As we see it, the ultimate, tricksy, brow furrowing, chin stroking, difficult to solve 21st century dilemma is this: What’s a lady supposed to wear for weekend brunch?
Obviously there are proper dilemmas about wars and poverty and the disintegrating moral fabric of society, but we don’t have a hope in hell of solving those. The brunch one is like Sudoku – if we really put our minds to it, we can probably work it out with a pencil.
M&S Limited Collection Cotton Rich Fit & Flare Skater Denim Dress with Belt, £45
The thing is, unless you’re weepingly hungover and need someone to pour you into your tracksuit bottoms and lead you to McDonalds, brunch is a stealth formal affair. You’re still eating fried mushrooms smothered in ketchup, but the mushrooms were probably foraged by an artistic intern curating a Vine feed, and the ketchup has a bechamel quail base tempered with locally sourced botanicals. You need the outfit to match – something that’s all “threw this on AND WHAT?” but also something smoking enough to get the flat white and organic cupcake guy to give you the eye. And something that can stand a little quail ketchup spillage. Also, you’re going to want sleeves. You probably had your arms out last night – come the morning after, the standard practice is that you put the guns back in their holsters.
Where do you go for such a number? One of the Spitalfields boutiques staffed by ‘resting’ actresses who hand stitch wonky hems? Anthropologie, who have many brilliant brunch options for a mere three hundred quid a pop? The situation is frustrating enough to make you turn to gin, stained tracksuits and McDonalds, but all you need is this BRILLIANT M&S denim shirt dress that can be accessorised six ways ‘til Sunday and costs less than fifty quid. As it gets lighter and brighter, your hair can get bigger, your wedges will get fiercer and you can pop the buttons open until the flat white guy’s eyes pop out. On chilly, less reliable days, brogues, bright opaques and a snuggly knit will transform it faster than Madonna was transformed from garter flashing sex lady to Scottish Widow. If anyone feels like thanking Shiny Style for this invaluable wardrobe suggestion, we accept gifts of Anthropologie vouchers and organic cupcakes.
We’re obsessed with Nordic Noir and especially The Killing, which is now in its third and final series (sulk..). For those who sat down and watched the first two episodes at the weekend would rejoice that Scandinavian crime heroine Sarah Lund (aka Sofie Gråbøl) is back - and she’s got a new jumper! And a rather dashing co-star, Mathias Borch (played by Nikolaj Lie Kaas)…
But this time around the currently most talked about knitwear piece isn’t due to its previously mentioned superpowers, but the fact that it is… well rather boring. A white and black tyre track patterned thing, it didn’t get us as excited as the Gudrun & Gudrun marvel from season one. Can it be? Can our favourite series from the North be ending on a fashion low?
There might be more twists that expected (we’ve already had a few dead bodies and an abduction) as the publicity shots released for the final season show Sofie Gråbøl with her trademark messy ponytail and a navy Nordic jumper which has (cue excitement!) the same pattern as the original Jumper, just a different colour!
Could it be that as the series progresses, we will see a return of the much loved Faroese jumper? Well the navy knitwear by Gudrun & Gudrun is on sale now for €280 (£226)…
If you want to emulate Sarah Lund’s style and make a killing in the fashion stakes this winter, team a chunky Nordic-style jumper with faded blue jeans and a pair of heels. And don’t forget that messy ponytail and understated make-up.
After they were published I received many emails from you telling me about all the trouble you’ve been having finding that perfect size.
I didn’t realise this was that much of a problem and affected people so badly, so I called up Asda, who already stock inbetween sizes to see if there was really a demand for these measurements.
Joanne Newbold, a representative for the supermarket told me: “This range is popular. We trailed it just under a year ago and the popularity has led us to expand the range to include different styles and colours.”
This confirmation, plus your comments, has lead us to start a campaign. We want to badger retailers to either stock sizes with an industry wide universal measurement system or to follow Asda’s lead and introduce inbetween sizes.
However, to really make it work we need your help. So we’ve started the campaign off with a small survey, which we can take to retailers to show them that we mean business.
Click on the link below to fill in the questionaire and please spread the word.
They were all the rage on the Spring/Summer catwalk at London Fashion Week and now it seems coloured jeans will once again be making their way into our wardrobes.
Diesel has announced that it will be launching its range of candy coloured denim this week and we know that when a designer brand does this the highstreet will quickly follow suit.
Diesel’s range already has Katy Perry and Kristen Stewart as fans and we can’t wait to get our hands on a pair.
We just wish the spring would hurry up and get here.
Victoria Beckham is relaunching her jeans range with a new name: Victoria Beckham Denim. They’re looking a lot more fashion-y than Victoria’s dVb jeans designs (which as far as I can remember had big, not very discreet crests on the back pockets), as you can see from these lookbook pictures. Although they’re still on the expensive side for jeans, with prices starting at £140, we’re loving the sleek designs. The variety means there’s probably something for everyone, since there are also jackets, shorts and a full range of leggings on offer.
