FASHION RESOLUTION 1: EMBRACE PRINT AND COLOUR

I'm back! I hope you had a fabulous, peaceful Christmas like mine. Now it's time to look ahead to the new year, and with the dawn of each new year comes the inevitable list of over-optimistic resolutions to detox, diet, work-out and generally deny oneself life's many pleasures. Which is why I prefer to think about my fashion resolutions, which I define as 'subtle ways to enhance and improve my style and wardrobe' (...much more optimistic since they often can be fulfilled through my favourite hobby; shopping!)

My first fashion resolution? To embrace the huge S/S12 trend for glorious prints and vibrant colours, often artfully clashed. My style comfort blanket is undoubtedly neutral colours (black, grey and beige reign supreme in my wardrobe) but bright colours really work against my pale skintone and are instant mood-enhancers too! So what better place to look for inspiration than the S/S12 catwalks...

All images courtesy of style.com.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Image courtesy of  fashionillustrationgallery.com

I'm taking a few days off from Lafashionfolie blogspot over Christmas to eat, drink, be merry and listen to Last Christmas by Wham! on repeat (best song of the season, hands down).

So I just want to take this opportunity to wish all my lovely readers a very merry Christmas; and what better way to say it than with this beautiful vintage Jaeger Christmas advert drawn by one of my all-time favourite fashion illustrators René Gruau? So have a wonderful, peaceful holiday and I shall be back before the New Year!

Sophie x

BEETLEJUICE CHIC

Let your accessories glimmer this winter with the latest trend for all-things iridescent. There's something deeply appealing about pearlescent accessories that reflect multi-tonal shades, inspired by the beautiful wings of a beetle. If you're feeling flash, splash out on a Marc by Marc Jacobs or Comme Des Garcons clutch to update your party outfit. And you're feeling the pre-Christmas pinch then add a slick of Models Own Beetlejuice nail varnish to your talons to tap into the trend on the cheap.

 1. Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Mini Hillier bag, Selfridges.com, £235.00. 2. Beetlejuice nail varnishes, Models Own, £5 each. 3. Comme Des Garcons iridescent metallic leather pouch, net-a-porter.com, £120. 4. Marc by Marc Jacobs Karlie Classic Q pouch, Selfridges.com, £220.00. 5. Marc by Marc Jacobs Class Q vertical wallet, Selfridges.com, £75.00.

HOLLY WILLOUGHBY'S NEW COLLECTION FOR VERY

Wow! How gorgeous does Holly Willoughby look in this photoshoot for her latest collection for Very? Well the answer is very! Ouch, sorry for the bad pun but I couldn't resist.


What I like about This Morning presenter Holly is that she has her own distinctive sense of style that suits her hourglass figure perfectly. She takes inspiration from vintage 1940's and 1950's shapes when designing her collections because the tea dresses and full-skirted styles from both decades look great on curvier girls. The styling for this shoot is spot-on too, the Marilyn Monroe inspired hair do really suits Holly, she looks like an old school Hollywood screen siren.

All images are courtesy of the Daily Mail.co.uk.

Holly Willoughby's latest collection is available now at Very.co.uk.

PYJAMA PARTY

The must-have item that every girl should have in her wardrobe this Christmas? The festive knit? A sequin party dress? A fur-trim coat? No, no and nope. The one item that Lafashionfolie advocates every girl must have is a fabulous pair pyjamas. Because after all, if your Christmas holidays are anything like mine, you will find it hard to change out of them before 12pm most days. So make sure your PJ's are up to scratch and pick a spanking brand new pair from the lovely selection available on the high street at the moment. 

Go for a sophisticated oriental feel as seen in this pretty Topshop set below ( number 5.) or luxurious silk like J. Crew's star print pair (numbers 1. and 2.) And if you are a taller lady like myself (I'm 5 ft10) I can't recommend Long Tall Sally's nightwear enough, finally I have found pyjama bottoms that are long enough in the leg (numbers 3. and 4.). And don't forget the accessories, for the cutest slippers head to Topshop or splash out on Marc by Marc Jacobs' adorable velvet mouse slippers. Lounging around has never been so stylish!

1. J.Crew star print silk pyjama top , net-a-porter.com, £130. 2. J.Crew star print pyjama bottoms, net-a-porter.com, £110. 3. Long-sleeve jersey top, Long Tall Sally, £20.00. 4. Rose PJ bottoms, Long Tall Sally, £25.00. 5. Oriental floral pyjamas, Topshop,  £28.00. 6. ELLE eyelash suedette slippers, Topshop, £16.00. 7. Marc by Marc Jacobs velvet mouse slippers, net-a-porter.com, £200. 8. ELLE suedette heart slippers, Topshop, £16.00.

