After the sad death of Michael Jackson and the inevitable shock and grief, comes the celebration of his life and the huge impact he had on the world. There is no doubt about it Michael Jackson was the king of Pop and will definitely be remembered for his ground breaking songs and videos that changed the face of global music. But there was a lot more to Michael Jackson than just his music. Like most great performers Michael had a style of dressing that was completely unique and much imitated.

Michael Jackson reached an iconic status for his music, performances and style. His clothes were flamboyant and often encrusted with jewels. His sparkling military jacket worn in 2002 was quite possibly the inspiration for the much sought after Balmain Military jacket in the 2009 SS09 collection. Other key looks that he was known for were a single white glove and ankle length trousers worn with white socks and loafers.

Sparkle and glitter was also another key theme for the Balmain spring summer collection. This gold sparkling Balmain top is sure to get you noticed for the right reasons.

picture from www.handbag.com

At Alexander Wang a very simple style of sequin dress makes  a cool and shimmery outfit. No one else could make a sequin dress look so understated and stylish as Alexander Wang.

At Balmain, Another simple style of sequin dress but this time the bold black stripes and angular shoulders add a bit of space age appeal.

At Louise Goldin, yet more shimmer and a simple style dress. The combination of black and silver on this dress gives it maximum sparkle.

A Michael Kors, the sequin dress goes grown up and ladylike with an elegant assymetrical knee length hem and high neckline.

At Twenty8twelve, the label of sisters Sienna and Savannah Miller, a gorgeous green sequin dress. This is a great option for those who always want to stand out in a crowd.

At Stella McCartney, diagonal sequins in  matt silver create an interesting armour like effect. The rounded shoulders and sleeves add to the feeling of being covered in armoured plates.

The great thing about all of these sequin dresses is that they are fairly understated, apart from the sparkle, so would not look out of place at any summer occasion. My top tips for working this summer’s street sparkle look are:

 Go for a simple t shaped dress.

Dress down with black boots and flats

Keep hair and make up simple and minimal

If you are very careful, you can look great in sequins for almost any occasion. Try this sequin panel dress for by the pool.

 pictures from www.style.com

In an attempt to take everyones mind off the doom and gloom of the financial markets etc, I decided to post today on the Balmain show at Paris fashion week. This is definitely one to cheer you up. With military style  jackets teamed with ripped jeans and sandals, mini bodycon dresses and pouffed up ra ra skirts everything was encrusted with crystal, sequins, diamantes or studs.

There was a  definite feel of the eighties about the collection with assymetric dresses, big shoulders and micro skirts. The collection was awash with bling and could well have been inspired by American soap Dynasty. But instead of just rehashing the same old eighties stuff, Christophe Decarnin  has done it more stylishly than the first time round. The clothes have been finished with couture like details- just look at the shoulders, far more appeaing than the original American football player, eighties versions.

If you love a bit of eighties bling as seen at Balmain, this Diamante T Shirt is just the thing.