Swimwear Trends On Trial

Going on holiday wasn't all play, no work, you know. Oh no. I was working hard for you, dear reader, putting this season's swimwear to the test: judging comfort, style, and the tanlines produced. Hopefully you feel as I do, too: I'd rather see pieces on a normal person before I buy than an airbrushed model!

Swimwear has been much the same for the past ten years or so, especially on the high street. A nice floral print, a triangular top, a tie-string pant. If you're lucky you might've gotten a somewhat unflattering cut-out side detail, but that's about as fashion forward as you got. Being thoroughly immersed in fast-moving fashion media you are exposed to beautiful high fashion swimwear, and I thought it bizarre that despite all the catwalk-inspired pieces and fresh design talent being employed on the high street swimwear hadn't followed suit, so I decided to delve deeper into the high street's offerings, certain that directional pieces could be found at reasonable prices if you looked hard enough.

SCUBA

Image style.com ¦ Swimsuit Matches I'll begin with my most lusted-after designer collaboration for this season: Peter Pilotto x Lisa Marie Fernandez scuba-inspired swimwear. Design duo Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos's abstract underwater prints worked perfectly with the neoprene-style swimsuits Fernandez had been producing since 2009. The former stylist predicted sporty styles last seen in the 1990s would be big, and after spotting a gap in the market she started to produce them herself. She is now known as quite the neoprene expert, and the silhouette and styling of these suits are perfect for this Olympic year.

Sadly you are unlikely to find prints as laboured over as these on the high street, nor neoprene - it's a specialist material. However, H&M currently stock a bikini in a similar silhouette with a wetsuit-inspired front zip detail. 

The sporty shape is perfect for me as I am athletic on top, but I was conscious of the top digging in at the back as it was quite tight. I would definitely not wear this if I were fuller on top as it didn't offer much support and I didn't dare to swim in it due to fear of damaging the metal zip - however I did feel super glam parading around the pool in it! 

PHOTOGRAPHIC ONE-PIECE

Image my own ¦ Swimsuit Rumpus Resort The one-piece is a trend that has been bubbling under the surface for quite some time now, never quite breaking into fashion stellar territory. I think it's difficult to cast off the slightly frumpy connotations but with this season's photographic prints looking cool is no longer an issue. We Are Handsome are the definite go-to brand (I love anything with tropical birds on, so their Toco print is my absolute favourite) but Wildfox's pony is something special, too.  I did struggle to find good photographic one-pieces on the high street (Ted Baker has some lovely pieces but the prices are not exactly purse friendly) though ASOS have come up trumps with this cool palm print suit. My pre-holiday pennies were running low at this point so the only suit I had to try out for this trend was a Cath Kidston one-piece my parents gifted me a few years ago; I love to wear this to swim at home but on holiday it just feels a little too covered up - I want to get as much sun on as much of my body as I can at all times. Still, it's nice to look a little different to the other bathers in teeny-weeny bikinis, and I'm sure that in the right place in the right context a one-piece is the perfect sartorial choice.

CUTOUT

Image style.com ¦ Swimsuit Mara Hoffman Cutout swimsuits are another trend that seems to have been around for ages, but I feel this one has never quite worked because the cutout details are never in the most flattering places - who wants suits to dig in around their hips and tum? I certainly don't. The difference with this season's cutouts is that they range from being straps to wide bands, not exerting that much pressure on your skin. Mara Hoffman's suits add a bohemian details without digging into your skin, making for a much more flattering cutout. I found a H&M bikini top with fabulous detailing on the sternum - not much chance of digging in around there. These straps did pose a bit of a tanline problem, but I made sure I applied sunscreen, and also the strap can be undone at the back of the neck and the swimsuit will stay up as a bandeau for sunbathing. H&M sell their bikinis in two parts - thankfully so, as I bought the top of this suit in an 8 and the bottom in a 14. That's a spectacular difference, even for H&M's sizing. Definitely try before you buy!
How about you? Do you favour a bikini or a one-piece? Will you be wearing fashion forward swimwear this summer? Will we even get a summer this year in the UK? 

Answers on the back of a postcard, from a much, much sunnier clime, if you please.

Make Florals Groundbreaking

A Trip To The Seaside With Mulberry

We may be a fair few miles from sun, sea, and sandcastles, but last night Mulberry brought the shores to Manchester with a seaside-themed celebration of their spring/summer collection.

The first delight was a Mulberry ice cream van, serving up yummy raspberry ripple ice cream with sprinkles.









Rebecca of Vintage Romance enjoying her icey

The store's interior was not short of sweet treats, either..









Notice how the waiters' aprons were co-ordinated with the key spring/summer piece. That's dedication for you!

The Spinningfields store was previously accessory-centric, however the party served to highlight that the store now carries more of the pret-a-porter range. On the left of the store is the perky Resort 2012 collection, featuring fun fruit prints with googly eyes, and this quite special tea dress.





