As the summer seems to have fallen flat on it’s face with yet another false start, a new fashion trend is one the rise. The midi-length, with a hemline which falls below the knee, and had previously been written off as dowdy, is on course to be the surprise fashion hit of the summer.

Thanks to an unlikely trio of factors, including the blustery weather this spring has seen, Victoria Beckham’s much photographed personal style and an array of stars pictured at the Coachella festival in California, the midiskirt is being hailed as the skirt of the season.

The shape has even scored a red carpet appearance, fashion commentators praised Carey Mulligan’s appearance at the Met Ball in New York wearing a midi-length dress by Balenciaga at fashion’s most high profile event.

A big part of the midi’s success lies in its appeal across the fashion generations. Women in their 20s who are tuned into the celebrity style of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Keira Knightley are wearing the hemline, as are fortysomething women who are looking for a more grown-up look for the coming summer months.

Designers such as Rodarte, Celine, Louis Vuitton and Prada featured them on their catwalks, making midi-lengths all the rage for this season. The trend was originally popular in the early 1970s as fashion made the transition from flower power to seventies sleek. As always, fashion has repeated itself and so the midi has become the must have piece for summer 2013.

Unfortunately, this trend is not the easiest to wear. You will probably have noticed that the shops are full of them, but have been skirting the subject (sorry…) So hear are a few tips for those who would like to master the midi:

Consider your height; if you are petite, stick to a length that hits just above or below the knee. For taller ladies, any length will do so long as it doesn’t go below your ankles, otherwise you are moving into maxi territory.

Length is important; you can ruin the midi look if your skirt is a couple of inches too long or too short. Ideally, you want a midi to hit mid shin. If a skirt hits the thicker part of your leg, it will be less flattering. If needs be, have it hemmed to the appropriate length.

Perfect pair; if you are wearing your midi in a bold colour, temper it with a neutral blouse. If you opt for a pleated or full option, keep the top half simple.

Here are some of my favourite midi-skirts, all of which are available from Urban Outfitters…

Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation of The Great Gatsby will arrive in cinemas next month, and with it will come a renewed love for all things 1920’s, especially when it comes to fashion. The time has come to channel your inner Daisy Buchanan, get those T-bar shoes at the ready, and see how to bring Twenties style to your wardrobe…

Headband

If you are looking for the easiest way to pay homage to a decade that roared with exuberance, opt for the humble headband – though back then they were not that humble, bedecked with feathers and flowers and sparkles. Look to the high street for quick fixes, Topshop and Accessorize won’t let you down, or head to a specialist milliner for an investment buy.

Miu Miu Headband from Net-a-Porter

T-bar shoes

Mary Janes and T-bar styles were the badge of footwear in the Twenties – with hems now higher, shoes were put on show and were all the prettier for it.

Mulberry shoes from Net-a-Porter

Dazzle

There is no getting away from the razzle, dazzle and all that jazz of the decade. In fashion terms, this meant one thing: sequins, beads and embellishment galore..for there was always a party to attend.

Dress from Topshop

Dropped-waist dressing

The Twenties were all about a dropped waist which worked to make silhouettes long, lean and boyish, moving away from the restrictive corsetry of the decades that came before it. And you can expect to see a lot more of the dropped waist this spring, whether in an evening wear incarnation, or via something more daywear ready and along more sporty lines.

Red Valentino dress from Net-a-Porter

Kenzo dress from Net-a-Porter

Evening elegance

Glamorous parties were the backbone of Daisy Buchanan’s existence, and so an elegant coat for evening was a must. Think easy and elegant lines, perfect for wrapping up in, movie star style, after the opera.

Jacket by Pucci from Net-a-Porter

Philosophy di Alberta Ferreti from Net-a-Porter

Pearls

Layer up on strands of pearls for the easiest way to get into the Gatsby way of thinking. To really look the part, wear with a flapper dress and feather headband.