NEON ON THE HIGH STREET

Following my recent post on next season's neon trend dropping at Net-a-porter.com,  I was inspired by a comment left by Amanda of Dress Down Demeanor to put together a fluro look on a high street budget. Here's what I came up with....

1. Speckle t-shirt midi dress, Topshop, £34.00. 2. Mars loafer shoes, ASOS, £15.00. 3. Fluro belt, ASOS, £8.00. 4. Snake and fluro shopper, ASOS, £25.00.

X FACTOR'S LITTLE MIX ROCK PERSONALISED JUMPERS

I had serious sweater envy when I spotted X Factor winners Little Mix in these personalised dipdye sweaters.

Good news is, we too can steal the cute-as-a-button Little Mix look, because the girls picked up their jumpers from high street giant Topshop (minus the jewelled name tags). 

I personally would wear the jumpers minus the sequin details, but I'm sure DIY fashion fans will testify it would be easy enough to add your own name tags with the help of some fabric glue and sequins for the authentic Little Mix look.

Angora dipdye jumper, Topshop.com, £65.00.

HAVE YOU DISCOVERED STYLIST PICK YET?

I fear I may be slightly slow on the uptake with this one, but I've only just discovered the new online shopping destination stylistpick.com. The concept is very interesting, unlike conventional shopping websites, Stylistpick invites members to take a style quiz and then celebrity stylists handpick pieces they think suit your tastes.

The catch? Well it's not exactly a catch, but you have to become a member of stylistpick for a £39.95 monthly subscription fee, but for that fee you can pick one accessory from the site per month (£39.95 for a pair of high-fashion shoes is a bit of a bargain if you ask me). Perhaps my only criticism would be that the selection of shoes and accessories on the site is a bit limited at the moment, but hopefully that will change with time.

However, with collection designed by celeb shoeaholic Cheryl Cole and leading stylists Grace Woodward (last year's X Factor stylist) and Louise Rowe (TV presenter and former ELLE magazine fashion journalist) on board it's looks like Stylistpick has all the necessary ingredients for a style success. Still not convinced? Take a look at some of Lafashionfolie's favourite shoes from the site...

1. Daphine black cut out wedge, £39.95. 2. Cheryl Cole's Glam Slam disco ball sandals, £79.90. 3. Selma platform shoe boot, £39.95.

OSCAR DE LA RENTA'S FABULOUS PRE-FALL12 COLLECTION

Whilst we've all been agonizing about what to wear to this year's office Christmas party, some of fashion's leading designers have been busy deciding what we will be wearing to next year's soirees in their pre-fall collections (that's pre autumn/winter 12- yikes!). Pre-fall collections are launched inbetween the spring/summer and autumn/winter seasons and hit stores in May time to satisfy fashion-hungry consumers unable to wait for the new season collections to get their style fix!

And for fashion press and fashion bloggers like myself, Style.com's coverage of the pre-fall collections is a welcome source of fresh inspiration inbetween seasons. I've spent my afternoon drooling over some beautiful looks on Style.com, with the Burberry, Calvin Klein and Jason Wu collections proving to be my favourites. But it was Oscar De la Renta's pre-fall offering that really caught me eye. The 59 look collection comprised of a beautiful selection of sequin-embellished, luxurious silk and pretty print party dresses in a varied colour palette of rich purple, maroon red, classic black and pale gold.

The frothy, delicate pale-peach dress cinched at the waist (below, centre) was my standout dress of the collection, I could see a young starlet like Halee Steinfeld rocking this on the red carpet.

And for lovers of the LBD, Oscar de la Renta's came in all shapes and guises with lace, embellishment and feather details- no-one could accuse these LBD's of being boring.

All images courtesy of style.com.

What do you make of Oscar de la Renta's pre-fall collection? And which was your favourite?

THE FUTURE'S BRIGHT, THE FUTURE'S NEON!

The S/S12 collections are filtering through to net-a-porter.com, and the good news is, the future looks very bright. Acid bright neon reigns supreme, rainbow coloured jewels twinkle and Christopher Kane's ultra-bright t-shirts capture the mood of the season perfectly.

If I had £215 to spare, I would invest in Tom Binns' 'Passive Attack' (amazing name!) rhodium and pearl earrings (no 5.), a unique design that will add a stylish pop of neon to casual and formal outfits. In fact if I had any pennies to spare, I'd be splashing my cash on these...

