Wrap up!

So if the other night is anything to go by, temperatures are reaching an all time low. I was on my way out for some festive drinks and was informed that later we would be experiencing temperatures of -27 degrees. Great news for the polar bears, not so great news for us!

So in keeping with the spirit of comfort and warmth I came across these delicious vintage fur wraps and coats to throw on when braving the cold winter nights

http://www.thevintageclothingfairy.co.uk/new-products/1950s-mink-wrap.html

http://www.thevintageclothingfairy.co.uk/new-products/1970s-rabbit-skin-jacket.html

While real fur may not be everyone’s cup of tea, vintage furs are the most eco friendly way of wrapping up without the price tag of guilt!

Having been around for decades and passed down through generations, thrift shops and vintage fairs; these mink and rabbit furs are more of a piece of history than a throwaway piece of fashion that suggests any animal indiscretions... So worry not, just wrap up with these gorgeous one-of-a-kind furs; nature’s way of keeping us toasty during the hibernation season!

Love,

Sarah@Have2haveStyle xXx

Is it a girl... is it a boy??

Androgny is here is a new form... the form of Andrej Pejic - new IT boy of the top modelling world and my new personal fascination.

  

 Androgynous muses in the form of Agyness Deyn have taken a back seat and the new faces of beauty and everything that is innovative and fresh have emerged onto the top catwalks for menswear AND womenswear this season. As seen on catwalks such as Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano and Raf Simons to name a few...

When asked if he minded being the only male on an all female catwalk Andrej replied the "I don't mind really, as long as it's creative" - spoken  like a true lover of the arts and creativity.

He also admitted that the reason for his new found success was probably due to the fact that "people in the industry get bored easily..., and every so often they need a new toy to play with".

People have been trying to come up with pronouns to describe this new form of fe/male crossbreed of person.... such as 'hir', 'zhe', 'zher', 'zhim' ( none of which have really caught on with the general english speaking population) since the 19th century, but who knows, we may now see a revival of these phrases to describe this new crossbreed of male and female that i predict will become the new 'in' thing to be/do....

Watch this space boys/girls
(how about b-irls?/ g-oys? - doesnt have the best ring to it!)

Love
Sarah@Have2haveStyle xXx

Couture has arrived!!

Well the new Lanvin for H&M online store has officially launched, with the stock having already been tantalisingly displayed in H&M store windows across the country and now finally available to the public today, this is the icing on the top of a perfectly formed couture cake!

This latest designer/ high street collaboration looks to be as succesfull or maybe more so than its predecessors which exciting prints, couture shapes to die for and hysteria mounting by the day about when fashionista's can get their hands on it...

If you are excited as I am about this mouth watering display of new designs at 'reasonable' prices then I would try your luck on the online store as my sources tell me that most new stock will be sold out by lunchtime; with potential customers having been camped out outside stores since 4am!!

Such dedication is a luxury I cannot afford due to my final year university workload.... so I will have to make do with the resources I have to hand: internet shopping and complete denial about my current bank balance situation.

Love,
Sarah@Have2haveStyle xXx

Getting comfy

Well winter is basically upon us again and I still can't believe another year has passed.... Where does the time go?? What have I been doing for the past year for it to have whizzed by??

More to the point, the arctic cold weather has set in and the gloves and wooley hats are being worn with aggression on the streets. I however, refuse to believe christmas is once again looming and have defiantly fashioned my summer trilby hat today, in the misguided hope that the sun will re-appear briefly before its sets at 2 in the afternoon (no such luck so far)...

A new trend has arrived on my radar. Having been around for a while but only recently becoming the 'next big thing' - I am of course talking about the 'Onesie' (or One-Z as my friends inform me it is referred to as).

These 'babygro-type' outfits come at a time where comfort seems to take priority over high fashion, and where in fact comfortable, cosy clothing has become the height of fashion!

The catwalks, obviously having influenced this trend, display the designer version of comfortable couture in this Anne Valerie Hash design for RTW SS/11:

..........or there's always the Primark version which at £8 proves to be one of the most popular buys in the high street at the moment (and yes, I am including myself as a consumer of this product)

Happy shopping ;-)
Love
Sarah@Have2haveStyle xXx

The Golden Age of Technology

How much are you loving 'The Social Network'?? It really does blow my mind that one person (or maybe a few people as is disputed in the film) can connect so many people together in such a simple way.

This might sound a bit silly coming from a fashion blogger as obviously technology that connects to the rest of the world is the reason you can even read what I'm writing right now! Techonology is streaming through our lives and controlling our actions, advancing our progress as humans every day, much like fashion. It makes sense to combine the two together really?
That is exactly what I discovered an up and coming designer called Amy Winters has done this season. With her debut SS/11 collection being shown at LABB magazine's Emerge showcase at the Hoxton Factory in London in Septembe, she has provided a ready-to-wear capsule collection of garments displaying colour changing methods such as Photochromic and Hydrochromic technology. This means that when the garment is exposed to water or UV rays of sunlight, it will change colour, mostly going from white to a vivid colour, and then back again when the water/sunlight has disappeared.

