Designer Labels At New York Fashion Week, What’s On-Trend in SS12 And The HEM Index

Designer Labels Head to London fashion Week

No sooner are we reluctantly moving to our autumn wardrobes and recalling the designer labels we were wearing last winter, than we see London Fashion Week already upon us proclaiming the virtues of Spring/Summer 2012. This is a semi annual event where the worlds designer labels, famous and not so famous, congregate to showcase their collections for the season six months hence. The travelling circus of designers, buyers, journalists, bloggers, industry insiders and of course celebrities pitch their fashion big top for a week not only in London, but in the worlds other major fashion centres, namely; New York, Paris & Milan.

For those who covet the major designer labels and follow the shifting sands of style and changing trends, The fashion weeks represent an ideal opportunity to keep a close eye on what’s going to be hitting it big when you’re looking to next spring and summer for outfits. While a lot of the household designer labels choose to showcase their haute couture and conceptual designs, as these pieces are out of reach to many of us mere mortals, our objective therefore is to see the trends emerge as themes as a clue as to what the designer labels have in store for us come next spring when the ready to wear collections are launched for general sale.

New York Is Best To For Mainstream Designer Labels

The best barometer of this is New York fashion week where they tend to showcase collections which cater to the home market, for Americans on the whole are a little more conservative in their fashion tastes. New York has a tendency to show a more traditional clean lines type of style, with “less directional” and more “ready to wear” collections (read “commercial fashion”) mainstream designer labels who have a runway during this week typically include Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Marc Jacob. Where as the shows in London, Paris or Milan weeks tend to push the envelope a little more. Some purists may suggest its “safe fashion”, but I argue for the punter who spends their “hard earned” on designer dresses every now and again, its the clearest way for many to make an informed decision about the investments they will make on designer labels next season.

Jason Wu SS12	Philip Lim SS12

Having observed over the past week New York’s output, there seems to be little invention and no major departure from what has gone before, but that’s not such bad news, as in the main, what you’ve been wearing during the past summer is most likely still going to be relevant next year too, and so having to match up old and new pieces in SS12 wardrobe will be the ideal basis of a great, and ever evolving capsule wardrobe.

What Trends To Look For in SS11

What seems to be the big trend this time round is a move towards a more casual, lifestyle look which has been dubbed “Urban Sport” as the name suggests its full of soft tailoring, and strikes an easy balance between both street and office wear. Nowhere was this better illustrated than with Philp Lim and his Kite inspired runway show showing cocktails and shift dress made of flowing parachute silk, the ideal canvas on which to work, the airy loose style was the perfect interpretation of his signature soft tailoring.
Jason Wu, Michelle Obama’s designer label of choice also followed the theme of soft tailoring with a mix of urban sport influences and smart casual clothing as did Marc Jacob, Alexander Wang and Preen.

Preen Block colours, powder shades	Michael Kors SS12 -Afri-luxe

Another big trend is colour…bright bold colours, citrus brights, neon, these were used in block colours, which is a trend that will continue into next season, and the tribal look which will dominate next summer, though yellow seemed to pop up more frequently than any other colour.

As mentioned above, the tribal look is making a reappearance, an alternative label coined by Michael Kor is “Afri-Luxe”, we might refer to it as tribal/safari, but it was a strong showing in his runway show. The Kor designer Label which has been built upon the his home grown market of the U.S. and taken the all American casual sportswear and added luxury and embellishments. Kor has applied acres of Zebra, Python and Leopard skin prints to his swimwear, romper suits, shift and cocktail dresses to create “Serengeti style” (that’s my own label I’ve given the look). Proenza Schouler followed suit with the safari/tribal trend featuring conceptualised giraffe and tiger prints across the collection too, so is a sure fire contender to be hot in 2012.

And So To The HEM index, And What The Hell Is It?

We couldn’t leave a fashion trend review without mentioning the “Hem Index”, for you who don’t know its a theory put forward by economist George Taylor’s back in the 1920′s, when he referred to hemlines lengths changing in line with the economy, as the economy gets weaker, hemline get longer and vice versa. In the midst of what seems like harder economic times and austerity, in the case of New York fashion week and the designer labels who had runways, the results were inconclusive as there was a bevy of asymmetrical and handkerchief hems which will leave economists to draw mixed concisions, though as ever austerity and high end designer labels are uncomfortable bed fellows.

Image Credits – Metro

filed under – designer labels

Five Key Trends In Designer Wear For Summer 2011

There were so many great designer wear looks on the catwalk for summer 2011, but if you want to be right on trend here are some of the key dress styles to keep an eye out for this summer.