Take a closer look at its print and you will find more cute characters.

On the right of the store you will find the spring/summer 2012 collection, inspired by the Great British seaside. Pieces currently on sale include the pivotal yellow, pink and green striped Lollipop dress (the maxi version of which is featured in the Frida & Lindsey ad campaign), a black tunic with sewn-on plastic stars, reminiscent of my fourteen-year-old self's dream - which is in no way a bad thing! - and an adorable yellow dog mac (I'd be all over this but I doubt Henning would be very impressed. Yellow is not his colour).

The ladies from Grazia were on hand to talk us through Mulberry's key trends; candy shades, teamed with buttery leather separates and studded chambray dresses are set to be cool as ice-cream for summer.

Two ladies whose attire caught my eye were a doctor, left, and a solicitor (remember Lisa from my Stylist street style piece?), proving you can have fun with what you wear, whatever industry you work in.

Realising I may have consumed too many alcoholic beverages when I started to think buying the Bayswater in bright yellow made good financial sense (it's an investment, darling!), I knew it was time to go home. But not before Rebecca and I had a go on the ubiquitous seaside game, The Grabby Machine.. (not official name)

I won a teddy! I've named him Cuthbert.
The team who masterminded yesterday evening deserve a huge pat on the back - I am grateful that such a huge brand will open the doors of its boutique and risk the spilling of free Prosecco onto £500 plus handbags. It's a risk that pays off, however; the brand are expecting 2012 to exceed forecast, after a cracking Christmas and New Year period (Business of Fashion/Reuters). Brands retailing in Manchester and beyond would do well to follow the example of the British super-brand.



They do give out a cracking goodie bag... I can't bring myself to eat the rock.

Catwalk images from style.com, all other images my own

Spring Forward

The transitional period always sends me into a bit of a tizz; we remain in the thick of winter, getting rained and hailed upon, but all the glossies are full of spring editorials and adverts. I accept that every January and August my mojo will be totally out of line, and I simply have to throw myself into it wearing new trends until something clicks into place. Sometimes it can be one new piece that completes the season's wardrobe, but often I style something from a previous year in a different way and the outfit is bang on. Moodboards are always helpful, too! Make your own by cutting and sticking inspirational pictures from magazines, and adding any patterns or textures you are currently feeling.

Here I've stolen my boyfriend's French Connection shirt in an attempt to emulate the Preen show I love so much - brightly coloured checks with pencil skirts. This would've worked a lot better with a lighter shoe (see above - the Aldo Rise Preen shoes or ASOS kitten heeled slippers) but there was no stopping me wearing my boxfresh Miista Hildas that day. 

Pastel jeans! Hard to pull off even if you are feeling superstylin'. I was reminded just how difficult it is to wear pale trousers when I had a coffee-and-berry-compote incident in Starbucks, though I do still enjoy the mix of ASOS grungy jumper (boyfriend's again - what is it with him having better clothes than I this season?) with sherbet lemon Oasis pants, dolly mixture ASOS shoes and Parma Violet hair. I refuse to stop using my enormous Zara bag - it fits in the near-A3 style.com/print magazine plus my DSLR - but perhaps this frosted bowler bag from ASOS may be more season-appropriate.

My stab at spring continues with more bright jeans - this time pink. Very pink. These are from some years ago, but I did have a whirlwind trip around Primark last night and picked up this cream with neon trim blouse; very useful to pull some springtime looks together (how cute will it look with the Topshop pink shorts suit - pieces here and here - come the warmer months?). The tweed jacket, black leather belt and black Miista boots ground the look and stop it from looking too wacky. I didn't realise quite how masculine this was until seeing the picture, though I do love how striking the look is. 

Slowly, slowly, my outfits progress into the new season. It's all trial and error at this time of year. Which new trends will you be trying in the coming months?

I Want Candy!

Although we are only nine days into spring/summer 2012 (if the glossy magazine's advertising is anything to go by) I am already crazy about candy-coloured outfits.

For me, it began with the delicious Louis Vuitton campaign; Kati Nescher and Daria Strokous in their Sundae best.




Then I found model heavyweights Frida Gustavsson and Lindsay Wixson hanging about on Brighton beach for Mulberry, with some pretty awesome oversized Brighton Rock.




Finally, as if that wasn't enough to send me into a sugar coma, this season's Vogue Collections features a double page spread of lovely, Loveheart-shaded goodness..




I was craving to create a moodboard that looked good enough to eat!






One valiant fashionista attempted to style the look using items of her own, which proved difficult as her summer wardrobe was bursting with last summer's brights. One part Parma Violet to another part Refresher, it's a good start.. but maybe for now stick to Rainbow Drop nails.

