Summer Party Style

What with Friday Frocks, I'm doing a lot of analysis of real people's looks lately - but I think that's no bad thing.  Part of the point of Swelegant Style Shopping is that people see what will work for them: not an eighteen year old with a figure my father used to describe as 'racing snake'.

On Saturday, I went to a birthday party (which of course didn't really get going until after the England match...).  The birthday girl is known as a bit of a style icon, and her guests really rose to the occasion too. This is birthday girl Lesley, looking the picture of relaxed elegance in a much-less-expensive-than-it-looks intricately knotted ribbon shift dress from H&M. The photo doesn't do this dress justice, sadly - it really was fabulously textural and the pale tone suit's Lesley's colouring in a really flattering way.  Those sandals are pared back elegance too - striking the right note between 'garden' and 'party'.

Also elegant, in a gorgeous midnight blue satin dress with fabulously feminine but structural waterfall-style shoulder detail, was this lady.  The dress was all grown up eveningwear, but the choice of accessories here subtly changes the message to something a little more fun. The feather hair clip is from Accessorise, and all those fabulous bird-of-paradise colours are picked up in the glass ring.  It's an injection of colour appropriate for the occasion but not taken too far.

More casual, but fabulously put together, Fay's longline Topshop jumper is so flattering to her petite frame.  For knitwear, this too is really structural and almost space-aged, and the necklace is the perfect length and solidity to draw the eye down from that otherwise quite severe neckline.

A masterpiece of colour coordination next, from the wonderful Hattie.  All the colours in that scarf are gorgeous jewel tones that flatter her complexion - and she's chosen the jade-turquoise shade to create the backdrop against which to show the scarf off.  Wearing a patterned scarf in this way adds interest, and by having one end trailing down there is a lengthening, slimming vertical line created.  Such a scarf though really needs the plain backdrop Hattie has provided.  The accessorising here is faultless too: those glasses in a mock tortoiseshell of exactly the same shade of greeny blue. The colour of glasses frames can really help an outfit look cohesive - but be aware that the colour probably needs to be subtle, as here, if it is to flatter your complexion.

More coordination here.  This gorgeous royal purple and pale gold silk dress is dressed down perfectly with the well-fitted indigo denim jacket.  Again, the effect is 'party-dress-but-informal-too'.  The jacket also helps break up the purple, allowing the lovely patchwork leather bag (which I think this lady said was by Marni) and the purple cocktail ring to add to the cohesive nature of this look, without being to overwhelmingly 'matchy'.

See those lovely shoes in the background?  Guess whose?

You've seen both these items before (dress and shoes) but I was quite pleased with this outfit so I wanted to share.  Indulge me.  The dress, by the way is by Collectif, who I mentioned on Wednesday.  Although that fabulous peacock fabric is sadly no more, the dress itself is the 'stella doll' style which is still available in lots of fabrics and is also essentially the same cut as their sailor frock.  I've repositioned the halterneck to make shoulder straps, is all.  Flattering, no? Of course unlike everyone else, I totally failed to get the balance between dressy and casual.  I always tend to err on the side of glam...

Swelegant Saturday Style

Returning from a horrible gastric flu to share with you some of the swelegantly stylish details I spied last Saturday at Offline in Brixton.  Offline is a free night put on by a mate of mine, and I was celebrating my birthday.  Some of the people you're going to see are my mates, others are total strangers who graciously consented to allowing me to photograph them for my blog.  If it's you - many thanks!

 

Let's start with this utterly fabulous glamazon look,  sported by a very fabulous friend of mine.  Rita Hayworth hair (natural colour!) isn't downplayed, but fully lived-up-to with this leopard-print 'wiggle' dress from Marks and Spencer. Utterly showstopping - but classy too, due to the higher neck and knee length hem.  You could wear this with a lightweight twinset-style cardigan in cream or dark chocolate, or a contrast such as scarlet, if you wanted to cover up a little.

A couple of gents, and a couple of dapper accessories.  I love this hat - they say that hats don't suit everyone, but I think some people just aren't trying.  This hat's a little bit retro, a little bit flash, and it's as flattering as hell.  To the right, I love these gloves: pure fun, but not in a 'Homer Simpson socks' kind of way.  Men's clothing presents few opportunities for fun and wit, but these do the trick.

 

Next we have some utterly gorgeous accessorising.  This retro dress is cute, but blue can be a bit 'safe'.  Fortunately it has tiny red details, allowing the wearer to accessorise with simple but splendid earrings and a pair of girlie pumps.  No necklace - a feature collar like this doesn't need one.

I met this lady on the night and developed a bit of a crush, to be honest.  She'd come straight from work, and was simply dressed in black, but my how stylish! The hair is sexy and sophisticated - hair like this makes me tempted to cut mine short - and perhaps you can't see from the photo, but her eyeliner was glossy jet black, winged for retro flair, and matched with scarlet lips.  The chunky, long jet necklace makes the simple outfit feel connected to the elegant face and 'do'.  Applause.

  

click for larger images
 

Another stylish stranger was the lady on the left - now, this look wouldn't work for most, as legs this good are a rarity, but I'm showing it to you because of my post the other day about fashion and tights.  The lace tights are covered up with socks, leaving a tantalising band of lace-covered thigh rather than the curious blotchy-leg look you can get if the whole leg is floral, and see how the dark opaque works with lighter, open toed sandals? Great hair too - I love a bit of backcombing, and heavier readers take note: a half-hive balances out weight below.  On the subject of tights, how much fun are these purple lurex ones?

 

This rock chick was one of the DJs on the night, and I'm including her, primarily because she looks so good in her jumper dress.  The fine knit is flattering, and those three-quarter length sleeves are elegant and provide great coverage.  Ideally I'd have asked her where she got it, but even if I had, I may have been too 'refreshed' to remember... she reads the blog, though, so perhaps she'll tell us.  I also love this ultra-girly, flamingo pink resin ring when worn with the short 'rock' nails and seventies-style parka.  Unadulterated 'serious' black is too grown-up to be swelegant.

I mentioned them on the recent post about men's dressing, but I'm really getting into a fine crombie-style overcoat for men, recently.  Lighter colours such as grey or camel with a darker collar are most stylish - and if you're tall and slim then you might prefer a double-breasted style, as here, as it gives a 'boxier' look.

 

I actually wanted to take a front-facing shot of this spectacular frock so I could show you the brilliant forties-style shoulders and slim V neckline.  Unfortunately, the conversation between inebriated strangers in a noisy club wasn't terribly clear, and after two tries, I gave up.  Anyway, it's a great shot of this splendid Alexander Henry fabric - skulls and roses sewn up into a retro-femme frock.  I have a frock in this fabric: a gorgeously talented friend made it for herself and then sent it to me when she lost weight and it fitted her no more.  Mine's a more full-skirted style, though.

 

I loved this gorgeous black lurex cardie which I spotted on a lady by the loo.  It isn't just the sparkle that appealed to my magpie-eye,  but the short-pile white fur collar - which instantly evoked the jacket Marilyn Monroe wore when she married Joe DiMaggio.  Just a neat, contained bit of luxury, and the white will be kinder to some complexions than black on its own.

Finally, then, me.  But you've seen this look before (but not, I hope, posing poutily in the loo...).