Jean Paul Gaultier '12 CoutureJean Paul Gaultier made a tribute to the late Amy Winehouse in his latest haute couture collection shown this week in Paris. Garments, in Gaultier’s signature style, were worn by model’s sporting beehive hairstyles, flicked up black eyeliner and doll-like wedges. The spring/summer ’12 show included looks entitled “Brit Award”, “Victoria’s Secret In My Bag” and “Love Is a Losing Game”. Winehouse’s father Mitch, however, has spoken out against the fashion collection, stating that it is in bad taste and that the family were not made aware of the tribute prior to the show.

The clothes included wonderful corsetry and beautiful long trench coats, all in rich colours - pink, gold and chartreuse. Think Gaultier’s signature trashy luxe (but with a couture price tag). Long sequinned jackets were teamed with tiny girdle shorts and even suiting featured corsetry detailing. Another back-to-front polo shirt dress appeared in ivory sequins, another lace evening gown in fluorescent orange was fit for a true diva. Vogue called the show a ‘wonderful and loving tribute’ to Winehouse, but as all the girls appeared for the finale in lace mourning mantilla veils, was it too much?

Mitch Winehouse said, “The family was upset to see those pictures, they were a total shock. We're still grieving for her loss, and we've had a difficult week with the six-month anniversary of Amy's death. To see her image lifted wholesale to sell clothes was a wrench we were not expecting or consulted on. We're proud of her influence on fashion but find black veils on models, smoking cigarettes with a barbershop quartet singing her music in bad taste. It portrays a view of Amy when she was not at her best, and glamorises some of the more upsetting times in her life. That's upsetting for her family”.

Tatty Devine Trapeze Tatty Devine Cat Ring

Tatty Devine, the quirky jewellery brand who normally work with Perspex, have launched a range of silver jewellery named ‘Fine’. Fine has the same fun appeal of Tatty Devine but with a touch of luxury. Just like all of the pieces from Tatty Devine, the Fine collection is handmade in the UK. Featuring moustaches and chip forks, you won’t find silver jewellery with a better sense of humour anywhere else.

Tatty Devine is run by Rosie Wolfenden and Harriet Vine. The girls set up the company in 1999, and still run it completely independently. Tatty Devine has become a cult classic of British fashion with its witty, offbeat designs. 99% of the jewellery is made by hand in Tatty Devine's own workshops (one in London and one in Kent) and each year, two main collections are launched at London Fashion Week. They have over 100 stockists worldwide and have collaborated with the likes of Rob Ryan, Peter Jensen and Basso & Brooke.

Alongside necklaces, rings, earrings and bracelets, the brand also designs belts, badges and cufflinks. Tatty Devine’s much loved Name Necklaces began life as Christmas presents for friends in 2004, and you can now design your own Name Necklace to be made in Tatty Devine's London workshop. For a mega Valentine’s treat how about this fab Rob Ryan ‘Everything I love lives in my heart’ necklace by Tatty Devine. This necklace formed the centrepiece to a papercut made by Rob Ryan for an exhibition in Tatty Devine's Brick Lane boutique. It costs £230, but is really a collector’s piece.

TOMS Leopard Ballet Flat TOMS Printed Ballet FlatSince 2006, TOMS have been helping the poorest of the world through fashion. Their One for One movement means that profits from shoes sold in the Western world go to purchasing shoes for children in developing countries. Traditional TOMS have been of the slipper style shoe; in fact they probably brought back the trend for slipper shoes. This spring however, TOMS are launching ballet flats at the request of customers looking for a smarter style.

TOMS was founded primarily for charitable means.  When American traveller Blake Mycoskie befriended children in Argentina in 2006, he was horrified to see that many did not have any footwear.  On returning home he set up TOMS and the One for One movement.  We all take shoes for granted, worrying about what style of shoe to buy rather than how we can afford just one pair. Millions of children live without footwear everyday worldwide. By going barefoot, a child is more likely to contract soil-transmitted diseases and get infections from cuts and grazes on the feet.  Also, children without shoes are not able to attend school because they are part of the uniform.

TOMS have many celebrity fans including Angelina Jolie and the Olsen twins who last year collaborated with the charitable shoe brand to create a capsule collection by The Row.  TOMS are available for men, women and kids in a huge assortment of fun colours and fabrics including crochet, animal print and glitter. The new ballet shoe is a great way to reach out to a wider audience looking for a smarter style. Hitting stores in March, the new style will come in burlap, suede and linen, in leopard print, monochrome and tribal inspired prints among other colours. They will be available in size 3 to 10, including half sizes.

Ultimo Evangeline Ultimo Spy

Michael Buble's stunning wife Luisana shows the sensational curves that stole his heart in the ultra-sexy new campaign for Ultimo.  Argentinian bombshell Luisana Lopilato dazzles in the new collection from the UK's leading lingerie designer created by Michelle Mone OBE, just in time for Valentine's Day.

