Welcome to fashion-today.com the new fashion portal for those who enjoy fashion, live fashion, breathe fashion and, well, ahem.....fashion-fashion. Do say hi to our editor, get involved with our new section 'your opinion' (you may well even be able to make your own list of opinions and have it published in F-T!), check out some of the fabulous labels in the 'for you' area (lots more will appear here very soon). As with all new babies, there are bound to be a few teething problems, so please bear with us, but we intend this to be the most useful fashion site on the web.

You'll find one or two sections that are incomplete, but hey....that's fashion....always changing and dynamic.

If you're in the fashion business, send us your press releases and we'll try to use them. If you are studying fashion or starting a new label keep watching over the next few weeks for our 'New designer showcase' and our mini version of 'Myspace' for designers to post their own creations. Exxxxxxxciting!!!!

Don't forget to bookmark the main page as well as the fashion-today blog at the following address:

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DaK Editor in Chief

Denim tastic

If you are a jeans and denim addict and need quantity of the stuff, then this website is worth a look. It has a variety of styles and types. You may not get all your requirements from it but it has the possibility of being a regular favourite

www.cheapmonday.com

MK

London, fashion, clothes, accessories! What more does a girl need?! The excitement is hard to contain! Were off to London once again, it’s like shrek and donkey on another whirl wind adventure! The intriguing stands are arranged over two levels, the ground floor is dedicated to clothing and is divided up into four sections – (1) New Brands, (2) Vision - international designer brands with a focus on creative original detail, (3) Spirit - an injection of energy with hot young creative fashion and design, (4) Elan - Contemporary brands and bridge collections for the modern woman. The upper floor is purely shoes and accessories.
The catwalk shows were split into seven sections – City Exotica, Ophelias Return, Playstation, Casino Royale, Chess Board Theory, On The Go and Dreamscape.

City Exotica presents a predominantly ethnic inspired collection with floral patterns and oriental motifs, fusing together the warm burnt oranges, reds and natural greens in a jungle of colour. A fuller skirt is emerging suggesting a move away from the previously popular gypsy skirts.

Ophelias Return is soft and sumptuous like ice cream and candy floss. The look is very feminine and pretty creating a sense of vintage chic, the colours appear washed out in antique skin tones, dusty pinks and neutrals.

Playstation creates a mismatch of fabrics collaborated with bright punchy colours and kitsch styling generating the illusion of animated characters. The clothing is fun and slightly frivolous evoking ones inner child. Layering is most evident in this collection and throughout, it is a style tip that has been growing over the past seasons (its not just a ‘student thing’, believe me!). But for the moment layering is here and here to stay.

Casino Royale is sleek and sexy, the fabrics are rich and luscious, often over embellished with jewels and sequins producing an almost gaudy panache.

Chess Board Theory, in monochrome, the collection is safe and effortless creating a modern edge on timeless black and white. These garments are like the fashion police of trends today, they are the wardrobe staple wheather it be the LBD (for those who don’t know the ‘little black dress’) or flirtatious fishnets.

On the Go is informal, loose and relaxed, introducing the jumble sale junkie. It may seem unthinkable to those of you highly fashionable and fashion conscious individuals, but charity shops and car boot sales are gradually becoming the fashion insiders holy grail. Individuality is key (you want vintage? they have real vintage, you want designer? It’s a less than half the price…….).

Dreamscape this is the key collection for summer. It’s all going to be about layering of varying muted sandy, natural and neutral tones. Again like all the other collections the styling is very casual creating a dressed down yet dressed up look, teaming up relaxed cottons and jerseys contrasted with silks and jewels with an infusion of pattern and accessories.

Collectively the diverse collections offer something for everyone, whether it be the timeless LBD or the more eclectic jumble sale chic. Overall the catwalk provided a wide selection of colour and fabrics suitable for all occasions, though there was emphasis on patterns and surface treatments. The last thing to look out for is hosiery, it’s going to be big this winter and will carry on through into summer. Look out for anything – leggings, tights, socks (long and short) skinny trousers………..literally anything!

Happy summer shopping! Britt Beale

The Queens Dresses and Jewels.
An 80th Birthday Celebration

I’m stood in the queue awaiting to receive my head phones and handset ready for the guided tour. I’m predominantly surrounded by quaint little old ladies eager to indulge in the nostalgic past, remembering Queen Elizabeth in her adolescence as they once were, through to the present day. They have grown up together feeling like they also have some connection to the Queen, through past experiences trials and tribulations.

It is incredible what a simple dress can do, the memories, the feelings are all aroused once again. Though to be fair I wouldn’t know! Because I wasn’t around back then! Well any how I am on my own feeling slightly out of place in my rather inappropriate vintage, brightly coloured dress (which actually looks quite tacky) and an elderly couple probably see me as a needy cause and start talking to me, they had also specifically travelled to London to see the Queens clothes and the lady told me (I never found out their names) she did the embroidery on some of the dresses.

As you can imagine to me that’s like ‘wow’ that’s amazing, so now I’m feeling like yeah ‘I know who did the embroidery on that dress, and that dress and that dress….

We finally reached the bit I was waiting for, finally I was going to see the dresses. The outfits date from the 1940’s to the present, they were worn on historic occasions and private family events. collectively they produce an over view of the past seven decades. The fabulous jewels are pieces acquired form her parents, from the Duke of Edinburgh and inherited from her grand mother Queen Mary.

The dresses are predominately one strong colour, which helps the Queen to stand out on stately occasions. Unlike most of us she is fortunate to be able to wear almost any colour. The colours ranged from bright yellows, fuchsia pinks, pale blue, mint green…. The list goes on. The garments are truly fabulous created by designers such as Hardy Aimes, Norman Hartnell, Ian Thomas and Stewart Parvin. The cut of the dresses is amazing, even to the trained eye it is hard to believe how they have been constructed, and the embellishment is stunning, the fabric is encrusted with an immense array of beading and crystals allowing the garments to truly shine. BB