Best of Fashion Week Street Style: London

London is the capital of the more subversive side of the fashion coin. Designers like Alexander McQueen, Gareth Pugh, and Vivienne Westwood all call London their home, cementing the city’s status as a place where rebellious and unconventional fashion are born. More than that, London has been the hotbed for such historical and industry changing fashion trends such as mod and punk fashion. You can’t mention London without mentioning Savile Row, of course. Savile Row is the eponymous area in London, which is known for producing the best menswear and tailoring in the world.

For Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2016, fashionistas stormed London in their sartorial best. But what I loved the most is how their own style became transformed and/or influenced by the signature style of this city. I’ve noticed some key London trends in the street style spotted, and here they are:

Mad for Plaid

Plaid and Tartan is for the Scots, I know. But it’s a huge part of London Style too! Especially when worn from head-to-toe and accentuated with large Mod-inspired sunnies, plaid is so chic and feels so very now.

 

Dashing and Dapper

Savile Row is famous the world over for their impeccable menswear tailoring. This legendary London fashion landmark definitely influences women’s wear too. Various incarnations of suiting styles, ranging from the quirky to the classic, has shown up on my street style radar and I am in love with how menswear suiting can be interpreted into women’s trends and styles. Putting a feminine or modern twist to a classic suit is always a great way to get dressed.

  

Prep School

London is home to a lot of preppy style as well. Classic jumpers and school girl skirt silhouettes are an essential part of preppy fashion. Refresh those two pieces for 2015 with oversized jumper silhouettes and alternative skirt fabrications like leather. You can also co-opt some school girl style into your wardrobe with Peter Pan collars, white socks worn with heeled oxfords, and overalls, of course.

    

High Street meets High Fashion

You can’t mention London without thinking of its storied high street brands such as Topshop, River Island, Miss Selfridge, and New Look. These eponymous brands has inspired a legion of London fashionistas to embrace high street trends and marry it with their high fashion sensibilities. Think of trendy fur vests, playful clutches, and gold metallic belts paired with the latest designer pieces of the season like Celine sunnies, Jil Sander sunnies and Balmain jackets.

  
London Calling

London has its own style and vibe for sure. There really is no one way to describe it. From preppy to punk, from mod to edgy menswear-inspired ensemble, one thing iis for sure London street style is characterized by a playful and youthful take on the latest trends. Just take a look at these street style snaps below, these are the perfect representations of true London style. Keep an eye out for London it girls, Chelsea Leyland and Alexa Chung.
      

Photos from Harper’s Bazaar

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Watch out for the next installment in this series. Next, I take a look at Milan Fashion Week Spring 2016 Street Style. Until the next one!

 

Trend Report: Activewear Chic

Partly due to the resurgence and the resounding boom of the athletic/sporty style trend, activewear is increasingly taking the spotlight in the fashion industry. Gym clothes are now more stylish than ever, and it can actually pull double duty for you now, taking you from your workout to post-workout fetes or for laid-back weekend soirees. High-fashion designers are also getting into the activewear market with their own respective line of gym wear. There is now no excuse for you to take a break from looking chic, even when you’re breaking a sweat.

A significant addition to the plethora of stylish activewear options and brands is the upcoming collaboration that has fashion fans and Beyonce fans in a tizzy. Pop culture icon, style maven, and reigning queen of music Queen B, Beyonce announced recently that she will be coming out with an activewear line with high-street UK brand Topshop. Topshop has had a storied history of excellent collaborations with designers and style icons like Kate Moss and Christopher Kane. Her exciting collab with the brand will include clothing, shoes and accessories made for dance, sports, and fitness. She promises that her activewear line will integrate functionality and her signature streetwear vibe.

 

Image and News Source: Vogue UK

 Another noteworthy designer/celebrity collaboration that attests to the trending of fashionable activewear is Kate Hudson’s newest activewear line, Fabletics. A partnership with shopping site, Just Fab, Kate Hudson’s line actually has friendlier price points than other dominant brands in the activewear fashion industry. Combining fitness with fashion is Hudson’s end goal for her premiere collection. She also designed the pieces with a variety of body types in mind. Most pieces retail for under $100, and are fashion forward enough to wear outside the gym. Here are some looks from her collection:

Image from: Well and Good

The prestigious French fashion house Balmain has joined in on the activewear trend as well and of course, did a more luxurious and haute couture take on it. Leather sweatpants with tough biker details, sweatshirts in rich prints, and even tailored cotton sweatpants are all pieces that have been spotted on fashion industry insiders.

