Brown Thomas Dublin hosted an event last night in the Designer Rooms on Level 1, to celebrate the launch of the celebrated U.S. designer Michael Kors’ gorgeous MICHAEL Michael Kors ready to wear, accessories and shoes collections.  Yes, it’s a little late to let you all know about it now – my apologies!

As an attempt to redeem myself here’s a snippet of the delights that were on display last night… starting with this camel coloured trench with a bare hint of military at €375.

… moving on to every woman’s best friend, the designer handbag …. purrrr… We’re totally loving the first tall option which would work so well with this seasons hot nail colour of navy blue, now to making them both mine!  Not forgetting the classic next to it which will see you through many seasons to come so a worth while investment at €395.

Even if it’s only window shopping pop along for some wardrobe envy, you won’t be disappointed.

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Brown Thomas Dublin announced yesterday the exclusive arrival of Helmut Lang womenswear for Autumn Winter 2010.

The creative directors of Helmut Lang, Nicole and Michael Colovos commented :

“This season we were looking at images of architect Santiago Calatrava’s work and were intrigued by his modern structures that he made which evolved out of something more classic. The elements that we were drawn to were the different textures created by the modern and classical worlds. We used textured wools, furs, blistered looking leather, silks crepes and mixed them together with cleaner fabrics to create dimension. We explored volume within structure by adding darts and seams to control the volume and the drape of the fabrics. Prints were made from looking at industrial textures and nature, and exploring the contrast between them. Colors were inspired by old mining factories where there is a heightened sense of the intermingling of industrial and natural elements.”

In short the clothes were given rough treatment to create that almost decaying look.  That coupled with the great tailoring means we are giving this collection the thumbs up.  Left – right; Helmut Lang Jersey Insert jacket €525, Knit Sleeve coat €850, Helmut Lang jacket €880 and stunning Lang dress €650.

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Calling all ladies with up coming nuptials…. the Vera Wang 2011 collection will be previewed at Brown Thomas in Dublin from Thursday 15th July to Sunday 18th July.  Don’t be shy about heading along, the four day preview will be open to all with no appointment necessary and a “special” 10% discount will apply to dresses purchased over this exclusive weekend.  Every little bit helps!

This Spring-Summer Collection is said to celebrate the fragile femininity of ‘Tea Party’ and ‘Garden Party’ dresses.  Frothy gowns of extreme delicacy in the palest Easter egg tints of lavender, blush, rose and silver gray inspire a certain gaiety and youthful spirit.  Occasional bodices of beautiful floral embroideries and skirts of hand-painted lace provide a charming counterpoint to the more sophisticated architectural pieces.  The collection is described as ‘romantic artful clothes that appear to float- all lightness and air’!

If you want more info give Vera Wang Bridal at Brown Thomas Dublin a call – 01 617 1133.

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We love a good bargain here at wow.ie.  Check this out ladies, there’s something of interest for all we reckon…. for more go to www.covet.ie

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Who wouldn’t love this dotty design on Asos!  The pink leather purse from Sonia by Sonia Rykiel is SO cute with it’s high shine spotted design detailing – being both pretty and functional with multiple pockets with popper button fastening.

Priced at €132.63, and if you like the purse you will no doubt love the bag too – sorry, we couldn’t resist both!  The soft leather ‘across the body’ bag will set you back €352.42.

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London-based fashion blogger Aisling Cullen of Sherbet Stars has been tracking the trends out in New York for Fashion Week.

I feel all fashioned out after my trip to New York Fashion Week but it’s good to be back in London – another Fashion Week begins here! Unfortunately my ‘access all areas’ pass only extends to the shows in New York but I will be keeping an eye on the trends for London Fashion Week.

I know you guys are all thinking of the upcoming Spring/Summer trends, but if you can cast your minds six months from now you can start planning for next Autumn/Winter! Though with the weather we are having in London at the moment I think that it is harder to imagine light cotton tea dresses and shorts right now… So bring on the winter woolies!

The Must Have Item

The Mini Pleat Skirt…

The is a must-have item in your wardrobe for this season and next. It’s halfway between a kilt and a mini skirt except much more fashionable and modest. As seen in different variations at many shows including Tommy Hilfiger, Alexander Wang and DKNY.

Cape Crusaders…

This look popped up from time to time on the runway, oozing a feeling of luxe and sophistication especially at Marc Jacobs and Carolina Herrera (as pictured above).

Peek-a-Boo Clothing…

A flash of skin is what it will be all about come Autumn/Winter 2010. Preen used underwear as outerwear to emphasize a sexy sophistication, while Proenza Schouler took a more subtle approach with cut outs on the sides on their take of a baby doll style dress. The result? A look that is both bold and moody. I loved it! Pictured above Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang and Preen.

Next Season’s Colour

Yes it had to happen! Black is the new black. Many designers sent out nearly all-black shows including The Row, Donna Karan, Vera Wang and Alexander Wang. Expect to wear this colour in layers and don’t be afraid to mix textures. At Alexander Wang, his knit black pants were adorned with pearls, and there were peek-a-boo cut outs on garments to keep the look visually interesting and not too formatted. The Row (Olsen Twins label) on the other hand was all about a sleek silhouette using exquisite fabrics such as cashmere and satin. Pictured above The Row, Alexander Wang and Vera Wang.

Next Season’s Trends

Soft Classics…

Marc Jacobs is fed up with a lot of things this season. He is bored with celebrities so he kept his front row exclusive to the fashion pack, and he is bored with designing the next ‘new’ look. So he kept it old. Jacobs played with proportions and textures and kept the colour palate more neutral than a Farrow & Ball paint card. Michael Kors also kept to a palate of browns, greys and black and emphasised a luxe look much like Jacobs – as above.

