Tunic Dress Trend for 2012

Even the most die-hard trouser wearers would be forgiven to switching their allegiance to dresses this season. With such a selection of styles, lengths and flattering prints and cuts, there is a perfect dress for every figure.

Women's fashion 2012 is undoubtedly the year of the dress. From mini to maxi, trapeze to tunic, shift to smock. According to Karen Homer in her book Things a Woman Should Know About Style, “the perfect dress is the spin-doctor of fashion. There is no body shape that doesn’t benefit from the right dress."

If you never usually wear a dress, but want to metamorphose into a lady, try one on and see. The perfect dress should not hang on the body but follow its lines; often it's the simplest and least attractive dress on the hanger that is transformed once you put it on.

Says Homer, "good dresses tend to look nothing special on the hanger but look fantastic on." A dress that looks amazing on the rail is unlikely to look so flattering on your body — due to the simple fact that most women (unless you are a size zero) are not shaped like dress-hangers.

The tunic dress is a case in point. It can look lifeless on the rail but is one of the most flattering cuts, if you get it right.

Designer Tunic Dresses

High Street Labels

Get designer looks for less with high-street labels such as Kate Moss at Top Shop’s embroidered white tunic dress or the similarly-styled sash-waisted tunic dress from Gap. Online retailer Asos has a wide range of options from long-sleeved to sleeveless and raunchy to refined. From on-trend ombré dip-dye to metallics or sun dresses with tribal or large floral prints, the traditional tunic dress has come of age, with its many faces. Asos features a demure lace tunic dress in the style of Lindsay Lohan (£14) or a Lohan inspired La Rok hi-shine metallic tunic (£65), perfect for a night out on the dance floor.

How to Wear a Tunic Dress

Tunic dresses are appealing as they are cool and comfortable for summer. They have an easy-to-wear shape and once you find the right backdrop you can team them with flats (for a cute little-girl-next-door-look) or sky-high stilettos or hefty heels to give you height and sophistication. To change the look of a tunic dress completely, add a wide belt to cinch in the waist.

Hot summer colors include fuschia pinks, purple hues, sunshine yellows, all shades of green, and versatile monochromes. Go for monochrome or a single block color which is not likely to date if you want to add a classic piece to your wardrobe, as tunic dresses never really go our of style. You can always throw it over leggings or pants for a more casual or edgy look.

Military Clothing for Men

Modern day style fans are adopting military clothes in a similar way as past generations have always done; and to this day many Scottish football fans still paint their faces blue when they're on the march to their next stunning victory. The fashion only took something of a nosedive during the Medieval period; chain mail and suits of armour were always a less practical option for young would-be knights.

Wearing military clothing is still as popular now as it was in the 70's and 80's though. During the 1980s no street-wise free-thinker would be seen without their green moleskin jacket emblazoned with a German flag, but the fashion for wearing militaria became more common, with the grunge movement in the 1990s confirming the trend among fashionable people, perhaps forever. Camo transitioned into just another fabric print, and before long, trousers, coats, underpants, bandanas and socks

could be bought camo-style. It is actually quite a diverse style in itself; camouflage is, after all, about blending into the surroundings, so jungle, desert, winter and countryside designs all cropped up (or didn't make an appearance, if that was the look you were aiming for). When somebody designs a camouflage that looks just like a Tesco Metro, the circle will be complete.

As far as fashion is concerned, men's military clothing can be divided into two types: battlefield wear and formal wear. What's particularly interesting is that there's a wealth of vintage clothing outlets selling genuine military wear from years gone by, be it actual standard issue or more fashionable reworkings.
  
Authentic battlefield clothing will always have that functional look, with plenty of dull greens, olives and browns in the mix. Even today it is almost exclusively informal, too – someone turning up at a business meeting dressed head to toe in camo wear with battle headgear might give the wrong impression about how they wish to conduct business. Camouflaged clothing can be bought from military surplus stores as well as other sporting and outdoor retailers, but again, there is a booming vintage market in genuine fatigues.

