It feels like everyone from experienced designers to the freshest fashionistas have been inspired by the Far East this season - Japonisme is at large in the fashion world! As East meets West on the high street, there are certain designers you should be influenced by for SS13, from the Geisha inspired makeup, obi belts, silk layering, and flatform sandals at Prada, to the decorative blossom prints and embroidery at Etro and Giambattista Valli.
The key to this trend is to strike a balance between an outfit that is ornate and feminine, yet strong at its core. Fuse traditional techniques like folding, draping and obi belts, with 21st century styling; think blossom covered bomber jackets and leather flatforms, not cheap silks emblazoned with dragons. Be inspired by origami style cuts and opulent embellishment and decide early on if you're going to throw yourself in at the deep end with head-to-toe Harajuku girl passion and embrace all over appliqué flowers, or if you're going to take it slowly and wrap yourself inside an expensive kimono. Check out a few of our key pieces below...
Floral favours
Cherry blossoms, daisies, water lilies; whichever botanical beauty you prefer, you'll need at least one piece in your wardrobe this season. This gorgeous pencil skirt from Oasis is the perfect day-to-night number. Oasis Amori bay pencil skirt £38
Geisha girl lips
When it comes to the oriental trend, there really is only one colour you need to wear on your lips - a luscious red. Topshop lip cream in Smart £7
The jacket
Aside from the bomber, one jacket in particular that shone on the catwalk - the kimono. Take a leaf from Stella McCartney and Etro and choose a stylish draped number like this cropped silk jacket by East (with pretty printed insert!) East silk kimono jacket £130
Fancy flatforms
If the thought of the traditional thong sandal and sock combo makes your toes curl, take your influence from Prada's block platforms and find a fun flatform that suits your style. We love this leather lace up pair from Kurt Geiger. KG Kurt Geiger leather black lace up flatforms £75
Celebrity mums Jessica Alba and Nicole Richie might have just returned from a blissful trip to the Caribbean, but we're still daydreaming over their holiday snaps!
The hardworking mothers spent some time relaxing in St Barts with family and friends, going out to dinner in gorgeous floaty maxi dresses and parading their enviable toned bodies along the beach in a host of swimwear (we're not jealous at all). It's hardly surprising that Nicole and Jessica are such good friends; they're both natural beauties with a similar outlook on life, not to mention the same taste when it comes to fashion. The pair favour the relaxed 'boho' style with a twist - Jessica loves mixing prints and colour - there was a lot of Tory Burch and Missoni on in her suitcase - where as Nicole is a big fan of toughening up her look with bold accessories, usually from her own line, House Of Harlow 1960. The girls tweeted and instagrammed photos of themselves lounging on the beach and getting ready for nights out (sound familiar?) with ex model Kelly Sawyer calling Jessica her #glamsquad and Jessica tweeting "love vacay w the homies!"
The lovely Jessica, who recently published her first book 'The Honest Life', wore a number of cute and colourful bikinis on her trip, including this Basta Surf Zunzal reversable bikini featuring bungee detailing on the back of the bikini top and at the hips on the briefs. At the other end of the colour spectrum, Nicole teamed a stunning long leopard print cape shirt with a body con LBD, burgundy heels and chunky silver cuff earrings - talk about mixing super glam with Seventies chic! Want to get the look? Check out our picks below.
Lily Collins may not be a name you hear very often right now but trust me - by the end of the year, everyone will be talking about her. The British-born actress and daughter of Phil Collins is far from unknown (she's already given great performances in The Blindside and Mirror Mirror) yet somehow, despite her stunning looks and safe yet stylish fashion sense, she has hidden amongst the sea of upcoming talent and has managed to retain a fairly private life.
Her latest movie, a fantasy film called The Mortal Instruments: City on Bones, has already been heralded as the new Twilight/Hunger Games, and looks set to put Lily on the same map as Kristen Stewart and Jennifer Lawrence. Starring alongside her real life boyfriend Jaime Campbell-Bower, Lily plays seemingly ordinary teenager Clary Fray, who's life is turned upside down when a demon attacks her Mother and she discovers a dark world within her own. As we prepare for her star to rise, here are a few reasons why Lily is our newest girl crush:
She has seriously good eyebrows
Watch out Cara Delevingne, there's a new girl in eyebrow town. She may not have always been their biggest fan (Lily apparently used to pluck them to 'fit in' with her friends) but over the last few years she's embraced them fully, and with her pale complexion, it totally works for her. Thick, defined brows are practically her trademark in Tinsel town.
