River Island at Christmas...

As advertised through their Facebook fan page yesterday (30th November) River Island have released a few mid-season add-ins just in time for Christmas...so there are a few more frocks to choose from for your office christmas party! The dresses are designed by Nabil El-Nayal, who as the winner of the Graduate Fashion Week Womenswear Award 2008, has now joined forces with River Island to create beautiful gothic-glam dresses - which are a perfect classy alternative to all the sequinned party frocks we have been seeing.

Is the Christmas dress hunt already over?!

I certainly hope not...as I still have not found my perfect christmas dress. Well that's a lie, I just can't quite afford the £260 price tag of the French Connection dress I am still lusting over.

After visiting the French Connection website today I got rather upset. With 34 new products I excitedly started scrolling, and ended up being throughly disappointed with just FIVE items of actual clothing...being 1 day dress, 1 blouse and 3 jersey tops. Is that really it for the party dresses? On the 24th November? Surely not. There were far too many watches, necklaces and hats on that webpage. I mean hats, really?

However, River Island on the other hand, cheered me up. There were plenty of new products on offer, and still some yummy partywear coming through. Including this quite gorgeous 'wet look ponte dress' which at £39.99 isn't too shabby for a little black dress with a difference...

Stud Embellishment.

Now after saying that stud embellishment was going to get even bigger next Autumn/Winter I thought I should really have a snoop around to see whats around. After looking on WGSN...even though they are this season...I had to post pictures of the following beautiful dresses. Studs really do rock.

This gorgeous gorgeous GORGEOUS dress is from Alessandra Dell'Acqua. His collection also includes the most beautiful jewelled skirt, dresses with a kind of embroidered ribbon effect, and culottes. Which are just quite cool.

And this little beauty is by Prada. Who currently happen to have the most scrumptious advertising campaign, featuring some gorgeous embellished dresses - as seen below...

Now although they are quite glamorous dresses I am still feeling quite a biker chick, warrior girl kind of feel. If only I had the pennies to pay for them.

River Island are big winners at the Company Fashion Awards 2009...

River Island are the proud winners of a massive FOUR awards at the Company Fashion Awards 2009...

They announced this news both on the website and through an email sent to customers signed up to receive email updates...not good news for those - like me - who then browse through the email and find 101 things they now need to buy. Good advertising though!

'All that Glitters'

This season...and even more so Autumn/Winter 2010...is all about EMBELLISHMENT. As we all love to sparkle don't we? (Especially at Christmas!) Now this season it started quite small, studded detail at the shoulders - see Topshops' 'stud shoulder sweats' - however this trend is just going to get bigger and bigger.

Sequins are predicted to quieten down after this season - as you cannot physically fit any more on to the sequinned dress you're probably lusting after. However other forms of embellishment will take over...particularly encrusted jewels. Costume jewellery on clothing? Yes please.

Now as it is coming up to Christmas and New Years Eve you must be gearing up to go and find the perfect party dress yes? Look no further than French Connection. Famed for it's beautiful 'going out wear' the selection is HUGE. If embellished is what you are looking for, which obviously it should be, that narrows the choice down to ooooh 26 gorgeous dresses. Now apart from the 'Spirit dress' (which I am well aware has already appeared on this blog twice but I just would die for that dress) below are a few other favourites...

Another French Connection Polyvore.

Another polyvore for yet another French Connection dress (they are all beautiful but there are approximately 100 million dresses on the website...no exaggeration.) This is the Angela dress.

French Connection Polyvore.

A polyvore created using the Spirit Dress from French Connection (as earlier posted on the blog.) Simply because it's beautiful and at the very top of my wish list.

French Connection - Hit or Miss?

Drapers online - 24th October 2009.



http://www.drapersonline.com/trends/womenswear/hit-or-miss/french-connection/5007420.article

'For a small shop, French Connection can't half pack the sequins in.'

River Island...Hit or Miss?

Drapers online - 24th October 2009.

http://www.drapersonline.com/trends/womenswear/hit-or-miss/river-island/5007411.article

Note - final paragraph 'Value'; 'A simple grey and black panelled dress has jewelled embellishment on the front, which at just £50 will delight customers.'

Now as the very first post on this blog I don't mean to overwhelm you, but this dress really needs to be seen and appreciated.

One of the trends I am focussing on for Fashion Cycle is EMBELLISHMENT. Sparkle. Glitter. Detail.

Now I first spotted this dress many months ago when worn by Fearne Cotton (one of my favourite style crushes) at the BAFTAs. Back then it hadn't even hit the shops, but now it is very much in stock - and needing to be bought. By me.

The Spirit Dress.

French Connection.

(Beautiful)