Gemma Goldstone launches on Asos, Makes Romy & michelle proud

Lucky for me, this week I get the chance to discuss three of my favourite current things: Asos.com, the nineties and new emerging talent. Love it or loathe it (and it’s clearly the former over here at Style & Then Some HQ) the current craze for all things nineties has not been limited to fashion alone, but has influenced the emergence of new sub-cultures such as ‘Sea Punk’ and kicked off the technological trend for premillennial GIFs which are currently flooding the world-wide web for our entertainment (whoever gifted the internet with this gem needs knighting).

Having been over-exposed to the eighties influences for almost a decade, it looks like the nineties trend may too be here to stay.  Having said that, a number of designers, from Dries Van Noten to 3.1 Phillip Lim, are already influencing the catwalk trends, incorporating nineties grunge which is no doubt a strong avenue which we’ll be seeing next season.

But with such a rich melting pot of inspiration the decade contains, new emerging designers are starting to crack the tough fashion world, and one fantastic way to do this is through Asos Marketplace. While the competition to have your own boutique on the ever-expanding site is ridiculously tough, one new designer has launched this month with her fist, nineties-inspired collection, ‘Pic n’ Mix’.

Gemma Goldstone, an Essex based, Leeds trained designer has landed with a collection fit for a Shoreditch Princess. The brand is not only edgy and vibrant, but designed for a fearless type of lady who no doubt had her own dressing up box growing up.  Plus, what is Asos if not a grown-up’s version of a sweet shop? While fabric choices include metallic PVC (so Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion!) blue fur, fishnet and perforated sports poly, it’s the metal chokers, oversized zips and chains which really polish off the collection and cement Gemma Goldstone as the new nineties kid on the block.

So why not go check out ‘Pic n’ Mix’ and indulge your inner Nineties child?

You can also contact Gemma directly: gemma@gemmagoldstone.com and follow her on lovely twitter: @Gemma_Goldstone.

5 of the Best: These Jazz Age shoes will have you Charlestoning in no time

Ankle strap? Check. Peep toe? Oh yes. Stiletto heel? And how.

Right now, the high street has got some high heels on offer that are so retro style-y that they wouldn’t look totally out of place on a dance floor in the 1920′s. Maybe it’s the Great Gatsby effect – Baz Luhrman’s remake is out in less than a month now – or maybe it’s an offshoot of the nineties ankle strap heels trend, but whatever the reason, I sure do like them. The open-toe style and manageable heel height make them a decent investment for wedding season, because let’s face it, a strappy sandal goes with almost anything, plus you just know you’re going to end up doing the Macarena with your Nan/little cousin/unidentified drunk relative at midnight so you may as well get your dancing shoes on. Here are five of my top picks.

The 1990s Sartorial Graveyard: Three Things I Wish I’d Never Worn

Cast your minds back to the 1990s.

No, not the cool Philip Lim, Rihanna-esque grunge nineties you think happened – the real nineties, whereby everyone looked…weird. Granted, I was in that hideous stage of pre-pubescence, all tracksuit bottoms and ill-advised fringes, so I wasn’t even fashion-bad in the sense of Julia Stiles circa 10 Things I Hate About You. But like any impressionable young tween, Tammy Girl said jump, I said how high.

Now in light of this here nineties revival that has trickled down into the wares of high street stores, I am forced to revisit the wincingly bad trends of the last few decades, if for no other reason than to make me put back the confusingly erect beanie hat in Topshop, and accept that only Cara Delevingne looks good in a Bart Simpson crop top. Let us all learn hard won lessons from the past, because there are some things that should forever be consigned to the bin. My lime green zip-up fleece for one, Mum.

1. Skirt Trousers.

I saw evidence of ’skousers’ (see what they did there?) reappearing on, of all places, the catwalks in February. That’s right: skirts worn over trousers. Now, I see the practicality, Marc Jacobs and Chanel, I do. Tops are permanently that bit too short and skirts are regrettably draughty come an April morning, I can tell you. But the idea veers far too close to a white Lycra pair of skousers my sister owned. They were flared, and ever so slightly see-through, like some kind of stripper Bee Gee. Never again.

Skirt Trousers at Chanel AW 12-13

2. Denim

Fear not, I don’t mean all denim; we all enjoy a good pair of jeans (although, I haven’t bought a new pair since year 10 – they still fit, rejoice!). I’m talking indigo blue denim jackets, shapeless and gawdy, and strange drainpipes in the same shade of blue, stretchy with elastic waist. Christ, denim trainers! All worn together! Sing it with me, ‘say you’ll do what I don’t, say you’re true, say to me…c’est la vie!’

