World Cup Fever and Worldwide Designs: Taking a look at the Summer 2014 Trends around the World

As the World Cup takes over we take a look at some of the fashion trends in these countries. Lets start with the USA who in true style have kicked their way into the final 16 with a draw against Germany. They are the winner of this season’s hot trend. The athletic lounge with pumped up heel trainers.

USA - Athletic-inspired chic fashions and footwear are making a run for it. Tommy Hilfiger shows off some of their latest lounge/athletic collection. Go USA..

Italy – Pastels are hot in the Summer and continue into the Fall. Look for feminine dresses, sharp tailored coats and flared skirts.

UK – After not quite breaking through in the first round, we thought we would brighten up the UK trend with the Floral look and the Flower Show.  When it comes to the Flower Show in London there is only one The Chelsea Flower Show. Florals are big in the UK and will continue and transcend into collections on the runway next year.

Asia -  Lounge and Leather Accessories are the big ‘ must haves’.  Korean top model Soo Joo Park is literally taking over the international fashion world and has a huge fashion following. During the Paris Fashion Week Fall Winter 2014 2015 she did not only steel the show on the runway but also on the street as she posed for fans as if she was in a photo studio. An Asian fashion icon in the making.

Inspirations behind creating a Fashion Brand

At L&G we love to bring you the latest stories on trends, travel, fashion and jewellery. However did you ever wonder what inspired these brands and where they came from? One of the biggest growing markets in fashion is children’s fashion, from Stella McCartney to Tommy Hilfiger they are all trying to break into this market place.

On a recent trip to the US, we caught up with Wati Grossman, founder of Wati Design ( www.watidesign.com) who is based in California. Her line is carried by some of the most cutting edge kids fashion shops around the United States, including Neiman Marcus. So we asked her

What was the inspiration behind creating the brand ?

Wati: After working for big corporations such as The Gap and Levi Strauss & Co. in the 90's and early 2000's, I really just wanted to start a girls' line.  For most of a decade I have manufactured in India, a country I find to be very inspiring. But recently I've felt a push to be more about locally made, and of designing things that can be passed down and loved for a very long time. That's why I went back to my childhood obsession of Liberty of London prints. Americans are still learning about Liberty but once they see the prints of course, they are hooked forever!

What were your goals behind the brand?
Wati: My goals for the brand were always to design dresses that made girls happy. With the amount of fan mail I still receive I think I've fulfilled that mission. My husband has teased me over the years that my driving force has never been about making money, it's always been about seeing the smiles on all those young girls' faces.

 What is the inspiration behind your designs this year?
This summer I'll be pivoting the business and re-vamping the website. Our eldest is going off to university in the Fall so now I feel like I can focus on new projects. This past year was for me, all about being in California more and traveling less. Sometimes as an entrepreneur you need to change the pace and adjust depending on what's right for you. Just looking through a Liberty swatch book my brain goes to design heaven.  I started doing small accessories and made-to-order dresses for women friends but what's really popular are the Liberty belts. They're like candy, people want one in every print. They liven up white or blue jeans and are an easy way to wear prints if you're mostly a solids person.

I appreciate all things classic and well-tailored but adore exotic textiles, fashion inspired by ethnic dress and Liberty of London prints. I count Lou Lou de la Falaise and Ines de la Fressange as style inspirations. You can follow my design boards on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/watidesign/ and my twin blog at https://doublevisiontwinsblog.squarespace.com/blog/

Who else is doing a good job designing kids clothing and shoes, that really have made an impression in the fashion market place for kids? 

Here is a short list of my favorites:  Ses Petites Mains of San Francisco:   http://sespetitesmains.com/  Truly lovely dresses and separates for girls by ex-Ralph Lauren designer Beth Miles, sizes ranging from 12 months to age 14. The obvious guys! Crewcuts by JCrew and Gap Kids and California children's shoe company Livie & Luca:  http://www.livieandluca.com/. One can't exclude Bonpoint which is always classic yet relevant. Its very fun that they had Garance Dore direct their mini promo film to celebrate the opening of their new store in Soho, New York.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvME7tOQs3Q

For more information contact: watidesign@gmail.com

This Spring/ Summer Hot Looks

So what’s trending this Spring/Summer? We at Lolo and Galago have put together some of the best looks of this Summer and show how to style it with the right jewellery.

Top of the list it is the Shirt Dress – if you are feeling flush go to Balenciaga to get the latest design as featured  below or just borrow your boyfriend’s shirt and get a belt and wrap it around. Either way shirt dresses are hot this season.

Shirt dresses look great with a short chain inside so we recommend one of the L&G Siren necklaces.

Crop Tops – crop tops have been seen everywhere this year, from city streets to runways including such as Michael Kors collection, crop tops are in. These can be worn with high waisted skirts, jeans, over the top of a vest – there are many ways to create a look. 

As they are a statement in themselves, they need a touch of an accessory to compliment the look, in this case we recommend the sapphire pastel earrings ( www.loloandgalago).

Wide Leg Pants - Wide leg trousers have been popping up all over the Spring/Summer 2014   

runways. Karen Walker, Alexander Wang and  J. Crew have been leading the way. 

This style of trouser tends to work well with fitted jackets or fitted tops to elongate the body. Add bangles and statement necklaces.

Graphic and Jumpsuit - The jumpsuit forms one of the key trends and they have made an impact on the highstreet in all shapes and forms. The DVF jumpsuit below is one of our favourites.

Jumpsuits tend to be a statement in themselves so we recommend a subtle piece of fine jewellery, the 24:7 diamond necklace to an elegant touch.

Floral and Embroidery – Another key Summer look which we will see more of as we move into the Fall and next year is the Floral Collection.  Oscar de la Renta showcased some of the finest displays of floral creativity on the runway this season. When wearing a dress with so much complexity, we would recommend some statement earrings or for something more subtle these L&G floral studs.

  

What's Hot at the Cannes Film Festival

Cannes 67^th Film Festival took place with all it’s wonder, celebrity attraction, film debuts and critics all in tow. Whilst Nicole Kidman’s take on Grace Kelly was dismissed by the critics we took a look at some of the Best Designs at the Cannes Film Festival.

Uma Thurman was a hit in one of the top colours this season, when she arrived to the Clouds of Sils Maria in a buttercup yellow Versace dress with a billowing trail and large statement earrings.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley also looks stunning modelling a pale silver dress by Gucci Premiere for the Preview of The Search. ( www.gucci.com)

In terms of the latest beauty trends it is all about the ‘ barely there’ natural look. Cara Delevingne  as always was on trend with some light metalicpretty silvery grey eye shadow, soft pink lips and dark navy nails at the de Grisogono party.

This years hair trend is all about wearing your hair to the side and plaits. We see

Cheryl Cole and Eva Longoria taking this trend by storm with Cheryl trending towards a Sixites style, a look we will see a lot more in 2015.

CFDA Awards

After the Cannes Film Festival was over, the next big event was the CFDA Awards, and this year it was all about one person – Rihanna. She wore the most striking dress and was covered only by 200,000 Swarovski crystals. Rihanna was also named Fashion Icon of the Year at the CFDA Awards and received her award from the British Icon Anna Wintour.