Our Personal Stylist, Anna Moore talks you through the season’s key trends and picks out her favourite pieces from Westfield London stores. She also shares her expert tips on finding the right jeans for your body shape.
Get personal styling advice from Anna Moore. She can help you to find your new season wardrobe and discover which styles suit your shape and your lifestyle. Find out more about the Westfield London personal styling service.
Wondering how to update your wardrobe for the new season? One of the must-have items this Autumn/Winter is the cape, in all its swirling glory.
Cashmere cape, COS £219
It was seen on many designer catwalks. Favourites of ours were Celine, Chloe and Halston. Versions are now arriving daily in high street stores.
You may think the cape is hard to wear, but believe us, it’s not. It is the ultimate statement piece. Just throw it on and get an instant fashion upgrade. It suits all sizes and shapes too. Be warned though – you may feel compelled to swirl around in it like some kind of highwayman or Sherlock Holmes!
Left to right: Candy stitch cape, Reiss £195; Black military cape, Topshop £95
The wool cape is the ideal winter cover-up, but we’re also big fans of this trench-style cape from H&M.
Mac-style cape, H&M £34.99
Look out for capes in a range of colours. There are easy-to-wear, elegant styles in camel and black. Styles embracing the season’s military trend in khaki or stone with metal buttons and detail. Or you could stand out from the crowd in bright reds and bold checks.
Left to right: Check cape, M&S £65; Khaki parka cape, Miss Selfridge at House of Fraser £42
Summer dressing and floral prints seem to go hand in hand. This year’s no exception. We’ve spotted some rather stylish celebs in cute floral dresses this week – Cat Deeley, Eva Longoria Parker and Whitney Port, to name but a few.
We love Whitney’s dressed down look here. It’s slouchy, relaxed and casual with her simple embellished flipflops. She’s kept her hair loose and tousled for a style that looks effortless (even if it took an age to put together).
If you want to adopt the romantic floral look, check out some of these sweet, ditsy dresses.
Left to right: Roseprint dress, Miss Selfridge at House of Fraser £40; Sophie tea dress, Oliver Bonas £69; Romantic floral dress, Warehouse £30 now £25.
It’s that time of year again. Festival season is upon us. With Glastonbury this weekend and Reading/Leeds, Big Chill, Bestival, Latitude and so many more yet to come, it’s time to sort out your festival wardrobe. And now is such a good time to shop with the summer sales in full swing. You could pick up some brilliant bargains!
Right now, the sun is shining and people are smiling. Festival dressing is so much easier when it’s warm and dry. But looking good is made trickier by the camping and festival shower situation. Our advice is to aim for cool, comfy and relaxed styling.
Go for slouchy vest tops teamed with cute shorts or leggings. Add fringed or buckled ankle boots or Gladiator style flat sandals.
Left to right: Denim boyfriend shorts, Uniqlo £14.99; Felicity Gladiator sandal, Schuh was £29.99 now £20; Festival print vest, Republic £16.99; Mint ticking stripe short, Miss Selfridge at House of Fraser £25; Mai fringe bootee, Office £60 now £30; Black Logan cutout T-shirt, H! by Henry Holland at Debenhams £14.
Work the prairie look with ditsy print dresses and playsuits in florals or checks. Dresses can be long or short but remember that maxis may trail in the mud. Layer it up with a cropped denim jacket, crochet cardigan or relaxed denim shirt. Layers are the secret for festival dressing, you never know when those clouds and chilly breezes are going to come along.
Left to right: Cropped denim jacket, Dorothy Perkins £42; Floral playsuit, Next £20; Paisley print maxi dress, New Look £35 now £28; Denim shirt, Oasis £38 now £20; Cream crochet cropped cardigan, Miss Selfridge at House of Fraser £32.
Embellish and accessorise! Add some sparkle to a simple vest and tee combo with an embellished waistcoat and some tribal jewellery. Load up on chunky bracelets. Top it off with your must-have hat and don’t forget your sunnies and sunscreen.
