How To: A Twist on the Trench

After our last post on trench coats, we received some questions asking for some easy-to-wear styles to look out for, apart from your average classic camel styles.  We pulled together a couple of examples for your consideration.

1. The Bright Trench - a trench like this is born to be brought out and shown off at night; it immediately brings any average "night on the town" dress up several notches and is bound to steal the spotlight from any other women so that all eyes remain on you!

2. The Printed Trench - this trench coat is best worn as a "statement" piece.  Pair it with a casual tee, jeans and flats on the weekend or with an LBD and pumps for the work week, and let the coat speak for itself!

3. The Mixed-Media Trench - This is a truly modern take on a classic wardrobe staple.  Look for a mix of materials such as cotton and silk, denim and wool, nylon and sequins or, such as the example below, poplin and leather.  Any mix of textures is bound to easily update your look with a bit of edge while still remaining classically chic.

Images: Patrick Demarchelier

 4. The Navy Blazer - A nice alternative to classic camel, this trench is classy and sophisticated without being predictable.  It's so easy to dress up or down and fits seamlessly into any woman's wardrobe.

Image: Club Monaco

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Red Valentine's

Happy Valentine's Day to all our readers!  In celebration of this day of love (and red, the colour of love), we bring you some inspiring ladies in some wonderfully red outfits.  Red is undoubtedly the colour du jour so be inspired by these stylish women below and don your best crimson outfit this evening!

All Images: Alexi Lubomirski for Harper's Bazaar

Image: Splash News

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B&W

When in doubt, go black and white.  This seemed to be the adage at Olivier Theyskens' first line for Theory.  The ex-Nina Ricci designer has taken a commercial twist in his design life and started a line for lower-priced workwear-classic brand, Theory.  He showed updated blazers, luxe tees, and a decidedly more laid-back casual style for his SS '11 collaboration with the line, mostly done in black, white and the many shades of grey that come in between.  

Don't be fooled: black and white doesn't have to look boring.  The key to keeping this colour palette interesting is to mix textures; choose a satin blazer instead of a wool one, then mix in a cotton tee and dark denim trousers.  Mixing textiles while sticking to one colour scheme never fails to look chic without going overboard.

Images: Theyskens' Theory @ NetAPorter.com

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Fancy Collar

At Jason Wu's F/W '11 show, he showed joyously cheeky collars embellished with fanciful prints,  decorated with sequins or covered in beading.  What's so great about this trend?  It eliminates the need to worry about neck jewelry, and it immediately livens up any plain white work shirt.

  

Images: Jason Wu @ Style.com

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Briefcases

I remember, not so long ago, when you would rarely see a man without a briefcase; nowadays it's a rarity to see a man holding anything in his hands.  It's a shame, because briefcases really add an extra flair of sophistication to an outfit and, of course, they keep you extra-organised!

Tommy Ton for GQ.com

The Sartorialist

Trust me, briefcases will be big this year!  

Already, they're popping everywhere on the street, at the high-street shops and in Lane Crawford, at many different price-points, in a variety of colours, and in several reincarnations of material.  The best-bet for the season is to find a briefcase from a young, new designer such as Ljung; this Scandinavian label has great classic shapes done in modern colours at great prices.

Ljung via StockholmStreetStyle

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Brights for Men!

Men, don't think you've been left out of the trend for bright colours this coming SS '11 season!  Michael Kors, Raf Simons at Jil Sander and Alber Ebaz at Lanvin all showed pops of colour at their shows.

Images (Clockwise, from Top Left): SS11 Michael Kors, SS11 Lanvin, SS11 Jil Sander

All Style.com

The easiest way to look on-trend this summer is to invest in a bright T-shirt or casual shorts.  H&M has some great bright offerings already in stores now.

Images: H&M


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Brights

For the coming Spring, bright colours such as cerulean, fuschia, tangerine and canary yellow are the hottest hues for the season.  With so many different shades on offer, you're bound to find at least one to match your colouring.  Take inspiration from the beautiful Rankin photograph below and dress head-to-toe in one hue, or let style-icon Olivia Palermo inspire you by breaking up a pop of tangerine with neutral separates.

