Picture of Sarah Eason and  her sketches from fashionfringe.co.uk

The fashion fringe finalists have been announced by Donnatello Versace, the chairman of Fashion Fringe. Go By a Secret Path (Eun Jeong), LF Markey, Sarah Easom and William Tempest will all now show a collection in London Fashion week when the winner will be announced. The prize is £100,000 in funding for their next collection which will be shown at London Fashion week in February. The expert judging panel that consisted of Anne Pitcher (Selfridges), Donatella Versace, Jonathan Akeroyd (Alexander McQueen), Lucinda Chambers (Vogue UK), Natalie Massenet (Net-A-Porter.com), Roland Mouret and Roy Peach (London College of Fashion).

Fashion Fringe is  a good way to find out about new talent and really great as it is dedicated to the belief that, in order to keep British fashion strong, it must be invigorated by the introduction of new sustainable talent. Winners are not only chosen because of their originality but  also their creative and business reality. Previous winning designers of the award, which was launched in 2004, are Erdem and Basso and Brooke. My money is on Sarah Eason graduate of the Royal College of Art. I loved the clothes she designed for her final year. They were brightly coloured, interesting and  original.

If you would like to invest in a creation by Fashion Fringe talent, try this Basso and Brooke floor length evening dress with green draped silk panels in a dramatic Basso and Brooke print.

Bows have always been a symbol of feminine cuteness and haven’t really been a big hit since those days of the Fergie Bow. Do you remember those horrible satin bows attached to a hair clip that everyone wore in their hair in the eighties. Well the bow is back. This time it is forming the neckline or big but understated and  integrated into the shape of the garment for autumn and winter.

A large silver sparkling bow at the neck makes this shift dress by Behnaz Sarapour something special.

This outfit by Eley Kishimoto includes two bows a small contrasting pink bow at the neck and a larger bow in the same material as the jacket around the shoulders and neckline.

A large bow but understated bow at the neckline of this classic shift dress makes for a really prim and proper look.

A huge purple floppy bow around the neckline of this outfit by John Galliano only adds to the eccentricity of the whole look.

This gorgeous red satin dress by Christian Lacroix is enhanced by the big bow that almost merges with the draping  of the material in the dress.

The whole of this top at Lanvin consists of a bow but a very interesting looking bow with lots of folds and creases in the material.

This cute dress from Marc by Marc Jacobs is made even more girly by the neat bow at the neckline.

At Marni a contrasting bow at the neck was in contrast to the muted pale pink of the rest of the dress, a very lady like look.

Pictures from Style.com

This cute and feminine bow front dress by Betsey Johnson is just what you need if you want to work the bow trend.

 pictures from thefamilybusiness.com

Tattoo’s have always been an individual style statement and recently have been seen adorning the flesh of  more than a few celebrities. Kate Moss has a  stylish swallow tatto on her back. This was the creation of Saira Hunjan celebrity tattooist and founder of The Family Business. Her tattoos are real works of art and she draws inspiration from a variety of sources including catholic and Hindu iconography, vintage American Sailor tattoo, pin up motifs and the Mexican day of the dead.

Saira is now applying her creativity to more than just tattoos. Whilst tattooing remains her first love, she has also recently become involved in the fashion industry. She has designer T shirts for Luella Bartley and she has also collaborated with milliner, Yasmin Rizvi, for London Fashion Week’s On/Off exhibition. Now she is launching her own label Gypsy Devi will have lots of gorgeous scarves , featuring Saira’s designs. Saira will also be collaborating with jewellery designer Johnny Rocket jeweller to Julien Macdonald for Swarsovski Rocks this summer, in a project to create her designs in jewels to be put on the skin. I can’t wait I do love a bit of bling.

If you fancy a bit of sparkily skin art this summer without going under the needle, try  these glitter tattoos.

With summer holidays not far away. I am starting to consider what to get for my holiday wardrobe. As most of the day is spent on the beach or by the pool, swimwear will be an important  part of my holiday wardrobe - which is great as it won’t take up much room in my suitcase. I am choosing my swimwear carefully this year and paying attention to which style will look best form my shape. Here are some top tips on finding the best swimwear for your shape.

