Another key trend for spring summer 09 is leather and suede. There is certainly nothing new about wearing leather and suede, but this seasons trend makes a feature of these materials for an interesting, textured or just plain luxurious look. A great way to wear suede or leather is to wear with items that contrast with either the glossy texture of leather or matte texture of suede.

At Christopher Kane - leather skirts in the brightest juiciest colours were made in the most extraodinary shapes using semi circle shapes.

At Chloe - red leather shorts with a paperbag style waist are very adventurous but stylish option if you have got the legs for it. They look great with a top made of a completely contrasting fabric like chiffon.

At Preen - this cool and relaxed sueded trousers in a washed out denim blue really make a style statement with lacing the winds around the leg.

This Promod Tailored leather waistcoat looks amazing with white shirt or t shirt for a classic take on the leather trend.

This Penny leather jacket is amazingly versatile for spring and summer and will go with almost anything including all of those gorgeous richly coloured prints that are around this year.

I read a very interesting feature in my May edition of Elle that has just arrived in the post. The article called ‘the high streets best kept secrets’ is about buying mens clothes instead of womens for a cool look that will be completely different from anyone else that you see (or any women at least). The boyfriend style including jeans, blazers and shirts is a look that has been around for a few seasons and I guess, is inspired by women who like to borrow their boyfriends clothes. So why not buy mens clothes for you everyday clothes. Ever since Helmut Lang introduced the androgynous style suit, there has been something very trendy about wearing mens tailoring.

By wearing mens clothes, you can create a great minimalistic look. But this is a look that needs a little thought. In order to avoid looking too masculine or formal, roll up trousers and jacket sleeves, wear some statement jewellery or high heels. Women wearing mens wear is likely to be a huge trend for at least the next few seasons. Chloe Sevigny, actress and style icon has just launched a menswear range for US store open ceremony, it has reportedly been designed with both men and women in mind. Stores like Reiss and Browns in London have also reported an increase in women buying mens clothes.

I love this mens striped boating blazer, perfect for wearing with jeans and a white t shirt.

UN United Nude High Heel Sandals

There is one trend for spring summer 09 that I will definitely be buying into, probably for this year and many years to come. It is the nude shoes. This term can be usesd to describe shoes in a range of colours from pale pink and creams to tan and beige. Basically, I would describe them as any colour that looks almost like you have no shoes on.  My personal favourites are at the beige/ tan part of the spectrum as these seem to complement my skin tones the best.

There are two great things about nude shoes. The first is something incredibly important for someone as short as me, they elongate your legs. This also means that they make your legs appear thinner. The second but also very important point about nude shoes is that they go with almost anything. They really solve that constantly recurring question in summer about what shoes to wear with light coloured summer dresses. I love them so much I may even invest in both flats and heels to cover all summer occasions.

This week I have managed to make a bit of time for one of my favourite activities reading fashion blogs. I love hearing my fellow bloggers opinions on the latest trends and fashion news. I also love seeing each persons own unique style. This week I have read so many really interesting and funny posts but here are some of my favourites.

Love Blog has highlighted the danger of very expensive hair accessories, especially when flying on an airoplane, in the post Katie Grand in Hair Raising Terror Shocker.

The Coveted post Fashion Goes on Tour: Clemens en August, has reported on how Clemens en August is marketing fashion through a tour like a rock concert visiting ten cities in different countries.

 Style Scout provides definite evidence that spring is in the air with some great London Streetstyle in the post aproaching the end of winter.

 Second City Style has written a great post on the eighties trend that is so big at the moment in the post Ga Ga for the Go Go 80s

I love the bare foot look for summer as mentioned in Coquettes post Obsessed over nude flats

Disney Roller Girl gives a great preview of what is to come next season in her post Aw09-10 Trend Report: Paul Smith Press Day.

After a winter of stodgey warming food and lots of thick woolley jumpers for hiding under, we could all be forgiven for perhaps not being in top shape. Never mind there is plenty of time to get down the gym before the hot weather arrives and get yourself in perfect shape for wearing shorts and lots of lovely summer dresses. If we do have the good fortune to be hit by a heat wave of unexpected tropical weather in the meantime, you can always resort to what I call ‘power pants’.

My favourites are the Spanx higher power, they hold it all in without any bulging over the top. They do wonders for my figure (sometimes I think more than exercise could ever do). They are the next step on from the very popular power panties. They extend right up to your bust so that you have a smooth and streamlined waist and torso. Most importantly they are very comfortable with no tight leg band to dig in.

With everyone worrying about money, the recession and the credit crunch, it is becoming more difficult to look good without overspending. But if you are determined to look stylish without going over budget, here are some great ways to update your wardrobe on a shoestring.

