McQueen Catch on to a Royal Trend

The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, inspired a right royal trend for this Spring with her infamous, vibrant blue engagement dress [left]. Kate has a fantastic sense of style, and has inspired designers to experiment with her signature colour for their collections this Spring. Along with bright pink, royal blue has become one of the season’s hottest colours and Alexander McQueen have developed several items to make you feel like a true princess (or prince!).

  

The first design is this stunning high-necked blue top [below], with decorative zip detail across the shoulders and neck. The top includes a mesh vest inner providing both comfort and a flattering silhouette, and looks fantastic with black trousers, leggings or three-quarter lengths.

McQ royal blue tshirt with zip detail. In stock at Dias for £145

Also in the McQ collection is this sleeveless high-neck dress in a vibrant shade of electric blue. Perfect for the slim figure, the drape detailing to the front and back of the dress is good for creating curves on slimmer frames, and accentuating a smaller bust. For a glamorous day look wear with this Love Moschino beige jacket, and nude accessories such as ballet pumps, clutch bag and scarf.

Alexander McQueen electric blue dress. Available from Dias for £179

Combining both of this season’s top colours is this McQ “razor blade” patterned scarf. Royal blue with a bright pink razor blade design this cotton and silk blend scarf is really fashionable right now and will go with most outfits throughout the Spring and Summer to offer you a little warmth in the unpredictable British weather. Also available in black and white and black and pale pink we think it looks particularly fab under a Belstaff jacket… although we don’t think Prince William would be particularly impressed if Kate wore it to dinner with the mother-in-law.

Razor-blade design scarf in pink and blue. £110 from Dias.

It isn’t just women who can benefit from blue this Spring! This 100% cotton royal blue men’s t-shirt combines asymmetrical stitching and rough-finish sleeve detail with embroidered front pockets to add edgy interest to this classic tee.

McQ Mens royal blue tshirt. In stock for £89 From Dias.

So if you want to brave the royal look this Spring, look no further than Alexander McQueen’s BLUEtiful (cringe!) Spring McQ collection.

Dress like the Stars with Optical Illusion Fashion

There have been a number of articles circulating recently about “optical illusion fashion”, celebrities dressing to alter or accentuate their shape, and we thought we’d show you a few ways in which you can join in the trend. Here we see Liv Tyler and Sam Faeirs from The Only Way is Essex showing off this trend of using black side panels to silouhette curvy figures.

These dresses are available in several styles with verious necklines and sleeve lengths, although the sleveless, high neck option appears most common among celebs. The royal blue featured on Liv Tyler’s dress [left] is very on trend at the moment, but we have seen the dress in a wide vareity of colours. Bright, dusky pink is seen worn by Amy Childs, whilst her TOWIE co-star Sam [above right] has chosen a large monochrome pattern instead of a block colour Although most of the dresses sport black side panels to give that flawless, curve-enhancing sillhouette. Kate Moss has inverted this by wearing her dress black, with nude panels. And here is our version. From Alexander McQueen’s McQ range,  comes this gorgeous black sleveless dress. Although they are not quite side panels, the bright pink rectangles over the waist and hips give the same flattering illusion of that curvy frame.

 

 

Love Moschino Pink Handbags

It’s no surprise that there are a lot of pink designer handbags around: I mean, how much more ‘girly’ can you get than a bright pink handbag? Hot, neon pink is in this Spring, so if you want to brighten up your wardrobe, but aren’t quite bold enough to wear a dress in this bright shade, why not try accessorising neutral coloured outfits with a vibrant designer handbag?

Love Moschino always design beautiful handbags and I want to share with you two that we are stocking from their Spring collection, that we hope you will like as much as we do.

Firstly is this small, fuchsia number. This Love Moschino handbag combines hot fuchsia pink with a snakeskin texture, hitting two Spring 2012 ladies fashion trends. Featuring gold metal detailing on the front clasp, logos and chain straps, this bag is distinctive without being ‘garish’ and features a practical inside zip pocket. A compact but spacious handbag, this beautiful design is suitable for a day at the office or a night out on the town and will look exceptionally gorgeous when teamed with a little black dress or smart trouser suit.

Our second favourite Love Moschino hand bag is this interesting ‘shopper’ style bag. Made from beige canvas, this handbag features a pattern of large, bright pink flowers on the front and back of the bag. The pattern is picked out by small gold metal studs and gold chain straps. A spacious bag with an inside zipped pocket for security, it is perfect for days out and shopping trips, or just taking your lunch to work with you! We think this design is great for those of you who usually aren’t brave enough to flaunt the neon colours – but if you like the design and are still unsure of the colour, you’ll be pleased to know that this Love Moschino handbag is also available in a more subtle but equally fashionable black.

