Scottish Textiles

Everybody wants to look perfect on the big day.  A woman’s wedding day is a once in a lifetime experience that will be cherished forever, so nothing short of the best will suffice.  If you are planning to marry in 2012 and want to stay on trend, then read on to discover the latest wedding fashions and ideas for this year.

Embellishment

Beautiful and delicate embellishments in all shapes and sizes are a definite trend for 2012 weddings.  Inspired by Kate Middleton’s royal wedding dress and designed by Sarah Burton, embellishments in the form of beaded bodices, precious stones and net are all signs of a fashionable gown.

Vintage

Simple and vintage style silks are what the 2012 wedding dresses are all about, with designers such as Valentino drawing inspiration from former eras and adding modern day glamour. 

Boho Bride

Kate Moss embodied the boho bride look during her celebrity wedding last year, she looked elegant and chic, fashioning a dress by designer John Galliano.  Loose fitting dresses, layers and a simple headscarf will all bring the boho vibe to any wedding look.

This winter, novelty jumpers have been making an appearance everywhere we turn.  As winter ends, do not expect these novelty knits to disappear.  Although we all want to put our winter woollies to the back of the wardrobe, and say goodbye to them for yet another year in the anticipation of fresh spring days and warm summer evenings, Britain’s weather is just not that generous, and a jumper is a vital piece that plays its role all year around.

The designers have been keeping this in mind when putting together their spring/summer collections, and a statement knit has been worked in to cater for this British style dilemma.  Who said a novelty jumper was only for Christmas anyway? 

Matt Damon, Justin Bieber and Ferne Cotton are just a handful of the celebrities that have been keen to display their knits this winter.  From animal prints, chunky designs, and even pom-poms, there is no limit to these novelty jumpers.

Some online companies will take specific orders and create you your own 100% unique and individually designed knit, which could be a great addition to your wardrobe this season and next.

Novelty knitwear

The famous dress worn by Amy Winehouse on her Back to Black album cover will auctioned to raise money for the charity created in her memory. It is expected to raise up to £20,000 for the Amy Winehouse Foundation which is a charitable trust set up by the late singer’s family.

The memorable printed chiffon dress was returned to Thailand-based designer Disaya after the album cover shoot in 2006 and now the designer has decided to put it up for auction at La Galleria, London, on November 29. All the proceeds will go to the foundation which has been set up to support charitable activities for vulnerable young people after the death of Amy Winehouse in July.

Fashion auctioneer Kerry Taylor said: “In my opinion, what makes this particular dress so special is that it is an emblematic reminder of the magic voice and sublime talent of Amy Winehouse – a sound that resonates with an entire generation, and always will.”

The Back to Black was a multi-platinum-selling album and sold at least 3.2 million copies to date and features chart hits Rehab and You Know I’m No Good.

Amt WInehouse Back to Black Album cover

The collar is a hot trend for Autumn/Winter 2011-2012 with cute necklines featured on everything from dresses and shirts to winter coats and jumpers. The particular collar shape that is causing a huge stir on the fashion pages is the Peter Pan collar.

The cute Peter Pan shaped collar is a long standing firm favourite with vintage fashion fans, but is now flooding the Autumn/Winter collections as the ultimate style to be seen in. Alexa Chung has sported Peter Pan collars as part of her key look for years, and the collar craze is spreading fast through the fashion hot list with Michelle Williams and Hailee Steinfield recently seen sporting a cute collar.

Preppy and vintage looks are achieved by having a crisp white Peter Pan collar peeking from underneath an understated thin knit jumper, but there are also a variety of glitzy numbers hitting the market. Adding a feminine and flattering touch to some of the heavier winter trends, the collar can give a unique pretty edge to even the baggiest woollen knit. Sequined or embellished collars are proving a popular addition to the coming season’s dresses, adding an additional touch of a la mode glamour. Started by the designer collections of the likes of Louis Vuitton and DKNY, there are a vast number of Peter Pan collar adorned garments making their way to the high street, from prim neat necklines to oversized statement collars.

