These Boots are Made for Walking

Functionality or fashion? Boots were originally worn by women to protect their feet, ankles and legs during bad weather or for sports such as horse riding, ice skating or skiing. However, the functionality of boots rapidly changed after Nancy Sinatra glamourised the over-the-knee and thigh high boot in the 1960s. More recently, Kate Moss has turned the Wellington into a fashion accessory by wearing shorts and hunter wellies at Glastonbury. So why is it that boots are now worn during all seasons, for fashion more than functionality and what are the current boot trends on the catwalk and on the high street?


2010 catwalks across Europe saw the following boot styles displayed: shoe boot, bandal (boot sandal), knee high, over-the-knee (or thigh high), shearling/fur boot, military/utility and brogue boot, all of which have now made it to the London high streets and you'll find a listing below of where to find these key boot styles. Recently my household purchased those trendy see-through boot and shoe boxes which required an audit of my footwear and the results amazed me! I have a total of 10 knee high or over-the-knee style, including cowboy (which by the way is a style worth storing for the next revival), only a few pairs of shoes and a remarkably high number of shoe boots (15) which to me are the most versatile, comfortable and trendy boot right now. I even took a pair of bandals to Oman, as they are open toed and of a very soft leather and they were amazingly comfortable and sturdy, even in the 35 degree heat. Shoe boots can be worn to the office in the form of brogue boots or lace-up, as bandals or gladiators in the summer or chelsea/desert/military/utility with a chunky heel in the evening. Having tortured my feet in unsuitable footwear such as stiletos and court shoes for many years,  for me boots now cover off fashion and functionality, are multi-seasonal and bang on trend.

1. Shoe Boots rock and All Saints have every season's hottest shoe boots, military shoe boots, bandals and gladiator shoe boots. Their shoe boots are sturdy, rock chick and reasonably priced.
2. Belstaff , the British biker brand rule the knee high scene with heeled and non heeled versions of knee high biker. Belstaff have a flagship store in Central London or I can send you details of their online stockist (email me for further info).
3. For over-the-knee, Russell and Bromley do this style with a little kinky but without the tacky!
4. From a furry point of view take a look at the shearling and fur collections from asos and Kurt Geiger.
5. Brogue boots are big this season: Office and Jane Shilton have the best versions I have seen so far.

NB - The post above portrays my personal impartial opinion and commentary. 

Pictures have been extracted from the internet and can be extracted if permission is required.

The Bed Head is Back!

For the last 2 weeks Fashion Audit has been scouring the London Streets for iconic short and long haired styles, to no avail! Having researched what's in, what's not and what's definitely hot, Fashion Audit concludes that "bed head" hair is scorching hot and poker straight is so not. What does bed head hair look like? What are the key steps in achieving this look in the salon and at home? and who is currently wearing this look well?


The ultimate barometer of style has to be Kate Moss; she morphs from rock chic and bed head by day to a sophisticated slightly more coiffured look by night, effortlessly and of course for Kate, black is always the new black!  By the way, the James Brown salon off Wimpole Street in London will easily do the Kate look, mainly because Kate visits that salon as she and James Brown are childhood friends. Jessica Alba also does the bed head look well and with her amazing facial features and skin, has the ability to carry long and short haired bed head incredibly well.

Here we see Kate with the perfect long haired bed head look: soft, frizz free but tousled, almost wind swept and not precise.


These show a maturer Kate Moss with the shorter version of the bed head:

Jessica Alba here works the bed head well with a layered shorter style: tousled, messy and totally sexy!

Megan Fox does a more curly version of the bed head, with long luscious locks here:

So how would you achieve soft but tousled locks and maintain this look at home? I have many years of hair abuse: perming in the 80s, straightening in the 90s, and highlighting and glossing of late. To reverse all this damage, 2 years ago I discovered the Brazilian Blow Dry, also known as the Keratin Treatment. This is to hair, what antioxidants are to the skin: a return to the childhood state of your hair and prevention of frizz, static and the cardboard like effect you get from chemical abuse. If your hair is fairly porous, you will only need this treatment done every 6 months and not every 2-4 as suggested by the marketing. Thereafter, you can seemlessly achieve bed head hair by washing and leaving your hair to dry naturally (maintaining your hair's natural waves) and for more waves and curls, I either tie hair up in a loose bun once washed and when still slightly wet or use heated rollers after washing and when almost dry.