Balmain White Pinstriped Cotton Sweatshirt from Lyst.com

Balmain Leather Jogging Pants from Stylebop

Pierre Balmain Heather Grey XX Lounge Pants from SSense

Want more chic activewear pieces to incorporate into your daily looks? Here are some of my picks for sporty threads and athletic duds that’ll up your fashion cred and get you into this hot trend.

Nike Liberty Windrunner Jacket from LuisaViaRoma

Nike’s collaboration with design print company Liberty of London produced this upgraded take on the hoodie. The paisley print on this piece looks vintage inspired and when married with the athletic vibe of the hoodie makes for a fashion forward addition to your closet. Wear this beautiful hoodie over a white dress and with striped slip-ons for an easy look for a summer afternoon. You can even use this hoodie to layer underneath a blazer for a surprising element to your fall uniform of boyfriend blazer, dark denims and ankle boots. You can also try layering a blue printed scarf in a similar shade with this hoodie to add some downtown cool to a typically sporty item.

Fendi Creatures Hooded Shell Ski Jacket from Net-a-Porter

A part of Fendi’s Creatures collection this ski jacket debunks the thinking that winter style is bulky, unflattering, and the total polar opposite of chic. This fun and playful color blocked ski jacket will give your winter looks a punch of color. Perk up your all black looks with this piece, or you can even accent a pair of sleek black trousers with this athletic item.

Mover Stretch Jersey and Mesh Sports Bra from Net-a-Porter

The addition of mesh to this sports bra makes it trendier and adds a subtle hint of sexy. The mesh detail of this number takes this beyond the gym and makes it ideal for those night outs and parties. Quick styling tip, wear this sports bra with more feminine silhouettes to contrast with its modernity. Try this with a midi skirt with lots of volume, or even with tailored cigarette pants for a different take on cocktail dressing.

Adidas by Stella McCartney Mesh and Stretch Jersey Dress from The Outnet

This cute and flirty dress has the right amount of swing and flow to it. Adidas and Stella McCartney has had a long partnership way before the athletic trend exploded all over the scene, and you can always count on this design collab for athletic pieces that have feminine details that update the standard sporty silhouettes. Pair this dress with a statement necklace, loose hair waves, and some white wedges for a winsome look, ideal for weekend brunches and afternoon jaunts.

Y-3 Oversized Cotton T-Shirt from MyTheresa

This cotton T-shirts have athletic varsity stripes that take it from basic to trendy. You can wear this design with everything, if you want to lend it a more casual, sporty vibe. Wear it with printed skater skirts or denim cutoffs, it’ll look chic every single time.

Nike Roshe Run Print Sneakers from MyTheresa

Sneakers are not just for running anymore, just take a look at any street style blog and you’ll see just how white hot this sneaker trend is. Worn with everything from sequined dress to LBDs, from tailored suits to floral rompers, sneakers are newest must-have footwear that are equal parts stylish, comfy, and versatile. These pair of Roshe Run sneakers have a black and white print that have a modern pop of neon. The streamlined design makes it easy to wear and incorporate into different looks.

Do you love this trend as much as I do? Sound off below for your stylish athletic picks!

Style Report: Under the Radar Street Style Stars

The streets are the new place to see and be seen in your sartorial best. The recent surge of popularity and fashion authority of street style blogs and street style photography has produced a new crop of style stars that are a category all their own.

Bloggers, fashion editors, fashion buyers, and other personalities that work behind the scenes in the fashion industry have now come to the forefront in the fashion media solely because of their stellar personal style. Names like Miroslava Duma, Leandra Medine, Yasmin Sewell, Giovanna Battaglia, Ann dello Russo, Harley Viera Newton, Susie Lau are some fashionistas that have been a fixture in street style blogs. They have risen to the top and went on to lucrative products and collaboration, and are now fashion icons in their own right. Now let me bring you another set of street style stars you should be watching out for.

Eva Chen

Her now infamous #EvaChenPose on Instagram (see photo below) has gained her hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. Lucky Magazine’s EIC Eva Chen does a daily style snap at the back of her cab/town car to show off her eclectic taste in accessories as she displays her shoe and bag of the day. A mix of high and low, her style is that ever elusive marriage of girly and playful fashion meets haute and happening trends.