B*witched…as if you could forget

3. Leggings.

Yes, I know they’re comfy. How is it possible to object to innocuous black leggings I here you ask. For many reasons, actually: leggings that are not black, for a start, shudder. Leggings that have stirrups – liberate your pointlessly constrained ankles, children of the nineties! Leggings on anyone with legs bigger than breadsticks. Leggings with perpetual holes, in the knee or bum. The fact that leggings are never as thick as trousers, and thus reveal your polka dot pants. The pairing of leggings with crop tops for anyone other than the cast of Fame – as was outlawed by my old head of sixth form. Justifiably, it turns out.

Inexplicable stirrup leggings

There’s a fine line here folks, be daring and shun the sartorial laziness of leggings, and end up in skirt-trousers. The current decade is not immune to the horror; I’ve already thrown away my flatforms in bemusement.

Do you regret the fashion choices of yesteryear? Or are you a proud trend-follower? Good luck one and all, it’s a fashion minefield out there.

It’s all Nineties Fun and Games Now, But What Happens When it’s the Noughties Turn?

They say fashions make a comeback every twenty years, so for many people (myself included) this is the first time I can honestly say ‘Hey! I had the ORIGINAL Adidas triple stripe sweat pants, and they did not look good.’  As Calvin Harris famously sang, ‘If you were born in the eighties’ or early nineties for that matter, there is no escaping the fact that nineties inspired fashions are currently the ‘in’ thing and you WILL be transported back to your die-hard Spice Girls fan days.  Been down to Shoreditch of late?  That place is nothing short of a buzzing 90s microcosm breeding crop tops, oversized denim jackets and fluoro dip dye jobs.  And while it is fun to reminisce, and appreciate that the powers that be have thankfully selected some of the ‘crème de la crème’ of nineties chic and taken inspiration from much of my beloved childhood films (Seen WildFox Couture’s SS13 look book lately?  Hello Cher Horowitz!), some it of it truly makes me cringe.  Kappa jackets anyone?  Leopard print bras and ten-inch white platforms guys?  Thanks Spicies, but lets leave some of it in the fashion time capsule for another twenty years.

While I can deal with the majority of ‘nineties-chicness’ and subconsciously channeling my inner Romy or Michelle for ‘fashspiration’, I have started to ever so slightly panic about what will happen next.  What happens when the nineties evolves to the Noughties?  After discussing this in panicked voices with a friend recently, we were at a loss as to what could possibly be made fashionable again?  Is it because the 20 year magic cycle isn’t upon us just yet? Can we not see through the mythical trend smog?  Help us Fashion Gods, we pleaded. Surely the peasant skirt with matching metallic disc belt has been banished to Hyades forever?

And then I saw an episode of ‘Date My Mate’, and every conceivable, horrific crime against fashion came flooding back in to my memory.  If you are ever after a good fashion-inspired drinking game, I insist you download the Date my Mate (yes, a low-budget street date style Trouble catastrophe)  back catalogue and shot your drink every time you spot something that used to hang in your wardrobe, which you have since blackened out from memory.  These may include, and not limited to the following:

Scarf belts

Bandanas

Bangles

Punky Fish

Pedal pushers

Baggy combats with the noticeable G String poking out

Backless trainers

Baby G watches

Yes, we have absolutely nothing to look forward to. 

Ring-a-Ding part 2: It just got Skinny

I’ve started to notice in the blogosphere a trend developing of late.

There seems to be a gradual shift afoot, away from the oversized, joint-restricting knuckle rings that have dominated 2012. I’m not knocking it, heck, I’m a major advocate (here’s proof). I’m even wearing one and struggling to type with my index finger as we speak. However, what I have started to notice is this trend for multiple skinny li’l rings that rest on the top half of your finger.

Delicate, inoffensive (e.g. you wont get arrested for potentially wearing a weapon and having to wail ‘but it’s just my unicorn knuckle duster, Officer!’) these skinnies have the potential to be extremely creative and original. If the Bohemian look isn’t for you, or if you aren’t currently trying to channel your inner Jessa from Girls, perhaps you may not get sucked in. But if boho is your bag, then mark my words, come Summer you will be willing to selling your grandma for a collection of skinny knuckle rings, a pair of Minnetonkas and a one way ticket to Coachella (holograms included).

(rings and image above from www.shopjeen.com)

Even ‘Bad Gal Ri-Ri’ has swooped in on the action as seen in her latest video for Diamonds (or DIE-A-MUNDS’ as she likes to ridiculously pronounce it). Despite not wearing ACTUAL rings her drawn on tattoos give her the distinct Navajo-esque look that this type of jewellery trend connotes.

