Trend Alert: Striped Tees (Still)

Just when you thought that your striped t-shirt was a 'store for later' item this summer, we realise that the celebs aren't prepared to give up on theirs so why should we. Sure the summer stripe for this year is bolder and more colourful that it was last year, but who can argue with a classic? Take a look at some folks who wore their stripes on their tees this weekend.
Starting with the ultimate classic, Gwyneth Paltrow in Breton stripes, denim cutoffs and Havianas. Make-up free and sun kissed, she has probably never looked more lovely to me. This is such a wonderful relaxed weekend look and you just can't go wrong with it. Well I would replace the cutoffs with some boyfriend jeans but that's just me and my rapidly advancing old age...
But how about Miranda Kerr. Her striped tee is easily obtainable from the racks at Woolies. She has paired hers with a dark denim skinny, a great fedora, a classic Louis Vuitton Speedy bag and those awesome red pumps. The palette is also timeless and the accessorising lifts and ordinary tee to fashionable heights.
And then there is young Vanessa Hudgens. She opted for black and white instead of navy and white, but it works just as well as a weekend look - also going the denim cutoffs and flops route. Vanessa has dolled things up a bit with some necklaces and a great pedicure and lipstick job. Adding in those sunnies for extra oomph, she actually looks more polished than she usually does. Classics rule!

How To Do: Charlize Theron's City Chic Style

Seriously. Is it possible to look more city chic than onse Charlize Theron this past weekend? Ryan Reynolds may have called off their relationship after only two months, but our girl from Benoni looks like a million bucks here in London. I mean the Burberry trench and bag. Right there you have it made. (If you can't get Burberry, don't fret, make sure you buy the classic silhouette trench and you will be fine.)
The jeans are Current/Elliot and the tees are Fruit of the Loom, but guys, let's be honest, a great skinny jean from Levi's will be just fine and a couple of good Country Road tees will have you rocking Charlize's style in no time. All you have to do is accessorise. A cute scarf tied to your bag for colour. Or a great trilby. Just add some sunglasses and you will soon see that simple and classic is often the answer for the most stylish of outfits. After all, they are classics for a reason.

Reece Witherspoon's Yummy Mummy Style

I don't love American suburban style in general. Mostly it is too preppy, too perfectly coordinated, too NICE. But I think that Reece Witherspoon does it well. It is just accessible enough to be suitable for most young mums, yet with her own punch of colour or touch of sloppy that makes it actually wearable, signature style. This is how you do it for yourself. Reece always wears flats when she is off-duty. But she does interesting things with it. In fact her selection of leather strappy gladiators is impressive. She takes a pair of white jeans and rolls them slightly at the ankle instead of wearing a cropped trouser - knowing that those proportions probs won't work that well on her. Clever. The cardigan and layered vests indicating it is the weekend, but style added through the several gold chains. And a punch of colour here and there ensuring it never gets boring. Last summer Reece wore a lot of cute shirt dresses. This summer she has been all about the shorts and the jeans. If you like Reece's style, grab a couple of button down shirts. Add in a skinny white or coloured jean and find some shorts that work. Just wear with your gladiators from last season and fling on a linen scarf or a bunch of necklaces and you are set. Reece-style. Do it.

Trend Alert: Red Polka Dots

So you know how I like to keep you guys up to date with the colour/pattern/silhouette trends as soon as we start to see the trend emerging. Well this one started slowly. Taylor Swift did it late last year. Then Lake Bell about a month ago. And now in the last week, both Alexa Chung and Geri Halliwell (spice up your life!) have all done it. Red polka dots.
Cute, fresh, bright and bold, polka dots are going to be everywhere this summer. But red polka dots are super special. I just wish I had kept that Topshop dress I had for years. I eventually sold it at the Rarely Worn Sale, where I forced Luisa to buy it. At least one of us will be on trend this summer!

