Spring 2011 Must-Have Flats

There is something very comforting about a pair of flat shoes, they are by far every woman’s best friend and her constant back-up style plan when her pair of high heels let her down.  This spring we are spoilt for choice when it comes to buying a pair of flats, from ballerinas to gladiator inspired sandals there is something for everyone.  We asked our Fashion team to pick and choose their favourite designer flats for the spring of 2011 and here is what they came up with: STELLA MCCARTNEY Faux leather cutout ballet flats price £346 to buy click here, Carvella Link  at Kurk Geiger red patent shoes price £49 to buy click here, Tory Burch light-brown leather ballerina flats price £195 to buy click here , Stella McCartney red leather & weave flat sandals price £215 to buy click here and Giuseppe Zanotti taupe leather ballerina flats price £320 to buy click here.

Catwalk look from Girogio Armani SS2011 RTW www.giorgioarmani.com

To shop for designer ballerinas and designer flat sandals, visit our luxury online fashion marketplace

Spring 2011 Must-Have Bag: "The Tote"

When it comes to a choosing the perfect handbag for this season look no further than a stylish designer tote.  This Spring is all about elegantly structured and beautifully designed totes.  These chic handbags are perfect for work or play and this year designers have gone colour-mad with eye-popping shades like tangerine and red.  We asked our Fashion Director Hala Di-Maio to choose her favourite three totes for this season and her choice was:

Jimmy Choo red tote in stamped leather price £975 to buy click here

Versace Leather-trimmed tangerine raffia tote price £725 to buy click here

Vanessa Bruno sequin-embellished denim tote price £135 to buy click here

Elegant blue tote at Elie Saab’s RTW SS11 Fashion Show www.eliesaab.com

shop for the latest designer totes by visiting our luxury online fashion market place

Copy Kelly Rutherford's Look

Stilorama Magazine’s Style Editor Alexia Jacquot shows us how to copy Kelly Rutherford’s look:

Gossip Girl star Kelly Rutherford looked radiant at the Dennis Basso Fall 2011 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in a delicate peach and white ruffled silk dress. Cinched at the waist with a skinny white belt, this flowy dress looks fabulous on the actress’s toned and linear figure as the v-neck elongates her silhouette even more whilst the ruffles add dimension, femininity and fun. Ruffles are wonderful to create volume and fullness, and maintain balance in a silhouette. In particular, a sruffle top is a great choice for small-busted figures, and ruffle skirts will flatter narrow hips and long legs.

To complement her gorgeous spring look, Kelly picked a large cream clutch bag and beige-coloured shoes for a dazzling leg-lengthening effect. She kept the look clean overall with minimal jewellery to let the dress steal the show. Likewise her make up is natural, with shades of peach and apricot to suit her creamy complexion.  This refreshing ensemble is particularly flattering for her fair but clear and warm colouring. It is also very much on trend as nude tones come back once again as a major colour trend this spring.

Tory Burch Ivory Crinkled-leather clutch price £265 to buy click here

Christian Louboutin caramel jazz leather pumps price £375 to buy click here

Bobbi Brown Lip Gloss in Pink Buff price £14.50 to buy click here

Zac Posen pale-yellow silk-crepe dress price £1120 to buy click here

Shop for celebrity looks visit our luxury online fahion marketplace

Trend-Watch: Spring/Summer 2011

Though the weather is showing no sign of Spring blooming just yet, the shops are thinking ahead and have filled themselves up with glorious summer gear for us to drool over.

While you may have only just perfected your winter look, it’s time to look forward at what Spring holds for your wardrobe, so here are the top ten trends of the season.

First up, to knock Winter’s grey skies in to the next decade, Spring brings us plenty of bright, zingy colours. And further still, Spring is breaking all the rules by clashing several different colours in one look. Take your queue from Jil sander, Issa and Haider Ackermann and start colour mixing now.

It’s not just colour that’s being mixed up this season. Prints are going bonkers too – just take a look at Prada’s bananas. Anything goes, from fruits and animals to spots and stripes…and everything in between.

If colours and prints are just not your thing, then Spring’s other colour gem (or lack there of) is plain white; just white and nothing else. It must be a winner, because the Prince of cool, Mr Alexander Wang, turned his back on his usual dark palette in favour of all things white.