Fashion Trends Spring/Summer 2012: Love Moschino and D&G

Unfortunately, we’re looking at February being bleak, grey and snowy. So I thought I’d cheer you up with a look at some of the new Spring/Summer range for 2012 – because there’s definitely nothing dreary about our new stock. We were all ready to don our flip-flops and head to the beach when the packages arrived from Dolce and Gabbana and Love Moschino earlier this month!

A big colour trend we’re seeing this season is the combination of black with soothing nude and stone. In keeping with this trend, Dolce and Gabbana are featuring a sleeveless, knee-length dress in nude. This daring design is fitted with a low neckline and exposed seams, creating beautiful natural curves and accentuating existing ones. A similar design in black is featured with a round neck and short sleeves, ideal for people who aren’t so confident about their curves.

As always, Love Moschino like to show that, despite their unique designs, they can still be bang on trend. They show off their love of ‘rouching’ with a classy, black jersey dress. A classic ‘little black dress’, interest is added with a pretty corsage embellishment, with rouching to the front. Another of their Spring designs is a creamy nude dress, featuring a lace black overlay: lace was hot on the catwalks last year, and has been effortlessly carried over to Spring/Summer too. The shrug-look overlay combines floral patterns with a large bow – a trend we’re welcoming back open-armed after its disappearance over Winter. Like D&G, Love Moschino appreciate that not all of us can carry off ‘nude’. Their collection, therefore, also include a black, cap-sleeve dress. The wide neck particularly suits bustier women, and detail is added at the hips by way of a large cream bow, emphasising those curves, and drawing eyes away from the bust.

All the dresses mentioned above are perfect when teamed with this season’s hot pink, coral and fuchsia shades. This season’s collection of bags by Love Moschino and D&G are definetly taking advantage of this trend. The hottest fuchsia shade can be seen on Love Moschino’s gorgeous snake-effect hand bag, featuring gold detailing and chain straps. Never mind the snow, wear this bag and everyone will have to wear their sunglasses! The faux snakeskin effect look is carried over to two more subtle additions to their accessory collection. Mixing creams and browns, along with gold detail, these bags will still go perfectly with nude or black dresses.

Get those sunglasses out again! D&G accessories in this season’s collection include a coral beauty. Transform this spacious leather handbag from day to evening by removing the detachable silver shoulder chain, and using the coral wrist strap. Alternatively, opt for the D&G leather luggage-look top handle bag. With three separate zip-up compartments, this strong and spacious bag features a detachable shoulder strap, along with the stylish round handles, making it perfect for those of us who are envious of Mary Poppins’ carpet bag. A slightly more subtle shade of fuchsia, rather than coral, this bag still stands out from the crowd, and oozes with confidence. D&G have also included a silk scarf in their Spring/Summer collection. The Fuchsia, floral detail on a black and white background optimises the Spring fashion trend, making it this season’s must-have accessory.

So there you have it! Our best picks so far of the Spring/Summer Love Moschino and D&G collections. And don’t forget, you don’t even have to go out in the cold to get our best deals, because there’s up to 80% off ALL stock online at Dias Designer Clothing  at the moment!

Past Predictions for the Future of Fashion

The  1930s Futuristic Fashion Predictions video has been circulating the social scene for a couple of years now, with common remarks being how “Wow! That’s exactly what Lady gaga wears” and “fitted with a telephone and radio? [1:30] Hello! They sooo predicted i-pods and mobile phones”. What is really interesting is just how much of today’s fashion (and social norms) they really did predict – despite the video’s extremely tongue-in-cheek outlook.

We can clearly see the woman in the first clip [0:25] with large shoulder pads and tassles, something that has definitely been seen coming and going in fashion since the 1930s. Military uniform style tassles are, happily, not a current trend, although I predict they will be back,. However putting emphasis on the shoulders to add ‘edge’ to an outfit is definitely something we see often. Our Spring/Summer season saw this Love Moschino ladies top featuring puff cap sleeves with gold detail, drawing your eye to the neck and shoulders.

This black Love Moschino Top draws your eye to the golden embellishment on the puff cap sleeves in much the same way military-style tassles would - Dias £37.50

Although we don’t add different sleeves to an outfit in order to wear it “morning, afternoon and evening” [0:35], high-street retailers and fashion magazines often feature clothing that can be changed from day to evening wear. An elegant shift dress, or classy trouser suit can be transformed from sophisticated business-wear worn with a jacket and no-nonsense black day shoes, by removing the jacket, and slipping on some kitten heels or boots. A quick hairstyle change, a bolder lippy and a bit of sparkle – and you’ve got yourself an easy day to night metamorphosis.