How to Dress Like Elizabeth Olsen

I came across this photo of little Olsen sister, the actress, Elizabeth Olsen from the weekend. And instead of doing looks I loved from this weekend, I thought I would focus on just this one outfit. And how you can do it perfectly for yourself. Should you so wish. And I would recommend it.
First of all, that shirt is beautiful. You can get something very, very similar (and maybe a little bit better) from Christopher Strong. Look online, plenty to choose from.
Then add a couple of statement necklaces that you can easily pick up at Accessorize and Sass Diva. Perfect.
Then add a simple mini skirt which you can find anywhere, but I would personally go and get some lovely orange cotton from the fabric shop and whip one up quickly with a side seam, a hem and an elasticated waist. Easy peasy. That way you can make the length suitable for your body and make sure it's not synthetic.
And finally the shoes. I would have liked to have seen more colour on the sandal. But if you want to be literal, go and check out Luella for something similar, with a wedge. Otherwise freestyle a bit and find some bold summer sandals that work with the look.
And there you go. A late 80s vibe with a heel. You too can look sweet and chic this summer. Go.

Maxi Skirts: Olivia Palermo Shows Us How To Dress Them Up

This summer one of the key wardrobe items is the maxi skirt. They come in various incarnations - pleated, tiered, tight and flowing. You can wear them in florals, stripes, brights or neutrals. You therefore get two trends covered in one. Look no further than Olivia Palermo for tips on how to wear them this summer. After all she has made maxi's her signature style this season.
The first lesson is simplicity. She keeps her outfit really minimal with the maxi, adding just a plain white shirt or neutral belt.
Secondly she keeps the silhouette relatively slim. No massively flowing skirts to add bulk to her frame.
She belts them all in at at the waist - even when it is a dress.
And finally she keeps them all anchored with a neutral colour so as not to confuse with all the fabric.
I really think that this is a master class in maxi dressing. Feel free to use as a reference. Please.

The Cult Dress of The Summer: The Prada Azulejos

The new cult dress of the summer was first worn by Léa Seydoux, the actress starring in the new Woody Allen movie, for her photo call in Cannes. It caused a stir. It is the Prada baltico blue Azulejo print popeline dress with cap sleeves from their summer 2011 collection. The design is based on the square tiles of the Portuguese heartland and it is represented in many versions. Subsequently it has also been seen (several times) on the lovely Jennifer Garner as well as on Jennifer Aniston as we celebrated last week here on the blog.
There are sure to be many high street versions of the dress being made as we speak for our summer. So keep an eye out and look for the block prints, nipped in waists and capped sleeves. You too can be wearing a cult-like classic this summer.

Weekend Style: Looks I Loved

My favourite posts every week are looking back on the week and picking three or four outfits that I wouldn't otherwise post, but deserve a mention. Particularly the more casual looks as these are much more accessible and how we tend to live our lives. So this weekend was a real joy. I LOVED the pretty dresses that Michelle Williams and Kirsten Dunst popped on for their gadding about New York City. So fresh, so cool, so feminine and perfectly suited to the classic Wayfearer sunnies look. It makes me want to make sure I have four or five great cotton frocks in my wardrobe come the summer.
Ashley Greene also looks great in her coloured denim. And showing us how to do it in quite a sophisticated way as well. Jeans don't have to mean dress-down.
And then that lovely yellow silk frock that Kelly Brook is wearing on her holidays is just divine. I especially love the shoes that she has paired with the dress. Great combo, don't you think?
So, as usual, pick your fave look from the weekend and let me know in the comments. I think I am going for Kirsten's white dress. Now you.

