Trending: masculine shoes

From brogues to brothel creepers, it's a man's world as far as footwear for ladies is concerned.

 Ashley Olsen steps out in Prada's hit brothel creepers...

 Karl Lagerfeld swaps the skirt suits and heels for trousers and tough-looking brogues for Chanel autumn/winter 2011.

 Chloë Sevigny always does the boy/girl-dressing thing so well - and this mac-and-Chelsea-boots combo is no exception.

 Suited-and-brogued-up models backstage at Dolce & Gabbana autumn/winter 2011.

 Blinging brogues at Dolce & Gabbana autumn/winter 2011.

 The always-stylish Olivia Palermo favours velvet slippers for a night out.

 King of tailoring Paul Smith gives his womenswear line a masculine spin with brogues.

 A boyish loafer plays down an otherwise dressy ensemble at Stella McCartney autumn/winter 2011.

 ...and featured fabulous leopard-spot slippers in The Row autumn/winter 2011, the collection she designs with her twin sister, Mary-Kate.

Singer V V Brown wears her lace-ups with cute socks.

Read more »

Olivia Palermo's greatest fashion hits 2

And talk about knowing how to accessorize: she teams most outfits with her handsome model boyfriend, Johannes Huebl.

She can do volume with that sleek 'do too, which she teams here with her Giambattista Valli outfit.

Mixing patterns is another wardrobe favourite for the New York socialite, as she demonstrates here, wearing a beaded lace blouse with a Topshop skirt and snakeskin pumps.

 

A mix of fabrics, shapes and styles should make for a style nightmare, but true to form, Palermo's winning smile and slim pins make it a style dream.

Read more »

Olivia Palermo's greatest fashion hits 1

The fashion follower, Olivia Palermo, is about to become a fashion blogger. We take a look at her recent style hits.

A regular fixture at all the fashion weeks, Olivia Palermo has fine-tuned her style so much she almost never makes mistakes. Here she practises understated chic with a frilled trench, Louboutin heels and an Hermes Birkin bag - flawless.

here, she keeps her style grown up and elegant, attending the Valentino show in a knee length skirt and sheer blouse. 

Earlier in the week, Palermo showed us what she does best, mixing high street brands with designer accessories. Here, she wears a Zara minidress with a feathered clutch to the Stephane Rolland autumn/winter 2011 couture show.

Sleek and simple but with a creative edge, Olivia Palermo teams this tangerine Victoria Beckham shift with a fuschia floral clutch.

Wearing a polka dot Bensoni dress to the amfAR New York Inspiration Gala, Palermo shows she's not afraid to take fashion risks with this unusual asymmetric gown.

 A huge fan of the statement necklace, Palermo teams them with almost anything and the results are always just right.

 And like many modern stylistas, Palermo is not afraid of a trouser suit. Chanelling an androgynous look like Alexa Chung and Chloe Sevigny before her, the quirky perspex clutch and leopard print heels are just the feminine touches needed to pull it off.

 Palermo is a bonafide blazer lover, and loves to team jackets every size and shape with a good pair of tailored city shorts.

Read more »

The shorts suit

Who's been eschewing pretty dresses for edgy blazers and shorts on the red carpet?

The ever-stylish Olivia Palermo is always ahead of the curve with her fashion-forward choices; she stepped out in this outfit in 2009.

Blake Lively is fond of showing off her legs - and no wonder, with pins like those. Her shorts suit provides the perfect showcase.

It's Chloë in Chloé! Ms Sevigny opts for a blush shorts suit by the French label to bare those enviable legs.

She loves her shorts suit so much she's bought another one in a different colour. She keeps it sweetly vintage in feel with a straw floral-adorned boater.

The poster girl of boyish shorts, no one works them quite like Alexa Chung. She ties the chic monochrome palette together with some fetching footwear.

Read more »

Hannah Betts - Jackets cut straight to the chase

The jacket is a warm-weather phenomenon that one need have no truck with once winter takes hold. Think of it as the opposite of, rather than an alternative or adjunct, to a coat. Thus, where one should possess one "good", stalwartly multitasking winter warmer, jazzed up with more exciting garments beneath, so one might boast any number of summer jackets providing a fillip to lift more humdrum wares.
Moreover, while a winning coat is rarely available reduced, one will frequently pick up a bargain jacket in the sales. And where a coat must fit like the proverbial glove, so long as a jacket works on the shoulder and arms, it is not a deal-breaking tragedy should it not quite do up over the bust, as it is rare that one will want to go buttoned up.

Read more »