Receiving a major facelift for Autumn/Winter, jeans have been reinvented to take centre stage rather than their usual place as practical accompaniment this season. The new jeans are skinny, colourful, patterned, printed and aptly named the ‘cocktail jean.’ Versions are available throughout the high street and designer stores with the price tag ranging from high-end to cost savvy, making the trend accessible to all.

Major A-listers such as Isla Fisher, Katie Holmes, Kate Moss and the ultimate fashionista Sarah Jessica Parker have all been spotted in their cocktail jeans by the fashion press, marking the item’s place as the hottest style of the year. By far the most sought after cocktail jean look is fun prints, especially leopard print, snakeskin or stingray. These designs are perfect for relaxed rock n roll chic, especially when teamed with a loose tee shirt and scruffy hair.

Not so long ago the skinny jean was perceived to be a difficult look to pull off, but just a short time later they have become a staple item in most women’s wardrobes. The cocktail jean is set to be the same; a little intimidating at first, but once embraced they will become a firm favourite and ultimate go-to item when looking for a quirky ensemble. Equally impressive with casual pumps and a woollen jumper for daytime or dressed up with a tailored jacket and heels for evening glamour, the cocktail jean is the one item you absolutely must have in your Autumn/Winter wardrobe collection.

You can follow the evolution of T shirt printing as an art form by studying surviving examples from the past.  Many vintage shirts are now sought after as collectibles; the 1948 presidential campaign shirt “Dew It with Dewey” is enshrined in the Smithsonian collection as an early specimen of the genre.

Early Disney shirts are highly popular, as are movie and TV promotional shirts, airbrushed surfing shirts and especially music industry creations for tours and albums.  Ebay has listed a vintage T-shirt featuring the 1966 Beatles Butcher cover at $20,000 (around £12,500), while Woodstock original T-shirts occasionally turn up at prices ranging from $2,000 to $10,000 (£1,250 to £6,000 approximately).

If you can’t find, or afford, an original there are many reproduction or ‘retro’ T-shirts available.  People have gone to great lengths to resurrect designs from the early classic shirts.  The 1960s and 1970s were particularly fertile decades for peace art, psychedelia, and cartoon designs from masters such as Robert Crumb.

You can also recreate your own version too, by designing your own and using Adlogo to print them up, although if you’re looking to sell them you should not copy designs exactly as you could face prosecution over copywrite. However if it’s just for yourself then you shouldn’t encounter any problems

Alternatively, you may want to start collecting contemporary T-shirts, either to wear or to preserve for future profit.  T-shirt printing today offers such a range of possibilities that you may have trouble focusing a collection.  Do remember that a celebrity collectible is more valuable if autographed.

T-shirt text and images have encompassed the whole of popular culture for the last 50 years.  Just as you can be sure that a T shirt exists somewhere for even the most obscure activity or philosophy, it’s almost guaranteed that someone somewhere is collecting T shirts on that theme.

Cruising Cannes

Karl Lagerfeld knows how to make an entrance.  His 2011 Cannes Film Festival arrival was proof that no celebrity is immune to the star power of Chanel.  Chanel’s Cruise 2011-2012 line made its debut at the crème de la crème of film festivals while the world’s most famous celebrities sat front and centre.

White satin gowns, palazzo pants, dropped waist dresses and shift dresses adorned with beads and other embellishments, all inspired by ‘20s and ‘30s glamour, did not disappoint.  Almost as fabulous as the clothes were the celebrity onlookers such as Blake Lively, Rachel Bilson, Alexa Chung, Vanessa Paradis, and Anna Mouglalis, almost all of whom sported Chanel while on the sidelines.

What is Cruise?

While most are familiar with the twice yearly seasonal lines of Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer, few give much thought to the slightly more ambiguous line that lies somewhere in between.  Cruise, also known to some as the Resort Collection or Holiday Travel Collection, is made up of clothing geared toward frequent travellers or someone heading out on holiday to escape the winter cold.  Cruise wear is delivered to stores in early November and usually stays in stores until the Spring/Summer lines arrive in March and early April.  The mid-season line is particularly attractive to retailers due to an extended shelf life and ample time to sell.  As a result, Cruise collections are becoming increasingly important to designers.

