Miu Miu SS 2012

The penultimate show of Paris Fashion Week and indeed of all shows for Spring Summer 2012 was Miu Miu and what a show it was.

Oscar Wildes 'Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months' was taken quite literally here,with garments so hideous that they somehow became strikingly beautiful and forcing us to have to purchase to see who can pull it off best (hmm kind of like UGG's).

With hair to rival Jessie J and striking red eyelashes, this season Miu Miu put on a show of full a line skirts that were so high waisted the could have become rather odd boob tube dresses.

Model wore mules with heels that would have made McQueen proud and cute little swinging bags, this collection had a definite vampy feel about it, and with all the hype for the penultimate Twilight film being released next month, what better theme could have been chosen.

No doubt about it, the lace was the main feature of the show, with lace coats, skirts and dresses it will be a wonder if consumers aren't sick of it by the time the trend trickles down into the high street.

Once the overuse of lace was finally over we were introduced to some fun and energetic paneled prints.  let us not forget the strange cape/shrugs that came in all different colours and were tied with ribbon.  Whilst not particularly wearable there is a certain French/Little Red Riding Hood air to them.

Whilst this collection is definitely going to be a hard one to pull off, I can see it being a major hit with fashionistas the world over, because what's fashion if not to express ourselves?

30 And Fabulous

I’d like to start this post by wishing my fabulous sister a Happy 30^th Birthday.  There are 8 years between the two of us and it is strange but whilst she is like a mother figure, constantly steering me in the right direction and nagging me about my mistakes, I still feel sometimes likes we are the same age, in sense of humour at least.  She doesn’t hesitate to lead the jokes about our Mothers cake eating skills, or doing the waltz around the front room with the dog to entertain her two year old son.

I always thought that turning 30 would be like a life changing and emotional thing, think back to Rachel in ‘Friends’, but Samantha has shown that it is not big deal, and that it is perfectly possible to reach her 30’s with the grace and elegance she has maintained all of her life.

We have very different senses of style, I’m a fashion student who works at Topshop, so to her, I’m overly quirky and have a much messier fashion sense.  She always teases me for my funky styled shoes or tops with random prints, as I always tease her for being boring and not having a very good colour palette in her wardrobe.  In fact she is actually one of the most stylish women I know.  Half the things she buys I hate on site, then she puts it on and it just looks, excuse me for the cheesy word but I can think of no other, fabulous. 

She is one of these people, when we were younger, if she wanted something for dinner, we would get home and Mum would be making it, and it is still the same today.  She’ll see something she likes, and all of a sudden it is the next big thing, for example the Superga trainers she requested two months ago, that this month have been in Vogue and Style magazine, or Issa, the dress she purchased last summer for her wedding reception, that is now on demand due to Kate Middleton’s engagement announcement.

She has this ability to pick up even the plainest dress and make it look spectacular, just by adding the right shade of lipstick or wearing her hair in just the right way. She’s the one who taught me the importance of the LBD, she taught me how to do my own make-up and hair (literally, I moved up here three years ago and didn’t even know bronzer existed), even back in the 90’s she always had the latest Moschino or Versace piece before any of her friends knew it existed.

Whilst I made goad her for her boringness with regards to fashion, she is still the first person that I thought of when I heard Versace were doing the ‘Iconic Collection’ for H&M, and, as much as I hate to admit it, she is actually the one who informs me about all the new up and coming designers, I just nod along and pretend I already knew.  She’s taught me a lot in life and got me to wear I am today, but the one thing I have learnt is that as time goes one, you just get more stylish.

Skirt - Reiss

Shoes - Miu Miu

Dress - Dolce &Gabbana

Shoes - Christian Louboutin

Dress - Diane Von Furstenburg

Shoes - Christian Louboutin

Dress - Stella Mcartney

Gold Cuff - Monsoon

Sunglasses - Chanel

Dress - BCBG Maxazaria

Shoes - Jimmy Choo