50 SHADES OF CHAMBRAY

Anyone who knows me knows that I am totally batty for a bit of blue jean! So for moi and for millions of you guys out there 2013 is set to be our year (yay)!! The catwalks have been inundated with a plethora of various shades in all fabrics from chambray to hard wearing denim.

Vintage Wrangler shirt / Available at DollsMaison

Marc Jacobs Resort 2013....Loving the printed denim!

Balmain Resort 2013....I must say I absolutely LOVE this chambray look! OK I'm just going to come out and say it, if I had the means I would wear Balmain every day of my life!

Vintage Christian Lacroix denim shirt / Available at DollsMaison

For many of you out there, you're probably wondering, 'well...what's the difference between chambray and denim?'; good quesh people! Well, although similar in many ways for instance both are made from cotton and are blue in colour which can vary and both are considered to be coarse fabrics. Chambray is lighter in texture and was used in the 60's as the fabric of choice for work shirts, whereas denim was used for making hard wearing work trousers and jeans. Ladies were very rarely seen wearing these fabrics, oh how the times have changed!

Denim may be hot right now but what about ramping it up a notch and going full on denim, on denim, on denim?...

Britney & Justin: Urrrggh a double denim disaster!

For some, the double denim look (aka the Texas tuxedo) is a cardinal sin! Step forward Britney and Justin! But by the looks of it it seems to be making a significant comeback with the likes of Balmain & Marc Jacobs championing the look in their Resort 2013 collections. I guess if you step away from the denim jean and jacket combo and experiment with shirts and denim cut offs it could look quite cool... But the question is will the look filter through the High Street and into your wardrobes? The jury's still out for me on that one.

xoxo

Balmain Resort 2013

I'd wear double denim all the time if it looked like that on me too!

Miu Miu Spring 2013

Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2013

NEW YEAR, NEW TREND: EMERALD, 2013 COLOUR OF THE YEAR!

Keira Knightley in Emerald Burberry Prorsum

Burberry Prorsum Spring 2013 Kickback Lace Trench Coat

Emerald green lace pencil skirt / Available here

Ever since Pantone, the worldwide global authority on colour, declared emerald green to be THE colour of 2013, I've been spying it literally everywhere!! Top couture designers such as Vera Wang, Elie Saab and Burberry Prorsum have gone crazy over this hue, Celeb-ville has also embraced this colour like a duck to water and so have we! Not to say that khaki isn't a great shade (those military hues have served us well for the past few seasons), but step aside general....your younger, fresher sister is stepping out from behind your shadow and is set to take the fashion world by storm! 

Charlize Theron in Stella McCartney jumper

Emerald & black jumper / Available here

Emerald green roll neck jumper / Available here

Emerald & black flower knit jumper / Available here

The emergence of emerald reminds me of a spring fresh, organic, eco alternative to the duller shades we've gotten so used to throughout 2012, conjuring images of vibrant and radiant lush pastures this hue is perfect for the introduction of Spring 2013. Not only does it scream well-being, balance and harmony, renewal and rejuvenation it also looks fantastic on a plethora of skin tones, also it will undoubtedly fit in well with the sea blues we're sure to be seeing later on in Spring.

Lady Gaga in Valentino leather trench coat & Christian Louboutin Daffodile platform heels

Sportmax Spring 2013

Emerald green leather trousers / Available here

Zoe Saldana in Louis Vuitton trousers

Green silk trousers / Available here

Fearful of looking more Princess Fiona (Shrek) than fashion forward? Why not opt for accents like a bag or eye shadow to ease you in, not so out there but just as hot!

RiRi sporting gorgeous emerald cat eyes

Mrs Jolie-Pitt (or so I hear!) rocking some stunning emerald bling

Poppy Delevingne carrying an enviable green suede Chanel Boy Bag

Emerald green handbag / Available here

*sidebar* Is it just me or does anybody else want to emigrate to sunnier climes and take a dip in the clearest seas you've ever seen and take a troll in the lushest gardens?!

