Trend Watch: STRIPES, STRIPES, STRIPEY

Icy drinks, flip flops, flip-flops digging in the sand, loads of sunblock every few hours and lazing in the sun are all the perfect summer staples. However you can't beat the summer without essential summer wardrobe items. Now it's a no brainer - STRIPE is the outrageous summer trend that never goes out of style. It's easy to wear and when paired with the right accessories can be worn from day-to-night (its called clever styling).

Here are some of the best easy-to-wear summer looks that you could take some hints from and look stylish despite the skyrocketing temperature this SUMMER. 

 Zoe Saldana is wearing stripes in three different looks and rocking them all.

Zoe strolling down the streets of NYC in American Stripes (red, white and blue) wearing Madewell Dress with cool sunglasses and a slingbag.

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Zoe Saldana nails it again in a colourful vividly striped racerback maxi dress from Slpendid pepped up with a studded bracelet and  Adina Reyter Large Triangle Earrings and studded brown belt. She added the flip flops giving it a perfect summer look.

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Zoe Saldana again striping along with Emmy Rossum and January Jones in $500 Express striped dress. All three ladies look great but Zoe Saldana gets brownie points for mixing it with tan accessories and those hoops.

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Victoria Secret's angel Alessandra Ambrosio pumps up the stripes by keeping it classic - the perfect nautical look. Alessandra working a wonderful blue and white look in an Ella Moss striped tank layered with a white cardi teamed with cuffed blue denims.
 

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Speaking of classic, now how adorable Taylor Swift by taking a not-so classic striped bursting with colours. Her look shouts SUMMER - colours a cute summer multi-coloured striped dress, polka-dotty yellow headband. She paired her summery frock with mustard bally pumps, Elie Saab green bag, classic Ray Ban wayfarer sunglasses and red lips. The red lips,, hmmm  am not sure, but hey its Taylor, she nails it!!!!

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Katie spotted in two striped looks in less than three days keeping it simple and comfortable in a roomy red and white striped tee and denims and cool shoes. I'm loving her black and white striped look where she keeps it sophisticated and chic with a B/W Derek Lam striped top paired with flared black Holmes and Yang pants (yes from Katie's new fashion line, inspired by friend Beckham?) and pointed pumps. Classic always rocks.

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Stripes is not just for a cool laid back look, you can wear them even for a dress-up occasion. Last year Katie Holmes sizzled in a striped dress at a red carpet event (premiere of The Extra Man to be precise) looking young and stylish.

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How to dress-up a summer dress? Make your summer dress appropriate for evening  by adding ankle strap stilettoes, a clutch and polished hair and make-up.

Get ready to rock the summer (or whatever is left of it.... and you could wear these even for winter days and nights with right styling).

Trend Watch: Polka Pants

Dots Dots everywhere, not a dot to drink. Polka dots and summer have a long history and given the printed pants obsession this summer it's no surprise (and a delight) to see the dots dotting the pants.

Dressed up and dressed down, playful and edgy Poppy Delevigne, Kristen Bell, Taylor Swift and Gwen Stefani were spotted in their respective polka pants while just strolling down the streets to the red carpet. Kristen makes it dressy at the red carpet with a embroidered white button down, formal blazer, statement necklace and high slingback platforms, while Taylor Swift goes the effortless chic route with simple button down shirt and loafers paired with her polka dot ankle jeans, Gwen brightened her black and white polka pants with a colour pop pink jacket and red lips and Poppy Delevigne took the chic route with button down shirt, scalloped edged jacket and Ivory Platform sandals. 

 Kristen Bell and Poppy Delevigne in Topshop Polka Dot Cropped Pants

Taylor Swift in AG Adriano Polka Dot Ankle Jean and GwenStefani in Paige Polka Dot Verdugo Jeggings

My favourite among the four is Poppy Delevigne. You?

Get the Polka Pants look

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2. Paige Polka Dot Denims (as seen on Gwen) - An edgy casual look can be easily pulled with these Paige polka denims. Pair it with a airy tee or dress it with a bright colour jacket to make it a day-to-night look. Finish off with some sleek heeled pumps.  

1. J Crew Capri in Polka Dot for £100 (approx Rs 9700, ships to India) - A retro-ish capri will grant you a chic head turner look with its giant dots. Wear it with flats (for working androgyny think orxfords, or go dressy with pumps). Add a pop of colour with a blouse or your jacket or go black and white with a pout of red lips.

Wear the polka with blazer, tee or tucked-in button down.

3. River Island White Tee £20 (approx Rs 1800, ships to India)

6. Chloe Necktie Crede Shirt (luxury, ships to India)

4. Zara Red Blazer for £60

10. Theysen's Theory Black Blazer £376 (ships to India) 

5. Oasis Sleeveless Blouse for £40 (approx Rs 3600, ships to India, free delivery available)

Accesorise it with heels and clutch for dressy look.

9. Zara Peep Toe Nude Heels for £40

8. Matt and Nat Black Jorja Bag

7. Zara Box Clutch £20

Trend Watch: Socks with Sandals

Long gone are the days when the socks were the luxury of men and were overshadowed by the mighty and famous 'shoes'.