2011 ESPY Awards Red Carpet: Best Dressed

American sports doesn't seem to be a logical post for this South African fashion blog, does it? But when these said sports personalities are joined by hot actors and they all dress up in sparkles and leather, well then we start paying an interest. And so it was at the big sports awards ceremony last night in Los Angeles, the 2011 ESPY Awards. So let's look at who brought it to the red carpet and who they were joined by.
The big fashion message of the night is that you can crack the nod for best dressed with short, tight and shiny. Just NOT all at the same time. Let me explain:
First up, Brooklyn Dekker in a gorgeous short, tightly-fitted leather mini dress. In red. She just looked drop, dead gorgeous. And by limiting the shiny to her spangalated (technical term) gold Louboutin heels, she doesn't stray into hoochie territory. Of course her natural poise and girl, next door charm assist as well. So awesomely-played BD.
Next, let's check out Kerry Washington. She went short and shiny - but not tight. In a loose-fitting, backless mini dress, she looked beautiful. I probs would have gone with an extra two inches on the length but she is a movie star so she gets away with it.
Wimbledon runner-up Maria Sharapova also looked amazing. Again, short to show off those legs, but not tight and limited shiny ensures she stands out for all the right reasons. And just check out those shoes, please. Thanks.
And finally a lesser known actress called Rachel Nichols teaches us that super-super-tight is always best with a bit of extra length and maybe a bold colour. No shine, minimal legs. The perfect combination. And that, gang, is your fashion lesson for today.

But before we leave, can we just take a moment to enjoy Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds, with whom the ladies hung out at the event. Just breathe them in. And out. Lovely.
PS: Apparently Ryan has been dating onse Charlize for the past couple of months on the down low. I like that idea very much. I will keep you posted.

Off Duty Looks I Love

Over the past couple of days there have been a few looks that have popped up on my radar that I have fallen in love with. Let me share them with you.
1. Katie Holmes wore a wonderful silk blouse with her jeans and snakeskin heels. Her hair was tied back, she had a smile on her dial and the whole thing worked brilliantly. I would wear this in a heartbeat.
2. Anne Hathaway tripped around Paris in her on-trend white lace dress and orange heels. Of all the white lace dresses we have seen lately, this is probably closest to what I would wear - the v-neck and sheer sleeve being so very flattering.
3. Alexa Chung layered a dotty blouse under a quilted leather jacket with a denim romper squeezed in between. She popped on a pair of clogs and a new LV bag, and before you know it a pile of designer gear looks like it has been in her wardrobe forever and she just threw it together. It is her unique talent.
4. Rachel Bilson does off-duty better than most. Her cool stripe vest and actual cut-off jeans shorts (as in actually cut down from her old jeans) look great teamed with her booties. Add 1 x Chanel bag for insouciance. And you are done.
What a great quick lesson in dressing down. You pick your favourite style.

Trend Alert: Yellow Dresses for Summer

Running the full gamut of yellow shades from neon through to chartreuse, yellow dresses have joined the tangerine hues as the must-have frock colours for summer 2011. These two citrus colours really dominate the fresh dresses that have been trotted out for all kinds of dress-up and dress-down events. Spotted in the last few weeks, we had Blake Lively, that we blogged about, with her great Chloe pleated dress. This was followed by the gorgeous Eva Mendes wearing her yellow frock twice in one week as she gallivanted around New York. Yesterday Tatiana Santo-Domingo wore a beautiful silk chiffon dress to Paris haute couture 2011, as did Olivia Palermo whose yellow dress was from good old Topshop. Front row style!

I think we can safely call this a trend, gang. Start searching for your perfect yellow dress now.

Trend Alert: Little Tangerine Dresses

We all have our requisite LBD in our wardrobes. We even have our eye on the absolutely essential little white dress for the summer. But who knew we also needed a little tangerine number to add to our must-have frocks? But if this past couple of weeks has taught us anything it is that the tangerine dress is the freshest colour on the style block.
You can't really argue when lady-fashion-princess Victoria Beckham designs one, wears it herself, lends it to her mate Eva Longoria and it is then worn by girl-about-town Olivia Palermo who trumps them all with her styling.
Then there is Beyonce. Who would argue with her? Although I don't love that length on her. I would shorten it by about five inches. Then it would be amazing. Her ex-bandmate, Kelly Rowland wore her version to the X-Factor auditions and looking stunning too - and let's not forget Eva Mendes's tangerine tunic that I posted about earlier.
And what about that last one. Do you know who the lady is? No me neither. Apparently she stars in a UK reality TV show and her name is Lydia Bright - I think, but it may just be that the dress is, well very bright. But, whatever, she is pretty much an ordinary girl wearing an adorable and affordable frock that we could all do with adding to our shopping list for the summer. And it is her dress that clinches it for me. I must have a LTD this summer!
PS: if you don't like that shade next to your face, add a detachable Peter Pan collar or a cool tonal scarf, then you can still embrace the trend, without the unflattering effects of a colour that doesn't suit. Good.

