THE SURPRISE DRESS OF THE SUMMER: TEA DRESS

Posted by Bethan Holt, Junior Fashion Editor at Large

Early indications were that this summer would be the season of the spaghetti strap slip. Nods to Clueless and Courtney Love abounded on the catwalks and it is true that they're all over the shops. Doesn't every girl in the country now own an ASOS/ Topshop cami? But cast a gaze over the forthcoming AW13 trends as well as the recently released Resort collections and the spaghetti strap looks set to hang around a while longer.

Tea dress on the SS13 Bottega Veneta catwalk (style.com)

Spaghetti straps in The Row Resort '14 (style.com)

When we look back on this Summer in years to come, the two big events which are likely to come to mind will be 1. the heatwave 2. the royal baby. And in that no.2 scenario, the humble tea dress has played a not insignificant role. As the world grappled for any smidgen of news possible following Monday night's announcement of the new Prince's birth yesterday, one of the first "big" stories was the arrival of 2 members of Kate and Wills' entourage. One of them, a young blonde who could easily just have been a friend you were meeting at the pub, was wearing a bright red tea dress covered in overblown poppies. which looks very much like one Topshop had earlier in the year. A few hours later,  websites and news channels had a new thing to talk about in the arrival of Kate's parents. Her Mum, Carole, wore a ditsy floral patterned Orla Kiely tea dress. Fast forward to the big event of the day and Duchess Kate herself emerged from the Lindo Wing, babe in arms, wearing cornflower blue spotted silky dress, especially designed for the occasion by Jenny Packham.

DAY IN THE LIFE OF A TEA DRESS

A Royal aide begins the tea dress proceedings (via dailymail.co.uk)

Carole Middleton in her Orla Kiely dress (via dailymail.co.uk)

Kate's Jenny Packham dress (dailymail.co.uk)

Obviously, Kate and her clan are a pretty specific community who are probably more likely than many to veer towards a tea dress but those will surely be the photographs which define this Summer? The tea dress common denominator might not have seemed so significant had there not been a bit of a build up over previous months in other areas of fashiondom; Emma Watson wore a gorgeous black and pink one just last week while the likes of Katie Perry and Rachel Weisz have been seen in the Bottega Veneta versions which were one of the most memorable dresses from the SS13 shows.

Katy Parry in Bottega Veneta (via fashionbombdaily.com) 

Rachel Weisz in a tea dress by Tomas Maier at Bottega Veneta (via redcarpet-fashionawards.com)

Emma Watson in her pretty tea dress (via dailymail.co.uk)

The curious thing about a tea dress is that there is no hard and fast shape to define them. They can be gathered or tied at the waist (like Carole's and the Bottega Venetas) or have an empire line, like Kate's. Some have quite a tight, 1940s silhouette while others flare out  over the hips. Somehow though you know a tea dress when you see one. There is usually some frilling or gathering somewhere and the fabric is silky and prettily patterned. It is probably cut on the bias (one thing it has in common with slips).  Tea dresses are very feminine and recall mid-century dressing. If you were going out to afternoon tea in the countryside, a tea dress- as its name suggests- would be a no-brainer. And the final bonus, even if we buy into tea dresses as the the item for this Summer, they definitely won't look out of place for many more to come.

HELLO! PLEASE STAY

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Hello! magazine is like a cup of tea, or a hug from your Mum, or putting on a favourite old scarf- it's not edgy, it's not cool but knowing it's there makes everything better. And now I'm worried because Hello! has caused a rumble in the magazine world with a statement aligning itself with ABC's (Audit Bureau Circulations) "Woman and Lifestyle" category, not "Celebrity" where they were previously placed. This might just be a straightforward repositioning but what if it's Hello! as we know it is beginning to morph into something completely unrecognisable, where there's no room for gushing 20 page spreads of newborn celebrity offspring, forensic examination of Duchess Kate's daily routine or pictures of minor European royals which nobody else bothers to publish? I'm worried.

