Monday, January 31, 2011

Latest Fashion Trends for 2011

Autumn/winter fashion editor's picks

Michele Lavery's autumn/winter 2010/2011 fashion picks

"Grey minimalism, clean lines - it's a great season for me" Michele Lavery, editor.

Daniela Agnelli's autumn/winter 2010/2011 fashion picks

"Start with a great thigh-high boot and work up from there" Daniela Agnelli, fashion director.

Tamsin Blanchard's autumn/winter 2010/2011 fashion picks

"There are some great textures and interesting pieces" Tamsin Blanchard, style director.

Clare Richardson's autumn/winter 2010/2011 fashion picks

"I'm going for minimalism with a harder edge" Clare Richardson, fashion editor.

Victoria Bain's autumn/winter 2010/2011 fashion picks

"Red and camel are easy ways to make a statement" Victoria Bain, junior style editor.

Victoria Bain's autumn/winter 2010/2011 fashion picks

"It's about dressing up but being practical" Aurelia Donaldson, fashion assistant.

Latest shoes trends for 2011

Fashion is in the midst of a swingeing change of proportions and garment-choice this autumn. It’s obvious which clothes are in favour: trousers and coats, blouses and jackets, knitwear and skirts – that is, separates, not dresses. This has been bruited as a “return” to minimalism and a great thing for a grown woman’s sanity. We’re promised we’ll be able to bound out looking effortlessly co-ordinated, while radiating dignity and competence. We will, but only, I’ve realised, after we’ve tackled the hellish confusion of this season’s heels.

The petite stiletto  £185, LK Bennett; 0844 581 5881

“Effortless” is hardly the way to describe the search for footwear to match this season’s trousers and longer skirts. I discovered this after trotting off to Selfridges’s new gigantic shoe world (eight rooms, 11 individual branded boutiques, hundreds of shoes and boots to try on), where I imagined I’d be in danger of spending far more than I ought. An hour and a half later, I was back on Oxford Street, empty-handed, fuming over the fact that most footwear design hasn’t yet caught up with the leading edge of fashion.

The stiletto  £120, All Saints; 0844 980 2211

All I gleaned from that wasted trip was the realisation that the monstrous platforms and rock-chick shoe-boots slavishly worn with the short dresses and leggings of the past few years are still endemic. Just looking at them makes me nauseous. Needless to say, they’re wrong with this season’s trousers and mid-calf skirts, which happens to be all I want to wear.

The stacked-heeled ankle boot  £60, asos.com

The stacked-heeled ankle boot, £60

Thrashing out what’s right has taken a hell of a time. This is due, partly, I admit, to the wrench it takes to break a fashion addiction built up over years: the plus side of elevated heels was feeling six inches taller and skinnier. When stepping into this season’s anti-platform, non-statement shoes, there’s that fear to conquer; with these new silhouettes, frumpier and dumpier must be circumnavigated.

The narrow-heeled boot  £165, Pied a Terre at John Lewis; 0845 604 9049
The narrow-heeled boot, £165, Pied a Terre at John Lewis; 0845 604 9049

Having scrutinised all the catwalk shows that featured trousers and longer skirts, I pulled out everything in my wardrobe that resembled them, plus all the shoes I’ve accumulated over 10 years. And now I have conclusions: when you whittle it down, there are two types of footwear necessary to make this season’s clothes viable – a pair of pointy stilettoes and some sort of block-heeled boots.

Trousers are the tricky part, because they come in three shapes:

1) Wide-legged. Footwear appears not to matter with these pants, because the point is that the hem covers the shoe, thus making it invisible, except when walking. That means you can take advantage of the old Seventies leg-lengthening illusion: high, stack-heeled boots or platforms, but roundish or squared in the toe, not pointed. You could also wear socks with an old pair of chunky sandals – the point is to cover and de-emphasise foot-awareness. (Study: 3.1 Phillip Lim, Marc Jacobs, Dries Van Noten.)

2) Boot-cut. This Nineties’ revival takes finessing. It needs streamlined, narrow-heeled boots with a slightly pointed toe, probably in suede. Frida Giannini at Gucci styled her revived boot-legs with open-toed sandals and black tights. (Study: Balmain, Gucci.)