Musicians have always had an impact on fashion.  Michael Jackson and Prince are two of the kings of flamboyant male fashion styles, having inspired designers all over the world for the last thirty years.  However, there is another fashion that is rarely acknowledged but very widely seen.  It lurks in the back rooms and smoky bars, and everyone at some point has seen a long haired man dressed head-to-toe in a combination of ripped jeans and a leather jacket.

Denim and leather has become a uniform for rockers and ‘metal-heads’ over the last forty years and its esoteric origins all stem from one man:  Robert John Arthur ‘Rob’ Halford of Judas Priest.  Inspired by their song ‘Hell Bent for Leather’, Halford once wore a biker jacket covered with metal studs for a gig and the metal ‘uniform’ was instantly born.  It was not long before kids all over Britain and America were stitching denim waistcoats onto leather jackets and covering them in studs and badges.

Those kids grew into musicians themselves and so the style was copied by just about every rock band to follow, which helped to cement the classic look it is today.  Iconic bands such as Iron Maiden and Metallica owe their style to Rob Halford.

The uniform symbolizes the un-wealthy masses that exist in their own subculture, downtrodden by society, but proud to be part of something larger.  Halford himself is now famous to fans for changing his leather trench-coats every few songs.

While being a comparatively small subculture, denim and leather has lived on through the birth and death of many fashion styles and still remains as strong as ever.

Skinny jeans and bell-bottoms are not the only choices to look forward to this season.  The retro influence reaches back past the 1970s into the 1950s, and revives the cropped pants look for a feminine and chic Audrey Hepburn style.

J Brands, James Jeans and MiH Jeans are all rolling out cropped pants for the 2011 fashion season.  Paired with a kitten heel or ballet flats, they project the demure, pixie-like air of a Hepburn or a Bardot.

Most crops end above the ankles, and work well with short-sleeved, girlie, ruffled sweatshirts or slouchy T-shirts.  The Gigi style from J Brand’s tosses in a kicky flare at the bottom of the pants for a flirty, fun feel.

Try a pair in white, topped with a nautical-striped blouse or soft pastel shades for a spring or summer afternoon day at the beach or park.  MiH Jeans has a beautiful pair of cropped pants in white that would also work with well metallic or black flats and a vibrantly coloured blouse.

However, remember with this type of cropped pants, the length of the pants can shorten the silhouette, and that can affect the proportion of your line.  Avoid wearing crops as leggings or with tunic blouses or long coats.  Elongate the look by wearing it with a tucked-in blouse or body suit.  You can play off the pants further by pairing them with jackets or tops that hit right above the hip line.

The best and brightest stars of stage and screen shined through the rainy late afternoon in gowns and ensembles of vibrant colours for the SAG Awards in Hollywood.

Perhaps the two who stood just a little above the rest were Mila Kunis and Jennifer Lawrence.  Kunis wore an Alexander McQueen strapless, red floral dress that seemed to emulate Michelle Obama’s McQueen gown for the Chinese state dinner held earlier this month.  Lawrence chose a shocking pink Oscar de la Renta frock belted with a black ribbon.

Hailee Steinfeld took a more playful stroll down the red carpet in an orange gown banded with pink and black stripes.  It was the perfect choice for a teenager at the awards show.

Others displayed the classic looks and sophistication for which they are known.  Nicole Kidman dazzled in a Nina Ricci black gown with cap-sleeves and a lovely lace back.  Julianna Margolis shimmered subtly in a strapless, red Yves Saint Laurent that fit her like a glove.  Still others looked classically beautiful in various shades of blue, such as Jane Lynch, Mariska Hargitay and Lara Embrey.

Natalie Portman, who wore Viktor & Rolf to the Golden Globes, arrived on the red carpet in a white Azzaro ball gown with a silver beaded neckline.  Both choices came under critics’ fire with the Viktor & Rolf gown panned as silly and the Azzaro declared old-fashioned.

Further individuality on the star-studded night was confirmed when Julie Bowen arrived in a black,  plunging halter jumpsuit from Malandrino.