Kristina Bazan

One of the breakout street style stars for this year’s fashion month, Kristina Bazan of the style blog Kayture is a Swiss-born and raised style maven who has been dominating more than street style blogs. Her amazing ensembles and great taste in fashion has been featured in sites like Teen Vogue and WhoWhatWear. I predict that this 19-year old stylista will be making waves in the industry soon.

Linda Tol

Amsterdam based blogger and trendsetter Linda Tol has been wearing one edgy look after another. Her ultra modern and chic blunt white bob aside, her style aesthetic is carefully cultivated and she thoughtfully puts together each look into one gorgeous photoready outfit. But picking apart her look, you’ll find that each piece can stand stylishly on its own. Her taste is something that you will do well to learn from.

Caroline Brasch Nielsen

Danish model Caroline Brasch Nielsen is a permanent face on Caroline’s Mode a model off duty street style blog. She certainly possesses the hallmarks of great model off duty style, she has that same effortless ease in assembling looks that convey casual sophistication and approachable daytime glamour.

Julia Restoin-Roitfeld

If you’re the offspring of, arguably, one of the most influential voices and most important stylesettes in the industry, how can you not turn out to be a top tier fashionista too? Simple answer, you can’t. Growing up surrounded by great style and with a glamorous mom like Carine Roitfeld, former editor of Parisian Vogue, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld has pretty much her name written in the fashion history books. She certainly nails the essence of Parisian Girl style, she seamlessly blends textures together for visually interesting looks.

Atlanta de Cadenet Taylor

Model and DJ Atlanta de Cadenet Taylor is part of an emerging young fashion mafia. With her incredible street style cred, she constantly mixes the best of high street brands like Topshop and Zara with more high-end and feminine pieces. Each of her looks have a definite rock n’ roll vibe, probably an influence of her rockstar dad John Taylor of Duran Duran, she loves wearing vintage band shirts with fun and girly pieces like full skirts and heart-shaped leather crossbody bags.

Pernille Teisbaek

Look de Pernille is a wildly successful street style blog from Pernille Teisbaek, who is a huge influencer in the Danish fashion industry. This former fashion editor and current freelance stylist and TV personality has been dropping jaws left and right with her refreshing take on feminine dressing, either going all out in a pastel pink cape dress or putting her on spin on menswear with sporty stripes and cropped bra tops.

Candela Novembre

Argentine born and Milan based model Candela Novembre has that enviable ability to inject bright colors to every single one of her looks without looking too over-the-top and still looking seasonally appropriate and fashion forward. She also has an extraordinary penchant for mixing patterns and textures together. So take some notes every time you see her in one of her signature standout ensembles.

Ella Catliff

La Petite Anglaise is Ella Catliff’s fashion blog where she expresses her sense of style, and that is feminine meets vintage. In an age where trends and faces blend together in a blur, Ella Catliff distinguishes herself by always sticking to her signature style. This London based model and blogger embraces girly and ladylike silhouettes and shows off her love for color.

Whose style speaks to you? I love the inspiration I get from these fashionistas!

Style Icon: Kate Moss

Kate Moss will go down in fashion history as one of this century’s most influential tastemakers and style setters. Moss morphed from iconic supermodel to trend starter and eventually, to a bona fide fashion designer. Her fashion collaboration with Topshop is the definition of her personal style philosophy, she’s always loved mixing up her looks with high street brands. As a teenager, she didn’t have that much money so she scoured London’s Portobello Market for vintage or secondhand clothing. Her effortless way of mixing and matching are definitely reflected in her iconic style.

Here are my picks for Kate Moss’ most iconic looks:

Image from Harper’s Bazaar

Although well-known for her edgy rock n’ roll style, she shows us that she can glam it up too. This canary yellow dress is pure red-carpet perfection.

Image from Harper’s Bazaar

Leopard print is part of Kate’s signature style. She pairs it with flared jeans and a platform pumps, and a little subtle print-on-print with her striped tee.

Image from Harper’s Bazaar

Denim cutoffs and Minnetonka boots was a late 00’s trend that Kate pioneered. The rest of the world followed suit, of course.