Trend Alert: Monochrome High-Neck Dresses

In the past three days, we have seen a non-stop parade of black and white outfits, all with very prim and proper high necks. As you all know, see it once and it is an interesting experiment, see it twice and it is an intriguing co-incidence, but see it three times and it is a trend. I think we can safely say that, with Paula Abdul, Nicole Sherzinger and Jennifer Lopez (in Lanvin) all trotting out this exact combo yesterday - we have a fully-fledged new fashion fad on our hands.

Add to it the last couple of outfits that trend-setter Sienna Miller (also co-designer of label twenty8twelve) has worn, both with high necks (the white by Ralph Lauren) and you are safe to go and buy yours as soon as possible. A Peter-Pan collar is always a winner for me so I am loving it. What do you guys think of this trend? Answers below...

Pregnancy Style: The Posh Spice Way

Not everyone is going to love the Selma Blair school of maternity dressing. I get that. So I enlisted the help of my favourite preggie lady right now, Victoria Beckham, to show us another way. A high-octane, heels-and-all, chic in black version of maternity dressing that is every bit as awesome as Selma's. Just very, very different.

A uniform of black. A selection of Louboutin heels. Big VB handbags. Sunglasses. And you are set. You really can't fault it. And it works. For all of you who veer more toward Eeyore than Pooh, more Weird Emily than Dora the Explorer, if your heart lies more with The Smiths than it ever has with Happy Mondays then Victoria's maternity way is for you. Love it.

Trend Alert: Block Colour Maxi Dresses

We have covered bold, block colour cocktail dresses at length here on the blog. But yesterday not one, but two, a-listers took this to a whole new level (new depth?) when they both trotted out in block colour MAXI dresses. That's a whole lotta colour on one person's body! Katie Holmes wore a gorgeous fuschia dress from her own Holmes Yang collection, and Angelina Jolie floated around in a red Jenny Packham asymmetrical gown at the Tree of Life premier in LA.
For you at home, I would recommend that this trend needs height, so probs not for those of you under five foot five. Just saying. Then make sure you have some great draping lines, vertical stripes and the highest quality fabrics - with this much noticeable fabric involved, you definitely don't want to be swathed in polyester! Have fun.

Weekend Style: Summer Edition

The Northern Hemisphere has got some sun eventually after months and months of a very cold winter. And the stars are wasting no time at all in embracing summer style. It seems churlish to point out that we enjoyed another weekend of rock-solid 30-degree temperatures here in Cape Town, so are also still embracing summer fashion-fun. But let's look at Taylor Swift, Gwyneth Paltrow and Diane Kruger and see what we can steal from them as we wind down for winter.
Pretty floral dresses and Mary-Jane shoes from our youngest, Taylor. Yup, we can defs get on board with that. Expect to see a lot of this next summer - but girls, please note the length of the dress. Above the knee, but still sufficient to cover the knickers and upper thighs. This is much more the direction to follow for next summer.
Cool, chic, classics from Gwyneth in denim button through skirt and white blouse. This is a universal outfit with longevity built in. Worth investing in a skirt like that for next summer.
And the striped romper and flats from Diane? Cute. Again, rompers are here to stay through next summer, but gang, please make sure the fabric is top class and long enough so you don't get 'crotch-creep'. Revolting, I know. But someone needs to say it.
PS: Someone also needs to ask, where's Pacey? Haven't seen him for ages Diane. Let him out to play, please. I miss his lovely face.