Athletic figure - Choose bikini tops with ruffles, prints or a halter neck, which will accentuate your bust or cutout swimming costumes which will give you more curves. For an even bigger boost, go for gel-filled or underwired padded tops, which creat instant cleavage. Hipster boy shorts or tie sides which will show your slim waist and create a curvier silhouette. Avoid tankinis as they will give you a solid outline with no definition.

Pear shape -  Wear a swimsuit with a bold design on the top half and a block colour on the bottom. This draws eyes away from your bottom and hips, giving you a slimmer appearance. Go for swimsuits cut high on the hips to lengthen your legs. Dark one-pieces with a sexy open back will maximise your top half and look great. Avoid side strings or bikini detailing that draws attention to your lower half. Avoid boy short styles, which will only make your frame look stocky.

Apple Shape - Printed or detailed bikini bottoms to draw attention to your lower half - mix and match separates are great for your shape; medium to high cut bottoms to elongate legs; simple, solid coloured bikini tops that aren’t too revealing. Square necks with wide straps are best for added support. If you’d rather cover up your tummy, stick to one-piece swim suits in simples styles. Go for support fabrics that flatten wobbly tums.

Hourglass shape - Look for bikinis or one pieces that flaunt your curves. Block colours, bright patterns and details such as embellishment will look great on you. If you have a large bust opt for a top with lots of support.

This Wrapover V-neck Tummy Control Swimsuit is amazingly flattering for an apple shape.

Animal prints are big this year with the safari trend bringing back the whole leopard skin look that has been simmering away for a few seasons now. Animal prints are great and can look fun but should be worn with caution.  Head to toe full on leopard skin print can be too much. The new animal print is subtle and stylish with muted prints and cool accessories to add a finishing touch to an outfit. The monochrome or neutral prints can also be cleverley matched with other colourful prints for a dramatic  eyecatching effect.

Christian Dior Resort 08 - leopard skin print chiffon is a really glam way to wear this trend. 

Derek Lam, Ready to Wear Spring Summer 08 -This dress uses animal print but scales right down in muted colours

Christian Lacroix Ready to Wear Spring Summer 08 - Dress incorporating animal print into a colourful fabric design.

Thakoon Resort 08 - A beautiful silver animal print gown for a really different way to wear this trend.

Go for a look that will bring out the pussy cat in you with these lovely leopard print tights. Very trendy these up-to-the-minute tights will enhance your outfit no end. There is a  whole range of colours to suit every mood. They would look great with a little black dress or a neutral coloured safari style shirt dress.

With a few summer parties in my diary, I will be looking for the perfect dress to wear. For Spring Summer 08 cocktail dresses are starting to emerge in the shops, after putting in a substantial appearance at the designer shows. Cocktail dresses are great for everything from a  drinks party to a ball and this season they have a cool eithties look about them. A cocktail dress was traditionally a womens dress worn for cocktail parties and  semi formal occssions. In the eighties the tight above the knee sheath like cocktail dress became popular and this feminine and glamourous look is now re-emerging for Spring Summer 08. They were seen on the catwalk at PQQ and Luella. Bright and bold colours look great for cocktail dresses and details sucha s folds, bows and draping look great with minimal or no accessories.  Here are my top three choices of cocktail dress for Spring Summer 08

This Basso and Brooke Cocktail Dress is a gorgeous colour and I love the contrasting pattern on the neckline.

This Amanda Wakeley Black Cocktail dress is a great version of the little black dress.

I love this Sara Berman Cocktail Dress. It is made of silk chiffon and has a gorgeous pattern.

Pictures from Elleuk.com

Spring Summer 09 is a long time to be thinking ahead, especially when we haven’t really got to spring summer 08. But in the fashion world, everything seems to happen way in advance, perhaps this is where the phrase fashion forward comes from. The first of the 2009 cruise collections are now out. These are the collections that come out before the main Spring Summer collections and seem to give a bit of a preview of what is to come. The 2009 cruise collection chows have already swung into action with Christian Dior and Oscar De La Renta. My post today is about the Christian Dior collection by John Galliano which I though was stunning and gorgeous in every way.

Colour was a key theme for the collection with bright fuschia pinks, lime greens, yellows and whites. Galliano managed to give the collection a bit of a sixties feel without it being full on swinging sixties. The collection featured ruffles and kaftans, Capri pants and sheer layers nothing really new, that we have not seeing this summer but he did it with the juiciest of colours finished off with large shimmering earrings and embellishment.

