Smockin'!

As i scoured through boutiques and high street shops, one thing that pops up in almost all of them is the smock. Formerly the garb of artists---the baggy white tunic they wear to protect their garments---the smock has since been shortened and pretti-fied, such that now, it is mainly worn as a top, though there are smock dresses, and (almost) no one would use it for dirt protection purposes.

There are a few characteristics of the modern smock: 1. It tends to have a squarish or wide scoopnake collar. 2. It tends to be voluminous, thereby allowing pregnant women to be au courant while expecting. 3. It mostly comes in white or pastel colours (a throwback to the original smock). 4. Unlike the artist smock, it usuaully has short sleeves. 5. It is often made with cotton in materials such as broderie anglaise, although there is now a surge in alternative renditions in other colours and materials. All the better for us i say :)




By Paul and Joe Sister, the diffusion line of Paul and Joe, designed by Ms Sophie Albou who is also known as, at least to me, Ms Smock herself. I call her such as she tends to feature the smock, especially in broderie anglaise, in each of her collections while other designers usually save it for spring or ignore it altogether. As such, her smocks are often the yardstick in which other brands measure up to.



From C and C California. Perfect for spring's romantic look. They are FINALLY branching out to something more interesting that plain tees in different cuts.




From Miss Selfridge. I like the big buttons---they add a cute twist.




From River Island. The bell sleeves make this piece stand out---most smocks are usually short sleeved. River Island has a very comprehensive smock collection in white this season, but i couldn't find pictures of their other white smocks online.



One of my favourites! From Adam+Eve. I simply love the rich dark blue colour and the gold accents.

If wearing your smock hung loose over your pants/skirt is too casual for the office, follow Ms Albou's direction (below left; from Paul and Joe) and tuck it into a pair of high-waist pants or skirt (high-waists being another key trend of spring 2007)



This high waist skirt is from Topshop and its conservative shape and length should suffice to balance out the casualness of the smock top.

For dress lovers, don't worry about missing out, smock dresses are also popular this season, as Ms Albou again demonstrates with her Paul and Joe Sister line.

Fed up of white? River Island has a black alternative:




Don't like 'em plain? Try them in prints!

This is from Rebecca Taylor and would look stylish on expecting mums and non-pregnant women alike.



Don't like Rebecca Taylor's prices? There are high street options as well.



This is from Mango and...



this is from Miss Selfridge.

Still unsatisfied? Make your own.


Photographs from: www.missselfridge.co.uk, www.topshop.com, www.paulandjoe.com, www.mango.com, www.elle.com, www.stylefinder.com, www.riverisland.com, www.activeendeavors.com

The spring romantics: the high street version

In this post, i have selected from the high street shops, pieces of the spring romantics trend that i like. Enjoy!




This is from Bebe. Lace, soft in material and colour. Very spring romantic.



This is a dress, (You saw it right, dress. Just very very short. Do you know that if the dress is shorter than your fingertips laid by your sides, the hemline would rise to above your midthigh when you sit down, but i digress.) from River Island. If you're uncomfortable with the length, just wear it as a top and pair with shorts or pants. A nice white pair would compliment the look without making it overly girlish, while a grey pair would provide a nice contrast.



From Tracy Reese. The floral cutouts is pretty cool way of interpreting the romantic trend while the trapeze shape is flattering (good for hiding tummies).



Floral trapeze tieback dress. From Shop Intuition. This would work well on the beach with sandals or with wedges. These 2 are from Madison Harding.



Or you combine the above 2 and have this:



This is from Topshop and i really like the soft nautical look. Preppy and pretty is one of my favourite combinations.



From Rebecca Taylor. Her spring 2007 has many romantic pieces. Not surprising since most of her clothes, including those from her autumn/winter collections have a very feminine vibe.

For those who don't like frills or floaty pieces, there's always the option of wearing structured pieces in pastel colours like this Madewell pair of shorts in a lovely pale pink.

Or you could just give this trend a miss altogether. Heh.

Photographs from: www.madewell1937.com, www.shopbop.com, www.activeendeavors.com, www.stylefinder.com, www.elle.com, www.shopintuition.com, www.topshop.co.uk

The new neutrals

For Spring 2007, lots of fashion trends have been thrown up, from 80s neon to futuristic to the new Romantics. But my favourite of all has to be the neutral palates favoured by designers such as Philip Lim of 3.1 Philip Lim and Thomas Maier of Bottega Veneta. For the uninitiated, neutrals refer mainly to colours such as white, light grey, cream/beige, khaki, camel... (you get the idea).

3.1 Philip Lim and Bottega Veneta respectively.

Other collections that featured lots of neutrals include the Badgley Mischka, Thakoon, Derek Lam, Marc Jacobs, Burberry Prorsum and Stella McCartney 2007 collections.



From Badgley Mischka



Burberry



Derek Lam



Marc Jacobs



Thakoon



Stella McCartney

And you don't need a big budget to indulge in these pieces. High street stores such as Massimo Dutti, Zara and French Connection allow you to partake in the neutrals trend without busting the bank account.



Thakoon and Zara respectively.

The Zara dress (featured above) upfront.



3.1 Philip Lim vs French Connection.

And beautiful versions of Burberry's sought-after trench can be found at Zara and Massimo Dutti.



The Buberry Trench, updated for Spring 2007.



Zara and Massimo Dutti respectively.

Photographs from the Massimo Dutti Spring/Summer 2007 catalogue, www.zara.com, www.style.com, www.frenchconnection.com, www.fcukbuymail.com

The tiers

Since I saw Topshop carrying tiered blouses last december, I have been wanting all things tiered. I didn't buy the tiered blouse i saw and now i really really want it!! I am aware zara carries a piece similar to the topshop one, but they don't have my size anymore. I guess I'd have to either wait for Zara to bring in new stock, or get one tailored. Here's to all things tiered:

These topshop ones aren't available anymore :(

3.1 Philip Lim's tiered tee. His label is one of my favourites for its easy elegance.



One of my all time favourite Chloe pieces.



This is from last year's Mango but it still looks fresh for spring.

Another tiered blouse. I think this I got this picture from last season's Mango.

Pretty! From Marc by Marc Jacobs. Arden B, shown below, provides a high street alternative.

Another Marc Jacob tiered piece.



More from Marc Jacobs.

From another of my favourite labels (especially for handbags and shoes) Salvatore Ferragamo.

I was sick when this dress first hit the Zara stores, and now it's out! They'd better restock, or else... Hehe.

Photographs from www.neimanmarcus.com, www.net-a-porter-com, www.mango.com, www.mischastyle.com, www.zara.com, www.topshop.co.uk, www.style.com