While I am currently coveting every single skinny ring on Shop Jeen, here are a few of my faves…

Dreaming of Dream Phone: (‘I know What it is, but I’m Not Telling Ha Ha)

For the majority of twenty somethings the current craze for 90s nostalgia can prove a little overwhelming.  For us, this is the first time we will experience an era, and all the nonsense we thought we had left behind as children, remerge in to main stream culture.  It can also possibly make you feel ‘well old’. Yes, we are now firm members of the ‘oh well first time around it was BETTER’ club and pity the new kids on the block who didn’t have Cher Horowitz and her revolving closet as a fashion icon to worship growing up.  The most depressing notion though I have been looking at is the absence of Dream Phone for our younger generations.  The queen of tween board game surely must be making a reappearance in the midst of the nineties nostalgia?  Well, having researched in to this (professional purposes only/Christmas wish list 2012) it turns out the original game has in fact been updated.  The new version however comes with what looks like an electronic hand held mobile and, well, basically sucks!

My cousins and me played away vast quantities of our youth in the presence of Dream Phone, and ultimately at the time I really thought I would meet a great guy like Chad…because he likes hot dogs just like me! It’s meant to be!  But despite a few original copies knocking around on eBay, for a staggeringly expensive price, it looks like this is one nineties gem that might not capture the next generation.   I mean, how else are they going to learn how to stalk boys properly?

Check out this great YouTube clip and the utter excitement on these girls’ faces, years before they are blessed with the film ‘He’s Just Not That In To You’:

What is trend forecasting?

Despite one of team S&TS working in the industry, trend forecasting is one of those disciplines that I’ve never fully grasped. So when Helen’s company, mode…information Ltd held an open day recently I went along to try and find out what that mysterious concept really means for the fashion industry.

Definition

‘Trend Forecasting is the art of predicting and analysing trends,’ Helen told me. ‘Not only in fashion, but for lots of other areas like politics, consumer behaviour and economics.’ In terms of fashion specifically, trend forecasters examine garment and colour trends, producing reports on clothing trends that are happening across the globe and making predictions up to two years in advance as to what direction retailers will be going in. Remember that scene in The Devil Wears Prada when editor Miranda Priestly explains how the cerulean blue sweater Andrea’s wearing was essentially dictated by fashions shown of the catwalks years ago before the colour eventually showed up on the high street? Well, trend forecasting facilitates that kind of movement.

Who are the main trend forecasters/analysts?

They’re usually based in the major fashion capitals. Carlin International in Paris is the oldest trend forecasting firm, while Fashion Snoops is the big name in New York and A+A is Milan-based. The major players in London are Trend Bible and Mix Trends and Dcipher.

Where do they research trends?

They draw inspiration from all areas of society – subcultures, street style, music, film, art, politics and more – then produce retail reports detailing emerging trends on the shop floor and at fashion industry trade shows. But it’s not just a case of taking a bunch of pictures and sticking them in a book, says Helen: ‘It takes years of experience and a massive amount of intuition. It’s not an exact science, which is why some of the most experienced trend forecasters, who have been in the game for years, can charge exceptional amounts of money for their expertise.’

How do they effect future trends?

This is where companies like Mode Information come in. They sell trend books (the huge publications that the forecasters produce), graphics books and industry magazines to a huge range of customers. Creative teams, designers and buyers from well-known high street retailers use these reports for inspiration and guidance for their design teams. The spring/summer 2014 trend reports will be arriving soon, ready for designers to start work on deciding what you’ll be wearing in two years time. It’s a bit mind-boggling isn’t it?

How does colour trend forecasting work?

That’s a whole other kettle of fish, dominated by king of colour, Pantone. You know those little Pantone colour swatches that have been turned into mugs and notepads and lots of other novelty things? Their primary use is by designers who want to decide what colours to use in their designs. Helen tells me: ‘The human eye can differentiate between 16 million different colours, but Pantone have created 2100 colours in their Fashion and Home assortment, which is the main range the fashion industry uses – and they’re creating more all the time.’ Design houses will usually have a big Pantone book in the studio which they use as a reference guide. By big, I mean they can cost more than £3500 a pop and contain files of thousands of different swatches. Pantone also produces a colour forecasting trend book each season.  It’s very popular because it displays all the predicted colour trends in categories from apparel and makeup to homeware.

If 2100 colours aren’t enough, they can use Pantone’s bespoke service to create a brand new unique colour. That’s what Jay-Z did in 2007 to create Jay-Z blue for a car he endorsed. You can bet Christian Louboutin wished he’d done the same for his famous red soled shoes. Because he used an existing Pantone red, his copyright infringement claims against YSL fell apart in court.