3) Narrow-leg, cropped. For women who’ve been living in leggings, these slim trousers might seem the easiest segue into a new look. The key is to ditch those grotesque “statement” shoes and invest in pointed stilettos to wear to reveal chicly bared ankles. The most versatile and flattering height is around three inches, the über-ideal being a pair of Manolo Blahnik’s timeless spindly-heeled suede courts. Alternatively, there’s the rockabilly way to do it, as exemplified by Isabel Marant’s Fifties pointed courts with cropped jeans – how right they are is testified by the fact that they sold out by mid-August. (Study: Stella McCartney, Gucci, Isabel Marant.)

What to wear with new-length skirts:

1) The Fifties-look circle. The obvious companion for the belled, petticoated skirt is the “petite stiletto” or a 1.5-inch Louis heel with a point decorated with a bow. At the designer end, Tabitha Simmons and Giambattista Valli have mouth-watering evening options, and at the other, Marks & Spencer has a £15 patent version and New Look, one by Giles Deacon at £24.99. Close study of the Louis Vuitton pumps shows they, in fact, have a high- stacked heel rather than a stiletto. (Study: Prada, Louis Vuitton, Dries Van Noten.)

2) Below-knee A-line. A skirt with which both the pointed stiletto and the block-heeled boot work, thus side-stepping the frump issue. There are subtle differences within A-line, though. As a rule of thumb, if it’s bias-cut, sinuous, tending towards the Thirties, wear the stiletto. If it’s stiff and skewing Seventies, use the chunky-heeled boots.

Bags fashion trends for 2011


Bags fashion trends for 2011 - Forget the 'Designer It Bag', the 'New Classic' and the 'Must-Have', there's only one bag trend sweeping Hollywood right now and that's the 'Boho' bag. An eclectic array of multi-coloured shoulder bags have been spotted dangling from the arms of A-listers, and it's down to one woman. Creations by designer Simone Camille have sold out from Net-a-Porter.com in America, the £1000-plus price tags seemingly not a detterent to those after a fun piece of arm candy

Sienna Miller and Nicole Richie
Boho bags

Julia Roberts chose an embellished record-style design by Camille to brighten up her dark, denim look when she arrived at The Late Show with David Letterman recently

Boho bags

The origin of Kate Hudson's oversize (or should that be man-sized?) cotton carrier might be unclear, but the hot-pink fringing and mish-mash of colours make it a firm favourite

Boho bags

Ever the trendsetter, Sienna Miller's frayed shoulder bag at this summer's Glastonbury carried the seal of authenticity: most likely picked up at a far-flung, sun-soaked flea market for a small sum

Boho bags

A firm lover of a trend, Miley Cyrus' Simone Camille bag matches her sunny surroundings

Boho bags

She might well have her own jewellery and fashion range, but It-girl-cum-designer Nicole Richie obviously couldn't resist purchasing this Simone Camille hippie bag

Boho bags

The ever-stylish Rachel Bilson makes looking that good so easy: full marks for carrying off the tribal bag so effortlessly

Boho bags

Jewellery designer Jennifer Meyer is another to fall under the embellished charm of a Simone Camille bag

# # Miss Universe 2010: Mexico's Jimena Navarrete is crowned Miss Universe


Mexico's Jimena Navarrete is crowned Miss Universe at the annual beauty pageant from Las Vegas

Miss Universe 2010 Pageant final at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas

Mexico's Jimena Navarrete was crowned Miss Universe Monday night in an upset victory that 'stunned' a pageant world which had predicted a winner to emerge from Ireland, Venezuela or the United States

Miss Universe 2010 Pageant final at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas

The 22-year-old from Guadalajara, resplendent in a flowing ruby-red evening gown, has been modeling since she was 15, but nothing could quite prepare her for her moment of glory

Miss Universe 2010 Pageant final at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas

Miss Mexico celebrates with other contestants

Miss Universe 2010 Pageant final at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas

"I did feel surprised, I just went blank," the brunette beauty said of her crowning achievement. "There was nothing going through my mind. I was in a state of shock"

Miss Universe 2010 Pageant final at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas

...Navarrete receives a one-year scholarship to the New York Film Academy, and a year's supply of shoes, dresses and hair products

Miss Universe 2010 Pageant final at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas

Navarrete's coronation, which earned her a congratulatory message on Twitter from Mexican President Felipe Calderon, ends the reign of outgoing Miss Universe 2009 Stefania Fernandez of Venezuela. Had this year's Miss Venezuela Marelisa Gibson, 21, taken the title, it would have been a three-year sweep for the South American nation

