If you could give grades for fashion brands it’d be fantastic… points depending on style, trends, quality and, of course, price! Well, I was at the Awear Press Day last week and all I can say is the new Spring/Summer line ticked every box.

I remember back when I was in school and my mum shopped in Awear… it was slightly less trendy, always approachable and affordable, but rarely a fashionista’s first port of call! Well how times have changed – it seems in the past eight years Awear has been giving top British brands like Topshop and River Island a run for their money and has become top of the fashion leaderboard.

This Spring is going to be a delightful array of nudes and peaches and pinks… just imagine rummaging through a ballet dancer’s trunk of goodies and hey presto. My favourite piece from the ‘Dakota’ collection has to be the stunning layered tutu-inspired skirt… toughen the look up with a cool t-shirt, denim shirt opened and flat leather boots to go for the glunge look. Or for those of you Carrie lovers… channel the opening Sex and the City credits and wear with a simple nude bodysuit underneath!

Another theme Awear is doing is the new take on last year’s military trend… a combination of utility and ethnic warrior. My must-have from this collection has to be the ultra-gorge green playsuit with ruffle detail… team with boyfriend cardi, over-sized shades and flat sandals or boots for daytime chic or go glam at night with chunky gold accessories and killer heels.

For high summer expect Miami Vice meets Cocacabana… the vivid collection is a refreshing surprise among a season so full of pastels. An array of bright and colourful dresses and individual pieces that will have you feeling like you’re on holiday even if you’re stuck in dull old Ireland. Channel Halston in these layered chiffon dreams that Nicole Ritchie and Rachel Zoe would ‘just die’ for. But your just gonna have to wait in high anticipation until June/July to get your hands on these gems. I have already put in a request for a long purple and blue maxi dress that usually I would consider too girly… but I’ve fallen in love!

And for my star buy of the season it has to be this strapless number… the neutral blush tone works perfectly with the uber soft, faux suede material, and the cut of the fabric gives the leather a new feminine look. Taking inspiration from the likes of Philip Lim and Hermes who gave leathers a much softer look for the Spring/Summer season, Awear’s new take on the must-have little leather dress from last season is ultra-girly, ultra-soft and ultra-wearable. You don’t need to be Angelina Jolie to get leather clad in this little number.

Top marks for Awear this Spring/Summer, showing that as usual… the Irish do it best!

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Under my Umbrella, ella, ella, eh eh could have been the song of the night at The Golden Globes 2010, the rain just didn’t stop… but that didn’t prevent our stars from gracing the red carpet in style!

Globe Goodies…

Christina Hendricks (of Mad Men fame) looked sensational! She was waving the flag for all curvilicious women out there! There are some old rules about dressing bigger frames, like stay away from volume and always dress in darker colours… well, Hendricks threw caution to the wind and wore a dress in a peachy champagne colour with extreme cascading ruffles… and she looked stunning in it! To top it all off, she was supporting young designer and project runway winner Christian Siriano.

The Brit star that seems to have taken over Keira Knightley’s former crown is Emily Blunt. She looked delicious in a rose pink tulle and chiffon strapless gown with ruffle detail by Dolce & Gabbana. It was delicate and effortless compared to some of the over-done American stars! The romantic trend is one of the biggest of Spring/Summer season and Emily wasn’t the only star rocking this floaty trend. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elisabetta (George Clooney’s latest arm candy), Chloe Sevigny and Heidi Klum all followed this sweet fairytale look.

Fergie, who was a pleasant surprise on the night, looked like a Grecian goddess in an Elie Saab chiffon gown, again following one of the bigger colour trends of the season in a lilac colour, with a crystal embellished waistline and ruched skirt. She looked like a movie star with softer hair and make-up and has shunned that vivacious popstar look she is known so well for.

Some will absolutely hate Drew Barrymore’s dress… and I can see why! But being a fashion fiend, I have to love it, I do! I love sparkle, I love figure-hugging silk, I love the champagne colour, I love the embellishment and I love Atelier Versace… I just didn’t love them all on this dress! I also don’t know if I liked the clusters of sparkle embellishment block on her hip… why, oh why, would anyone want to add inches there? But she gets on the best-dressed list purely for old-school glamour effort.

