SS19 Trend - Surfin' USA

With my California road trip just around the corner and my planning / Route 66 playlist taking shape nicely, it filled me with so much excitement seeing this Surfin USA' trend emerge from the runway. When you've been dreaming of a Cali road trip for as long as you can remember, this trend was an inevitable standout for me this season. Kicking things off in New York, Raf Simons showcased his latest collection for Calvin Klein, with a pretty major homage to the film Jaws. Models sported t-shirts emblazoned with the iconic 1975 film poster (sure to be a lust worthy SS19 sell out item) teamed with floral wetsuit skirts. It was quite the look. Talking of wetsuits, neoprene was the fabric of choice at both Etro and Marine Serre, the later of whom fashioned the fabric into red carpet worthy gowns. When it came to print the likes of: Michael Kors, R13 and Etro all showcased classic surfer motifs, palm trees and loosely drawn tropical patterns. All the above, of course, came in vibrant summery hues. To round things off, it wouldn't be a California/Surfin' trend without a large dose of tie dye. As documented earlier this month on my blog, tie dye was a key trend for Resort 19 and it came out in full force for S19 under this new macro trend. Classic, 90's style, psychedelic swirl tie dye patterns were seen on the runway at R13. Kaia Gerber teamed her trippy tie dye blazer with cut off denim shorts - another classic nod to laid-back Cali style. Slightly more muted tie dye prints were seen at No.21 and Stella McCartney, who translated the print onto to jumpsuits. With so many elements instrumental in making this trend, it is likely that most people will already have items in their wardrobe that will fit the theme. A brightly coloured hoodie, washed out denim, or maybe even a tie dye t-shirt that you've worn to music festivals. If not, do not panic as it is only a matter of time before the high street is awash with surfer print slogan tee's. This is one of the most fun trends we have seen for a while, and I for one am totally living for it!

Phillippa x

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Resort 19 Trend - Ambient Tie-Dye

With somewhat of a 90's revival happening in the world of fashion, it comes as no surprise that the humble psychedelic print is back for Resort 19. Whilst tie-dye will occasionally make an appearance on the runway for S/S, namely because it's the kind of print which heralds the start of the warmer seasons and sunshine vacations, this season it's presence is much more noticeable across the board. Gone are the fluro swirls and rainbow stripes and in are a new set of ambient summer colours: teal, powdered mauve and earthy clay, with injections of lapis and fuchsia. Silhouettes are loose, in keeping with the light brushstrokes and ethereal nature of the print itself. There is little to no structure with a tie-dye print, the same as the silhouettes seen here. This print trend has also evolved into the Summer Surfin' trend we have more recently seen for SS19 (blog post coming next week). Thus proving the power of tie-dye is here for the long haul.

Phillippa x

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Outfit of The Month - January

'New Year, New Me' - who am I kidding? Old habits die hard, and i'm not ready to give up the skirts, polo necks and killer ankle boots just yet. Cue this amazing pair of boots from Office. Ok so I know what you're thinking, they look the spitting image of the Chloe 'Rylee' boots - yes they do. I love a good high-street/designer dupe and as soon as I laid my eyes on this pair they were in my shopping basket faster than I could get my card out of my purse. Like the Chloe boots, of which they pay homage to, they come in various colours but sensible footwear has never been my style so naturally I opted for the snakeskin version. Basing the whole look on the boots, as a starting point, I thought they would look great teamed with this asymmetric midi skirt from Self-Portrait. Ruffles are on trend this season, and the camel shade is always seasonally appropriate. A classic, black, polo neck from Chloe further adds to the sophisticated feel of the total look. On closer inspection, the polo neck has a horse motif intarsia pattern on it, adding a slight equestrian twist to the outfit. Talking of equestrian, I thought this cross-body bag from The Row complemented that theme. It's an updated, and luxurious, take on the 'bum bag' trend that has been talking the fashion world by storm this past year. Whilst this version won't allow you to fit 'everything but the kitchen sink' in it, it is still a sartorial winner. Finishing the look is a classic tailored coat from Burberry, under the supervision of Ricardo Tisci, and a pair of gold hoops from Missoma.

Phillippa x

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Golden Globes 2019 - Red Carpet

The 76th annual Golden Globes took place on Sunday evening in Los Angeles. Here is my roundup / review of who wore what on the red carpet...