Check out our ASOS Boutique for some other great pieces in this season biggest colour.

xoxo

VINTAGE REWORKED BY DOLLSMAISON: THE DEBUT COLLECTION

Take a first look at our debut foray into vintage reworking! If you love leather like we do then you'll LOVE this! Let's be honest it was only going to be a matter of time before we started cutting up bits of leather, denims and fur (the faux kind) to create our very own reworked capsule collection! We're all for individuality here and you don't get more individual than this! From bejeweled Levi 501 cut offs (my personal fave!) to two-tier leather pephem skirts in military khaki and sultry velvet (another fave!!) it's enough to put a pep in your step!...sorry couldn't resist that one!

For the full look-book have a gander of our Facebook page and let us know what you think of our first attempt! These pieces are one off samples but what do you guys think? Should we manufacture for the masses?

xoxo

Photography: Darren Skene
Make Up & Hair: Zoe Gale & Lucy Murray
Models: Claire Hubble & Jasmine Cleo Chahal

FASHION FOCUS: SDS (SAME DRESS SYNDROME)

Photography: Darren Skene

1 in four women across the globe have at one time or another suffered from a socially debilitating disorder, SDS, otherwise known as Same Dress Syndrome...social scientists up and down the breadth of London, Milan, Paris and the super continent the US of A have conducted strenuous amounts of research into this issue, think about it how many times have you been out on the town and spotted another bitch absolutely massacring a dress that either you or a friend are wearing?? Quite a few of you I'm guessing! One study even  exposed the fact that 1 in 5 women have deliberately ruined another girls dress if she turned up at a shindig in the same attire, fuelled by anger and jealousy.....yikes!

Photography: Philip Panting

A smart 16% of those interviewed used their savvy scense of style to change the look by adding eye catching accessories, 4 in 10 would just grin and bear it whilst 39 per cent of those interviewed would actually speak to their rival, IF she looked like a hot wreck in it!*

To me there's a very easy way to avoid suffering from this massive social faux pas, shop vintage! With the festive season coming up it's all about the glitz and glamour so why not pick up a gorgeous one of a kind piece of vintage history, that way you know for a FACT you'll be the only one rocking this glam piece, check out our ASOS Boutique for some of our super sophisticated dresses perfect for the upcoming party season, whether you're looking for full on beaded number or understated chic we've got you covered.....it's luxury vintage glamour on a high street budget, what's not to love?!  

xoxo

Photography: Darren Skene

Photography: Philip Panting

Photography: Darren Skene

Photography: Darren Skene

Photography: Darren Skene

Photography: Darren Skene

Photography: Darren Skene

*survey conducted by TK Maxx

STYLE STAPLES: THE FULL LEATHER SKIRT

Olivia Palermo rocking her Reiss full skirt, as per usual looking effortlessly chic!

Reality TV queen Kim Kardashian rocking her shorter full skirt with Tom Ford heels, hmmm yet another outfit picked out by your main squeeze Kanye huh Kimmy?

Nicole Richie looking superb in her laser cut full leather skirt from her own line Winter Kate, the Thierry Mugler top looks classy but daring, just check out that back!

Our Rebecca Ferguson looking cute (albeit a tad uncomfortable) in her full leather at this years MOBO Awards

As you may or may not have noticed, we here at DollsMaison (along with a whole host of celebs....stand up Olivia Palermo, Kim Kardashian & Nicole Richie) have a certain penchant for all things leather....trousers, shorts, pencil skirts I swear if we could have leather floors, walls, tables and chairs in our office we probably would! So on one of our latest buying trips we skipped, hopped and bounced for joy when we pulled out some H.O.T. full (yes FULL) leather midi skirts!! I swear I have a tear in my eye just typing this! Not only is it a great take on AW12's biggest trend the full shape hides a multitude of lumps and bumps and is beyond flattering!

Take a look at what beauts we have in our ASOS Boutique at the moment, these gorge pieces are hard to come by to say the least so get involved in this rocking winter trend and go grab yourself one before it's too late!!

xoxo