Mulberry SS12: A perfect wardrobe for the British summer
Style.com, Mulberry.com

I have saved my post of Mulberry's Spring/Summer'12 collection until now because watching the show last September during London Fashion Week it seemed to me like it would make a perfect introduction to the new season. It's always hard to know how to start introducing new season pieces in your look but Mulberry's got it just right.

It is funny because the reason why the collection is so spot-on is because it's meant for a British summer. There's a lot of amazing maxi skirts paired up with (my favourite) really cute kagools in waterproof yellow or chic nude with a three-quarter sleeve.

The whole style of the collection was was a really interesting take on eclectic British style –being sexy and cool but having to somehow cover up– mixed with one of the main SS12 trends: sportswear. Creative director Emma Hill introduced the trend by adding drawstring to tie the shorts or the tops at the waist, which contrasted with the silks and leathers they came in.
The bags were, of course, another of the highlights. My favourites were the patent leather yellow Bayswater the genius camera cases and the nude versions of the Taylor. I also loved the platform sandals in yellow with the espadrille and braided leather details.

TFS

I think it was around this time in 2008 when street style blogs were only starting out that I first found this picture of Giovanna Battaglia (far right) wearing a fabulous pair of cropped yellow trousers to Paris Fashion Week. It was one of the first looks from an editor that really got me interested. Back then I wasn't even sure of who Giovanna was. Shame on me.

A year or so later, when Viviana Volpicella started to be on The Sartorialist and Garance Doré I enjoyed the same pair of trousers on my other favourite, Viviana, who wore them as more of a traditional piece of tailoring.

It was Giovanna who took them out of her wardrobe again this season, also to walk Les Tuileries in Paris. And I love how she updated the look with a simple shirt with details on the collar to keep it interesting and much more feminine shoes.

My only question now is still, who are they by? I suspect Dries Van Noten or Etro but I would really like to know because I love the fit and the texture. UPDATE: The pant is Marni. Thank you Viviana!

I normally don't have too many nice things to say about Eva Mendes' style. I can't quite put my finger in what it is that makes a lot of things look just not right. But when she makes a good choice it's spot on!

This on the right is one of those moments. Not only the yellow camisole is perfectly chic (it reminds me a little of this Versace collection) but the shoes and bag are s great match for it. I would've said she was heading to a boat party in Cannes if I didn't know she was in LA. My favourite of the outfit, though, are the huge round sunglasses and stunning gold earrings.

The way she wears it all and how she's done her hair is so 60's and reminded me a lot not only to Sofia Loren's iconic style from that epoch but more especially of one of her looks from the film "Arabesque" in which she starts alongside Gregory Peck. If you haven't seen it you must as it's, in my view, one of the most stylish movies I've ever seen and Loren changes an insane number of times.

PS. Yes, I do realise I posted a lot of videos as of late. We live in a multimedia universe! Got to take advantage of it!

Collage Sunday, 27.02.11: Versace goes back to Gianni

I have very seldom posted about Versace on the blog over the last few seasons. Except for the odd red carpet hit it's not a brand that often appeals to me. But every once in a while Donatella rescues some of Gianni's old flavour and manages to create a collection that reminds me of why I loved his brand so much. For fw11 Donatella has done very simple shapes, mostly cocktail dress length and black or white, with bold graphic motifs in purple, yellow and green. These, together with the big gold logo detailing took me back to the Versace of the late 80's and early 90's. I particularly liked the white one-shoulder night number that Abbey Lee rocked on the runway and the incredible bejewelled medusa evening bags, which, I hope, will make a big hit.

I'm off.

[Pictures: Style.com]

get inspired

It's 1st of May and the sun is shining. If you haven't yet started taking Spring attire seriously, now is the time! Stock up on plenty of nudes, khakis and beiges and play around with colour blocking. Think primary colours and bold combinations. Now, shop!

I'm off.

[Pictures: none of the above are property of soVIPzone. E-mail us at sovipzone@hotmail.com if you'd like to request credits]

the curious case of the shabby yellow jumper

I can't quite figure out why Ashley Olsen is so attached to her yellow cable jumper. As you know, I already started to develop a certain fascination toward this peculiar habit a few weeks ago. I also noticed how Ashley never wears it in the same way —tucked-in, over the shoulders, as a dress... Maybe there is some kind of "truth or dare" challenge going on between her and MK where Ash has to wear a specific garment in as many ways as she possibly can. Or perhaps it's her fashionable version of a security blanket? Haha, oh the world of my mind.

[Pictures: JustJared.buzznet.com, Celebrity-Gossip.net, Mojolkhomme.com]

In any case, I have started to wonder if maybe I should get my own yellow jumper? I'm not sure I'd be able to look as awesome in it every day as Ashley can but it won't hurt to try. What do you think?

I'm off.

the Olsens put my distress to an end

I always run out of inspiration when I am on holiday. The utter lack of anything even remotely similar to stress relaxes me to such extent that my brain shuts down everything but the vital functions. Anyway, it is thanks to my favourite duo in the world that I have brought myself to make a new post. I love how Ashley and MK mixed romantic and sheer for their last appearance and how they added a little gothic to the equation. I am not a fan of Mary-Kate's oversized jackets but I am certainly loving Ashley's see-thru and bows —doesn't she look like a 21st-Century Coco Chanel?

