Spring Summer 2012 - what to save and what to wear next year...

1950s Floral Kitch meets 1980s exaggeration


The first trend I see is....
1950s floral dresses/pleated skirts with fitted tops or flirty longer length pencil skirts as seen on the A/W catwalk big, check out Prada, Erdem, Dolce and Gabbana and Diane Von Furstenberg.
Vintage shops in Brick lane will give you a great choice of this style or buy a big skirt from a charity shop( lots springing up in British High Streets ) and if you have sewing skills rejig it to your size. Look out for quirky conversational patterns. The pencil skirt is a main wardrobe item,  so versatile and sexy, wear with big jackets as seen in the Prada show with flats or heels. The prom style dress as seen lots in Mad Men and now new retro  American series Pan Am is more for evening wear, white satins and shimmery textures. 
For casual wear I want to see big baggy jumpers/tops worn with bright or striped capri cropped trousers....


more musings to follow later as there are many more S/S12 trend pointers to report.

Pleated skirt and large 50s style jacket, keep your pleated skirt it will get lots of use in the summer

Elegant midi length pencil skirt continues from Autumn Winter trend, love these kitch Prada skirts, these will be copied by the high street in some form.

copy Schelay pls credit. 

Arizona Muse, Edie Campbell and Rosie Huntington Whiteley - Yves Saint Laurent fashion film classic

Arizona Muse - the all American girl with the classy girl next door looks and Audrey Hepburnesque eye brows is in the top tier of international model stardom now. She has the same quality seen in the 1980s super model looks of Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington.

The fashion film for Yves Saint Laurent shot by Innez Lamsweerde and Vindoodh Matadin below is a must see.....though i think it is a wee bit too long....

Interesting that high street brand NEXT is using Arizona for their main photo campaign at the moment. Sales are up for Next bucking the trend for some disappointing figures this year end. The high street trend for using models associated with the high end tier of fashion is growing seen also with Marks and Spencer spending a fortune using Rosie Huntington Whiteley for their recent campaign with Sandra Bullock's heart throb fiancé Ryan Reynolds. Unfortunately this has not had the effect of boosting M&S sales! The warm spell we had in the UK a few weeks ago though spoilt many sales targets for many retailers who had Autumn / Winter stock ready to sell. Edie Campbell is in the new Burberry Xmas brand shots in December Vogue. Is she high profile enough yet to take on a high street brand. Not yet would be my advice, she needs to get some bigger international brands and get American Vogue under her belt first. 

Raymond Meier - Best of British Vogue editorial shoots for 2011

That 70s hat seen everywhere at London Fashion week in Sept

Stylist Kristine Kilty wearing 'the hat' waiting in line for a show at LFW
photo Schelay pls credit

Fur a must have for the cold winter ahead on accessories too...

Spots a big trend for Autumn Winter 2011 esp at David Korma and Stella McCartney

LFW - Style -
Photography Schelay- pls credit

Head to toe anything is a no no normally but this fake Python coat by Chloe hailed as the new Leopard with the matching boots looks great, don't do this with the Burberry check though! 

LFW, in the pink!
photo Schelay pls credit

Dolce and Gabbana sparkly sequin shoes look great with pink here....

Note the comfortable shoes in the cycle/moped hat over the models arm and the rain cape a 'must have' waiting in line for shows!

This shoot by Raymond Meier for British June Vogue stood out at the time for me as a great way of show casing all the best of the trends for Autumn Winter 2011 in a riot of clever styling using the fashionista blogger's style seen now at the Shows now each season. It is all in the detail if you look carefully - Mixing and matching colours and textures, fringing, embellishment and layering works really well, and for me epitomises what fashion is all about at the moment - that is 'anything goes' as long as it works aesthetically and pleases the eye. It is a street art form. This shoot makes this look aspirational and cool. This concept would have also kept all the high end brands such a Dior, Dolce and Gabbana, Tom Ford , Stella McCartney, Chanel that spend a fortune on their brand advertising in Vogue happy as it shows off their money spinning accessories superbly.

Photography Vogue - pls credit

Arizona Muse - British Vogue editorial shoot 2011

I love this simple fashion shoot in New York for Vogue by Lachlan Bailey. It is a classic editorial showing the  merits of the new below the knee length skirt. The styling is fab and sells this demure lady like length in a modern and aspirational way, cool in the city! - the images have an energy about them that makes this look easy to wear. Think how you could make a short 60 second film out of this idea to sell it further on the vogue web site.