The other type of men's military fashion is the more formal wear. Soldiers and sailors have many ceremonial duties to attend to and the smart jackets with highly polished buttons easily stand up to the most rigorous inspection by the fashion police. Throughout the ages, formal military wear has seen some dramatic and outrageous trends, with frogging, epaulettes and amazing headgear setting the tone. Look at the Beatles on the cover of Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and you'll see a slightly camp version of a style that peaked during the Napoleonic wars. Today, Coldplay can often be seen in their slightly grittier interpretation.

In the right setting or at a suitable occasion, formal military fashion can look amazing. Take inspiration from the services of the land, sea and air and there's a dazzling array of things to choose from.

It's all about personal style at H&M this autumn, with knitwear, tailoring, soft volume and playful accessories allowing individual choices to shine through.

It's the sharp cut of a blazer or some salt-and-pepper wool trousers that set the powerful new tone in fashion, which is then softened either by an angora cardigan, a lace top or the frills down the front of a blouse. Oversize cardigans are great to throw on, especially over a denim shirt, while a camel coat is given that extra edge with its utility details. Finish with a fake fur hat, a knotted leather belt and some lace-up boots to complete the look.

For men, it’s all about updating and reworking the classics to present a whole new mood. The definite silhouette of a wool or coated-cotton coat make traditional pieces feel like new, as do the key components of tailoring: the suit, the blazer, the waistcoat and trousers. Throw into the mix some utility inspired pieces like a uniform jacket, an essential checked shirt and a cardigan that is so chunky it could be worn as a jacket, and the options really open up. Add a knitted tube scarf, then tuck dress trousers into some chunky boots, and it becomes clear how classics can be redefined for the 21st century.

Ashish Autumn/Winter 2010

Whether its Aztec-printed manicures or €4000 Gucci dresses, one trend that’s cropping up all over the place for Spring is the Tribal look. Tying in with the 70s styles mentioned last week, this is in many ways a classic holiday look that will see you into the summer. Right now it’s hit the highstreet in handbag form; witness giraffe print handbag  Karen Millen at and Reiss (our favourite of the lot), versions of  Dooney and Bourke’s ethnic-chic originals.

And then there’s shoes; are you brave enough yet to venture out in sandals? Those with exposure-ready toes should look into Topshop’s Haidee Zebra sandals, a deceptively expensive tribal update on the classic gladiator style. We’re also really, really liking Sam Edelman’s current line of shoes- almost everything bears a little tribal influence, and Urban Outfitters’ decision to carry the designer brings those Lizard gladiator heels and girly Navajo flat that little nearer within our reach.

Milan Fashion Week Spring 2011

POP goes Milan! Shock waves of jolting colour have electrified Milan Fashion Week!
The Jil Sander show on Saturday was an explosion of color and volume and is sure to go down as one of the most important shows of the season. Starting with simple white tees paired with flourescent maxi skirts, the mind-blowing DayGlo combos just kept on coming!  Couture silhouettes from the ’50s and ’60s mixed with tailoring and sport-utility touches. Love the fluorescent soles on neutral pumps, the stripes and flouro-florals, and bright nylon shopping bags. Simple, saturated and strong!
Max Mara also played with megawatt brights in a sharp minimal collection. Boxy tops in white, magenta, orange and yellow, and neon skinny flares were juicy-fruit fresh and packed a high-voltage punch.
It used to be you could grab a photo or two of a model or a fashionably-dressed editor right after a show. Now, not so much. Photo bloggers and street shooters line the sidewalk ten deep, all eager to cash in. After the Pucci show, Canadian blogger boy wonder Tommy Ton tells me at dinner that he can take a staggering 1,000 street style shots per day, just to find 10 to submit to Style.com.
Speaking of Pucci, designer Peter Dundas went the boho world traveller route by way of the Greek isles, and all I can say is I wanna be a Pucci girl living in a Pucci world! Or at least grab a pair of the knee-high rust suede open-toe lace-up boots and sun-baked tan high-heel sandals he showed with the sea blue and white flowy printed caftans. Equally desirable were embroidered lace-front tunics–some with mirrored bits–suede bell bottoms, skinny blazers, crochet cut-out maillots and fabric bags with that just-picked-it-up-at-the-bazaar feel. Toss on a head scarf, some fringe, a tie-dye poor boy and a python print or two and you get the postcard picture.