Anna Dello Russo and the Little Lace Dress

Anna Dello Russo, the fashion director at Vogue Nippon, is the kind of woman I'd like to be. Her style is totally fearless; quirky but in a sophisticated way. Occasionally when people try to make a statement with their clothes they end up looking cartoonish (see Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and at times Rihanna and Victoria Beckham), but this never happens to ADR. She has that rare ability to wear insanely tricky clothes and look completely natural. When SJP is Carrie Bradshaw she has this gift too.



Anna Dello Russo is currently in Milan for the Menswear S/S 2011 collections and her look has mostly consisted of big Bridget Jones style knickers and lace Dolce & Gabbana dresses. I've never (knowingly) gone out flashing my pants, but I'm rather tempted to buy a little lace dress of my own and try this look out.
This is obviously a rather risky plan, as I don't have half the pizazz Anna does, but I think it's a fun look.

What do you think of the little lace dress? And which of Anna's lace looks was your favourite?

images from alltheprettybirds.blogspot.com and teampeterstigter.com

Re-Fashioning Christina

Last night Christina Aguilera held a release party for her new album, Bionic. I've been a big Christina fan since her Genie in a Bottle days and have had Not Myself Tonight stuck in my head for most of the week.
I'm glad Christina has returned, after a long break, but I'm getting a little annoyed at all the 'oh, she's copying Gaga' remarks. Sure Lady Gaga has definitely raised the game in terms of fashion (why do you think Beyonce suddenly reinvented her look?) but Christina was doing the OTT skinny-blonde thing long before Lady Gaga came along. Remember the poodle hair for Lady Marmalade...
So far I think Christina is doing OK with her wardrobe. The Versace dress she wore to the MTV Awards wasn't bad, and then there were the gorgeous Louboutin boots that she wore for a performance this week.


I was actually lucky enough to meet the Louboutin boots in the Glamour fashion cupboard a few weeks ago, and they are insanely beautiful. Christina is lucky to have grabbed a pair. I'm sure she'll wear them again as she loves her Louboutins.

Even though her comeback look has been relatively strong I'd like to see Christina step up her game and pull out some big A/W looks. At the moment she seems to be into cut-out details, dark colours and anything with a hint of sex appeal. For her next red carpet appearance I would love to see her in something more directional, and the lace-detail dresses from the Emilo Pucci and Christopher Kane fall collections would be perfect.


The slightly gothic vibe to the Kane dress would be a very interesting choice for Christina, don't you think?
And as for her performance wardrobe I would really like to see her in the embellished hot pants from the Dolce & Gabbana collection as they remind me a little of Michael Jackson's stage costumes. You can never go wrong with a Jackson wardrobe reference on stage.


And for a TV appearance the cut-out dress from the Versus collection would be a great choice. It has that naughty vibe that Christina loves so dearly and is also a great label to be seen in at the moment.

What do you think of my choices for Christina? And what do you make of her comeback wardrobe so far?

images from style.com, celebrity-gossip.net and christinafan.org

I'm Moving to Italy



Looking at the Dolce & Gabbana A/W collection you would be surprised to even hear the word 'winter' used by the Italian duo. The only thing Anja Rubik has to do to update her bra and knickers for winter is add pair of socks and a chunkier knit. If this is how it goes in Italy* then I am definitely moving there - cold weather is sooo last season.

You can view the entire Dolce & Gabbana collection here - it's a goodie. And am I the only person out there who has to do an impression of Anne Hathway's "can you please spell Gabbana?" from The Devil Wears Prada every time I even think about D&G?

*note that this is more of an example of how fashion has little to do with practicality than Italy's good weather

images from style.com

Look of the Week: Black Lace

As well as Balmain-look-alike skinny combats I am also on the look out for the perfect black lace dress. Black lace isn't the first look that first springs to mind when you think of S/S, but it's what I want to wear. And I'm not the only one.
This week Reese Witherspoon has worn a black lace mini, Dita Von Teese a black lace Jean Paul Gaultier and Kate Moss a Valentino in black lace - love the white blazer, no?


My spring/summer lace inspiration comes from the Dolce & Gabbana collection. It's a little gothic, a little Madonna in Desperately Seeking Susan and oh so desirable. I got an amazing little denim jacket at a bargain price in H&M last summer, and I think a little black lace dress would be the perfect addition to bring it into 2010. I might even add some socks and high heels too, just to really work the Dolce look.



But for those who have had enough of black, why not try white or nude lace, Ashley Olsen style? Dolce & Gabbana toughen it up with leather accessories while Ashley goes for a dark lip.


Is this a look you'll be channelling this S/S? How will you style it?



images from thefashionspot.com, olsensobsessive.net and style.com

Visible Undies

I'm sure most of you have seen the photos of Leighton Meester in a lace body with her bra visible below by now [if not scroll down]. The look would have made the Hit and Miss of the week but the images came out too late. When I first saw the photos my immediate reaction was bad. Lets be honest, those are not the best trousers to pair the top with. I really admire Leighton for experimenting, but I don't think this look worked as well as she hoped.


Visible underwear is always rather hit and miss, and annoyingly (or not - if you're Lady Gaga) it's a big trend for S/S 10. The problem with bra-flashing is that you never know how it's going to turn out until your boobs are on show and it's too late. You're far more likely to end up looking like Leighton than you are Carrie Bradshaw, no matter how much work you put in.


Carrie is the queen of the visible bra, and 9 times out of 10 her visible bra looks worked, because of Patricia Field's genius. In the book Kiss and Tell Patricia says "A bra is underwear, but a T-shirt used to be too. Before 1950 no man or woman would have worn a T-shirt out in public because that was underwear. Once James Dean and Marlon Brando did it the T-shirt became the most common form of top for everyone. I see the bra the same way. It is not something that needs to be hidden."

And hidden it is not. Bras and briefs are visible everywhere at the moment. At Dolce & Gabbana the lingerie was the clothing, while Marc Jacobs took into account the fact it might be rather cold to wear underwear only - so he kindly dressed his models in cotton shirts with satin bras on top.


I think the most subtle way to work this look (apart from merely flashing a colourful bra strap) is to work a lace top - Stella McCartney style. She sent her models out in halter neck lace tops tucked into denim skirts. It's casual but still flirty, and slightly more foolproof than flashing your bra.


What do you think? Do you like Leighton's look? Does underwear work as outwear?

images from thefashionspot.com and style.com

Which Hat is Right for You?

The Fall 2009 collections were filled with quirky headwear. But how do you know if you're more of a headband girl or a Minnie-mouse ear type?
In the style of the good old fashioned teen magazine quiz you can now work out which style is the one for you. No cheating....



Which style will you be wearing this Fall?
catwalk images from style.com