1. Oversized tweed jacket, Diane Von Furstenberg, £545. 2. Neon lucite and diamante crystal earrings, Erickson Beamon, £345. 3. Cashmere cardigan, J. Crew, £200. 4. Razor wool-blend pants, Preen, £655. 5. Passive Attack rhodium and pearl earrings, Tom Binns, £215. 6. Printed silk-georgette dress, Giambattista Valli, £2,105. 7. Floral print modal t-shirt, Christopher Kane, £180. 8. Leitmotiv Miami brass crystal necklace, Shourouk, £105.

MY OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY OUTFIT

Those of you that read my recent post about office Christmas party fashion may be interested to see the look I decided on for my office do held last Friday. To help us prepare, we had a mobile hairdresser in the office all day which I absolutely loved because I'm hopeless at styling my own locks. I showed my hair stylist this photo of Adele for inspiration because in my opinion she has the most beautiful, goddess-like mane of hair in showbiz. The result as you can see was big, bouffant 60s-inspired hair that I loved- when it comes to hair the bigger the better!

Outfit-wise I decided to be economical and recycled my favourite sequin-embellished party top; probably my best charity shop find of all time costing me just £5! The trousers are Zara, the shoes are Office and my suave companion is our Visual Merchandising Manager, Paris.  A smart trouser + glitzy statement top combination makes an economical outfit choice for the festive season because you can mix and match the pieces seperately to create different looks for all your social engagements. If you don't have a charity shop sequinned number to hand, here are some great glitzy top alternatives available online now:

1. Sequinned tulle and jersey top, Lanvin at net-a-porter.com, £1,575. 2. Sequin front shirt, Warehouse, £40.00. 3.  Embellished shell top, Next, £48.

FESTIVE FASHION

Poor old Colin Firth. I wonder if he realised when accepting the role of Mr. Darcy in Bridget Jones' Diary that he was destined to become the poster boy for the novelty Christmas jumper? I've noticed that the film still of Firth in the infamous, hideous reindeer-motif knit is dug out each December to illustrate newspaper and magazine features on the pitfalls of festive fashion.

Unlike Mr. Darcy, it is possible to add a festive feel to your wardrobe without sacrificing your style credentials. The key to the look is opulent fabrics; tactile velvet, rich brocade and shimmering metallics all have the celebratory air that Christmas demands. I've put together some outfits below that I think would be perfect for the upcoming festive period, and not a reindeer jumper in sight...

1. J Crew Leopard-jacquard capri pants, Net-a-porter.com, £250. 

2. Gold lurex knit top, COS, €45. 

3.Cube cluster earrings, Whistles, £20.00.

4. ASOS Leo velvet slippers.

1. NW3 Madeley metallic cardigan, Hobbs, £82.50. 
2. Metallic lace skater dress (worn under cardigan), Oasis, £60.00.
3. Velvet jaquared cross body bag, Topshop, £28.00.

H&M'S NEXT DESIGNER COLLABORATION WILL BE MARNI!

Start saving your pennies now because H&M's next designer collaboration has today been revealed as Marni. And the important date for your diary? The 8th March is when the Italian brand's collaboration is due to hit 260 H&M stores nationwide. As an uber-fan of the brand I'm already giddy with excitement, I have long lusted after a Marni statement necklace with that coveted black ribbon printed with the iconic white lettering. H&M designer collaborations have produced some amazing high street fashion hits in the past (although the Versace collaboration was definitely not my cup of tea); when the high street label collaborated with Lanvin last year I went as far as to book the day off work to get my hands the embellished t-shirt from the range..! The said t-shirt now proudly hangs in my wardrobe but rarely gets worn because it's far too beautiful for every day wear, god forbid I may spill red wine or tomato sauce down it (which I most likely would do).

Anyway, just for fun I've picked my favourite pieces from Marni's recent collections that I hope H&M can bring to the high street at purse friendly prices prices.

From L-R: 1. Cotton blend dress, £666, theoutnet.com. 2. Acetate and vinyl floral necklace, £175, net-a-porter.com. 3. Embellished platform sandals, £575, net-a-porter.com. 4. Mint print dress, £769.00, Farfetch.com.

RED CARPET REVIEW: THE BRITISH FASHION AWARDS 2011

The British Fashion Awards attracted some of fashion industry's biggest and most glamourous players to London yesterday. From Marc Jacobs to Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham to Stella McCartney, all the biggest names in fashion were in attendance. This also meant the red carpet fashion was parade of looks hot off the catwalk, here's Lafashionfolie's red carpet review:

I think Olivia Palermo pulled this Matthew Williamson feather detail mini dress off with aplomb. I especially love how she accessorised her designer outfit with Topshop heels, Olivia is a big supporter of high street fashion (she's frequently photographed wearing Topshop) and isn't afraid to mix high and low end brands to create unique outfits.

