A very warm welcome to you all! I'm Lynda Fernandez, and I'd like to thank you for looking at The Fashion Trade, with clothes, lifestyle and more. Enjoy!
Aakasha sells these fabulous loose linen trousers from her shop on Etsy, for only US$85. Well worth a look, Aakasha has loads of similar items and ships to the UK from her base in Sofia, Bulgaria for only £10 or thereabouts. Aakasha can be found on https://www.etsy.com/nz/listing/186176180/
Layering for Autumn.
Fashion Shows coming up. Here's the low down on the places/dates;
New York Fashion Week
September 6 – 14, 2018
London Fashion Week
September 14 – 18, 2018
Milan Fashion Week
September 19 – 25, 2018
Paris Fashion Week
September 24 – October 2, 2018
Courtesy of Fashion Week http://fashionweekdates.com/fashion-week-2018-dates.html
New York Fashion Week
September 6 – 14, 2018
London Fashion Week
September 14 – 18, 2018
Milan Fashion Week
September 19 – 25, 2018
Paris Fashion Week
September 24 – October 2, 2018
Courtesy of Fashion Week http://fashionweekdates.com/fashion-week-2018-dates.html
Backstage at Victoria Beckham's AW18/19 show; leopard print still a firm favourite and wide belts on longer coats.
Not Stella McCartney (unfortunately there was no info on this post) but a beautiful trench coat with this season's wide belt. Fabulous!
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Inspiration for the above coat? Kimonos have been everywhere this summer, and now look amazing worn as a layer for autumn.
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Something for the office
Suit worn buttoned up with a belt. This model looks up to the minute and, if you're travelling, this would be really comfortable - always important., to me anyway! Flat shoes give an edge to the outfit. A bit like David Tennants style for Dr. Who (signature pinstripe suit and Converse, remember him?)
If you're thinking of travelling to Barcelona or Rome, or any major European city, it might be best to wear the bag facing front. Sticky fingers in big crowds.
If you're thinking of travelling to Barcelona or Rome, or any major European city, it might be best to wear the bag facing front. Sticky fingers in big crowds.
Nothing new under the Rising sun?
Kimono heaven! From the top, a traditional kimono from centuries back, providing inspiration for a number of beautiful outlines, including (second photo, above) this batwing coat from Paul Poiret in 1920. And today, apart from wearing kimono's as beautiful coats or dresses, we have the kimono above, with over knee boots and attitude! I have a few genuine kimono's that I've picked up on eBay, and wear them around the house. They feel amazing, much more of a statement than a cardi.
Can't go wrong with a good kimono!
Can't go wrong with a good kimono!
The quickest way to update a look is with a scarf. This lovely chunky one will keep you warm. Coffee optional!
Winter Warmers
Now this is an image we can all use as a basis for innovation. Thick woolly jumper, in this case in brown, with matching coat and boots, together with the casual jeans make this an outfit that's pulled together yet easy to wear. Choose colours to complement your own colouring, the photo below shows the same combination using a paler palette, and the jeans will go with anything. Easy !
Trench coat and white jeans
Versatile, easy to wear and the combination of trench coat and white jeans comes in so many variables; long white jeans with calf length, lightweight trench or capri jeans with thigh length belted trench. Just pick the style that fits your body style and you can hit the streets ready for whatever the weather throws at you!
The ageless perennial; Black leather biker jacket
How many times have you opened a magazine to see the latest thing; the classic black leather biker jacket? And guess what, it's still in fashion! Grab one for yourself, it goes with everything from jeans to big, puffy evening skirts.
The one below is from Karen Millen, so you know it's going to be good quality.
The one below is from Karen Millen, so you know it's going to be good quality.
Yohji Yamamoto
Yohji Yamamoto (left and below) is a master of tailored layers. His complex silhouttes are fabulously multi-faceted featuring Japanese design aesthetics. and still lack bulk so are graceful and fluid.
He has won numerous prestigious awards for his creations, and currently has bases in Tokyo, where he was born (1943) and Paris.
http://www.yohjiyamamoto.co.jp/en/
You're completely fabulous, so reinvent yourself!Traditionally, a woman's size has defined how she has been seen in society, and Hollywood did much to push this culture. In the I Love Lucy shows (oh come on, yes you do remember them!) Vivian Vance, who played Lucy's neighbour Ethel Mertz, was contractually obliged to stay 9 lbs heavier than the star, Lucille Ball. Bette Davies in 'Now Voyager' wore padding for the first part of the film, when she was supposed to be 'frumpy'. There are plenty of contemporary examples; unfortunately old attitudes die hard and some of us appear to have absorbed the soul destroying attitude of associating size with attractiveness. We are constantly being urged to dump the weight, but what about dumping that negativity instead?
