A/W 13 Scarf Styling

Early in 2013, we witnessed what seemed to be one of the coldest and cruelest winters in living memory. Getting dressed to any sort of stylish standard was the last thing on most people's mind. So, imagine then what it must be like for the legions of fashion superstars who attended the international collections, having to make more than an effort to look good in the driving snow and sub-zero temperatures. Most, if not all, I gather from the street style images, adhered to the ' Seventy per cent of body heat leaves through your head rule' and about ninety percent of those outside the shows popped on a knitted beanie or bobble hat variation.

Giovanna Battaglia

Miroslava Dumas

The other, roughly, ten per cent of popular fashion heroines, including Miroslava Dumas and Giovanna Battaglia opted for an old school classic - a printed silk square folded on the bias covering the head and tied at the chin. This look was inspiring as an alternative way to stop the snow from falling directly on to the head and to keep the warmth in, without being fashioned from wool or such like. Although, on the catwalk, the prize for one of the best uses of wool most certainly goes to Dries Van Noten and his university striped scarves. Tied at the neck in a feminine half bow, this look is the quirky and cool way to wear woolly scarves next Autumn/Winter 2013.



Dries Van Noten

Copper, Camel & Tan - A/W 13's Favourite Catwalk Colours

Bottega Veneta

Copper-brown is the key 'neutral' shade for next autumn/winter. Like the 90s phenomenon that saw brown as the new black and all that blah blah blah, camels, mustards, tans and flashes of yellow are also added to the palette complementing this autumn 2013's main colour story. To be on trend, subtly include a piece or two to next season's outfits as many shades of copper are going to be the new.. err, black?

Emilio Pucci



Topshop Unique



Bottega Veneta

 The Style Eye would love to create new autumn outfits with a pair of Emilio Pucci thigh high softest suede boots and a burnt copper knee length pleated 'A' line skirt by Bottega Veneta ( although not worn together - well, not this season) What should you wear with this colour then, if not going head to toe like Bottega Veneta?



Rue Du Mail





Veronique Branquinho



Rue Du Mail

Pair camel tones with a flash of neon yellow or Chartreuse as seen at Veronique Branquinho or with classic pieces in basic black like this simple trouser at Bottega Veneta. Martine Sitbon's Rue Du Mail sent down copper furs flashing coral belts and shorts underneath to create a modern look. Topshop Unique encourages the new full circle skirt silhouette by showing it in a desirable shade of orangey-tan.



  

A/W 2013 Trends - Masculine/Feminine

In the background the flame haired U.S. Vogue editor, Grace Coddington sizes up Giovanna Battaglia's masculine/feminine look.

The masculine and tailored menswear look for women has been bubbling away for a few seasons now. For next autumn/winter 2013 this trend continues but blurs the lines between masculine and feminine styling. Best examples of this trend can be seen at designers Dries Van Noten and Holly Fulton. Their message is easy. If it's feminine clothing then sharpen the look with menswear accessories. When borrowing from the boys but cut to fit the girls clothing such as shirts, trousers and jackets then mix with girly prints and detailing. Be inspired at how the effortlessly gorgeous Giovanna Battaglia blends a mannish jacket and flat brogues with a simple yet feminine mini skirt, opaque tights and chic ladylike bag to balance the outfit. 

Holly Fulton styles a lipstick print skirt with mannish brogues making this outfit modern and fresh. 



Dries Van Noten sends out his ostrich feather trimmed cocktail dress with clompy men's lace ups.

And then he says match a crisp white shirt and sharp tailored trousers with a fluffy shawl, plus add a skirt and sexy spindly sandals to perfectly balance the mood of this look 













Super Nudes



Above. i-D Pre-Spring 2013 cover star Kate Moss with stiletto nails expertly manicured and painted in a super shade of nude by technician Sophy Robson.



There is a riot of colour stampeding style and fashion this spring. Lively yellow chequerboarding on dresses at Louis Vuitton and plenty of orangey-reds and corals at Chanel and Prada. Endorsing hot hues is the style message for clothing and accessories this season, and that is why the beauty pundits are applauding and promoting nails that are from a pale palette. These 'Supernudes' are the shade of varnish for spring and can be found at all beauty counters. There isn't one exact must have shade, its more of what works best with your skintone.  One tip that The Style Eye will suggest though, make sure your hands are perfectly manicured. Wearing natural shades enhance jaggedy cuticles and show chipped ends much more than a deep red or vibrant pink would, in fact thinking that this is an easy shade to wear isn't actually the case. The same goes for pale lips. The Style Eye loves a matt beige lip, such as Tom Ford's Blush Nude lipstick, and this too requires an immaculate foundation. Before applying a pale lipstick first scrub the lips with a homemade mix of gentle exfoliator and a decent lip balm to prepare the surface. By Terry Baume de Rose or Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm come highly recommended. Wipe clean with a cotton pad or tissue and then smooth over a little Hourglass Mineral Primer to make a good even base for your chosen beige lip shade. 





Tom Ford Lipstick in Blush Nude.

Lucite, Perspex, Methacrylate....

Call it what you want, clutch bags fabricated from a clear & hard plastic are an accessory must-have for Summer 2013. It started with the popularity of Charlotte Olympia's Pandora Clutch and then obssession really kicked in when Chanel released their Boy Brick this spring.