Fun Florals…

If you are looking for more adventure in your clothing, designers such as Diane Von Furstenburg, Peter Som and Anna Sui (as above) have a more optimistic outlook in their designs. Speaking with Peter Som backstage at Fashion Week, he told me that he wanted to have a ‘joy and exuberance to my collection, echoing the times of Woodstock’. Anna Sui also kept to her signature formula of pattern upon pattern which is so whimsical and fun. Diane Von Furstenburg kept her look flirty yet sexy and added men’s style suit jackets to tailor the look more.

Graphics and Geometrics…

At Proenza Schouler, designers Lazaro and Jack created an eye-catching graphic print on high waisted skinny pants that looked straight out of an artists studio. The graphic look continued throughout the show with more thoughtful and structured graphics, but ultra-modern nonetheless. At DKNY the look was preppy and clean with a definite nod to 1960′s Bauhaus graphics. And at 3.1 Philip Lim, Lim played with geometric patterns as well as block colours.

If you want to hear more stories from backstage and on the runway at New York Fashion Week, you can check out my blog Sherbet Stars. At New York I got my hands dirty by jumping in the media scrum to get photos of celebrities sitting front row and interviewed gorgeous models Coco Rocha and Natalia Vodianova. Enjoy!

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Straight from Pier54, unassuming tourists were treated to Alexander Wang’s Autumn/Winter ’10 collection. The show was streamed onto screens in Times Square that had the models storming down the catwalk in Wang’s latest collection. The Wall St banker aesthetic juxtaposed against the mantra of the gypsies is a statement to the tough economic times we are living in but also a rebellion against the banks restraints on creativity. Certainly no restraints were visible from any of the New York Fashion Week shows.

Wang had a strong vision for this collection: “I wanted this season to have this buttoned up, strict pristine feeling in the suiting. It’s well-tailored men’s jacket but taking that idea and not make it boring, dated and conservative. It’s the silhouette of kind of making the shoulders really tight and then longer in the sleeves so that it goes past the hands and taking off all the buttons off the jacket so that it almost becomes like a layering piece like a cardigan. Then taking the jacket from the top and using it as a skirt, the lapel and using it as a bra top.”

The texture most visible was ‘velour du jour’, velvet pieces for every occasion that could be carried from day into night. Deconstructed suits, capes reminiscent of hippies and his classic chiffon mixed dresses made this collection an enviable one. For such a young and new designer, the others should be shaking in their Prada boots. Images above of Wang‘s collection – below Rodarte.

Rodarte, the spearheads of romanticism didn’t disappoint either. The Mulleavy sisters built their collection on the idea of sleepwalking which carried a dream like quality around the room. They said that their collection had been influenced by a recent drive through Mexico and the town of Ciudad Juárez disturbed them.

The models looked like a haze floating down the catwalk in crisp whites and creams mixed with colourful print work. Their take on the wool jumper added a fresh feel to the worn out designs that have come before them – wrapping the fabric from around the neck to under the arm. The Mexican ethnicity was visible in tasselled skirts and patchwork, and their lace leggings are sure to reverberate in collections to come. Nicholas Kirkwood’s heels set off the collection perfectly and the dark washed hair of the models slicked back added the Rodarte edge to a more feminine collection. The show ended with a white lace gown, resembling a distressed wedding dress – A perfect day for a Rodarte wedding.

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Brown Thomas Lingerie Buyer, Mary Mullin, lists tips for men buying lingerie for their partners this Valentines:

First a bit of research is good advice – Take a peek in your partner’s underwear drawer to check sizes, sizing is something you should not guess!

Note the styles and colours she normally wears; is she more of a basic neutral, black or white underwear lady, if so try styles like Calvin Klein Seductive comfort, which goes to a DD size. This padded plunge style comes in black, cream and nude colours with simple scalloped edging. Prices start at €41 for the bra and pants at €26. Another option is Wacaol ‘Embrace lace’ (up to 36E) – beautiful neutral colours with lace finishes and amazing fits. Bra retails at €60 and pants at €40.

Does your partner love her colour, frills, and plenty of detail? If so there are plenty of choices up to a DD from brands like Elle McPherson, Pleasure State, Passionata and B.Temp’d, with amazing autumnal colours of purples, aubergines, reds, jades, navy and taupes. You can spend as little as €42 for beautiful seasonal product or, splash out on the Elle ‘boudoir’ or Pleasure State ‘couture’ ranges of exquisite silk and satin lingerie with extraordinary detail including Swarovski crystals and leavers lace; these ranges start at €100 for a bra.

For the fuller cup lady, try fashion brands like Elixir which go up to a 38F. This season they have the ‘Cassiopee’ which is in a beautiful shade of jade, again with wonderful lace detail. Fayreform also have seasonal ranges that go up to size 36G, in colours French navy, pink and latte! Prices from €47

Remember a fuller figure will look its best in an underwire or full cup bra, whereas a padded plunge bra is extremely flattering on more petite women.

Does she normally wear thongs, pants or boyshorts? Remember it’s not for you… and if you get the style and sizing right it shows the amount of effort you have put into this purchase! As a general rule for bottoms, a dress size 8 is a xs, a size 10 is small, size 12 is medium, size 14/16 is large etc…

If your partner is a little more daring, why not try styles from Myla or Agent Provocateur like peek-a-boo or quarter cup bras teamed with stockings & suspenders. Again the colours are very striking for the season with playful prints for the ultimate in boudoir chic!

If it all gets a bit confusing, there is always help on hand in store, with experienced consultants looking after each lingerie brand, who can steer you in the right direction very quickly.

The last bit of advice I would give is avoid anything marked ‘control’ or ‘slimming’. Although for many of us ladies it is a must for our underwear drawer, it is however not something you would want to receive as a Valentines gift!

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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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