ombre

miss renaissance

THIS is what I am going to be doing to my nails tonight. Colour-blocked nails are the new nail art, or, whatever.

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the trench

celebutopia

Seeing Alexa out and about in a trench coat is like seeing your first boyfriend walking down the street looking so damn good. You know it's been years but you kind of think, why did we ever break up? So Alexa, why did we ever break up? 

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the thing

tommy ton style.com

The ear is the thing. I'll be keeping it simple with BRVTVS's delicate ear cuff, but this is clearly a case of anything is more.

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back to the start

garance dore

First knuckle rings got a little crazy there for a while. It was like the arm party gravitated south, and everyone had super stacks going on with a million rings elbowing each other out of the way (sometimes right off your finger and onto the subway platform, sniff beloved Jordan Askill heart) for attention. I was guilty of it. We all were. But then the zeitgeist caught up and we moved on - to ear cuffs and anklets and ankle cuffs and earlets (that's next, folks) - because that's what fashion folk do, and that's what we did. But now, it's come full circle. Gone are the days of a million delicate things piled up on your hands. I'm welcoming back with eager, open palms (and fingers) just one or two first knuckle rings, doubled-up maybe, but not necessarily, just like it was at the start.

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the other baguette

fendi

I'm probably going to regret this. I kind of already do. But I think I might like this new Fendi Baguette reissue? In a humorous, ironic, tongue-in-chic kind of way? Not this yellow colour specifically, but maybe a nice simple black one, or even an out-there shade of green or red or pink or blue... I don't know what it is exactly about it - it's flashy and it's over the top and it's ridiculously... it. And that's so not me. But there's something kind of compelling about how the Baguette is coming back in style, as if it was never 'it' to begin with, as if it was just laying the grounds to become a true classic. 

I wouldn't - and couldn't - wear it the way Plum Sykes used to. "A Fendi purse in an ever more luxurious or decadent yarn was a compulsory part of a strict Friday-night dress code of skintight Stella McCartney jeans, agonisingly high Gucci heels and a beaded top by Chanel or Dolce & Gabbana." How Carrie Bradshaw. "The bag that went on a thousand dates," Sykes adds, and I like that. It's funny to look back on trends with the benefit of hindsight. How are we going to look back on our time now? Are we going to laugh at Philo-mania, are we going to have a burning desire to bring back the Isabel Marant Flana jacket? Are we going to reminisce about all those dates that we went on in Dicker boots and Acne jeans and cute little Equipment shirts? I'd like to think that when I'm in my 30s or 40s I'll still be in love with the things that I'm wearing now, not necessarily because they are classics, but because I have sentimental value attached to the very way that I wore them back then. How can you ever fall out of love with an item of clothing? I don't think I can. I'm gonna love my stuff forever and ever and always.

If I had a Baguette I would probably try and dress it down, to let its flashiness speak for itself. A heavy-lidded wink on a fresh face. I'd wear a pair of tapered pants and a big sweater (here I am with the oversized knitwear thing again, but man is it a good look), boyfriend jeans and a blue shirt, a trench coat over a midi skirt. A little Baguette might be just the thing to complete the outfit with a smile. Not taking fashion too seriously, and all that. Something over-embellished like the bags that you would buy from a street-market or a tourist stall. Something kind of crazy, almost too crazy, something that no-one would ever think I'd want. No, it's not minimal, its got wild-branding, it's even just a little bit trashy. But I think that's why I like it. You can get caught up in your own style sometimes to the point where everything starts to look the same. You can predict exactly what you want, you know your wardrobe inside out and you can reel off your favourite designers like they were your own family members. When you get to that point that's when you start to crave something a little out of the ordinary. Like flatform laceups, or a peplumed-top. Or a bright yellow Fendi Baguette.

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a thing

into the gloss

Look, I really hate to labour the point, but doesn't Marina Munoz look great in that anklet and with bright red nail polish on her toes and fingers (note to self: vampy nail polish ASAP)? Didn't I tell you anklets were a thing? Didn't I?

X

ps. still dreaming of a pair of these ones, charmed and charming and just bohemian enough, you know?