If the thought of spending on £550 on a evening clutch is a little extravagant, then bear in mind you can pay ten times that for the Chanel see-thru mini box bag version! My advice would be to nip into Zara and bag their methacrylate clutch for just £19.99.

Philip Lim said recently of this new fabric trend '"Perspex feels fresh because in a subversive way it's like the wearer is saying 'I have nothing to hide' " Show you have nothing to hide by filling your clutch with a couple of gorgeous goodies for everyone to spy and admire. Make like BBC 6 music radio DJ, Lauren Laverne and protect your phone with a Marc by Marc Jacobs creature case. Lauren went for Shorty, yet here at The Style Eye we are loving little lime green Rue. There will be just enough room for a lipstick, so make it a good one. Beautifully cased and smelling divine, YsL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick should do the trick.

Mickey Take Fakes



Street-spotted at the S/S 13 shows



Many of today's fashion trends start from being spotted on cool city sidewalks and areas that surround the international fashion weeks. Check back to street snappers and blogger's reports from Spring/Summer 2013, and you will notice that behind the fashion scenes there was a small rush of sweatshirts and tees emblazoned with mis-spelt-but-the-same-font of top international fashion brands.  Sported by a few of fashion's elite personnel, a crowd who usually are styled and trend perfected to within an inch of their lives, and who are also well versed in the knowledge that images of themselves casually crossing the road, invite in hand, will be beamed around the world for fashion industry insiders and fans to peruse, judge and almost certainly copy.

So doesn't it seem funny that within this bunch, whose every fashion choice is scrutinised, that there are a few who would rather wear a misappropriated version of a designer logo than the real thing?

The Style Eye set to work to discover who was behind the 'Mickey Take Fakes' ....


Celine? No, BLTEE by Brian Lichtenberg



Our search led us first to Brian Lichtenberg, who has been pumping out the 'Homies' jumpers, T-shirts and knitted beanie hats, and if you didn't go to Specsavers,  could easily be mistaken for a piece of original Hermes. The Style Eye's personal Lichtenberg favourite would have to be his take on the Celine branding and logo,  'Feline - Miaow' sweatshirts & hoodies.



Benzo Bronx by C.O.I



Casual wear brand Conflict Of Interest are also producing a small range of T-shirts that also fit into this latest trend genre. Miu Miu, Kenzo, Balmain, Jil Sander, Givenchy and Bottega Veneta all get a comedy makeover courtesy of C.O.I. 'Benzo - Bronx' is a nice take on the recent fad for the Kenzo branded tiger knitwear and sweat jumper range. The creators have applied much attention to detail to recreate a Mercedes Benz front grille which cleverly imitates the popular Kenzo original version. 

With brands like Brian Lichtenberg seemingly getting away with producing and selling these versions, then there is probably room to create your own take on a designer brand classic, Chanel-esque 'SuperChic' anyone? 

London Fashion Week Events

This week The Style Eye has been visiting fun, filled fashion events. And not just the usual up-and-down the catwalk shows, oh no, more than that! Hour-long relaxed events where one was fed, watered and superbly entertained . Who knew that upstairs at the Swarovski Crystallized mega-boutique on the corner of Regents Street, that there sits a fantastic disco-party space with bar and DJ? We didn't until we called in for an exclusive showcase featuring lingerie and swimwear collections by What Katie Did, Dirty Pretty Things, Kiss Me Deadly, Fred & Ginger, Posh Totti and Paolita. Armed with champagne vouchers, we climbed the stairs to the sound of some very cool party beats, I wanted to dance, but alas no, we were there for a fashion show.
Pre-show we scoffed handmade chocs and had a set of lustrously gorgeous SheebaRaye eyelashes applied for our pleasure. We took our seats for the show, and the tunes kept on coming, but still no dancing - since the show was about to open. As our feet tapped in time, we saw an array of silky intimate separates from designers What Katie Did and Fred & Ginger, neon babydolls a la Yootha Joyce on acid from Dirty Pretty Things, an amazing sheer floor length boudoir robe by Kiss Me Deadly, expertly wrapped, twisted and folded printed sarongs by Posh Totti and Masai inspired printed swimwear from Paolita. We left with totally uplifited, minds, bodies and eyelids!

Checking her pocket watch, Alice realises it's time to open the presentation

The Tea Party

Over at Fashion Scout, we arrived at the decadent surroundings of Freemason's Hall for Liz Black's A/W 13/14 'Wear Me' presentation. To get us warmed up for the collection inspired by the world of Wonderland, we were given Campari and Cutesy Cake cupcakes, of which the latter was plucked from the tea party table, the central point of the presentation. Models playing the part of Alice in white scupltural show piece dresses, walked the red carpet handing out a couple of silk roses by So-Handmade. We were lucky enough to have been handed one of these artfully made pieces in crafted in white silk stained with red paint, presumably after the Queen of Hearts demanded all the flowers in the garden be painted red. The next moment the Red Queen makes her entrance in a stunning red zip front mini dress with a raised collar that spread into over exaggerated  shoulders and sleeves. If you think this sounds rather like something Lady Gaga would wear, then you are on cue as she has worn Liz Black's designs several times on the international red carpet. Although the show was centered on the eye-catching Wonderland designs, the presentation also included mannequins with designs that reflect Black's minimal and elegant aesthetic, for her collection of chic and tailored pieces for A/W 13/14. 

The Queen Of Hearts



Chic and Tailored. Liz Black's Wear Me A/W 13/14 Collection