Flaunting socks with dresses, skirts and cropped pants and paired with 'oh no, not just the regular shoes' but with heeled sandals, pumps and everything you can imagine has become a huge trend. Interestingly, in the world that I see through my eyes, the sock trend has created two classes of people - the ones who either like it or those who despise it. There is hardly anyone in-between.

Image Source: Garance Dore

Megan

Are you ready to pair the ankle clothing with distinguished-heeled sandals or are you one of those (like me) who'd appreciate the trend but will not venture out with the look?

Trend Watch: Print Clash

Clashing prints has been hot on the fashion radar last spring/summer and its gotten hotter, bigger and bolder this summer. You turn any fashion magazine or read any fashion website and you're bound to find them talking about 'mashing and mixing print' trend. It's fun (albeit risk-taking) and its not for the faint hearted!!!

Get crafty and let your imagination run wild. Mix and match all the season's fantastic print trends.

How to wear? Try on crazily different prints - mix aztec with animal prints, tribal with stripes or spots, graphic with tropical or for a more print-monochromatic look change up to floral with floral or dot with dots.

Wear your spot shirt with tropical printed skirt and go loud (think bright) on accessories for an 'all eyeballs on me' look, team a printed dress with animal print bag and/or shoe or play it safe with the following looks:
- wear bright colour clothing and clash the print through your accessories.
- mix muted prints and base colours (like black, dusky pink or beige) and layer them together. Think of wearing a block coloured tee with printed pants and animal print shoe and throw in a jacket like Olivia Palermo (scroll down).
No matter how you choose to wear the look (subtle or bold) keep the colors in the same family or mood. No matter how different your patterns, as long as the colors match, you're good to go.

Its time to break the old rules and make new ones. So throw out your rules book which says anything about not mixing the prints, rummage through your wardrobe to find the perfect print clashing pieces and make a statement.

 

Image Source : http://www.net-a-porter.com/ (all these items are available on their website for sale)

Spotted Print Clash on Celebs and Streets

Print clash is the new love of everyone who loves fashion - men included. I've pulled out some of my favourite looks from the internet. 

The French women can make even the unconventional trends look sophisticated and chic. French stylist Elisa Nalin wears the clashing prints so well, which comes as a no surprise as the woman is always impeccably dressed (did I miss the word in colours?). 

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Fashion's darling and one of my favourite celebrities, Olivia Palermo, wears the print clash look in a more understated style with base colours teamed with printed floral pants and animal print shoes.

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Print queen Solange Knowles goes for a more print-monochromatic look donning the print clash look from the blue colour palette. Both her looks gravitated towards florals.

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Diana Kruger gets creative. She wore a striped skirt over her printed dress to work the print clash trend and adds yellow shoes to make it more fun.

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This girl's print clash style is my favourite!! From what it looks like she has wore a spotted blouse over a floral print dress and accentuated the pink flowers by throwing a pink clutch to put the look together. The hat and espadrilles just give it the perfect summer touch. I am so trying this look soon.

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Print Clashing Men
The jusrisdiction of fashion is not restricted to women, there are men who talk, walk and breathe fashion. And the print clash is the perfect way for these meterosexual men to show-off their quirky side.

The bold and risk taker Bryan Boy gives the print and strong shot of colours by mixing stripes and florals together.

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The Sartorialist captures this wonderful print clash look on the streets of Paris. The dude mixed dots with aztec print and balanced of the look with whites.

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On the runway and magazines

Runways around the world bombarded prints and print clash was one of the key looks. Here's one of my favourites from Kinder Aggugini's Autumn/Winter 2012-13 collection.

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Stylist Andrew Holden created these wonderful print clash looks for Grazia's Spring Summer 2012 issue (UK) for Fash goes Clash section. They are so perfectly styled, his ability to make clashing patterns look so wonderfully instantly makes every piece desirable. All these beauties are on my wishlist (I hope it gets off my wishlist and pops in my wardrobe; wink wink!!!!)

 

 

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Here are some of the ways you can wear the prints: Styled by Beautify

(click on the items below the look if you want to buy those pieces)

Trend Watch: Clashing Print 

Loving Zara TRF's March 2012 Lookbook

With the onset of March, 'sun' has already made a place for itself and spring is in full bloom. With this happy springy weather now in full gear, its time to do a rehaul of the wardrobe. Dig out the springy goodies that have been languishing in the back of your wardrobes, buy some key Spring/Summer 2012 pieces (do you really need an excuse to shop?) and  paint the town red!!!!

On one of my online journeys few days back, I came across Zara TRF's March 2012 lookbook and fell in love with their delish collection. And my visit to Zara store last week I saw these beauties in real and couldn't help myself and ended up with a small treat to myself!!

The sugary candy coloured hues (just unable to get over my new love for pastels), sophisticated tweed jackets, massive collection of gorgeous flowy feminine shirts in georgette, chiffon and crepe (you'll be spoiled for choice), sumptuous floral pieces and print overloads - just the perfect place to start your spring summer shopping.

Swipe your cards to kickstart spring with these little beauties:

Zara Spring Collection - Beautify Picks