Trends: Prints (written for Style Card)

One of the biggest trends of last year set to continue its dominance in SS12 is that of the humble print. Worn in any way, this spring prints are designed to clash. Whether you’re brave enough to go head-to-toe in either matching or clashing, or would prefer to ease yourself into the trend, print can be worked into the most basic of outfits through accessories as subtle as a skinny belt or Alice band.

The most popular prints to grace the SS12 catwalks of the likes of Mary Katrantzou, Anna Sui, Christopher Kane and Ashish were flora and fauna, the most visceral representation of spring and vitality possible. Be advised, oversized florals are tricky to pull off on curvy silhouettes, however ditsy prints work for all heights and body shapes, and are for all intents and purposes, the safe bet. Smudged florals are also proving popular.

For playful prints look to Dries Van Noten’s tropical palm trees and Marc by Marc Jacobs and Giles for a plethora of birds. Other nature-inspired prints have proved to be huge hits on the Hollywood red carpets; think reptile skins as favoured by Angelina Jolie and Jessica Alba. To take the look one step further opt for a leopard print or tiger striped manicure.

Read the full article at StyleCard.

Newgen sponsorship winners for AW11 announced

The year has almost come full circle, and today marks the last offical announcement on the British fashion calendar, allowing us fashion enthusiasts, journalists and bloggers alike to start planning our pre-LFW coverage. No fewer than 18 of London's premiere and upcoming designers have been awarded BFC/ NEWGEN sponsorship for AW11, with many familiar faces returning for another season.

Catwalk sponsorship: David Koma, Holly Fulton, Louise Gray, Mary Katrantzou and Michael van der Ham.
Presentation sponsorship: Christopher Raeburn, Craig Lawrence, JS Lee, JW Anderson (film presentation) and Nasir Mazhar.
Installation sponsorship: Dominic Jones and Jordan Askill.
Exhibition sponsorship: Chau Har Lee, Christopher Raeburn, Craig Lawrence, David Koma, Dominic Jones, Fannie Schiavoni, Felicity Brown, Heikki Salonen, Holly Fulton, Jordan Askill, JS Lee, JW Anderson, Louise Gray, Mary Katrantzou, Michael van der Ham, Nasir Mazhar, Thomas Tait and Yang Du.

LFW Diary SS11 Highlights: Mary Katrantzou

A firm favourite in the lustful fashion-land of a Creative-Idle, I ‘m pretty obsessed with Mary Katrantzou’s prints  – albeit from a distance due to their reasonable, yet still altogether out of my league prices.

What strikes me most about the new collection, 'Ces't Ci Nes Pas Une Chambre' (This Is Not A Room), is how the Topshop/NEWGEN designer has evolved her aesthetic from last season, astutely utilizing an array of succinct references inspired by the world of interiors.

Paying homage to the graphic sets indicative of Guy Boudin justaposed with the art direction of Helmut Newton's iconic fashion portraiture, further meshed with the 70’s East Coast architectural trend, the results are staggeringly dramatic.

As always, the colour palette was electrifying, with Katranzou building upon her use of geometric shapes to create a blend of bold structured shapes and lines with soft finishings and statement skirts – my favourite of which were the lampshade variety, amazing!