The Re-Reign of the Gladiator!

You may all remember back in January, I put together a blog of how to update your winter wardrobe using key accessories…so I thought it was only fair to do the same now the summer months are upon us.

I’ve decided to focus on one key accessory as they are by far the most exciting fashion statement of the moment and come in so many interesting styles, making them an option for most occasions. The marvel that I talk of is indeed-The Gladiator Sandal.

Worn by many cultures throughout the early ages, these strap cladded wonders are so versatile and are making a comeback this season. They hit the high street big time in 2007 with style icons such as Kate Moss sporting many different pairs and have been in the shadows ever since. However, with this summer’s fashion really showing us how to mix things up, with clashing prints and any shape goes, the gladiator sandal has once again found itself back on the footwear circuit.

Asos.com, like always offers us the best of the best with so much variety in terms of style and cost. One of the combos that we see this time around is a great one; thick leather buckles contrasted against beautiful sequins, studs jewels and stones.

These Blowfish gladiators come in at a very reasonable £49.

Aldo shoes, one of the most popular on the high street, have a whole section named ‘Gladiator Story’ on their website dedicated to this particular style.

Check out their DRYZIN model for fabulous turquoise straps mixed with those chunky stones. Or how about CHISEM for some wrap around animal print leather.

These Carvela wedge heeled gladiators are perfect for that smart summer dress and are the perfect way to tap into the Summer ‘09 Metallic craze.
(£60).

Gold is a highly flattering colour against most skin tones, Sienna Miller looks chic out and about in New York wearing a pair of Gold flat footed ankle gladiator sandals.




And finally if you’re really brave and have got the legs for them, why not follow in the footsteps of Chanel and try knee high ones. STYLE ALERT!!

Ashlee Olsen loves her pair of Black Chanel High Leg Gladiator Sandals, and showing just how versatile Gladiator Sandals are: Ashlee wears them both with a daytime outfit comprising of denim shorts and a shirt, as well as an evening out in combination with a little black mini-dress with a tassled leather handbag.

Another pair of super-high Gladiators are these Balenciaga's... Rihanna wears hers with a Matthew Williamson top, I'm not sure about the combo, but with a different outfit - they’re quite hot!

I found these AMAZING knee high blue ones from Anna Sui at Net-a-Porter.com. At £420, they are at the higher end of the price range, but I think the colour, the stud detail and even the shape make the money more than worth it.

Gladiator rules:

1. Stick to low strap sandals if your ankle conscious.
2. Knee/calf high ones tend to suit taller, boyish figures as they can shape the legs.
3. If choosing a bright coloured pair, don’t match them with an item of clothing of a similar colour. This season is all about clashing with style, for example the Anna Sui blue beauties above would look so on trend with a Zebra print dress.
4. The Gladiator is ever so versatile so feel free to experiement with what you team them with. However, after having a browse on the streets of London: florals look fab with a studded pair, denim shorts look rock and roll with the knee highs, and you can match a jewelled flat pair with just about anything.
5. They can look cool for day or night wear, but if picking them for an evening outfit, be sure to dress the outfit up in other ways using accessories (try some exotic jewellery or a pretty scarf)

Kate Moss in some simple black Steve Madden Gladiator Sandals which would go with any outfit.

Topshop have some great pairs here at the moment, the ‘Haidee-High gladiator’ fit right in with Kate’s fashion fix and they come in coral as well as black…at £25 each it means you don’t have to choose.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Ashley Olsen and Heidi Montag all been spotted rocking the Blue Balenciaga Gladiator Heels whilst Fergie opts for a fire-engine red pair on a night out which have been the subject of many internet "hot or not" debates.




Check out Beyonce’s multicoloured pair…you can grab yourself almost a complete replica from Aldo with their Rosenberger (here) AND they come in two colour ways which is even better. Maybe Beyonce did get hers from there?!

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Images courtesy of and credited to the following websites:

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Post by Katie Powell, London Fashion PR Exec

Text: Claire Webb

© Copyright 2010 fabricjam.com

Chic-Onomics at it's best!

Welcome to spring ladies. The sun is shining, flip flop time is nearly here and the summer fashion frenzy has already begun. There are sales popping up all over the place from many high street retailers offering their best bargains to online favourites such as asos.com treating us to prices we just can’t say no to.

However, the newest and quite frankly coolest member to the online club is Theoutnet.com, the most recent business empire pioneered by Natalie Massenet, the founder of online designer retailer Net-a-porter.com. The fashion site is basically the equivalent of a shopping outlet or mall where all the goods are from last season and therefore discounted by at least 40%. But lets be honest when these goods include bags from the likes of Mulberry, and dresses from hot new designers such as Alexander Wang, who cares about their place on the fashion time line.

The team behind the site have summed their ethos up perfectly, ensuring word of mouth is top of the agenda, ‘the Outnet is the global shopping destination devoted to selling discounted designer womenswear and accessories.’

The layout and design of the site is simple yet chic and has been perfectly created to hold an array of designers all offering us their goodies. The fact that such a fashionable and varied set of brands are on board the project only goes to show how well established Net-a-porter has become and how important the relationships with the client base are. We can only hope this means that other trendy members of the designing fashion elite won’t hesitate to join.

Apart from finding my Christmas AND birthday presents for the next two years on this fashion domain, my favourite section is ‘Dress me’; a personal styling service all done through the computer. The titles include ‘Vacation planner, Fashion Trends, Social Events, Chic essentials, Wear this forever, and Working wardrobe.’ What a truly genius idea this is, with Little black dresses having their own page and a ‘meet the parents ‘ area where you will find cute floral dresses, ruffle shirts and bow skirts all highlighting how spot on the creators really are.