Alexa Chung scored yet another fashion hit in this embellished 1960s style Christopher Kane shift. She teamed the dress with a quirky pair of Charlotte Olympia heels, adding an 'unexpected twist' to look in true Alexa style!

Wow I just love this structured graphic print Peter Pilotto dress on Amber Le Bon! I like the way she's kept her accessories simple to let the incredible dress and her super model good looks do the talking.

This dazzling metallic pleated maxi dress by Mulberry looked amazing on Tali Lennox. My only criticism would be that the 60s inspired hair do looked a bit formal, I think soft, relaxed waves would have looked cooler and younger with such a glamourous dress.

I'm sorry Abbey but I wasn't a fan of this suede Giles maxi dress with rivet detail. With the heavy make-up and bright blonde highlights the overall effect was too 'WAG' for me. Abbey is such a gorgeous girl she could make a binliner look sexy, but I'd like to see in something more fashion-forward, like the Matthew Williamson dress Olivia Palermo was pictured in above.


What do you think of their outfits?

Head over to the Daily Mail website for the full story and all the night's winners and gossip.

BOUTIQUE BY JAEGER SALE PICKS!

After an insider tip off from one of my best friends,who works at Jaeger head office, I hotfooted it to the Regent Street flagship store on Saturday for the start of the Boutique sale. The Boutique collection is full of covetable, 1960s style pieces with Peter Pan collars and polka dot details aplenty. It's a little out of my price range usually, but with up to 50% off on some styles there are some real bargains to be had at the moment. I snapped up the black version of the red jersey dress I've featured below because I think it will be a very versatile addition to my wardrobe that I can easily dress up or down. Here are my top picks of the sale, all available online now. Yippee!

1. Shearling Collar Coat,  now £225.00 reduced from £450.00.2.Sequin Collar Blouse, £75.00 reduced from  £130.00. 3. Angora Spot Jumper,  £80.00 reduced from £160.00. 4. Jersey Prom Dress,  £65.00 reduced from  £115.00.

THE BEST DRESSED CELEBRITIES OF THE WEEK

With the 2011 American Music Awards and InStyle magazine's 10th birthday party, there was plenty of celebrity fashion to dissect this week. Here's Lafashionfolie favourites:

I really, really loved this 1920s inspired silk Giorgio Armani dress on Selena Gomez. It may even be my favourite celebrity red carpet look of 2011! The oyster silk looked beautiful with her colouring and the retro inspired hair do gave the whole outfit an old Hollywood glamour feel. Even though the neckline was cut quite low and the skirt is slashed to the thigh, Selena still managed to look demure and stylish. For such a young starlet Gomez is making some informed style choices and I'm sure there's some great fashion to come from her.

There's no denying Diana Vickers is a natural beauty, but sometimes her casual, boho look doesn't advertise just how stunning she is. What I loved about the simple black MW by Matthew Williamson dress that Diana chose to wear to InStyle's 10th birthday is that it allowed her natural beauty to shine. The simple accessories, black heels and a Bex Rox elephant bracelet, kept the whole look simple and stylish.

All pictures are courtesy of Zimbio.com

Florence looked radiant when she arrived at Radio One this week in a paisley maxi dress with a navy, maxi military coat. This is such a great daytime look; the navy and burgundy tones look fantastic with Florence's shock of red hair, whilst the Mulberry Polly Push Lock bag added some designer polish to the look.

What do you think of my celeb outfit picks of the week? And what were yours?

OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY OUTFITS ON A BUDGET

 I can barely believe it but 2011 is drawing to a close and the office Christmas party season is upon us again. Readers of Lafashionfolie.blogspot may remember that last year I splashed out on a beautiful gold brocade dress from Whistles, that made me feel a million dollars but also left me practically bankrupt. Not so clever. So this year I've decided to take some sartorial tips from our wonderful Queen and the fragrant Duchess of Cambridge and recycle an outfit from my wardrobe for office do. I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling the pre-Christmas pinch, so here's some ideas for festive party outfits on budget that give you plenty of bang for buck! 

Shop the look:

Mesh Sleeve Dress, AX Paris, £30.00.  

Suedette 'Rosalyn' Court Shoe, Peacocks, £16.00.

Rimmel London Kate Lipstick, ASOS, £3.50.  

Shop the look:

Midnight Blue Velvet Dress, Dorothy Perkins, £29.50.

Myla Suedette Ankle Strap Platforms, Boohoo.com, £15.00. 

Sequin Embellished Envelope Clutch Bag, M&S, £18.00.

