Hot New Trend: Dungarees

Dungarees. They have got to be the most controversial item of clothing ever invented. Like Marmite, you either loved them or hated them forty odd years ago and not much seems to have changed since. Funny, really, since they were first invented in the 1800s as labourer's overalls. But as ever with fashion, the banal becomes beautiful and the monstrous, magnificent once the fashion houses of Paris and Milan are finished with them.

Thanks to the creative brainchild of Margaret Howell and Kinder Aggugini, dungarees are back in the limelight for 2013, yet still haven't stopped dividing opinion on whether they should or should not be worn.

Margaret Howell RTW 2013

Kinder Aggugini RTW 2013

Admittedly, I am quite a fan of them myself. I find something attractive in their course, denim masculinity which, ironically, gives them an even more feminine quality. I especially like their 'slouchiness' (whoever said only diamonds and pearls can define beauty?). Alexa Chung and Pixie Lott seem to think so too, who have been recently papped sporting a pair.

Pixie Lott

Alexa Chung

I fell in love with them ten years ago, and desperately wanted a pair after watching an episode of Friends where Rachel looks indescribably adorable in them. Paired with a simple tee and sneakers, she creates the ultimate girl-next-door look. Don't you agree? Take a look at some street style below if you're in need of a little more inspiration...

Paint The Town Red: RTW Spring 2013

One of the most noticeable trends on the catwalk this season has been the colour red. From Dolce to Dior, Valentino to Versace, nearly all haute couture spring collections seemed to pay homage to it. An array of clothes donning the hot new colour were presented to us in the forms of sultry sanguine cinched-in suits, coral red cocktail dresses, fiery crimson ball gowns and silky cerise kimonos, all of which exuded sensuality and sophistication. So if you have to take away one message from the catwalk, take this: forget blacks and ditch greys and dare to be daring in red - this season's hot new colour!

Christian Dior RTW 2013

Alexander McQueen RTW 2013

Burberry Prorsum RTW 2013

Valentino RTW 2013

Dolce & Gabbana RTW 2013

Jonathan Saunders RTW 2013

Ralph Lauren RTW 2013

Nina Ricci RTW 2013

Miu Miu RTW 2013

 

Versace RTW 2013

TFW: Matohu Fall 2013

One of the collections that I adore from Tokyo Fashion Week is that of Matohu. Long woollen coats, quilted gilets and modest below-the-knee bell shaped skirts were big on the agenda this fall, all with an infusion of delicate shades of greys, creams, olives and teals. A playful use of texture pervades the collection, with interesting juxtapositions of heavy swathe tweeds and wools balanced with lighter fabrics such as silk, cotton and chiffon for blouses and skirts. The clothes are all so incredibly different to the quirky eccentricity of their French and Italian counterparts, yet, because of this, they possess a certain quality of charm so befitting to the ideal of the demure Japanese lady.

Hot New Trend 2013: The Swinging '60s

Flower power. Rock & Roll. The burning of the bra. These are just a few of the visuals that spring to mind when people talk about the most iconic era of all time. Albeit fifty odd years ago, the '60s is far from being forgotten and this season's runway has witnessed a refreshing comeback of the decade thanks to the fashion houses of Louis Vuitton and Moschino to name just a few.

Marc Jacobs' retro-inspired collection showed off A-line mini-dresses and prim button-down pinafores all with a clean chess-board block print. A contemporary twist was added to these sixties' classics by mixing them with somewhat less characteristic items of the decade such as cropped tops, jumpsuits and full-length skirts.

Mod-girl glam was revived for the second time as the Moschino models strode down the catwalk, donning clean-cut striped mini skirts and three quarter-sleeved tops. Bold was the look Rossella Jardini was undoubtedly going for, using a palette of either monochrome or primary colours with distinctive white edging around the lapels and pockets of the garments. The white-framed sunglasses and the riding helmets evoke a definite Audrey-esque quality to the collection (think Breakfast at Tiffany's!) as well as being perfectly reminiscent of the decade.

PFW: Emilio Pucci Fall 2013

Don't you just love the look that Mr Dundas of Emilio Pucci brought to us at Paris Fashion Week? His collection flaunted chemises and dresses in exotic prints broken up by golden or black suede-clad boots that reach all the way up the leg. The palette was interesting to say the least, contrasting lilacs and baby blues of chiffon and silk against injections of blacks, whites and metallica. The rulebook of fashion would have wholeheartedly condemned such bizarre contrasts of colours and textures yet it all seemed to work to perfection, bringing an interesting new dimension to the meaning of fun and glamourous haute couture.

A more simplistic palette from Dundas also hit the runway, featuring semi-transparent lace and silk dresses, creating more of a girly aesthetic. Right now I am very into sheer with opaque - it's a very elegant look.

PFW: Hermès Fall 2013

If Christophe Lemaire is anyone to go by, 'big' seems to be the new in-thing for this season. His fall 2013 collection for Hermès was by far one of my favourites of Paris Fashion Week, boasting over-sized trenches and swampy blouses, engulfing the bodies of the models and in doing so creating an inextricable sense of mystery. Despite the all-too-apparent expression of modesty there lies a hint of femininity through the black gartered espadrilles, cropped trousers and mid-calf hemlines, highlighting the graceful silhouette of the woman. The colour palette is wonderfully elegant, pairing the conventional black and white with the more earthy tones of tan and burgundy, misty blue and silver grey as are the textures of leather, silk and fur. Everything just seems so effortless, so 'last-minute choice' that it's impossible not to fall in love with it. Please take a look and feel free to comment.