And if the weather does turn rubbish – it is Britain after all - don’t forget your parka and wellies.
Left to right: Embellished waistcoat, River Island £24.99; Straw trilby, Next £5.50; Floral printed bangles, Accessorize £10; Black oversized sunglasses, Marks and Spencer £5; Batwing parka, Warehouse £55.
Need more inspiration? Steal Alexa Chung’s festival style!
The maxi dress is not new for this season but it is still a hot property. The long draping dress has become a summer wardrobe staple. Buy one now and you could snap up a bargain in the summer sales.
This candy-striped Cecile maxi by Leona Edmiston is on sale now for £165, down from £275!
Why do we love the maxi?
There are a number of reasons. It’s easy to wear and looks good daytime or evening. Maxis can be dressy or casual. It covers a multitude of sins so you can hide unshaven legs or cover up between waxes! Don’t think you can get away with neglected toenails though. Your toes will still be visible despite the long length dress, so book in that pedicure!
Left to right: Faith jersey maxi dress, French Connection £85; Westbourne maxi dress, Monsoon £180; Macrami maxi dress, River Island £29.90.
But you can make major mistakes with a maxi. Some styles can leave you looking like you’re wearing a tent, so avoid maxi dresses which drape you in too much fabric or cinch it in with a wide belt. A hot style this season is the more body-conscious maxi in clingy fabrics. That brings with it more factors to consider, but it is fabulous for showing off your curves.
Team your maxi with gladiator flats or wedge sandals, chunky tribal jewellery and shades.
Left to right: Bud bandeau maxi, Miss Selfridge at House of Fraser £45; Floral maxi, Gap £49.50; Floral bandeau, Republic £26.99.
Full prices are quoted here, but many sales are on now so look out for them at a discount. Find out details with our summer sales diary
Nothing screams British summer like a floral print. Florals are often thought of as mumsy, conservative and a tad prim. But think again. Flowers are blooming right now and they are bang on trend for summer 2010.
There’s a whole bunch of floral styles around. You’ll find girly, flowing florals for the romantic spirit. Looking for something a bit less chintzy? Go for bold, bright prints which will make an impact.
You’ll find florals in every dress shape from figure-hugging to floaty, so there’s definitely a style to suit you.
Left to right: Pansy print tunic, Monsoon £75; Ditzy zip skirt, Oasis £38; Trollied Dolly Cutie Pie dress, Oliver Bonas £55.
Flowery accessories are everywhere. Blame Carrie Bradshaw and her famous co-star, the corsage. That said, accessories are such an easy way to wear the trend. Go for a statement necklace, dainty earrings, chunky rings or just sling on a printed bag.
It doesn’t end there, beauty brands are hot on the floral trend too. Spritz on a flowery scent – we love the natural fragrances at Jo Malone or Clarins Eau des Jardins. Look out for pretty pinks, corals and other natural shades in make-up too. Don’t think can’t be green-fingered, there are some fabulous green nail polishes around this season. Dig in!
Left to right: Floral print scarf, Gap £16.50; Flower print bangle, Next £8; Enamel flower ring, Miss Selfridge £10; Red Roses cologne, Jo Malone £64 (100ml).
Blue is the definitely the colour right now – maybe add a smattering of gold to be politically correct.
After weeks, if not months, of grey, it’s time to break out the vibrant colours. It’s time for change. We’re not talking nautical navy or neutral ice blue, we mean the vivid, strong, royal blue. Add some energy to your wardrobe with a burst of blue.
It’s an easy colour to wear too. Whether you’re fair or dark, blonde or brunette – you can work the blue look. Be bold with a bright blue dress or trenchcoat. If that feels a bit too much, start with smaller touches – a belt, shoes, jewellery or bag. Blue looks great with this season’s utlitiy shades - khaki, cream, black or white.
