Plastic Fantastic



Manolo Blahnik SS12



Jil Sander SS12

Fashion designers have chosen to use clear plastics with leathers to create accessories this Spring . Last summer the hit bag of the season was Jil Sander's orange plastic market bag. This spring, the label has stepped the style up a notch by repeating it in a beautiful and practical half plastic/half leather version. But it's the shoes that really embrace this new trend. Manolo Blahnik, who is firmly back on the fashionista's must have radar,  has included a pair of pointy plastic and silver leather courts (with just the right heel height) in his latest collection. Marc Jacobs and Richard Nicoll went on the same tip for spring featuring cowboy style ankle boots in clear, hard-wearing acetates. While Erdem and Chloe chose to show summer sandals with slashes of plastic. 







Richard Nicoll SS12

Dior For A New Age

'Dior the world's most outstanding brand name, ever evolving and ever true to itself, at the same time baroque and classic. It is my good fortune, twice a year on the runways and in visits to our haute couture ateliers, always to encounter a fresh face of Dior, never knowing in advance what that face will be'
Bernard Arnault. Dior 60 Years Of Style.

And with Raf Simons, who is the newly appointed artistic director of Dior, what will that face be next?


The New Look and The new New Look?
Above Dior's New Look from 1947
and adjacent Raf Simons final collection for Jil Sander A/W 12

 Recent Dior collections, under the helm of John Galliano, Dior has become the by-word for sumptuous, luxurious, maximalist glamour. How will Simons, who has spent the last seven years at Jil Sander and famous for his clean lines and love of minimalism keep the customer happy?

Way back in 1947 when Christian Dior opened his couture doors, and the famous New Look was de-rigeur, it was soon that these ideals began filtering through to mainstream fashion. The October 1948 edition of Elle proclaimed 'Pare down, trim, refine, strip away and adopt the new New Look'

So, it seems the label will run a full circle. From being designed by Dior himself, followed by Yves Saint-Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferre and then John Galliano, The New Look aesthetic will surely evolve into the new New Look under Simons direction.

The fashion world waits for this summer's Dior couture collection with huge excitement for Simons' debut at the long established and world renowned house of fashion.

Fashion Easter



Drop a hint to the Easter Bunny for goodies that you will cherish long after Bank Holiday Monday. Go fill those baskets......

Fashion Bunny. Gold and Tourmaline Bunny Necklace by Katie Hillier



Easter Bonnet? Well..almost. Headwear doesn't get much better this spring than a luxe Louis Vuitton crystal encrusted headband.







The scent of spring. Diptyque's Mimosa fragranced candle in a chirpy shade of yellow

Fancy Pants - A/W12 Trend Overview

Fancy That? Sheer With Exquisite Embroideries Above at Chanel AW12.

 "After years of skirts, they're the one thing I find exciting at the moment," said Miuccia Prada talking of trousers at the Miu Miu A/W 12 show. And if Miuccia finds it exciting then soon you will do too. Since Miuccia is a major style visionary, (and she is never wrong), her influences eventually filter into our wardrobes. She's not the only one though, next season sees a return to The Fancy Pant. Trousers that are printed, embellished, slightly flared at the hem and cropped, are what we, at The Style Eye are calling the latest leg-wear for the fashion forward. Designers also championing the same silhouette and style are Marc Jacobs, Chanel and Rue Du Mail. So next autumn clear a space in your closet and make way for a pair of fine and dandy fancy pants! 

Fancy Fabrics At Miu Miu AW12

Striding High

Meanwhile... Outside the shows it's all about The Strides. Before autumn sets and it all goes fancy pants a-go-go, The Fash Pack are having a little flirtation with flappy fancy flares.

Check out , well, The Checks, The Plain and The Stripy Strides, loved by Taylor Tommasi Hill - so much she wore them twice!



Another day, another way.





All images in this post were grabbed from Tommy Town

All Aboard The LV Train



All Aboard!

On Wednesday 7th March, 2012 it was Louis Vuitton a-go-go on the Twitter-sphere. Every fash mag editor and their team were eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Louis Vuitton express as it rolled into Paris Fashion Week. Tweets and instantly uploaded images were being spread across cyberspace of what, was possibly one of the biggest highlights in the international fashion weeks.
So everyone was talking about a train on a runway - nouveau indeed, but what about the clothes and accessories? Di-vine. A beautiful juxtaposition of old meets new, yet strangely fitting for our modern times.  How I'm definitely feeling the vibe of some bejewelled ankle grazing trousers ( darn - knew I should have bought the matching brocade trousers at Marni  for H&M last week!) And how I long to wear a simple piece of knitwear with a statement skirt, I may also look at investing in some ornate over sized buttons to add to existing winter clothes as a nod to Marc Jacobs' ingenious styling. And how excited was I to spot the height- of -luxury vanity case on the runway? For a while now I have been enjoying the delights of my 'mobile dressing table' bought very inexpensively at Topshop last year. Now to really get the LV look all I should need next season is a charming Frenchman to carry my bags for me as I exit from the 7.52 to Charing Cross. A girl can dream can't she??

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Merci, bien!



Beyond The Pale



Pale and interesting at Louis Vuitton S/S12

Spring's most inspiring beauty stories came from the legend that is Marc Jacobs and his team. How nice it was to see beautiful models parade the catwalk who were proud to be pale. At both Louis Vuitton and the Marc Jacobs mainline collection, the emphasis for beauty was on perfect pale skin with a simple contrast of dark eyes and lots of lashes. Although, getting that perfect pale look isn't as easy as it may seem. Thinking you might stay out of the sun this summer with just a layer of dewy foundation, light rose blush and lashings of mascara to get Spring's favourite look may not be all you need if, you suffer with Hyperpigmentation. Even Laura Mercier's Secret Concealer can't hide the dark spots that creep in after time. Last week we caught up with dermatologist Dr Sangeeta Punjabi from the Miravue Skin Clinic to get her professional opinion on the causes of Hyperpigmetation and what we can do to treat it.  Patchy areas of pigmentation or un-even skintone are caused by over-active pigment producing cells in the skin. This can be caused by fluctuating hormone levels when added with over-exposure to sunlight. Wearing a daily sunscreen of factor 30 or above is very sensible to avoid worsening the condition, as is a regular dabbing of SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel to the affected zone. Professional clinical treatments are also available to remove excess pigment. At the Miravue Skin Clinic, dermatologists use skin peels to remove dark spots to reveal this season's fresh and spring-like complexions. 

Fresh, dewy and fair-skinned at Marc Jacobs S/S12