With shoppers everywhere searching for good quality items at a reasonable price, word on the street is that the Outnet.com is set to be huge. Despite being new at the moment, if the success of big sister site, Net-a-porter is anything to go by, we know it will be just as fabulous and no doubt in the near future include all the extra little features.

Some of my personal favourites:

This Narciso Rodriguez dress would look fab for a summer party and is also similar to the Narciso dress Drew Barrymore wore recently. Originally £646, Outnet’s price £323.

And this Roberto Cavalli leather lovely, at £482 reduced from £964.

With worldwide delivery and plenty to choose from there really is no excuse to keep away… of course if you haven't enough space in your wardrobe, you can always shift some of your old clothing and make some cash in the process by selling them on our new global fashion auction website fabricjam.com. If you haven't checked it out already, be sure to do so!

Some useful outnet.com links (don't worry, links won't take you off this page, they will open in a new browser):

For designers: click here
To browse their selection of clothing: click here
To ogle over their handbags: click here
To check out their selection of shoes: click here
For their accessories department: click here
The outnet 'dress me' section: click here
The outnet 'flash sales' section: click here

Want more from us? Then visit our fashion and celebrity news blog,here: fabricjamfashionnews

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Visit our fashion auction site FABRICJAM.COM

Blog post by Katie Powell, London Fashion PR Exec

The Chanel 2.55

With Christmas not too long away now, its time to start writing your Christmas wishlist…and top of mine is a quilted Chanel 2.55 bag!

The bag is named 2.55, as it was created in February 1955. This long standing Accessory is still a huge fashion 'must have' today, and is frequently seen decorating the arms of countless celebrities. The bag is versatile enough to be adapted to many different styles from day casual to career and evening wear. Here Alexa Chung looks stunning wearing hers combined with a 'typical Alexa' black satin bow dress.
















































Back in 1955 it was Coco Chanel herself with the bag on her arm, and nowdays it's no less than the beautiful Polish model Daria Werbowy who models the timeless Chanel 2.55. Yes it's all about iconic fashion!

Mischa Barton, Mary-Kate Olsen and Victoria Beckham are all devotee's of the quilted bag, and as you can see, it's not just black that makes a statement. The bag is also available in white, Gold, silver and red.












Sienna Miller and Lindsay Lohan both love their Chanel 2.55 handbag.

If you are interested in picking up one for yourself, then you will have to visit one of the boutiques as you cant get them online. It will be worth the journey though for the quality of service and gift-wrapping!

The bags retail in the early thousands, so if this is slightly out of your price range then you can always borrow one. Yes, you read right, you can now borrow designer bags from online sites such as Fashionhire.co.uk. You can pick up a Chanel 2.55 for around £70 a month.

Of course, if this is still a little out of your price range then the High Street has a number of interpretations available.

Not always an obvious choice but Dorothy Perkins are so on trend this season, especially with this patent Chanel inspired quilted bag for just £12!

Click on the following logo to shop at Dorothy Perkins:

I really love this little number from ASOS, the lining of this offer is beautiful and really compliments this gorgeous patent oversized clutch, £39.

Topshop have also taken inspiration from the fashion house that invented the Little Black Dress with this Chanel inspired quilted bag

If you love Chanel as much as I do and you happen to live in the UK, then may I suggest you take a trip to Primark this week, they have a gorgeous tweed Chanel inspired jacket selling at £17 and beautiful quilted pumps in cream and black that just scream Coco! Just team with a plain white tee and your favourite pair of skinny jeans for a fantastic street look.

Post by Alexa Gilbert
London College of Fashion

In need of some Christmas gift inspiration? Then take a look at some of the stores below:

It's Cool to be Comfortable!

Knitwear is set to be massive this season, with designers such as Stella McCartney, Christopher Kane and House of Holland showcasing their best knitting skills on the catwalk. The look this season is all about comfort and layering. Think chunky turtles necks and fine knit dresses. As Teen Vogue’s Fashion Director has sighted: "It’s ‘cool to be comfortable’ this season".

Forget knitting being reserved for your Gran and badly fitting cable knit (well fitted cable knit actually looks fab and is a definite 'must have' this season!) Knitwear has infiltrated most aspects of our wardrobes as of this autumn. From skirts to dresses to capes, the High Street is full of knitwear!

Normally I would advise not to ‘over-do’ a trend but that’s out the window this season! Wear knitwear head to toe, in combination with another big trend this season, layering!

Stars from Peaches Geldof and Hillary Duff to supermodel Claudia Schiffer have adopted the look.

As usual, Topshop is amongst the early adopters of this trend with a wide variety of knitted products on offer. From this knitted cape at £40 to this great knitted gilet at £38.





Go to Cape on Topshop website





Topshop Knitted Gilet




Go to Gilet on Topshop website








If you are heading out on to the High Street then I strongly suggest you pay Mango a visit. Mango’s latest collection is full of greys, deep purples and of course a spectrum of knits. From cable to fine knits, you will find something that suits you. H&M have also just launched their Autumnal offer, complete with cable knit skirts, and hot tipped product of the season, jumper dresses.

On the web, my two favourite e-tailers, ASOS and Oli.co.uk have chipped in to help knitwear become one of the biggest trends this season. I love this Chanel-inspired cardi at £45, just like style icon Alexa Chung.























And can just imagine snuggling in this cosy cream cable knit option from Oli at £45.

Go to item on Oli website

Knits don’t have to be reserved for cardigans and jumpers, this season we are seeing them turn up in skirts, dresses, capes and of course accessories so this trend is really open for you to interpret! Try to layer your knits, and don’t be afraid to experiment...

…remember if you look cosy, you’ve got the trend spot on!

Post By Alexa Gilbert

London Institute of Fashion