Peplum and Princesses

Marc Jacobs SS 2012

Every girl dreams of their princess moment ... don’t they? They dream that they will be rescued by their Prince Charming on a white horse. That they will get to wear an elegant ball gown in real life and waltz at balls and live the Princess Dream.

Perhaps this Princess Dream was brought about by various childhood Disney movies where the princess would always end up living happily ever after with her prince. Or possibly the multiple versions of princess Barbie which have been updated and revamped over the years.

The reason why I have been musing over princess moments is not due to K Mid hitting the headlines again (the modern day princess of the moment) or February being the month of love, it is more what is in style for Spring Summer 2012. The one trend that reminds me of princesses and dresses at balls is Peplum.

The Peplum style can be seen from the catwalks of Givenchy, Gareth Pugh and Marc Jacobs ... to name but a few.

Givenchy SS 2012

Gareth Pugh SS 2012

Women are inclined to dress to flatter their shape and this peplum style accentuates a part of the body which women (for the most part) wish to cover up; their hips. We live in a world dominated by celebrity and the hips are a part of the body that tabloid press ridicule over and over on female celebrities. Those ‘bad bikini’ images where ‘flaws’ of celebs are circled in order to humiliate them to the masses seem to favour big hips and thighs in their choice of mockery.

If these pap shots are anything to go by – too much in the hip area equals negativity. Even the phrase “a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips” reminds us of the modern day obsession in keeping the hips trim and slim. This is not what the peplum style achieves; rather it accomplishes the complete opposite and seemingly accentuates the hips.

Not long after seeing images of peplum style fresh off the catwalk, I thought of Disney’s Cinderella in her ball gown. Cinderella in her ball gown is like a cartoon version of peplum trend. She oozed elegance and worked the ‘in at the waist out at the hips look perfectly’, but she also had a super tiny waist which us twenty first century uncartoon like bitches are unfortunately not blessed with.

Cinderella in the peplum style ballgown ? Yes. Average chicas without tiny waists, having curvy hips working the 2012 peplum style? No. Just no.

So for the majority of us peplum will not look good; it will give the effect that we had a moment on the lips, adding a lifetime to the hips. (Who wants that!)

Surely the peplum is a trend that should stay put in fairytales and the world of happily ever after (and tiny waists!).

This is one trend which we can exist without and can channel our fashion hot mess through other current trends ...

Sporty chic anyone?!

The September Issue

For me the month of September welcomes the new. I would think this dates back to all of those Septembers I spent preparing to go back to school. The new academic year brought more than simply new subjects and teachers. It brought something mildly more important than learning. So much more important.

It brought a new school uniform. Shiny black leather (regulation naturally) shoes and a brand new school bag – style: relative to current trends (so basically what the other 179 pupils in my year may have had or may have been getting).

I am still not decided which school bag was my favourite. Either the Smurfs back pack which my white haired blue eyed five year old self enthusiastically wore on both shoulders skipping into my very first day of primary school. Or the lilac satchel from Warehouse (a £10 bargain of the pre recession noughties) which my ‘uber cool’ seventeen year old self wore nonchalantly, later to graffiti with the latest schoolgirl crushes of myself and my girlfriends. The jury is still out.

So it was with my bag, royal blue woollen blazer, (shapeless) knee length skirt and other new items of school uniform that I would have only my best foot forward to kick off the month of September. I had that annual buzz and expectations of what lay ahead in that first month and the year to come. September was always fabulous.

Although my years of academia and back to school buzz have drawn to a close I still possess an excited anticipation at the start of the month thanks to those memories. Out of education and into work; for most people September is just another month. For fashion worshippers September brings a whole lot more than just daydreaming of the next holiday (though blissful); it brings September issues (this year Vogue UK, Paris and Australia are the months reading thanks to travelling relatives!), as well as … ding ding ding!

Fashion weeks!

We gots to love the online live streaming from the major fashion capitals!

Naturally when the first of September blew in this year, it also blew butterflies into my tummy in anticipation of what the month was going to bring.

Okay it’s miserable outside, but that is not killing my hype! Okay the news is a reflection of the weather (miserable), but that is still not killing my hype! That is until the retail news was revealed and it was one headline in particular;

September is the new January

: folk are tightening their belts and slowing down to an almost halt on spending in Septber. More and more shops are being boarded up across the country and company figures are dropping (unless you are Hermes that is http://www.mindfulmoney.co.uk/?lid=6996 ).

Okay, my hype is now killed and the prospect of September is now not so exciting. I mustn’t forget that my daydream version of September is not actually reality and that the world of fashion and retail is suffering just like everyone else. I am incredibly disheartened until I spy something that can still make this month the shiny disco ball of excitement which I crave.

Vogue September issue is still here, as are international fashion weeks and the potential of winter coat shopping. The September reality cloud of misery has a silver lining and the I can still have my annual excitement. September is fabulous again! Just like it was on my first day of school! Fashion is triumphing and making my world a better place!

Paris Highlights Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear

Andrej Pejic vs. Girl Power

I can't decide if the model du jour Andrej Pejic (the male gracing the female catwalks for those of you who have been living under a rock recently) is boosting girl power or snatching power from the girls by taking over the conventionally female role.

Perhaps with the lines between male and female becoming increasingly blurry it is just power to the people as opposed to girl power or boy power.

It seems that the fashion world is no longer dictating the embodiment of female perfection .. size zero is no longer THE catwalk size. Some models curvy, some not, some with voluptuous breasts, some with little or none. The model of the 'perfect' woman has transformed so much now that men want in and do you know what? If Andrej Pejic is anything to go by, men can do it!

I wonder if women will follow suit and butch up for the male model world. Gender in fashion has now been torn apart and haphazardly stitched back together in a one size fits all.

In the words of the feminist Judith Butler "appearance is an illusion" .. so all we really need worry about is ensuring our appearance is elegantly fashion hot and messy (and fabulous dahling) so that our individual illusion gives girl power, boy power or power to the people.

Separated at Birth?

Tim Gunn and Julien Assange

Lady Gaga - Behind The Scenes - Thierry Mugler Fashion Show - Paris

Exclusive interview: Andrej Pejic