We don't need to be gazelle-like to feel attractive, we just need attitude, self belief, to value ourselves. Call it what you will, what changed Bette Davis' character more than the expensive new clothes and decent hair-do was the change in her attitude towards herself. I remember watching a documentary on Edith Piaf when one of her friends talked about Edith's life. The friend was, to put it kindly, not one of nature's beauties, but she held herself so regally that she became fascinating. In short, people will take you at face value so, if you value yourself, they will too. That's putting it very simply, of course, but you get the idea. The point is, play with your image, stop playing safe with the same old stuff; try things out and who knows, you might find a whole new you. Lecture over, now get to those sales, ladies, and start reinventing yourselves. Have fun! Or you could sit on the sofa and eat biscuits ...
I love this woman! The model swinging from the stairs in torn jeans, Converse sneakers and the most amazing hair (unfortunately the model isn't named on the original site) is acting the way I often feel inside and the whole thing just about sums up the attitude you'll find on this blog; old and wiser and doing it anyway. (But always with style. Let's face it, if you're going to put two fingers up to convention, it wouldn't hurt to make sure they're well manicured.) 
Paul Smith
Paul Smith's models wore two belts slightly overlapping. Reminded me of the Sam Browne belts that were everywhere for a brief few weeks back in the 1980's. Anyway, these two belts look pretty good, so it might be an idea worth remembering. 
Chic CrochetThis image of a stunning crocheted skirt (shown above) was on Pinterest. Unfortunately there was no information attached to the image so I don't know who the designer is nor where a skirt like this can be found, but I just had to bring it to you , for inspiration if nothing else.
Absolutely gorgeous! |
What's it to be, girls; fabulous Phryne or dowdy Dorothy? (images courtesy of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries). Below, the before and after Bette Davis in 'Now Voyager'.
Just for comparison to our staircase swinging model on the left, here's a snapshot (when did you last hear that word?) of what older ladies were like back in the 1960's; overloading on pink and with the cutest box handbag. (Not us, obviously!) Get a load of the stiff perm!
Sarah Pacini does Lagenlook
Sarah Pacini had the most beautiful shades of fawn and gold in her collection, in flowing fabrics layered over each other. The layered look, when it has undulating silhouettes, is the Lagenlook. More of this look is in the blog. 
Carolina Herrera is one of those designers who straddle evening and day wear with elegant creations in classic colour combinations. If you were looking for investment pieces, Carolina Herrera would be a very good place to whip out your cheque book. (Do people still have cheque books? Just wondering.)
www.carolinaherrera.com/ |
Wearable Art?
Dior, by John Galliano. Completely fabulous, but is it wearable? My take on the question, relating to the creation above specifically, is no. This couldn't be worn outside of a studio. To be able to appreciate the gown the model is standing on a box, which means she wouldn't be able to walk down a runway in this gown, unless she were to hold up the front; but that would spoil the lines completely and we wouldn't see the fabulous drapery of the gold silk against the dove feathers (?, can't quite make it out but I think they're feathers). The Old Master backdrop accenuates the idea of fashion as art, but the old argument for it being wearable art fails to convince, in this case at least. Acknowledging fashion
We have our own style now, but that doesn't mean we don't know the latest fashion trends. Give a friendly nod to the Boho look with this fabulous statement necklace. Made in sea glass and silver it has the two key colours of the Boho look. It says you're aware of fashionl without making you look like you've just rocked up from the Stones' Hyde Park gig! Lagenlook
Lagenlook is quickly becoming a look to follow due to it's fabulous use of colour and fabric as well as flowing, fluid clothes. Ostensibly intended for larger women, Lagenlook provides a recognisable design theme that shouldn't be exclusively for one body shape. Lagenlook designs are on http://www.idaretobe.com/ , an online collection of independent designers, many marketing towards the larger figure, and all really interesting. Well worth a look, no matter what your size! http://www.idaretobe.com/ Etro
The kimono influence is obvious and the style is absolutely wonderful. From Etro's SS 2013 collection, the fabulous dress above would be ideal for balmy summer evenings and particularly those events where it would be far too warm to wear anything tight. Just perfect!
