Cheryl Cole loves leopard print: Here's some other pieces she should wear
JustJared

Cheryl Cole isn't necessarily a celebrity you would go to for inspiration trying to get dressed in the morning. She also doesn't seem to be trying too hard to get away from her (ex)WAG status or style, which can sometimes be kind of interesting(?).

This past week she has made some good choices while visiting the city of light – apart, perhaps, from the Phillip Lim jumpsuit look that she ruined with a pair of trainers. She seems to be totally into leopard print at the moment, which can be tricky to work with. However, I loved her in the A.P.C. sweatshirt. It gave a casual touch to the look paired with jeans and nude stilettos. but my favourite has got to be the Ksubi dress, which actually looks great with the Charlotte Olympia heels, very slick and contemporary.

And so I decided to find out what the offer of leopard print was for this summer and chose my favourite pieces, some of which would actually look great together such if combined with neutral and nude colours.

Are you a fan of leopard print? What do you think of Cheryl's looks?

Clockwise from left: Current/Elliott cropped denim jacket, Just Cavalli jersey t-shirt, Tibi printed steen dress, Current/Elliot cropped skinny jeans, Markus Lupfer merino wool sweater, Dolce & Gabbana canvas and leather bag, Just Cavalli denim shorts, J. Crew calf hair slippers. 

Dolce & Gabbana presents their new 'Animalier' Bicycle
Courtesy of Catching Instants

A few months ago during the FW12 womenswear shows in Milan you must have seen quite a few pictures on Twitter of editors and buyers cycling around the city in a stylish leopard-print bike.

The bicycle in question is by Dolce & Gabbana – who else? – and will be launched during the famous Salone del Mobile, which takes place 17th to 22nd of April in Milan.

I'm sure we will be seeing a cool new ad campaign for the bike. I would love to have someone like Beyoncé or Rihanna riding around Milan or Paris in an all-leopard Dolce & Gabbana outfit as the campaign, how cool would it be?

In the meantime, I am happy with these pictures shot by the talented Elena Braghieri from Catching Instants (via Vogue.de). They were taken in February during the shows – Tamu McPherson, Elisa Nalin and Ada Kokosar take to the bikes in Milano! My favourite, of course, is the ever so stylish Viviana Volpicella in her chic and modern green look showing everyone how it's done, even on wheels.

The bike will be available at selected Dolce & Gabbana stores and will cost around €1600 (about £1300).

Davidelfin FW12: The first must-have of the season
smoda.elpais.com

(Mercedes Benz) Madrid Fashion Week closed its latest edition last Sunday after its first year on the new schedule, which aims at including it into the fashion calendar. For the past few years it's clashed with London Fashion Week, which drove interest away.
I will have a highlights post later this week but I wanted to first share my favourite collection. Davidelfin has been my favourite Spanish designer for quite a few years. You might remember one of his best collections, spring/summer 2010.
What I like the most about Delfín's collections is the fact that his clothes look almost like a second skin, even on the runway. There is always a sort of ease to the way you wear his brand. Most of his pieces, always have a very interesting construction and a sort of forward-thinking feel.
My favourite part of the FW12 collection, entitled WILL, were the midnight blue leopard outfits. There is something super luxurious in the use of the material, which contrasts with the super simple cuts. I also love how the very dark hue makes the golden zips, studs and buttons really stand out. The jacket and the body-con dress are definitely a FW12 must.

PS. Don't miss this video of Alaska, Mario and Bimba (who you will only know if you're Spanish) performing at the end of the show. I love it!

Style.com

I've been meaning to do a post around leopard print jeans for ever since one of my friends consulted me on whether she should buy a pair of grey ones. She was afraid they might be a tad too tacky (the Cavalli overdose through the years has left us with this impression) but I reassured her that a true chic French woman like her could never even get close to being tacky.

And now I even have the visual proof to back me up. Hilary Rhoda is not a French woman but you catch my drift, non? She attended the 'Young Adult' party in New York a few days ago and was very elegantly attired in a faded leopard print Current/Elliott jeans, a semi tucked-in black silk shirt under a tailored black blazer, which she accessorised with a pair of Isabel Marant pumps and a camel scarf.
I had a look around my favourite websites for similar items and found this Sandro washed silk blouse (I love the effect of the fabric), a timeless black blazer from Alexander McQueen, and a Josie Natori cashmere snood.

The best Row

As I edited the pictures for this post I thought about Mary-Kate and Ashley's trajectory from teenage Tv superstars to style icons to fashion creative directors. They are, together with Victoria Beckham, the first celebrities to ever create collections that not only qualifies as high fashion but that reaches luxury standards. Just as Victoria's collection did two days ago, the Olsens' new line establishes them as rightful creative directors of young yet respected brands. It never ceases to amaze me how MK and Ashley manage to include their aesthetic in a way that becomes a language that whichever of their collections speaks fluently while allowing the clothes to bring something new to the season. For FW11 they have given into fur indulgence with over-the-top fox fur hats, jackets, gillets and estoles that contrast with the strong lines black tailoring and leather and with the ethereal laces and silk gauzes.