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shoe shoe

style.com

Is this maybe really good? Or is it bad? Or is so awful it's delightful, to use Stevie's turn of phrase? I mean, obviously the knit is fine, I really like the the colours and the mish-mash pattern. And the polo shirt and loose baggy track pants are nothing new. That muted red is kind of lovely, isn't it? And all together, it's ok, right? And the sunglasses are eco-friendly, which is nice for the environment. You see I can convince myself up to a point and then I just get to the shoes and suddenly I'm stumped for an argument. I should hate them. I have made strong, vocal arguments against sliders, especially in 90s teen flicks such as 10 Things I Hate About You where alleged figures of female desire like Joey (note the use of the word alleged) wear them in a decidedly un-ironic fashion and it completely stumps me. Are they acceptable footwear now? They're comfortable, yes. But aren't they just for wearing in the shower at the gym? I think I hate them but then I keep looking at them and I start to question my initial reaction. I mean, the question I normally ask is would Ashley Olsen wear them? And I have to say, I think she might. I love how the two designers who showed sliders as a legitimate shoe choice this season were Christopher Kane and Stella McCartney, two designers on the opposite ends of the spectrum to the other. Stella Mac with her wearable clothes and yummy mummy posse and vegan leather bags, Kane the blue-eyed boy with his almost-vulgar-but-not-quite frocks and his rags to riches story and his awesome relationship with mentor Donatella Versace.

The shoes make me think of something Sarah Mower said recently. "I know for certain when something's good when I get a physical reaction to it - like goose bumps, a shout of laughter, even feeling a bit nauseous at the newness in front of you. I know it sounds weird but that 'sick' reaction is what I had when I came across Christopher Kane at Central Saint Martins in 2005. He was doing something so borderline vulgar with his neon-bandage collection, but I could see he was frighteningly talented."

There's something in that, I think. So often we can fall into a rut, especially with sources of stylistic inspiration. It's not good for us to consume the same images over and over again - that's why I follow Hawai Five O screencap tumblrs along with the usual fashion ones - we need diversity in order to stimulate our brains. And who knows when something from some non-fashion place might inspire us, hello Hawain prints, Stella? You shouldn't just surround yourself with things that you love. I like that Sarah Mower has a very physical approach to fashion. It's the kind of thing you hear most often from art critics. You know it's good art when it moves you somehow, whether to tears or laughter or awe - or equally as important, disgust, shock and even nausea. I understand what she said about Christopher Kane. It's the same way I always feel about his collections. He constantly takes the staid staples of fashion - plaid, florals, knitwear - and twists them about upon themselves, subverting them with sexual ferocity and belly-button rings. I like him a lot as a designer. Not to wear, but to be moved by. 

These shoes are one of those "moving" moments. Kane had some on his runway, too, and they were less utilitarian - less Stella, natch - with their bling and their beads and their satin. Kane has said that he's sick of seeing a towering heel with a mini, and would much prefer one of his comfortable, chunky sliders instead. It must have been one of those horrifying moments for the Mowers and the Wintours and the Alts of this world, a look that could turn the most hardened fashion gal to nausea. But that's what good, no, great design does, right? It moves us in the face of, to use Mower's phrase, newness. I love that this look is as fresh and new on Kane's runway as it is on McCartney's. It's plucked fresh from a Natalie Imbruglia video clip, but still, there is an undeniable newness to it. There's been nothing like them in fashion - high fashion, that is - in the past 5 years. And they feel kind of right for now. That initial gut reaction of "what the??" moves seamlessly into a a head-cocked, lip-biting kind of thought process where it becomes evident that this is just the logical progression of the whole clog debacle of 2010. With a big, wacky knit and a loose pair of trousers they might just be right. The touch of wrongness, of tackiness, of the ugly to perfect an outfit - like midi skirts, like anklets, like shoulder pads. So awful they're delightful, you know.

I'm not saying I'd wear them. But they do move me.

