Spring / Summer 2012 Trends - NYFW!

Now that the Spring/Summer shows have begun, I am so so excited for next season! Already several trends are emerging, and I wanted to share some of my favourite photos from the catwalk so far.

Cynthia Rowley:

Beautiful, oriental designs on silk and shiny metallics featured as below:

A beautiful jacket that I would wear over pale denim shorts.

A gorgeous waisted wrap / kaftan dress

I adore the printed shorts and the purple bowling style bag

Amazing printed trousers!

Shiny shorts! My favourite thing though? The shoes with the wide ankle strap.

Another amazing swishy dress.

Jason Wu:

Colour brights (yay!), floral prints and fluid skirts. I think I see a theme here...

White and blue flowers on a black background. Again I want the shorts!

I love the shape of this lime-green skirt.

More shorts envy.

Full-on pink skirt.



Sugar-spun pink skirt and sleeveless shirt. A favourite look.

Peter Som:

Technicolour high clothing from Peter Som:

Turquoise, pink, orange and green! I need the turquoise loafers...

Powder blue suit? Yes please!

Another designer who has combined pink and lemon! And I love the layered grass skirt.

Blue and orange, a classic combination.

Zebra print works on this bikini.

And close-up. The blue sporty zip-up reminds me of a favourite hooded cardigan I have by Gant...

Bright pink biker jacket! Why don't I have one of these already?

Split skirt. I think this look is going to be huge next Summer.

Richard Chai Love:

Pink and blue tropical flower prints were all over the catwalk in this show. See the blue lips?

And remember those white sandals by Cynthia Rowley I mentioned above? Check out these by Lacoste:

Notice the similarly wide ankle strap? I love too the black and white piping, the patent orange front, in fact the entire construct of the shoe.

So to sum up: colour brights, patterns, fluid-like and split skirts, wide-strap sandals, and a general taste of the sublime and the exotic. It's going to be a good summer.

Maison Lesage: Makers of Beauty

When I was younger, my friends and I would make bracelets painstakingly from tiny beads. Well, when an American friend of mine with a similar passion for fashion and design sent me information about the House of Lesage, I knew I had to share it here.

Similar to my long love of beads, Maison Lesage has been adorning fabric with sequins and stones for top designers in Paris for 130 years (and for Lagerfeld since 2002 when he bought the studio for Chanel). Items produced by the shop are all custom made, costing hours and hours of sewing time and thousands and thousands of euros...

Jewelled swatch for a Chanel design

Not only a place where haute couture current designs are embroidered into reality, the House of Lesage is also a museum for thousands of swatches of beaded material from its past creations.

My equivalent of a candy store - rows and stacks of different coloured beads arranged on the wall

Oh how I would love to be one of the worker's at this French studio...

Inspiration from Lagerfeld for the designs is said to come from singular words such as "trails" or "Russia" - someone else like me who connects fashion to the environment, beauty and the world we live in.

Fashion under the needle

Can I come and work for Chanel now please?

Beauty A/W 2011-12 - Chanel

I had to post about two exciting new looks from Chanel this season:

1. The new nail varnish shades

Okay, I say new, but the middle turquoise, I was wearing a similar shade this summer. The denim collection is available now from Selfridges London and Chanel Bond Street, and from all Chanel boutiques from tomorrow, the 10th. Wear with burgundy chords or jeans and a leather jacket, or with any 40s style dress or outfit this autumn.

2. Couture beauty

The eyes really do have it. 60s lined eyes are huge this season, and I love the smokiness with the lace veil, again by Chanel. Sexy is so in fashion right now...

Luxury and Happiness

The definition and ideas behind luxury in the well-known sense, are for me, misconstrued. I want to share my view of the term, and how I think so many people have it wrong.

To most, the word luxury denotes Louis Vuitton and Gucci handbags and fast cars: it's associated only with labels and money and what money can buy. But to me, luxury is a contentment felt with all 5 senses and the very air we breathe, a simple joy. Some may call this joire de vivre, but I call it luxury. You cannot buy it, although of course having certain items that require money can help.

Luxury is personal, it is not following the masses. It's also not about telling other people about how much money you have and the kind of life you live. It's about making yourself into the person you want to and can be, and only then you can give your best to the world. This could never be confused with the former.

That's why I love fashion: it should make you feel great. Clothes should also feel luxurious on the skin.

Real luxury is also about being in love with your environment: for me that is the sea, tropical flowers, the soft sound of a piano.

Luxury requires fascination and appreciation. If something becomes the norm, and you take it for granted, how then can it be special or luxurious?