Miss Universe 2010 Pageant final at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas

But Gibson was ousted in the early going, along with Miss USA Rima Fakih, 24, as the field of 83 was pared down to 15

Miss Universe 2010 Pageant final at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas

The two-hour finale was devoid of the political drama that has erupted in past years at this event, although there had been potential for controversy when Fakih, the first American Muslim to become Miss USA, disappointed many Islamic leaders on Saturday by saying she opposes construction of a proposed mosque near Ground Zero in New York city

Miss Universe 2010 Pageant final at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas

Miss Great Britain- Tara Vaitiere Hoyos

Miss Universe 2010 Pageant final at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas

Miss Ireland Rozanna Purcell managed to finish in the top fifteen

Miss Universe 2010 Pageant final at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas

Radio personality Chet Buchanan (left) jokes around with Miss Finland, Viivi Pumpanen, during a commercial break

# # Fashion news 2010


Fashion news 2010: Underwear with an urge to be seen: Sometimes, it’s the underpinnings that prove to be the crux of a look – the bandaged breasts of flappers, the waspie waists of the Fifties – and never more so than this season. Peekaboo sheer blouses, racy, lacy dresses and dangerously curvy Fifties-inspired pieces shine the spotlight on undergarments, begging the question: “What should the fashionable gal have in her top drawer?”

Greta silk/lace balcony bra, £173, and silk/lace thong, £65, La Perla; 020 7291 0930
Greta silk/lace balcony bra, £173, and silk/lace thong, £65, La Perla; 020 7291 0930

To my mind, one of the most joyous things about the return of the full, A-line dirndl skirt is that, for once, one’s underwear doesn’t have to be seamless, hideous, hearing-aid beige. The knickers with bows that looked lumpily bizarre under body-con dresses can come out of the drawer, as can previously purposeless petticoats, peeking cheekily from the swirling hems of skirts. Having gone for so long trying to make underwear invisible and discreet, it’s refreshing for those of us who don’t bound along bra-less like a Brazilian supermodel to be able to show lacy snippets and pretty straps.

Temptation silk/lace balcony bra, £40; figleaves.com
Temptation silk/lace balcony bra, £40; figleaves.com

Designers are wholeheartedly in agreement. Dolce & Gabbana have long been advocates of large pants and extra-curricular bra straps under a cocktail dress, while Jean Paul Gaultier, creator of Madonna’s cone bra, is renowned for his underwear-ish outerwear, and styles his collections by layering négligées visibly beneath a frock or trench. He has now turned his hand to actual knickers and bras with a collection for La Perla, out in November.

There are plenty of lingerie elements that will make this season’s penchant for all things sheer translate into real life. A lace dress is the perfect showcase for a delicate slip, such as La Senza’s lacy nude styles or Topshop’s vintage-looking ones, while a pair of luxurious silk shorts is begging to be teamed with a bright camisole. Meanwhile, a sheer pussy-bow blouse gets decidedly less bookish when worn over a decadent silk bustier (top of the range is Carine Gilson’s Thème Céres version, £650, net-a-porter.com).

Angelica padded plunge bra, £105, thong, £35, and suspender, £59, Myla; 0844 873 6111
Angelica padded plunge bra, £105, thong, £35, and suspender, £59, Myla; 0844 873 6111

The cruel irony, though, is that your unmentionables must be considered for both form and function. Let’s face it, your sexiest clothes have never permitted you to wear your sexiest underwear. But, hurrah of hurrahs, hideous second-skin shape-wear can take a back-seat as tummies relax under flattering folds of fabric. The new silhouette (think Christina Hendricks) requires more of a wasp waist than a board-flat stomach, so something along the lines of a waspie shaves an inch off your waist and gives a delicious hourglass shape. For a modern equivalent, check out Annette’s Power Curves waist-cincher (£41, figleaves.com).

Hourglass padded plunge bra, £32.00, and waist nipper, £32.00, Charnos; 0115 983 6000
Hourglass padded plunge bra, £32.00, and waist nipper, £32.00, Charnos; 0115 983 6000

If you need a little extra help fitting in those hip-hugging pencil skirts, there are more comely versions of shape-wear. Spanx Haute Contour is the prettier, lacy version (£125, figleaves.com) of its famed cycling-shorts style, and the Made by Niki Fresh Foundations line of slips (from £81.50, madebyniki.co.uk) look more Helmut Newton than Nora Batty. To smooth bra-flab and waistlines, Yummie Tummie’s Tummie Control lace-trimmed cami (£75, figleaves.com) will do its job and peek out cheerfully from under a cardigan or blouse. For those who still love bust-to-knee slimming, invest in Roland Mouret’s Powermesh slip (£265, net-a-porter.com) which is made from the magical sucking-in fabric with which he lines his famous Hollywood-glam dresses.