The blue craze even extends to your make-up. We’re big fans of blue nails. Blue also works well on your eyes – just be careful not to end up looking like Pat Butcher!
Here are a few of our favourite blue items to brighten up your summer wardrobe.
L-R Feather drop earrings, £7 Accessorize; Belted A-line skirt, £35 Topshop; Ruffle front shift dress, £60 Oasis; Rimmel 60 seconds nail polish in Blue my mind, £3.49; Suede ruffle platform heel, £40 Miss Selfridge.
Back in the ‘80s, you couldn’t move for crop tops. Madonna flaunted her tummy in cropped lace tops, Yazz went sporty in a cropped vest top, while Bananarama larked about in a uniform of cropped loose T-shirts and ra-ra skirts.
For those of us that lived through the ‘80s, it was one of those trends we were glad to see the back off. After all, unless you had a toned stomach, they really weren’t the easiest look to rock.
Imagine our ‘delight’ then when we clocked a plethora of cropped tops hitting the high street. From cropped logo T-shirts to glammed up lace versions, if you want to be top of the crops, there’s plenty to choose from.
This is one trend however that really should be left to the young – if you remember the craze from the first time around, you should probably leave it alone.
If you do want to persist with the trend, try a bit of double layering and wear your lace cropped top over a white body or, wear a cropped jumper over a long-line vest. There are also some more modestly cropped tops out there (like the floral number from Miss Selfridge, below), which will look great paired with a high waisted denim skirt.
Top to Bottom: Cropped jumper, £7, New Look; Soul Cal California Crop Tee, £14,99, Republic; Lace cropped top, £38, Topshop; Floral cropped top, £35, Miss Selfridge
So, what do you think of the cropped top trend? Is it wearable? And more importantly will you be flashing your abs this summer?
The resurrection of the cycling short on this season’s catwalks was, at first sight, quite shocking. After all, the last time cycling shorts were on the fashion agenda, Kylie was dating Michael Hutchence, Take That were in the charts for the first time, and raves were the latest thing. Back then however, the look was sporty – party goers teamed cycling shorts with body-con dresses, oversized baseball jackets and hi-top trainers.
This time around, the look is thankfully much more sophisticated. Louis Vuitton and Prada showed in their Spring/Summer shows that cycling shorts are not as scary as they first seem. In fact, if you think of them as your summer leggings, you’ll suddenly realise a whole new potential in this sporty attire that you never previously recognised!
For a not-too-scary take on the cycling short look, team them with a long-lined vest and boyfriend blazer. Add a pair of fierce heels and you’ve got the perfect night-time look.
L-R: Boyfriend blazer, £20, New Look; Cycling shorts, £10, Warehouse; Sequin vest, £35, Oasis
If you’re a tad braver on the fashion front, why not copy Louis Vuitton and mix up your prints? We love these floral cycling shorts – add a floral dress in similar tones and some cute lace-up shoes and you’re good to go.
L-R: Amelia dress, £60, French Connection; Floral cycling shorts, £12, Topshop; Lace-up shoes, £35, Miss Selfridge
So, will you be fashion forward enough to try the new cycling shorts? Or do you think they should be resigned to the ‘90s? Tell us your comments below now.
We’re all excited and feeling very nostalgic about Tim Burton’s new 3D take on Disney’s classic childhood fantasy, Alice in Wonderland!
To celebrate, Miss Selfridge, Swarovski, Folli Follie and Urban Decay have all collaborated with Disney to create a range of themed clothing, jewellery and accessories featuring all of your favourite characters including the evil Queen of Hearts, the ever-so late White rabbit, the Cheshire cat with his famous grin and Alice herself.
Don’t miss Alice in Wonderland screening in cinemas across the UK from 5th March!
Pictured: Urban Decay eye shadow box, £28, exclusively at Debenhams, Miss Selfridge tank priced from £18, Folli Follie bag £145, Swarovski Flower Garden necklace, £235, and Ace of Heart cufflinks £9.50 at M&S.