Celebrating feminine charm with pastel and lace, the timeless pale green and navy 'Evangeline' is elegantly flirtatious, while the silky animal print 'Mirage' is designed to reveal the inner temptress. Retro-inspired sophistication meets bombshell in the black and pink 'Spy,' creating a super seductive silhouette with irresistible curves. Bras are priced £28-£31 and thongs and briefs are £12-£14. Sizes go upto G cup which is always happy news for the big busted.

Michelle Mone OBE, creator of Ultimo, said: "Women want to feel confident in their underwear by choosing a style of lingerie that accentuates all the right places. Luisana is a natural beauty and I'm delighted to have her on board for two years. The new collection is not only very sophisticated and feminine but feels comfortable as well so that you have that confidence from the inside out."

Luisana, added: “I loved shooting the Ultimo campaign and usually have to wear plain underwear when I’m filming so it was incredible to be wearing such gorgeous lingerie.  I love the colour of Evangeline – the mint green really highlights my skin tone but the lace gives it that sexy edge.”

Karl Sachi Skirt Karl Bansi“Fashion is about two things: evolution and the opposite” words spoken by Karl Lagerfeld, and you better listen to him because this guy knows a thing or two about fashion. Since arriving in Paris from his native Hamburg in the 1950s, Lagerfeld has designed for some of the most influential fashion houses in the world. Moving from Valentino to Fendi, to Chloe and now Chanel, Lagerfeld has set trends and shaped contemporary fashions with more than 200 runway shows under his stylish belt.

Today Lagerfeld’s much anticipated new fashion line KARL launched through net-a-porter.com. The luxury online retailer has a one month exclusivity deal to sell the Karl line before it is offered on Lagerfeld branded sites. Check out net-a-porter for everything you could want to know about Lagerfeld and his new fashion range, including a video interview with the super-star designer.

Karl is a women’s wear line inspired by high fashion but with a mid-range price tag. A strong collection of staples in black, white and silver make this the perfect everyday mix and match collection. The £50 cutaway leather gloves are already sold out, no doubt to the eager fashionistas who want the first bite of the cherry without spending a fortune.

Biker inspired, there is plenty of leather and sparkle to satisfy the most hard-core trend lovers. There are a handful of printed cotton tees featuring the designer’s well recognised profile from £65. Team one with the Sabine sequined shorts for evening (£195) or the high rise patterned skinny jeans for day (£195). My best buy of the season though, has to be the Sachi faux leather pleated mini skirt, which at £135, could easily be mistaken for something far more expensive.

Orange Coast Dress

Orange isn’t the colour that oft comes to mind when considering an outfit. Tricky to wear and oh so conspicuous, many people are put off by its sheer exuberance. It is a colour however, that comes in and out of fashion and rarely disappears completely in one way or another. Orange is back for spring/summer ’12 with countless designers choosing to dress their runway models in various shades of tangerine, amber and apricot.

Victoria Beckham went for a sporty look with a slim fitting orange dress, orange and navy short sleeved dress. Felipe Oliveria Baptista also went sports luxe with bright orange cycling shorts and matching jacket. Marc by Marc Jacobs showed sixties tangerine shift dresses and Matthew Williamson built orange into his grown up blazer looks. In fact orange was also evident at Ports 1961, Nanette Lepore and Jayne Pierson to name just a few.

If you choose the right shade, orange doesn’t have to be difficult to wear. Opt for warmer tones of amber and burnt orange rather than florescent shades to be kinder to the complexion. Dark or tanned skins can not only get away with brights, but look fantastic in them. The way to wear orange is colour blocking, don’t be shy. Try a shift dress like this elegant style by Coast, suitable for work or evening, it’s a 24-hour dress for £95. The bow detailing at the back keeps it modern and youthful.

Current/Elliott Jean Warehouse Jean

I am currently a bit, well a lot, obsessed with leopard print jeans. No one is more surprised than me, when did leopard print jeans become cool rather than trashy? Well trashy cool at least. The trend seems to be down to denim brand Current/Elliott and the rise of last year’s ‘cocktail jean’. The cocktail jean is a fancy take on the standard skinny, in fact ‘cocktail’ is the new prefix in fashion to describe anything a bit fancier than average – the cocktail earring for example.

Animal print jeans crept into style last year, as seen on the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker and Isla Fisher. I liked them back them, but I wouldn’t have gone out wearing them. Now however, I want to wear them! Last summer the leopard print jeans by Current/Elliott sold out at my-wardrobe.com in 24 hours despite the £210 price tag and this year they have restocked on the trend.

LA based Current/Elliott was founded in 2008 by Serge Azria with the aim of producing a collection entirely crafted from denim. The brand is born out of a love of vintage denim and American roots and has quickly garnered a cult following in the fashion world. This season at net-a-porter you can get the low rise leopard print skinny jean in four colour ways – petal pink, mint, camel or grey. The print is quite subdued and therefore easy to wear. Petal pink and mint are fully on trend for this spring’s icy pastel colour palette but I’m quite a big fan of the grey.