So there you have it, a beginners guide to trend forecasting. There’s a whole lot more you can learn though. I find Pantone’s work particularly fascinating – check out this video which shows how they created a swatch of the colours of the Queen’s outfits over 60 years.

Street Style | Floral and pastels at Graduate Fashion Week 2012

Not only did Graduate Fashion Week deliver a whole heap of talent on the catwalks (check out our round up of the best graduate collections) but there was plenty of style savvy on display in between the shows too. While perusing the pathways of the Earl’s Court exhibition centre we found many an attendee nodding to the two of the biggest spring 2012 trends – pastels and florals. Was it deliberate? We stopped a handful of very well dressed visitors to find out.

Who: Marissa Owen, who won last year’s graduate womenswear designer of the year award. Marissa is now a designer at Marks and Spencer.

What are you wearing? Cos dress, PPQ shoes, Topshop socks and bag.

Do the seasonal trends influence what you wear? Not consciously, but because I’m always researching trends for my work I think there is a certain influence.

What have you seen at GFW so far? I saw the UCLan show, that’s the uni I went to, it was brilliant. I loved the collection with the jack-in-a-box theme [it was by Xiaoping Fiona Hwang].

Who: Lucy Nicholls, recent fashion promotion graduate of Middlesex University and blogger on Shiny Thoughts.

What are you wearing? Topshop shirt, trousers and brogues, Lazy Oaf backpack, Me and Zina jewellery.

Are you influenced by seasonal trends? Not really. I like florals and pastels anyway so I’m glad they’re in the shops right now.

What are you looking forward to seeing at GFW? I want to look at other graduate fashion promotion potfolios and see what they’ve done.

Who? Mehbuda Uddin, studying fashion at Bournemouth.

What are you wearing? Warehouse blouse, New Look skirt, Dorothy Perkins bag and accessories.

Are you influenced by seasonal trends? I picked this outfit many because I like the petrol blue colour of the skirt and because it has a retro feel. I flip through magazines so I’m aware of trends but for me it’s more about what suits me.

Who? Charis Younger, Northumbria graduate now designing menswear at All Saints.

What are you wearing? Asos dress, Primark bag, All Saints jewellery.

Are you influenced by seasonal trends? I’m definitely aware of the trends but I usually wear a lot of black and grey, like the All Saints clothes. There’s just so much pastel in the shops at the moment, but I try to wear it with my own twist.

Who should we look out for from Northumbria at GFW? Look out for Charlotte Sowerby and Emily Edge, they’re both great.

Who: Elis, from Bulgaria, studying business and management at Exeter university, currently on a sandwich placement doing marketing at IBM.

What are you wearing? All by  Zara apart from shoes which were bought from a shop called Renkel in Berlin, Germany.

What have you seen that you’ve liked at GFW? I really liked the University of Edinburgh show as they did interesting things with the business suit – it’s something I wear everyday.

Are you influenced by seasonal trends? I’m limited with my work clothes but I likes to wear flowers and colours outside of work.

Top Ten Spring 2012 Catwalk Trends

Now that the autumn/winter 2012 shows are almost over, we can get back to the task at hand: our spring wardrobes – or at least daydreaming about them like me, when you have nigh on zero budget for clothes shopping. Here’s a refresher course in spring 2012: the trends, plus some shopping ideas (click on the photos to shop).

1. The decade: 1920′s. Blame Baz Luhrmann and his forthcoming The Great Gatsby remake. Ralph Lauren, Alberta Ferretti and Gucci all went flapper happy on the catwalks, as did Spijker and Spijkers at London Fashion Week. This trend is a dead cert to hit the high street too – you won’t be able to escape dropped waist dresses on the shop floor soon.

2. The life aquatic. Karl created an underwater dreamscape at Chanel and Donatella picked the starfish as a recurring motif at Versace. Who are we to argue with the Kaiser and Queen of Fashion?

3. Seaside summer. We’re all going on a summer holiday declared Daks and Mulberry. It’s a traditional British jaunt, so pack fifties skirts, ice cream colours and a cagoule (because, obviously, it’s going to rain).

4. Out of season. Heavy outerwear at Burberry and leather at Chloe could be forgiven (those are their specialities, after all) but fur? Really, Kanye West? And that was just one of Yeezy’s many errors.

5. Bare bellies. This spring the most unforgiving, flesh-exposing trend is decreed by fashion dowager Miuccia Prada. Both her eponymous and Miu Miu shows featured cropped tops, as did Viktor and Rolf’s. Check out my Pinterest crop tops board for more inspiration.

