Tutti Frutti

Who doesn't love a cool fruit salad on a burning hot summer day? Like the sweetness of an apple, the candy taste of an orange? Well, this season fruits will be everywhere, not just on your salad bowl. Designers have gone head over heels for a fruit extravaganza and given us plenty of choice. So, no matter what your fancy is, jump into the tutti frutti trend!

Miu Miu has gone for an apple-licious look in its 2011 resort collection. Fun and insolent, the collection features a retro apple print (with a delicious 70's feel) in dresses, palazzo pants and shirts...

... and the accessories are apple-licious too! They are all about plexi long necklaces, earrings and bracelets which far from causing an apple overdose give the collection a playful edge.

For those who are into sweet and sour flavours, Moschino Cheap and Chic has created a luscious lemon print. Sprinkled over cocktail dresses and floating skirts, it has an unexpected kind of femininity to it.

Stella McCartney has gone for citrus too, in a more baroque way reminiscing of Flemish still-life paintings. Mixing oranges, grapefruit and lemons, the print is truly scrumptious.

But the star of the season is, without the shade of a doubt, Prada's banana print. Cleverly mixing inspirations that go from the amazing Joséphine Baker to rockabilly style, Miuccia's bananas are the most covetable item of the summer; and they come in all kinds of versions too.

Shirts and skirts, yellow and green...

The earring version is my favourite! A clever, chic and daring homage to the great Joséphine.

There is even a nail version of Prada's print, created by the fabulous WAH nails salon in London (which, if you haven't visited yet, you absolutely need to check out).

Go ahead and indulge in this tropical fruity deliciousness all through the season... this summer is all about tutti frutti fun in the sun!

Anchors Ahoy

Every year around this time, when the sun shines and it's time for the beach, I undergo a little crisis during which I want to leave the city and my job in fashion for a small fishermen's village and a new life as a sailor. Images of Gene Kelly dancing in his uniform and of Spencer Tracy fishing in his Prada-like sweater float around my (trash-filled) head. Eventually I realize I would look quite Zoolanderish around real fishermen with my ruby-red lipstick and tilted little white sailor's hat, and so one more year goes on with me working in fashion. But there shall not be a crisis this summer!
When the other day I saw Yves Saint Laurent's 2012 cruise collection I was absolutely thrilled. Stefano has designed the ultimate summer wardrobe for me, full of classic nautical references, a daring yet subtle mix of masculine touches and feminine sophistication (following Monsieur Saint Laurent's trademark) and a dash of old Hollywood glamour. The collection is everything I could wish for and it has all the clues to achieve a chic sailing look.

A "soupçon" of androginy is essential to a sailing look, since a too feminine style is a bit ridiculous on a boat- after all you're going to be picking up ropes, catching fish and getting soaking wet with seafoam.

It might be a captain's cap (I love that because no one wears them anymore and they do make a statement) like Rita Hayworth's in The Lady From Shanghai.

Or it might be high-waisted flaring trousers and anchor motifs, just as Lauren Bacall liked them.

Carole Lombard liked a whole sailor's outfit. Daring, but why not?

And another fabulous styling trick from The Lady From Shanghai: very short, masculine coats worn over a bikini or a swimsuit. The effect is fantastic.

Stefano has not forgotten how important stripes are to a seaside outfit, presenting a particular version of the classic French marinière.
Few items of clothing are as eclectic and wearable as a marinière: a true must in chic seaside areas of France (Normandie and Bretagne), it looks also really cool in Paris (or any other sea-less city, for that matter).

Jean-Paul Gaultier or Petit Bateau, it can look really "sage" and prim,

or have a pin-up, racy twist to it. Also, it can be mixed with almost anything, which is fabulous.

A touch of grown-up feminine sophistication can be seriously mesmerizing on a beach party or a yacht soirée. High-waisted shorts and knotted shirts showing a glimpse of bronzed flesh are really sexy yet chic and comfortable.

Mix a silk foulard worn on the neck with a strapless bikini top for a dramatic effect (remember the foulard will fly in all directions. This, together with a femme fatale attitude, is irresistible).

An extravagant hat worn with a backless swimsuit, flaring trousers and round sunglasses packs all the elegance of Hollywood's golden age. combined with easy flat shoes like espadrilles, it's also extra comfortable... Are you ready to take over the seaside this summer? I know I am!

Fire Walk With Me

About a month ago my uncle Juan literally threw at me the DVD collection of Twin Peaks, stating the series was really addictive and why should he be the only one completely hooked on it. I faintly remember watching bits of it when it was originally being broadcasted but I was about 6 then, so I started watching it, mainly out of curiosity. It turned out to be the most addictive thing I have ever seen. It's not just the amazing plot and the mystery of who killed Laura Palmer, everything about it is really different from anything you've seen before: the music, the settings, the characters and, yes, the fashions. At first I thought "oh, cool, 90's fashions!", but then I realized the girls in Twin Peaks were much more than just "90's".
Products of David Lynch's cryptic imagination, the girls are as dark, unfathomable and ambiguous as the plot itself. They all (not just Laura) seem to have two very different personalities blending into them.
Laura, for instance, has some points in common with film noir heroines like Veronica Lake: she is attractive, mysterious, and somehow glamourous; but she is also doomed by sex and drugs...

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Audrey is perhaps the most Hollywood-esque character. Savvy, mature and daring, she also has a perplexing troublesome streak, kind of like a bad high-school girl from the 50's.

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But the most dual character is by far Donna. Sometimes acting like a lovely, innocent schoolgirl, then taking up smoking and becoming overtly sexy and wanting to be bad.

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Their style is just as surprising and fascinating. I just love the way the glamourous, old-Hollywood elements coexist with the rough, countryside clothes fit for the Twin Peaks weather. The result is simply magical! As I'm noticing more and more Twin Peaks fans around me, I'm secretly hoping the Twin Peaks mania will reach the catwalks next season so we'll all be dressing like Donna, Audrey and Maddy. Meanwhile, let's get acquainted with the fashion trends in the little town.
The first thing I noticed was the hairstyles! How cool are they? Pure Hollywood golden age with just a touch of 90's. Sophisticated but youthful. Love.

Sophistication is key to the girls in Twin peaks, also when it comes to make-up. Lipstick for them is a must. Bright red, burgundy, fuchsia, bubble gum pink, coral... you name it, it's been featured in the series.

But the genius about the styling are the clothes. They add all the charm to a look that otherwise would be far too studied. For one, girls in Twin Peaks love knitwear, and if it is oversized and patterned... even better! I've become a total fan of Lucy Moran's looks

And my favourite ever item of clothing in the series was this cardigan worn by Audrey:

Also, the girls are big on plaid: skirts, coats, blouses, bathrobes... It's all about lumberjack chic!

But they also know when and how to be sexy; underneath all those prim and proper looks we can often see the kinkiest, sultriest pieces of underwear. Maybe this is the secret of their empowerment...

Some other really delightful trends in the village are cuper cute shoes,

nerdy glasses (I'm a fan of Maddy's),

big belts marking the waist,

and doughnuts! Luckily in Twin Peaks dieting is out of fashion.
Now aren't you completely convinced that the Twin Peaks girls should be our next fashion icons?