The undecided…

Diane Kruger is always a fashion risk-taker, which I can commend; however, I still haven’t made my mind up to whether I love it or loathe it! The tie-dye mixed pink Christian Lacroix dress she wore was a little too couture for the red carpet, love Kate Hudson, and I love Marchesa just as much… so I felt bad about putting the two of them, on this list! Maybe it was the bad weather that made this frock look out of place? However, the white, origami structural-inspired creation by Marchesa just didn’t completely win me over! But like I said, it’s Kate Hudson who is gorgeous no matter what she wears!

Sandra Bullock, what can I say! Colour… gorgeous, shape and fabric… disgusting. Basically, she looked like a ‘Quality Street’ wrapper! Not good, Miss Congeniality, not good!

Lea Michele… the star of the new hit cult show Glee did look stunning at her first Globes show, but there is still something a bit off about her outfit. Oscar de la Renta is known for his dramatic dresses, and although it is a stunning dress, I think it drowned out her tiny frame. Perhaps this dress would have looked better on someone with fair features and a taller frame, Cameron Diaz for example!

Another star who usually always gets top marks for red carpet style is House actress Olivia Wilde. But her black and silver Gucci shimmery gown reminded me of a ‘90s’ Mariah Carey. The dress was exciting with a daring neckline and subtle draping. But the fabric cheapened the look a bit, which is why I am unconvinced.

Golden Grossness…

Light grey hues is a big colour trend for Spring/Summer… Patricia Arquette shows us how not to wear this colour! Her dress, made mostly of a dingy, grey flowy fabric, had a bizarre subtle animal print on it, and underneath was a gross metallic underlay. The criss-cross detail just made her look bigger than she is… a grey hot mess!

Penelope Cruz is not one to usually be on a worst-dressed list… however, borrowing a dress from Mortisha Adams wardobe is just never a good idea! Firstly, black on a red carpet is always a little too safe… so it would want to be an amazing dress. The mermaid style dress was over-fussy and the lace detailing was just too mumsy and totally lacked any of her natural sex appeal. She should have picked up some style tips while modelling for Spanish label Mango.

Another Mad Men star, Elisabeth Moss, looked like she was channeling Wendy from Peter Pan. The strapless, pastel-blue empire dress looked more a vintage nightie than a red-carpet dress and made her look frumpy, while the long necklace looked cheap and didn’t even suit the style of the dress. She gets points for on-trend pastel colour but that is it!

Dear, oh dear, there is not one positive thing I can say about Julianne Moore’s dress. It was shapeless like a bag of potatoes, an awfully dull and dark shade of grey (yes it is one of the IT colours of the season… but you got the wrong grey!!!) And then to top it all off, she had a fur trimming along the top that drooped down on her arms. I’m not even going to tell you who designed it, it’s that awful.

And the worst dressed of the night… gorgeous Avatar actress Zoe Saldana. I know it’s impossible to think anything could be disgusting on her, but this Louis Vuitton ruffle mess just did nothing for her. I have absolutely nothing positive to say about this look! At all!

See our post on Jimmy Choo at the Globes.

Images courtesy of Just Jared

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Ever since Madonna donned her Dolce and Gabbana cone bra, or Carrie Bradshaw swanned around NYC in what was debatably lingerie a lot of the time, the female nation (and of course male nation too) have been obsessed with lingerie on display! So it’s no wonder that Dior’s Couture (below) and Summer Collections are influenced largely by the delicate design of lingerie.

The Dior Couture Show Winter 2009 was originally inspired by the old photographs of Christian Dior dressing his models in the traditional French salon, where he previewed the collection to his clients. This is where the half-dressed effect came about; the couture collection has flashes of corsets, stockings, bras and knickers, and although there is a distinct 1950s’ style to the clothing, he brings the exposing of garments through in a very contemporary way.

He also brought this lingerie inspiration through to his ready-to-wear Spring/Summer collection (above); it is in a much more subtle way, with delicate sheer fabrics, deep silks resembling nightwear slips and lots of lace.

Then, of course, there was the “Under Cover” story by the Italian photo duo Coppi Barbieri for V magazine (above), styled by one of my favourite stylists Bay Garnett , with an extremely provocative and arty take on displaying garters and under-things to the extreme!

Other designers were more suggestive in their influences, with corset detailing appearing on tops, sheer fabrics and laces adorning many outfits and subtle flashes of flesh. The short shorts or high waited pants returned to the catwalk too this season, showing that it’s not only Lady Gaga trumping this look!

