the catwalk as becoming more than a place to show off collections - it could become a place to show off postmodernism itself.

Do you prefer catwalk sidewalk duds? Let us know in the comments kids!

Tuesday 22 February 2011

We Want Maternity Fashion!

Like a lot of things, maternity fashion has had a bit of a transformation over the years. Things that once were functional or boring or simply a stress purchase necessity - all these things have been made cool by design. Design is the DNA of any manufactured object from an orange juice carton to a spaceship. Designers like Philippe Starck have transformed every day objects like the citrus press or the tin opener and made them almost into works of art.

Clothes are the same - look at any old pic from the 1950s of people in the street, and about 90% of people aren't dressing to look cool, they're just wearing clothes to suit whatever weather it is.

Design changed all that and it's the same with maternity clothes - celebrities like Myleene Klass are often seen in very stylish maternity outfits, and the months of pregnancy are no longer on a lesser fashion level.

Friday 21 January 2011

SS 2011 - Daisy Lowe Swimwear

The frost's still on the pavement, but thoughts about the summer are beginning to appear in people's minds - after all it's only a few months and the sun will (hopefully) be shining and the trees will go green again at last.

Some sunny news this week was the announcemement of Daisy Lowe's forthcoming collection for Peacocks clothes - a range of swimwear. With inspirations including holidays on the French Riviera and fifties pin-ups, it's already creating a buzz in the fashion pages, and not just in the UK either - sites in Japan and Russia have also covered the story.

Daisy Lowe's fashion career so far has been in modelling, working for Peacocks on a series of best selling Pearl Lowe collections. Time was when you'd see models turn actress or pop star, and nothing wrong with that - but models becoming designers is a cool fashion phenomenon and Daisy Lowe's debut collection looks set for success.

The other notable aspect of Daisy Lowe's collection is its aim of complementing the curvier figure as well as smaller sizes. Looks like the beach is just about to get a whole lot more stylish in 2011!

Tuesday 18 January 2011

Denim clothes - fashion foundation

What is it with denim? Ever since it was first introduced it has been worn by nearly everyone ever since.

Denim jeans, jackets, hats, skirts, dresses, shirts, bags, leggings (jeggings). You can even get a result if you put the term denim wedding dress into a search engine.

What I'd like to know, though, is: what is the strangest denim clothing you have ever owned?

I remember when I was about 7 and my gran worked in a clothes factory and used to bring stuff back for us (possibly at heavy discount from the quality control bin, but I don't know for sure). And one time we got these green workwear style jeans - you know the kind of jeans that have weird angular pockets for hammers, saws, etc? Well, that's the ones. They were actually a very good pair of jeans apart from the colour, although the only saws and hammers I owned at the time were plastic Fisher Price ones.

Wednesday 12 January 2011

SS 2011 clothes trends

What's going to be big for the summer season 2011?

If the catwalk stuff is any indication, it could all be a bit mad: everything from dayglo trousers to the amusingly named 'Victorian Smurf' look.

But for us ordinary geezers who buy stuff from the high street, it looks like nothing drastic is on the horizon - the return of flares is thankfully not on the cards. Checked shirts look set to stay in fashion, and it looks like faded/ stonewash jeans may be on the way back in. So pretty much business as usual for mens clothing in the UK.

I'll let you know if the Victorian Smurf look starts appearing on the streets, though.

Friday 7 January 2011

Japanese Fashion Blog

While this is an avowedly UK fashion blog, sometimes it's good to get (virtually) out of the UK and see what's happening elsewhere in the world.

Japan has always held a fascination for me - probably because it is a very different culture but one that seems in some ways familiar to us here in the UK, growing up as we did with Japanese cars, computer games, Sony televisions etc. And Japan also has its fascination with the west - a lot of UK musicians have large amounts of fans in Japan, for instance.

So check out Japanese Streets - this blog is like a modern equivalent of what The Face or i-D magazine used to be like - uncompromising, well photographed street fashion - and loads of it.

A fascinating and detailed read - but don't stick around too long: you might get virtual culture shock, so very different it is from what you see in the UK.

Wednesday 5 January 2011

mod clothes

This video shows Sting as the "Ace Face" in Quadrophenia. Cool mod suit, but the hair looks a bit post punk to me.