Hello! is the place to go for Kate Middleton mania at its most sincere and gushing 

 My panic might seem exaggerated but this whole episode (I hope that is all it is) feels hugely unnerving to me because my relationship with Hello! magazine goes way back to being a far-too-mature-for-my-age nine year old with an avid interest in reading about the latest gala event attended by Princess Caroline of Monaco. On the day of Diana's death I spent the morning sombrely leafing through my Grandma's huge pile of back issues which all featured some article on the Princess- invariably, a front cover of her visiting a charity, out with Wills and Harry or on a yacht somewhere. Not normal behaviour for a child not yet in double figures, but this is where my love of magazines, and awareness of famous, beautiful women as fashion plates, began. Yes, I moved on and now buy Hello! only rarely when a particularly out of this world cover begs me to delve in again- like the unbelievably surgically enhanced appearance of John Cleese's bride in a recent "World Exclusive". I'd like to know how many others fought for that story.

John Cleese and his new wife play around for the Hello! photographer

If the figures don't add up then Hello! must do something. Sadly, nostalgia and exclamation marks alone cannot keep an editorial office going but oh! how I wish they could when I try to imagine a world without the uniquely hyperbolic house style for which the magazine is acclaimed/ notorious. I've found some gems (Hello!-isms) from recent issues which sum up why Hello! is such a cosy institution,  a million miles from its arch nemesis, the casual, derisory and mean Mail Online. I'm not saying this is brilliant, incisive, opinion making journalism but it is a bright, optimistic and kind-as-can-be approach to the culture of celebrity. A world free from Hello! would be dark, unanchored and mournfully bare of Scandinavian Princesses- it's a reality not worth contemplating, isn't it?

Mo Farah "relaxes at home" with his new twins

HELLO!- ISMS...

"The dressing room's hand painted cabinetry comes alive with a series of oil portraits of dapper dogs wearing their Sunday best" in an interview at home with Chopard Co-President Caroline Scheufele

"Zac appeared on the driveway, smiling broadly, holding the reins of a horse with its mane and tail groomed and plaited in the couple's purple and sage-green wedding colours" t the wedding of Olympic silver medalist Zac Purchase

"Sipping on an iced green tea in the garden of a five-star Beverley Hills hotel, Tamara Ecclestone is in reflective mood" interview with Tamara Ecclestone, daughter of billionaire Bernie

"Reclining on a platform nestled in the branches of a beautiful old olive tree, singer and actress Sarah Harding turns her lightly tanned face to the Tuscan sun and gives a contented sigh" interview with Girl's Aloud memeber Sarah Harding.

"The yellow silk Jenny Packham dress she wore on arrival in Calgary is unlikely to make its way into her suitcase, after  strong gust of wind at the airport  lifted its skirt to reveal the Duchess's long legs, much to the delight of assembled photographers" in an article reporting on how Duchess Kate is getting ready for her next foreign visit.

"Her self-deprecating groom chips in "the something old was me" " at John Cleese's wedding to Jennifer Wade.

WHAT TO WEAR TO MEET THE QUEEN

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

The Queen's diamond jubilee year is well and truly under way and we are just 13 sleeps away from the pinnacle event in the celebrations; the river pageant. Here at FEAL, we'll be bringing you a few special royal posts in the next week or two to celebrate Her Majesty's 60 years on the throne. For today, Melanie has allowed me to indulge my love of all things Hello! worthy. This year, Elizabeth II is out in force, meeting her citizens which means plenty of people are facing the dilemma of what to wear to meet the Queen.  We have carefully examined the tricks employed by other members of the world's royal community to style themselves at the sovereign's lunch in Windsor on Friday and so we bring you the rules which we think got some of the most notable attendees through the day...

#1: IMITATE THE QUEEN HERSELF

Over her sixty years on the throne, the Queen has honed her personal style into a highly recognisable formula: matchy matchy bright colours, sensible courts and a small, boxy handbag. So it was a fail safe combination for Princess Charlene of Monaco to adopt on one of her first visits to the UK as Prince Albert of Monaco's new(ish) bride. Charlene went for head-to-toe duck egg blue , sensible heels and a bag just a perspex handle away from a very Queen-like shape. Charlene even had her hair cut short in time for her jubilee visit, perhaps to mirror Her Majesty's own practical perm.

