Streetstyle-icon: Christine Centenera

Christine Centenera, editor for Harper’s Bazaar Australia, always looks unique and flawless and therefore is one of our favorite streetstyle it-girls. She looks classy, but makes sure she adds a nice surprising touch to her looks. She has a cute face and still has some kind of rawness about her. She plays with volume, color and wears the greatest show stopping coats. This lady knows how to unify elegance and edge. No wonder the fashion paparazzi love her so much!

Christine likes anything with a stud on it, is crazy for metal details and claims she can not walk in flat shoes. She loves brands like Therese Rawsthorne and Pierry Hardy, yet you might just as easy spot her in a cool creation of an upcoming Australian designer. ’cause besides writing for Harper’s Bazaar this 30 year old streetstyle sensation also advices young upcoming designers (she even consulted Kanye West for his first collection) and wears their designs on a regular basis.

 

Summertrend 2012: Get low!

Shoe heels have been increasing in length enormously for the past few years and ‘the higher the better’ might even have been your personal heel motto, but it’s time for a change. As comfort is becoming more important in fashion again shoe heels have dropped a few inches. We spotted lower (kitten) heels at several big shows this season. Louis Vuitton, Ninna Ricci, Tory Burch and Hermes all opted for a slightly subtler heel in their spring/summer collections. Now don’t think by losing height those shoes have become any less attractive. They’re still sexy, but just better wearable. In these shoes you might actually last throughout your night out and you can leave your back-up ballerina’s at home. So shopping for lower heels it is! And while you’re at it: try finding shoes with a pointy toe, cause pointy is the new rounded (again).

Summertrend 2012: Bangles & Bracelets

As the seasons change and every once in a while we go from skinny to flared jeans and from round to pointed shoes, we also change from subtle bracelets to chunky bangles. And this summer, so it seems, it’s all about chunky jewelry.

We saw the eye-catching necklaces at Marni and the larger than life earrings at Blumarine and now it’s time to cover your wrists with big bangles. Choose for multiple ones like Bottega Veneta, Hermes and Carolina Herrera. Also, opt for color (we spotted orange, red and green ones) and maybe add a touch of gold (like we saw at Balmain) to bring it all together.

Whether they’re made out of leather, wool, metallic or wood; whatever suits your look the best is just fine. They don’t even need to be rounded; Gianfranco Ferré proved a square bangle can be just as much fun. Also, Giambattista Valli showed a few animal inspired examples that were even more creative.

Whatever bracelet you pick, there’s only one rule: don’t hold back! The brighter, the bolder, the better.

Summertrend 2012: embrace your femininity

Blossomed, pencil, pleated, patterned, maxi, mini… For this summer female elegance is all about the skirt. But there’s only one that’s the star of the show this season: the over-the-knee skirt.

The classic skirt with the below-knee hemline, who had his highest point in the fifties, is making a huge comeback this season and has a key-role in many collections. Donna Karan, Burberry, Erdem, Jonathan Saunders, Louis Vuitton, Lanvin, Celine, Dolce&Gabanna, Chloé, Hermès, they all showed their own version of this evergreen. And the message seems clear: embrace your femininity, which results in body- con, pencil skirts on one hand or wide swing skirts on the other hand. This last one is probably the most popular one: high waisted and blossoming, preferably pleated, pastel colored and made out of silk or cotton.

How to wear it? Combine it with a classic blouse, or some chunky knitwear to give it some more edge. Even a baseball jacket could work, to give it an unusual twist and make it less girly.

Just take a look at these catwalk pictures or at all these women we’ve spotted on the street wearing this classic piece. Enough inspiration, we would say.

(Eva Dusch)

Summertrend 2012: no fuss

Still going strong: minimalism. Although less than previous seasons, minimalistic designs are still doing well on the catwalk these days. While romanticism, femininity and retro glamor is gaining ground in the world of fashion -even designers known for their minimal approach are experimenting with romantic elements-, clean, simple and sculptural shapes are still one of our favorites. Why?  Because we love the strong lines and shapes, the less is more attitude, the daring and uncommon forms, the humbleness and timeless character of the clothing.  Because we adore the strong, boxy jackets at Balenciaga, the clean-cut silhouette at Celine, the pointy shoulders and perfectly fitting, body-hugging dresses at Lanvin and the ultra simple but feminine Jil Sander dresses.

This trend works for almost every woman, no matter size or shape. And all these designers proved once more that minimalistic can be sexy and feminine too. And honestly, they make a great exception between all the girly flowers, pastels and fifties dresses that are already hanging in our closet, don’t you think?

