Missoni led the way for this season with their tribal-inspired prints on the Spring/Summer catwalk at Milan Fashion Week. From details on shoes to statment jewellery to full on head to toe prints, the tribal look is a big look for the summer.
Heels £85.00, flats £55.00, both Office. Tribal scarf print Maxi dress, Warehouse, £85.00;Etched bangle, £9.99, Warehouse; Republic; House of Harlow ring, £65, House of Fraser.
‘I want a coo-ooo-ooo-oool rider’ sang Michelle Pfeiffer in Grease 2, which if you haven’t watched, well – you’re not missing much. But sing it she did. And the sentiment, if not the movie, lives on. Men in biker jackets are cool again, so say the catwalks of Dolce and Gabbana (pictured), Georgio Armani and DSquared2 among others. Here are some of our favourites in store now.
Spend: Left to right: Recluse biker jacket £350 All Saints; Aviatrix Black Mid Length Leather Hunter jacket, £220 £99.99, at Barön Jon
Save: Black leather look jacket £60 Topman; Crafted Turin Jacket £49.99 Republic
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!
Do you admire Alexa Chung’s style? We asked Westfield London’s Personal Stylist, Anna Moore for tips on how to dress like Alexa Chung.
Personal Stylist, Anna says, ” I believe style is achievable regardless of gender, age or body shape, it’s a state of mind!”
Anna believes in taking inspiration from on-trend celebs’ latest looks to create copycat outfits of your own.
Alexa Chung’s style
Anna says: “For a dress down look I think Alexa Chung really gets it right. She takes a trend and makes it her own and is very real.
I liked her Coachella Festival look and I think this could translate to a copycat outfit well – a playsuit, worn with an across the body bag and flat sandals.”
Left to right: Sandblast playsuit, Republic £26.99; Cross-body bag, Topshop £30; Rope espadrille sandal, Schuh £34.99
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
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?