Celebrities like Daisy Lowe, Sienna Miller and Taylor Momsen are the people leading this trend off the catwalk! Taylor Momsen’s style is very grungy/heroin chic and just like Blondie back in the ‘80′s, she is championing this half-dressed, rolled-out of bed look… whenever she is performing, she is wearing some sort of underwear as outerwear or vintage slip dress. Some celebrities who have been channeling this underwear outerwear look for the past few years, in the worst possible way would be Jodie Marsh and Katie Price… whatever you do, do not copy their attempts!

So what about us real women…will I get sniggers and jeers if I go to my local pub in a cropped brassiere worn with my jeans, or my bra showing through a sheer top? Well I can assure you that, no, I didn’t walk out of my house in a bra. There is a very fine line between what is acceptable and what is not… looking like an extra from ‘Pretty Woman’ is not!!! However, there are ways for you to infuse this trend into your wardrobe. Try layering; wear a cropped brassiere like the ones available in Topshop under a sheer or lacy bra, or for those of you a little less adventurous, you can do this same look with a bodysuit under, so there is no flesh on display. Go for a lacy body suit for an extra lingerie effect! I have seen some gorgeous young girls doing the crop top style with high-waisted trousers, and hey if you have the body and confidence to do this, go for it! I don’t think I’ll be recommending wearing knickers out to anyone though… even former style-setter Sienna couldn’t get away with that look!

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Those of you that are Project Catwalk fans will know Ben De Lisi as the charming and a slightly annoying designers’ mentor. But those of you that didn’t know, he is also one of Britains best loved and most esteemed evening wear designers! Ben designs a diffusion line in conjunction with Debenhams called BDL by Ben de Lisi which has become one of the largest selling ranges under their Designers at Debenhams umbrella.

Well now Ben takes on his biggest challenge yet… he has become the head designer for Principles, and brings the British Highstreet brand back to it’s former glory with its new release early February at Debenhams. He has created a 106-piece collection for Principles specifically targeted at the 40+ woman. The collection focuses on well-tailored cuts, beautiful fabrics and flattering shapes and includes designs for weekend, smart day, occasion and evening wear, together with handbags and accessories. Ben de lisi spoke up for the brand, “I’m thrilled to be putting my name to and working on this new collection. It is aimed at the cultured, modern contemporary woman who has an eye for quality, cut and luxury. I just know it won’t disappoint,”

Ben de Lisi’s finest moment in fashion was when he made world headlines with the scarlet, one-shoulder gown Kate Winslet wore at the Oscars in 2002 (image courtesy of Wireimages). He hopes to return Principles as one of the big sellers on the fashion market, and since there is a niche in the market for dressing the more mature ladies, it is sure to be a huge success.

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It has finally arrived… the much-anticipated campaign for Armani featuring Megan Fox!

Ever since we heard Victoria Beckham had been shunned in favour of a younger, hotter version, you could already imagine all the females worldwide sighing and instantly signing up to the gym or starting that fad diet! Well, I have to say all that worry was for nothing… okay granted she is still and always will be a complete hottie, there is no denying that! But to be honest, I found Victoria Beckham’s advert way sexier and more alluring and more dynamic. Maybe it was the fact that I wasn’t expecting such sensuality from Vicki B, and I expected way more from Megan Fox, the photos are bland are extremely unexciting! Either way I am not impressed with the photos which were shot by renowned fashion photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, who also shot Victoria’s campaign!

Not only that, but Eva Mendes, who is the same age as Victoria Beckham, is the face and body for Calvin Klein jeans and underwear… and her advert is also a lot more exotic and racy… she is 12 years older than Megan! So why was Victoria replaced? Well, Georgio Armani stands by his new model, claiming that “Megan is young and sexy and has a lot of spirit,” and that “Emporio Armani and Armani Jeans are all about a youthful attitude, making her the perfect choice for the collections.” In my opinion, Megan needs to step up her game before some older, more experienced woman comes along and snatches her new crown!

But no doubt the lingerie will still sell out, and men will be crashing their cars accidentally while staring at her giant billboards!