If all these bright, bold colours are too much for you, slip in to something sheer; transparent fabrics were all over the catwalks – see Richard Nicoll and Proenza Schouler. Sexy yet sophisticated, girly yet substantial, sheers are bound to be an all-round hit.

And if you like that, you’ll love this: designers are sticking with their love of the Seventies. Expect more flares, wide-brim hats, denim on denim, wedges and floaty dresses. You can thank D&G and Marc Jacobs.

And it doesn’t stop there. Skirts and dresses are taking their lead from this season’s decade of choice. Forget your minis and your maxis, we’re talking about the ‘midi’! Chloe’s pleated varieties are just divine.

If skirts aren’t your thing, then this season’s trousers will be. There’s nothing new about trousers, but every season has its favourite, and this Spring, the most loved look is the tailored trouser.

Girly girls will be happy to hear that there’s an abundance of floaty fabrics, florals and prettiness – just look at Jonathan Saunders and Erdem. Tomboys needn’t fear either, because, thanks to the likes of Isabel Marant, Michael Kors and Tommy Hilfiger, there are plenty of sporty, toned-down options.

If toned-down isn’t your thing, you’ll be thrilled to hear that luxury looks are back! Fringing and feathers bombarded the catwalks, adding a refreshing punch of glamour to the season. Betty Jackson’s grey ostrich feather waistcoats were a triumph, but equally as covetable were feather trousers, skirts, dresses…actually, you name it, they were there!

Speaking of luxury, it doesn’t get more luxe than leather. Ok, so it’s not exactly a new trend, but this season your leather takes a hit of grunge. Studded jackets are the latest take on leather, but this season you’ll be teaming them with cocktail dresses. Controversial, but ever so chic. Balmain, of course, reigned supreme in this arena.

With so many exciting options on the cards, these grey skies better shift quick!

Article by Stephanie Harding – Stilorama Magazine’s Fashion Editor

Catwalk looks from www.jilsander.com, www.richardnicollcom, www.prada.com, www.jonathansaunders.com, www.chloe.com and www.bettyjackson.com

For more trends news and reviews visit Stilorama’s online Fashion Magazine

Spring Chic Accessories

Pastel, print or plain, it seems designers have embraced their inner passions this spring. Jodie Nicole Hart explores the brightest accessories the season has to offer.

Vertiginous skyscrapers are so last season. Instead, put a spring back into your step with these arresting rose tinted suede lace-ups from See By Chloé. Not only practical in height, these beauties are cleverly detailed with a sexy peep toe, Grecian cut-out design and dainty laces. Or for grown-up glamour, opt for Lanvin’s new snakeskin peep toe platforms with a chunky cork wedge. Granted you may not make it to work without tumbling, but you will be the envy of your female colleagues.

Mulberry’s seasonal launches require some serious love, and I doubt I was the first to fall head over heels for the new Alexa. This contemporary piece of arm candy comes in a delicious shade of watermelon, and is just the right size for your purse and your Vogue. A stylish cross between the iconic Bayswater and a structured men’s briefcase, the Alexa evokes a new sense of ‘cool” for the socially elite.

Skinny belts still reign supreme. Whether it’s patent, leather or suede, you’ll want one to wrap around that new kaftan dress this season. Try Fendi’s sleek black leather lizard-print version with signature gold buckle for a classic statement fastening. Also available in taupe.

Whilst the doom and gloom of winter may be but a distant memory, the eminent neck scarf is the only accessory to take you right through to high summer. Back off from chunky cable knits and woollen styles, and pick up a patterned silk blend instead. King of print himself, Matthew Williamson has designed a silk cashmere and wool scarf with planetary detail; perfect for day to night allure. Its muted pastel colourings and Zodiac print will cleanly accentuate an otherwise understated outfit.

For a hint of pure unadulterated indulgence this spring it has to be the new wave of watches hitting stores. Balenciaga’s gunmetal grey leather style with chunky wrist strap and solid gold face is right on trend. Team with an all American style Varsity jacket and black skinnies.