BLOW VS BANK THE BUDGET: GLITTER ANKLE BOOTS

Take your fashion cues from The Wizard of Oz's Dorothy this Autumn/Winter with a dazzling pair of glitter booties. Miu Miu led the trend on the catwalk with their glitter and suede peep toe ankle boots that were seen on all the fashionable tootsies at the S/S12 shows. For a Miu Miu inspired style, head over to ASOS where their lovely 'Astrid' ankle boots have the designer look for a fraction of the price.

The only downside? I can't guarantee that either pair will whisk you from the dancefloor to your comfy bed if you click your heels and repeat 'There's no place like home' after a hard night of partying. If only!

Shop the look:

ASOS ASTRID Glitter Ankle Boots, £65.00.
Miu Miu Glitter and suede peep toe ankle boots, Net-a-porter.com, £555.

POP YOUR COLLAR: STATEMENT NECKLACES FOR EVERY POCKET

A simple way to refresh your look this season is with a statement collar necklace. Whether you opt for a pretty ribbon-tie bib necklace or an edgier, chunkier chain number, a statement necklace can 'fashion up' simple shift dresses, sweaters and shirts. My dream purchase would be a Marni collar; Marni necklaces are a worthwhile investment because they are classic collectors pieces that will never date. But for now I'll have to put the dreams on hold and settle for some of stylish high street alternatives that tap into the trend without the hefty pricetag.

1. Beaded Collar Necklace, Dorothy Perkins, £15.00
2. Ribbon and Gem necklace, New Look, £17.99
3. Bib-style Necklace, Mango, £39.90.
4. Jade Chunky Stone Necklace, Tallulah Tu, £28.
5. Midnight Purple Margery Necklace, Marc by Marc Jacobs at mywardrobe.com, £225.00.
6. Lucite and Horn Embellished Bib Necklace, Marni at Net-a-porter.com, £340.

MARC JACOBS S/S12 COLLECTION STOLEN AHEAD OF LONDON PRESS DAY

The Independent has today reported that £40,000 of the Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer12 collection was stolen from near the brand's Mayfair store on Wednesday morning.

However, there have been lots of varying reports in the papers about the true facts behind this story with the Daily Mail contradicting the Independent, informing it's readers that the ENTIRE collection was stolen from a train en route to London. The truth is, that £40,000 worth of designer fashion is unlikely to amount an entire collection, so what exactly was taken during the theft is a source of hot speculation amongst fashion insiders at the moment.

What is clear is that journalists were made aware all was not well in the Marc Jacobs camp when the label's Europen Press Officer Vanessa Barthel cancelled a press preview due to take place in the Mayfair shop. The 46 look range was due to go on show in London yesterday, giving the British fashion press a sneak peak at next year's trends. A tweet later from Marc Jacobs HQ on Wednesday appeared to confirm that garments had gone awry, reading "Thank-you all for your concern about our stolen #SS12 Collection. Onward, upward."

Whatever the truth behind the headlines may be, what is true is that cancelling showing the new season collection to the fashion press could prove costly for the label,  as it could lead to fewer editorial placements in European publications and subsequently a decline in press coverage in S/S12.

It will be interesting to find out the true facts behind this sensational story as they are revealed in the press over the coming days, as there seems to be more to these first reports than meets the eye.

BLOW VS BANK THE BUDGET: LEATHER TOPS

Welcome to a new weekly feature on La Fashion Folie blogspot, where each week I will show you how to inject some catwalk style into your wardrobe with look-alike pieces from the high street. This week I'm featuring Acne's uber-trendy 'Moma' futuristic metallic finish leather top, that wowed the fashion pack at London Fashion Week back in February.

ACNE A/W 2011 CATWALK

However, at a cool £770, its safe to say Acne's Moma is out of most of our budgets. But never fear, e-commerce giant ASOS have created their own metallic finish leather top that has more than just a hint of the ACNE look about it, all for a more purse friendly £70.

Shop the look:

ASOS Premium Silver Metallic Leather Top £70

ACNE Moma Metallic Leather Patchwork Top £770

FANTASY CHRISTMAS WISHLIST

1. M&S Pure Cashmere Leopard Print Scarf £85.00
2. Anton Heunis Bell Chain Small Gold Spike Necklace £152.00
3. Lanvin Bow-front Metallic Leather Ballerina Flats £355
4. Smythson Soho Diary, Lapis Collection £230.00
5. Chambers and Beau True Love Friendship Bracelet £60
6. Mulberry Lily with Gems Embellished Suede Shoulder Bag £850
7. Diptyque Perdigone Candle £45