Archive for May, 2010
Summer has finally arrived and we can’t wait for more of that lovely sunshine. With the weather reaching up to the thirties this weekend, keeping cool and comfortable is likely to be one of your key considerations. Have you ever noticed how, when the sun comes out, women seem to make a bit more effort about what they wear? Out come the beautiful summer dresses, the crisp white trousers and bold bright prints. Summer dresses are probably the easiest and most comfortable way to keep cool on a really hot summer day and always look really stylish.
The best summer dresses for keeping cool in are cotton or natural fabrics like linen. Synthetic fabrics will make you feel warmer and will make you sweat more. Always opt for quite loose fitting clothes as they will allow your skin to ‘breathe’. You should also opt for lighter colours if you will be out in the sun as they will not get so warm. Finally a wide brimmed hat is a great investment to keep the sun off your face neck and shoulders. If this is too much for wearing out and about, a smaller brimmed hat will also help keep you cool and give your head and face some protection. Â
Floral dresses
Floral dresses are perfect for a hot summers day. They are colourful and will make you feel really happy. For a light and airy summer dress that does not soak up too much heat from the sun, opt for a print with coloured flowers on a white background. We love this ivory and turquiose crinkle cotton dress as it is so bright but also loose and comfortable, it is ideal for days out, casual parties and sitting in the garden.
Maxi Dresses
The beauty of maxi dresses is that they allow you to keep cool without showing off too much of your body. They are perfect for covering up white legs or larger hips and thighs. Their loose fitting empire line is great for keeping cool and looking glamorous, elegant and stylish. Maxi dresses can work for all sorts of occasions including parties or more formal events, casual daytime and holidays.
Sun dresses
Sun dresses are just as the name suggests for wearing in the sun. The are usually fairly simple styles that are made of cotton and just below knee length. We love this black and white ditsy floral crinkle dress, the crinkled texture of the fabric allows it to be loose fitting and comfortable without appearing too loose and shapeless.
Shift dresses
A shift dress is a great alternative to a suit for keeping cool at work on a hot summers day. For a more conservative work place a dress with sleeves would be best. You can add a suit jacket if you work in an air conditioned building which can sometimes be much cooler than the outside temperature.
Looking stylish in the heat is all about combining style and comfort. The outfits that keep you the coolest are likely to look the most stylish as a red and shiny face is never a great look.
There are plenty of different women that have been classed as style icons over the years but Grace Kelly is probably one of the most recognised for her style throughout the world. The current exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London pays homage to her evolving style from glamorous Hollywood actress to fashion royalty as Princess Grace of Monaco. Her sudden, tragic and premature death in car crash 1982, ended her life as the worlds most photographed woman admired by so many for her elegance and style.
Grace Kelly’s image in the early days was very much related to her career in the movies. Her look was the perfect combination of glamour and wholesome, a classic style that has been copied by so many and is still popular now. She was recognised for always getting the look just right no matter what the situation and was definitely one the early pioneers of understated chic. Her simple shirt waist dresses and casual shirts and trousers combined with her immaculate grooming became her signature style on and off screen during her career as a movie star.
As Grace Kelly progressed through her life and gave up her Hollywood career for a place in one of Europe’s oldest royal family when she married Prince Ranier of Monaco. A a princess she wore some of the finest clothes around including those by Balenciaga, Dior and Chanel. Highlights of the exhibition include the beautiful lace bodice and skirt that she wore for the civil ceremony of the wedding. For her wedding day she looked amazing in a Gown by Helen Rose made from 450 yards of Brussels Rose Point Lace and silk Faile. She also wore jewellery from Van Cleef and Arpels that the Prince had given her for the engagement.
Grace’s style does encompass many different looks from elaborate couture ball gowns to her elegant casual wear but probably the most memorable is the capri pants, head scarf and  sunglasses or Pringle twin sets worn with a Hermes scarf. She was also the inspiration for the Hermes Kelly handbag which still enjoys huge popularity and has been copied so many times. The prominent way that she carried her handbag over her stomach whilst she was pregnant changed the way that women carried handbags.
With such a glamorous life, it is not surprising that Grace Kelly was known for the beautiful clothes that she wore and her style. There was something about Grace Kelly though that made her such a style icon. As the old saying goes, ‘it is not what you wear, it is how you wear it. Her name was so perfect and really described her so well.
The V & A Grace Kelly Style Icon exhibition runs until 26th September and shows many of her clothes alongside photographs and film. It includes the dresses from her films including High Society and Rear Window, as well as the gown she wore to accept her Oscar in 1955. It also examines her role as a style icon, her glamorous Hollywood image and her enduring appeal.
For a modern take on Grace Kelly’s twin set combine this Ivory Sleeveless Flower Print Vest with this Ivory flower print long sleeved knitted cardigan.
This year scarves are one of the summers key accessories and can add some colour or pattern to a plain outfit from a t-shirt and jeans to simple day dresses. The summer’s light weight scarves come in all sorts of designs, colours and patterns from tie dyes and dip dye to floral, striped, tasselled and metallic or beaded. For smarter outfits the classic silk scarf is also a great addition. The great thing about a summer scarf is that it can add just a little bit of warmth for when you move from the hot and sunny outside into a cooler air conditioned building, shop or office. There are a variety of different sizes of summer scarf and depending on the size and shape that you choose, you can achieve lots of different looks.
If you are not quite sure how to wear your summer scarf here are just a few ideas.
Loosley tied in a simple knot
This works well with both large and smaller style scarves. It works particularly well with large scarves worn with strappy tops or dresses for a great casual look. Opt for bright colours to add a bit of fun to your favourite vest or camisole top.