Versace CoutureWarming up for next month’s fashion weeks, we have the couture shows. Haute Couture has seen something of a renaissance in recent years. Once seen as old and dowdy, the couture shows are now jam packed with glamour. Not available for the masses (cocktail dresses start at around £50,000) the couture shows are purely for day-dreamers.

Versace

Paris Couture Week was kicked off by Versace, who showed their first couture collection since 2004. Diane Kruger and Cameron Diaz had front row seats, and model Karlie Kloss took to the runway first. It was a boutique collection of 15 looks, all evening wear with the signature Versace vibe – lots of lace, leather and beading in silver, lime green and tangerine orange.  A full length bead encrusted dress with sheer lace panels looks like it weighs more than the model. It also comes in a long-sleeved version with futuristic shoulders. A leather laser cut brocade dress is very special indeed, plus there are leather shorts and plenty of corsetry.

Christian Dior

At Christian Dior, designed by Bill Gayton, the audience were treated to a nostalgic nod to the fifties and the original New Look era. Beautiful day dresses, dogtooth checks and waisted pencil skirts provided a timeless silhouette. Transparent voile was used to create dream-like wrap dresses, blouses and full skirts. Full length evening gowns were teamed with long gloves and huge ball gowns were embellished with beading, layering, pleats and ruffles. Black, white and red created a strong colour palette.

Alexis Mabille

Brand Alley is launching a ‘re-home a designer handbag’ sale on Facebook next month. It’s so great I almost didn’t want to tell you (but I am, because I’m nice like that). Online discount retailer Brand Alley were one of the first companies of its kind to sell branded goods at up to 85% off. Browse the site regularly for men’s, women’s and kid’s clothes, shoes, kitchen equipment, household furnishings, gifts and more, and be sure to find some bargains.

In February they are offering a one-off exclusive ‘rehome a designer handbag’ sale on social networking site Facebook. There are 36 bags available at up to a huge 75% off these slightly marked designer handbags, an opportunity to snap up a designer essential. These must-have bags are from leading designers including D&G, Furla and Calvin Klein, prices start at just £30.00. The bags are straight from the shop-floor and feature minor defects, including scratches and scuffing and so they want to ‘rehome’ them.

Every fashionista wants a designer bag to complete their outfit, although not everyone’s bank balance can afford the price tag. If you have always lusted over owning a chic designer bag to tote, then BrandAlley has the perfect luxury Valentine’s treat (for yourself!). Why not use it as an opportunity to stock up on some D&G before the label ceases to exist – Brand Alley will be selling a multi-zip bag with slight discolouration for £200 from £800, or a slightly worn ponyskin bag at £210 from £850.

All you have to do is ‘Like’ the BrandAlley Facebook page and log on at 12:00 and 19:00 on Thursday 2nd February for savvy shopping in the sale that never ends. Have you got that? 

Boohoo DressHappy Chinese New Year! We have now entered the year of the dragon.  Traditionally the dragon has heralded the mightiest of the zodiac signs, symbolising dominance and ambition. So this is the year to be confident in yourself and reach for your dreams.

Chinese and oriental stories have long had an influence on Western fashion. Last summer a strong Eastern story could be seen at John Galliano, Alberta Ferretti and Oscar de la Renta. Marc Jacobs really went for it at the Louis Vuitton show with cheongsam dresses, kimono jackets and stain geisha trousers all inspired by Kenzo Takada and Kansai Yamamoto, the first Japanese designers to show their collections in Paris, in the 1970's (we’re just merging Chinese and Japanese together now, sorry).

If this were a feature for ‘How to Spend it’ magazine it would be accompanied by an image of Crow’s Nest ‘Secret Keeper’ jewellery collection. The ultimate in gothic luxe, designer and founder of Crow’s Nest, Daniel-Philip Belevitch has created a range of eight oriental dragon inspired bracelets. One is strung on black cotton string, whilst the others are made from black spinell beads. With prices starting from £3000, each is made with 18k white, rose or yellow gold with rows of black and white diamonds and a signature pear-shaped tsavorite for the dragon’s eye.

If that is a bit out of your price range, then check out this bargain dress from boohoo.com. Priced at just £15, the Lucy oriental print skater dress is super cute and available in five colours of oriental floral print. Wear it for day with flats and a tan belt, or for evening with heels, a clutch and sparkly accessories.

Purple ASOS DressFashion is like a passionate and turbulent affair. It has its ups and it sure as hell has its downs. One morning you couldn't have got it more right; everything you are wearing is on trend, fits well and works perfectly. But on other days it just goes wrong. It could be an out-dated print, a bad skirt/top combo or the most common fashion mistake of all, which is bad colour matching. The great news is that by arming yourself with a little colour matching advice, it's easier to avoid some of these major mistakes.

Matching our accessories to our outfits is something all women struggle with. Worrying whether the handbag is the right colour for the dress or that the shoes match the top can make us much more than just fashionably late. When looking at colour matching, some of it is just intuition. Some of it passes with each trend and what may be acceptable one season is a huge mistake the next. However, there are some golden rules about colour matching and by following these few simple rules, you can guarantee to have the perfect colour blend every time.