(Eva Dusch)

Streetstyle-icon: Julia Jamois

She is a former model, but Julia Sarr Jamois is best known for her personal style. As a fashion editor at Wonderland magazine she visits the international fashion weeks and is the prime target for streetstyle photogs.

Julia mixes remarkable, colorful fashion pieces with funky sunglasses. Combined with her original hairstyle she often creates an outstanding, almost cartoonesk appearance for herself. Julia sets trends, dares to experiment and always stays true to her own quirky style.

No wonder this half Senegalese half French beauty was named one of the 100 most stylish people by US Vogue and is a true hit on many streetstyle blogs like Jak & Jil, Style.com, The Sartorialist and, from now on, Tean Peter Stigter too!

Summertrend 2012: Bare Belly

It was a definite no-go for several years, but the bare belly is back! Designers have taken last season’s cut-out-trend a little further and have created all kinds of belly-revealing fashion pieces. The bare part varies from upper stomach (Blumarine, Prada, Emilio Pucci, Dolce & Gabbana) to lower belly (Roberto Cavalli, Acne, Gaultier, Missoni), from modest to slightly tacky.

The how-to-wear part is actually quite easy. Mix your cropped top with long pants (Roberto Cavalli), shorts (D&G), pencil skirts (Prada) or maxi skirts (Emilio Pucci); everything is possible.

And though the bare belly isn’t quite the office look, there surely is no harm in showing of your abs at a fancy cocktail party. On the contrary! Finally you can show off that hidden six pack of yours. Or ehh.. at least you have a good reason to start working on that.

If you’re not so sure about this trend yet, just opt for last season’s cut-out trend, which is still very chic as well.

Streetstyle-icon: Taylor Tomasi Hill

Taylor Tomasi Hill, no doubt you’ve seen her many times around during fashion month. Or on countless street style blogs, because this American lady, known because of her fierce red hair as for her work as the style and accessories director for US Marie Claire (not anymore though!), has become an absolute favorite of many streetstyle photographers and a real style- icon for many fashion lovers. And rightly so, because although she has a really distinctive style (feminine but always with an edgy and playful touch to it), you never really know what to expect from her. But one thing’s for sure: she has some fine taste.

Taylor describes herself as a ‘clothing chameleon’ (there’s truly no better word for it), because her style is evolving all the time, which keeps her interesting for all the photographers. Effortlessly, she mixes very feminine pieces with more mannish elements.

Last year she has left her post at Marie Claire and became the brand new artistic director for the retail site Moda Operandi in New York, so luckily we keep seeing her around during the fashion weeks, because she’s a true pleasure to watch and get inspired by.  Just take a look at some of her most stunning outfits…

(Eva Dusch)

Summertrend 2012: Crisp White

Between the cloud burst of pastels and heavy prints, there’s another huge trend we cannot ignore this season: white.  It’s the color of innocence, softness and purity, but it ain’t all that for this summer.  This season we see the classic non- color in many different variations and shades. A whole bunch of designers try to give it a modern twist, by using it in a minimalistic way, presenting all-white looks in strong lines and shapes. Like the sculpted skirts, dresses and coats at Jil Sander and Celine.

Or what about crisp white mixed with sporty elements? They always make a great combination. Alexander Wang, Vera Wang and Stella McCartney showed us once more how and why these two work very well together, using airy, casual fabrics and loose-fitting forms. Or like Sportmax, showing a drawstring waist.

Others used this particular essence of white just so to emphasize the feminine en softness of their collection, like Louis Vuitton, John Galliano, Chloé and Emilio Pucci, showing dresses with gentle lines in white lace, tulle and brocade.

Which style do you prefer?

(Eva Dusch)

Summertrend 2012: the multi-print look

Paisley, animal and floral prints, polka dots, stripes and checks; mixing different prints in one look is one of the biggest trends of this season. We already spotted the multi-print look last season at Dries van Noten and Marni. Yet for spring/summer 2012 many more fashion designers dared to show these clashing prints in their runway looks.

For instance Blugirl, Erdem and Sportmax mixed diverse floral prints in the looks. Loewe, Burberry and Marni opted for prints that were a bit more graphical. Moschino mixed animal with floral, Prada combined polka dots with cars and Dries van Noten showed florals in the mix with some other nature-inspired prints.

It seems with this trend there are no boundaries or rules. Just pick your favorite prints and start mixing. And remember you don’t need all designer prints. Mixing your H&M printed pants with your Zara top can be just as charming, prints charming that is.

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