trend watch: iridescent bags

Clockwise L to R: Hologram Envelope Clutch - Somewhere Nowhere at Bengt £81, Clutch - H&M £14.99, Mirror Hologram Boxy Bag - Pixie Market $78, Square Pouch - & Other Stories £12.

The whole space-age, metallic trend was all over S/S 2013 collections. Burberry Prorsum offered head-to-toe reflective outfits in numerous block colours, while Louise Grey boldly implemented outlandish mirrored earrings into her collection. More on this in this post.

Proenza Schouler and Stella McCartney have fashioned a more wearable take on the iridescent trend. The much coveted PS11 satchel has been upgraded this season with a beautiful metallic finish as pictured above on Krystal of What Is Reality Anyway. Metallic sliver iridescent things can easily scream TACKY but worn as a bag gives the right amount of sartorial edge to a simple, paired back outfit. It's a bit of fun and I love the fact that iridescent bags look different in every light. Head to H&M and & Other Stories for on point purse-friendly iridescent offerings. Helen Glory picked up an amazing clutch from & Other Stories which is no longer available online (sob sob).
 

trend watch: trainers/90s revival

Not so much a 'trend watch' but a trend awareness. I'm referring to the revival of 90s fashion where countless bloggers have been reminiscing about 'the good old days', posting pictures of the Spice Girls and 90s editorials for nostalgic inspiration (okay maybe not the Spice Girls, something more cool/quirky/less mainstream but still undeniably showcasing the epitome of 90s fashion). Besides 90s grudge, I'm talking about 'casual chic': heavily branded designer clothing, big white trainers, bomber jackets, and tracksuits (sorry couldn't resist). Although this all doesn't sound too appealing, echoes of the 90s have most definitely transferred on the catwalk and into the wardrobes of the trendsetting girls of East London.

Even more surprisingly, I've been caught up with this buzz. Not so much 90s clothing, but with trainers. Nikes in particular. Suddenly trainers have become trendy and fashionable, not just on Christmas lists for people who only shop in JJB Sports. Designers have clearly picked up on the rise of women's trainer sales, collaborations such as Nike x Liberty verify this. Trainers now come in trendy styles and colours - camel high Dunks, accents of neon and leather, as well as the controversial wedge platforms. The very fact that Nike clothing has been featured on women's ASOS shows how far the brand has come. Maybe trainers just haven't been on my horizon until recently, but I do think Nike's move towards a more feminine, fashionable market in the last few years is great. And let’s face it, while you look hot trotting around wearing your Louboutins, us women do really long for comfortable shoes (preferably NOT from Clarks). So yeah, reaching for your 90s throwback trainers may not be a bad thing, especially if worn like the girls above wear them in 2012. With careful outfit planning, wearing trainers can look modern, understated and most importantly - comfy.

Channel the Anywho girls for extra inspiration.

image credit: 1 2 3 4 5

trend watch: reflections

From the top row: Louise Gray, Peter Pilotto, Giles/Jonathan Saunders

 

One of the trends I spotted at LFW S/S 2013 was the impractical use of reflective materials, be it fragments of mirror, glass or just high-shine fabric. High fashion wouldn't be high fashion without experimentation and wacky outfits. Plus I can see some benefits from wearing a mirrored dress, you could get away without carrying a compact mirror!

These pictures really don't give the outfits justice. Under the heavy lighting of the catwalk, these girls glittered in their reflective garments, see live streaming of Louise Gray to view for yourself. While Peter Pilotto and Louise Gray opted for mirrors to enhance their print-tastic, fun collections (Louise Gray's exclamation mark earrings a personal fave), contrastingly Giles used shattered glass to decorate his stunning dresses. Shattered glass usually reminds me of the all too familiar 'crunch' of treading on a broken bottle of Vodka walking around my inner-city neighbourhood. However glass was somehow made elegant, it could almost be mistaken for Swarovski crystal. Jonathan Saunders sliver, metallic skirt also deserves a mention, a skirt so shiny it could actually cause blindness. Admittedly, I'm not so sure I'll be rocking this trend come Spring 2013 out of fear of looking like a mirrored disco ball, but I still admire the new textures these London designers have implemented into their S/S collections.

image credit: 1 2, 3, 4, 5.