Start with your favourite part of an outfit and work from there. If the dress is the key garment, then work around that but if it is one of the fabulous handbags from Jane Shilton, start with that and then pick your outfit colours to match. A common mistake is to assume that everything has to match in colour and tone. Black may be slimming, but an entire black outfit of shoes, dress and bag can lead to a pale and pasty look. The same colour is fine for a whole outfit however, if you vary the tone. If you do want to wear a green bag with a green dress, for example, its fine provided the shades are different. In fact, a whole outfit of one colour but with many shades can work brilliantly, especially with blues or greens.

Coleen Rooney LittlewoodsColeen Rooney hasn’t been able to hide her body away this month like the rest of us post-Christmas. She’s been stripping down to a bikini on the beach in Florida to shoot the spring/summer campaign for Littlewoods catalogue. Coleen has been working with Littlewoods since 2010, when they welcomed her on board as a style editor, and designer of her own clothing, footwear and bedding range.

25 year-old Coleen had her first child in 2009, and has worked a lot on her body as an advocate for ‘real women’ of all shapes and sizes. In the pictures of the shoot, published by the Daily Mail, Coleen is clearly no size 6 model, but is nonetheless, not afraid of the camera. She is seen wearing a candy pink, ruffle bikini with cute button detailing, a black bikini and black jersey maxi dress. Her hair was left loose and lightly curled for a relaxed beach babe look. On the previous day’s shoot she wore a ruffle blue bikini and a black and white print bikini.

Coleen signed a £2million deal to become the face of Littlewoods in June 2010. The deal came after she previously modelled clothing in a £3million deal for Asda's George range from 2006 until 2008. You can check out Coleen’s style advice at Littlewoods, shop her collection and browse the style file.

Versace H&M CruiseThe final Versace for H&M collection has landed and it’s only available online. Donatella’s first instalment of Versace for H&M was met with global hysteria, and it is likely that the second collection (launched today) will do the same. The good thing about it being online is that, in theory, it is available to all and doesn’t require hours of standing outside a store in line.

I have to admit, I had the full intention to snap up a piece of Versace for H&M, but have yet to do so. I need to get a move on and grab something from the cruise collection, before it makes way for the equally exciting collaboration of Marni for H&M. The A/W Versace for H&M collection referenced classic Versace looks like gold buttons and colourful prints, whilst nodding towards the main Versace collection. There were leather jackets and the leather dress, studded and chainmail dresses and black dresses with the gold buttons. Crowds camped outside overnight and looks sold out super quickly. Menswear was just as well received as womenswear.

Royal Ascot Fashion Royal Ascot FashionRoyal Ascot isn’t until June, but the organisers have just released the new rules which are intended to clear up previous ‘misunderstandings’. For almost 250 years, Royal Ascot has established itself as a national institution and the centrepiece of the British social calendar as well as being the ultimate stage for the best racehorses in the world. With nearly £4 million in prize money on offer and a total of eighteen ‘Group’ races over the five days, Royal Ascot attracts some of the wealthiest names in the country and requires a certain form of attire.

Charles Barnett, Chief Executive at Ascot, said: “We have worked extensively with experts in the world of fashion to define better what formal dress means, with the overarching intention of being as helpful as possible to our visitors and assisting everyone in understanding what is expected and, we believe, cherished about the dress code at Royal Ascot. It isn’t a question of elitism and not being modern in a world where there is less and less requirement to dress smartly – far from it. We want to see modern and stylish dress at Royal Ascot, just within the parameters of formal wear, and the feedback we have received from our customers overwhelmingly supports that.”

So what is the new dress code?

Livia Firth Upcycled DressLivia Firth, wife of Colin, is a keen ethical fashion advocate. So much so that for last weekend’s Golden Globe Awards (she gets to go on the arm of said husband) Livia wore an Armani dress made from recycled plastic bottles. It was part of her Green Carpet Challenge, and the first time that such a large fashion house had designed something ethical especially for the occasion.

The strapless black dress looks like silk satin to the eye, with damask patterned panel to the skirt and piping around the bodice. It certainly doesn’t look like the result of recycling used plastic bottles collected from Italian households. On Livia’s Vogue blog, she repeats Roberta Armani, Giorgio's niece and right hand woman for the official description of the dress: 'For the 69th Golden Globes my uncle has designed an exclusive gown for Livia, created from a special fabric made with fibres derived from the mechanical, non-chemical recycling of plastic bottles. The dress is a strapless column style, with the bodice composed of horizontal strips of fabric that create a peplum at the front, opening up to form a geometrically-pleated train at the back, highlighted by an ornate lining.'

Livia is Creative Director of Eco Age, an ethical fashion and lifestyle store in Chiswick, London. She started in Green Carpet Challenge in December 2009 with journalist Lucy Siegle. Following the Golden Globe nomination of Colin Firth for A Single Man, Livia announced that she would from then on only wear ethical and sustainable fashion on the Red Carpet in order to raise the profile of such garments.

