Spring/Summer 2012: Fashion Goes 'Marie Antoinette'

Despite all of the hype about the Queen for her Diamond Jubilee earlier this month, another royal figure - 257 years old to be exact - caught my eye.

You may or may not be familiar with the 2006 film Marie Antoinette, starring Kirsten Dunst, in which she portrays the life of Marie Antoinette, a french royal who married young and was thrust into power at the age of nineteen. With this age comes a natural desire for more au courage things - drinking, boys, drama and, needless to say, fashion. The fashion in Marie Antoinette is just as delicious as the mouth watering cakes the camera keeps pointing at (yes, there were alot of cakes - and eating of  - on screen at some points).

Reviews of the movie were mixed, but one thing was blueprinted in almost all write-ups: the gowns were BEAUTIFUL. I have to agree, not just because of their shape or form; but because their colors and patterns perfectly grasp that floaty, summer feel we all love. Pastels, flowers, lace... It's heaven. And who doesn't love dressing girly sometimes?

  

I've spent an excessive amount of time window and online shopping to bring myself up to date again with UK fashion, and one thing that stood out to me was how spring/summer fashion this year has gone a little Marie Antoinette with it's colour palette. Pastels are everywhere and I love it!

I've picked some items from my favourite stores - all on my wishlist of course.

1. Mint Condition

Although mint may not be the colour of choice for most people - I personally have zero mint coloured items in my closet - I find it to be a colour that needs to be given more consideration. In particular I like how it flatters the sunkissed look that summer gives our skin.

2. Pretty in Pink

I've always loved candy pink. It's another perfect colour for summer and so pretty.

3. Yellow delight

Pastel yellow has several names - lemon sorbet, pale yellow, sunshine yellow... One thing is for certain though: it's the perfect colour to brighten up any outfit, especially on our gloomy English summer days.

4. Florals

The girliest of girliest, florals are another hit this summer.

If you haven't yet watched Marie Antoinette, stick it on your 'to watch' list and get inspired for the pastel trend this season, as well as living vicariously through Kirsten Dunst throughout the course of the film.

- A.T.

Rain rain go away

I arrived back in the UK last Friday, 8th June. After some rather teary goodbyes and an 8 hour flight with no sleep, I was feeling pretty rough when we landed in London. I must admit though it was great to walk out of arrivals and be greeted by both my parents and one of my sisters who had been waiting all morning for me (the flight was a little delayed..) I did however look like a complete diva with four suitcases and a heavily weighted handbag, and could feel the eyes of the people in the line behind me for baggage check burning into me. Not sorry.

5 days later and I'm still struggling with settling back into the swing of things back at home, and getting over the dreaded jetlag. Severely need to turn my body clock round and switch out of American time!

The one thing that has hit me the most is the weather. Being British, I naturally had to talk about the weather at some point in this post. Coming back from Illinois, which boasted 30-40 degrees celsius everyday the past few weeks, to my home in West Yorkshire which at the moment struggles to reach higher than 15 degrees (60F for my American friends), the climate change is a shocker. I have to say that is currently the most difficult part - waking up everyday to clouds, and rain. The forecast for the next five days doesn't look fantastic!

Apparently talking about the weather is one of the most common topics of conversation in Britain. I wonder why..

Nostalgia for warm weather aside, I cannot complain about seeing people I've missed for the last 6 months, and all of the home comforts I'm receiving. As much as I miss the home I made in Illinois, it's good to be back. Now I need to plan my summer.

- A.T.