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the 10 best looks of resort

1. The colour of next summer - Chanel Mimosa Yellow

2. Sporty Luxe at Alexander Wang wearing low-slung shorts and your high-rise swimsuit underneath

3. Print blocking at Stella McCartney and a fantastic, fantastic stripey midi-skirt

4. Marni nails the tunic over pants look - leather and kick flares.

5. How great is that red sleeveless coat? Ohne Titel understands the fusion between glamour and sporty separates

6. Suit up with a boxy number by Pringle of Scotland

7. This Celine trench coat is the best thing. Ever. Of All Life. 

8. I wear this kind of outfit on a daily basis so I couldn't not include it. Oversized sweater and calf length skirts at T by Alexander Wang.

9. The Row is all over Pyjama Dressing, after all the Olsen's are the pioneers of it. 

10. Derek Lam's new diffusion line 10 Crosby Derek Lam takes a nod from Celine's Spring/Summer 11 collection and adds racing stripes to louche summer lounge wear.

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grass roots

streetfsn

One of the biggest catch-22s about travel for me is the magazine buying. My mum is of the belief that magazines purchased on holiday are for perusing during long layovers and lazy afternoons, then tossing so as not to cart that heavy paper all the way back to australia. Waste not baggage allowance on boring magazines when it can be un-wasted on thing like jam and tea. I, however, always bring my magazines back. Partly because I collect them. But partly because buying magazines overseas always represents a saving of over 300% for me. You Europeans just have it so good. Elle UK for 4 pounds? Try $20 air freight in Australia (reduced down to $10 if you wait 2 months). When I was footloose and fancy free I used to spend horrendous amounts of money on air freighted magazines, but in light of saving up for my trip I stopped doing that this year and only bought them when they got cheaper. I hate being 2 months behind though. Which is why it's so fun for me to go overseas and be able to buy one or two or (ahem... 12) magazines. Even if they are super heavy.

So this holiday has happily coincided with me coming up to super speed with fickle fashion. One thing that's clear from the catwalk round ups is the "crafty"/ethnic touch trend. Think Isabel Marant Navajo sweaters and the entirety of the Proenza Schouler Fall 2011 collection in all its ikat, burnt orange glory. I've always loved the earthiness of ethnic touches that can ground an outfit in reality. It's about texture - fuzzy shearling, softly softly suede, waterfall fringing - and it's about pattern and colour. Dusty, rusty, moody earth tones and the wonderfully exuberant zig zags, crosses and exotic skins of cultures different to your own. Even just a hint of something ethnic or crafty is enough this season as witnessed at Couture Fashion Week. Simple summer outfits became showstopper with the addition of a woven belt or the upturned cuffs of a navy blue tee shirt. While waiting to board my plane from Hong Kong yesterday I mused over why we love the ethnic trend and why we keep coming back to it (Dries Van Noten, I'm looking at you). I think it's because it's so damn cool. Not everyone can wear the native and ethnic touches without looking like they're in a pocahontas costume. It requires a sprinkling of wanderlust, and great hair, and an effervescent personality that makes friend easily, because how else could you have gotten that fabulous mexican poncho except from off the back of some obliging Jose? The kind of girl who can successfully pull off that urban traveller vibe, denim cut offs and mountains of bracelets that bear the names of far off cities and challenging mountain ranges who wears converse and no make up and carries a backpack. In short, Daria Werbowy. And who doesn't want to be Daria?

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when i was a kid

 tommy ton for style.com, we the people

My mum gleefully regaled the dinner party at our house last night with tales of my childhood sartorial decisions. When I was a kid I loved overalls - so much so that I wore them to the exclusion of all else. I had a raft of crayola-coloured overalls (short, long, denim, chinos, patterned) that I wore every day, day in day out, for about 2 years. I also had a page boy hair cut and a fierce love of pokemon cards. This was around about the same time that I started to really read voraciously and there are hundreds of photos of me at this time, curled up on the couch in overalls and a hoodie, cap on backwards or lying by my side as I devoted my entire attention to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It's all very hip like Greta Villiger - my I was trendy aged 11. I've always wanted to wear overalls again now, but I've never found the perfect pair and they kind of require an Alexa Chung-esque body shape. Still, in 2 days (2 days!!) I embark off to Hong Kong and Paris, and it's worth day dreaming of languid summer days in a an overall dress with a criss cross back and a big oversized oatmeal coloured sweater and bronze limbs.