Brogue BrogueIf there is one shoe defining 2011, it has to be the brogue. Suitable for men and women, the brogue was a welcome return to sensible footwear. On the feet of every fashionista, model and celeb, people rushed in their droves to snap up brogues. The history of the brogue though, comes from Scotland and shoe shop favourite Office, has gone back to the brogues’ roots for their latest design.

Modern brogues trace their roots to a rudimentary shoe originating in Scotland that was constructed using leather with perforations that allowed water to drain from the shoes when the wearer crossed wet boggy terrain. The word ‘brogues’ originates in the late sixteenth century and is a derivation of the Irish and Scots Gaelic ‘brōg’, taken from the Old Norse ‘brók’ meaning leg covering. When brogues first grew in popularity, they weren’t considered suitable for social occasions. However, fashions of course change and recently the brogue has seen a resurgence.

Office’s ‘Move Over’ brogues (£58) are particularly cute and available in two colourways – taupe/off white and pink/tan (great choice for spring). Made of super soft leather, these kilt clad flats will be the perfect addition to any Scot’s Burns supper on the 25th of this month. With a raised heel, they provide more support than your average ballet flat.

I don’t suggest wearing them in boggy terrain, but they should hold up well in the spring showers. Wear with jeans (skinny or flares), skirts or dresses. They particularly suit a vintage vibe of dress, a cute tea dress or pleated mini skirt. Wear them with confidence and avoid mid-length skirts which together could look dowdy. If these don’t float your boat, Office have plenty of alternative flat styles including ballet pumps, deck shoes and boots.  

Alexa ChungBrit girls - you know and love Alexa Chung right? American girls – let me explain who she is. Alexa Chung is . . . well what is she? A fashion lover, muse and inspiration to countless girls for sure, but even I’m not completely sure where she started. Now, Chung is hoping to break America by presenting a new TV show, “24 Hour Catwalk” but going by early reviews, it could be a long slog.

Chung was scouted by Storm Model Management at Reading festival aged 16 and had remained in the fashion world ever since. In 2006, Chung co-hosted Popworld on Channel 4 with Alex Zane. Most recently the 28-year old has presented iTunes festival and been the face of Italian footwear brand Superga. The girl should be proud of what she has achieved, and how well respected she is in the industry (always front row at the shows) but still the U.S. beckons.

Americans don’t know who Chung is. In 2009 she launched "It's On with Alexa Chung" on MTV but it was cancelled after six months. Chung's new show "24 Hour Catwalk" debuts Tuesday night on the Lifetime cable channel, although a sneak preview is already available. In "24 Hour Catwalk", four designers are given the task of designing an entire collection in 24 hours. Her team of judges, who are named ‘four fashion powerhouses’ include designer Cynthia Rowley, James La Force a fashion publicist and Derek Blasberg, an upwardly mobile New York fashion writer who made his name after leaving Style.com.

Yves Saint Laurent

You U.S. crew are a lucky lot. Not only did you get the Alexander McQueen Retrospective last year, but the Denver Art Museum has announced that it is the only venue in the United States for the internationally acclaimed exhibition Yves Saint Laurent: The Retrospective. It will be on show at the museum from 25th March to 8th July 2012.

This retrospective of the designer’s 40 years of creativity features a stunning selection of 200 haute couture outfits along with numerous photographs, drawings and films. These illustrate the development of Saint Laurent’s style and the historical foundations of his work. Organised thematically, the presentation blends design and art to explore the full arc of Saint Laurent’s career from his first days at Dior in 1958 through to the splendor of his final runway collection in 2002.

Highlights include:

·         The Gender Revolution galleries where visitors will see how Saint Laurent bent (and sometimes broke) the rules of what women were expected to wear impacting on the wardrobe of today’s modern woman

·         The Yves Saint Laurent and Women section, displaying the clothing of the historic women who wore and supported Saint Laurent, including Princess Grace of Monaco, Catherine Deneuve and Paloma Picasso

·         The Last Ball section, featuring exquisite evening dresses from the glory days of haute couture complete with a red carpet

D&G Summer D&G Summer

The spring/summer collection is the last we will see of D&G. The younger sister of Italian brand, Dolce & Gabbana will soon cease to exist as the design duo plan to merge D&G with the mainline collection. Therefore there is only one thing for it; you will want to snap up a classic piece of fashion history will you not?

The D&G line brings in a lot of money for the company, but a statement from the designers said the move was in order to give “even more strength and energy to our collections" i.e. the main line. Dolce & Gabbana was started in 1985 by Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana who met whilst working for the same fashion house in Milan. Dolce & Gabbana is now one of the best known and loved fashion houses globally, famous for its sexy Italian charm. D&G was started as the younger, more flamboyant diffusion line, and not only was it a shock when they announced that they were axing it, but it still puzzles me as to exactly why.

