Oh, to be a fabulous royal.

   


When it comes to a female British HRH her image is everything, with fashion being at the forefront and centre of that. Since Queen Elizabeth I right through to our own Queen Lizzie, every appearance has been sordid by an array of very smart statement frocks.  Looking back at the beautiful Princess Diana, you of course see this trend relayed with her image being based at the heart of British fashion. This idea then transcends into our fabulous Princess - Kate Middleton. Of course by no margin of comparison between the two, she has embellished our hearts with her free reign of style and amazing eye for detail, modelling some of the best in British fashion.

In some aspects she looks like she has taken style tips from Marina Diamondis and stepped out from a castle. In others she could have just given Alan Sugar the slip back in his office.

Since her wedding to William back in 2012 - we have seen Mrs M wearing worldwide designers, with a particular emphasis on British fashion culture.  If course keeping in well order and wearing only conservative and traditional piece., she still manages to add a flare to her wardrobe we haven't seen in the royal family before or since Diana.

I always feel women should dress one of two ways to be impressive. Inspiration taken from a bloodied up, cocaine wridden, NY hooker is the first, as this is the second. A great combination of flat jackets and pencil skirts that manage to eventuate a figure without looking like a pair of curtains. Not forgetting her wardrobe of dream coats by some amazing top designers, that I'm sure a lot of us are in awe of.

A true British style icon, Kate Middletpn is certainly one to look out for in the future, that is if she divorces William - or Prince George comes out as gay. On that topic, I can surely imagine Buckingham palace bedazzled with cheap drinks on a Thursday. Needless to say, she is still a princess, and needs to dress like one, but just for once, be dating and show is a nipple?

Feet need sex appeal too

Shoes are a necessitie - fabulous shoes are a basic human right. More than we should, we all throw on a pair of trainers on the way to work or an old, squashed pair of kitten heels on a night out. Obviously excluding myself - many people commit this atrocious act.

Back in the 70's and 80's, hookers developed an eccentric style which added to their essential sex appeal, and in turn their profits. Well here's  a reality check. Prostitutes dress better than you. Designers have started to realise that and are creating a hybrid of this style and artistic mentions. Below are a few styles I sketched from well known designers, who really understand the aesthetic of women's feet.

Fashion needs Art to survive

To understand fashion, you have to understand a lot. Most importantly is the art of the human body. For this reason I have decided to combine my passion of Art and Fashion by doing a little research by getting into the 'feel' of the human form, and develop a visual aesthetic on a personal level. Here are three of my own interpretations.

Kendall Jenner - Runway queen or runaway child?

            

Arguably one of the talking points of this year - Kendall Jenner defying 'reality' family and going into a real career, as a runway model? Hard to believe if you don't follow the starlets roller coaster family onscreen, but believe it or not she's surprisingly good. Even I want to slap the bitch for looking that good. Although I can't complain, I've spent all day catching up on Desperate Housewives instead of exercising, starving myself and spending cool millions on looking good - trust me, it would be millions.

Those of you who have tuned into 'Keeping up with the Kardashians' will at some point know that Jenner has wanted to be a model for quite a while, dating back to the first season [Oct 2007] in fact, and she does deserve a round of applause. Be that for looking fabulous or just avoiding the road her older sister took, and releasing a sex tape to become famous, and if you read this Kim [highly unlikely! I know] yes! we all know it wasn't intended for public release...cough. Now enough with the bitching, and let's have a look at Kendall's 'influential' moments in fashion. Although she doesn't Denver that seat next to Anna Wintour, just yet anyway.

 

Hard to believe that only a few months ago, we all knew her as Kim Kardashians younger sister, and fast forward four weeks and she's turning her eldest sister green in the face. Making her New York fashion week debut - Jenner took to the runway on Feburary 14th to represent the FW14 Marc Jacobs collection. Sporting bleached eyebrows and a generic brown bob, Kendall looked a million miles away from her normal Hollywood look, although it does look super fabulous. I know which look I would choose!

Fast forward a couple of weeks and we see Jenner, yet again on the runway. This time with a completely different look in Paris, for Givenchy. Strutting alongside Saskia de Brauw and Joan Smalls - she yet again embellished bleached eyebrows with her usual hair scraped back and split to mirage a sleek, 90's pixie cut, which went very well with the FW14 collection. Especially this full length, reptile print bodice.

Agreeably a great career choice for the teenager, but will it last. Sadly for her - I think not, and true to my word I think the likes of Kendall Jenner represents an evolving society which focuses more on a body type rather than a look. Of course Kendall is beautiful, potentially far too good looking to be a model, so a comment like this isn't directed her way. However the fact she is most likely only a model due to her family's social status is. One thing is for sure - she sure looks a damn sight better than Kylie Jenner, remember that trashy show her sister did only a few years back? Well here is a reminder. [sensitive viewers please look away now].