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mach 2

yvan rodic

It is a testament to the power of street-style in making trends that the aviator jacket is staging a persistent comeback. A comeback? Ah yes, fickle fashion minds that move on so quickly to the next big thing. There was a real honeymoon period with shearling - it was in every magazine, all the high street collections - but due to the nature of fashion no-one could wear it because it was too damn hot. But now (in Europe at least), it is turning chilly and the chance to bring out those shearling jackets more than 6 months after they first entered the collective fashion imagination is providing fantastic fodder for the horde of street style photographers. I guess it's one of those 'real world' things that defies trendiness or the march/september issue collection round up. It's cold - sometimes bloody cold, especially in new york - and it only makes sense to wear something that was, after all, initially designed to keep those freezing, higher altitude chilly winds at bay for the exposed pilots of yore. Sure, they might not have worn a Burberry one with deliciously smooth suede buckle belts and a collar as big as the jacket itself, but hey, an aviator jacket is still an aviator jacket, right? 

Maya summed it up right when she mused over whether shearling was becoming a new classic because she wasn't sick of it at all. And I'm not sick of it either. But the only question is, why the hell didn't I buy that wonderful topshop aviator jacket on sale in Edinburgh when I had the chance?

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come fly away

terry's diary

 The other day I had a dream about a shearling jacket so big you could wrap yourself up in it and fall asleep, dreaming big, happy dreams of airplanes and fluffy white marshmallow clouds. I'm pretty sure that jacket was Chloe Sevigny's Acne Aviator. I'm a huge fan of shearling, and this jacket is incredible. It's got a huge, fuzzy collar, just like the one in my dream, that you could nuzzle your cheek on - an aviator jacket just like the real ones pilots wear. So maybe I'm not as cool as chloe - I couldn't rock simultaneous trends of clogs, denim cut offs, ankle socks and shearling - but I would wear it in a similar way. Note how Chloe is rocking her jacket as a cape in picture two? That is my favourite way to wear jackets. 

Great minds think alike, so they say.

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just can't get enough.

burberry prorsum jacket, marni bag, acne hat, burberry prorsum boots, acne hat, preen jacket, maison martin margiela boots, no6 clogs, maison martin margiela gloves. 

maybe it's because australia is so close to new zealand... but i think sheepskin shearling is having a moment. Warm, cuddly and chic in that rugged, land gal kind of way with mucky boots and ruddy cheeks. I'm happy to roll with it for now. Anyone know where i can get an aviator-style sheepskin jacket in sydney or melbourne? (or, of course, online?)

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throw it all together that's how we roll.

Boom boom clap

Boom de clap de clap (woah-woah)

That's right

Boom de clap de clap

Boom boom clap

Boom de clap de clap (woah-woah)

1,2,3,

Everybody come on, off your seats

I'm gonna tell you about a beat

That's gonna make you move your feet

I'll give the Bar-be-que show

And tell you how to move

If your five or eighty-two

This is something you can do (woah-woah)

Pop it, lock it

Polka dot it

Countrify then

Hip-hop it

Put your hawk in the sky

Move side to side

Jump to the left

Stick it, glide

Zig-zag cross the floor

Shuffle in diagonal

When the drum hits

Hands on your hips

One footed

180 twist

and then a,

Zig-zag, step n' slide

Lean it left

clap three times

Shake it out

Head to toe

Throw it all together

That's how we roll

Do the hoedown (throwdown)

Do the hoedown (throwdown)

Do the hoedown (throwdown)

Throw it all together

That's how we roll

Miley Cyrus, Hoedown Throwdown

Yes, those are the lyrics to a Miley Cyrus song that you see opening post. No I haven't gone crazy. Yes i still idolise Alexa Chung and haven't thrown the towel in with the disney lot (despite including Selena Gomez in the post on Friday). My explanation... well.... My name's Hannah, right, and so Hannah Montana has always held some sort of bizarre fascination for me. What can i say, i'm a bit of a closet Hannah Montana fan! And when two friends dragged me along to the movie amidst fits of giggles and hilarity i actually enjoyed myself. I mean, i don't particularly rate smiley miley herself, but i think she is quite funny as hannah montana, and it's kind of her thing. 