D&G’s spring summer catwalk ’12 collection is fun, flirty and feminine. It has a very strong identity and screams money. Taking inspiration from Hermes silk scarves, the range features bright swirls of pink and green; yellow, red and gold; turquoise, orange and yellow, with occasional flashes of polka dot or leopard print. Crisp white shirts and the odd bit of tailoring finished the look.

It is a beautiful collection, but what if you want a longer term investment that won’t date? Then get your hands on some classic D&G, ideally a black corset dress. You can pick one up for just over £300 and the LBD will never disappoint. Otherwise opt for some leopard print heels or a sex-infused flash of red.  

All Saints Dress

2012 is the year of the dress. It is only quite recently that I have understood the appeal of dresses. People would always say how easy they are to throw on and how you don’t have to think up a whole outfit, just add shoes and accessories and off you go. But I often felt too dressy in a dress for the day, particularly in winter.

That’s all changed now though, I can’t get enough of dresses. The beautiful shapes, prints and fabrics that are out there currently certainly helps, as does the resurgence of vintage styles.  This season, shops will be full of the 24-hour dress. The hardest working item in your wardrobe, the 24-hour dress is a versatile frock that can take you from day to evening in an instant. Wear it now with tights and boots and in the summer with wedges.

The perfect 24-hour dress can be defined by its fabulous flattering fit and easy-to-wear comfort. You will find an incarnation of the dress for all of the major trends – colour, print, pastels, animal print. Wear it for work with heels and a blazer; add a clutch and glitzy jewellery to party in, and team it with a denim jacket and ballet pumps for the weekend.

Check out this pineapple print dress from Whistles, at £150. A vintage style but with a quirky print it could be worn with a chunky cardigan and wool tights whilst the weather is cold. Pretty and demure, it’s well worth the money. Then simple, yet effective, there is the All Saints Aditya wrap dress for £120. A classic All Saints style with the voluminous hem and in 100% cotton, it does the smart/causal thing rather well. 

From Somewhere with Speedo

From Somewhere wasn’t started as an eco brand. Founder Orsola de Castro began her journey when she decided to have a go at customising and embellishing an old cashmere cardigan for herself. The result was so lovely that she made up a few more to sell on. This was in 1997, when the concept of upcycling had yet to be properly formed. Now, From Somewhere is a very well established sustainable fashion brand that has collaborated with big brands like Tesco, Jigsaw and Speedo.

Orsola says: “Our intention is to slow down unnecessary textile production, minimizing water and energy consumption and saving beautiful fabric scraps from going into landfill and incineration”. They do this by using the fashion industry’s waste (offcuts, ends of roll and damaged fabric) to create beautiful and unique clothes. Most of their garments are made from separate panels of fabric, expertly sewn together. The collections are produced in Italy in a local co-operative that helps rehabilitate disabled and disadvantaged individuals.

Zaggora CapriNeed a helping hand with the New Year’s fitness regime? Clothing could be the answer. In 2011, Zaggora launched Hotpants to the world with huge success, selling over 275,000 pairs within the first five months. The concept is focused on harnessing body heat which stimulates calorie burning and helps to reduce cellulite. Eagerly anticipated for obvious reasons by women all over the world, Zaggora has now expanded its range of technology-advanced active wear to give workouts in 2012 more power.

The new range includes ‘Flares’, leggings that target thighs, calves and bottom, ‘Capri Flares’ three quarter length leggings and ‘Nude Hotpants’ which can be worn under garments. Zaggora has developed the new products following the demand from their customers. Dessi Bell, Founder of Zaggora and the brain behind the product’s advanced Technology, comments: “We wanted to develop new products that our customers really wanted. Nothing is more powerful than putting customers in the driving seat. So, that is exactly what we have done and we are so proud of the results. Happy calorie burning!”

How do they work?

Best results are seen through exercise as the new products increase perspiration by up to 80% but you can wear the products under your clothes at work or home. An essential exercise partner for every woman, Zaggora’s new range provides the equivalent of a 60 minute workout in just 30 minutes, now that’s a result! Research has shown that for every gram of sweat, you burn half a calorie.

Deemed the celebrity’s ‘secret weapon’, loved by the likes of Tess Daly, The Saturdays, Holly Willoughby, Fearne Cotton, Holly Valance and many more, the super comfortable ‘magic pants’ have become an essential ‘must-have’ accessory for every woman.

Fashion ShowMissed the Clothes Show Live last December? Then how about heading to the first Liverpool Fashion Festival this February. The event is to be held at Aintree Racecourse for four nights from 9th to 12th February and promises lots of fashion treats for the often neglected North.

Liverpool Fashion Festival’s debut event will include a live runway show featuring the very latest collections by 28 of the region’s finest fashion houses, designers and retailers. Brands such as Reiss, Ted Baker, Karen Millen and House of Fraser are some of the 19 well-known brands confirmed for the festival’s catwalks.