Alexa Chung Takes Paris Fashion Week 2011

We all know that Alexa Chung is an arbiter of cool, hipster style. What she rocks out on the front rows of fashion week is sure to make its way onto the streets of Shoreditch, Williamsburg and Mitte. And, from there, to the Kloof Street and Greenside hipsters right here in South Africa. Before going mainstream and therefore no longer cool. (How's that for a short lesson in fashion coolness.)
So let's look at what she wore to Paris Fashion week and see what we can extrapolate. First, girls, get yourself some lovely wooly, charcoal tights for winter - they are the new black opaques. Second, we all need a couple of vintage-alike, cute, nude mini frocks or smocks.

But now look at what she wore when she arrived in Paris. Awesome Burberry jacket, cropped trouser, polka dot blouse and spiky brogues. Now this is a look I would totally wear. No matter where I am in the world. Mine, mine, please.

London Fashion Week Street Style: Tights and Socks

So here are the three key lessons for winter when it comes to tights and socks.
1. Stripes are the new patterns. Put away your lace patterns this winter and pick up a pair of striped tights. It is the more minimal and modern way to wear them this year. Henry Holland has made an industry of them in the UK, so if you can find a pair of his, so much the better.
2. Socks are knee-length and perfect for teaming with skirts in the new length. Black is fine but grey is better.
3. Opaques are, of course, ubiquitous for winter. Just remember, the freshest way to wear them is as if you have no trousers on. But you do. Shorts usually. I, of course, will not be participating in this fashion charade. I will be using my opaques as usual, as tights. But it is my job to tell you guys how it is being done, so please forgive.
Thanks as usual to MasterCard and L'Oreal Paris for making the London Fashion Week trip possible.

London Fashion Week Street Style: Turban Head Scarves

It is not very often these days that I play dress-up at home, experimenting with new fashions and trends. But I have done so twice in the past week, one of the times to try out this trend I spotted at London Fashion Week - and have subsequently already seen in Cape Town (albeit at uber-hip Design Indaba). We are of course talking about the turban head scarf.
I have seen it done it two different ways - largely dependent, it turns out from my experimenting, on the size of the scarf. The first is as a narrow and around the head - this is better suited to the long scarf or the smaller scarf. And the other is what I would call a 'nanny' style, covering the whole head and better for the square scarf.
I am defs going to be rocking this look this winter - if I can stop my nearest and dearest laughing loudly at me when I do. You should too. It's cool.
Thanks must go to MasterCard and L'Oreal Paris for sponsoring our trip to London Fashion week.

Black Leather Dresses: How Do We Make Them Work For Us?

Kate Bosworth can wear a paper bag and look half-way decent, so it is misleading to look at a dress looking magnificent on her and extrapolate to ones' self. And what of when the dress only looks meh like this one? If  she only looks ok, is it even remotely possible that an average person can pull it off? I don't actually think so. And so I turn my attention to the recent spate of other black leather frocks that have recently made themselves known on the red carpet.
Let's look at dear old Blair Waldorf/Leighton Meester. I think she is struggling to find her personal style niche and tries way too hard, in general. This dress is no different. It doesn't really suit her and doesn't really make her look pretty. She looks fine, of course, she is a lovely looking girl. But does she look beautiful or amazing or mesmerizing? No. So where would that leave us if neither her nor Kate can make these rather rigid (breastplates anyone?) and conflicted dresses work?

I think the first requirement is much softer leather. The second is bags of attitude and the personality that resonates with rock 'n roll and rebellion. And the third is a flair for accessorising. Something like a bit of a lilac bootie to lift and edge the whole thing. Then maybe it will work. I think that Vampire Diaries Kat Graham is getting there with this frock she wore on the weekend. Almost. Lose the neckpiece and you're there. Good luck to you all.