Let's not forget her equally amazing hair
Lily has unfathomable flawless tresses - the kind that ALWAYS looks good, whether it's fresh from a blow dry, contains a few extra curls, or has been styled into an up-do. Beauty/hair wise, she's basically a cross between Zooey Deschanel and Nina Dobrev, which is very unfair.
She's a writer at heart
She can act, she can dance, she loves to sing and she's done her fair share of modelling, but did you know that Lily also has journalism in her blood? As well as gracing the cover of magazines such as Tatler, Teen Vogue, Nylon and Glamour, the well rounded starlet used to contribute to them too! Not only has she written pieces for Seventeen, Teen Vogue and the LA Times, a young Collins cold-called Elle Girl at the age of 15 and talked her way into writing a monthly column. Perhaps there's a screenplay in her future, or maybe even a fashion blog? A girl can dream...
She makes great fashion choices on and off the red carpet
The 23-year-old actress is a well known fashion lover who appreciates both designer and vintage pieces. Citing her Mother as her fashion influencer, Lily has a great sense of personal style and a list of favourite designers, with Chanel, Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen fighting for the top spot. As well as being a self confessed hunter at flea markets - "If you don't want to look through that pile, probably nobody else has, so the coolest thing is in that pile." - Lily is also a big fan of the British high street, especially when it comes to cool coats. The actress is often snapped in oversized blazers and her staple leather jackets from brands such as Zara, AllSaints, Topshop and Karen Millen. Shop her style below and watch the trailer for The Mortal Instruments after the jump!
So many of the trends for SS13 rely on clean lines, tailored cuts and a simple, monochrome colour palette, but what about those of us who prefer a wilder side to our wardrobes? If you're prone to spilling down anything white and like your fashion with an untamed edge, then this seasons jungle meets tropical rainforest trend is for you.
We've seen some form of this trend year after year, but it somehow always seems to fall to the wayside and has the misfortune of feeling a little dated with phrases like 'global traveller' and 'tribal warrior' being thrown around. However with brands like Kenzo and Erdem pushing animal prints to new heights, Alexander McQueen displaying broken butterfly wings and bugs adorning outfits at Lanvin, the catwalk has given this trend a well deserved update.
For Spring/Summer 2013 Topshop have created 'Safari', a collection full of gorgeous animalistic motifs and African inspired prints. Showing once again why they dominate the high street, the clever people at Topshop HQ have ensured there is something for everyone within the micro trend, with oversized, surrealist motifs, deconstructed prints, textures and fresh new colour stories at the heart of the collection.
Shop some of our favourite picks from the trend so far below and keep your eyes peeled for more wild and wonderful pieces arriving soon!
We at OSOBlog love our readers (that's you guys) and we wouldn't be here without your continued support *sniff*, but before I launch into an Oscar-style speech, I have something exciting to share with you - how would you like to be in with a chance of winning £1500 and help support a charity?
We love talking about how to get the latest celebrity look, the newest fashion trends, and the hottest pieces on the high street, but we want to hear what YOU like (and dislike) about our blog. We want to get to know you better so that we can bring you content that excites you and gets you and your friends talking, so whether you've been reading OSOBlog for years or you just discovered us yesterday, click the link below and share your opinions with us!
All you have to do to be entered into the prize draw is fill out our survey. It's that simple. Just think of all the new clothes, accessories and beauty products you could buy in time for Summer...
We British love nothing more than complaining about and commenting on the weather - and right now it is COLD. Whatever part of the country you're in I can guarantee you're freezing your ass off, wishing you'd worn that extra layer your Grandparents always reminded you about. As we're in no rush to shove our knitwear to the back of the wardrobe just yet, today's must have pieces come with style and the weather forecast in mind - welcome to the rather cheeky world of Brian Litchenberg!
