SS11: Fruit of the Season

It was a bit of a fruit fest on the catwalks for SS11, with the runways of Stella McCartney and Prada festooned with fruit-full print. Taking a diversion from the more predictable route of vibrant, summer florals, Stella and Miuccia channelled the warmth of the season with exotic prints comprised of bananas (complete with monkey companions) and zesty oranges and lemons.

Such a stand out print was a sure bet to picked up on by the highstreet, and it's an easy way to start channelling the SS11 trends. Just a kitsch pair of earrings is enough to remind you of sunnier climbs. Make like Stella's girls with clean, understated silhouettes and uniformed print, or let the monkeys run wild, and clash your colours and print with the frivolity of Prada. Either way, I'd avoid attempting the fruit hat unless you're feeling particularly Carmen Miranda-inspired, or sartorially brave.

Topshop leggings £20.00

Charlotte Olympia Frutti Tutti Flats at Net-A-Porter £695

Stella McCartney Citrus skirt £515

Prada Banana earrings £140

Will you be channelling the fruit trend this year? I think I'm more a fan of the citrus fruits than the bananas. I don't see vegetables ever being this hot!

Which would you wear?
	Stella McCartney Oranges and Lemons
	Prada Bananas and Monkeys
pollcode.com free polls

Sources: style.it, Topshop, Net-A-Porter, ELLE UK

wednesday wishes 9

Oh, look Wednesday again and was I prepared for it? Am I ever? This week has been brain numbingly busy, because I've literally had to sit staring at my laptop screen non stop for the past seven days. I've been scouring through poetry books to aid me in writing ten poems last minute, and somehow, I've managed to pull it all together. Now that I'm only one poem away from completion, I've just had a quick read of my favourite blogs and gained some inspiration from Primark of all places. Their latest lookbook for ss 2011 has just emerged and looks really promising. However, let us all just remind ourselves that the lookbook for aw 2010 looked amazing too, but all it served up was masses of disappointment when seen in person. So don't get too excited when you see the following pictures:

The first dress is very pretty and screams Prada ss 2010 to me. Remember those gorgeous dresses with the cute beach prints? 

Prada S/S 2010

I'm a bit unsure why Primark are replicating a trend that was out this year. I can't remember something similar being shown on the catwalks for ss 2011, but I could easily be mistaken as I haven't had a proper look at the collections for next year in ages. 

I love the mid length styling of the last two photos. I still haven't bought a mid length skirt, because I'm kind of afraid to. Every time I see them they remind me of my Grandma, even though I haven't seen anyone my age look like a Granny in their mid lengths. Far from in fact; they look achingly cool and simultaneously chic. The second look really reminds me of the effortlessly cool styling American Apparel comes up with, and come summer I'm going to be all over the kind of big, floppy hats seen in the final shot. 

So all in all, yet again Primark is looking promising and I'm coveting the lot, but I've learnt my lesson and I just won't quite believe it until I see it in person. Also, is the model not Jade from Britain's Next Top Model a couple of seasons back? She came third I think..... It might not be, but she looks familiar.

P.S - Hello new readers! You're probably thinking that this blog is solely about Wednesday Wishes from the look of this first page, but it's really not, I've just been very preoccupied with uni work this week. While I'm getting back on track, feel free to take a look back over the archives :)

Happy Wednesday!

Sources: style.com and Amelia

fly away

Alexander McQueen S/S 2011

Source: style.com

Distinctive

I was so stupidly obsessed with Proenza Schouler's last collection that nothing really had a chance of topping it, so I'm not too disappointed that I don't love their s/s 11 stuff as much. It's a bit of a 'grower' collection, because every time I go back to it I like it a little bit more. The first part proved Jack and Lorenzo's capabilities of being able to cater for the 'lady who lunches'. Think knee length skirts teamed with a buttoned up shirt and a Chanel style tweed jacket (edgier and far less prim of course). I can't wait to see this new breed of Proenza Schouler lady taking over the tearooms, because the heavy, super long necklaces, loose, slouchy shapes and cool, black shades blast a youthful freshness on the whole traditional propriety of lady-like dressing. 

While the tie dye prints reminded us that this was in fact a Proenza Schouler runway, nothing served to tell us as clearly as the neon brights that have come to distinguish the brand, which sauntered down it with a laid back elegance in the second half of the show; at first with a little flash of a triangle bra and then full on bursts of florescent yellow made ever bolder with the darkness of black. Light, negligee-like dresses in warm volcanic shades were a favourite of mine, as was Abbey Lee's yellow version worn with a gladiator sandal, leather boot hybrid.  The highlight, however, had to be the jewellery. I haven't loved necklaces like this since Holly Fulton's stunning geometric designs when she first came on the fashion scene.