'A' is for Attitude, not Age
I've worked in many offices up and down the land, sometimes as a temp, and so I've met many people. It always strikes me that the women who are 'young' are those with the can-do attitude to life. While old people, of any age, (and some are old in their twenties!) sit back and shake their heads at our impetuosity, roll their eyes at our joei de vivre and tut away at the very idea of actively getting out there and enjoying life, the rest of us know that Attitude is All. Attitude is what gets new businesses off the ground, attitude is the difference between shuffling along behind or taking part in the race. Attitude, positive, go-for-it, what the hell Attitude, is the secret of youth. And as for all the oldies who say 'you can't do that at your age'. well they can just stay behind and count the office biscuits while the rest of us go out and play! Ban the black!
lClothes for work; we start off with the best of intentions and usually fall back on black! Or perhaps ithat's just me. But if you take a look around you next time you're sitting in your office, the vast majority of women will be wearing at least something black, usually trousers, or else a shift dress with a small cardigan. Black is just too easy, and it's so commonplace you will blend into the background.
Don't be afraid of colour for the office. The emerald green in the photograph above would be ideal; formal enough for the boardroom yet sufficiently professional that you won't be mistaken for the temp (unless the temp in question is me!). If you need black ...
YSL. Do I need to say more?
Move over Shabby, Boho is back!
Been there, done that! When I worked out that the vibrant Boho look is definitely edging the pale and lacy Shabby Chic gently to one side I felt much as the woman in the picture looks! When I wore Boho, first time around, it was called Hippy. But, while we naturally wouldn't want to dress as though we've gone back in time, we can pick up a few pieces here and there; particularly jewellery. Turquoise and silver especially, in rings or worn in layered bangles, gives a nod to fashion without looking daft.
Amalthee Creations
Green silk asymmetric tunic over darker green long silk skirt. Looks fabulous and, being silk, would be light and airy. From Kelan Peng's studio (KelanCouture). Or, perhaps for the cooler weather (never very far away!) , what about the fabulous cotton linen dress (pictured below), made to order, again from Kelan Peng?
http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/79549021 Linen Top
Fabulous linen top, custom made to your measurements, from KelansArtCouture. http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/62731360/perfect-worldwomenclothingshirtlong?ref=shop_home_active
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Donna Karan
Donna Karan had this completely beautiful floor length black dress as part of her designs for spring 2014. The straps are so thin!
Donna Karan was one of many designers who had their models wear bright lipstick in shades of fuscia, orange and, in the image (right) coral. Notice the thick soled shoes the model is wearing. Another 'secret' of youth; fun!
Fun, and I don't mean enjoying a quiet cup of tea and a browse through a new knitting pattern but laugh out loud, trying something daring and new, 'if my friends could only see me now!' fun is the only way to stay feeling young.
Try it; go on, you know you want to! Boho for Ladies
This boho look combines the influence of the hobble skirted Edwardians with the later look of the Arts and Crafts movement of Bloomsbury. For more images like the one above, go to http://mizrah.ru/ although you will need to translate the page from Russian. Google will do this for you, or you could just pick up inspiration from the many images on the site. Incidentally, Red magazine (April 2014 edition) has a small feature on boho, where it suggests wearing one piece, a jacket or a pair of jeans perhaps and preferably with embroidery, with seperates. Just to give a nod to the look. Marni
An expensive skirt designed by Marni; and certainly very beaturiful. If I'd given you this image and told you it came from an independant designer on Etsy, would you have known the difference? I certainly wouldn't have. the chances are your friends won't be able to tell either. See where this is going? Yep, Etsy.com. Investment Clothing
I keep hearing the phrase 'investment clothes', mostly amongst the pages of the monthly glossies, and I wanted a definition of what it actually meant. Of course, there's the pragmatic view; that decent quality clothes cost more but last longer, but that doesn't answer for the vagaries of fashion. There's the other angle; an investment piece would keep it's worth because it could be sold on as designer vintage in later years. True, but those of us with cupboard's full of eighties power suits might disagree. But then I saw the beautiful gown (pictured above) on Pinterst. Unfortunately the designer wasn't accredited, only that it had been created in the 1950's. And that's what started me thinking. I can't image a single decade between then and now, and we're talking nearly six whole decades, when that beautiful dress couldn't have been worn. Okay, you might have got a bit sick of it and certainly everyone you knew would have seen you in it before, once or twice, but I think I get the picture about investment clothing; it's timeless.
