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

Revival of a Cult Brand

Well as this is my first blog I thought I would start of with an event rather than my just posting pictures of things I've come across that I like... As many fashionista's will know, the cult brand Biba has once again graced our fashion radar (not that all of us will have been alive long enough to encounter it the first time), and I knew I had to be at the relaunch of the brand at the mainstream store House of Fraser yesterday to see whether the new collection would have as much impact as the original.

I think the choice of Daisy Lowe as the face of Biba is a good idea as she has a very good face for classic and elegant designs but young enough to breathe youth into the brand.

This was the promotion stand outside House of Fraser enticing people to come in to see the launch, although it was a nice stand I felt that a solitary rail didn't really displays the clothes in the way they deserved and with all the promotion of the relaunched brand I would have thought they could have put more effort into this?

With everything I said about the promotion stand outside House of Fraser, you might be under the impression that I was unimpressed with this event in general which is not the case! I think the photography of Daisy Lowe wearing Biba designs blown up in the window display and these gorgeous black mannequins give off just the right amount of sexiness and elegance  that really does make the brand look luxurious and expensive! After seeing this display I certainky couldn't wait to see the rest.

This was an interesting idea of making the customer feel like a cover star with their photograph taken with their purchase and then being entered into a prize draw competition...

This is my favourite piece of the new collection, it reminds me of some of the Chanel AW10 pieces that focus on the big shoulder as a symbol of power and wealth, extravagence in the best form!

This winter coat is on my must-buy-immediately list with the up to date trend of the ever faithful military influence with the beautiful cut of an established designer, one could be forgiven for thinking this was not the brand's 'first' collection. The draping on the back also gives an incredibly flattering and slimming shape!

This was probably one of my favourite pieces of the day that I saw, although perhaps a little out of my age range, it screamed sophistication with an air of  flirtation, a piece I would definitely buy for my mother if she ever let me dress her in anything I suggested...

The opening was a fairly low-key affair by the time I arrived on the scene, sneaky camera in tow, I must have missed the champagne reception! Although there was a professional camerawoman perched on a stool waiting for a customer to buy something so they could have their picture taken with their purchase in front of a Biba image background. I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't slightly tempted to buy one of the items I was photographing just so I could have my little makeover for the day, however I stuck to my plan of seeing what the showroom had to offer and whether the new collection could revive memories of studying Biba classics for my foundation course fashion assignements and sighing that I was not a teenager in the 60's and 70's - clearly the times for change and fashion liberation! Well it seems the collection is very much in keeping with the Biba brand but has had an amazing makeover of it's own. I loved every minute of being surrounded by the glamour I cannot afford right now, but reasonably priced enough to not be entirely out of my reach...

I also loved the fact that the manager of the store seemed lost in her own little time bubble when she began regailing me of her own original Biba items and the history of the design team that created the brand. I'm glad I went, it was a worth while experience and I shall certainly be saving up for my own Biba pieces. Hopefully one day in the future they will be collector's pieces I can pass on to my own children and grandchildren who I'm sure will think my clothes are terribly 'old-fashioned' by then.... please don't let that day ever come!

Love,

Sarah@Have2haveStyle xXx