The Catwalk Queen team got quite excited over this dress from River Island. I've often thought that the orange / hot pink colour combo is the stuff of oft-unsuccessful bridesmaid dresses, but with the clever use of some brocade and a zip-trim belt (a big nod to Versace) you end up with a high street dress that could easily pass for designer - think Katie Holmes in Jason Wu.
The dress is £54.99, and while River Island teamed it with hot pink sandals for their Summer campaign images, it'd look just as fab with gold gladiators.
Scalloped hems and trims are one of those catwalk trends that's bubbled under without becoming a mass-market fad on the high street.
It's easy to see why. When Christopher Kane and Chloe do it, the effect is high-end and creative. On the budget end, it's likely to look twee, tacky and cheap if you're not careful.
So the alternative is to look mid-market, in this case the Laden Showroom (available at ASOS) and quirky brand Honey Bunny. They've created this scalloped dress with coral and navy tiers for £74. It's a really heavy fabric so the shapes sit correctly, and you also get great volume from the sleeves (perfect now the shoulders are being emphasized everywhere). Obviously, this is an acquired taste, and you'll know instantly if you love it or think it's a bit too Alice in Wonderland. I think it's fab!
The first time I saw this Oasis dress I thought it looked like a GCSE textiles project gone wrong, but the more I look at it, the more I'm taken in by its 1920s inspired charm. The website describes it as having 'so many trends on one piece' and that's true. With draping, frills, sheer sections, origami pleats and bold colours this is not one for shy and retiring types.
It is one for those looking to save money though - it's down to £20 in the sale. Just add a handful of long jet bead necklaces and a headband for the full-on flapper look, or modernise it with beachy hair and chunky sandals. Beware if you're curvy though, this sack shape does nothing for your figure!
Rare Fashion make celeb-inspired pieces, party dresses and catwalk copies for people on a high street budget. Think Lipsy MK2, with loads of skimpy little numbers that'll see you through a night out and leave you some cash for drinks. Right now they have a £10 'Mega Sale' on, which does exactly what it says on the tin, selling off loads of pieces for a tenner, with some pretty good bargains to be found. All these dresses are from the sale pages, and I think they're perfect if you've got a credit crunch party to go to!
Cocosa have a great haul of Marios Schwab frocks which is bringing up some serious lust, and not the pretty kind. I'm talking ruthless, jealous, obsessive desire with a bit of Wicked Witch of the East thrown in, the three dresses pictured above in particular are inspiring a strong longing.
The delicate prints, inspired by the human body are delineated with black body con shapes which de-prettify the girliness. I'm now dreaming up ways of making my own Schwab-esque bodices to wear over my floral summer frocks. Despite the massive reductions at Cocosa it's the closest thing I'll get to the real thing for some time now!
No prizes for guessing who inspired Lipsy with the dress on the right. The bandage style of the body-con dress is straight of the catwalk of Herve Leger, but it's the laced up shoulder we're more interested in. Taking its cue from a revealing Preen frock - as shown on unexpected fan Mandy Moore above - the high street version gives you the same detail without so many sheer panels. The back continues the lacing, with a full-length visible zip to finish it off. It's yours for £75, not cheap but a far cry from the £600+ you'll pay for similar Preen dresses.
The Catwalk Queen team got quite excited over this dress from River Island. I've often thought that the orange / hot pink colour combo is the stuff of oft-unsuccessful bridesmaid dresses, but with the clever use of some brocade and a zip-trim belt (a big nod to Versace) you end up with a high street dress that could easily pass for designer - think Katie Holmes in Jason Wu.
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