 Having graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2006, and this being her debut R-T-W collection, she has obviously spent a lot of time and effort into getting this powerful collection just right... and it has certainly paid off! She has taken something that sounds ridiculous and made it functional and fun!

Staying at the forefront of fashion, she makes even the couture designers look a bit behind the times!

Love

Sarah@Have2haveStyle xXx

Layer up.

Layers seem to be a key trend from the Spring/Summer 11 catwalks, with the Acne SS 11 show sporting a lot of outfits portraying this look

Whereas the likes of Anne Valerie Hash and Phoebe Philo for Celine have embraced the minimalist version of layering up; layers without actually having layers.

Anne Valerine Hash SS/11

Celine SS/11

The panels of fabric fused together with rough and raw edges on the Anne Valerie Hash runway give the appearance of several layers, which captures the feeling of a traveller’s capsule wardrobe that would be filled with layers of different combinations of clothes. This is very in keeping with the sudden trend for taking gap years mid way through life and leaving 9-5 jobs to go travelling as shown in the popular series ‘My Family Gap Year’ that follows the aftermath of the economic recession.

This minimalistic variation of layers along with the sleek draping and raw edges seen at Celine give off a very ‘fuss-free’, simple, clean vibe that can be seen splattered through the catwalk SS 11 shows.

Minimalism is back, and the over theatrical designs of designers such as John Galliano are perhaps not what is popping up on everyone’s fashion radar at the minute...

Love,

Sarah@Have2haveStyle xXx

Don't Stop me Now!

I'm  having such a good time...

Love,
Sarah@Have2haveStyle xXx

Summer is Just Around the Corner Again! Sort of...

Who said Vintage was just for formal occasions? The thing I love about Vintage is the fact that it can be adapted to any situations, whether it be in attendance at Goodwood festival where going the whole hog with vintage hair, makeup and even undergarments is key to looking the part at this fancy dress event held every summer, or popping down to your local cocktail bar for some sophisticated drinks in style.

Don’t get me wrong, vintage pieces are to be treated with delicate love and care as they are not as strong and resilient as modern day fabrics, but they don’t have to be locked away in a dust cover at the back of your wardrobe and only brought out of hiding for when the Queen comes to visit!

As it happens, opportunity presents itself in the form of music festivals that take over the fields of English countryside every summer, where style and individuality are as important as the music itself.... As all the festivals are now over (as is our lovely summer), we need something to look forward to so that the winter blues don’t take over. What better way to do so than start planning ahead to next summer’s activities!
Glastonbury tickets may have sold out in four hours the other day (an absolute record for ticket sales nearly a year in advance), but the lucky few who have managed to secure tickets might like to start planning their ensembles already...

http://www.thevintageclothingfairy.co.uk/vintage-jackets/1980s-jacket.html

I love this jacket from The Vintage Clothing Fairy! It’s so versatile to wear with other busy printed vintage items...

http://www.thevintageclothingfairy.co.uk/vintage-dresses-1/1960s-vintage-dresses/1960s-vintage-evening-dress-60s-mini-dress.html 

Or keep it contemporary and simple with modern day fashion with a unique twist such as an Urban Outfitters dress:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/Kimchi-+amp-Blue-Zip-Front-Ruffle-Dress/invt/5130426861111&bklist=icat,5,shop,womens,womensclothing,wdresses

http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/Pins-+-Needles-Gathered-Panel-Frock/invt/5130466963939&bklist=icat,5,shop,womens,womensclothing,wdresses

Or even a plain H&M shift.

http://shop.hm.com/gb/shoppingwindow?dept=DAM_KLAKJ_KLA&shoptype=S 

There’s not always the need for too many other details when you have such a busy jacket to draw attention to yourself.
Vintage is the perfect way to show off your style and taste in clothes at the same time as showing off your taste in music. After all, what better way to honour some the original music festivals of the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s than to wear garments that are from those era’s!

Love Sarah@Have2haveStyle xXx

(Have a look at my recent collaboration with The Vintage Fairy boutique website! http://www.thevintageclothingfairy.co.uk/articles/ )



Buckle up!

All Saints is one of those shops that in my opinion has directional and innovative designs of a couture standard but with the price tag of a high street store (good news for poor students like me). Well... some of it is high street prices, it’s very much borderline with some of the prices, kind of like Reiss; is it high street or designer? I think it really depends on your perspective.

After some sneaky snaps of some garment details that really caught my eye while trend researching for a university project I saw an interesting details that has been repeated in a few different stores such as All Saints and Zara:

These hook and eye clasps that are usually hidden on garments are used as a design and practical feature on this cardigan/jumper. I like the roughness of this style and how it draws the attention to the front details of the top, as well as the contrasting fabrics that seem to be big this season?

 Everywhere I go (by everywhere I mean All Saints and Diesel) there seems to be patches of different fabrics making up garments and highlighting random areas of the body like the armpits and hips, not the usual colour blocking tricks used by fashion legends such as Herve Leger for adding curves to a slim figure.

This is my most recent purchase from Zara at the weekend while ‘trend researching’ yet again. Here the clasp detail is in the form of a buckle and in a contrasting leather fabric that really makes it stand out from the rest of the garment!