Kenneth Jay Lane Pearls from Net-a-Porter

Box Bags

Lavish ornamentation and bold, geometric shapes were the hallmarks of the Art Deco movement – something which translated beautifully onto the fashions of that time too. Box bags made for the most elegant of eveningwear options – a sartorial halfway house between jewellery and an accessory.

Gucci box clutch from Net-a-Porter

Tiers and Pleats

Flappers flaunted tiers and pleats aplenty when it came to dresses to shimmy the night away in, or during the day for skirts that veered away from the sensible to show off some leg instead.

Tiered dress Vionnet from Net-a-Porter

We’ve all been there…you strut into a party in your  brand new dress, feeling like loveliness personified, scan the room to find your friends, and then it happens.

Instead of your smiling best friends…you see a scowling girl wearing the exact same outfit. Fair enough, you may be accessorised differently, she might be the blonde to your brunette, the tall to your petite, but still. You are both at the same event in the same outfit.

On the various occasions when this has happened to me, I have found myself keeping my coat/scarf on in the summer, carrying my bag at an awkward angle to cover myself up, standing in odd positions, staying in my seat and sending others to get my drinks…basically looking so silly and awkward that I might as well hold up a big sign that says “THERE IS A GIRL HERE WHO IS WEARING THE SAME DRESS AS ME, AND I THINK SHE LOOKS BETTER IN IT THAN I DO, SO I AM GOING TO STAY HERE AND BE WEIRD”

I wasn’t always like this, I used to not care about the girls who were in the same dress I was in…until one night, I was wearing a heart print shift dress I bought in Topshop. I loved this dress, and couldn’t wait to show it off. So, out I go, hearting my heart print dress, and spot another girl in it. In a bid to disregard a potentially awkward situation, when the girl and I found ourselves standing at the bar at the same time, I smiled at her and said “I like your dress!” (thinking of these two, who have exactly the right attitude…sometimes you just have to laugh!)

She glared at me and said ” Just stay away from me please.”

Well that put me in my place. My place being very far away from her, and also slightly afraid of crossing the path of anyone who was in the same frock as me again.

As my life has moved on, and student loans have been taken away, real life salaries have kicked in, and so my appetite for disposable fashion has all but disappeared.

Now I long for something to invest in, for more than just a party dress to wear once and then put back in the wardrobe. I want to fall in love with what I wear, and wear it lots and feel brilliant each time. It is for this reason that I have started to spend all my hard earned money in boutiques, with just the odd high street spend.

There are some amazing boutique brands out there, with beautiful clothes, that aren’t too expensive! What could be better than that? Many of these brands do short runs of their clothing, so you are less likely to be in the same dress in the same dress, and more likely to be the girl who is wearing the dress that all the other girls wish they were wearing.

Here are some of my favourite bits and pieces from boutique brands…

Style Icon’s Closet

Sugarhill Boutique

(also available on ASOS, images from ASOS)

Miss Patina

Love Struck

The Queen, we are told, is not much interested in fashion. But fashion is interested in the Queen, and though she may have turned 87 at the weekend, she remains as influential in fashion as ever.

“To design a dress for the Queen means you are creating something for the world’s most famous woman, who’s seen by more people on a daily basis than anyone else. She also has an image in people’s minds that you have to fulfil,” says Stewart Parvin, who is the youngest of the Queen’s designers, and has been working for her since 2000.

Parvin has to work around the rules; the Queen always wears a two inch heel, hemlines must be well below the knee, and she always carries a handbag.

“She has to wear strong colours, she’s very tiny, and in a block colour with a wonderful hat, she stands out – she’s a real focal point,” he adds.

The Queen is best known for her conservative ensembles, accessorised with sensible shoes and handbags, but she has been listed in Vogue magazine, alongside supermodels Kate Moss, Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell, as one of the 50 most glamorous women in the world.

As the decades have passed, the Queen has had to detach herself from the fashionable spirit of the times, partly because by 1966 she was 40, an age by which many women in those times gave up on fashion and partly because the sartorial spirit became increasingly casual.