Also for FW11 The Row introduced their new collection of bags. All of them could easily fit into the twin's wardrobe easily as they clearly draw inspiration from their vintage pieces such as the Kellys, the 20's clutches and the velvet satchels. My other favourite are the black velvet and leopard printed loafers, which I hope they have included on the men's line.
I'm off.

PS. GG Fashion post coming later today.

[Pictures: Style.com]

Giambattista's boutique opening

I still remember how Giulia jumped up and down (literally but in a classy way) when she first heard Giambattista Valli was opening his first store ever in Paris at the beginning of the year. She loves his clothes to the point of madness. And so does the rest of the world. He has an exquisite eye to create modern shapes reminiscent of the golden eras of fashion to make a woman feel and look beautiful. Even even more so if the woman is already stunning as it is. That's the case of Diane Kruger (not in Chanel, for once), Lapo Elkann's ex (who he didn't deserve anyway) Bianca Brandolini and Industrie's über-chic Editor-at-Large Elizabeth von Guttman. They all went out to celebrate the store opening at the Rue Royale, which coincided with the designer's collaboration line with Longchamp sold exclusively at the new boutique.

In case you don't remember (I doubt you don't) here is the SS11 collection. Not Giulia's or my favourite because he tried to do the same kind of minimalistic thing everyone was doing. But it improves about halfway through when the leopard comes into scene. (Sorry about the quality, couldn't find the full show better).

I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com]

Fashion Month Gems

Fashion month draws to and end today. It is safe to saw that SS11 has been one of the most exciting seasons I have witnessed. Minimalism and white strongly made their way onto the catwalks but it was interesting to see how some designers managed to take a baroque approach to it. Some like Jil Sander and Marni approached ready-to-wear as Couture, others such as Giambattista Valli and Givenchy tackled the trend by mixing the popular colour blocking with animal prints.
The biggest shift in the industry, though, haven't been the clothes themselves. New magazine titles such as Industry are physical evidence of the fashion editor and buyer's relevance to create or modify seasonal trends. And so we have seen every one of them taking advantage of their new celebrity status to show how they adapt trendy pieces to their personal style and how they can still wear what they want and have people talking about them.

Carine Roitfeld is possibly the best example of what I just mentioned. Regardless of what trends dictate, the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Paris has proved that one can be relevant without completely surrendering to these. We have seen her in a lot of Givenchy leopard some of which hadn't hit the catwalk yet. Lace up boots and khaki accompanied her black and camel based wardrobe. God, she even gave camouflage a try and succeeded! No one, of course, can summarise this better than her in this exclusive interview with Hilary Alexander for the Telegraph.

Giovanna Battaglia is Giulia's favourite industry icon. It is thanks to her that I've grown so incredibly keen on her style. As a former model, she knows very well what and how works and she likes to show this to the world in her elegant ways. She swaps Marni for Dolce & Gabbana in a heartbeat, something not many people can claim to. We haven't seen as much of her during fashion month but I am still hoping for those late posts from Jack & Jil and The Sartorialist to change that. My favourite thing about her is how she sticks to Fendi's monogram bags no matter what.

Now, there is a name that can never escape these kind of posts. Anna dello Russo has quickly become the queen, no, the goddess of fashion. She owns up to her extravagance and pomp just as easily as she admits to her profound "passion for fashion". No one is capable of carrying off anything from see-through lace dresses, to outrageous Phillip Tracy hats, feathers, bling and sparkle as well as off-the-runway looks. This month she has shined more than ever taking advantage of her designer collections and even participating in Ungaro's reinvention show as a model. As the old philosopher would say: "I DIE, she's beyond".

This video below, also one of Hilary Alexander's gems, makes me smile and flutter. And we hear all we already knew from her own mouth. Nothing fake about her.

I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com, Jak & Jil, Mr. Newton, Vogue.co.uk, Vogue.fr,  Zimbio.com, fashion.Telegraph.co.uk, AdR Twitter, CarolinesMode.com]

Celebrity Summer Essentials

Every new season we make predictions of what the biggest accessory hits will be based on what we like best. As the season comes nearer we start seeing some of them on our favourite fashionistas and it's then celebrities who take the lead showing what they want better. Some of them, the more stylish, opt for classics or designer staples they can reuse. Others rush to purchase the really bang-on trend ones.
Glastonbury started a few days ago and we've already seen Alexa Chung, who's dressing better than ever, using the ever-famous Céline bag from SS10 as a traveling bag. Lily Allen chose the über-cool but very overpriced Louis Vuitton leopard scarf for a touch of colour.

Emma Watson, who has also been dressing very well as of late, wore a Louis Vuitton corset from the FW10 collection that I found to be a bit of a miss. If you don't mind coping with the rigidity of it, go at least for a brighter colour with a cooler print. That autumnal green looks very sad with the dark denim and the black bag and shoes. And then we have Sienna. She has been looking her best ever since she got back together with Jude. She looked absolutely stunning in high-waisted suede shorts with a slightly sheer baggy tee and the great Chloe Sevigny for Opening ceremony Top Shop wedges in white. She also seems to finally have grown her hair (from The September Issue) and is looking mighty beautiful.

