Victoria Beckham certainly knows how to travel in style as she arrived at London Heathrow Airport on March 23 in a chic, menswear-inspired ensemble.
The former Spice Girl and current fashion designer takes on the utilitarian trend in a sharp black blazer, olive green cuffed trousers and a heather grey tank top. She accessorized the look with nude platform heels, a statement gold men's watch, a gold ring and her trademark Aviator sunglasses.
photo courtesy justjared.com
Replicate this stylish look with the much more affordable alternatives below:
I love cats. Not in a weird, cliche "I want to live with them alone for the rest of my life" kind of way but I do have a definite affinity for them.
I also have a thing for the cat motif in fashion and I believe novelty feline prints and accessories are a really great way to add fun and quirkiness to Spring wardrobes.
The Miu Miu Spring 2010 runway was littered (bad pun intended) with cute, playful cats on clothing, shoes, bags, jewelry - you name it, cats were on it.
images courtesy style.com
I scoured Etsy and Ebay to find some cute and stylish vintage cat pieces and came up with quite a few options below.
Here are some little known and interesting (to me anyway) cat facts taken from www.catscans.com:
Ailurophilia is the "love of cats".
The nose pad of a cat is ridged in a pattern that is unique, just like the fingerprint of a human.
The domestic cat is the only cat species able to hold its tail vertically while walking. All wild cats hold their tails horizontally or tucked between their legs while walking.
Sir Isaac Newton, discoverer of the principles of gravity, also invented the cat door.
A cat will amost never "meow" at another cat. This sound is reserved for humans.
A group of kittens is called a "kindle" and a group of grown cats is called a "clowder".
Also, here's a Vogue fashion spread from 2008 which features cute Persian cats and model Karen Elson with hair, makeup and outfits inspired by the fantastic Grace Coddington.
No...me neither but I think mini pot-bellied pigs are so cute and I've always had a love for Chanel so I was inspired to combine the two in a new illustration (below).
N.B the Chanel outfit featured is from the SS10 collection.
Also, I attended Fashion Fusion Expo 2010 as a backstage dresser (photos to come soon) and below is an illustration inspired by a backstage photo taken of an outfit by London-based fashion stylist, Hannah J.
So, I went to London Fashion Weekend last weekend and since it was my second time attending a major London fashion event (the other was Clothes Show Live), I was excited to see what it was all about.
As you all may have realized by now, I do love a good shopping deal and the outfit I wore to the show was comprised of items I picked up from various places at bargain prices.
Below is what I wore to the show - a blue Jacques Vert blouse that I picked up at a car boot sale for 50p, a red Hobbs skirt that was on sale for £19, a black belt that came with a top I bought from New Look and an Aldo necklace that was on sale with a 'two for the price of one' offer (I also got the black and silver version).
(Please excuse the facial expression - I wasn't even a little ready for that photo and sadly, it was the best one of the bunch.)
Even though the designer label prices at London Fashion Weekend were heavily discounted, I had a hard time finding items that I liked, were my size and were in my budget range. However, I did manage to pick up this SS08 Luella T-shirt for £25 which I think is really adorable.
What I was looking forward to more than anything else was the catwalk presentation and with looks from designers such as Betty Jackson, Herve Leger, Jasper Conran and Twenty8Twelve, I was not disappointed.
The show was presented by fashion journalist and TV presenter Louise Roe and was a compilation of designer looks from the SS10 runways which reflect some of the biggest trends of the season. Below are a few videos I made of the runway shows.
The first trend to hit the runway was 'Candy Rock' - soft, pastel colours and light, airy fabrics and romantic silhouettes. Featured designers included Jasper Conran, Herve Leger and Jaeger.
The second trend was Swallows & Amazons - described as 'Arthur Ransome meets Tim Burton', this trend 'combines layered mismatched pieces of luxe and denim with classic nautical tailoring and gothic leather'. Featured designers included Twenty8Twelve, Eley Kishimoto and Vivienne Westwood.
The final trend covered was Vintage Glamour - elegant, timeless vintage pieces that would fit seamlessly in the modern fashion world. Featured designers included Ossie Clarke, Zandra Rhodes and Biba.
We also got the pleasure of viewing Betty Jackson's entire Spring/Summer 2010 collection which was feminine, flirty and perfect for the upcoming warm weather.
After a dark and dreary winter, there's one thing that most people look forward to when Spring rolls around: bright, mood-enhancing colours.
However, this Spring will see many fashionistas in neutral tones and muted colours as this is a hot trend for the upcoming season.
Nude, grey, brown, khaki and other similar tones and colours were featured prominently at various Spring 2010 runway shows such as Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, Celine and Balmain (below).
photos courtesy style.com
The trend has been dubbed utilitarian chic and is seen by some as a statement in response to the current economic state of the world.
Many individuals who can afford to be flashy and flaunt their ability to afford frills are now taking a more minimal approach to fashion, perhaps out of respect for those who can't.
This may or may not actually be the case but one thing is for certain - what the desaturated looks of the season lack in colour impact, they most certainly make up for in statement-making style.
The utilitarian fashion of 2010 ranges from soft and fluid feminine shapes to sharp and tailored menswear inspired pieces and the hottest trends such as harem pants, safari jackets as well as classic pieces such as the trench and oxford shirts are all being interpreted in an array of neutrals and subdued colours.
When colour is removed from the equation, it really forces you to observe and appreciate the actual design of the garment.
The high street and department stores have wasted no time in adapting the trend and some have even made this look a key feature in their new collections. Below are some of the clothing stores around London displaying their stylish but desaturated Spring looks.
Uniqlo
United Colors of Benetton
Fenwick
Basler
Pinko
Zara
Jigsaw
Of course, there are incredibly fashionable women on the streets of Paris, London and Stockholm, among others, who have interpreted this trend in their own distinctive ways and have been snapped on a number of street-style and fashion blogs.
photos courtesy style.com, blogs.elleuk.com, copenhagenstreetstyle.dk, easyfashion.blogspot.com, stockholmstreetstyle.feber.se, vanessajackman.blogspot.com and waynetippets.com
Plenty of stylish celebs have also been spotted at various events in dresses and ensembles which are only one or two shades away from their own skin tones.
Anne Hathaway wore a cream suit with a light brown blouse to announce the Academy Award Nominations 2010, Keri Hilson wore a nude mermaid-hem gown to the Grammy Awards 2010, Drew Barrymore donned an embellished champagne gown at the Golden Globes 2010 and Ginnifer Goodwin wore a light taupe dress to the Calvin Klein Men’s and Women’s Spring 2010 Collections Preview Benefit.
photos courtesy justjared.com and yahoo.com
If you think this trend is for you, take a look at the clothing suggestions below to help you zap the colour but pump up the style in your wardrobes this Spring.
photo courtesy justjared.com