My mate Henry and I

This evening I met Henry Holland. And pretty much forced my business card onto him. Shy man gets nowt, right?

I attended the Aspire Fashion Event and whilst I can't really comment on the event - I left after finding out the question and answer session had been cancelled, plus I have a big uni day tomorrow - I did have a nice little chat with Mr Holland about how much we both liked the House of Holland pre Spring/Summer 2012 video, made by Mariano Vivanco. It's been posted around blogland for a while now, but check it out here - it is pretty awesome!

New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012 Trend Round-Up

We are now well on our way into London Fashion Week, but as we all know, the different weeks represent different moods and trends. So, just for you, dear readers, I watched as many shows as I could without completely losing my mind (I was close, though, as my boyfriend will testify) to write you a little New York-specific trend report. Whether I do it for the next three weeks remains to be seen; it depends on the stability of my sanity and the amount of uni work I have to do.


Anyway, without further adieu, here are what I deem to be the key shapes, fabrics, and colours of New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2012.


KEY SHAPES

The Peplum

L-R Jason Wu, Thakoon, Cushnie et Ochs

Certainly the most prevalent silhouette in NYFW featured a peplum. This cute little detail was also featured at Marc by Marc Jacobs and Rodarte. Perfect for adding curves and also hiding any lumps and bumps in the diffcult hip area, this will be a wardrobe saviour for us all next Spring.


Dropped & Low Waists


L-R Reed Krakoff, Theyskens’ Theory, Tommy Hilfiger

Has high-waist fatigue finally set in for designers? It will be interesting to me to learn how to style a low waist, both in dress and trouser form, in a chic way. The last time this rise was in fashion was when I was a skinny teenager, without a love handle to my name. I may leave this look for sixteen-year-old models, but you may want to experiment with a dropped waist next season.

Cut-out areas

L-R BCBG Max Azria, Proenza Schouler, Prabal Gurung

Great news for those of us who don’t have a figure like Anna Selezneva (far right, in Prabal Gurung); yeah, you can show your entire midriff, as at Proenza Schouler. Or you can pick your favourite (or most toned) body part, and show it off. Cold shoulder, anyone?


Styling Notes
A couple more bits that didn’t merit their own section, but are still important in the scheme of things… Blouses are still buttoned up high, and the more interesting the collar, the better. Keep your tailoring fluid and long-lined: an essential item next Spring will be a long-line blazer, as at The Row and 3.1 Philip Lim. Your summer shower cover-up? A hooded parka. Even Victoria Beckham got in on the act.

KEY FABRICS

Mesh

L-R Alexander Wang, Theyskens’ Theory, Diane von Furstenberg

Texture was added to many looks in New York by the use of mesh panels. If you don’t fancy going for the teen goth look, work mesh accents, like the pockets at Alexander Wang. (Bit of a tangent, but mad props to one of my favourite models, Julia Nobis – far right – for walking so many shows so far this season. You go!)

Leather

L-R rag & bone, Altuzarra, Michael Kors

Now seemingly perennial, leather was a big fabric for this season. Keep your eyes peeled: it’s now so fluid and buttersoft, you may visually mistake it for silk. There’s no need to dress top-to-toe in leather; just wear a simple shift with leather detailing, like at Altuzarra.

Shiny

L-R Theyskens’ Theory, Peter Som, DKNY

You can wear your trousers like a mirror, as at Theory, or have a chic sheen to your skirt, like DKNY. Add a little texture to your outfit by means of a shiny fabric, and you’ll be bang on trend for next Spring.

Styling Notes
As mentioned earlier, peek-a-boo cut-outs will be big, but if you aren’t feeling so confident, cover them with a sheer fabric. Crochet is totally OK; even better if you can add a tasselled detail to swing from the hemline.

KEY COLOURS

I could talk about colours. I could easily talk about them for a very long time, as I’m a big fan of them. However, I think the best way to represent the colours of New York spring/summer 2012 is with this nifty image I (painstakingly) made…

Honourable Mentions

I couldn’t write a NYFW S/S 2012 trend report without recommending you check out the entire Preen collection. Gorgeous ice-cream pastel shades all mixed together in squares, checks, and origami folds. It represents everything that NYFW was: chic, understated, whilst remaining colourful and interesting, with some fabulous design details.



Finally, I had to share with you the gorgeous Theyskens’ Theory ballgown. Theory has remained in the fashion editors’ lust-list ever since the amazing Olivier Theyskens took the reins in October 2010. I’m not sure what I loved so much about this piece, maybe it was just so unexpected after the masculine tailoring of the rest of the collection. If I were an A-lister, I’d definitely consider this for a red carpet event.






I hope you enjoyed this report as much as I enjoyed making it! All images are courtesy of style.com. If you would like to use any of it, I’d really appreciate it if you’d credit me, and maybe drop me an email.