Getting Dressed for Winter

The days are finally getting dark early, which means winter is almost upon us. Let's face it, we had rain pretty much all throughout summer, anyway. I know come December I'll be sick of the cold (I already have the heater on in the office, which is driving everyone crazy), but for the moment I'm quite content to start piling on layers of knits and swapping a night out for a night in with X-Factor on the sofa...

Some post summer indulgences might see me face a bit of a struggle getting into Mango's leather leggings, but I hope I'll be able to offset that with an oversized knit. Go and take a look at my current obsession: 5 Inch and Up's collection for Nelly.com. If you haven't seen it yet, be warned because you will want it all. I also can't wait to get my hands on some pieces from Carine Roitfeld's collaboration with MAC. I've got a problem with continually buying not so varying shades of dark red nail polish and nude lipstick, but I wouldn't feel bad about adding theses chic versions to my collection. The Givenchy boots are on the dream list, but the Sophie Hulme bag could be a realistic investment. Her minimalistic designs manage to tread the line between being both modern, yet timeless, so I see it as being a 'sensible' treat...

velvet, velvet, velvet

It always confuses me greatly, how every season there seems to be an unknown collaboration of designer brains, which results in each of them simultaneously churning out similiar, if not the same, trends as each other. Take for example, blood-red velvet. Maybe it's been inspired by the recent subversive, vampire loving frenzy caused by the Twilight series and more smaller, fang-tooth based programmes on television, who knows? But for some reason, a little lightbulb of inspiration flicked on in the minds of Alexander Wang, Altuzaar and Jen Kao (I suspect the first of many) and it read: RED VELVET!  

Alzutaar, a favourite of Carine Roitfeld, took what I feel was a 'cult' vibe - the type of cult who meets at midnight, with blood-sucking initiations or something along those lines. Can you tell I'm not one of the millions who's watched a vampire film? Slashes of velvet cut across the top of necklines, which then plunged downwards to the waist. Thin, strands intertwined to loosely stitch together such unashamedly, low necklines in a gothic manner. Not disimilar to Christopher Kane this spring, hemlines were boldly cut up to the thigh, but the heavy velvet of this collection made it far more seductive and sensual. I can't decide what I think of that cloak/dress, but it proved to be a successfully simple, statement piece.

I've seen velvet on the catwalks for A/W 2010 enough already, to know it's going to be a big trend for the end of this year. The majority of Alexander Wang's collection featured velvet in some variety, and though not velvet, Jen Kao also chanelled a favourite colour choice so far; blood-laced burgundy.

Think you could love this velvet look?