Summer trends 2019

Guest post by Hafsa Hussain

The time for long days and long dresses is finally here, the summer wardrobe is back and we cannot wait to slip into this years latest trends

Here’s a look at street style inspiration and trends for Summer 2019

Pleated Skirts 

This Spring, pleated skirts are clearly a new found fave and have become more sought after than ever with a 60% increased search on Google. These trending skirts fall just above the ankle and have a super-defined pleat. Pair with jumpers and t-shirts for a great way to amp your summer wardrobe.

                             

Jewels from the sea 

Dreaming about a holiday by the beach? Well if you’re not able to get there this year then you can bring the beach to you with this new jewellery trend! Sea jewellery is the latest craze for Summer 2019, from pearl hair slides, shell pendants and oyster earrings. Kylie Jenner kickstarted this trend with seashell accessories attached to her hair for her Easter service and now we can’t get enough!

Natural jewellery business, Selkie Sheffield focuses on using organic and natural materials to create gold, exquisite and pure items creating a beachy atmosphere.

Tie-dye 

This iconic 60s hippie print is back with a vengeance and we are all for it!

It resurfaced for last season on Prada, Stella McCartney, R13 and Proenza Schouler and has returned chicer and even more versatile, making an appearance on matching two-pieces, jumpers, and blazers. There’s no stopping what you can tie-dye, with colours the bolder the better.

Tie-dye is a symbol of individualism and has a long history with a sense of freedom and creative expression. Tie-dye can be seen as a defiant yet peaceful protest. There’s no right way to wear tie-dye, just make it loud and proud!

Shop our tie-dye handbag here!

Guest post by @hafsahussainphotography

2019 Fashion Trend Report

 guest post by Ffion Lovelock

2019 Fashion Trend Report; the year of empowerment, femininity and exhibiting confidence. It is the year of feeling comfortable in your own skin and wearing adaptable pieces that can cater to every woman. So what pieces exactly are we introducing, or more so, what are we bringing back this year?

Well, 2019 certainly looks like the year of some old favourites returning to our shelves. From prairie dresses to padded shoulders, we are taking things old school as we edge towards a brand new decade. Quite clearly showing that vintage is set to be popular this year, why buy new when it has all been done before? When everyone is shopping in the same sort of stores, you could be wearing a one-of-a-kind piece. Take the boiler suit for example, the return of its utility design can offer both an echo of the 30s working woman that foreshadows the feminine takeover that this year’s fashion trends have forecast, as well as an 80s vintage vibe that reflects a time where women really started to wear whatever the hell they wanted.

Utility (Elle, 2019)

Furthermore, in terms of styles and accessories, Neo-tailoring is set to take off this year for both men and women, with its strong looks being debuted recently on the catwalks by the likes of Balenciaga and Dior. Again, this style echoes classic 90s chic and sophistication. Another reason to seek out your vintage stores this year. On the bag front, we are going for small, cute and totally impractical this year. Oh yes, it’s the mini bag; a style that is more of a street-style statement than of any use to holding things. Still, some of our favourite designers seem to love it and it seems like this year we are all expected to fall in love with them too.

Neo-Tailoring (Elle, 2019)

 

The Mini Bag (Who What Wear, 2019)

When it comes to print’s we are sticking with animal print this year, which shows that the trend really does live on forever and so you are always best to hang on to any past statement pieces since you never know when everyone is going to start rocking snake-print all over again. The catwalks have been showcasing a lot of elegant leopard prints and proving the versatility of the beloved feline design. On top of this, we can expect to say ‘hello’ to some patchwork and some potential punk or preppy looks with coloured tartan as these busy prints are set to grace our high street stores and make for a very visually busy and colourful 2019.