So, now all we have to do is guess which of today's creations we'd still like to wear around the year 2060 or so! Trippy and Dippy too Hippy?
There are always alternatives to wearing skirts or dresses, no matter how on trend they might be, and one of them is straight trousers.
These pink cigarette style pants are fabulous; simple, elegant and timeless. Perfect. Dippy Hemline in Purple
There are a lot of dresses around with asymmetrical hemlines, but this one just has the edge. Handmade by Sutina Medilleni in Thailand, this fabulous cotton dress has a three inch edging in a lighter colour, is made to order and costs just £20.
http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/129744002/ Old Clothes vs. Vintage Thea Porter
Did you archive your clothes from the 1970's and 1980's? No, me neither. I gave mine to Oxfam or some equally deserving charity. But then, my clothes weren't designer; they were mostly Topshop or Chelsea Girl (remember them? loud music, terrible lighting and security tags that meant everything you bought came with a hole in it!) Well, that's the difference between old clothes and real vintage, but whaddya know, it seems now that the rules have changed and anything over twenty years old is 'vintage' while everything younger than twenty is 'retro'. So, get archiving! We may have genuine vintage in our wardrobes! Vintage Callot Soeurs
The beautiful dress above is currently on show in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was created by Callot Soeurs in 1915. Not only is the dress priceless, but it has a waist of 30 inches; meaning would fit me would fit me easily!
Taken from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/ |
We're Not All Supermodels! Kaliyana.com
Not everyone is a pre-pubescent, six foot, six stone girl living in a cossetted world of high fashion with no expense spared. For those of us with real bodies, stuck with real lives in the real world, we need clothes we can actually wear! Fortunately, Kaliyana.com has come up with quite a few creations that fit the bill with style and panache. At last! Pictured above and right are two of the fabulous creations that can be found on the Kiliyana site; full of colour, texture and good cut in a decent array of material, I've bookmarked this place and will be keeping a lookout for future clothes. Custom Made
One of the things I wanted to achieve with this bog was to uncover new and inspiring designers; but where to find them? Well, I think I've managed to unearth a few; they're selling their designs independently, and mostly on Etsy.com. It might seem that I'm promoting the site, I'm not. I want to give a bit of light and exposure to people who have new and innovative ideas. Maybe it's just the rebel in me, but I do get fed up with people telling me what I can wear and when. So 'fresh out of fashion school' new is right up my street! And it goes without saying that I hope you find something fresh and new on these pages that will delight you.
The jacket (pictured above) can be made to your requirements by KelansArtCouture and will only cost you £45. The detailing around the neckline gives a good point of interest while the long sleeves make it an ideal choice for the cooler weather. In 'burnt rust' linen, you could be pretty sure nobody else will turn up wearing one of these. !http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/81675605/stop-to-thinklong-sleeves-turndown-big?ref=shop_home_active |
Does Style have to mean Simple? Mellow colours
For those among us who are less sartoirially adventurous, there is a very good rule that can be remembered by the acronym KISS; keep it simple, stupid. But there's no rule to say keep it dull, and if there was, we'd break it!
In the photo above is a woman wearing one main colour, with flashes of black and tomato red in the jacket echoed in the hat. Simple, yet far from dull! Forget dense black and bright white; either can be too harsh next to the skin. Choose colours that complement our more mature complections. Our days of flourescent might be behind us but we can, and should, wear colour. Etsy.com
Deboy2000 is the name of a shop on Etsy.com (http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/128192792/where you can find clothes a little bit different than the usual High Street offerings. Above is a pair of loose fitting linen trousers on sale for £36.45 (plus around £6 for PP to the UK from Beijing, China). With an elasticated waist and side pockets, these trousers will be light and easy to wear. Many of the clothes from this site are made of linen and all are definitely worth a second look. 
