Fashionablynhema

My photo
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Monday 20 February 2012

Trends 2012 Part 1- Mermaid Trend

Fashion weeks are happening around the world, with New York freshly over and London kick starting with glamorous Stella McCartney parties and over the top runway shows.

With the fashion week spirit, I wanted to treat my followers to a little pre-view of what will be trending and will be seen in shops this year. The trends being very elaborate and having a lot of components, the posts will be in parts- each addressing a different fashion trend. Hoping to inspire you all and give you great ideas using your wardrobe, or a new excuse to shop. If this is something that is of interest, then read on!
Manish Arora for Paco Rabanne


While summer is still here in Australia, the first post will be about the Mermaid trend. This has been around since 2011 and has slowly slowly been edging into mainstream fashion. The colours range from bright aqua to a light sea foam hue with a slight metallic touch to it, a bit like the slight oceanic waves on a bright summer day.The Manish Arora dress above, even though a perfect representation of the Mermaid trend might be fairly above budget for most of us! What I would advise is go with a more budget conscious version with this TFNC dress; it is a metallics dress in a soft green hue. The cut of the dress is also very attractive with a V neckline and all over pleats, the high waist and tulip skirt also makes that it can be flattering to any body type.

The trend is not only in the colours but also the shapes and cuts of the garments. The Golden Globes red carpet has never been strutted along by so many 'Mermaids', actually starlets wearing fishtail gowns! They were surely not shy about the colours, some being bold and flashy while others went with the ocean theme and stuck with more aquatic tones.

More examples of the cuts are below with this Asos pencil dress, in a light foamy and sea shell colour. The cut is very modern with slight pleats. If you want the high end version of this dress, do not fret as Versace presented this little white number on the right at his S/S 2012 'Under The Sea' collection. The cuts of both these dresses are kind of similar and remind of seashells or soft waves.
Versace Dress
Asos Dress













I really like the scalloped sequinned tank top below, it reminds me of wavy shallow sea water...and has a very vintage look to it! You can pair these types of tops with pants, skirts or shorts as pictured below and achieve different styles.
Nasty Gal top

The easiest way to get inspiration is through your favourite fashion magazines, they are the first to report runways shows and the latest trends. The celebrities took the mermaid trend up a notch by not only adapting their wardrobe to it; but their hair too! Lauren Conrad tweeted a picture of her gorgeous locks, she wowed us with the Rainbow Mermaid hair, done with a technique called the Dip Dye. The result is just amazing and I wish she kept it for longer. Katy  Perry, big fan of colours recently appeared on red carpets sporting bright blue hair. Unfortunately I do not think it suits her as much as her gorgeous black mane or even the brief pink/purple tint she was sporting at the end of 2011.

Lauren Conrad's beautiful mermaid hair

Katy Perry

Tuesday 7 February 2012

Put a sock on it!

Socks... They are usually used for comfort or to warm our little feet, this essential clothing item is quickly becoming a fashion staple!

With the weather cooling down in the southern hemisphere and well, still remaining cold in the Northern...i thought i would post some pictures about this trend and give you all some inspiration on how to amend your summer wardrobe to slowly slide into Autumn. Vice versa for my Northern hemisphere friends, this is a good way to keep your pins warm while slowly slowly edging into Spring. Not a very glamorous item, would you say? well if you match it with the right kind of clothes, you can achieve a very glamorous and unique look.

My inspiration for this post is Rihanna, who attracted my attention to this trend. RiRi, is one hell of a style queen, even though I personally would not wear most of the clothes she wears. No matter how girly her outfit, she is often seen wearing socks with her pumps of stilettos, and this is a good way of copying the star's style without being too over the top! In the pictures below we can see her rocking beige, brown and red pumps with different colors of socks.


This trend has been around for a while, and is seeing a resurgence recently with countless celebrities sporting them out and about. So my advice when it comes to socks, is to think out of the box, try to mix and match it with your shorts, skirts and dresses.You can achieve so many different looks with this accessory. Glamorous and urban-chic celebrity Sarah Jessica Parker, is always one to spot and wear the latest trends as pictured below.


What is good with this sock trend is that, there are different varieties of socks, short and tall ones with different fabrics and a large array of prints and colors...so there is surely something to match each and everyone's personality and fashion sense. Personally my favorite look, is a girly cotton dress matched with ankle white or beige socks, pair them with high heels and you are sure to attract attention to your legs by giving the illusion of having shapely calves!!


Men are not left out of the equation, just a look at the male models strutting the runways and you can see that socks are taking an all important place in their wardrobe, not by necessity but more as a fashion accessory. Dark suits are matched to colorful socks to add some zest to their outfits, or colors are clashed to create the most dramatic and attention grabbing style.

Dolce & Gabanna


















I must say if used creatively, this is one very sexy style. Take  Ed Westwick a.k.a Gossip Girl's Chuck Bass for example, he has an impeccable sense of style on the show and is always perfectly dressed just like the whole cast actually! Chuck is always seen wearing bright green, red, pink or printed socks matched with his exquisitely tailored pants and suits to create a unique look. Edgy and Urban or Sleek, the men are sure to find something to match their personalities.


So ladies and gents, put a sock on it and get creative! I leave you with a picture of myself sporting the trend. This was taken a while ago with my stylish girls on our way out...notice the cute, ankle lace socks matched with the shoes and the top?