My Two Pence

Spring is nearly here, and when the weather hots up and we start to think about getting into shape so we are ready to wear our bikini’s in the summer months. We want to look fabulous at all times, but, often the clothes we wear to the gym or to go out jogging are just not up to our usual trendy standards. That is all about to change with the advent of a new fashion trend for 2009. What is this? Sports Luxe. Designers including Stella McCartney and Prada have both shown luxury designer sportswear as part of their spring and summer 2009 collections and stars including Madonna, Reese Witherspoon and Katie Price have all been spotted wearing sporty chic outfits for their daily yoga and exercise regimes.

The look is made up primarily of cotton and jersey fabrics which are ideal for exercise. Brightly coloured leotards, lightweight bombers and jersey t-shirts are essential as are, jersey harem pants which are already a big new trend with celeb’s including Lady Gaga wearing them often. The sports luxe outfit isn’t just for the gym but can be worn for any occasion. Team jersey harem’s, bright jersey t-shirt and lace up trainer boots for a comfortable casual look ideal for shopping trips and walks on the beach.

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With Spring fast approaching, there has been an abundance of new, fresh spring looks popping up in the fashion world. One of the nicest new looks to emerge for this season is the ‘glamazonia’ look. This look combines the best features of the Amazonian look and brings it right up to date with a glamorous girlie twist. Conjuring images of tropical islands and beautiful, strong women, the glamazonia look is definitely one to be embraced this spring. The look is fresh and wearable as well as confident and sexy.

The key to pulling off the glamazonia look is most definitely in the footwear. As we put away our winter boots and break out the spring footwear, we all love to buy ourselves a nice pair of sandals and gladiator style sandals are the absolute essential element in the glamazonia look. Flat suede gladiator sandals look perfect during the day and are so very comfortable. They look great with a cute tunic, bold prints are great and prints which evoke images of desert islands and lush forests are perfect.

The glamazonia look is great for fun nights out with the girls on those warm humid nights. To achieve a cute night time look, opt for strappy gladiator sandal heels and a cute kimono style dress. The bolder the print the better for this look. Finish with pretty flower hair clips for an utterly gorgeous look.

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The T-shirt dress is truly a gift from the gods and is one fashion trend which we can all wear. T-shirt dresses are invariably comfortable. They are slouchy and easy to move in and they even hide a multitude of sins. They are the perfect outfits for lazy summer days when you want to relax and be comfortable on the beach or in the garden. They can even be dressed up with accessories for a night out.

T-shirt dresses fit perfectly with the 80’s revival trend which is very popular at the moment. They are fun to wear and come in so many styles, from plain and simple to patterned and floral, there is a T-shirt dress out there for everyone.

The key to getting this trend right is to choose just the right tee for your body and style. You need to find a dress which is not too baggy or you will be swamped and look slightly scruffy, but, if you opt for one which is too tight, then you will miss out on the point if the trend completely.

Follow Alexa Chung’s lead and wear your T-shirt dress with a cool leather jacket and some vintage jewellery for a sexy laid back look.

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Underwear as outerwear has been one of those fashion trends which has come and gone over the years and usually only the really brave would follow and go out of the house looking like Madonna did in the 1980’s. It may, then, make some of you groan with horror to hear that the trend of wearing your bra outside of your clothes is about to be a big trend this summer after more than a few recent catwallk shows had outfits using underwear on the outside.

Most of us would recoil in horror at the prospect of having our underwear on show for all to see. There is however, a much more viable option which embraces the trend but tones it down considerably and that is the bustier. Dolce and Gabbana are very big on bustier and bustier style dresses this season and it is an easy to pull off trend. Wearing a bustier gives much the same effect as showing of your bra but in a much more subtle and infinitely more sexy way. Bustiers give your body a great hourglass shape and pull you in, in all the right places. They also have a romantic Victorian quality to them and can be quite alluring. They look great with skinny jeans or a tailored skirt and floral bustier dressers are great for the long summer days.

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By now, we are all aware that pretty floral designs are going to be big news in the spring and summer months, but, a new kind of petal power is on its way when it comes to high fashion. 3 D embellishment on dresses is going to be huge this summer and have already been seen on many catwalk designs this year. The designs we will all be wearing will be much more subtle than their catwalk counterparts designed by the likes of Christian Sirianoand and Ashish. Petal embellished dresses have already been worn by the likes of Cheryl Cole and Nicole Richie, who are huge fans of the trend.

The designs we will be wearing will feature subtle layering of petals to create a slightly 3D look which is perfect for all occasions. The dresses come in many styles so you are guarantee to find something which will suit your taste. As well as petal dresses, scalloping detailed dresses will continue to be big news as they are very similar to this trend and many celebrities continue to wear this design. Nude colours will be particularly popular in this trend and stars including Sienna Miller and Mary kate Olsen are big fans of nude.

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The hottest new trend for the winter season is colour blocking. To achieve this look, you will need to mix and match two or more different colours in colour blocks. It is advised that you do not mix more than three different colours for this look unless you are very young, in which case you might just pull it off.

