WHAT IS 'BLOGGER' RIGHT NOW? THE TOP TEN MOST BLOGGED ABOUT ITEMS NOW

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

We've had so many responses to yesterday's post about the 'blogger' trend via comments, tweets and e-mails. We thought we'd have have a bit of fun today so have put together our view of the top 10 most blogged about items right now. Obviously there are so many blogs out there that we have no idea if this is statistically true but we've asked around and looked at what people have been mentioning so far. Do you agree? If not, what would you have gone for?

1. JEFFREY CAMPBELL SHOES

These clumpy platform boots have gained a rep as the bloggers' favourite boot. Nobody wears them better than Stella from Stella's Wardrobe. She's rarely seen with her Jeffrey Campbells.

Stella in her Jeffrey Campbell boots (image from stellaswardrobe.blogspot.co.uk)

Stella's studded Jeffrey Campbells (image from stellaswardrobe.blogspot.com)

2. PRADA- EARRINGS AND COATS

Prada always produces a hit piece or seven. At the moment it's anything bling from their SS12 collection, especially the earrings and jackets. For bloggers who want to get this look, there are loads of guides showing you how to make your own versions. These make your own guides are probably worth a blog post in themselves at some point- watch this space!

Susie in her Prada chandeliers (image from stylebubble.co.uk)

Meg Gray, whose site is Gray Gardens, in her Prada crystal jacket, as introduced to us by Susie Bubble (image from Tommy Ton on Style.com)

3. MICHAEL KORS WATCH

Need I explain? A big watch is de rigueur when you're looking for max impact in shots.

www.oh-so-glam.com

4. ACNE'S MINT KNITS

This is My-Wardrobe's most blogged about item.

www.houseofsartorialism.blogspot.com

Image from style.com

5. YSL RING

Many of those commenting said that the YSL ring was a bloggers favourite, I guess the fact it spans half the hand is a big bonus.

chicchefblog.com

6. 3.1 PHILLIP LIM BAG

Any one will do, but Mr Lim's structured, graphic and massive bags seem to be a big blogger favourite. My Wardrobe say this one is in their Top 10 most blogged.

www.dulcecandy.com

7. ASH WEDGES

Melanie wrote about these a while back. There'll be all kind of variations around for a while yet, given the gem versions I've seen about at press days.

lolafromvalencia.blogspot.com

8. WHISTLES WISTERIA

This is Whistles' hit print of SS12, now sold out almost everywhere. Olivia Palermo has been styling out the look on her blog this week.

image from www.oliviapalermo.com

9. H & M TROUSERS

I've seen these everywhere, both on and offline of late.

allaboutthestyle.net

10. JIL SANDER HAT

Another item with lots of how-to-do your own guides dedicated to it. Of course, the Queen of Bloggers and Street Style Stars, Anna Dello Russo is its most famous wearer.

bloggers.com

www.nitorlicious.com

Do you agree with our list? What do you think we should add to it?

FEAL team xx

COACHELLA FASHION: THE FOUR EASY RULES OF FESTIVAL FASHION, PLUS TUPAC RISES FROM THE DEAD

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Hanna Gaby Odiele and Kasia Struss rocking out at Coachella (image from Harper's Bazaar)

It's a pleasingly predictable occurrence at this time of year: the hype surrounding Coachella as the first music festival of the year. There is always buzz about the line-up, the attendees and What 'Everyone' (aka fashion bunnies) Will Wear. But what is quite comforting about the photos which pour out of Coachella - which is near Palm Spring in California - and therefore has quite warm weather - is that what people wear never really changes that much. The general uniform is frayed denim shorts, some form of boots (Dr Martens/ wellington/ worker) a cool top (boho fringing or graphic print), and some sweet friendship necklace/wristband type thing, not forgetting the obligatory slouchy bag. This is a good thing.  When in daily life there are many ways to look cool, so many options that it can often be overwhelming, Coachella, and festivals in general, are places where it is easy to look pretty fab in four easy steps. Not including getting off your face and lost in music, obvs.

THE FOUR RULES
1. Denim shorts
2. Cute little top
3. Work boots
4. Slouchy bag

Here are a few of our favourite takes on the denim shorts look...

