Do it Like a Dude

The womenswear trend of adopting a more masculine style of dress has been in style for a while now and the autumn/winter catwalks showed no sign of it slowing down just yet!

D&G showed a more 'Victorian gentleman' style of dress while Ralph Lauren and Temperley London went for a sophisticated style featuring bow ties, tuxedo jackets and braces to complete the look.

The trend seems to have slipped down all the way to our footwear, with brogue style shoes and loafers being a massive trends this summer. For winter the chelsea boot seems to be the shoe du jour, with Chanel teaming large, billowing top halves with a streamlined bottom, finished with a leather boot. Jill Sander adopted more of a wedge heel but similarly paired them with a straight silouette on the bottom half.

Asos have a classic interpetation of the Victorian style shoe for £50 at the moment, but if you're not brave enough to go for all out masculinity a heeled pair, like the Asos acorn leather platform as shown in the bottom left is a far more wearable style.

Will you be wearing a pair of Chelsea boots this Winter?

Dolce & Gabbana Fall 2011 RTW

I recently saw a snippet of this collection from Love Maegan and like the magpie that I am it certainly got my attention!

Taking inspiration from 80s slightly kitsch, punk and rock and roll influencers like David Bowie and Adam Ant, the collection fused retro with modern to create a celestial filled extravaganza!

Mainly sticking to a muted black, white and grey colour palette pops of colour came through the accessories which were quite frankly, amazing!

Behold:



Zebra print, tiger prints and leopard prints, neon pinks, turquoise, stars, spangles and sequins, I love it all! The shoes are universally pointed, pin heels; meaning we can say a welcome 'adios' to sky high platforms in favour of a far more manageable, not quite so intimidating heel. Now I just need to work out how I could get my hands on some!

The clothing was certainly a bit hit and miss for me. Whilst I can't say I was much of a fan of some of the masculine tailored looks which I'm becoming a bit bored of seeing, certain pieces like the black lace and leoprint print sequins really got my attention, despite the shapes being ones we've seen from D&G numerous times before and them being draped over Victoria's Secret models who look good in bin liners! (Alessandra Ambrosio in particular is stunning!)

Here are a few of the highlights for me:



What did you make of this collection?

D&G Western Look

I've recently discovered this site called Polyvore and created the look below. It's inspired by the Dolce and Gabanna S/S 2010 Ready-to-Wear collection from Milan (you can see all the catwalk images from it on Vogue.co.uk) and also a shoot from the American Cosmo magazine featuring Cory Monteith (Finn) from Glee looking rather hot and cavorting with someone very pretty.

I really like the boots I've put in there. They're by Emma Cook for Topshop and go with this look perfectly but are £175 so I'll keep dreaming.

Boohoo also have alot more denim stuff similar to the D&G runway and are ridiculously cheap so I possibly  may be investing in a piece or two...

D&G Western Denim Set by KayleyA featuring American Eagle Outfitters sunglasses

Items in this set:
Warehouse Patchwork Drawcord Bag, 35GBP
Multi Strand and Stud Belt, 40GBP
Women's AE Flygirl Sunglasses - American Eagle Outfitters, $50
Pink Gingham Print Neck Scarf, 8 GBP
topshop - Emma Cook Cowboy Boots 175GBP

Sexy Ruffle Skirt Bodice Dress, 20GBP

Autumn/Winter Trend Predictions

With Autumn/Winter just around the corner I’ve decided it’s time to take a look at what trends will make it from the catwalk to the high street, so here is my look at the hotly tipped looks for next season.

[caption id="attachment_33" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Well, they do say fashion goes round in cycles! Alexander Vauthier, London, A/W 09"][/caption]

Power-dressing

Apparently power dressing is back! Hopefully not quite as garish as the outfits sported by Joan Collins in Dynasty, but none the less, shoulders and trousers suits are making a welcome return. This time around shoulders are a bit more structured and paired with a cinched waist creating a more feminine silhouette. Already seen on the catwalks of Balmain, Yves Saint Laurent and D&G this trend looks set to stay. Pair with 7/8 length trousers leaving your ankle exposed, or a longer length, structured skirt to perfect the modern take on 80s power dressing.

[caption id="attachment_25" align="aligncenter" width="140" caption="D&G, Milan, Fall 09"][/caption]

Royalty

Things have taken a rather royal turn, with D&G showing a collection heavily influenced by the monarchy. Heavy fabrics, specifically velvet is set to be in, paired with broaches and corsets and embellished with ruffles and lace, taking style notes from Marie Antoinette. Whilst things may not be quite as lavish day to day, velvet in rich jewel tones is something to watch out for.

[caption id="attachment_26" align="aligncenter" width="140" caption="Louis Vuitton, Fall 09, Paris"][/caption]

Thigh High Boots

These were all over the catwalks but translating it to everyday wear may be difficult, if they’re too high or the wrong fabric you could end up looking more like should be loitering on street corners waiting for a middle aged man in a Mondeo to give you the nod. If you want to play it safe maybe it’s best to stick to just over the knee styles in suede to avoid giving the wrong impression. I’m personally not to sure on these; surely anything over the knee would be impractical and difficult to walk in. Certainly anything too embellished like Louis Vuitton showed might be just a bit too OTT.