In the guy front, we have a guy whose style was firstly famous for his lack of personal hygiene. But he  now seems to be trying a little harder. For the  premiere of 'Eclipse' in LA. Robert Pattinson wore an amazing marron suit by Gucci. I think he is a very cool guy because he doesn't think so himself. Which is why he wears things with the simplicity that actually makes the clothes look so awesome on him. He has recently trimmed his locks for a film, going for a 50's look that works quite well with the scruffy hairstyle he likes for himself. We might just be witnessing a style icon in the making.

I'm off.

[Pictures: JustJared.buzznet.com, Zimbio.com, OpeningCeremony.us, BlueFly.com, LouisVuitton.com, Style.com, Vogue.com]

Forza Italia

Even though Jil Sander and Haider Ackermann had been the first catwalk shows to open the SS11 season at the Pitti trade fair Men's fashion week officially kicked off in Milan yesterday with big names the likes of Burberry Prorsum and Dolce & Gabbana opening. I am trying hard to catch up as I was flying home yesterday so I decided to sum up the first of the first day in one post. I will, from now on, try to make individual posts of my favourite shows and review them.

Jil Sander was the first show to be streamed live and both the collection and the location of the show lived up to the excitement that first shows entail. Talk about colour blocking. Raf Simons epitomised the famous trend with taste and skill. The bold colours appeared to have been carefully hand-picked to only use the best shades, including the über-famous Klein blue. Tailoring was the protagonist of the collection, with slight variations like crotch-scrathing shorts and belted blazers. And the colourful soles of the shoes were to die for.

Christopher Bailey made me smile. Despite how much I loved the shearling jackets from Burberry Prorsum's FW10 collection I was overall a little disappointed in Bailey's restraint. That's why I loved SS11 so much. The Burberry essence is ever present in the shape of the staple suits and trench coats and the brand's iconic colours. But SS11 introduced a hardness factor by means of leather and spikes that seems almost medieval which creates the most interesting combinations of texture in contrast with the remains of Burberry's traditional romantic softness. A collection absolutely packed with future best-selling items.

Domenico and Stefano already redirected their men's line for FW10 taking inspiration from the Sicily of the 1920's. They opted for the kind of all-star Italian clothing that had put Italy in the fashion map in the past. Fortunately, they continued to follow that line for SS11. They celebrated their 20 anniversary with the most delightful colour palette of whites and faded greys and blues. The kind of clothes a Mediterranean man was expected to wear for Sunday mass when the sun was shine bright and hot. I absolutely melt at the light creme and white combos for suits and the utterly retro underwear.

To me, Corneliani was all about the trousers. They took the baggy linen suit trouser Armani has been doing for years and reformatted it for the younger, cooler man. They wrinkle just the right amount at the bottom to add a touch of casualness without the risk of looking sloppy.

Season after season I always love Trussardi. There is something so Italian and so cool about it that simply drives me crazy. For SS11 they picked up on leopard just as so many women's Cruise'11 lines did. And they did so in just the right amount so as to not look tacky. It is true YSL had done the same belt before and Acne the same desert boots but Trussardi takes it to a new level by creating jackets in blue and khaki leopard prints that hadn't been done before in menswear. I simply can't wait to get a hold of most of the pieces from this collection.

I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com, GQ.com, DianePernet.typepad.com]

Collage Sunday, 16.05.10

For this week I am going a little into FW10 trends. Funnily enough, I despised gold and leopard for a long time when I was younger but I've come to understand that they are not genuinely tacky but misunderstood and worn by the wrong people in the wrong way. They're both going go be quite big next season (loving the lamé everywhere) so why not try to be ahead? Carine, Emmanuelle and Mary-Kate are.

Happy Sunday!

I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com, Jak & Jill, Garance Doré, Net-a-Porter.com, Cartier, JustJared.buzznet.com, Celebrity-Gossip.net]

Win a Shopbop voucher with Alexander Wang

For a while now, I have been thinking of the best way to make a post about Alexander Wang's SS10 collection. I found his summer line absolutely fascinating, as he managed to create the classics needed in times of crisis and twist them in a way that represented his vision. A very focused point of view so unlikely coming from young designers. So when Shopbop.com contacted me about collaborating on another giveaway and letting me choose a designer to centre the contest on, I couldn't think of anyone else. We are giving away a $100 gift card so you can buy Alexander Wang for that much less! Read below to get your Alexander Wang discount.

It is funny how certain items become it pieces overnight. Every girl I talk to is dying to get her hands on Wang's Alla shoes or his Diego bag. Including Mary-Kate Olsen, who loves Alexander Wang bags, specially the Rocco. And I must admit that every inch of leopard and leather is 100% desirable. The clothes cover all your season must-haves as well. There is the expectable dose of khaki and leather, the edgy LBD, the jersey and the chiffon. A totally well-rounded assortment of trendy classics.
To win a $100 Shopbop gift card answer this question:

Which Alexander Wang item from Shopbop is your favorite and why?

The person that leaves the most stylish comment will win the voucher to indulge themselves!
The contest ends May 31 at 11:59pm GMT. That's all. (Said in a Miranda Priestly voice)
I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com, Shopbop.com]