Vera Wang is an American designer who is known primarily for her wedding dress designs. She entered the fashion business after being unsuccessful as a figure skater, spending 16 years as the fashion editor on American Vogue, the youngest in the magazine’s history. She left Vogue in 1985 and started work at Ralph Lauren as a design director.

It was in 1990 that she first opened her own design company on Madison Avenue in New York. The focus has been on her bridal wear, with stars such as Victoria Beckham, Kate Hudson and Mariah Carey wearing Wang’s dresses on their wedding days. The idea for the business came about when she was planning her own wedding and could not find a dress that she liked. Her solution was to have one created for her. The business will also help brides with dresses for the bridesmaids, accessories and hairstyling.

‘Trunk’ shows are held regularly at Vera Wang stores, so brides can go along and view the dresses before deciding which ones to try. Customers can also use the company’s website to view the latest runway shows and view the latest collections.

As well as bridal wear the Vera Wang range also includes day and evening wear. The most recently presented collection for autumn 2010 has black as a theme, and focuses on feminine and comfortable tailoring that has a slightly dishevelled look.

The Vera Wang brand now extends to perfumes and jewellery, with shoes and home accessories also available.

When it comes to getting fashion ideas it’s easy to look at what the celebrities wear and see if you can replicate the looks yourself for a fraction of the cost. So if you like what Cheryl wears to the X Factor auditions or what the latest A list star like Jessica Alba is wearing in the US then look for the latest pics online and scour some of the UK shops for similar women’s clothing pieces.

Recently many celebs like Cheryl Cole and Rihanna have been seen out and about in leopard print, but not just in the traditional colours, many have been experimenting with reds, purples and other bright or neon colours for a bit of a change. Clashing colours and styles are big this season so try mixing it up a bit with different patterns and colours, experiment with what you wouldn’t normally dare to wear!

Clashin leopard prints

Other styles proving popular are the nautical style as championed by Kate Moss in Chanel and Urban Military which was seen on Jessica Alba in J Brand cargo pants, both looks easily accessible on the highstreet. The nautical look is big this summer and you can easily pic up a stripy navy and white top, this style is also very versatile and is great worn with jeans for a casual look or with linen for an evening look.

Combat and Nautical styles

Everybody’s hair is affected by changes in weather and environment, and as much as we may love the summer sun it can leave you with dry and damaged hair, like your skin you need to be aware of the effects of UV damage. Your hair colour, style and health can be affected on top of that the build up of chlorine, sand and lotion can also dry out your hair and alter the fabric, leaving it straw-like and unmanageable. As well as that heat damage from constant styling using your blow-dryer and ghd hair straighteners will add extra damage.

Now obviously it’s not possible to keep away from the sun ot completely cut out styling however there are steps to take that can help prevent damage, you can get specialist shampoo and conditioners as well as styling products and treatments designed to help combat the damage caused by sun exposure and styling. Leave in conditioners are great to add much need moisture to your hair, as well as heat protector products such as ghd thermal protector, which as the name suggests protects you from heat damage whilst styling.

No matter what you do this summer remember to look after your locks and keep them protected and looking shiny and healthy.

A big look this summer for women’s clothing is the tribal style, many designers drew influences from the Far East and Africa for their collections, and animal prints feature heavily as well as ornate pattern work and plenty of beading. Emphasis is on loose fitting clothes and lots of different tribal patterns with added animal print.

With this trend earthy tones are a good base for you to start out on with rich hues of brown and bronze, mixing in lush oranges and reds, you need to be sticking to natural colours to pull this look off effectively and accessorise with those tones.

This look is also easy to accessories, if you don’t want to go all out tribal with your clothing then you can accessorise with tribal jewellery such as chunky beads, wooden necklaces, big earrings and plenty of bangles, you can also add a touch of print with scarves and bags. It’s a great way to brighten up a plain women’s t-shirt or dress.

Footwear is also a good place to start with this season must have sandals, gladiator sandals, complete with embellishment or studs and in leather and canvas, also  another big footwear trend is clog shoes and sandals which have a very earthy feel to them and go perfect with this trend.

Manolo Blahnik is a Spanish shoe designer and the brand has become one of the world’s most sought after. He studied art at university in Paris and during the 1960s moved to London to work at Zapata. He was encouraged into designing footwear and he created a range for Ossie Clark’s show in 1972. He was able to purchase Zapata and create his own boutique. The shop is still Blahnik’s flagship store.

There are Manolo Blahnik boutiques in many of the world’s major cities, including New York, Madrid and Dubai. Manolo Blahnik shoes were often mentioned in TV shows such as Sex and the City, and the name is synonymous with quality shoes that fetch an excellent price. Celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Jessica Parker are often seen wearing his designs.