Floral dresses

D &G Mimosa print boned dress – My Wardrobe

Floral dresses are always a huge fashion trend in the summer but this year you should look out for larger scale floral prints as seen at Dries Van Noten and Jil Sanders, embellished florals as seen at Caroline Herrera, Erdem and Vera Wang and bright botanicals including the stunningly bright floral dresses at D & G. Also look our for a whole range of different blooms from the traditional rose to pansies, irises and oriental orchids. There are so many different floral dress styles around this summer but if you can’t find one that you love, there are also some  great fruit prints. 

Lace dress

Project D by Dannii and Tabitha black butterfly lace dress – My Wardrobe

The lace dress was already looking to be a huge trend but after the royal wedding we just can’t get it out of our head. From the innocence and simplicity of a white lace dress to the more sexy black lace dress or even a fun neon bright lace dress, you can chose a style to suit your mood. A simple shift dress style in lace is very fashionable now but also really classic piece of designer wear that is likely to last you for season after season.

One shoulder dress

Halston Heritage One Shoulder Mini – My Wardrobe

Always elegant, great for parties and incredibly flattering the one shoulder dress is back on trend again this summer. With its feel of Greek goddess, the one shoulder dress can also work well for the Studio 54 seventies vibe that is such big news this summer. Take your pick of the one shoulder dress from maxi to mini. Halston Heritage played a key role in the current seventies revival and are becoming well known for their one shoulder dress.

White dresses

Vivienne Westwood Anglomania White Wednesday Dress – My Wardrobe

This summers white dress styles are anything but boring. Interesting shapes, appliqued detail and pretty lace all more than make up for the lack of colour. Fresh, clean and cool, white dresses are the perfect designer wear for the hot summer weather and just about any occasion as long as you are not a guest at a wedding. Look for feminine dress styles in floaty and layered fabrics with flared skirts to really capture the romantic look.

Designer maxi dresses

Winter Kate halter maxi dress – My Wardrobe

Back again by popular demand, the designer maxi dress is glamorous and the perfect designer wear for the evening. It is also incredibly flattering and covers up a multitude of sins from a round tummy to saddlebag thighs. Slim line or slim fit designer maxi dresses are particularly on trend this summer and you can take your pick from one colour, patterns and prints and floaty chiffon.

5 Ways To Rock The Seventies Trend With Ladies Designer Clothing

The seventies trend is going to be huge for at least  the next few seasons making it well worth investing in some of the ladies designer clothing on offer at the moment. If weren’t around or old enough to wear or remember it the first time around then now is the perfect opportunity to catch up on the styles for this very glamorous decade. If you did experience the seventies first hand then there is no reason why you can’t revisit some of the looks this time in an even more stylish way.

If you prefer online dress shopping then you will find some great seventies pieces at My-Wardrobe.com. If you are looking for designer dresses for less then the Outnet is also a really good place to look.

The Seventies Jumpsuit

Jaspire Wide Legged Jumpsuit By Paul and Joe

Jumpsuits have been on trend for quite some time but this season there is an amazing choice of them amongst the ladies designer clothing collections including at Missoni, Halston Heritage, Paul and Joe, DKNY and Alice by Temperley to name but a few. Many of the seventies jumpsuits feature halternecks but there are also some strapless choices or one shoulder which make a great alternative to a dress for a party. We love the amazingly bright colour of this jumpsuit by Paul and Joe with its elegant wide legged trousers.

The One Shoulder Dress

Pleated One Shoulder Goddess Dress by Halston Heritage

If you want to take your inspiration from the glamorous Studio 54 era, then a maxi style one shoulder dress is ideal. No one makes ladies designer clothing in this style better than Halston Heritage, well they have had more than enough practice. This pleated gold one shoulder dress is just the sort of thing that Bianca Jagger would have worn and will make you look like a Greek goddess.

The Pussy Bow Blouse

Constellation Tie Neck Blouse By Tibi

One of the easiest way if working the seventies look for work or casual is with a pussy bow blouse like this beautiful toffee coloured one from very hip ladies designer clothing label Tibi. It looks great with a navy pencil skirt for work or high waisted jeans for casual.

The Flares

Tailored Flares by M Missoni

Another key aspect of fashion trends in the seventies was the flared trousers. You can either opt for the more casual flared jeans or smarter tailored flares. We love the way that these crisp white tailored flares  keep the look fresh and up to date.

The Platforms

Black Edie Wedge by Mulberry

A great pair of wedge shoes is the perfect footwear for all sorts of seventies style ladies designer clothing. They go amazingly well with maxi dresses, jumpsuits and flared trousers or jeans. The best thing about wedge shoes is that they give you some extra height but they are much easier to walk in  than almost all other high heeled shoes.