Transcending fashion, in any case, is what a monarch needs to do. Trends have a habit of looking ridiculous 10 years on. Therefore opting for something that was never that fashionable to begin with gives a photograph much more longevity.

Just as Elizabeth I did with her shock and awe jewelled dresses, Elizabeth II has had to construct a uniform fit for a Queen. Though in an era that requires its monarchs to be role model, yet also one of us, the current Queen had the more complex task.

Today, the majority of the clothes are made by a Liverpudlian docker’s daughter named Angela Kelly, who carries the title of “personal assistant and senior dresser.”

Kelly and her team make the clothes in the Queen’s private apartments at Buckingham Palace, including the primrose yellow dress and coat she wore to Prince William’s wedding, and much of the Jubilee wardrobe, including any hats that are not made by her current milliner, Rachel Trevor-Morgan.

Though she is avowedly not a fashionista, she is fluent in the language of clothing. From the moment she commissioned Cecil Beaton to take the official portraits of her with newborn Prince Charles, Elizabeth showed she was perfectly in command of the message. From touching pastel taffeta to the Jubilee choices, never has one woman illustrated the power of fashion for so long.

Lilac, peach, mint green, rose…this year, one of the most popular spring trends is pastels, and as with many trends, some of us aren’t sure just how to incorporate them into our existing wardrobes.

The great thing about a trend like this one is that just because you adopt it, doesn’t mean that you have to go overboard. There is no reason why you can’t incorporate it here and there, you don’t have to wear it head to toe.

If you think you might like to try pastels this spring, but aren’t sure about how best to go about it, here are three ways to give them a go, without looking like an ice cream sundae (not that there is anything wrong with that).

Mix it in.

An easy way to introduce pastels into your wardrobe is to pair them with something you already have. Instead of wearing a white t shirt with your blue jeans, try a pale blue or mauve one. Do you have a favourite pair of grey or khaki trousers? Try a baby pink or soft yellow top.

Pastels can also be worn with other neutral colours too. Cream, ivory, light grey, white all compliment any pastel shades.

Bright colours are also well suited with pastels. Whether you opt for a monochromatic look such as wearing light pink with bright pink or decide on the colour blocking route by wearing pale yellow with bright purple, don’t be afraid to experiment. You’ll be surprised at how many combinations you can create.

Add edge

You might like the look of pastels, but don’t want to seem overly girlie and sweet when wearing them. One way to avoid this is to pair your pastels with some edgier pieces.

Perhaps you have a favourite black bike style jacket, there is nothing wrong with pairing it with a pastel top or bottoms, like a pair of mint skinny jeans.

If leather isn’t your thing, perhaps you have some studded bracelets or ‘rocker’ style necklaces you could add to your outfit. The combination of the softer pastels with the edgier details makes for a nice contrast and will keep your look from becoming too saccharine.

Accessorise it

If you like the idea of pastels, but don’t want to wear them, you could always try them as accessories instead, adding a pastel belt or bag to your outfit.

If this still feels like too much of a commitment, how about painting your nails a pastel tone or buying some bangles or a necklace to spruce up a neutral outfit? Scarves are also a fun and inexpensive way to add a little pastel to your outfit.

(images from style.com, topshop.com, luluguinness.com, net-a-porter.com)

There may still be snow on the ground in some parts of the country, but now that Easter has been and gone, I think the time has come to tell winter to pack its bags and welcome spring, maybe even summer?

The months of cold weather mean that most of us have been wrapped up in warm layers, sacrificing style in favour of practicality. My favourite thing about the spring, is that it embraces the fun side of fashion, forgetting all things sensible. However, the long winter means that it can be tough to get back into the way of spring dressing, so here my favourite trends for the season, the ones that I am most looking forward to replacing my parka and winter boots with!

Monochrome

(photo from style.com)

Monochromes, specifically in black and white, are everywhere this season. From red carpet looks to high fashion runways, monochromatic, geometric patterns are undoubtedly the most popular trend for spring/summer.