This simple dress from D&G can be worn under a suit jacket during the day, but with a few accessory changes can be easily transformed into eveningwear - Dias, £325

The sheer look [0:44]. Do I even need to justify this? See-through, transparent, mesh and net are all common features to see on tops and dresses, either over an opaque camisole or, for the more daring, simply a nice set of lingerie. And notice the hairdo? Can you imagine a time when the beehive up-do was thought of as bold and futuristic?!

This sheer-look top is in keeping with a trend Joseph do brilliantly. - Dias, £279

Skirts may not have disappeared [0:53], but we are far beyond wearing trousers through practicality or female empowerment. This white jumpsuit with waist-emphasising belt is bang on trend… whilst shellsuits did the rounds (again) a few years ago, this year has seen the return of the ‘onsie’, playsuits and jumpsuits. The more elegant the better. And “canteilever heels”? [0:57] Need I say more…

Do you think these are 'cantilever' enough for them? I'm glad I didn't live in a time that meant missing out on these beautiful D&G leopard print wedges! - Dias, £147.50

Even capes are back [0:53]…

This colourful McQ dress features a stylish cape back - its not quite vampirical, but its definetly an intriguing feature. -Dias, £480

Whilst some of our dresses are a little shorter than I think they dared predict, the side-split dress is a classic (another common comment on this video was  “Oooh Swish!” [1:04]). Shame about the lack of automatic heat-adjusting belt [1:00] – though it’s not exactly beyond 21^st century technology. I’m also quite happy that men aren’t all walking around unshaven wearing all-in one work suits with utility belts [1:27]. There’s a time and a place. They got it right about collars and ties no longer being the standard though.

There are always predictions of what the future of fashion will look like and a lot of it will consist of re-circulation of trends we take for granted (will the jeans and t-shirt look be considered retro, perhaps?). There may be new materials we can’t even comprehend, new social or environmental norms that mean we have to adapt our dressing style, more influence from the fashion of other cultures, or simply new designers with increasingly interesting and bizzare concepts.

Are these everyday items headed for the retro bin? What things in our wardrobe will be "old fashioned" when we're in our 80s? Will our favourite pair of jeans be a classy 'vintage' look by 2050? Fashion moves too fast to tell- Dias, £190

On the Fifteenth Day of Christmas…

It’s Day 15 on our Advent Calendar – only ten days to go before Christmas! I hope you’re all enjoying the run-up to Christmas, because it will be over before we know it. But don’t despair… another 365 days, and we can do it all over again!

Today’s item is a really special black D&G dress. This elegant, fitted black dress feels absolutely luxurious, benefiting from a high neck, and full lining, to ensure warmth. It also goes well with a black coat or suit jacket, making it a brilliant choice for outdoor events. What makes this dress really special is the neckline. A sheer black lace over the décolletage is enhanced by a black, velvet lace design which spreads round the shoulders to the back of the dress. Faux fur on the neckline is accentuated by a silver bead cluster to add detail.

Short hair and up-dos suit this dress particularly well, and if you have a problem with narrow shoulders, you may find this dress draws the eye to the neckline and away from your problem area. This is an extremely feminine and elegant dress and despite the ‘Victoriana’ look of the neck design, suits people of all ages.

D&G Ladies Dress with high neck and lace detail available from Dias for £495, includign free delivery

On the Fourteenth Day of Christmas…

Love Moschino are one of my favourite brands. They have taken their expertise from their origins in jeans and denim-wear into the rest of the fashion world, with brilliant creations across garment types. They have some really interesting designs, including their iconic ‘Rock Bear’ t-shirts, and some fantastic leopard print creations that I talked about in an earlier blog.

For Day 14 on our Advent Calendar I wanted to show you another area that Love Moschino excel in; accessories. It’s nice to see designers really getting into bags – and not just clutch bags! Love Moschino’s Autumn/Winter range of bags includes a shopper bag as well as a variety of sizes of hand and shoulder bags, making sure they keep practical at the heart of what they create. The product I really want to show you is this Love Moschino hand bag.

Black bags are perfect, as they really do go with any outfit, and can transcend that daytime/night-time border. This bag is in a luxurious black lizard print and featured from a crown-clasp fastening and a good length, sturdy strap. As with all their bags, one side features a gold Love Moschino logo, which is really pretty in stylish calligraphy – it really annoys me when some designers plaster badly designed or ugly logos all over your clothes and accessories! Like McQ, Love Moschino really considered how their logo would fit their brand.

My favourite bit of this bag, though, is the front design – a cute, gold metal frog in a crown. I like the metaphor that you are carrying around your frog, waiting for it to turn in to a prince! This makes a lovely present between girl-friends or relatives, and also makes a really romantic gift, too, especially if the frog-prince story rings true with your relationship. Equally, at less than £200, it is a lovely purchase to treat yourself to this Winter; beautiful, practical and goes with everything! Kind of like the perfect man, right?

Love Moschino hand bag with gold frog prince design. £195 from Dias including free delivery.