I'm still falling in love with this collection. What do you think?

Source: jakandjil

New Chapters

Undeniably a collection under the McQueen name, but with far less of the theatricality we've come to expect from the brand. The dresses and prints were stunning and in such striking colours, and the look second to last is just incredible, even though it has the effect of making me cringe slightly with its centipede-alike skirt. Can't wait to see what else Sarah Burton comes up with, because it looks like she'll be taking the McQueen name in a promising direction he'd surely approve of.

One thing I look forward to seeing other than the clothes of a collection, is what the designer will wear at the end. Don't you just love the contrast of Sarah's basics to the show she designed?

P.S - Sorry I've been a bit MIA lately. I've had ridiculous trouble with internet, phones, laptops - generally all technology. Hopefully it will all be up and running again soon!

Source: style.com, style.it

Thoughts On A Postcard

I was going to blog about Mulberry's a/w ad campaign anyway, and now seems to be the appropriate time as their s/s 11 collection has just been and gone, and I loved it. I'll start off with the campaign:

One of my favourite ad campaigns for this season, I absolutely love the first shot of Abbey painting Hanne's face. The Mulberry campaigns are fun, lively, feminine and and have a girlish charm about them, not to mention they feature the most beautiful of leopard handbags. Ridiculous feelings of bag envy were provoked out of me from that one. However, and I want to know your thoughts on this, the sore thumb for the second photo for me, surprisingly, is Abbey's face. Whilst Hanne looks in the moment, a sliver of a smile across her face, Abbey looks like she's seen a ghost. I always envision an America's Next Top Model style judging panel wondering what on earth was going on 'behind her eyes', but as the shot has been chosen, I wonder if I'm only the one to think this?

On to the spring/summer collection, and the berry tones featured in the campaign have been continued. I love the royal purples and rich raspberry shades that have been seen on a few of the catwalks at New York so far and I'm hoping the highstreet agrees, so that I can live in those colours next summer. There were some gorgeous peachy tones too, which would be a nice step forward from the camel colour of this season. I'm twenty years old and I'd definitely wear this collection. As you know, I'm all for a tailored trouser and Mulberry delivered some beautiful high-waisted, cropped versions. The collection really achieved a perfect fusion of cool style and feminine, girlish looks, which have got me really excited for next summer.

Preen S/S '11

Preen is one of my favourite collections, and one of the shows I most look forward to seeing out of all the fashion weeks. Last season was pretty close to perfect for me. I loved the heavy husband tailoring (remind me to get a masculine jacket this autumn, before I veer off course with aviator and military styles), juxtaposed with the softness of chiffon and de-constructed dresses. This season, I don't like the collection as much but I'm 100% sure it will grow on me. It already has in the short amount of time I've been typing this up. The summer of 2011 will hopefully be warmer than the cool, frosty blue and silver tones seen on the catwalk. What could easily have been cold and harsh, however, was actually very soft and pretty with asymmetric dresses, and gorgeous chiffon blouses tucked into elegantly tailored trousers and skirts. Alongside the soft hues came the hardness of black, reminiscent of their a/w collection last season, which worked just as perfectly this time around. 

My favourite pieces? A beautiful nude blouse (4th photo), a greige mid-length dress and the asymmetric, ice blue number (3rd photo).

Source: style.com

Shades I Like

Sumptuously rich purples. Dusty pinks and lilacs. Delicious, deep burgundy's.
While the clothes aren't my style, I'll take inspiration from the colour palette.

Marc Jacobs S/S '11.
Source: style.it

Jason Wu S/S '11

Click photos to enlarge.

The Highlights:

Sheer blouses, and high waisted trousers.

Stunning cobalt blue.

Turbans (surprisingly).

Beautiful evening dresses, with skirts that I can't adequately describe without seeing them in person.

Source: style.com

Lover The Label

Seriously love (maybe not the best choice of word) Lover's s/s collection for next year. It is a strange thing to be wrapping up summer here and yet thinking about what to wear, not just next season, but next year. If s/s 2011 looks anything like the above collection then I think we're in for a treat. Casual. Cool. Stylish. Feminine. All fine by me. The styling and even the posing really reminds me of Liz at Late Afternoon. If you've not checked out her style (where have you been), find it here. 

Best parts of the collection: 

Slouchy shirts.
Velvet pants.
Silky, lace slips.
Camel, burgundy and orange shades.

Find out more about Lover The Label here.

P.S: After seeing velvet all over the catwalks for a/w 2010 and now seeing that velvet will quite possibly continue to be a hit next summer, I'm increasingly feeling that I need some velvet shorts in my life.

Source: Lover The Label