Try teaming a pink top with a red skirt and yellow shoes for a funky party look which will definitely get you noticed on the dance floor. Tunics which are blocked into several colours and worn with jeans are another key way of wearing the colour block trend and are very versatile as they can be dressed up or down. If it’s a party outfit you’re looking for, you can’t beat a layered dress which combines 2 or 3 blocks of colour together for that winter party look.

Accessories are really key to the colour blocking look and the brighter the better. Yellows, oranges and blues are ideal and look great when mixed with pinks, reds, greens and blacks. The colour blocking look is bold and out there and you will have to be brave to try it out, but, once you do you won’t look back. The key is finding colours that suit you and sticking to them.

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One of the latest trends to hit the fashion world is gorgeous ruffle detailing. They are set to be huge this winter and all the catwalk models have been seen wearing them. They have featured heavily in many catwalk shows this year and we predict they will do big business this year. Ruffles can be worn in many different ways and can give a dramatic new look to your wardrobe. There are many different ways you can wear ruffles and they look great on all people of all ages, body shapes and styles.

One of the best looks you can achieve with ruffles is the romantic look which has echoes of the 1980’s new romantic style. You can achieve this look by wearing a simple white blouse with ruffle detail on the lapels and collar. You should team this with tailored black trousers and smoky eye make up for a perfect romantic look, ideal for lunch with the girls.

Want a flirty, fun look? Ruffles are great for creating a flirty feminine look with ease. Opt for a cute floral jumpsuit with ruffle detail, teamed with bold sandals and light make up for a fresh winter look.

For a sexy evening look, you can’t beat a sexy bandeau dress complete with ruffled detail and a sexy cinched in waist. Wear with killer heels and silver jewellery for the perfect night on the town outfit.

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We only had a couple of days of sun this year so if you didn’t get your maxi dress out of the wardrobe then it’s time to dust off the cobwebs. The maxi dress was very popular last summer, and, it is perfect for those winter parties. It is probably the ultimate item of clothing for the summer time and can be worn in so many different ways that it is impossible to get bored with it.

The maxi dress is a firm favourite with celebrities In LA during the summer months and Nicole Richie and Lauren Conrad seem to wear this trend all year round, well they do have the hot LA weather!, which much success. The good thing about a maxi is that it can be flattering for women of all shapes and sizes. Smaller women may be afraid to try the look for fear of getting swamped by the fabric, but, if they stick to a plain maxi with no pattern, they will look great as Sarah Jessica Parker has demonstrated. If your slightly bigger, go for big bold prints as you will carry them off with ease.

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Animal print is one of those style trends that gets recycled so often that it is pretty much always in fashion and this winter season sees it return once again. Leopard print clothing, in particular, has always been very popular with top designers including Vivienne Westwood and DKNY and many of today’s designers have brought out new collections for the winter season which are heavily influenced by not only leopard print, but, zebra print, giraffe print and even snakeskin. This summer truly will be dominated by animal print clothing.

Animal prints are often used to give a more edgy rock chick look with stars including Kelly Osbourne and Courtney Love being big fans of the trend. Animal prints are very easy to wear and there are so many different ways you can incorporate the trend into your look. If you want to use animal print sparingly you could opt for animal print accessories such as zebra print sunglasses or a tiger print bracelet. If you are more daring, why not try an animal print dress for a night out clubbing? Lily Allen is often seen out in leopard print as she parties with friends. Crocodile effect is also going to be big this season and this trend works best when used with accessories such as bags or shoes.

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We’ve had two deliveries over the last week. One good, one not so good. We thought we’d take you through them.

Delivery 1 – Fridge freezer

After the order was placed online we got a text to say the order had been confirmed and we’d get a phone call from the delivery company to arrange a date. We got the call the very next day and arranged the delivery for the day after. They said they couldn’t estimate the time of delivery at the moment but gave us a tracking number and a website where we could enter said number after 9pm the day before delivery. We did just that and got an estimated time within a two hour slot. The delivery arrived right in the middle of this slot – game on.

Delivery 2 - Bed

We ordered a bed online. We got email confirmation straight away. Four days later we got an email saying the order had been processed by sales and the lead time was two to three weeks. That’s ok we thought, after reading somewhere on the website it might take that long. After two weeks we were getting itchy feet so phoned the company. We waited on hold for 15 minutes and were told the bed was not in stock yet but we would get a call when it came in. At the three week mark we phoned again – “The bed isn’t in stock yet, we’ll give you a call when it comes in.” Four weeks have passed, we call again. “The bed isn’t in stock yet, we’ll give you a call when it comes in.” We get a call a few days later “Good news, the bed’s in stock, we’ll get our delivery courier to call you to arrange a delivery.” Four days later and no call. We phone back and are put through to the delivery company. “Yes, we have the bed we can deliver it a week on Tuesday.” “That’s 10 day away.” we say. “Yes, that’s the earliest we can do.” We are at seven weeks now and not very happy. We get an email from the delivery company stating the delivery date and a time slot of “7am to 7pm”. We have now hit The Rage. We phone them and after a lengthy discussion are told the driver will phone us one hour before the delivery so we can go out……he doesn’t phone, he puts a note through the door saying he had tried to deliver the bed. We phone the delivery company “Yes, sorry, the bed can be delivered tomorrow between 7am and 7pm”. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh.

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