#2: TAKE YOUR USUAL LOOK, AND REV IT UP

Although our very own Duchess Kate has worn her fair share of designer attire, she is better known for her love of a high street bargain. Last year, she chose a Reiss dress to meet the Obamas. So she could so easily have gone for another low budget statement. Instead, she brought in the big guns and splashed out on an Emilia Wickstead dress. It still ties in seamlessly with the Kate look we've become so used to- pretty, safe and very lady- but perhaps the knowledge that there was a bit more structure and design care to what she was wearing helped Kate hold her own amongst the royal guests.

#3: GET OUT THE GLUE GUN

Sometimes you just can't find what you're looking for and if you have something specific in mind, it could just be easier to do it yourself. That's exactly what I reckon Inkhosikati LaMbikiza, the third wife of King Mswati III of Swaziland did. I hugely admire the King's favourite wife for rocking a look so totally her own. It looks quite safe until your eyes meet the knees, at which point the eruption of a feather hem and jewelled, sequin heels let's us know that Inkhosikati is setting her own style agenda entirely for the event. This is definitely the attitude to follow if you're worried that you may not have much to talk about with the Queen- the shoes are a winning conversation starter.

#4: COVER-UP

If the whole thing feels like far too much of a bother, not to mention the worry about the Human Rights protesters who are campaigning against your invitation due to your husband's questionable policies, then do like the Princess of Bahrain and cover up in a full on black get-up. Of course, the Hijab is her go-to garment but Sabeeka could have jazzed it up a bit for Her Majesty I'm sure. Instead, she's the poster girl for keeping it as low-key as possible.

All images from www.dailymail.co.uk

AW11 TRENDS: BEING BORING (with boring fashion on the side)

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

I'm going to tell you something you might not like. You are fricking boring. Booorrring. You make me want to cry tears of sheer and utter head-banging against a table-top frustration. It's not just you, I'm boring too. Well, actually, it's not quite like that. But it has been firmly established that Being Boring is a powerful trend infecting music, TV and culture in general. The Guardian last Thursday summed it up succinctly, citing our love of Adele, Kirstie Allsop, baking and Downton Abbey as key signifiers of the movement christened The New Boring by the excoriatingly smart popjustice.com editor Peter Robinson. All together now "We coudda had it aaaa- aa alll, rollin in the deee eee eep." Even now, as I write this, me and the Fashion Junior are listening to "Don't Your Remember" with a tear threatening to trash our carefully applied eye makeup.

Nice, boring jumper from L'Agence on Net-a-Porter.com just what the doctor ordered!

Well, I'm here to do my bit for boring fashion. Hopefully you're already in your pyjamas? Sales of those have gone through the roof recently, and you'll find the trendiest online and real world stores are heaving with sensible cable knit jumpers, lace up shoes, dull mannish coats, pared-back shopper bags, satchels, polo necks and novelty reindeer and snowflake jumpers. Alexa Chung's successful collection for Madewell is the height of Being Boring, what with its Bin Man Coat, and cosy cardigans. 

So dull, even the bin men stopped wearing them. Alexa Chung loves her Bin Man Coat though. 

It sounds wrong on paper that we should aspire to -  nay even enjoy - boringness, but in fact we are all rather partial to it right now. I know I am. I draw the line at X-Factor and Coldplay's new album, but Frozen Planet is currently the highlight of my week, I can't listen enough to Arcade Fire's The Suburbs and my favourite new fashion item is a Isabel Marant Navajo inspired sweater. It certainly seems that we have an affection for boring things and find them amusing. How did this happen? Recession obviously. Dire straits cause us to contract into a smaller world of familiarity and safety. This directly correlates to our penchant for novelty Christmas jumpers.