For anyone who is brave enough to own up to having seen the movie you will know that there is one particularly great moment in the film where Miley leads an assembled crowd of Tennessee folk in a 'hoedown throwdown', or a mixture of hip hop and country stylin' - disney style. It's one of those classic all in dance-a-thons where inexplicably knows the dance and it's all happy happy joy joy. Despite this cynicism, however, we all left the movie theatre making vows to learn the dance off by heart, it's just simple fun. 

I hadn't thought of it much (other than an embarassingly public rendition before an art history lecture) until one of my friends (who knows the dance off by heart) screamed when i was flicking through my september UK vogue with kate moss on the cover, 'SOMEBODY'S BEEN LISTENING TO SMILEY MILEY!' pointing wildly at the page. 

It was in the 'show-stopping accessories spread' and the page was entitled 'countrified'. Low and behold, there was a little spread dedicated to country accessories dressing, and it did seem if the vogue uk fashion office had had miley cyrus on repeat or at the very least they had taken their tweenage daughters/nieces to a showing of the film and a little bit of the miley magic had rubbed off. Little matter that tweed and houndstooth and all things country are big trends at the moment (thanks, mcqueen), it's always about the miley. 

While we were laughing both at how ashamed we were that we all knew the words to the hoedown throwdown song we played around, thinking if the whole accesories spread had been hannah montana themed. That is, to the lyrics of the hoedown throwdown song - different pages for different moves of the song 

pop/lock (colour)

polkadot (pattern)

countrify (tweed)

hip hop (sportswear)

zig zag (print)

hands on your hips (new vamp)

throw it all together (eclecticism)

So, without further ado, my friends C, F and I present the Fall 09 trends spread, Smiley Miley style! 

pop it, lock it

marc jacobs flats, topshop cardigan, missoni dress, lanvin dress, diane von furstenburg dress, lanvin ring, topshop bag, acne jacket, marni shoes. 

doesn't matter if your a miley or a hannah, a bright pop of colour is all you need to hit the stage! dazzle in brights from all ends of the spectrum. 

polkadot it

topshop bikini, PPQ dress, debenhams dress, vintage rokit skirt, topshop top, dorothy perkins fascinator, debenhams knickers.  

polkadots are the perfect print for the princess inside every woman. deliciously infantile, spots have been given an adult make over this season in sequins, netting and lace. 

countryify then

rick owens lillies top, burberry gloves, chloe jacket,  milly coat, hunter wellingtons, borsavino hat, alexander mcqueen jodhpurs

every girl wishes she could escape to the country every now and then, no matter whether they'll find a horse-riding romeo or a cow pat. It's the romance of the place. You'll look the perfect part in tweed, jodhpurs and hunter wellies. 

hip-hop it.

mike and chris hoodie, topshop bodycon dress, Kidviskous necklace, topshop earrings, baby phat sneakers, topshop beanie, rodarte leggings, alexander wang bag. 

hip hop sportswear rules the club scene for every kid at heart. High top sneakers with crazy leggings, a bodycon dress and a loose hoody make you ready for the floor. 

zig zag, across the floor

alexander mcqueen jacket, alexander mcqueen bag, balenciaga top, william tempest dress, guiseppe zanotti shoes, lanvin bag, junya watanabe top, cathy pill skirt.

prints rule the runways this season. Abstract and slightly obscure these prints zig zag across the norm until you don't know which was is up. 

hands on your hips

yves saint laurent bag, balenciaga top, roland mouret top, roland mouret dress, CZ earrings, preen dress, lanvin skirt, vivienne westwood jacket, christian louboutin heels, lanvin brooch. 

the lady of the season is a vamp, all hourglass figure, red stained lips and nails and a fierce attitude. get the look with tailored suits that accentuate the hips. 

throw it all together

tom binns necklace, dries van noten jacket, marni top, rodarte dress, lanvin shoes, topshop sunglasses, house of harlowe ring, marni bag. 

eclecticism has never been more in vogue. celebrate your inner craziness with marni, dries van noten, and a wry smile. 

that's how we roll! 