Rebecca Kennedy, Event Manager of UK Fashion Events Limited said: “This February will be the debut for Liverpool’s Fashion Festival and we are happy to announce that some of the UK’s leading brands have confirmed their presence at the show. Showing their spring/summer 2012 collections I’m sure visitors will already be able to find the perfect glamorous outfit for this year’s races at Aintree.”

Debbie Slee, Conference & Events Manager at Aintree Racecourse added: “Liverpool Fashion Festival is going to be a major event for the city this year, and its great news that some of the country’s leading brands are supporting and presenting at the show. We are expecting a big turnout, with up to 600 people attending each day, so it will be a great event to also showcase Aintree Racecourse and our recent £35m redevelopment, which has given us the ability to hold events of this scale.”

Mary Portas Clarks

Retail guru Mary Portas has her finger in a few pies, all fashion pies mind. Currently in the news for her government report on the state of British high streets, Mary puts her name to a hosiery range with Charnos and an over-40s clothing range for House of Fraser. She also has a footwear collection with Clarks shoes, the second instalment of which is set to be out on February 13th 2012. The collection will be available in twenty stores across the UK as well as online, and at House of Fraser.

La Wesley, a platform court shoe and the collection’s top seller last season, has been revived for spring in three new colour ways: nude patent, black patent and a tan snake effect upper. The La Portas wedge boot from last season also makes a comeback but this time round it has been given an open toe for spring and a brown snakeskin upper. There are new styles including wedges and sandals in pastel shades and snake effect, right on trend for S/S.

Mary describes her range as for ‘grown ups’. Cute, fashionable, but crucially comfortable, she makes a good collection of footwear. I do truly think Clarks sell the comfiest shoes on the high street. Retail prices for the spring collection range from £79.99 for a flat strappy sandal to £99.99 for a wedge style or court shoe.

Credited with turning Harvey Nichols into a leading contemporary fashion brand, Portas set up communications agency Yellowdoor before turning her skills to television. She became a household name with Mary Queen of Shops where she helped independent boutiques to stay out of the red and this lady certainly knows a thing or two about retail. 

Zebra Purse Zig Zag Purse

Beyond Skin are known for producing great shoes for ethics conscious consumers. Beyond Skin never use leather, as they proudly state on their website, ‘No humans, animals or small children were harmed in the making of our shoes’. Now, the brand has launched its first purse collection which follows the same principles of their shoe production process, and of course, looks just lovely as their shoes do.

It’s called the Bella purse and is the kind that will fit in a years worth of receipts and all of your store cards. The Bella purse playfully combines Beyond Skin’s iconic textures and prints and with five styles to choose from you’ll be spoilt for choice. Take a walk on the wild side with the zebra print, for a bold block colour opt for the pink faux suede and for a retro revival choose between the pink and turquoise diamond, black zig zag or blue square print. All purses are finished with an adorable detachable Beyond Skin zebra charm chain. You can use it everyday as your purse, or as an evening clutch bag if you will.

Beyond Skin continue to use the DINAMICA® recycled faux suede. For the pink Bella purse, this material is the ultimate in eco-friendly fabric technology. Made from 100% recycled materials, this gorgeous fabric is incredibly resistant and sensuous to the touch creating a soft suede ap­pearance that looks and feels as luxurious as the real thing. DINAMICA® is durable, long lasting and unlike animal suede’s DINAMICA® does not water-mark, what’s not to like?

Lindsay Lohan Philipp Plein

Lindsay Lohan is the new face of German fashion label Philipp Plein as the campaign shots are released to the wider public. The Hollywood actress, who has posed for Playboy magazine in the past, looks sophisticated, stylish and full of sex appeal in the fashion campaign which involves a range of beautiful outfits.

Philipp Plein studied at the Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen law before realising his love of art and design. Plein started designing exclusive furniture for his friends and family in 1998, and by 2004 a street fashion collection was added. His fashion label has grown fast, using Mischa Barton as the face of his new couture collection in 2010 and Lindsay Lohan for the upcoming collections. He even produced a Philipp Plein Barbie doll for Barbie’s 50th birthday!

Plein introduced Lohan as his new face at Milan Fashion Week in September of last year, and they did the photoshoot whilst in Milan too. Some rumours have also been flying around that the pair have been romantically involved. Indeed Lohan is a huge name to attract to a small brand. Speculation aside, 25-year old Lohan looks classy and sultry in the advertising campaign.

Naomi Roberto Cavalli

Supermodel Naomi Campbell is at it again. The 41-year old shows off her enviable figure for the latest Roberto Cavalli campaign where she poses in leopard print Cavalli underwear and a beautiful print wrap. She looks ridiculously good for a woman in her forties and shows no signs of aging whatsoever!

For another pic, Campbell was joined by American Kristen McMenamy, 47, Brit Karen Elson, 32, and Dutch newcomer Daphne Groeneveld, 17. The foursome let the clothes do the talking, wearing high shine, gold sequin outfits. Each model wears a pleated mini skirt, made from silk rainbow fabric and embellished with gold sequins. Campbell then shows off her back and arms in a halterneck style top, whilst older model McMenamy wears a long sleeved sequin style. Red headed Elson sports a sequin encrusted blazer jacket and newbie Groeneveld wears a rainbow, slim fitting jacket.