Wrapped right around your neck with two ends hanging down a the front
This is one of the most popular ways of wearing a summer scarf. You can wrap as loosely or tightly as you like depending on the scarf and the look you want to achieve. Generally the looser the scarf, the more laid back the look. This works well with both patterned and tasselled scarfs. If you have a large square shaped scarf you can fold it into a triangle first so that the point of the triangle hangs down at the front and even twist the triangle around to achieve a more slimline and quirky look.
Doubled over with ends tucked throught the loop
This is again a popular and trendy way of wearing a scarf. It is the perfect way to wear a scarf with a coat with a collar as it fits neatly into the neckline. It is also great for keeping your neck warm on summer evenings or those cooler summer days.
Hung over the shoulders
For a scarf that has a really nice pattern or picture that you would like people to see, simply draping it over your shoulders is a great way to wear it. If it is a square scarf, you can or course fold it in to a triangle first or you can twist it slightly to give a longer thinner shape. This look works really well with slightly smarter summer scarves worn with a blazer or tailored jacket.
Double wound around the neck
Winding the scarf around you neck twice will keep all of the volume of the scarf around your neck giving it a chunky casual look which works well with plain t shirts and casual jackets.
Twisted and double wound then loosely tied
Finally if you want to wear your scarf without too much volume, twist it up until it forms a long thin shape. Wind it loosely around your neck twice and tie at the side. This works best with plain coloured scarves and those with very small scale patterns.
Remember with all of these ways of wearing a summer scarf, you can keep cool by not tying it to tightly. Keep it loose for that an effortless but chic style.
There are certain items of clothing which every woman should own. This is often due to the versatility that the garment offers, in essence people purchase staple pieces of clothing because they offer them a great degree of flexibility. In general such items of clothing can be worn in range of situations and with a number of different outfit combinations. One such item which should be found in every womanâ??s wardrobe collection is a camisole.
Camisoles are great items of clothing which truly are staples that every woman should invest in. They can be worn with a number of different garments and similarly look great when worn in a casual or formal setting. In particular camisoles are a fantastic garment for the summer months, when the weather begins to heat up. Often it can be hot and stuffy in the workplace during summer and camisoles represent a great alternative to blouses or shirts throughout this time. Camisoles can look great when teamed with a smart trouser or skirt suit. In general most women simply wear a blouse under their suit jacket when in the office. However, during the summer months camisoles offer a lighter and airier alternative to blouses.
In addition camisoles can also be worn outside of the work place. They can be teamed with trousers and skirts alike and still look great. They can be worn in place of a t shirt and the sleeveless nature of camisoles will allow the wearer to feel much cooler. However, it is advisable that a cardigan is worn as the Great British weather is not always reliable. Many people at this time of year often opt for a layered look and camisoles are absolutely key to this look. Layering is not only particularly fashionable at the moment but it is also extremely practical.
Camisoles are widely available and as such they come in a wide range of designs, patterns and colours. However, in order to get optimum use out of a camisole it is suggested that a plain camisole is chosen. In fact black or white are probably the best choices as they tend to go with a greater number of other colours. Regardless of the colour or design of the camisole chosen the versatility of this particular fashion item cannot be denied.
Cannes is yet another red carpet event when we get to check out the beautiful celebrity red carpet dresses which are such great inspiration for both evening dresses and occasion dresses. Cannes is a particularly beautiful setting in France and with all of the big stars of film in one place at once the fashion and style never disappoints. When it comes to extravagant designer dresses, Cannes Film Festival is about as good as it gets.
There were as always some real show stoppers this year including Kate Blanchett in Alexander McQueen for the premiere of Robin Hood. The dress was unusual and daring in true McQueen style. It featured a silver eagle design on a black dress with a white net underskirt that showed underneath. A difficult look to carry off but she did so perfectly with her hair up and accessorised with only stud earrings and a cuff bracelet. Those that want to recreate drama of this red carpet look can do so with a striking and bold monochrome evening dress or gown.
Kate Beckinsdale worth a frothy and frilly Marchesa gown in a pale ice blue with a fitted bodice with lightly draped chiffon strips and just a little diamante embellishment which flared out from mid thigh into a sea of net ruffles. Again ger hair was up and she accessorised with just a simple pair of stud earrings. It seems these red carpet dresses speak for themselves and need very little in the way of extra decoration. These classic and glamourous clip on diamante earrings (pictured above) are the perfect accessory for a stunning red carpet style evening dress.
Some of attendees at Cannes film festival have had plenty of experience in getting their outfits just right. At the opening night of Robin Hood Dame Helen Mirren looked amazing in an elegant black dress which was accessorised with a simple black clutch and sparkling drop earrings. She proved that black is not at all boring and sometimes the simple things in life are the best.
Natalie Imbruglia wore a floor length taupe or brown dress with plenty of sparkling embellishment. The colour of the dress looked just perfect with her brown hair and olive skin tones. Her silver coloured accessories also finished the look off perfectly. To recreate this look try wearing this bronze evening dress accessorised with sparkling silver jewellery.
Salma Hayek wore a beautiful wine red assymetrical dress that was the first siting of a dress from the new Gucci Premiere line. The dress worn by the Mexican actress to the premiere of Robin Hood, was part of a capsule collection made for designer Frida Giannini by French couture ateliers. Little else is known about the collection yet as no details have been released but it goes without saying that it will be made to measure, very expensive and very exclusive.
Whilst you might not get to go along to the Cannes film festival, it is perfectly possible to look red carpet ready what ever events, functions or parties you are attending this summer. Think carefully about which celebrity your colouring is similar too, then look for a dress in a similar colour to their red carpet choice. Accessorise carefully and don’t for get to enjoy yourself.