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all tyed up.

The declaration that 'hippie-chic' is back is greeted with wariness, caution, and a wince by most, me included. That's an understatement, it strikes fear into the very depths of my heart. I can remember those boho days of yesteryear, a haze of peasant skirts, circular metal belts, anklets and headbands, topped off with a clean face and bare feet. Sienna Miller was my style icon. I listened to the rolling stones and dreamt of, one day, going to woodstock. While these things may all still be found in my wardrobe, and my life, the world and me has, thankfully, moved on. You can't dress like a hippie your whole life. 

However the trend at the moment is towards 'hippie-chic', emphasis on the chic. There's not a toe ring in sight with this reinvention of hippie style as designers take tye dye to a new level. Technicolour rainbows prints that seem to bleed into each other, tye-dye as embellishment and edging, luxurious materials and shapes taking the traditional hippie pattern from the garden to the party and clever manipulation of silhouette. Clothes that you would want to wear forever, and not just the 1960s. 

What's the appeal of tye-dye? Well firstly it is always, regardless of what colours used, bright and sunny. The strongest of technicolour prints in saffron, turquoise, fuschia and lime is just as sunny as palest of pastels. Tye-dye is an instant mood-lifter, the way it denotes home-style D.I.Y, as well as the allusions to happy hippie times of yore, how could it not be uplifting? When you're wearing tye-dye you can take on the persona of a beautiful earthy girl without a care in the world other than whether there will be a rainbow today. 

Josh Goot is one of the leaders in tye-dye chic, his dresses gorgeously flowy in bright shades and lightweight chiffon. Sometimes he mixes incredible brights to make a techno rainbow, others he manipulates shades of blue to make an asymmetrical one shouldered dress that resembles the most beautiful water puddle i've ever seen.  I own a josh goot tye-dye skirt, black and white and chic all over. When you walk in it, it billows out around you like a fashionable cloud. Matthew Williamson, always a master of colour (he's not the creative director at Pucci for nothing), showed a recent resort collection that is very much in the Goot trend of tye-dye, bright and bold and beautiful. Rich, deep shades of green, purple, blue and yellow combine together with creamy off whites in his patterns, sewn in modern and trendy shapes. The coveted pant shape, tapered and pleated harem, is reinvented in his gorgeous milky tye-dye. A mini dress with elevated shoulders and pleated collar becomes a little more relaxed with a classic print. 

Never one to be the proverbial sheep in the pack, Christopher Kane has done his own spin on the trend. For him tye-dye is all-or nothing, his resort 2010 collection was shown with murky brown galactical tye-dye prints with matching platform wedge heels. Gorgeous french navies marry their chocolate brown and taupe cousins compounded with the kind of quirky cool shapes that we know and love from Kane. Cutaway panels at the shoulder and under the bust? Yes please. 

At the other end of the spectrum is Jonathan Saunders, with tye-dye as the embellishment and not the whole. Tye dye panels, edging, piping and hems break up block colour for Saunders, adding a pop of watery colour to sombre black. You want a party dress that is part hard edged business, part fun in the sun, Saunders is the man for you. The best dress from his resort 2010 collection is a simple black shift with several panels across the stomach. At first glance it looks like block colour, but it is actually contrasting tye dye in block colour. Simple and fabulous. 

How do you wear tye-dye? Unlike it's 1960s antecedent a spliff and dreadlocks are not obligatory. A fresh face, sunny complexion and un-fussy hair are, however. Mix it up with edgy accessories (think sky high heels with bondage embellishments like Christina Centenera on the sartorialist), lots of modern jewelry and a tailored jacket. The tye-dye, gloriously exuberant, will shine out like the remnants of a better, more liberated past. 

A time warp you can keep grounded in the present so that there are no back to the future-esque woes? Now that's something worth dyeing for. 

Josh Goot S/S 09

style.com

Matthew Williamson Resort 2010

style.com 

Christopher Kane Resort 2010

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Johnathon Saunders Resort 2010

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