Remember the good old days with models such as Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Helena Christensen and Karen Mulder? Perhaps it's time to bring back models with real sex appeal - Although the ideal of Cindy Crawford taking to the runway in 2014 is a potentially terrifying though - or has Halloween come early?

End of life crisis?

An amazing designer he may be, however in my eyes this is the fashion equivalent of Paris Hilton bringing out her own line... Overrun and saturated. From an advertising perspective, it's pretty unclear to make out whether the label formulates of just accessories, or whether a full spread line of clothing has been produced.

 However if you're lucky enough to wander into a Lagerfeld (brand) store by accident, you'll come across a wilderness of I sorted and somewhat misplaced garments. The mens collection is somewhat reminiscent of the back page in a Boden catalogue. Certainly not to my taste, however the shirts are embossed by a pattern I thought died at the birth of Superdry's 'washbasket shirt'

something that could be best described as a 'Darren Shirt' (inside joke).

Staring out of the window and trying to remember the last time it rained, analysing droplets run down the window creating an ever so subtle spectrum is the best way I can describe the boredom I feel with this brand. Surprisingly Karl Lagerfeld himself didn't have complete control over what was produced, his team, know as the LAGERFELD brand pride themselves on their work and never let us forget it.

Transcending into the womenswear and my heart somewhat lifts, seeing a Chanel-esque touch. Not so much the Lagerfeld era but what I feel could have been an Ode to CoCo, or perhaps Karl had no idea what was being approved, and by so doing purge himself of the ability to design freely for the brand again. Or perhaps I'm getting too psycho-analytical?

An urban feel dominates the womenswear, with a very slight sweep of class... Not much though. Although a damn sight better than the mens it could still be a campaign for a new River Island collection. It's a little odd in my opinion, to start your own brand and not tailor to the consumer, by producing a line you would wear yourself. Forgive me but I can't remember a time when Lagerfeld wore anything but an 8 year-old boys suit. 

An ever long bus journey reminds me of a sobering fact, and that is no matter who you are, investing in your own brand at a career mid point is a sure way to credit ultimate demise when it comes to your image. Never the less, who is to say this won't be the next big thing? Oh wait, me.

Most wearable trends of Summer 2014

Get your skates on bitches. If you want to look half decent this summer, don't do the usual and run down to the beach in those soccer mom jeans and baggy T-shirt, get Geometrical and put a classy spin in those day to day outfits. 

The focal point of SS14 for womenswear has seen the reinvention of the 'gym look' and of course the 'soccer mom' look. Being either a wise move or a desperate attempt to hold onto clientele, it has worked. Of course fashion is eclectic, so you may love or hate the season, or you may pull off a trending outfit or look like a whale. 

The only thing I could wish for, would be for women (and men) to be more unique. Stop sheeping trends and yes, take a spin, but me more creative. We all know that an outfit defines a woman... In particular the shoes.

3 for £1 on Chanel?

As SS14 is in full swing, the more sporty side of fashion comes into play as Karl Lagerfeld presents Chanel and their AW14 collection. With a more relaxed feel to the clothing this season, I was hoping the elaborate catwalk didn't take all of the shine from the runway. On a positive note, it didn't. Although the pop art themed supermarket seemed to place an uncanny reference to Damien Hirst's 'Pharmacy' installation:- something I distinctively remember experiencing as a child. Or perhaps I'm just the sceptic blogger. Needless to say it has been the focal talking point of pop culture over the past two days.

The clothing seems to reflect what a lot of people feel at the moment, which is a boredom of high maintenance, I am not one of those people. With easy and manageable outfits, you would think this may distract from the on point, avant garde feel of modern day Chanel... It doesn't. Lagerfeld really shows us how to present a collection with a relaxed feel without going down the gym route. I'm sure we can all agree that the 'everyday housewife' look is starting to become a more permanent set with a seasonal refresh, this however was by far the most overt we have seen. The theme bears good reflection in the set, showing that it's a line of clothes that can be worn for mediocre, everyday chores...such as grocery shopping.

The first few lines we see feature generic tendencies of the modern day Chanel look; covetable, dramatic and youthful with a typical Chanel hybrid of dramatic and chic. This feel carried through the entirely of the show, except for the couple that flaunted through the supermarket, he carrying her bag of Chanel purchases. All in all the majority of the collection with emphasis of colour and material follows through with the sporting feel with sudden appearances of a dramatic edge, true to the image of the brand.

I can safely say that if anyone is to successfully and continuously re-invent the image of a brand while raising the bar for fashion, it is Lagerfeld. A true legend in the eyes of most. Although amazing, I'm pretty sure CoCo would turn in her grave at the thought of her classic and respectable brand being bent into a pop art era. I suppose we can't leave that for her to decide.

Images: Lea Colombo/Dazed Digital

www.chanel.com