Kate Bosworth in animal tee and little Mulberry bag. I'm a big fan of the
lime fish earrings too (image from  harpersbazaar.com)

Coachella not scout camp- boyish badges and camouflage, and hey is that Josephine de la Baume? (image from harpersbazaar.com)

Ok, they're coloured denim but these laced up shorts are along the same lines. Really love the scarf flapping in the wind and wintry hat (from www.mrnewton.net)

Zanna Roberts Rossi lets her bleached and ripped denims take centre stage. This is a bit chavvy for us at FEAL.  (image from harpersbazaar.com)

The Zombie that is Sky Ferreira does double denim, and looks more grungy than cutesy festival.  (image from www.fashionologie.com)

When the festival fashion formula is so easy - read: safe - it takes a lot of sass to veer off course. These girls did and we love them for it. Hanne and Karla (top and below) are my best dressed for the sole reason that they actually look like they're at a festival. They're a bit thrown together but there's not a a denim cut off in sight plus they actually look like they're having a brilliant time. 

It's Hanne and Karla again... LOVE Hanne's fringing, face paint and pewter patterned trousers (image from  www.harpersbazaar.com)

Best Dressed Who Are Clearly VIPs at an Exclusive Party Rather than Moshing in with Everyone Else...

Harley Viera Newton looking very sweet in pastels and Charlotte Olympia slippers. (image from HarpersBazaar.com)

Alexa Chung in Phillip Lim- a sweet evening dress and Jesus sandals. Not an outfit for muddy days or tents. Long gone are the Barbour days for Alexa (image from Derek Blasberg at Harper's Bazaar)

Nathalie Love and Gia Coppola (image from Vogue)

Best Dressed Normal People...

I have no idea what this girl is actually wearing, but her make-up is fabulous enough to warrant a special mention (image from Huffington Post)

Blanket coats...

Image from HuffingtonPost.com

What festivals are all about... 

Image from www.huffingtonpost.com

Best dressed man: Kanye West in Celine SS11. We like the 80s open chest plus medallion styling. 

Kanye in Celine (image from harpersbazaar.com)

See through rucksacks? These girls must be staying at The Standard or The Parker as their bags are filled with lollipops and bright fun things rather than pants and wet wipes. 

Image from Vogue

PLUS, you MUST WATCH the hologram performance from Tupac and Snoop Dog. It's moving and beautiful and quite unbelievable that a performer could be so present nearly 16 years after his death....

SOCKS AND SANDALS, BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW THEM

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

I say "Socks and Sandals", you think...

Giving a bad name to the socks and sandals combination (from www.sandalandsoxer.co.uk)

right? Well, perhaps not THAT bad but this particular sartorial combination has a universally poor reputation, and quite rightly so really when the classic look involves camper friendly velcro straps and crusty old M&S calf hugging socks.

But here at FEAL, we've started to think that it's time to freshen up our perspective. And this week is the perfect time. If you're anything like me (and are in the UK!), you'll have been woken by blindingly bright rays of sunshine each morning. This leads you to don summer skirts and dresses and eschew a coat. Then, you leave the house and realise that the sunshine doesn't quite translate to temperatures balmy enough for your attire. I have made this mistake every day so far this week. But moving back into winter clothes is too depressing a thought to entertain. So our solution? Wear your summer shoes with socks to save your tootsies from freezing.

Here are some inspirational street style pictures to get us going...

From www.thesartorialist.co.uk

(From www.thesartorialist.com)

From www.vogue.co.uk

From www.style.com

I haven't yet seen a good photo of FLAT sandals and socks. I reckon at the very least the look requires a low block heel to get from Nanna to Fashion. It can go very girlish and cute if it's executed with a flatform and frill- anyone else remember the white frilly socks which you wore with school summer dresses? Going to John Lewis to buy them signalled the start of Summer when I was little. 

I'm going to attempt a more grown-up version with a proper heel and perhaps a sleeker sock, though I have fallen a little bit in love with the lace ones below. Right now though, something a little bit toastier is required I think. 