 

(Image: Rankin)

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

Pieces are already available now at lower-priced stores such as H&M, who made this gorgeous bright printed dress below for only $199.  The greatest thing about it?  All materials used in their Sustainable Style collection are made with, you guessed it, sustainable fabrics such as organic cotton, recycled polyester, Tencel or recycled wool.

(Image: H&M)

(Image: Zara)

Come on, go bright for Spring '11!


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Easy Does It

The SS '11 Zara campaign images for their woman's line immediately set our hearts aflutter. The key to doing sleek minimalism well is generally grounded in well-cut garments done in good quality fabrics. Usually, these are adjectives that aren't associated with high street stores; fortunately, however, Zara has decided that would not stop them. They've approached their SS '11 collection with a discerning eye and a light hand, producing clothes that we're sure millions of women across the world will be thrilled to see (and wear), after seasons of skin-tight leather and tiny cut-off shorts.

Images: Zara SS '11 Campaign

Aside from the wearability of this minimalist trend, the other thing we love about it is that the high street stores can't necessarily "knock-off" such designs. The embellished Balmain shirts and blazers with exaggerated shoulders were, interestingly, easier to imitate than the clean designs that Celine championed instead. It will be intriguing to see how various stores put their own spin on this trend and which ones will be most successful; we're betting Zara will come out on top.


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Year of the Rabbit

Happy Chinese New Year and welcome to the year of the Rabbit.

Economically, the past few years have been good to China, and it seems like 2011 is poised to be a good year for Chinese fashion. Marc Jacobs showed Chinese-inspired gowns, cheongsams, jackets and accessories for his SS '11 Louis Vuitton show. Done in vivid purples, turquoises and reds, Marc sent out a gang of joyously over-the-top glamazons for his show in Paris.

Images: Style.com

Styled as Marc did for the LV show, it's hard to see how to actually translate this trend into a look that works for an everyday outfit, but it's really very easy to achieve. Head to Shanghai Tang to find classic Chinese pieces updated with modern cuts and textured fabrics, or head down to the Central street markets at Li Yuen Street East & West for budget finds. The freshest way to incorporate this trend into your wardrobe is to find a Chinese-style embroidered jacket and pair it with a plain dress or jeans and simple tee. The key is to make sure there isn't too much else going on to distract from your statement piece.

Images: Shanghai Tang

Men, this trend works for you, too! Next time you're searching for a piece of new outerwear, try a jacket with a Mao collar, instead of the traditional English lapel. This look is clean, sophisticated an oozing with unique style.

Image: Shanghai Tang

If you dare, by all means, go all-out! Wear an elegant Qipao instead of an LBD to your next dinner party, and you're sure to stand out from the crowd. Nicole Kidman always carries her Qipaos with enviable poise and grace. The key is to maintain your confidence and not let the dress wear you.

Images: Left, Chen Ma for Vogue China / Right, Australia

However you choose to interpret the trend, we wish you a fantastic Chinese New Year. Look forward to more posts from Savvy Style in the coming year. Kung Hei Fat Choi!


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In the Trenches

The "perfect" trenchcoat can be hard to find; every season, editors proclaim that trenches are cool again, only this time in satin, in khaki green, with ruching, or covered in sequins -- whatever the trend du jour. No matter the trendy twist, it's safe to say that a clean, simple trenchcoat is a classic that can carry you through all seasons, so it's worth your time to find the perfect one.

Image: All the Pretty Birds

Image: The Sartorialist

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Off the Shoulder

As the weather begins to warm up, sometimes planning how to dress to suit the temperature can be difficult; the day starts off with a cold morning, so you grab a coat, but halfway through the day it warms up and you no longer know what to do with it. If you think folding it over your arm can look clumsy, next time try letting the jacket hang casually on your shoulders; that way, your coat remains an eye-catching element of your outfit, while you avoid sweating too heavily from the heat. Take inspiration from the stylish set below.

Images: All the Pretty Birds

Image: Street FSN

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