The best thing about this trend is that there is something for everyone, no matter what your age or size. It can also be adopted without spending a lot, though it was Louis Vuitton who championed the look, there are fab black and white pieces all over the high street. To brighten up a monochrome look, simply add a pair of neon heels or a bright, oversized clutch. To take your black and white look to an evening event, add a red or pink lip to contrast with the simplicity of the outfit.

Metallics

Metal is being carried into the new season, but with fresh reinterpretations and unexpected combinations. Delicate pastels (as seen on Laura Whitmore), high shine textures and mirrored effects will look great on those who are not afraid of taking fashion risks.

Catwalk interpretations of the trend show just how versatile metallics can be. From flirty, feminine frocks, shimmering skirts, to iridescent pastel coats and delicate brocade jackets, metallics are everywhere this spring.

Orange.

Sometimes, a bold colour is the only accessory you need. This spring, consider adding one of the season’s orange hues to your wardrobe. But bear in mind, as exciting as it may appear on the catwalk, or as tempting as it may look inside the pages of a magazine, a strong colour is not always the easiest to pull off. Instead of opting for a head to toe orange look, think about wearing one piece at a time, like this gorgeous dress from Topshop. The easiest way to wear a colour this bright is to keep it to your accessories, such as these shoes or satchel, both from Topshop. A little bit goes a long way when it comes to such a striking colour.

To some people, vintage clothing represents the glamorous days of the 4os, 50s, 60s and 70s when fashion was the epitome of chic and elegance. These are times when French designers  such as Yves Saint Laurent were in their heyday, creating trends with their glamourous gowns. For others though, vintage clothing is entirely unappealing, making them think of polyester and dusty shops.

I am a massive fan of vintage clothing, and love a rummage through shops, fairs, markets and eBay to see what treasures can be uncovered. I chose to wear vintage because it is fun, nostalgic, diverse and affordable.

Whether you love or loathe vintage clothes, there is no doubt that vintage is not a passing trend; it is a style of fashion that is here to stay. It is continuously evolving and inspiring new ideas for collectors and shoppers. When combined with other pieces from your wardrobe, whether old or new, it goes a long way in helping you attain your own distinct look.

Vintage clothing has made its way onto the red carpet too, with stars such as Emma Watson, Julia Roberts, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lily Allen and Dawn O’Porter opting for vintage pieces at glamorous events.

Stars on the hunt for vintage head to William Vintage in London, a boutique owned by William Banks Blaney. William Vintage is the place to go for those looking for something extra special, stocking the best of Chanel, Ossie Clark, Lanvin, Courreges, Givenchy and Dior from days gone by.

William Banks Blaney travels the world looking for vintage clothing, and so he knows a thing or two about how to get the best from what you buy. He advises that when shopping  you should avoid being a label snob; “You should always go buy the cut, the construction, how good it makes you look and how comfortable you feel in it. Remember with vintage lots of pieces of amazing clothing have lost their labels. They’re 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 years old. Just go by what you love.”

(read a brilliant interview with William Banks Blaney here)

For me, the best thing about wearing vintage clothes is that they allow you to have choices that don’t exist on the high street. Vintage clothing allows me to be creative with my clothing, a grown version of playing dress up! I also love that wearing vintage takes away the fear of walking into a party and spotting another girl in the same outfit.

Dawn O’Porter is a big fan of vintage clothing for this very reason; “you will never have anyone turn up wearing what you are wearing, and that makes you feel great.”

(read more from Dawn O’Porter here, here and here)

Everyone loves a bargain, but vintage lovers will be more pleased with purchasing a piece from the past, that was once admired and has been taken care of. You can get great satisfaction from discovering old pieces that go on to become new favourites.

Belfast is a great place to shop for vintage, my favourite place to go is the Rusty Zip on Botanic Avenue, known as Belfast’s original vintage store. A more recent addition to the scene is Jacob Street, which you can find on Fountain Street. The Frock Around The Clock vintage fairs make for a great day out, and the next one will be held in Belfast Castle on Sunday, April 7.