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

Many people today are concerned about the origins of the clothes that they wear and want to make sure that they have been produced in an ethical manner. This includes all aspects of production, from the working conditions of the cotton growers, working conditions of the sewers, the environmental impact and animal welfare.

The fashion industry is a competitive market, and retailers are only too aware that if they are able to produce a t-shirt that is cheaper than a similar one being sold next door, then they will sell more items. The problem is that the more cheaply an item is produced, the more likely that it is that it has been produced in a sweatshop in a developing country.

There are several campaigns underway to end exploitation and ensure that everyone involved in the production process is treated fairly and receives a living wage for the work that they do. However, there are some consumers who are still unaware of some of the issues.

There are some places that use child labour to produce clothes. They work in poor conditions and receive very little money. Some textiles are treated with chemicals, particularly during the dyeing process, and these are not good for the environment. There is also an increasing use of pesticides among cotton growers, who wish to ensure a good crop to earn the maximum amount of money.

There are some retailers who include ethical clothing amongst their collections, and consumers should look out for information on the labels that tells them that the item has been produced under a fair trade scheme, or that the dyes used are natural.

In a couple of days time the World Cup starts, we have been building up to this for months, with football themed adverts on TV and lots of football merchandise in shops. If you want to show your support for England this summer but don’t want to fork out for an expensive football shirt, or what many high street shops offer then you could always create your own t shirt to show your national pride by using t shirt printing. You can have free rein on how you show your patriotisms and it also offers an opportunity to show your creative side, not to mention being the only person with that design!

Creating your own t shirt to support England isn’t as hard as you think, to be fair it’s a relatively easy colour scheme, (red & white) so choosing what colour tops to use shouldn’t be too hard, you can make it as simple or as fancy as you like, a simple St Georges cross or just England across the chest, it just depends on what you want. Wants you have your design or designs sorted out you can then have your t shirt printed out, online specialists Splash Logo have a wide range of clothing available in many different sizes and styles, they also you a wide range of printing techniques to get you the finish you require and best of all they have a really quick turnaround so if you order now you will get it before England get knocked out!!

England Flag

Picture courtesy of MichalFoto

Chloe is a popular French fashion house that was launched in 1952 by Gaby Aghion. It was the first fashion label to concentrate on ready to wear clothing, as prior to this, all the big-name labels concentrated on haute couture. The founders spotted a need for good quality ‘prêt-à-porter’ clothing and concentrated on this end of the market.

It was the launch of this label that led other fashion houses such as Givenchy and Yves St Laurent to launch their own ready-to-wear collections. In 1966, Karl Lagerfeld became the head designer. During the 1970s it grew into one of the most sought-after labels, its clothes being favoured by the likes of Grace Kelly and Brigitte Bardot.

The brand has made a point of working with some of the most promising designers over the years. In 1997 Stella McCartney joined Chloe, followed in 2001 by Phoebe Philo. Stars such as Natalie Portman have been seen wearing the brand’s designs. In 2002 Chloe launched a range of shoes and bags, with the ‘Paddington’ bag becoming the first ‘must-have’ bag.

Chloe boutiques can be found in many of the world’s major cities such as London, Paris, New York, Tokyo and Los Angeles. The label’s fashion-shows can be viewed online the same day that they take place, and their website has a version specifically for the iPhone.

Chloe items are regularly copied by counterfeiters, so consumers are advised to consult the list of authorised retailers which can be found on the website and to take care if buying online.

When you see models bounding down the catwalk with their hair bouncing glamorously with each step but keeping perfectly in place you find it’s a look that you want to recreate yourself but often think unless you’re a salon professional it can’t be done. Well think again, you can create great catwalk looks with your ghd hair straighteners.

For bouncy stay in place curls the best way to start is to blow dry your hair and as always remember to use a thermal protector spray to protect your hair from the heat, and brush your hair away from your face keeping your hair as voluminous as possible. Before you section off your hair gently mist it with ghd creation spray to help with hold, and then separate your hair into two sections at ear level, clip away top section.

Place your ghd straighteners in at the root of a smaller section of hair, rotate it 180° and gently glide the straightener through the hair until reaching the end, when each section falls loosely twist it around your finger to define the curl. Follow same directions for the top part of your hair and then finish with polishing serum, pulling through each section to separate and define each curl and hold with hairspray.

Just when it looks like summer is here to stay, the weatherman warns of cooler weather and rain to come, so what designer menswear styles are there to wear when it’s not quite hot enough for a t-shirt or vest but not too cold enough for a jacket?

A big hit this year are checked shirts, you all know how versatile a shirt can be but sometimes is too smart for everyday casual wear, a checked shirt however is a great alternative, either on its own or as seen in many magazines with a funky t-shirt underneath. Following this look is a great way to mix two top trends, printed t-shirts and check shirts, look at stars such as Robert Pattinson for inspiration.

You can choose from many different colours and shades of checked shirts as well as different sleeve lengths, as it gets warmer shorter sleeves are good for keeping cool. This look is good teamed with vintage looking denim jeans, straight leg or skinny, with either pumps or trainers.

Check shirts and t-shirts

Check shirts and t-shirts