This week’s Friday Fashion Wrap has everything from sequins to power suits, Downton Abbey to 10 Downing Street in London. Get your fix of fashion news – read on…
Louise Gray isn’t a household name yet – but she’s looking likely to be the next big thing.
A step in that direction? Her collaboration with Topshop, which lucky Aussie shoppers may just be able to get their hands on.
Gray’s aesthetic is deranged candy-punk, and her collaboration is heavy on the sequins, smiley faces, outrageous silhouettes and slouchy T-shirts.
She insists it’s perfectly possible and very fashionable to wear a sequinned top over an immaculately fitted, pin-striped shirt – and to pair it with high-glam boots or flats.
We predict the major sellers will be the slouchy, almost 20s-ish, heavily beaded and shined dresses and tops covered in her signature sparkles. Their almost abstract patterns will make them classics.
We also expect the loose polka-dot jacket to be seen worn with black skinnies and a T-shirt on a night on the town by some bright young starlet soon.
It’s too good to ignore. Would you wear any of Louise Gray’s club-shine pieces?
Image: Louise Gray for Topshop.
Fashion is having a major Downton Abbey moment.
It’s in the dropped waist silhouettes, the ornate beading, the netting – all over the place.
However, fashion is starting to take an interest in the actresses themselves, and we’re loving that they have.
Earlier, the three Downton sisters did matching covers for LOVE magazine in the style of eighteenth-century paintings, wreathed in white hair and ribbons, and the results were stunning.
However, Michelle Dockery is starting to become a major couture star. She turned up to the Burberry front row, and is now in Harper’s Bazaar flaunting some severe and gorgeous fashion. Rescu. is inspired by the shoot.
Here are our tips for adopting some of its style.
Simple silhouettes with intense detail are the lesson of the day here – and modesty also rules. Long skirts and sleeves are the order of the season.
However, Dockery wears long leather sleeves on a plain black shift, and patterned skirts with corsets. It’s minimalism gone classical, and the result is magical.
To pull it together, go feminine with an androgynous twist – a thin overall line with trailing sleeves or train, and no excess volume.
And the main colour palette? Black, black, black.
Ironwork-like lace detailing, worked leather and intricately cut black tulle all featured in the editorial, but Dockery herself was styled with barely-there make-up and startling brows. Work it back to a plain, stark face and let it stand out.
Image: Michelle Dockery in Harper’s Bazaar.
Been lusting after the life of Dita von Teese, but don’t have the burlesque budget to show for it?
Easy – Rescu. has the how-to for making a plain pair of heels into something more remarkable.
If you’re the intensely creative type, we can recommend buying plain white and some fabric pens, and going wild – but beware. The results may not be what you hoped for, and the smudges and greyness of wear might ruin your hard-earned work.
For better results, try some hand-sequinning or glitter application, or make some accessories for the toe.
The best shoes to use should be ones without any other decoration. First, find an inspiration pair online or in a magazine to model on. This is invaluable if you’re aiming for a particular look – you can use it to source materials, colours and direct the placement of the decoration.
Find shoes with surfaces which will take adhesive. Suede isn’t great, but leather or faux leather are usually a good idea. Nothing too thin to support any extra weight, and nothing too shiny – it will just flake off.
Also make sure you’re still going to be able to wear them once an area is stiff with glue – put cardboard near the area while wearing it to test if you can walk.
If you’ve got one, use a foot mould in the shoe while you work, to make sure you don’t warp its shape.
Make sure your work surface is covered in newspaper, and that you aren’t wearing expensive clothes. This isn’t a project to do just before a night out – it’s going to take a while.
One of the most popular shoe-decoration tricks is to cover entire areas – say, the heel – with sequins or fake jewels.
It’s a Louboutin trick, and the key is sizing. Smaller is better, but not so small that you’ll be driven mad trying to place them. Don’t use huge bulky ones. A variation in size can also be good – too uniform and it won’t all fit together into a nice sheen.
Follow the directions on whatever glue you’re using. When you purchase the glue, try to take the shoe along and ask a salesperson if it’s appropriate for use – don’t be shy, it’s their job.
Many glues will take ages to dry, so don’t be tempted to fiddle. If the result smells, let it air-dry for longer, but resist the urge to perfume it.
The smell may linger, but should fade with time. And there you have it – a home-made piece of cabaret heaven!
Image: Sequinned shoes.
She was the leader who broke boundaries for women in politics and inspired a film, The Iron Lady, which won Meryl Streep an Oscar.
She’s also not too beloved in her homeland of England – but that hasn’t stopped Margaret Thatcher from making an impact, and now her fashion is entering history.
Thatcher’s famous suits, which were all the rage in the 1980s when she was Prime Minister, are going to be auctioned in the UK in September.
Lest you think this is only going to be for obscure fashion buyers, it’s going to be a big-ticket event. One of Thatcher’s handbags recently sold for the equivalent of 40,000 Australian dollars.
Thatcher’s suits showcase her design aesthetic, which was to stand out – every other member of Parliament was generally male and in grey pinstripe, while Thatcher wore vivid yellows and greens.
She also contrasted the linings and bindings on all her suits. Nowadays that sort of power dressing is almost old-fashioned – Hillary Clinton, much to her fury, is occasionally criticised for not being fashion-forward enough – but Thatcher’s auction will be an interesting show.
It will be sold at venerable auction house Christie’s – and the cream of London society will attend. We’re not sure Duchess Kate will pick up a piece or two, though.
Image: Thatcher’s power suits.