The LA designer - who is well known for his ironic take on iconic brand motifs such as Celine, Gucci and Balmain - certainly has a sense of humour, but what about the quality? Rest assured, these tongue-in-cheek garments aren't like the ones your Mum picked up from Amsterdam/that you'll find on Camden Market; t-shirts are soft, sweaters are fleece lined, and everything is printed or embroidered beautifully. They're also the stuff fashion bloggers dreams are made of thanks to celebrity fans like Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Jourdan Dunn and Cara Delevingne.
If you can't quite afford the sweaters which come in at £100, you can grab a t-shirt for a more reasonable £65, or an on-trend beanie for £40. Our personal favourites include 'Feline' and 'Ballin', but there are a few more...risqué motifs out there too for those who want to make a statement!
Forget the lobsters, the birds and the bugs - tigers are having a moment right now, thanks in large part to Kenzo's now-infamous embroidered tiger jumper. The sweatshirt - which has been snapped up by fashions elite all over the globe - sold out at Opening Ceremony in just two days and was gone within 3 hours of landing in the Kenzo stores in Paris. Now that's what we call fast fashion!
With so many animal influences on the catwalk this season, it's hard to choose just one that will stand the test of time, but we think the tiger has got what it takes to go far this year, whether printed, embroidered, or turned into jewellery. These gorgeous creatures seem to have hit the high street all at once - shop the best picks below before they sell as fast as their predecessor! Our personal faves are the cute pink slippers from Zara and the very Kenzo-nian Topshop monochrome jumper...
I have a confession to make - I don't own a onesie.
It's not that I dislike them (quite the opposite, I love a good piece of loungewear) I just haven't gotten around to buying one yet. It's quite possible that I'm the last person on the planet who doesn't have at least one of these furry inventions tucked away in their pyjama pile, but just incase I'm not alone, I thought it only fair to share these awesome offerings from Boohoo.com with our lovely readers! The online shopping haven has a great selection of fashion/novelty onesies at the moment that a. won't break the budget and b. will make you feel slightly less silly when you're wearing them. Except maybe the panda...
Whether you don't have to leave the house on Christmas Day, whether you've got a movie marathon planned for Boxing Day, or whether you've just been looking for the perfect excuse to buy a onesie; feast your eyes on our favourite Christmas comforts.
Although Bottega Veneta have created some stunning dresses over the years, they're perhaps best known for their luxurious woven accessories. Some of our favourite label loving celebs like Blake Lively and Kim Kardashian are fans; even the more reserved A-Listers like Charlize Theron and Jennifer Garner have been seen toting a Bottega bag or two.
Today as I wandered over to the Bottega Veneta website on my lunch break to dream, I stumbled across their new personalisation microsite, cleverly entitled, "When your own initials are enough". Once you've entered your initials, you'll find a range of their iconic woven goodies ready for you to go wild with! You can alter the colour of the leather, choose the size and position of your monogram and play around with their individual colours too, ensuring every product is unique to your tastes. Currently only available in the UK, US and Japan, these extra special items can take 8-12 weeks to arrive, however, the wait is definitely worth it - they're the perfect belated Christmas gifts.
Selfridges have come up with something a little different from the usual Christmas adverts we're used to this year, producing a classy yet quirky festive video. The black and white ad depicts a 'behind the scenes' vibe and is one of the most seasonal fashion vids we've seen in a while!
Created by fashion photographer and film maker, Bruce Weber (the man behind the infamous black and white Calvin Klein shots) the video features everything from topless male models and beautiful women to cute puppies, pearly Kings and Queens, children, boxers and a ballerina!
Whilst we're on the subject of Christmas and Selfridges, here are a few things we're hoping to find under the tree this year...
It feels like everyone from experienced designers to the freshest fashionistas have been inspired by the Far East this season - Japonisme is at large in the fashion world! As East meets West on the high street, there are certain designers you should be influenced by for SS13, from the Geisha inspired makeup, obi belts, silk layering, and flatform sandals at Prada, to the decorative blossom prints and embroidery at Etro and Giambattista Valli. 
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