A Day At The Races – The Perfect Ladies Day Outfit

Perhaps the title is somewhat misleading in so much as within this post we are indeed offering you the where for all to exhibit the highest degree of designer fashion to indeed impress anyone you care to mention. Though the outfits shown aren’t strictly confined to wearing Ladies day Outfits at a race meeting, oh no far from it, as the following suggestions can be worn for all manner of events you may be planning to attend this coming summer party season, be it a wedding, a lavish garden party or indeed the afore mentioned race meeting.

The Ladies day outfit is appropriate as this weekend sees the Aintree race meeting taking place and is generally regarded as the start of the summer racing season. It is normally held in Liverpool and the ladies day this year is 18th April, with the likes Epsom and Ascot to follow in June. Most of the big race meetings nowadays normally have a special Ladies day set aside to accommodate the fashionistas of not only the racing fraternity but the general public and of course the odd celebrity dotted here and there to show off their latest designer dresses, shoes and of course the obligatory hat, all as part of a thoroughly enjoyable themed day.

In recent years it has become so popular that it has become a girls day out for groups of girls who spend weeks, even months in preparation, co-coordinating their outfits, pouring over which to wear Laboutins or Jimmy Choo’s? and if the opportunity to jet off the the Caribbean to get some colour on your skin isn’t a practical solution, then there’s always the spray on tan to consider too These events have become so popular that you have to book well in advance to get a ticket, but has been completely taken over by the ladies event itself and in many ways the horse racing on the day being largely superfluous, with fashion shows, make over tents and some of the largest fashion brands sponsoring the whole day in some cases.

Alas before we get carried away, as mentioned earlier, of course these gorgeous designer dresses are not just confined to Ladies day Outfits, they can be enjoyed for all manner of summer events you plan to attend, but I’m sure you’ll agree they are worthy of a very special event indeed. One of the important factors in choosing a designer outfit for such an occasion is that you should not only look spectacular but feel extra special and wonderful about wearing it to0, and in essence that’s what a ladies day outfit is, an extra special day to get dressed up in extra special clothes, what ever event you go to this summer enjoy it even more with this wonderful selection of designer fashion items…

You can see more designer fashion brands like these at Van Midert the designer fashion store

The Top 5 Designer Shift Dresses For Summer 2011

Designer shift dresses are definitely a wardrobe staple. They are incredibly flattering for most body shapes and one of the most versatile pieces of clothing that you can own. This also explains why designer shift dresses are such a great  investment, they never go out of fashion and will be worn over and over again. Each year there are some new styles and trends of designer shift dresses available but if you pick carefully you can choose a style that transcends all fashion and is simply  incredibly stylish. Here are our favourite designer shift dresses for 2011.

The Floral Dresses

D& G have created some stunning floral dresses for SS11 with brightly coloured prints on a white background. The floral shift dresses in their collection are pretty and colourful enough to wear to a special occasion like a wedding but also smart enough to wear to work with a tailored jacket. They are could also be worn with a brightly coloured cashmere cardigan and ballet pumps for a more relaxed look for lunch out with the girls or a gentle stroll around the park. This D&G Peony print champagne fitted dresswould also look great with heels for an evening party.

The Classic Navy Shift Dress

Everyone needs a simple navy shift in their wardrobe and this Fulfilment Dress by Vivienne Westwood is such a classic. It has flattering  draping to give it an upto date twist and a soft silhouette. This dress is ideal as evening or occasion wear but also looks great with a pair of nude shoes for the daytime.

The Colour Block Stripes

This colour block stripe dress by Sportmax is definitely right on trend this summer but colour blocking is also a trend that is likely to come back into fashion year after year. The fun red and pink stripes on this dress make it incredibly eyecatching and perfect if you want to stand out from the crowd. Its sporty shift dress shape makes it ideal for more casual events and it looks great worn with tan leather accessories and chunky wedge heels.

The Abstract Print Dress

The great thing about abstract prints is that they do  not relate to any one particular trend but can work with a number of different looks so they come back in fashion again and again. Abstract prints featuring neon brights are big news this summer and this feather border shift dress by Paul Smith is a perfect example of one.

The Neutral Shift

A neutral coloured shift dress also works with a number of different trends including utilitarian, safari and minimalist. It can be accessorised in numerous ways to give many different looks and is probably the most versatile of all of the shift dresses. This Moschino Cheap and Chic belted v neck shift dress would look great with animal prints, brightly coloured accesories for example neon orange or even floral pieces. Chunky gold jewellery will also finish the look perfectly.