Campbell, who has been modelling for 26 years wears a cropped textured cream jacket for another photo, and a loud tropical print jacket over a black bra for another.  Of the shoot, the brand said: 'A static equilibrium, a structured form that creates a perfect geometry, with Naomi Campbell capturing attention with her magnetic gaze, bright and sensual. An extremely sophisticated and feminine vision. 

For the image shot for the Florence bag, the new 'It' bag of the Maison, Naomi's face is lit up with a sweet and attractive smile, enhancing her indisputable beauty and charisma.'

February Vogue CoverWhat do you do when someone tells you to strike a model pose? Smile? Of course not; you’ll pout! The model pout is legendary, and rarely changes. The tides are turning though, as more models are showing off their teeth and breaking out in smiles.

The trend is evident on the front cover of the February issue of Vogue where fashion model Arizona Muse smiles brightly out from the magazine. Accessorising her wide-mouthed smile and deeply stained lips, Arizona wears a Prada dress from the spring collection. Her hair is quiffed and eyes painted blue. It’s a beautiful summer image, made all the more cheerful with that great smile. Set to be one of the faces of 2012, Arizona has lots to smile about. Although this is her first British Vogue cover, the model has appeared on the cover of French and Italian Vogue, and done countless editorials for the publication.

Smiles can also be seen from the Duchess of Cambridge on the front cover of Tatler and from Reese Witherspoon on Marie Claire. Models are smiling at us from inside the pages of the magazines too; Audrey Tautou with a serene, private smile for Chanel No 5, Liya Kebede toothy for luxury brand Bottega Veneta, Lindsey Wixson and Frida Gustavsson in hysterics at Mulberry. Whilst at Bally they are giggling feeding a couple of goats and the Clarks women are captivated by smiles too.

So where has this come from? Why so cheery? I think the fashion pack is just trying to cheer us up a bit. It’s all doom and gloom out there, but a smile costs nothing. London is renowned for its humorous approach to fashion so why not let the models smile about it. Plus smiles can build profits by making customers feel included and welcomed, and we all want to be welcomed with open arms by our favourite brands.  

Moschino Cheap & ChicLondon Fashion Week schedule is hotting up. Moschino’s diffusion line, Moschino Cheap & Chic is all set to move its show to LFW for the A/W ’12 season.  Moschino Cheap & Chic is the latest to announce a move to London, following in the footsteps of Stella McCartney, Belstaff and McQ.

Showing at February’s LFW, it will be the brand’s first show out of its native and usual Milan Fashion Week slot. Moschino's creative director Rossella Jardini, said: "To debut in London with Moschino Cheap & Chic is something I have been thinking about for a while. To have presence in a new city gives the younger line a stronger, more autonomous personality. London is renowned for its contemporary style and famous sense of humour, making it the perfect place to exhibit Moschino Cheap & Chic's DNA and energy. I'm sure London will be the appropriate The platform for this line to grow whilst still remembering its roots.”

It is fitting for Jardini to mention London’s sense of humour, because it is something that Moschino Cheap & Chic have in spades. At their S/S show, bags of ‘beauty seeds’ were fastened to the catwalk tickets for their ‘Flower Pot Women’ show. The idea of healthy body – healthy mind, was taken literally to cover the body in fruity prints - a raspberry pink dress complete with pips, daisy strewn shoes and carrot buttons on little jackets. A bow rainbow dress at the end was very cute and had a nostalgic sensibility, while a carrot hat was the subject of a good giggle and round of applause.

Stella McCartney Glasses

High fashion label Stella McCartney has launched a collection of eco-friendly sunglasses for S/S ’12. As a life-long veggie, Stella has never used any fur or leather in her designs, but this is the first time that her ethical credentials have branched out to her eyewear range. The glasses are made from more than 50% natural and renewable sources.

Last summer when I set myself the ‘Ethical suitcase challenge’ (to see if I could only wear ethical and sustainable clothing for a week’s holiday in the sun) I looked at the options for sunglasses, and I admit, it was an area of ethical fashion I hadn’t before considered. Stella follows in Gucci’s footsteps who last year launched a sustainable range of sunglasses with Safilo, worldwide leader in the premium eyewear sector. Their frames were made from an innovative acetate which, compared to traditional acetate, contained a much higher percentage of materials from natural origins.

The frames launched by Stella McCartney are the result of extensive research to increase the use of raw materials from natural origins. Stella said: ‘Every industry should look at things differently, try to use different materials and question the sustainability of the materials they use now’. Stylish too, the sunglasses cost £144 to £156. There are large round framed styles, aviators and classic vintage shapes. My favourite for the new season is the 50s style vintage frames in tan (pictured); they will go with all of the new season trends and instantly lift an outfit.