Jean Shrimpton in New York shot by David Bailey in the 1960s

This photoshoot seen in June British Vogue this year is reminiscent of the sort of style David Bailey and Jean Shrimpton made their own in the 1960s, in particular the red jumper shot where Arizona Muse is holding a can of coke - an iconic American object. Actress Karen Gillan will be playing Jean Shrimpton in a BBC 4 biopic about Bailey and Shrimpton's time in Manhatton doing the above shoot and their love affair. The film will be out next year.

Images Vogue - pls credit

Prada Glitter shoes - add sparkle Winter or Summer - trend

Seen at a show - love this look - great worn with jeans...

Prada shoes - note the diamond detail on the heel, and the blister plaster.!

These are great worn with a skirt or jeans

Glitter boots seen at Kye's show at Fashion Scout's ones to Watch - Men for S/S 2012

Xmas party shoes Asos £40.00 strictly for evening!

Glitter boots Top Shop £80.00 day and night

Miu Miu glitter pumps £354.00 Saks 5th Ave

Klaxon glitter pumps Top Shop £ 58.00 for every day

Adding sparkle to your style transcends seasons in my opinion worn with jeans and a big baggy jumper in Winter or a white dress in summer. Not easy to find any in gold now alas...

Copy and photos from shows Schelay - pls credit

The Genius of Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen SS 2012

This is one of the most breathtaking collections I have ever seen.....
In this business one can get a wee bit blaze about the whole Fashion Season Circus....looking at  London, New York, Milan and Paris offerings from a multitude of incredibly talented designers is inspiring and appreciated. There were some amazing collections each with a unique hand writing to suit the myriad of tastes followers of fashion crave but none displayed the mastery of fabric manipulation expert seamstress and down right artistic sensibility and extraordinary imagination challenging our perception of decoration and embellishment than this Sarah Burton collection for S/S 2012.  I must keep going on about Art and Fashion, this collection is similar in extraordinary detail and craftmanship to those gowns made for Marie Antoinette or Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire. A homage to the hidden and macabre marine world and the beauty of le fruit du mer, there is a modernity about the texture contrast and clever manipulation of silks, taffettas and lace also modern stencil techniques the bespoke work involved as art form reinforces ...The collection is sexy and flattering to the female form and more covetous for this fact. This may sound crass but I was reminded of the Mermaids in the recent Pirates of the Caribbean film -  barnicles seen on the head adornments in this collection have also played a fascinating and macabre role in many scenes of this film series!  
I turned down the opportunity of going to the Palace to look at Kate Middleton's wedding dress by Sarah Burton, however would be first in line to see this amazing selection up close to appreciate the level of detail and 'love' that has gone into each piece....


Bravo !


Copy Schelay McCarter - please credit
Photography Vogue.com - please credit.

Basso & Brooke - LFW SS 2012 - A sassy collection

Distinctive Basso & Brooke style

This is a fabulous design

The ever popular Jumpsuit makes a repeat appearance 

I like the lemon yellow and textured scale pattern on the bottom half of this silk dress

organic colours and shapes

Tropical influences

The drapery very effective here.

The rack of art await the models while their hair and make up is being done...

Bruno talking to one of the model dressers before the show

The accessories laid out ready for the show

last minute preparations before the show

Make - up by MAC, hair Kenna for GHD

I could spend ages telling you all about the amazing journey by car from London to Beijing, driving for weeks in relentless Siberian twilight the print designer side of talented duo Basso & Brooke, Bruno Basso described to me. He made the journey earlier this year in order to develop his design ideas for this now launched Spring Summer 2012 collection....I scribbled down lots of notes as he verbally painted for me images of the amazing sunsets on the Siberian plains, how his Brazilian roots form a foundation in his concepts,  tropical colours, organic lush plant like shapes seem to always creep in to create the almost other worldly realism and constructivism of his Art. For me this recent collection 'is' the stuff of art installation, the body and flesh it is adorns the gallery.....
Christopher Brooke the gallery curator frames the art in perfect balanced simple silhouettes and drapery. The effect is elegant and sassy and recognisable as the Basso and Brooke brand.
Bruno told me he designs for intelligent women. I take this to mean cultured, knowledgeable and aware that fashion of his and Christopher's creation is a timeless investment... 
www.bassoandbrooke.com/


Words and photography Schelay McCarter - please credit


For the Portuguese version of this please look at http://www.revistab.com.br/ A longer version of this interview with Bruno Basso of Basso & Brooke will also appear in B magazine's next edition due out in San Paolo this month.