 It might not be 2009 yet. But you can still get this gorgeous and colourful look wearing these pink slim leg cropped trousers

Hats have always been a bold style statement that highlight the face and get you noticed amongst a crowd of people. For Spring Summer 08, hats are again big news on the trend list. But hats are also very practical in winter for keeping your head warm and in the summer for keeping the sun off your face and maintaining a youthful complexion. I love hats as they can cover up my bad hair day hair and also really make an outfit.

 This summer hats were seen on the catwalk at Jean Paul Gaultier, Oscar De La Renta, Marni, Marc Jacobs, Moschino Cheap and Chic, Michael Kors, biba and Joh Galliano. So whether it is protection from the sun, a bold style statement or both that you are looking for there are plenty of hats to choose from. You will know you have made the right choice when someone asks you ‘Where did you get that hat?’

At Hermes, there were turban style hats everywhere. This is a very elegant hat to wear and great for covering up sun damaged hair after a day on the beach.

At John Galliano, the romantic and frilly clothes were complimented beautifully with large floppy hats. This style is great for wearing on holiday or on the beach to avoid a sunburnt face.

At Oscar De La Renta, I love this gorgeous hat with feathers on it. This would look amazing for a special occassion like a summer wedding or a day out at the races.

At Moshino Cheap and Chic - Sun visors were teamed with sports wear for a really cool and retro look.

 For summer the best choice of hat has to be a natural straw sun hat, it is versatile and will go with anything, protects you from the sun and looks chic.

Perhaps the title of this post should be the movie behind the fashion because for me the fashion has always been more important than the program and it really is the main reason why I watch it.

This you tube video entitled ‘Sex and the City - The fashion behind the movie’ , gives  a great insight into, what it must be like to star in this show or even just be back stage - yes I am really jealous.

Sex and  the city is great as it has  a range of gorgeous styles to suit all tastes. There is Carrie, played by Sarah Jessica Parker who has  a unique look which ranges from girly and feminine to sex kitten. Her style can be created by mixing designer clothes with vintage finds and teaming with stilletos (preferably Manolos). Samantha, played by Kim Catrall has a strong feminine style with bright colours. Charlotte, played by Kristin Davis has a preppy look that is femine and cute with accessories like bows and proper handbags. Lastly Miranda, played by Cynthia Nixon is a definite power dresser with a wardrobe full of androgynous and corporate suits. Sex and  the City has had such a huge influence on fashion, it is hard to find anyone with some SATC basics in their wardrobe including stilletos and ‘it’ bags.

Whilst the SATC style may look effortless, Carrie and her friends are styled by a team of fashionistas who select up to 50 outfits for every show. The SATC look doesn’t come cheap either with favourite labels including Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Dior, Blumarine, Chanel, Chloe,  Roberto Cavalli and Prada.

Step out in true SATC style wearing these amazingly gorgeous Jimmy Choo high heels.

This summer one of the best looks for the office or the evening is the Tuxedo. Our old favourite the Tuxedo put in an appearance at Dior by John Galliano and Lanvin. The Tuxedo is fast becoming the new power dressing for this season. The look reminds me of a woman wearing their boyfriends Tuxedo but has a slightly more feminine edge with slim cut trousers and killer heels.

The tuxedo is a man’s dress jacket in a formal or semi formal style. A traditional tuxedo jacket is woollen and single-breasted. The jacket has peaked, shawl, notch, or trick lapels (which includes Mandarin and other non-conventional styles). It is traditionally covered with satin, and more modern styles are trimmed in wool.  I love wearing a Tuxedo for the evening and like to think of it as the little black dress of ladies suits, versatile and classic. Mens formal evening accessories are also hot this summer including  bow ties, cummerbunds and dress shirts.

Yves St Laurent pioneered this look when in 1962 his new label changed the way that women dressed by introducing mannish trouser suits and tuxedo’s. Yves St Laurent kept a feminine side to this androdynous look by adding billowy blouses and brightly coloured gowns. This look has since been copied numerous times and guess what its back again.

Tuxedo Suit by YSL Rive Gauche S/S 2003

This red bow tie makes a great accessory to brighten up a black dress for an evening out.