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Finally Cheryl Cole has gotten rid of those hair extensions and has given herself a mini fashion makeover. Gone (hopefully) are the days of the Xfactor live shows where she tried too hard to be on trend and uber -stylish, or that hideous mesh frock disaster she wore for her birthday! Gross!! She’s now a chart-topping solo artist, and deserves a new look away from tacky pop princess, this new look is more sophisticated and polished… but still keeps her young, fresh and sexy! Go Chezza!

Out at the weekend for a Gary Barlow bash she wore a gorgeous body-con Julien MacDonald colour-block dress, teaming it with a chunky Malene Birger necklace and her new shaggy crop! What I love about this look is the muted colours (a nice change from her usual eye-popping colours), extreme structured shoulders and sheer sleeve detail… she looks delish!

If you want to channel Chez’s new look then look no further than your favourite online stores, asos.com and lipsy.co.uk. Both stock a variety of colour-block style dresses. And also the very on-trend, sheer-sleeve style dresses. And for those of you wanting to get the real thing??? Well the dress will set you back a few thousand… but the ‘By Malene Birger’ Mondi embellished felt necklace is available on net-a-porter.com for only €169… a bargain for a piece of designer heaven!  First dress €51, second asos dress €17!

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2009 was the year of the celebrity more than ever before… fashion models have been kicked to the curb when top fashion houses opted for celebrity models over fashion models.

Madonna famously posed in yoga-esque styles for the new Louis Vuitton adverts… putting models half her age to shame! Okay, granted there was a lot of airbrushing and fancy camera tricks…but even still you can’t deny this is one hot mama!

Victoria Beckham got all honed and toned to get her kit off for the Armani Lingerie campaign, following in the very desirable hubby’s footsteps. It was a good year for Vicki in the fashion stakes, she also finally got accepted as a bonafide fashion designer… gone is the WAG title.

Lily Allen was the shock new face of Chanel… okay she looked quite cool in the advert I must admit, but I’m sticking to my guns that she is not a good spokesmodel for a quality brand like Chanel.  See my previous post on this very subject!

Not only did Lindsay Lohan model for casual brand Fornarnia, but she also got brought on as creative director at Ungaro… talk about a cheap publicity stunt! Needless to say the collection was woeful, and got absolutely destroyed by the press. Fornarnia didn’t do too badly out of it as the campaign is quite cool and quirky!

Eva mendes looked smoking in the Calvin Klein ads… topless in the jeans advert and pretty much naked in the perfume ad… so steamy it was banned from tvs.

Harry Potter star, Emma Watson, became Britain’s favourite fashion darling, and was handpicked by Christopher Bailey to front the newest Burberry campaign.  Emma gave a much needed youthfulness and edginess to the classic British label.

Not to be outdone by bezzie-mate Victoria Beckham, Katie Holmes vamped up her usually plain-jane image for the Miu Miu campaign. Previous stars they have used include Kirsten Dunst and Lindsay Lohan (back when she was actually famous for something).

So what does 2010 have in store for the fashion houses??? Well a lot of them seemed to be returning to the use of professional models (maybe it’s because they cost less?)… so with Lara Stone for Louis Vuitton, Claudia Schiffer for the latest Chanel. Natasha Poly is gracing Gucci, and Giselle is showing off her long lean limbs in Versace while Kate Moss is looking fab as always for Just Cavalli. All is right with the world!

Although I don’t think it’s the last you’ll see of celebs on fashion billboards; Madonna has switched teams and is appearing in the new Dolce & Gabbana advert! Heiress, muse and all-around legend Daphne Guinness is the new face of Akris bags, Megan Fox has landed Armani underwear (doubt Victoria’s happy about that!) and no doubt Lady Sovereign will land some gold jewellery campaign as soon as she gets out of Celebrity Big Brother.

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You may have once cringed at the sight of your dad wearing his socks under his sandals on holidays… you may still actually! But little did we know that dear daddy would become a muse for many of the top fashion houses for 2009 and 2010. Top labels like Galliano, Burberry, Dior, Chloe and Alexander Wang featured the sock and sandal look in their catwalk collections. However, for a look considered typically preppy, Wang was the only one in my opinion, who managed to keep his cool edgy stamp on it with patent black leather shoes and chunky knee highs!

So what celebrities have already caught onto this craze??? Well, fictional fashion darling Blair Waldorf has been known to channel this preppy look, while her alter ego Leighton Meester (above) also has been known to take a few fashion risks on the red carpet and was seen at an event rocking the new style statement!