A product for the future, which I am in a desperate search for, is a Keratin Treatment with the ability to leave your hair curlier/wavier than its natural state: for more information, watch this space!


NB. Photos above have been extracted from the internet and can be withdrawn if offensive or requires permission.

The Aviator Takes Flight

Originally created in the 1930s, with the objective of saving air force pilots from the freezing temperatures at high altitudes, the Aviator jacket is back and bang on trend. Unveiled at the European fashion shows of late Spring 2010, the Aviator has since been tantalising fashionistas by appearing in the fashion magazines far earlier than their availability on the high street. I for one, made a call to a certain high street store's buying office to enquire about when this style would hit the shops.

This week, Fashion Audit took to the fashion streets of London on an unusually and ironically far too sunny day for this style, and came away with the following conclusion. The Aviator is available in leather/PU, sheepskin and shearling. Each material has its pros and cons. For me, nothing looks more authentic than the real thing, so PU just won't do! Nevertheless cheap leather is far too shiny to make this look work, so that rules out a few of the Aviators on the high street. The ultimate look for me is a progression of the biker jacket (ideally not single breasted!) and unfortunately the designers do this look the best. However, I found a few very close versions on the high street and online - an almost distressed/worn finish with not too much fur or shearling.

Before I pass on the crucial top 5 list, a word of caution on working this look: given the volume, warmth and width of the Aviator jacket, wear as little as possible underneath. Simple, but chic flowy dresses in chiffon, or cotton or military style low crutched hareems in single, sultry colours rather than masses of or bright colours, with biker boots; think Alexa Chung and you'll be bang on trend!

By the way, this list is just my opinion and if you need more information please contact me directly.

1. Burberry or Acne (both designer labels and priced at @£1500)
2. Vila £60 (price tag suggests it's PU but distressed and really authentic)
3. Top Shop (with a huge selection under the leather and PU section, including gilets) @£60-£300
4. asos (has an unique aviator filter) prices range from £60-£350
5. M&S and Whistles @£80 and @£345

and other brands of Aviator that didn't quite make the top 5 but came close: River Island, Next, Oasis, H&M.

TRUNK's third year of style

If you're planning a trip to Colombo, Sri Lanka and you are a fashionista, you must not leave without a visit to the hottest addition to Colombo's style scene. TRUNK is celebrating 3 years of immense style and invites you to preview their latest collection, sourced from fashion brands around the world. What's more, if you visit within the next month there is a discount promotion on offer.

If you'd like more information on TRUNK, please get in touch.

Vintage, Retro, Second-Hand: the definitions, differences and the dilemma!

The fashion buzz word on the street is Vintage! But what does that mean? Is Vintage a re-branding of Retro or is it simply a dressed-up description of second-hand clothing? And why do fashionistas not call it how it is?

As defined by dictionary.com, vintage simply means "representing the high quality of a past time". Just by definition Vintage already rates highly in the fashion stakes. Retro, on the other hand, is defined as "denoting something revived from the past". Now again, with the use of the word revived, we fashionistas picture glamour! Now, we all know and despise hand me downs, which to me perfectly defines "second-hand". Hand me downs give us flash-backs of wearing our older brother's clothes as a child and is never associated with "unique" nor "unusual".

Recently, I bought a "Vintage" blouse and paid over the odds for something that was basically from a stylish dead women's closet. My daughter, who is only 10 but already has an amazing sense of style, described my blouse as "one of a kind". Now to me that sums up all 3 words perfectly and from that moment, I decided to refer to clothing that I buy from Vintage, Retro or simply Second-Hand shops as One of a Kind"!

My conclusion: there is a huge connection between Marketing and Fashion and the second-hand clothing revival is purely down to the re-branding and therefore re-positioning and re-labelling of One of a Kind clothing.

By the way, if you're around the Clapham Junction area, there are a number of One of a Kind boutiques where you can find both high street and designer labels.