Jessica Chastain - Burberry / Rosamund Pike - Givenchy Haute Couture

Jodie Comer - Ralph & Russo Couture / Heidi Klum - Monique Lhuiller Fall 19

Charlize Theron - Dior Haute Couture / Sofia Carson - Giambattista Valli Fall 18 Couture
Janelle Monae - Chanel Pre-Fall 19 / Rachel Weisz - Celine

Keri Russell - Monique Lhuillier Fall 19 / Emily Blunt - Alexander McQueen

Saoirse Ronan - Gucci / Anne Hathaway - Elie Saab

Gemma Chan - Valentino Haute Couture / Camilla Belle - Jason Wu

Lupita Nyong'o - Calvin Klein / Allison Janney - Christian Siriano S19 

Gina Rodriguez - Reem Acra S19 / Alison Brie - Vera Wang

Lady Gaga - Valentino Haute Couture / Yvonne Strahovski - Alberta Ferretti

Halle Berry - Zuhair Murad Fall 18 / Catriona Balfe - Moschino

Nicole Kidman - Michael Kors / Danai Gurira - Rodarte

Julia Roberts - Stella McCartney / Lucy Liu - Galia Lahav Fall 18 Couture

Emma Stone - Louis Vuitton / Kate Mara - Miu Miu

Rachel Brosnahan - Prada / Claire Foy - Miu Miu

Emmy Rossum - Monique Lhuillier / Jameela Jamil - Monique Lhuillier

Sandra Oh - Atelier Versace / Thandie Newton - Michael Kors

Dakota Fanning - Armani Prive / Julianne Moore - Givenchy

My Best Dressed

1. Rosamund Pike wearing Givenchy - The statuesque actress looked stunning in this daring Givenchy dress. The gown alone was flawless, but it was the embellished jacket which really added extra sartorial flair and drama to the look.

2. Saoirse Ronan wearing Gucci - Easily one of my favourite stars, Saoirse never puts a foot wrong on the red carpet. This beaded gown from Gucci had a 1920's feel to it and whilst on many stars this dress would look 'sexy' on Saoirse it manages to look effortlessly sophisticated. Love it!

3. Lupita Nyong'o wearing Calvin Klein - No one does block colour better than Lupita. This electric blue dress, with delicate embellishments, was perfect in it's column silhouette. 

4. Dakota Fanning wearing Armani Prive - The young actress often plays it safe on the red carpet, and whilst this look was not a huge departure form her usual red carpet style, it looked flawless. Sometimes 'less is more' and that proved to be true in this instance. The bodice had a classic cut and fit like perfection.

5. Jodie Comer wearing Ralph & Russo - The Brit star of hit show 'Killing Eve' looked incredible in her Ralph and Russo tiered dress. She brought drama to the red carpet in this gown, perfectly appropriate for such an event.

Who was your best dressed?

Be sure to stay tuned to my blog for red carpet reviews of the main award shows this season, including: the Grammys, Brit's, Bafta's and Academy Awards.

You can also follow my 'Celebrity Red Carpet' board over on my Pinterest (details below) for more red carpet, and after party, red carpet moments.

Phillippa x

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Pantone Colour of The Year 2019 - Living Coral

It is that time of the year again when designers and creatives alike, turn to the mothership Pantone to see which is the holy grail colour of the upcoming year. So needing little or no introduction, as the title of this post does drop a massive spoiler, the 2019 colour of the year is 'Living Coral'. This colour was selected due to its energising nature but it also has a 'softness' to it. Found in coral reefs, this colour joyfully brings to life various aspects of nature but mesmerizes the audience with it's ability to be found away from prying eye's in our oceans. The subject of global warming and plastic waste was one of the most talked about topics of the past year, with many retailers making a more conscious effort to reduce waste and minimize their carbon footprint. The superb David Attenborough series Blue Planet 2, released last year, heightened the plight of our coral reefs and subsequently became one of the most groundbreaking documentaries of our generation. 'Living Coral' also ties in nicely with the trend for all things neon, which we have seen the past couple of seasons. So expect to see this colour appearing on everything from fashion to accessories, interiors to product design.

Phillippa x

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