I believe you can only experience luxury if you are feel happy in yourself and your body. This is why we all want to and should be at our optimum body weight, and feel good when we eat the right foods and exercise.

Luxury for me then is ultimately happiness. Yes, I love boats, and flying, and being on holiday and drinking champagne. But I can also experience it when I'm simply walking outside, or working towards my goals, or walking in town in a great pair of boots.

Appreciate the simple luxuries and then you will always be living in luxury.

Is this luxury? Comments open...

Fur Obsession

It's official: this season, the designers have become obsessed with fur.

It's everywhere. I was going to post this later, but how did it become so cold already?!

Fur was present in several different guises, from the mainstream to the extreme.

Hunting

At AF Vandevorst it looked as if the animal had been killed and then placed directly around this model's neck:

And at Amanda Wakeley, the trend was also eerily realistic:

Hermes took the theme to new levels with this beautiful bird of prey perched on the model's arm (I believe it is a Gyrfalcon), the hunting cap and snakeskin print top:

Sophisticated

On the sleeves of this winter-white coat by Andrew Gn:

Russian ballet by Anna Sui:



40s glamour by Gucci:



Unusual

A fur skirt and hood by Oscar de la Renta:

And bohemian fur shoulders by Balmain:

Sensual

And saving the best for last, the sexy fur stilettos by Altuxarra:

Hanging on to Summer

In the northern hemisphere, we shall soon be entering the 6 months of cooler weather and dark evenings, so right now I'm trying to make the most of the last of summer and receive as much sun as I possibly can to boost my vitamin D3 and serotonin levels!

So I'll be walking in the still-light evenings...

...lying in flower fields

...eating strawberries.

I'll go and see a summer blockbuster:

I would recommend Port de Pollenca in Mallorca in September, when it is still hot enough to swim in the sea:

I'll learn Spanish for next year...

...and dream of the boats there:

I'll make cakes with fondant icing palm trees on top using this cutter:

And I'll think of California where I'll be next year.

Until then, I'll keep track of the Spring/Summer 2012 collections that will soon be arriving ;)

Luxurious Hair: Holiday Hair Recovery

I have blond, curly hair. The kind that is always going to suffer as soon as it sees the sun, hits chlorine or touches the sea.  When you have hair like mine, you learn to manage it, but it does require attention (and money) - but hey, your hair is your best accessory and the best indicator of your overall health. So I'm going to share a few tips as to how to cope with hair like mine, or any type that seems worse for wear after the beach, so it's ready to be sleek and shiny for the Autumn.

1. The Shampoo

Frédéric Fekkai Technician Color Care. After using this shampoo twice, my hairdresser noticed. As in, she asked me what I had been doing to make my hair so much healthier! This is a pearl shampoo, which means it nourishes rather than strip your hair of moisture like other clear shampoos. If you have very dry and porous hair, I would recommend using this shampoo whether it is colored or not.

2. The protein mask

 This mask is like no other I have ever tried, and believe me I have tried many others. The difference it can make to the structure and texture of your hair is noticeable after just one use, and if you have ever felt like your hair is falling out, or has become fine and wispy, then I would use this. Your hair will feel like hair again.

3. The serum

I will echo what I wrote above, which is to say that I have tried so many serums for my hair, but my favourite by far is phytolisse, which leaves the hair feeling beautifully silky and soft.

4. The leave-in conditioner

I love using KMS moistrepair just after I have washed my hair, but especially before I sleep, so that in the morning it feels unbelievably soft. Unlike other products, this light cream does not weigh the hair shaft down, so it feels like you have not even put any product in there.

5. The shine spray

I can't actually believe that I'm sharing this one, it's been a secret of mine. But I have to, it has the most divine smell of watermelons, leaves the hair shiny without being greasy, and lasts forever.

6. The supplement

I am not a fan of taking a plethora of vitamins, as I have learned that they interfere with digestion. But take omega-3 soft-gel capsules daily, and your skin, hair and nails will improve in health and appearance.

7. The diet

Meat, fish, seafood, fruit, vegetables and whole grains. And dark chocolate. The trouble with posting about specific macronutrients, vitamins and minerals is that people start to over-analyse what they eat, and then are so focused on certain foods that they become deficient in other nutrients. But for healthy hair growth, our bodies need protein, antioxidants, iron and zinc. Dark chocolate I have mentioned because it has so many health benefits, which extend all the way to our head.

8. The lifestyle

Light exercise, sleep (the earlier at night the better) and stress reduction. These things will improve the body's overall health in more ways than you can imagine.