After the success of her VB fashion line we’re expecting the jeans, released next spring, to be a big hit with celebrities – we’re placing bets on Blake Lively being pictured in them first.
I don’t know about you, but I have thousands of jeans, from designer to high street, and no matter what anyone says, a girl can never have too many of these denim wonders.
So I’m thrilled that trusty high street store New Look has just launched a range of new jeans.
The Yes Yes denim range is pulling tightly on my purse strings bringing with it a range of shapes, fits and washes to suit every taste, including boot cut, skinny, low rise hipster, straight leg or flare. Every style will also come in sizes 8-26 as well as Tall and Maternity.
And there willl be no excuse for not buying a pair, or two, or maybe three, with prices ranging from £10 – £20.
Calvin Klein is in hot water yet again after a provocative billboard for its womenswear and menswear jeans line was unveiled in New York this week. The racy ad which depicts a young female semi-naked model lying across one man and kissing another has caused uproar amongst appalled Manhattanites. However CK designers are at a loss to see the problem.
“It’s my favorite campaign ever!” said CK menswear designer, Italo Zucchelli. “I hope they’re going to be, ‘Ooooh, what is that?’ And then they buy our jeans. In the best tradition of Calvin Klein.”
I wrote about these amaaaaazing jeans on Catwalk Queen after spying them on the Jak & Jil blog. As I mentioned over there, they had me crossing out all my To-Do diary entries for this weekend and instead slapping in one big new one: DIY. (Sorry friends-who-I-am-cancelling-on – we’ll have to catch up another time!)
This should be a fairly easy one if you’ve got the gear already… Simply rip up a pair of your old jeans (whether you want to bleach them out first, is your prerogative) or find a pair you like (the ones pictured above are $90 from Topshop) and then get busy with your stud gun. You can find said stud gun and studs at your local craft store or haberdashery (you may wish to go with gold rather than silver, spray paint them black or pick a smaller size than the ones pictured) or, of course, perusing eBay for some good crafty deals is usually the best option. Let us know how it goes!
The affects of Givenchy’s fall 08 chain dresses are still being felt, so you can find something like this Forever 21 chain trim tunic, $19.80, everywhere. It’s perfect for pairing with Goldsign’s super-stretchy Misfit slim leg jeans, $218. Thanks to 35% four-way stretch, the denim is likened to the feel of leggings. And what to wear with your dark wash skinny jeans but a tough-chic bootie. We chose Steve Madden’s Slasssh bootie, $199.95, even though we’re generally opposed to open-toed boots in winter. But, what better way to show off the new Chanel nail colors we’re all coveting? Top it all off with this Jimmy Choo Eva leather clutch, $1,170 to remind everyone you’ve got class.
It’s beginning to be par for the course – Calvin Klein creates a commercial, it’s too hot for TV and is banned and gets more attention and buzz than it ever would have on the airwaves.
This time the commercial, above, and admittedly a little NSFW, was even banned from late night cable. But it looks like a toned down version will make it to your TV.
Jessica Alba is looking as good as ever post baby, as most celebs do!
She’s seen here in Divine Rights of Denim Envy High Waist jeans, $80. The pants boast tummy tucking and butt-lifting abilities, not that Alba needs them, but we might!
They’re made of cashmere denim, which sounds like something we need.
Divine Rights of Denim can be found at Nordstrom’s, Dillard’s, Macy’s, Buckle, M. Fredric, Ambiance and Von Maur. Happy shopping.
Not to be outdone by her co-stars, Audrina Partridge is jumping on board the fashion bandwagon by launching her own denim line.
The reality star has reportedly landed her first endorsement deal, by signing a contract with fashion label Divine Rights of Denim, to not only co-design a collection, but to also be the face of it.
“She has that flavor to her,” said Divine’s director of sales, Angel Shoshan. “She can wear a wife beater and jeans, and she just looks comfortable and hot.”
If true, then she joins The Hills‘s Lauren, Heidi and Whitney in unveiling her own clothing range.
In a few weeks we’ll be bringing you a fall denim guide to help you decide on a new pair for this winter, but these PZI jeans have been the buzz of the office so we thought we’d give you a little peek.
PZI jeans are designed to fit the woman with a streamlined waist, fuller hips, and curvy bottom (see how they get their fit after the jump). We like them because they hug curves on the hips and thighs without being too baggy in the leg, and are fitted and sleek without clinging to the wrong spots or making you look top heavy.
Launched in spring 2007, Aristocrat denim is really heating up. Not just jeans, the denim line includes quite a few cute dresses as well.
The fabrics, dyes and the dye process are all 100% eco-friendly. Founder Bak (one name, like Cher, we presume) developed a revolutionary “green wash” process uses purified water and dry processes so all Aristocrat denim is chemical-free.
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