Then we have your typical quirky dressers like Fearne Cotton, Chloe Sevigny, Agyness Deyn and of course Kate Moss who have all been attempting this look over the past year! Some even before the designers brought out their collections, so perhaps it was them that inspired the design houses and not our dads bad taste?

So how can you attempt this look without looking like a 6-year old girl? Team with bare legs and short little dresses for a sexy evening look. Be selective in your style, not any old pair of socks will do (leave the grubby, old ones in the bottom of your sock drawer)… try Topshop, Oasis and Falke (also available on net-a-porter) for the best selections. Topshop have great little gold and silver glittery socks, which are perfect for this type of look!

If you don’t like the look of the peep toes with socks, why not try pop socks (although this is a look best left to when the weather warms up a bit!) Or try the Wang look and toughen simple sandals with ribbed men’s army socks.. you might want to buy a new pair and not borrow your dads old ones…yuck!.

So get socky… there are so many different choices… go hard with chunky socks, sweet and innocent with ankle socks, quirky and stylish with knee highs or sassy and sexy with thigh highs… the sock world is your oyster!

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So the secret is out… Victoria’s Secret has the sexiest lingerie around! Sure that cats been out of the bag for a long time now, really, it’s my first port of call when I hit the states … they really do lingerie like no other brand can. They also know how to put on a show like no other. It is one of my ambitions in life to see a Victoria’s Secret show in the flesh (and yes I’m aware there will be a lot of that on display), but it’s just the most spectacular show every season!

They just unveiled their S/S 10’ show to the public (god bless fashion TV) and it was as theatrical and colourful as ever. This year they had rap sensation Jay Z and super group The Black Eyed Peas performing throughout the show. Usually there is a common theme running throughout and this year’s fantastical affair had a “romantic travel” theme and featured categories such as Enchanted Forest, All Aboard, and Star Trooper.

Charlotte Stockdale the show’s stylist (I want her job) had this to say about the different style chapters of the show,

“We came up with the idea of this girl who lands from outer space in Paris, she gets on a train that comes to a halt in Pinkland, where pink girls get on and off. Then they go into this fairy-tale forest and little lady bugs and butterflies land on them and vines grow up on their clothes.”

The ‘angel’ wings have always been a key feature for every Victoria’s Secret Show, and this year was no different. Although there was a more conceptual design behind the wings, for example during the Tick-Tock Time section are all inspired or made with clocks. And the time travel section had Model Doutzen Kroes wearing the most amazing wings made out of camera film, with diamond embellishment.

So without a doubt a sensational show, with magical masterpieces! The beauty of a Victoria’s Secret show is, that all the lingerie is actually available to buy (without the crazy wings of course). Now all they need to do is open up a store in Dublin and my shopping life will be complete…almost! I am already overly anticipating the one they are opening in London’s Oxford Circus in 2010.

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The fashion world are hailing Marc Jacobs an innovative genius for introducing the bunny ears to the fashion world… but they’ve been around for a long time, so where exactly did he get his inspiration from? There is of course the infamous Playboy bunny costume introduced by Hugh Hefner in the 1950’s and, instantly associates bunny ears with sex appeal.

Then, of course there is the return of the Cadbury’s Caramel Bunny, who’s new look and dress was designed by Top Brit Designer Giles Deacon this year. It is also being debated whether Maison Michel came up with the idea first or not? He had made lace headpieces of bunny ears and mouse ears too, and Marc admittedly came across the idea accidently when he saw someone with a large ribbon in their hair resembling ears.. So when Marc Jacobs’ Fall collection for Louis Vuitton came out this year (pictured bottom), and his models paraded the catwalk with bunny ears, was this fashion history in the making or a copycat idea?

Regardless of who thought it up first, as usual, celebrities are the first to take on this outlandish trend, no shocks that Lady Gaga and Madonna were one of the firsts to wear them in public. But now uber cool Olsen twins and singer Lily Allen have been seen taking on the trend too. I do think this look is actually really cute… but I really can’t see myself walking down Grafton street donning a pair of animal ears just yet? However, I also remember everyone initially laughing at leggings, skinny jeans, shoulder pads and structured skirts so maybe, just maybe this too will become known as “wearable”. Topshop have already begun to challenge the trend and have come up with their very own versions of slightly smaller headbands, so a little more normal, but I am still yet to see anyone actually wear them!

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