'Days Are Getting Shorter.....

...nights are getting long, girl'

They certainly are now that we have adjusted our clocks back one hour last weekend. Darkness falls in the U.K. around 4.30pm at the moment. But don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, in fact the opposite. It means that my latest beauty must have is getting a good airing. Ladies, let me introduce you to your winter make-up essential, The Dle Cosmetics All Natural LightUpGloss. This wonderfully innovative product looks like a regular lipgloss complete with mirror, that is,  until you open it. I know it's is Halloween today, but believe me this is no trick. Unscrew the cap and from inside it instantly lights up, aiding you to apply your lipstick with care and precision in the dark. LightUpGloss allows you to add a slick of moisturing gloss whilst avoiding all the horrors of ending up looking like the ghouls and witches that may knock on your door this evening looking for a treat. And talking of treats, here at The Style Eye, we are offering all our readers free shipping on all U.S. orders of All Natural LightUpGloss by using the code 'LiaLoves' when purchasing these products online.
One last little treat readers, Little Boy Blue by Little Buck  as 'Days are getting shorter, nights are getting long, girl......'

Spring/Summer 2013 - Shapes and Silhouettes



Fendi S/S 13



Acne S/S 13



Balenciaga S/S 13



Ports 1961 S/S 13



Boxy and bold are the key stand out shapes and silhouettes for Spring/Summer 2013. From the shoulders to the waist the look is to go for large shoulder with even a touch of padding to emphasise the trend. Generally shapes are volumious and oversized. Tailored jackets and macs, which look like they have been borrowed from the boys were popular at Topshop Unique, Ports 1961 and Fendi. With so much emphasis on the top half of the body, designers balanced the look with slim fitting trousers, although, this season the waistband has moved higher to sit snuggly on the midriff. Balenciaga and Acne illustrate best the latest trends in silhouettes.



Topshop Unique S/S 13













Roll Out The Barrel...

Indeed, we shall be, as next season the 'Barrel' style is trending for bag shapes.


Holly Fulton S/S 13



Balenciaga S/S 13



Holly Futon presented a black and white stripy cylindrical style in which models very cutely 'cuddled' under their arms and wrists. Balenciaga showed vertical barrel shapes in a range of finishes, from black, white, beige and again monochrome striped. Meanwhile, at Louis Vuitton, their classic 'Speedy' gets a 2013 update in a chequerboard finish confirming the trend for the latest handbag must have style.



Louis Vuitton S/S 13



Spring/Summer 2013 - The Little Skirt Suit



Jacket cover of Little Black Jacket



Balenciaga S/S 13



Chanel S/S 13



Maybe it's the latest travelling exhibiton from the house of Chanel that has re-ignited the spark for this timeless trend on next spring/summer's catwalks. Or maybe it's just a collective style zeitgeist from international designers that has propelled this fashion classic into the spotlight, although whatever the reason, next season the core fashion piece to own is a two piece suit comprising of jacket and matching skirt. Also known as the 'Costume' their popularity on the spring catwalks is possibly due to the fact that the Chanel exhibition 'The Little Black Jacket'  has been touring worldwide major cities since the beginning of the summer.  The exhibition which is currently in London, will move this autumn on to other european cities, including Paris and Berlin. It has already been presented in New York, Tokyo and other influential asian cities. It is a rather simply presented show, with superb photography and styling under the direction of Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld respectively. Narrative and text are minimal as the show focuses on the images of  the simple black Chanel jacket and how it can be re-styled and worn in many various guises on diverse high profile fashion and celebrity figures. There is, although, a somewhat poignant statement at the start of the show ' There are clothes which keep rejuventaing themselves instead of getting worn out' a quote from poet Roberto Juarroz.  And the boring old much bandied-around saying and non poetical cliche of  'tough economic times' sums up perhaps why it proves to be a catwalk trend for next season. Go see the exhibtion or buy the accompanying coffee table tome for ideas on alternative styling of this timeless classic. Or, see how other designers such as Balenciaga, Helmut Lang and of course, Chanel are declaring it's reinvention for Spring/Summer 2013.



Helmut Lang S/S 13



The Great Parisian Fash-Off



'Tuxy subject' Raf Simons version for Dior.



It was the two most prolific shows during the entire international fashion weeks that the tired and weary fashion press had long been waiting for. In February of this year, two world famous French heavyweight fashion houses made headlines after a major shake-up and a new take-up in their creative director departments. Fashion Week's long awaited show down between Dior and Yves Saint-Laurent, or simply Saint-Laurent as the label is now known, had been hotly anticipated and talked about in the months preceding the latest catwalk presentations in Paris. The Style Eye has cast it's beady eye to bring you a brief synopsis of what we are calling 'The Great Parisian Fash Off'.



Saint Laurent finale look which is.......





rather similar to this YsL daytime ensemble from A/W 1988



Hedi Slimane, former Dior Homme designer and more recently, the artsy portrait snapper of indie vocalist Pete Doherty, is appointed as the top creative at Saint-Laurent. Meanwhile, over at Dior, the designer who now gets to sit at John Galliano's old workspace is former Jil Sander designer, Raf Simons. I could get more involved and tell you the ins and outs of his own Raf Simons line, but instead I will give you a brief historical run down of past creative directors at Dior & YsL, where things turn a tad stylishly and fashionably incestuous. In 1957, Christian Dior died leaving his fashion legacy in the safe hands of a young and ambitious designer, Yves Mathieu Saint Laurent. Saint- Laurent stayed six seasons at Dior before embarking on his own label bearing his name. It was here at his eponymous fashion brand that he became synonymous for his groundbreaking creation for womenswear, 'Le Smoking'. It may seem obvious now to see the modern woman wearing a gentleman's formal evening wear suit around and about town, but back in 1966 it was a revolutionary style statement. And this brings me nicely round to the subject of YsL's legendary ladies tuxedos. Since '66 every YsL collection has featured a variation on Le Smoking, and with this in mind, how was Slimane going to tackle the subject of YsL's legacy? When Slimane was creative director at Dior Homme, his tailoring and cutting techniques were so superb that he had women flocking to the boutiques get their hands on one of  his made-for-men suits, bought to wear for themselves. So, in effect he had the job of women's tailoring firmly under his belt. Easy. And the result was, of course, was a sharp, modern, totally desirable and wearable black trouser suit. And a variation on Le Smoking was weirdly how Simons decided to open his debut show for Dior. Now, that some start to a fash-off! Simons played safe here, after all he is stepping somewhat on Slimane's toes, taking the risk that he might ask Simons to 'Fash-off' with his version . At Dior, Simons interpretation was a very simple pared down black suit accessorised with a black chiffon neck tie. Yet, it was at the end of the shows that each of the newly-appointed designers paid homage to the originators of the world famous labels. Slimane must have spent his summer rooting through the 1988 Autumn/Winter archives at YsL to get inspired for his finale look. And for Simons finale looks, he too took inspiration out of the archives from the Christian Dior designed collections era, and modernised it up a notch or two, giving a 2012 touch to a classic Dior silhouette. All in all, two great shows from two great designers of our time, and so here begins the Slimane/Simons era!



Dior by Christian Dior



Final looks from Dior A/W 12





October On The Style Eye

This October its all about forward fashion. We take a look at the big (and little) trends for next Spring/Summer 2013 on and off the catwalks. We're Big On Beauty too, so check out the hot new beauty must-haves also featuring this month.