Deboy 2000 'irregular' linen skirt. ( Fabulous long length, and plenty of interest around the waist.
http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/128192792/ |
Haider Ackermann
Haider Ackermann is a designer from Columbia who has a really clever way with flowing fabrics. I've put a couple of examples of his latest work on the right, but you will find a few more on the Inspirations page.  |
Haider Ackermann
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Modern Mixes
The delicate lace top and the beaded and tassled gold (silk?) skirt could be straight from the Edwardian era, but add a well-used tan leather belt with a cowboy buckle and you have couture! Fabulous!
Mary Portas Mary Portas
Mary Portas always looks fabulous, and now we can buy into her look. House of Fraser is stocking a range of basics put together by Mary, including Tuxedos, dresses and a number of jackets, so we can buy with confidence knowing they have the stamp of approval from the cool Portas herself. Doing up an Old Bag
I'm referring to the Old Bag above, of course!
This particular bag is on sale for around £35 on Etsy, but you could put something together for considerably less with a few scraps of lace and a bit of imagination. This is your chance to use up those broken pieces of jewellery, or perhaps that single earring that you love but can't find the mate for. Size Matters
I was going to write some light hearted piece about clothes shrinking overnight and how that was why I could swan around in my favourite jeans one day, and the next find they treacherously made my legs look like sausages. However, once I began to look into this I became concerned. It seems that there is definitely room for improvement in the sizing situation. Not only are different shops selling different 'size 12's' (and I'm thinking Gap and M&S here!), and that's without bringing vintage clothing into the maths, but different countries have widely differing guidelines. Now I'm a size 12 (UK size 12), but in Italy I'd be a size 44, in Spain, France or Belgium I'd be a size 40 while in Austria or Germany I'd be a svelte 38!
This is something that needs clarification. Since we all started to holiday in places further afield than Skegness, we have been buying clothes abroad and, as consumers, we need to know that what we are buying does not have misleading labelling (misleading to us, that is). And now we can all buy online, from across the world at the click of a mouse, we definitely need to know. I'm putting a page together with the different sizes shown, just for reference, to use until the clothes manufacturers get their act together. P.S. If you were reading this article hoping for the other 'size matters' thing; yes, to be honest, yes it does! |
The Long Hair Question
I knew a hairdresser once, who used to say 'There's no point having lovely long hair if it isn't lovely, long hair.'
Now we know that hair being in really good condition isn't enough. It also has to avoid that terrible dilemma of making us look 16 from behind but 60 from the front. So, what to do? It might sound bizarre, but after years of longing to look thin, now we need to aim for a fuller face. It is particularly aging for a more mature woman to have a thin face; it ages us unnecessarily. The idea is to go for a style that will make our faces look healthily younger. Feathery cuts with layers is always an attractive look, or if you've gone with the grey, a pixie look like Judi Dench? If you decide to keep your hair longer, remember that showing a little bit of ear will draw the eye upwards towards your cheekbones; very uplifting for your face. The versatility of a shawl
This particular shawl must have taken weeks of painstaking work. Unfortunately all I could find about it's date of creation was the vague claim that it was 'antique', but I'm guessing that means before dedicated machinery could spin out embroidery, possibly even before we could sew by electric light. But the finished product is beautiful and could be worn with almost anything; from the flared jeans and grandad shirts of the 1960's hippies (think Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac), around the shoulders' of a couture clad fashionista or just adding elegance and verve to a simple black dress.
Buttons
When you have a dress as delicate as this, the buttons need to be very tiny and very, very beautiful.
Quick tip ...We all know that we can make nail varnish last a little longer by adding a few drops of varnish remover when it goes cloggy, but did you know that you could prlong their lives by storing them in fridge? Away from sunlight and in the cool (bottom shelf works best), they stay fluid for longer.
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Elsa Shiaperelli
Elsa Shiaperlli had style; as this picture (left) shows. The collar is exquisite and creates her signature bold silhouette. She famously worked with Salvador Dali in the construction of the Shoe Hat (shown below).
A fabulously structured jacket and cocktail dress, two more of her designs, are shown immediately below. 
The Shoe Hat
Elsa Shapiarelli designs
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Valuable Vintage Gustav Beer
I've been browsing through fashion archives and found an image of the most beautiful creation by Gustav Beer. A German who opened a House in Paris just after the turn of the 20th century, his designs are flowing and feminine.
I also found Paul Poiret (I know, I've had a busy day!). He found inspiration in the Japanese kimono, as can be seen in the photographs of his designs, below. 
Paul Poiret
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The most amazing pictures from the China Fashion shows!
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