Manolo Blahnik shoes are widely available on the internet, with many online stores offering them for sale. Those looking for a bargain are advised to wait for the sales or search auction sites such as eBay, though care should be taken if purchasing from a retailer who is not authorised.

In 2007 he was awarded the OBE for his contribution to the fashion world, and his show designs have won many awards. Blahnik prefers not to have shows for his designs or do any advertising, and this approach has not harmed sales at all. He also has no intention of adding to the range by branching out into designing other items such as bags or accessories.

We mentioned at the beginning of this season that girly styles were in for spring/summer, a popular women’s clothing style which is big on the highstreet is summer romance, perfect for long summer days and a feeling of nature with wispy dresses, light floral patterns, silky materials and feminine frills.

There are hundreds of different prints out there from small ditzy prints to large intricate prints, as well as a great range of summer colours. This is a girly girl’s style and great for anyone who loves to show their feminine side, and looks like it’s becoming a popular festival trend. Pretty floral dresses and playsuits are great for an easy breezy day look, you can wear them with gladiator sandals or if you want to toughen up the look a bit with worker boots and a denim jacket.

Summer romance outfits

You can mix and match ditsy prints with pastel colours or lace, for other on trend styles, it’s a great opportunity to feel feminine after a couple of your of tougher more masculine styles. The main to think about when wearing summer romance styles is that you don’t go too overboard with matchy, matchy accessories you can lose them in the overall print and look too over the top.

Summer romance styles

When you’re selecting branded clothing for your company work wear you need to be sure that it is to a high quality that reflects your professionalism and integrity of your company. You need to make sure that when you choose t shirt printing that it stands for what your company stands for and show it clearly.

Corporate clothing that co-ordinates can help with your companies identity, you don’t have to go for matching items, you can also choose a range of garments in specific corporate colours for staff tailored around their job roles. Online printing retailer www.splashlogo.co.uk provides a huge range of garments specifically designed for business and corporate use, they use a wide range of printing techniques to create the best finish for you, and they are:

Digital transfer
Embroidery
Subli-flock
Direct to Garment printing (DGT)

Milan Fashion Week is part of the Fashion marathons that take place in February each year and cover New York, London and Paris also. Fashion houses such as Versace, Gucci and Armani regularly take part in Milan Fashion Week.

There are separate shows for fashion buyers and for the press. Only those who receive an invite are able to attend. At the February 2010 shows designers offered a different perspective than in previous years. The Prada show seemed to be creating a caricature of sexiness, with exaggerated details on the bosom of dresses.

The Gucci show rejected the ‘bling’ of previous shows and stuck to neat tailoring and accessories which were much more luxurious. The designs seemed to be aimed at the independent woman rather than the one who spends her time trying to attract a man.

Dolce & Gabbana celebrated the hourglass figure and its collection focused on femininity. The collection was well received and was one of the most popular during the week. Armani presented jackets for women that took their inspiration from male tailoring. Versace stuck with its tried and tested style, including leather trousers and biker jackets.

These shows did much to repair the damage that has been done to the city’s reputation as one of the main fashion capitals of the world. The last few years has seen the rise of London and New York in the fashion world and fashion houses such as Gucci and Versace have suffered a little, even though their fortunes are turning around.

With father’s day coming up now is the time to start thinking about gifts, so why not spoil your dad with some new men’s clothing or accessorises to keep him looking hip and to show how much you care about him and his style!

Simple updates for his wardrobe can make all the difference, like some stylish summer shirts, or some classic polo shirts, if he is a footie fan there are some great world cup t-shirts available. You can also make sure he has some great accessories as well like a new belt, wallet or hat.

This season check shirts are in and with so many colours to choose from so you are spoilt for choice they look great in either long sleeved or short sleeved for a more of a smart casual look and can be worn with jeans or when the weather heats up with shorts!

I’ve mentioned World Cup football themed shirts however if your dad is not a football fan there are plenty of other printed t-shirts available, if your dad is the joker of the family, slogan shirts will go down well, or if he is a music buff then you could always get him a music themed t-shirt with his favourite band on.

Father's Day gift ideas

Vintage clothing is always a popular style/trend, but finding really good pieces can be hard, however many designers are now recreating vintage style clothing in their collections, so it’s easier to pick up pieces of women’s clothing in this style.

Some people will always want original vintage clothing that is a few decades old however it’s becoming increasingly harder to come across. Once over charity shops were a treasure trove of vintage clothing at very cheap resale prices, but the increase in demand has meant you can only really find vintage clothing in specialist shops at more of an expensive price.

Many retailers have picked up on this by selling vintage style clothing and although the clothes won’t actually be vintage many will look like they are, they also come in at a more affordable price for tops, dresses, skirts, coats and jackets and you will be more likely to find something in your size. So you are able to dress with a vintage look without having to trawl specialist shop for clothes in your size.

Vintage style clothing