• Make the most of what you have got - try looking at the clothes that you already have and how you can adapt them for different situations. Summer dresses can be worn with coloured tights and cardigans for  a cool spring outfit, dresses can be layered over jeans for a more casual look.
• Accessorise - This is the best way to turn an outfit into something new. Accessorise a plain top with lots of chunky beads and necklaces for a great look.
• Customise - try changing your clothes by adding embellishment, sewing on buttons, cutting necklines out of t shirts and shortening skirts for  a completely new and unique look from old clothes.
• Swapping - try visiting a clothes swapping website or swishing party to get a whole new wardrobe without spending any money.
• Versatile pieces - buy only versatile pieces of clothing that can be worn for many different occasions. Also make sure you get the best value for money by comparing prices of the different options.

These Redoute Creation Cropped Trousers are perfect for the summer. They will go with a variety of tops for a great summer casual look.

Pamela Anderson modelling Vivienne Westwood Autumn Winter 09 - picture from www.style.com 

I love Vivienne Westwood, I think that her designs epitomise British fashion. She has been making waves on the British fashion scene for many years with her punk and new wave designs being sold from her shop in Kings road from the seventies. Her clothes have always been regarded as outrageous but also incorporated some English heritage such as tartan. Her punk style became well known after the sex pistols wore clothes from her shop for their first gig. She still  sells clothing from the original Kings Road Shop which she has now called Worlds End. In 1992 Vivienne Westwood was given an OBE  and she also been awarded Designer of the Year twice.

Vivienne’s Anglomania label was set up in 1997 and it hugely popular. The signature look of the Anglomania label is a casual draping which has earnt the label many fans. Vivienne Westwood has managed to survive for many years in the highly competitive arena of fashion. Her designs are both innovative and classic making them key investment pieces for the future.

Vivienne Westwood is not just a designer, she is known for her controversial gestures such as not wearing knickers when being given her OBE and being made a Dame by Prince Charles. But Vivienne Westwood proved that she really is fashion royalty after all of these years when her clothes were featured in the 2008 Sex and the City Film.

I love this Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Shirt.

Sometimes it isn’t easy being green and eco friendly in all areas of your life. Particularly when you are looking for something special to wear for a particular occasion. For outdoor pursuits high performance clothing is needed and you may find it difficult to imagine how you will be able to find clothing that is suitable for extreme conditions but is also manufactured with minimum environmental impact.

Patagonia is a company that specialises in outdoor wear and also has exceptionally good environmental credentials. Not only do Patagonia give 10% of their pre tax profits to environmental groups. They also have a common threads recycling program. This is a scheme where customers can return their worn out clothing to be recycled. The scheme started by recycling Capilene® Performance Baselayers but has now expanded to include Patagonia® fleece, Polartec® fleece clothing (from any maker), Patagonia cotton T-shirts, and now some additional polyester and nylon-6 products that come with a Common Threads tag. The old clothes are recycled into new clothes.

Patagonia also produces it’s clothing with the minimum of impact on the environment but without compromising on performance. They use recycled and recyclable polyester, organic cotton, hemp, organic wool and chlorine-free wool.

These Patagonia Organic Cotton Crepe shirts are perfect for those who want eco friendly and practical clothes.

We all have some parts of our body that we dislike and would rather not show to the world. For many of us, it is big arms. The shops are full of vest tops and sleeveless clothes that really don’t flatter many of us. Here are some great ways to diguise and draw attention away from big arms, if this is your least favourite part of your body.

• Three Quarter Length Sleeves - These hide the top (widest part) of your arm by just showing the wrists and bottoms of your arms they give a much neater look.
• Floaty sleeves with a flared cuff - the loose fit of this type of sleeve will disguise the tops of your arms and the wider cuff will balance out the heavier tops of your arms.
• Bracelets - these are a great way to draw attention to your wrists rather than the tops of your arms. Generally more delicate bracelets look better as they do not cover the narrowest part of your arm.

Key things to avoid when you have larger arms include capped sleeves, spaghetti straps, halter neck tops, puff sleeves and anything too tight around the tops of your arms. Generally, you should wear tops with sleeves and you will look gorgeous.

This Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Shirt is perfect for covering and minimising large arms.

Sienna Miller picture from www.teamsugar.com 

Boho is a trend that has been around for some time and shows no signs of disappearing. Perhaps one of the reasons that it is so popular is that it is such an easy look to do. It is a relaxed and carefree sort of look with no rules about matching colours and blow dryed hair. Inspiration is taken from all sorts of eras and it is a look that really should look like you haven’t tried too hard. Kate Moss and Sienna Miller have both mastered the Boho look to perfection with messed up hair and mismatched clothes.  The Boho look is more about how you put it together than wearing one key item of clothing but smock dresses, waist coats, maxi dresses and oversized cardigans are a good start. Accessories are also a key part of the boho look. Try adding lots and lots of chunky bangles or hoop earring for instant Boho chic.

Patterns and texture are a great way to add interest to a Boho outfit. Crochet, embroidery and ditsy floral prints all work really well. You can create your own Boho look using inspiration from sixties, seventies and current fashions. Layering is a great way to really work this look. Casual jeans are also a great starting point. It doesn’t really matter which cut of jeans you have as long as they look a bit faded and worn. Coloured tights also work really well and add interest to any dress or skirt.

Create an instant Boho outfit by combining this Miso Retro Palm Dress with a pair of jeans.