The long and the short of it.

Trends always seem to appear as opposites, to illustrate my point, in the last few seasons alone we have had monochrome, spots vs stripes, feminine vs masculine, leather vs lace. What I trying to say is that it works. Opposites attract. The crop top and long skirt combination are a fashion marriage. It has replaced the (short) love affair with the long tee and mini skirt. Whatever you say about the crop, it is here to stay especially in the confines of the high street outline, Forever 21.  This girl that I pictured in Dalston recently epitomises the last few remaining days of the summer (after all we are in mid August, dears). That is the best way to wear the crop tee and long skirt combo, with the last hope of summer halycon days. 

Zooey looks kitshy cooute

I know that the most honoured guests at the Bafta's in LA last week were Kate and William but how much did Zoey look like the queen of kitsch in Oscar de la Renta? It is definitely not the first time she has managed to wear cute outfits, like this one she wore to the premiere of '500 Days of Summer'.

Zooey Deschanel leaving 2011 BAFTA Brits To Watch Event in Los Angeles!

Covent Garden von pleaseth me....

How is it so that when it comes to putting a masculine but flirty outfit together, those girls in the Far East just do it better? A couple of weeks ago I spotted the most amazing pair of Dr Marten boots that I may have ever lain my googly eyes on in Urban Outfitters, Kensington. They were a black brogue boot version.  I asked where the lady had acquired these comfy gems and of course they were a limited edition pair from Japan. The picture above, taken in Covent Garden market, I think demonstrates well the laid back casual chic of teaming together brogues with a girly edge. The tights are a good contrast to the print scarf which adds a flash of colour to the outfit. Top marks I say.

Another sweet thing in Covent Garden is the CyberCandy shop where all kitsch lovers descend to stock up on their hello kitty Pez or Jelly Belly beans. No self respecting hello kitty fan would eat any other snack. Another kitsch haven in Covent Garden is David and Goliath. I love how you can dress so unashamedly in cutesy outfits with speaking cupcakes as your bed is the only one to see the outfit.

Another fashion trend which please me this week is print clash. You cannot get away from prints in the shop at the moment and I do think it best to team floral print tops with bird print trousers. The more wrong it seems the better it is in my opinion. Naturally I have been wearing my print trousers with Doctor Marten boots as the weather has been so terrible. They seem to be the antidote to rainy and windy conditions with intermittent sun. In Cath Kidson they have introduced a gorgeous new range of bird print bags which are very classy, durable and grown up. Mine is the laptop case.

All Hail McQueen!

Even the guard is saluting the dress

Kate Middleton looks delighted and of course why shouldn't she ? She is marrying a prince and wearing Alexander McQueen. On the 29th April 2011 all eyes were on Kate Middleton as she approached Westminster Abbey. What dress would she wear for the most hotly anticipated event of the year? It makes sense that Kate choose Sarah Burton for McQueen; there is no doubt that this was a day when homage should be paid to a very talented British designer. And it certainly was a triumph. The dress suited an occasion which was all about elegance and sophistication. The fact that the train was shorter than the usual royal wedding dresses shows that Kate wanted the modern twist in the fairytail! 

zoo - landers

Picture the scene if you can, leopard kitty at the zoo. What could the fashionista be doing there? Trying to find identity in her own natural habitat? This is not the place to spot the latest trends, or is it?

Ha! You would be surprised how much people dress to become like an animal. If you think about fashion across the ages, can you think of any defining moment which does not feature animal print? Leopard print is a lasting style not a passing phase, think Bianca Jagger, Debbie Harry, Lauren Laverne and of course Juliette Arquette's character in True Romance. Leopard can obviously go terribly wrong e.g. barmaid in Coronation Street chic. I think Bret's character in Flight of the Concords is heavily responsible for the animal on t-shirts, so very cute. Recently, when I was visiting the zoo there were so many people who were wearing an item of clothing that reflected their surroundings: hello kitty t-shirts, jumpers with guinea pigs emblazoned across the chest, scarfs with bears on, snakeskin bags, cow print shoes, faux fur jackets and of course penguin suits (okay I made that one up).

So why this human obsession with looking like creatures? A lot can be said for the appeal of fabric. We love the feel of fur next to our skin especially in the winter months, but also the idea of it appealing to our baser instincts. In animal prints we act just like that, an animal. Playboy bunnies, anyone? No matter whether it be the svelte and supple tigress tight bodycon dress or the finch fluttering across your maxi the animal print says a lot about your personality. I am off now to sport my leopard print wedges at zoo nights. It's the place to be. Naturally.

looking betsey and yes I am well jell

Betsey Johnson will always reserve a special place in my heart (and we now all know that this post is going to peppered with references to her prints and designs). It is true, she manages to incapsulate the fifties era whilst bringing the wearer all the feelings and emotions of the prom night. This is the time when a girl can get away with dressing like a princess and not being classed as OTT (and dare I say it her wedding day) but the prom night happens to all of female kind. Johnson celebrates the dress up box rumage; a homage to layers of pink taffeta and silver sparkly shoes.

Johnson allows us to feel loud and proud; we can be outlandish and garish without shame. These tendencies should never be buckled up and surpressed (groan) or adorned in studs, in patent cerise pinks, neon yellows and clashing animal prints in pencil case highlighter palettes. Of course this is why the girls from TOWIE have managed to capture the public's attention. They are unabashed in their desire to want to make every occasion capture the magic of the prom dress night.

A leopard never changes her spots (sozza) so why should she stop wanting to enter back into dress up fantasy land? I remember when Deyn wore the Betsey Johnson prom dress it sparked a flurry of high street imitations (I immediately purchased mine from warehouse). Alexa Chung was then photographed wearing a shorter sexier more eighties version of the prom dress by Luella. The fact that it was these fashionistas wearing the prom dress made it even more enthralling as they not look fit into the stereotypical dress up girl type. The cool model/fashionista wearing girly bubblegum pink and ankle length socks? It proved that lurking beneath every girl is a dressing up box princess and that means Betsey Johnson is our Queen.