The Pet Shop Boys brilliant ode to how not to be boring: "Being Boring." (1993)

When the Killing II hit BBC4 this weekend, all everyone could talk about in print and on Twitter was Sarah Lunds jumper. A fricking JUMPER. Boring! Yesterday aftertoon while Hugh Grant gave evidence to the Leveson Enquiry, inane and amusing Tweets about the #womanontheleft began trending on Twitter.

Grenson for girls at My-Wardrobe.com

At the weekend a young codger named James Ward hosted the world's first Boring Conference in London. Here's how yesterdays The Sun newspaper reported on it. "IT was billed as a dreary look at life's dullest things — the world's only Boring Conference.  Speakers were lined up to talk on topics so mundane that delegates would be forced to poke themselves in the eyeballs with sharp objects just to stay awake.  After the cancellation of the "Interesting" conference last year due to lack of interest, Ward tweeted that there should be an alternative event called Boring.  The response from his Twitter followers was so huge he had to follow it through and stage an event. James said: "Last year we held a much smaller gathering but this is the first ever conference. I can't believe the number [400] attending.  Subjects included polite small talk, electric hand dryers and the first ten years of Which? magazine 1957-67. But once the conference started it all went horribly wrong — it failed to bore the audience rigid." Oh how I laughed. 

 Nostalgia with a hefty dose of boring: a Cambridge Satchel Co. satchel, 

Borring! From the New York Post's The Cut blog that boringly follows every outfit K-Mid wears

Protest against Being Boring here: Snow Bored by Ashish from TopShop

DUCHESS KATE, WE HAVE AN LFW GUIDE FOR YOU...

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Over the Summer, we heard that Anna Wintour had given London based designers a brief: your muse must be the Duchess of Cambridge. It has already been shown that, like it or not, our new royal sells clothes in unprecedented numbers. If she wears it, a certain kind of everyday-stylish blow-dry obsessed girl/woman will want it.

The Duchess of Cambridge is under considerable pressure to wear British designers so it makes sense for them to play to her clearly demonstrated taste levels. But they can't explicitly write 'This is for you, Duchess Kate' on their show notes now can they?

The Duchess has already dipped her toe in the water of experimenting the current London line-up by choosing Erdem to wear for stepping off the plane as she embarked on her Canadian tour. This initial promise though failed to materialise as she stuck mostly to old faithfuls Issa, Temperley and McQueen for the remainder of her time away (apart from another Erdem dress for morning prayer on Day 3)

Kate, in Erdem, and William arrive in Canada (image from Daily Mail)

So, how did the London crew approach Wintour's call to arms? It is likely that the idea of using Catherine as their woman might grate, she's hardly on the cutting edge of glamour and modernity in those nude heels and fascinators is she? Well, we noticed a number of references to a kind of deranged housewife figure. The next chapter in a book begun by January Jones' Betty Draper. And actually, at the moment, that is how many people see the Duchess because she is overwhelmingly defined in the public eye by her role as wife. We don't know what she thinks or what she's passionate about. So, in my first attempt at replicating the previous Fashion Junior's Big Head feature, I have scoured images from the past few days to see what we might be seeing HRH in next Summer, and she'll have a lot to dress for what with the Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations....

Burberry- Kate and Wills were engaged in Kenya so she might be quite taken with this Kanga print

Clements Ribeiro. Lace is a sure hit with the Duchess

She already likes Erdem, florals and shifts so this is a must-buy

Giles does classic Princess-y shapes

Kate is Issa'a number 1 fan but this would be a change from the slinky wraps she usually chooses from the label

Sara Buys, Harper's Fashion Director and a relation by marriage of Kate's, chose Osman for her outfit to the Royal Wedding so surely on the radar

The most Kate worthy dress from Peter Pilotto's offering

Add heels and a fascinator and ta da, a classic K-Mid wedding outfit from Richard Nicoll

Daytime prettiness from Jonathan Saunders

Perfectly demure for a black tie event, again from Jonathan Saunders.

I don't even need to add a head to this, it has vintage Duchess Kate written ALL over it...

Issa

 And what she won't be wearing....

Meadham Kirchhoff weren't bowing to Wintour's memo, and good for them!

Images from catwalking.com