There’s nothing worse than an expanse of unsexy, functional, moulded cup slipping out of a blouse. My favourite kind of bra is the balconette because it turns your cleavage into a fabulous shelf, the sort described as “heaving” in historical novels and possessed by foxtrels like Brigitte Bardot. Chantelle and La Perla make wonderful lacy balconettes with beautiful straps suitable for showing off and Mimi Holliday’s black-and-white Minuit bra (£43, at John Lewis, 0845 604 9049) would cheer up a plain dress. For those over a D cup, Panache’s Sienna balconette basque (£40, 0845 270 6222) would look magnificent worn solo with a big swishy skirt and cardie.

Like the owner of a delicious yet delicate fragrance, gorgeous underwear is usually imperceptible except to those within kissing distance. For this season, however, kissing distance has a markedly larger radius, so choose your drawers with as much care as your dresses because equal attention will be paid to both.

Autumn's Fashion Trends 2011 for Women

Autumn's Fashion Trends 2011 for Women:

To autumn (nearly), season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, reaper of the wicked sundress and emissary of fresh trends. Only “trends” is problematic as it signifies the fleeting – and this fashion phase is a volte face.

The chief missive is “timelessness” – not for the last time will the minimalism masterclasses of Phoebe Philo at Céline and Stella McCartney be cited. If you’re hunting for a pagoda-shouldered jacket, this is not the season. Rather, it’s time to put together decidedly un-starry pieces: a white blouse, buttoned to the throat, tautly tucked into slick wool trousers; a camel coat belted just so. Flashy has played swapsies with simple, and girlish Lolitas with all-woman Lollobrigidas.

Which walks us to the other autumn story: boobs and hips, and garbs that embrace said proportions – swishy circle skirts, saucy bustiers – are cool. Even hip glossy LOVE celebrates “all things feminine” in its new issue, gushing how “during Fashion Week, a more voluptuous woman was sauntering her way into the spotlight: a new feminine silhouette, a full-blooming figure whose roots lay back in the Fifties”.

Pared down versus in-your-face curves, minimalism versus maximalism: foes set for an epic autumnal wardrobe fisticuff, right? Only if they didn’t share a collective motto, Strictly for Grown-ups – a rallying cry that unites other visual spars like neutrals vs leopard prints, and trousers vs midi-skirts. The real war? Streamlining your buys for the new season: charge forth with this battle plan.

The key investment: wool coat, £650, Joseph; 020 7610 8441
The key investment: wool coat, £650, Joseph; 020 7610 8441
The prints: jersey leopard dress, £90, Alexon at House of Fraser; 0845 602 1073
The prints: jersey leopard dress, £90, Alexon at House of Fraser; 0845 602 1073
The prints: wool-mix blazer, £203, Pyrus; 020 7434 4322
The prints: wool-mix blazer, £203, Pyrus; 020 7434 4322
The silhouette: silk dress, £195, LK Bennett; 08445 815 881
The silhouette: silk dress, £195, LK Bennett; 08445 815 881
The silhouette: wool-mix skirt, £45, Betty Jackson Black; 08445 616 161
The silhouette: wool-mix skirt, £45, Betty Jackson Black; 08445 616 161
The colour palette: silk blouse, £125, Jaeger; 0845 051 0063
The colour palette: silk blouse, £125, Jaeger; 0845 051 0063
The colour palette: leather-trimmed skirt, £199, Jaeger; 0845 051 0063
The colour palette: leather-trimmed skirt, £199, Jaeger; 0845 051 0063
The fabrics: lace-trimmed jumper, £40, Oasis; 01865 881 986
The fabrics: lace-trimmed jumper, £40, Oasis; 01865 881 986
The fabrics: shearling/leather jacket, £275, Banana Republic; 020 7758 3550
The fabrics: shearling/leather jacket, £275, Banana Republic; 020 7758 3550