6. Print setup. Easily the most ubiquitous trend, even pattern-averse New Yorker Alexander Wang had a go at florals. In London, it was business as usual for print pros like Mary Katrantzou and Erdem.

7. Safari so good. NYFW stalwarts Oscar de la Renta and Michael Kors both came straight outta Africa with their khaki safari pieces, soft tribal prints and a healthy dose of zebra, of course.

8. The colour: tangerine tango.  In their trend report, palette experts Pantone point to this scorching shade as taking over from mustard as accent colour of choice next Spring, taking cues from Victoria Beckham, amongst others. Helen told ya so.

9. Ruffles up. Not tiny delicate ones, we’re talking stiff waves of fabric, seen on practically every look at Givenchy. The wavy peplums at Alexander McQueen were cute too. I think the Man Repeller will approve of this vaguely vaginistic trend (no, I don’t think that’s a word either).

10. What a mesh. Almost entirely New York-based, led by Derek Lam and Alexander Wang, this trend took a sports kit fabric from the playing field to the catwalk.

Oh Hello Mr. Dannijo!

One of our favorite blogs over here at Style & Then Some is the fantastic Man Repeller.  And if you aren’t already familiar with Leandra Medine, then you need her in your life.  So imagine my sheer delight when I found out that the First Lady of drop crotch jeans (basically all fashion you love but men hate a.k.a everything they don’t understand) has teamed up with my all time favourite jewellery brand Dannijo to create a capsule collection. 

Appropriately titled Mr. Dannijo, the line predominantly features moustaches, collars and bow ties as key inspiration on jewelled necklaces, earrings and cuffs.  With an absolute guarantee your boyfriend will hate it (that is Man Repeller’s trademark, after all) these trinkets are not for the girlie girls of this world.  Clash your metals (a key AW11-12 trend, don’t you know), Stack your bangles high, and only stop short of drawing on an actual moustache to get the full effect.  Complete with uber-masculine names, you can choose whether you want to be in the company of Sinatra, Hamish or Salvador, to name but a few. 

With prices ranging from £24 to £200, they are rather purse friendly.  Ideal really, as I doubt your man will be treating you on this one.

Trend Alert: 1920′s reign supreme

There is nothing like a major motion picture to spark off a solid catwalk trend.  I do believe this may be one of the first seasons in a long while where there’s not been any reference to Alice in Wonderland (thank goodness).  So I have not been overly surprised seeing the shimmering 1920′s influence hit the catwalk running. 

Already emerging as a key player for SS12, the likes of Alberta Ferretti, Caroline Charles (as my noted colleague Sophie Caldecott has already pointed out) Mark Fast and Spijkers en Spijkers, all got in to the swing of things at London and Milan Fashion Weeks.

It is no secret that Baz Luhrmann’s epic adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ would have no doubt triggered this trend in to place, and no doubt will trickle through in to the next few seasons as well.  The decadence and the romanticism of the 1920′s make it a powerful aphrodisiac for inspiration, and it is already clear so many designers have slipped in to bed with it for SS12.

With Paris Fashion week the last stop in the calendar, let’s see how many times we can play i-spy Gatsby in the coming week.

Images courtesy of style.com.

Menswear trend: velvet jackets

Amongst the swathes of ivory gowns and cream cocktail dresses at the Selfridges white Christmas press preview last week, there was a mens suit that stood out like a straight man at a fashion show (sorry, but it’s basically all gays and girls. Always). This suit was brightest electric blue with black lapels and was made out of velvet. Or so I thought. An email from the Selfridges press officer revealed that the Moschino suit in question (available in store now, if you’re daring enough) was actually 100% cotton, but designed to have a velvet effect. Deceptive eh?

It got me thinking about a trend that started on the catwalk of Dolce and Gabanna during menswear week in January this year, when Stefano and Domenico sent half a dozen velvet tuxedo-clad models out for the final walk through. Mr Porter is clearly a fan, because there are a host of velvet tuxedos, jackets and blazers available on the site now, in a more expansive colour range as well as the black Dolce original. I’ve picked my top three below. Unless you’re going for vintage this is a solely high-end trend at the moment, but it’s sure to filter down to the high street as winter stock comes in. If your budget doesn’t stretch to designer just yet you’ll have to be patient, unless a £175 Lanvin velvet bowtie will sate your sartorial appetite for now?

Paul Smith London slim fit velvet jacket, £470, Mr Porter

Canali cream velvet two button blazer, £640, Mr Porter

Burberry Prorsum blue velvet blazer, £795, Mr Porter

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