Now to realise just how colourful fashion this year will be, colour schemes and palettes this year are expected to boast beige and lavender tones – a sophisticated palette which oozes confidence and Parisian chic. As both soft colours, we surely can expect something a little more crazy in the year of being bold, right? Well, of course. 80s neon is coming back, and you can expect to see fluorescent oranges, yellows, pinks and greens (basically the usual colours within a highlighter pack) to be widely popular throughout the course of the year. The high-street is already jumping on the bandwagon, the catwalk is labelling it ‘The Prada Effect’ and any clothes you have left over from the ’80s could be put to very good use if you are wanting to express your inner Madonna or Cyndi Lauper.

Neon (Harpers Bazaar, 2019)

Lastly and most importantly, a trend in 2019 that is set to make a change is the ‘Global Citizen’, which takes into consideration our global footprint towards fashion and our behaviour as such frequent consumers of fast-fashion. With a wide focus on vegan materials, ethical fashion and being overall more ‘green’, introducing this ‘Wegoism’ to the fashion industry this year will hopefully be the starting point of a more positive worldwide outlook towards slow fashion.

So why not take a look at The Stellar Boutique for all of your 2019 throwbacks and take notice of how you could be a better ‘Global Citizen’ towards fashion through purchasing some vintage clothing that is returning to our stores this year. Let’s empower people to make a difference and to feel super confident, glam and on-trend in doing so.

By Ffion Lovelock @ffilovelock

Read more from Ffion on her blog – Life and Lovelock

The curse of fashion and its cure

Guest post by Hafsa Hussain

On every item we own from our phones to the sheets on our beds, in small writing on the label it states, ‘Made in __’. This is most likely to originate from China or developing countries. But what is the story behind where our items are from, most importantly the clothes which we wear? Founder of Fashion Tech Lab, Miroslava Duma told the August 2017 Marie Claire, the first ever sustainable issue: “The fashion industry is all about storytelling and craftsmanship. Sustainability adds value because it makes that backstory even more impactful”. In recent years, consumers have been demanding more social and environmental information about the origin of the clothes they buy. This shows that more than ever, we are interested in our clothing, as the truth about the origin has been exploited in tabloids and documentaries, changing consumer attitudes.

Did you know that the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world after oil? With approximately 80 billion garments produced worldwide per year (Green Peace, 2016). This is due to the demand for new trends and styles increasing in recent years. According to the documentary, True Cost, rather than four seasons of collections per year, fast fashion has fabricated fifty-two seasons, creating new styles every week. Keeping in mind the lack of consideration for social and environmental consequences. Can the industry succeed by continuing with fast fashion and being ethical simultaneously?

Factory workers in Bangladesh  (Photo: Sustainable Clothing Production)

In the fashion industry momentarily, fast fashion has been speeding up trends and shortening seasons, whilst becoming old, dated and out of style. The average turnover period of designer brands from the catwalk to consumers is six months and has now been compressed from only a few weeks by companies such as Zara and H&M, whose profits are exceedingly high. Swift cycles make these fast fashion companies succeed: having fast designs, effective transportation and items prepared on hangers with price tags attached ready for the shop floor. As fast fashion replaces the luxury, authenticity and exclusivity with planned impulse, lasting for a limited time due to the poor-quality fabrics, manufacturers have gone out of fashion.

(Photo: Remake)

H&M, a mass fast fashion company, has focused on their ethical profiles for sales growth in the long-term. According to Corporate Knights magazine, H&M ranked 57th amongst the world’s most sustainable companies with an overall score of 65.10%; Whilst Kering ranked ten places above with a score of 66.80%. H&M launched a garment collecting service at their stores, recycling textiles to “give their garments a new life and helping to close the loop on fashion”, stating they have gathered more fabric in comparison to 250 million t-shirts. However, according to the Huffington Post, H&M continues to produce 600 million garments per year which is more than double the garments recycled and reused. As consumers, if we began re-using and recycling our items, rather than constantly buying new pieces and throwing others away, producers would have no choice but to change their strategies, and companies would consider evolving to a slow fashion movement

H&M’s garment collecting initiative. (Photo: H&M)
(Photo: Yelp)

SOLUTIONS!