Fendi leather belt price £175 from www.fendi.com

Balenciaga leather watch price £925 from www.balenciaga.com

Matthew Williamson zodiac print scarf price £130 from www.matthewwilliamson.com

Lanvin Leda Wedges price £640 from www.lanvin.com

See By Chloe lace- ups price £255 from www.chloe.com

Mulberry Alexa bag in watermelon price £766 from www.mulberry.com

To shop for more designer accessories visit Stilorama luxury online fashion & accessories marketplace.

Stilorama Magazine travels to Jordan

Boasting history, culture and both natural and man-made wonders, Jordan is without a doubt one of the jewels of Asia. Chic, scenic, and the best hummus you will ever taste, just five hours from the UK it’s a wonder that more people don’t visit.

You don’t even need to visit a spa to be pampered as the Jordan Rift Valley is home to the Dead Sea which is renowned for its therapeutic and healing properties. Here, at 400m below sea level – the lowest point on earth – the water is ten times saltier than normal sea water and once you enter it coaxes you into a floating position where you can effortlessly bob on the surface. The Dead Sea is perfect for luxuriating with a magazine before slathering yourself in its mineral-rich mud which will leave your skin feeling sensationally soft. The plush Jordan Valley Marriott hotel is a great place to rest your head after all that relaxing.

Sumptuous cabanas can be rented for the day at opulent O Beach www.obeach.net where you can lounge in jacuzzis, unwind in amazing pools or treat yourself to a massage with views directly over the Dead Sea. Sip a refreshing Jordanian lemon drink with lashings of crushed mint leaves, Stilorama can verify it tastes great with a dash of rum for an extra kick!

Jordan’s most famous attraction is Petra, the remains of a carved city in the southern Shara Mountains. Here camels amble past Nabatean monuments and donkeys trot along dusty paths between rose coloured rocks jutting high into the sky. As you stand and wonder at the size and intricate carvings of the famous Treasury site, the amphitheatre and palace ruins, it will make you feel as if you’ve been transported back two thousand years: utterly inspiring.

With 80 percent of the country uninhabited there is plenty of scope to get away from it all and recharge your batteries. If watching shooting stars in the wilderness with only a few scattered Bedouin tents in the distance, while staying in a luxe eco-lodge is your idea of heaven then head straight for Wadi Feynan www.feynan.com. Deep in the Dana Nature Reserve it has minimalist but stylish rooms and the lodge is candlelit at night. Be warned: its stunning sunsets, charming staff and delicious vegetarian food will bewitch you and you won’t want to leave.

If you’re more suited to a busy city then head to Aqaba to snorkel or dive with the stunning marine life of the Red Sea and pick up jewellery, exotic nuts and heady spices in the local market.  Treat yourself to a room (or even better a suite!) in the elegant Kempinski hotel www.kempinski.com/en/aqaba which is within walking distance of the town and boasts beautiful pools, perfect for basking in the sunshine.

Offering five-star luxury without the hefty price tag, Jordan with its beauty and historical sites is the destination of choice for the stylish and cultured traveller.

Stilorama Magazine’s Travel Editor Ianthe Butt visited Jordan courtesy of the Jordanian Tourism Board www.visitjordan.com and Royal Jordanian www.rj.com.

D&G's Country Girl Look - Shop the Catwalk Trend

Add some free-spirited trendy notes to your everyday denim.  This great look from D&G’s SS2011 RTW  is the perfect example of how to work a simple wardrobe into a fashion statement.  Stilorama Magazine’s Fashion Director Hala Di-Maio shows us how to copy this look.  Her advice is: “denim goes feminine this year with big influences from the easy-going 1970s fashion.  Spring’s 2011 denim should be worn with plenty of floral prints, your shoes choice should be funky wedges, as for accessories look for ones made of leather weaved with metallic trimmings or straw.”  To help you achieve D&G’s look, Hala has compiled a list of her favourite designer pieces:

Chan Luu Diamond & Sterling Silver Bracelet price £260 to buy click here

Stella McCartney Fallabella tote bag price £735 to buy click here

Marc Jacobs pink pansy floral print top price £518 to buy click here

Stella McCartney red leather & weave flat sandals price £215 to buy click here

Sportmax Code high waisted denim skirt price £138 to buy click here

Benefit “Hello Flawless” custom powder coverup price £24.50 to buy click here

Shop for the latest designer clothes and accessories by visiting our luxury online fashion marketplace