Here are some of our favourites... Find more on our new Pinterest page here

Gianvitto Rossi £555 at Browns

Chloe £410 Net-a-Porter

River Island £35

Topshop £90

Lace trim for ASOS £4

Happy Socks £8

Urban Outfitters £8

Lacy mint socks £1.99 New Look

FASHION WILL EAT ITSELF: PARIS GOES MENTAL

Posted by Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor at Large

See all these people? They are outside one of Paris Fashion Week's most famous catwalk show venues in Paris, in the Tuileries Gardens. I've just come from watching the Sonia Rykiel show there.

Check out all the people with cameras in the bottom left of the image - in order to get from the gate of the Tuileries Gardens to the tent the show is in, show-goers, mostly industry professionals going about their daily work and minding their own business, have to dodge past these photographers. I reckon there are at now least 150 to 200 of them in total, and 90% of them are likely to be chancers who have set up a blog and want to be "in fashion" (if they actually know what that means) or worse still, they are weirdos who like taking pictures of young pretty women and models.

In the past the street-style photography scene has been a wonderful addition to the proceedings, but it is now out of control.

(image from http://concretemagazine.sjmc.umn.edu)

At the end of each show the "weirdos" as I have come to call them in my head; mainly sweaty, overweight late middle-aged men with multi-pocketed flak waistcoats on, aggressively heckle models and elbow each other to get closest to them and then attack them with flashbulbs. All these girls are doing is trying to leave the show, find their next appointment, have a cigarette, take a breather, whatever. They are off duty, they can do what they want. Today a photographer elbowed a model in the back so hard she winced in pain; I saw another one make a girl cry because he would not leave her alone.

Now imagine a crowd bigger than this shoe-horned into a tiny side street. On the way into the Dior show today at the Rodin Museum, the slender street the entrance of the museum is on was utterly mobbed with above crowd of "street-style photographers" - in reality there are no more than 15-20 very good and reputable ones - and hangers on. The atmosphere outside that show was scary. Police were trying to control the crowd; there were crash barriers, traffic was at a standstill, people shouted, cars beeped. It was not only chaos, but dangerous. 

This is not what Paris Fashion Week should be about. Sure there are a few women who play the street-style game and further their careers by being photographed - fair play to them, they are consenting adults. But those of us who would like to get on with their jobs without this hassle have no choice but to face a picket line for each show. Why can't there be an area for street-style pictures to be taken? A sign saying  "if you want to be photographed, please go this way". 

When I lifted a copy of T magazine to cover my face as yet another lens was shoved into it this afternoon, the photographer called me a "fucking bitch" and told me I looked better with my face covered. When it comes to being attacked for being attacked by a camera, don't you think something is seriously wrong here? We are talking about fashion shows and people who go to fashion shows. 

The people who organise Paris Fashion Week need to sort something out. 

WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO WEAR SS12?

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Nope, I'm sorry but Carine Roitfeld, Lisa Marie Fernandez and Anna Wintour (and more I'm sure) have beaten you to it. I know, I know, we thought fast fashion happened in Primark and Zara, not at Burberry and Givenchy. But think again because some of fashion's best connected are already wearing pieces which are probably warm off the models' backs. Are we jealous? Noooooo.

Lisa Marie Fernandez shows off her SS12 Pilotto in Paris (Image from graziadaily.co.uk)

One of my favourite shows of this season was Peter Pilotto and I thought I was safe in the knowledge that I had nine months to find a way to acquire a little piece of it. Swimwear designer Lisa Marie Fernandez had a head start on us all, earning her chance to premiere the prom dress by collaborating on the scuba ensembles which were standouts in the collection.

Peter Pilotto SS12

Anna Wintour arrived at the Louis Vuitton show on Wednesday morning in an African print trench coat from the Burberry SS12 show which she had taken a front row seat a mere two weeks earlier.

Wintour arriving at Vuitton (image from zimbio.com)

On the catwalk... Burberry SS12

But prize for the most astonishingly speedy turnaround goes to Carine Roitfeld who wore a variation on a number of looks from the Givenchy show the day after it took place.

Carine makes it real-life worthy with a silky blouse and shortened tails (Image from telegraph.co.uk)

On the catwalk...Givenchy SS12