Wednesday, May 21, 2008

9 New Looks for Summer Fashion


Brights

Vivid brights top our list of favorite summer fashion trends. Grass green, hot pink, cobalt, yellow, orange: we love them all.
Wear It : Pick a bright color to wear next to your face that's flattering (blues, greens and pinks look great on almost anyone). Save the harder-to-wear colors (yellow and orange) for pops of color in footwear and handbags.

Safari / Tribal

Get ready for adventure with the newest tribal and safari looks this spring including beaded jewelry, animal prints and safari jackets.
Wear It : Head-to-toe tribal looks too costumey. Opt for a touch of explorer chic and pair it with something modern: a tribal print dress paired with metallic sandals, a safari jacket mixed with white jeans, etc.

Ombre


Ombre, dip-dye, degrade: call it what you want, but we like the dark-to-light faded look every which way.
Wear It: The basics of dressing for your body apply here: make sure the darkest part of the fade is on your largest body part (busty girls opt for an ombre dress that's darker up top, with a fade to lightness).

Maxi Dress


With all of the recent seasons of minis, the maxi dress is a refreshing change. Some of the best looks are strapless, bold florals.
Wear It: Long print dresses may be trendy, but that doesn't make them universally flattering. Look for ankle-length, rather than floor length, so the fabric won't overwhelm your body. Add heels and casually upswept hair to add visual height. The sexiest looks leave the neckline bare with long earrings and chunky bracelets.

Print Bag


Print bags are not just for the beach or baby wipes anymore. Fun florals, patchwork and zigzag prints like this Christian Dior bag are the perfect antidote to serious solid-color "It" bags.
Wear It: If you decide to wear a print bag with a print outfit, at least make sure the colors mesh well; the look is easiest to pull off with solids and colorblocking, though.

Jumpsuit

Ease up for summer with the ease of one-piece dressing. The look for summer includes both wide-leg jumpsuits and short jumpsuits.
Wear It: If you haven't tried a jumpsuit, you may be surprised by how balanced and flattering it makes your figure look. Choose a wider-leg jumpsuit that has controlled fullness and drape; keep the volume up top to a minimum.


Polka Dots

Polka dots add a bit of retro flair and fun to everything they touch, like this Lacoste swimsuit.
Wear It: There's nothing subtle about polka dots, so wear this look on body parts you want to show off. Because the print is so graphic, opt for simpler color combos (black/white, navy/white or red/white) for the classiest look.

New Florals

Forget about the tender, ditsy prints of years past. The new floral is strong, modern and sometimes eye-popping like this Diane von Furstenberg print.
Wear It: With bold prints, it's all about scale. Smaller frames look better in smaller prints or smaller doses of large prints.

Gladiators
Say goodbye to flip flops and opt for sexy, bold gladiator sandals.
Wear It: Gladiator sandals take center stage when you wear them, so choose something simple with clean lines to pair them with (a strapless black dress, a linen sheath, etc.)

Wardrobe Tips and Fashion Looks for Spring & Summer 2008

FIRSTLY - Get a modern clutch or box clutch handbag. The clutch comes in many sizes and is a great way to work toward downsizing your bags. The small clutch (much like a money purse wallet) could easily be removed from a larger tote bag and is great way to ease yourself into using smaller handbags.


SECONDLY - Add more skirt volume - Choose a dress or skirt which has some swing kick fullness. This is likely to be either a short gathered dirndl style skirt. Or, it may have soft easy pleats and could even be of circular style.



BLACK teamed with WHITE is a very strong look this spring. It is a statement contrast to all the brighter colours.



TRIBAL PRINTS are a must-have this Spring 2008 and have a sun scorched hue which reminds of Souk and Mediterranean sun soaked days. This global chic look trawls the world for inspiration and finds it in the murky earth tones of a Renaissance artist's palette. Browns, ochre, burnt umber, sienna, indigo blue all have that natural look also found in Indonesian block batiks, African, Mayan or Aztec graphics.
Safari elements can be full-on with military precision or softly diluted. The fabric can be utilitarian, or rich lush, and silky crisp. The simple ecru or golden camel colour scheme is well suited to safari styling and almost always looks expensive. Look for pockets and shirt waist elements highlighted by belts. The look can also be softened up with a sash bow tie, like this oyster dress centre left from Wallis.Ecru, gold and metallic footwear teamed with safari style gives an outfit a fresh modern touch. Select from golden gladiator sandals, wooden wedges shoes to bow trimmed shoe boots.


Key for this season are oversized patent shoppers, small structured clutch bags, chunky stack-heeled shoes, Gladiator sandals and statement necklaces matched with chunky bangles.
For true summer days, add a pair of Gladiator sandals or elasticated flats to the clutch bag. Choose natural tan, brown or metallic tones for ease of matching.






Latest Fashion Trends for Spring & Summer 2008

These eight fashion mood boards illustrate the colours for Spring and Summer 2008. Each story board highlights a different colour fashion trend, mood and theme. I hope that these story boards will give you an insight into what's best in this season's high-street shops.