And yet again, there is the highlighted pocket detail on the sides of the trousers and the seams being used as an embellishment detail to separate compartments of the trousers around the front and back.

Unfortunately unlike most of the population of girls, I am NOT a fan of the harem pants... I don’t see how the baggy crotch that resembles Aladdin is in any way attractive or even fashionable. Anyway, these pants are my baby steps into the world of harem pants, the world that all of my female friends have already entered with full enthusiasm and have suffered my sceptical wrath at this unflattering style.

Love,

Sarah@have2haveStyle xXx

It's going to be a Burberry winter!

Well its official, I am in love with Burberry’s jackets and Coats for winter!! There’s everything you could possibly ask for...

I love the oversized collars that make your frame look tiny (or maybe that's just Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) and fold into a kind of Elizabethan neck ruff?


I will definately be purchasing one of these pieces; the fur lining looks too cosy to pass up, and definately comfier than the original neck ruff...

One trend that seems here to stay is Menswear as Womenswear tailoring. I LOVE this look! It really brings out the natural beauty of a women who can pull off a masculine cut without looking masculine herself. The Androgenous look was made famous by models such as Agyness Deyn, and now celebrities and designers are following suit by continuing this trend well into next season's catwalks.

From fur lined collars to military style tailoring, leather straps embellishing the sleeves of coats that contrast with fur; these creations look good enough to eat.

http://uk.burberry.com/fcp/content/AW10/content#/maincampaign/scene2

Grown up but fresh looking, trendy trenches and cropped jackets that allow you to wrap up with directional style. I think Burberry has got it spot on with their Autumn/ Winter collections this year, cementing their winter style crown for yet another season.

Love,
Sarah@havetohaveStyle xXx

Too Many Choices...

With my favourite 60’s decade taking a very definite front seat in the beauty trends of the catwalks, the current AW10 campaigns seem to be spanning all of the decades with retro influences clear to see with designers from Louis Vuitton to Chanel. It seems none of the designers could agree on which decade to be influenced by this season; giving us a wide choice of trends to incorporate into our style.
 http://www.louisvuitton.com/uk/flash/index.jsp?direct1=home_entry_gb

Here we have a distinctive 1950’s length to these dresses; models posing with an elegant air, and yet the jutting cleavage of the models seem to provoke a ‘strong woman’ image of proud feminine equality that was very much lacking in the Fifties.

 (Check out this article in the Daily Mail about how to get the vintage look without looking like you just walked out of a fancy dress store):

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1311385/How--grown-vintage-look.html 



Chanel shows Karl Lagerfeld’s powerful touch of gentle femininity mixed with a very obvious nudge to the power shoulder of the 80’s. This trends seems to be here to stay, with versions of it streaming through the catwalks for several seasons now, it seems there’s no stopping the power of the ‘power shoulder’. I love the faux fur which softens the harsh shapes of the oversized shoulder and evens out the model’s silhouette. The eclectic mix of fabrics here brings new dimensions to the look!

Love,
Sarah@Have2haveStyle xXx

Time for a Change?

Whilst flicking through the October edition of Vogue UK, I came across Madonna’s Dolce and Gabbana ad shots and was disappointed to see that even the photography of Steven Klein couldn’t bring Madonna her youth back in this photo that appears to me to look like a slightly tipsy pensioner at somebody’s birthday bash...
http://www.dolcegabbana.com/dg/#/woman/adcampaign/advertising/gallery/img_9

I read an article on a Madonna fan page in July that she ‘breathes dignity and poise’ into the pictures shot in this campaign... I’m all for the Material Girl but I think the time when she brought those qualities to a shoot have been and gone and what’s left is an old-fashioned looking campaign that doesn’t do much to contribute to a very sleek and sophisticated brand.



Love
Sarah@Have2haveStyle xXx

Retro Stylings with a Twist

Well it seems my favourite decade is back to influencing the trends at the moment; in particular the beauty section. Prada’s AW10 campaigns feature models with larger-than-life beehives in the style of Bridget Bardot, Catherine Deneuve and Sophia Loren.

Although the ‘Swinging’ Sixties can be seen clearly influencing the hair trends of designers’ campaigns and catwalks at the moment, the makeup from that era has been refreshed and revamped to provide an updated version for the Noughties.

http://www.prada.com/en

Bringing a new twist on the 1960’s glamour with more neutral eye makeup and gentler shades of lip colour; the signature crease of the eyelid is still visible but with a calmer approach to the bold lash lines seen on Twiggy and many other young girls at that time.

Looking into the future with NYFW week currently taking place for Spring Summer 2011 (already looking to next summer while many of us are still clinging to the demise of this year’s summer with last minute barbeques and holidays!) we see that these trends are predicted for next season too.



This video with Fabiola Beracasa for Elle TV backstage at the Preen NYFW for SS11 shows makeup artist James Kaliardos depicting the makeup of the catwalk as being very influenced by the 1960’s but with a Nineties hint of minimalism to provide a new fresh yet still glamorous image. http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid57140912001?bctid=607587348001



Love,
Sarah@Have2haveStyle xXx