Spring Summer 2016 Trends and My Blog’s New Look.

Spring seems to be putting in a tentative appearance and finally the air is feeling a little warmer and you will have noticed that my blog has undergone a complete makeover to celebrate the new season. It has only been in-situ for 48 hours so I am still making some changes and tweaks, but I’d like to take a few minutes just to go through the new layout before we talk fashion.

On the desktop and tablet version, there are tabs across the top with, from left to right, an “about me” page next to the link to my boutique. The other tabs have all of my blog posts in that category there. This is a work in progress so please bear with me. The last tab, the blogroll shows a list of those blogs that I read regularly. (On the mobile version, these are within the menu at the top).

Above the picture of me are the social media icons. I’d love you to follow if you don’t already! Below the Instagram photographs is a place to sign up to receive every new blog post via email so you never miss a post and below that is where to sign up for my newsletter. This is a new aspect of my blog whereby a monthly newsletter will be sent with offers and discount codes for Lizzy O as well as outtakes and other things that don’t appear on my blog. The mobile site doesn’t offer the facility to sigh up for the newsletter or email (but there is the option to be taken to the web version to do so). 

The advertisments are now at the foot of the post so if you wish to get to those retailers’ sites directly, just click on the banner. 

I have changed my blogging schedule too so will post on Tuesday and Friday afternoon and on Sunday morning. From time to time, there might be a little “something for the weekend” on a Saturday morning too!

Thank you for the lovely positive feedback so far. I really do love receiving your comments.

So, back to the business of fashion…

The March issue of Aspire (the local lifestyle magazine I write copy for and edit) is out in print and in it my fashion pages take a look at the new season’s fashion. 

The trends for Spring Summer 2016 were
decided some months ago during the international catwalk shows. Since then, the
designs have slowly filtered down to the high street, but it is during March that
the main collections land in stores and fashions are there for all to see.

What can we expect for the new season?

The 1970s has enjoyed a resurgence in food
as well as fashion for the last few seasons and it looks set to stay. One of
that decade’s most loved fabrics was suede and this was seen in all guises in several
runway shows. Dresses, capes, shorts, knee high straps on sandals and fringed bags,
this most tactile of textures will be everywhere this spring summer.

Victoriana is also enjoying another
consecutive season as a main trend. Updated for 2016, silhouettes are softer with
ruffles, high-collar necklines and puffy sleeves being more fluid and less
formal than of late. Floral fabrics and a distinct lack of black, remove the
austerity so often associated with styles inspired by this era.

This summer is set to be that of The Cold Shoulder. Off the shoulder maxi dresses, flowing and with a halter neck,
featured in designer collections in every fashion capital. This new shape is one to watch and can easily be incorporated into the wardrobe and in fact, two of my most recent outfit posts have featured Bardot style necklines which show a bit of shoulder. My blogging friend Lisa, The Sequinist wrote a lovely post last week in which she reminds us that shoulders don’t age. 

Black Bardot top worn with floral skirt

Navy and white fifties style prom dress worn with floral heels

Traditional Spanish dress inspired several
collections seen during New York fashion week. Vermillion, scarlet and magenta abounded
with flounces and flourishes a plenty. Add just a touch of Flamenco to your
summer wardrobe; you won’t go far wrong.

Cobalt midi dresses and bright yellow
maxis provided more than a splash of colour. These eye-popping brights were
seen on lightweight knife-pleated fabrics. It is orange though, in a variety of
shades is THE go-to hue for the season. 
The future’s bright.
Orange isn’t a colour that would suit my fair skin, but I’ll be embraceing the trend by way of accessories. I have had these orange Mulberry shoes for several years now and still get a thrill when I wear them. They add a pop of colour and interest and are surprisingly versatile. This is a sneak peek of an upcoming outfit post which I’m quite excited about.

Gingham seems to have usurped a lot of prints to become the print du jour. In supersized
form, this was seen on Mrs Beckham’s creations to name but a few, but florals and animal prints are ever-popular.

Incorporating new trends into the wardrobe can be easy with the addition of a few selected accessories. Semi-circular
half-moon bags presided and were the chosen arm candy of many front row fashion
editors replacing the bucket bag so favoured in recent seasons. 

And footwear? It
seems that comfortable shoes are trending with flat mules set to become
ubiquitous this summer. 

Who’d have thought?

Love Liz x