It’s time to change! There needs to be inventive strategies implemented to move from fast fashion to slow fashion, for the mass market sector, including the extension the product’s life cycle due to designs of clothes which are not molecular. For example, a coat which contains zips, buttons and trim can be recycled efficiently leaving just the fabric to be shredded back to its thread level, this new thread can become a new fabric and finally a new item of clothing. To achieve this, the jacket would need to have a mainframe hidden and attached in the coat’s fabric to hold the zips, button and trim altogether, and when the coat is at the end of its life cycle, the wireframe can be removed easily from the bone. Additionally, materials could be labelled with expected lifetimes including repair kits and services, provided by retailers, if the design development of the garments can be easily updated for the look or size.

Vintage clothing is commonly classified as clothing that is 20 years or older and if the garment survives more than 50 years it can be proudly called an antique. Vintage clothes are not only used pieces of garments, but it’s also part of history and adventure of thoughts of who wore them and their story to tell. Vintage clothing is a simple way to reduce, reuse and recycle clothes. During the manufacturing process, quality was important and key hence the fact they often last longer than most of the clothing today. But why has vintage fashion become popular recently, maybe because they can’t be replicated effortlessly or perhaps due to celebrities such as Kate Moss and Kim Kardashian having worn vintage on the red carpet? What people don’t realise is that fashion trends always come back around. Instead of throwing your ‘old’ clothes away, be patient, wait a couple years, fashion is not as new as you would think it is.

(Photo: TimeOut)

Recently we have seen a rise in 90s streetwear fashion on both our runways and on the streets. Big brands have dramatically increased their prices to offer ‘vintage’ pieces, but this could be saved if we as consumers actually visited vintage shops instead. Vintage can be advantageous in both ways, it allows you to differentiate yourself from the rest and it can also allow you to add to the current trends, so you look truly ahead of what the current runways have to offer.

Thank you!

Hafsa x

                                                                @hafsahussainphotography

2011 trends, London and Portobello Rd.

This years PURE fashion trade show for the spring/summer and autumn/winter trends was as eventful as ever.  Here’s a little look at some of the highlights…..

GMTV's Mark Heyes, talking us through some key looks for S/S11

A/W11 Trends
The legendary Zandra Rhodes celebrates 50 years in the business with her new collection.

the original Pink Lady
Katie Price makes an appearance to launch her new fashion label!

Here’s a sneak preview of The Stellar Boutique’s Spring Summer Collection by ‘Maggie+Me’ on it’s way for May.

Topshop at Oxford Circus,  displaying my favourite trend of the moment – Aztec Tribal.

No visit to London could ever be complete without a trip down the Portobello Road, Notting Hill, to visit old haunts and good friends at the  eclectic & eccentric vintage clothing/flea Market.  Picking up a few vintage treasures along the way!

Local legendary graffiti artist, Banksy, decorates the streets of Portobello….

SS11 Catwalk trends

Here’s a round up of some of the key looks set to big this summer.

Colour blocking in vivid hues of purple, tangarine, green and magenta…..

Gucci
Louise Vuitton
Louis Vuitton

Diane Von Furstenberg

Soft feminine shades in nudes and neutrals are still big this season, with the new length of skirt at mid calf….

Chloe
Chloe
J. Crew

The Seventies revival is in full flow with floaty halterneck dresses, wide leg & high waisted trousers, bold prints, bright colour, crochet and tassels.  Bringing back the glamour of Studio 54 mixed with a hint of flower power hippie….

Paul & Joe
Tracy Reese
Roberto Cavalli
Roberto Cavalli
Derek Lam
Marc Jacobs

Bold, playful carnival inspired prints make an appearance…..

Stella McCartney
Missoni
Prada
Rochas

Denim is still a firm favourite….

Derek Lam
Dsquared

Animal prints are still very much in Vogue….

Blumarine

as are ditsy florals and lace….

Erdem

and the rock chick look is still going strong at Balmain….

Balmain
Balmain