Eight Fashion Colour Mood Boards

Pinks Fashion Colour Moodboard
Magenta Purple Mauve Fashion Colour Moodboard
Dark Indigo Iris Blues Fashion Colour Moodboard
Pure Blues Fashion Colour Moodboard
Greens Fashion Colour Moodboard
Yellow Gold Tones Fashion Colour Moodboard
Black and White Monochrome Fashion Colour Moodboard


Pinks Fashion Colour Moodboard for Spring Summer 2008

Magenta Purple Mauve Fashion Colour Moodboard

Dark Indigo Iris Blues Fashion Colour Moodboard

Pure Blues Fashion Colour Moodboard

Greens Fashion Colour Moodboard

Yellow Gold Tones Fashion Colour Moodboard

Neutrals, Ecru and Creams Fashion Colour Moodboard

Black and White Monochrome Fashion Colour Moodboard

Top Twenty New Fashion Looks for Spring and Summer 2008

Of these top twenty fashion trends, just 3 or 4 will probably have some real impact on your wardrobe.
VOLUME - Short full dirndl swishing skirts - Belted volume, fluid dhoti pants cropped or long
SHOES - Colour & print, wedges, Gladiators, espadrilles, peep toes, cone wooden heels, straps
ROMANCE - Tiered ruffles , frills and roses on skirts, dresses, tops, blouses, necklines
LE JARDIN - BOTANICAL - DOLLY PRINTS - Retro florals, 40, 50s, 70s flower print blouses
ARTIST BRUSHSTROKES - PAINTERLY PRINTS - Graffiti like scribbles and smears, Ombre dip/tie dyed
FABULOUS FROCKS - Asymmetric draped dresses, tea dresses, maxi dresses
UNDERWEAR EFFECTS - Transparent chiffons - layered sheers, see through construction dresses, jackets
CITRUS BLOCK COLOURS - Orange, tangerine, mandarin, peach, yellow, gold, lemon, yellow, citrus green
TRIBAL EARTH - AFRICAN Traditional prints - Earthy Asian textures, animal and feather fabrics
TOP COLOURS - PURPLE REIGN - Violet to lilac - sugar almonds - soft tints - neon shocks
ECLECTIC PATCHWORK - Multi coloured mixed materials in frocks, t-shirts and footwear, jarring to exquisite
JUMPSUITS - The all in one jumpsuit go anywhere outfit, cut for evening and day, deluxe or safari style
TROUSERS - HIGH WAIST FLARED JEANS - Coloured skinny jeans, cropped narrow jodhpurs, wide trousers
MILITARY SAFARI - Practical pockets, easy shirt stand summer dresses, military touches
THE NEW DENIM - DENIM BLUE - Frayed and faded with white shirts or whitework Victoriana prairie blouses
NAUTICAL TAILORING - Blazers, trims, shoulders, tuxedo shawl collar white narrow/wide pants suits.
AMERICANA - Traditional stripes, spots and celestial stars. Navajo and Rockabilly looks
DECORATION - TRIMS or BRAIDS - Folkloric embroidery, cutwork, laser cutting, bead embellished fringes
LUXURY MATERIALS & FABRICS - Leathers, satins and silks, fine embroidery, fabric flower roses
ACCESSORIES - Clutch/small handbags, cuffs, bangles, big sunglasses, scarves, skinny belts.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The colour trends for Summer 2009 for men, women and inner wear have already been declared by Pantone





Nike Rejuven8 Trainers


At a Thanksgiving dinner in 1999, a NIKE innovation leader’s seven-year-old son took the protective fruit net off an Asian pear and placed it around his bare foot. It was a playful gesture that immediately sparked the imagination of NIKE’s design team, spawning the first Air Rejuven8 prototype—built from the very same netting and hot-glued to a last. What intrigued designers about the structure was the way the material worked in harmony with the foot’s shape, as well as its graphic look. But, at the time, the technology required to make the Air Rejuven8 was too complex for conventional shoe manufacturing. Its various prototypes ended up at the bottom of a drawer for nearly five years, out of sight, but not out of mind.
In 2003, Nike innovation designer Pam Greene was studying the comfort aspects of a shoe: important foundation work for delivering recovery benefits to the feet of weary athletes. Greene immediately saw potential in the netting design, working out a tangible plan for the shoe’s construction. After six months researching materials and geometries for the net structure, Pam, a specialist in designing comfort footwear, crafted the shoe into a prototype phase that showed a unique ability to assist recovery and enable restorative running. After an additional year of testing and refinement by the Kitchen team, the Air Rejuven8 concept was ready to see the light of day.
The key innovation of the Air Rejuven8 is its injection-molded exterior cage. Made from one shot of TPU polymer, the network of diamond-shaped “struts” is engineered and aligned to fit around the foot to be both supportive and non-restrictive. The spacing, orientation, and thickness of each strut adds support and flex only where it is needed, allowing the use of less material in the upper. The strength-to-flex characteristic of the diamond’s geometry gives the structure its minimal, yet highly functional quality. The entire network conforms dynamically to the changing shape of the athlete’s foot in motion and at rest, while the openness of the structure allows for airflow, breathability, and the movement of moisture away from skin needed in comfort footwear.

Monday, May 19, 2008