I have a fixation with anything Olsen but lately I have also developed a certain fascination towards Ashley's yellow cable jumper. She has been seen using it as a cape, a scarf and a comfort blanket as well as giving it its traditional usage. It made me think of a biker jacket-shaped jumper I can't seem to stop wearing. Do you have a preferred clothing item you love wearing?

[Pictures: Celebrity-Gossip.net, OlsensAnonymous.blogspot.com, Liberty.co.uk, RalphLauren.com]

I'm off.

HIDEOUS gossip

This is the show we long to watch, the one that makes Mondays (or beginnings of the week for us, Europeans) worth living. And to all fashion lovers and freaks, it is also a 45-minute display of endless wardrobe changes and, therefore, surprises and disappointments. It's one of the latter that inspired this post. Gossip Girl has kept us amazed for a few months now with, if you agree, quite a flawless costume design for every single character. However, such accomplishments shall not endure much longer. As I am sure most of you have already seen on your much-needed, daily-updated gossip blogs, there is a wedding coming up in the show. I personally consider weddings the top 1 occasion in which people manage to screw up big time in the clothing department. Tacky, trashy and overdone would probably be the three most used words when I attend one of these ceremonies. Considering the fashion magnitude of the series all this ought not to be a problem at all, nonetheless, it seems even the most skillful stylist can't always get it right. Eric Daman —an old Patricia Field apprentice in the SATC times— couldn't most definitely be on his senses when he picked up Blair's, Vanessa's and Nate's ensembles for the union of the houses of van der Woodsen and Bass. Queen B's pink madness is unflattering both in colour and fitting terms, she looks paler and far from the teen-on-a-power-trip look they often go for with her. Vanessa's expression speaks for itself, although this time the dress does not fit her badly, it's the details and that awful blurred print that make it an absolute fashion faux-pas —non-plus, I'll add. On the male side of things, Mr. Archibald junior goes back to the gangster Chicago of the fifties, in a striped, three-button suit and equally striped shirt. As if the mismatch was not enough, it was decided he should wear brown suede shoes (already seen several times on the show) instead of some good old classic black ones. This will teach Mr. Daman how aiming at a too distant target simply ends up in failure.

On the bright side of things —stylistically speaking, of course— I'd like to make a little flashback to 2006, when The O.C. said goodbye to Marissa Cooper in her dream Chanel from that year's S/S collection. She pulled it off beautifully for graduation paired up with a rope version of gladiators. Back to 2008 we may rest assure not many more unfortunate choices will come our fave show's way. "Living" proof of it is Serena's gown for her mother's wedding —an outstanding sheer Ralph Lauren mixing yellow and florals beautifully together with it's greatly layered skirt and the discrete yet sophisticated details and accessories.

[Pictures credit: JustJared and BlakeLively.net]

I'm off.

COLOUR for us

I have lately become aware of the fact that I rarely post about menswear, a bizarre thing considering I am a guy who obviously has to dress and hence be updated about the men's fashion world. Well, I have the intention to post more regularly about the trends and inspiration oriented to men, specially those which influence me the most at the moment. However, I am also aware of the fact that most of the readers (at least those who comment) are girls so I would like to hear some feminine opinions about male fashion; what you like better on us and what you think it's totally wrong.

Summer is always the time for colour but I am not quite the fan this season. I love very settled colours, but mostly in the winter when I can play a lot more with them. This year, I found utterly interesting how designers have introduced the brightest of hues through jeans. This made me question my almost complete elimination of colour in my summer wardrobe and threw me for a little web tour to find some good proposals like these for the season. Well, I have.

Red is quite the boss this season, but it usually is like that. I actually bought some very amazing red jeans from TopMan last year. I am very glad I did. After having a look at most of the male collections, I couldn't keep Gucci out my head; I love the way Frida Giannini has played with red in different garments and materials, mixing it up with a lot of black leather and that black and white pattern you have surely noticed too in the women collection. My other favourite using red is Purificación García, a Spanish designer not very widely known even in her country. However, I often visit her shop either in Madrid or Barcelona and I find very interesting how she plays with colour in a subtle way, making very stylish and urban-chic proposals and including sort of a Spanish preppy touch that I have to confess I'm very fond of.

From Gucci are also other more daring hues of jeans —orange, lime green and yellow. That particular shade of orange has me going crazy wondering whether I should buy something similar if it decided to come my way. My goal for this new season was to keep it very very simple, all very clear colours, loads of plain tees, only changing the outfit including different cuts of trousers, playing with belts, shoes, socks and hats. I wanted to wear all that with my beloved classic blazers —rolled up sleeves— and different kinds of foulards and scarves. As a matter of fact, I became fascinated only this morning when I found this Dries Van Noten scarf which would give life to any ensemble.

What do you think?

[Picture credit: Men.Style.com and Purificación García]

I'm off.