Latest Victoria Beckham's Fashion collection 2011


Latest Victoria Beckham's Fashion collection 2011: The 'banded minidress' from Victoria Beckham's spring/summer 2010 collection has proved a resounding hit with A-listers on the red carpet. Most recently, Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger (left) stepped out in the design when making an appearance as a judge at the X Factor auditions in Manchester. American actresses Jennifer Hudson (centre) and Blake Lively also couldn't resist the peplum creation, with its quirky, three-quarter-length sleeves

Celebrities wearing Victoria Beckham's designs - Nicole Scherzinger;              Jennifer Hudson; Blake Lively
Celebrities wearing Victoria Beckham's designs - Naomie Harris; Jessica Simpson; Trudie Styler

The sleeveless variation of the 'banded mini' has proved just as popular. On British actress Naomie Harris, the dress looked super-sleek, while Jessica Simpson and Trudie Styler took pleasure of its generous pockets!

Celebrities wearing Victoria Beckham's designs - Victoria Beckham; Katherine Jenkins

Victoria Beckham has made the perfect transition from popstar to fashion designer, acting as the ultimate ambassador for her range. She has worn this elegant flared skirt dress on several occasions, showing its versatility on and off the red carpet. Katherine Jenkins was spotted at Wimbledon in the red version, epitomising smart, summer glamour

Celebrities wearing Victoria Beckham's designs - Melanie Chisholm; Victoria Beckham

Posh Spice's former band mates have also been flying the flag in support of her creations. Melanie Chisholm cut a fashionable figure when she attended the Laurence Olivier Awards earlier this year, in the 'Perault' body-skimming dress from Beckham's autumn/winter 2009 collection, a gown which Victoria herself has also stepped out in

Celebrities wearing Victoria Beckham's designs - Emma Bunton; Victoria Beckham

Fellow former Spice Girl Emma 'Baby Spice' Bunton, took a shining to the graphic-print dress from Victoria Beckham's spring/summer 2010 range. While she opted for a draped version, designer Victoria championed the strapless style

Celebrities wearing Victoria Beckham's designs - Selita Ebanks and Victoria Beckham

Model Selita Ebanks, a former Victoria's Secret 'Angel', looks a dead ringer for Victoria Beckham as she stepped out in the waist-cinching, cut-out dress from the spring/summer 2010 range

Celebrities wearing Victoria Beckham's designs - Victoria Beckham; Carol Vorderman; Mary J. Blige; Elle Macpherson

They say imitation is the best form of flattery, and it was the 'Carmontelle' dress that has proved to be Mrs Beckham's pièce de résistance. The sought-after style has been pictured on countless number of celebrities, who fell powerless to the snug-fitting, cashmere creation with peplum waist. After admiring V.B in the grey number, it wasn't long before Carol Vorderman, Mary J Blige and Elle Macpherson formed a polite queue to get their hands on one

Celebrities wearing Victoria Beckham's designs - Brooke Shields; Elle Macpherson; Victoria Beckham

Asserting herself as a true fashion icon, Victoria Beckham knows first-hand that everyone needs a fail-safe little black dress. So she created her own simple version, nipped in at the waist and with her signature, below-the-knee style. Brooke Shields and Elle Macpherson (again!), couldn't resist having one of these in their wardrobes

Celebrities wearing Victoria Beckham's designs - Drew Barrymore; Katherine Jenkins

The list of A-list fans just goes on and on. Both Drew Barrymore and Katherine Jenkins loved this deep purple, silk corset dress ...

Celebrities wearing Victoria Beckham's designs - Carrie Preston; Taraji P Henson

... a style which wasn't too dissimilar to this royal blue origami-style cocktail dress, which American actresses Carrie Preston and Taraji P Henson donned to their red carpet engagements

Celebrities wearing Victoria Beckham's designs - Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow, Hollywood superstar and red carpet bombshell, gave her nod of approval to Victoria Beckham's foray in to fashion by wearing her creations on more than one occasion.

Celebrities wearing Victoria Beckham's designs - Heidi Kulm; Victoria Beckham

Supermodel and mum Heidi Klum is also partial to Beckham's frocks. Looking chic in this low-cut design, Victoria demonstrated how to accessorise it with a furry, cropped jacket to keep out the cold.

Celebrities wearing Victoria Beckham's designs - Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz has also discovered that her slim but athletic physique is given the instant moviestar glamour-factor whenever she chooses Victoria Beckham collection.