Image from Harper’s Bazaar

Shown here at the launch of her Topshop collaboration, Kate shows everyone how to combine street style pieces like a leather jacket with a high fashion emerald green crepe gowns.

Image from Harper’s Bazaar

Famous (and notorious) for her love of fur, Kate Moss wows clad head-to-toe in shades of powdery gray.

Image from Harper’s Bazaar

Short hemlines are another Kate Moss signature.The body conscious cut of the dress is tempered by the absence of accessories.

Image from Grazia Daily

Kate Moss is often credited for popularizing slip dresses and ballet flats. Here she is looking flawless as she walks through the streets of London.

Image from Grazia Daily

Fitted tuxedo jacket and skin tight leather pants, this is quintessential Kate Moss. She always gravitates toward the rock n’ roll style and menswear-inspired cuts and tailoring.

Image from Grazia Daily

 A thigh high double slit with low cut neckline revealing a sheer corset, Moss is an expert at showing skin without looking cheap.

Image from Elle UK

This Alexander McQueen piece is again testament to how her personality shines even through the most elaborate designs. This is a valuable fashion for everyone, you wear the dress, don’t ever let it wear you.

Image from Elle UK

Although all black is her style go-to, Kate Moss deftly embraces color in these fluid green wide leg trousers. She still keeps the proportions crisp with a tailored blazer.

Kate Moss is one of my style inspirations. I hope you learned a thing or two from her style. Remember, fashion is not about brands. It is about blending together different elements to step out in a look that is uniquely YOU.

Street Style Know How.

Hello fashionistas,

Lets talk street style! Street style is one of the most versatile styles in fashion. It basically is anything and everything that people are wearing on the streets of fashion capitals like New York, London, Tokyo and other cosmopolitan cities. It may be something you have effortlessly thrown together like a little cropped T-shirt with a high waist skirt or an outfit you have put some thought in, like a trendy bomber jacket with a cigarette pant accompanied by the latest accessories.

The popularity of street style has been growing together with sporty and effortless look trends. Why? Cause everyone loves it! It makes you look and feel free, confident and fresh. And an outfit like that is really easy to put together. Here is what you need to ask yourself:

1. What kind of clothes do I feel comfortable in?

2. What is my usual everyday style?

3. How do I make the whole outfit trendy and fresh?

Once you have answered these questions you can go ahead and start styling! Assemble together the clothes that you love and feel good in and try and incorporate them with your existing style. You should be able to put together a couple of outfits. It is really that easy. However, if you still feel like this has made no difference there is only 1 thing you can do to rectify the problem – go and get some awesome clothes! Once that is done and you know which pieces match into wholesome outfits you can start thinking about accessories. As I mentioned in several previous posts accessories are essential to almost any outfit. Please don’t ignore them. Put that bracelet on your wrist and see what happens. It is like clicking refresh in your email. Bound to make a difference.  So that is all great stuff))) Here is what you have to bear in mind when you do effortless street style. Tidiness and neatness is more important than ever. We are going for an effortless look of a fresh modern woman and not the look of the homeless person collecting cardboard. It is not difficult to cross that line which is why I urge you to pay attention to that factor.

As an example, we have put together a street style look that is cool and totally wearable. Which brings us nicely to our standard question:

Who is this outfit perfect for? This outfit is perfect for a free spirited gal in the age range of 20 to 40 who values comfort above all and feels confident about her taste. What to do if that does’t really sound like you?

Consider possible variations:

– we went for a very relaxed slightly hippie outfit. Your street style does’t have to be like that. If you love your classics you can stick to them by choosing a more classic look with a hint of casual in it. Or if you are into more boyish look, why not go for a baggy T-shirt and straight cut pants instead! It is all in the details.

– shoes shoes shoes….ahh so many choices here. You could substitute these for flats very easily. If you are wearing pants or shorts instead multi-color sneakers can be your best bet! If you just want to recreate our look here is how:

– vest from Mango at $59.90,

– dress from Topshop around $90 (any straight cut dress with ethnic pattern will look new and in-season)

– mini tote bag by Furla in monochrome colour :-)(see our post on monochrome on this page)

– leather shoes by Prada

– glasses by Prada $399

If you feel inspired to create your own street look with my help do not hesitate to contact me atkate@stylewithkate.com or call/SMS 8668 6226 for a more immediate response.

Happy styling!