Harrods – A Famous Place To Buy Your Designer Dresses

Everyone has heard of the world famous Harrods, no? Not only is it a great place to buy designer dresses but also just about every luxurious item that you can think of from Laduree Macaroons to the latest perfumes and accessories. Visitors to London flock to Harrods to see what is on offer and see the shop that is the most famous place in the world to buy designer dresses. The department  store is located on Brompton Road, Knightsbridge and  plays host to a raft of celebrities and foreign visitors, it was most famously owned by business man Mohammed Al Fayed. It is the second biggest department store in the UK second only to Selfridges on Oxford street, just think about all of those amazing designer dresses that you could fit into that space!

For those who don’t get to visit Harrods quite as often as they would like or have never been there before, we have great news. You can now shop Harrods and all of its amazing designer dresses from the comfort of your own home. Harrods have their own retail website selling a wide range of  women’s wear including everything from day dresses to designer cocktail dresses plus accessories and beauty products.

Harrods stocks some of the worlds most celebrated designers, if you are looking for an amazing celebrity dress then it is definitely the place to find it. For a really special occasion Harrods also has some of the most exclusive evening gowns in the UK.

Here is a taster of just a few of the beautiful designer dresses that Harrods has to offer:

The Herve Leger Bandage Dress

The bandage dress by Herve Leger is the celebrity dress of the moment. Worn by everyone from Kate Winslet to Cheryl Cole, it is a very body con style with an amazing ability to flatter and streamline. Take your pick from of a variety of styles and colours of these  figure sculpting designer cocktail dresses. Wear with vertiginous heels for maximum impact.

Issa Dresses – Kate Middleton’s Favourite

Top marks to the buyers at Harrods for securing some of the hottest designers of the moment. Issa is one of Kate Middleton’s favourite labels and with the royal wedding just a few months away, is great for those looking to celebrate the big day with new designer cocktail dresses. The most recent Issa collection features vivid colours in softly draping chiffons and bohemian prints. This leopard print dress is a perfect example of how sophisticated and versatile Issa clothes are.

Halston Heritage – an Iconic Label

In the seventies the most sought after celebrity dresses were by the iconic brand Halston. Worn by Jackie Kennedy, Bianca Jagger and Angelica Houston Halston designs were the height of fashion. Now you can buy Halston Heritage from Harrods. The newer version of the ready to wear label that is proving to be immensely popular second time around as well. Recently the one shoulder draped cocktail dresses have been a big hit but we love this crystal embellished dress.

Designer Dresses – Neutral Vs Neon Bright

For the past few seasons there has been a growing trend for designer dresses in neutral colours. They are the sort of wardrobe staples that go with anything and are infinitely versatile offering the opportunity to just wear on their own for the minimalist look or combine with some statement accessories for a completely different look. Despite having all of this going for them, some designers have obviously had enough of all this neutrality and are going neon bright for SS11 with oranges, greens and electric blues to brighten things up a bit.

So which designer dresses will you be wearing for SS11, neutral colours or neon brights? or perhaps a bit of both depending on your mood.

Harlequin Drop Waist Dress By Love Moschino

Moschino Chic and Cheap Sleeveless Boucle Gold Button Dress

Perhaps the brightest of them all was Christopher Kane with a selection of designer cocktail dresses and designer day dresses as well as suits in neon green, pink, orange and yellow lace and leather. The smooth shiny effect of the leather which had been perforated to look like lace made the impact of these dresses even greater in a true Christopher Kane like style statement.

A t Proenza Schouler, Lime green and black and orange and pink were mixed up in a tie dye effect for a fun look. Despite the electric colour scheme, the collection managed to look polished and grown up with dresses that would equally well as designer cocktail dresses or day dresses.

At Prada thick stripes of bright oranges, yellows, pinks and greens were combined with black which served to increase their intensity for a very striking look. Prada never fails to create a highly talked about collection and this is likely to be one of he most copied looks of the season. Skirts lengths were at the knee and shapes were simple not o detract from the interest of the bright colours.

Moschino also featured some great neon bright day dresses which are perfect for standing out in a crowd (pictured above).

Finally for the neon brights (although there were lots more that I haven’t time to mention today) was Jil Sander. Designer long dresses in eye popping brights made for a brave and bold style statement. These were amongst the biggest and brightest maxi dresses that I have ever seen!

For those who prefer a slightly less attention grabbing outfit there were also plenty of neutral designer dresses.

If you are looking for designer long dresses or day dresses, this Dust Extreme Gradient Full Length Dress by Acne is just what you need. With a hint of modern grunge, it can be accesorised in a number of different ways and also works well for layering.

3.1 Phillip Lim featured a range of grey and white cotton shirt dresses which look great worn on their own as casual day dresses or can be worn with jeans for a more casual look.

At See By Chloe more designer long dresses with this beautiful full length sleeveless tiered dress. Another example of modern grunge which looks like it might be a key trend for SS11.