— Amy Peat contributed with this article
In our previous ‘tried and tested’ column, we looked at a messy side plait, military boots, and playsuits. However, the fun doesn’t stop there.
To make things easier for you in the forever changing world of fashion, the style team are doing the hard work and reporting back. From the reactions we receive, we’ll hope to aid you in your fashion decisions, so you know what trends are worth investing in.
This week we have tested the maxi dress, clog sandals, and bright make-up.
Bright make-up
As seen on the catwalks of Luella and Christian Dior, this summer is all about the bright make-up.
For Luella, the eye shadow was heavily applied right up to the brow line, in vivid blues and pinks. This was in contrast to fellow designer, Dior, who defined a nude face with eye popping red and pink lips.
I applied a bright turquoise blue eye shadow by MAC cosmetics. The shade is called ‘electric eel’ and turned out to be eye poppingly bright. As someone who plays it safe with eye shadow, this was a completely new look for me.
The colour had to be built up over several layers to get it as bright as seen on the catwalks, so it was quite time consuming. When completed, the look really was striking, and definitely too bright for daytime. I would be tempted to wear for a night out but maybe not right up to my eyebrows!
The maxi dress
The maxi dress reappears every season in some form, and 2010 is by no means an exception.
The dress usually comes in two main styles; casual day-wear, or longer and formal. But 2010 has seen the maxi revolution, where it is becoming more and more versatile. It’s now even being teamed with fellow staple wardrobe piece, the blazer.
Maxi dresses have been featured for spring/summer 2010 by many designers, including Stella McCartney and Phillip Lim.
I purchased mine from Topshop in their boutique section, but it’s also available on their website. Whilst browsing, I noticed that Oasis and Primark, in particular, stocked some great ones.
With prior reservations as I’m short, I feared the dress would play on my height and make me look shorter. However, this wasn’t the case. I found the maxi dress to be amazingly comfortable. It’s easy to throw on and easy to wear.
I chose a plain style, so it was a great base layer. I could easily add accessories for a perfect changeable outfit.
The clog sandal
The clog is the footwear of choice this summer. Leather, wood, and studs all come as standard, as seen on the catwalks of Miu Miu. They’re even sold by sheepskin giants UGG Australia.
On the high street, they are a little hard to find, but I managed to pick up a leather and wood pair from Topshop.
At first I wasn’t sure about clogs, as they have got a wooden sole and heel. On first glance, they can look uncomfortable. But they fitted well to my foot, rather than being flimsy like a lot of sandals are. And the heel wasn’t too high, so if you want a small daytime heel that remains practical – clogs are perfect.