A Day in Pink City

So, yesterday myself and my friend Kate, who's back home over here for Easter, went galavanting in Toulouse for the afternoon. For those who don't know, Toulouse is a French city located in the south-west, aptly named 'La Ville Rose' for its famous pink stone buildings. The weather's so hot at the moment so I was able to go out in public with bare legs for the first time this year. Not bad for March. First of all, we went to Nespresso to stock up on capsules and get our caffeine hit in the process. Then we stormed the shops. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by Zara, in years of shopping there I've never been as impressed as I am this season, they've absolutely nailed S/S 2012 on the head. The racks are filled with pastel hues, delicate white lace and broderie anglaise which are near identical to the current Louis Vuitton collection. I need some mint green pieces in my life right now.

Shirt: Zara  | Grey shorts: Cop Copine  |  Cat eye sunglasses: Vintage Ray Ban Dekko |  Bag: Kate Moss for Longchamp | Gold, leather sandals: Boutique in Spain  

 We took lots of snaps and cooled off with some refreshing kiwi and sanguine sorbet. Bloody tourists. I was wearing a simple outfit, teaming my white, buttoned Zara shirt with some loose, high-waisted grey silk shorts, metallic leather sandals, dove grey Longchamp tote and Ray Ban cat eye sunglasses.

 

I just hate Kate, putting me to fashion shame on my own blog, how dare she. Bringing sexy back in her new net-a-porter dress.

Lana Del Rey

Illustration by moi.

 "It" girl of the moment Lana del Rey has taken the music and fashion world by storm. Hailed as a "self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra", she's enjoyed chart-topping success with her album, Born to Die and has already graced the cover of UK Vogue after having barely long been in the public eye.

Love or hate her, she's certainly made an impact, all doe-eyed with her tumbling auburn tresses, bee-stung pout and incredible, throaty voice. Whilst I put my hands up to enjoying Born to Die and Video Games, I ultimately found the rest of the album dull, repetitive and depressing. Don't get me wrong, I like her voice but this music doesn't do it for me. Hats off to her for writing all of her own material, though.

She was recently praised (to the dismay of her critics) by Jimmy Lovine, legendary music producer and head of Interscope Records, he controversially claimed: "Lana Del Rey's voice haunts me the way Stevie Nicks' did". I think people are getting the wrong idea, Lovine didn't in any way say her voice was as "good" as Stevie Nicks', he merely claimed that it was as "haunting", which is entirely different. If anyone is wondering who Stevie Nicks is, she was the front woman for Fleetwood Mac and has one of the greatest, most powerful voices I've ever heard in my life.

Music aside, I am absolutely taken by LDR, the character, the image. Whilst many may debate that her rise to fame is all down to daddy and his millions, buying her way to the top. I disagree. To me she appears modest, charming and intriguing, with her cryptic tweets and softly-spoken voice.

Her look combines sixties siren, california cool and nineties grunge with a contemporary twist; an unlikely combination that works only too well in her favour. Del Rey was a breath of fresh air from the moment I saw photos of her in the Mail Online, papped shopping in New York. She was clutching two handbags, loving life in her blue jeans, Ferrari bomber jacket, back-to-front cap and python pumps, yet still magically pulling it off. How does she do it?

Spring/Summer Trends 2012

To uncover this season's trends for S/S 2012, I turned to the holy grail of the fashion world, Vogue. Aside the predictable florals, there's an exciting variation of trends to suit everyone's tastes, from afrocentric tribal prints to techno tropics, exotic skins and retro glamour.

Think: texture, tribals, florals, tropics, retro, old Hollywood, blue hues, sheened silks, sports luxe, colour blocking, pastel colours, reptile skins and 70s super-wedges.

When spring flowers begin to bloom, floral and paisley prints sweep the nation's catwalks. I can't get enough of nature-themed fashion, it provides the most phenomenal colour and imagery, which leads me to the next theme: aquatics.

I'm a sucker for bold prints and wild colours, to look at more so than to wear. My eyes are drawn to the stunning jungle and ocean visuals from Mary Katrantzou's current collection. Versace, on the other hand showcased a more wearable and parred-down collection but spectacular nonetheless. The tiny dresses were mainly white in structured neoprene and leather with powder blue and lilaac starfish detailing, finished off with golden studs and accessories. The epitome of classic Versace luxury.

From left to right: Mary Kantrantzou, Mary Kantrantzou, Versace and Peter Pilotto. S/S 2012 R-T-W.

As far as colours go, it looks like a sweet shop has exploded onto catwalks as candies good enough to eat are in sugary shades of mint green, powder pink, glacier blue and coconut cream. In stark contrast to the soft pastels, the colour-popping 80s have been revived, with techno colour-blocking and Hawaiian prints reminiscent of Club Tropicana. Blue hues are big this season, which I'm pleased to announce as they are my most favourite colours, especially to wear. The particular hues you ought to be wearing this season are navy, sapphire, ultramine and cerulean.

Fabrics are at their upmost feminine, in sheened silks, shiny satins, with plenty of textured lace, brocade and broderie anglaise. Razzle dazzle embellishments were tossed aside for subtle radiance and glistening organizas in Chanel, Christopher Kane and Mark Jacobs. For all the old Hollywood lovers out there, you'll be thrilled to hear about the return of 1920s gatsby glamour and vintage Americana. Prada stormed the catwalks in retro cadillac prints, bandeaus and flamed pencil skirts while Proenza Schouler showcased feline tailoring and chunky wedges in nostalgic hues.

From left to right: Prada, Proenza Schouler, Prada, Proenza Schouler and Marc Jacobs. S/S 2012 R-T-W.

With the London Olympics 2012 just around the corner, it comes as no surprise to announce the trend of luxe sportswear and fitness fashion. Performance materials have been cut into feminine silhouettes and vice versa. However, for the non fitness fanatics, fear not, for these monochrome looks can be worn off-track as contemporary eveningwear.

I've taken inspiration from key trends and compiled a moodboard to show what I'd be buying this season... If I was filthy rich. All hand-picked from net-a-porter.com.

What I'd be buying this season, if I was filthy rich.

1.  Tom Ford Nikita Sunglasses                 5. Bottega Veneta Leather Panel Dress           9. Erdem Silk Print Blouse

2. Jimmy Choo Python Bag                      6. Roberto Cavalli Lace Blouse                       10. Jil Sandler Shorts

3. YSL Silk Dress                                      7. Jennifer Meyer Emerald Stud Ring            11. Alexander McQueen Pussybow

4. Altuzarra Printed Blazer                     8. Proenza Schouler Cut-Out Wedges            12. Proenza Schouler Python Clutch

Bonjour

So, I've finally jumped on the blog bandwagon. I've been wanting one for sometime and have finally taken the plunge but beaten to it by my old friend, Kate, who has a phobia of stickers and looks like Cherie Blair (check out her blog; frenchchicinlondon.blogspot.com). In a nutshell, I'm Jess, a printed textile design graduate and digital aficionado living in Toulouse. In case you're wondering whatever my degree is, and whether it's about as useful as a degree in underwater basket weaving then you may be right, but this is what I'm capable of:

Just a snippet of a few of my fashion print designs. I worked with a variety of natural fabrics, this is how my obsession with silk began.

Very relevant to this season's S/S 2012 tropical and floral prints.

Here, you'll find my inspirations, outfit posts, fashion musings and doodles. Maybe when Kate's not too busy running away from stickers or building upon her Draco Malfoy shrine then she'll kindly contribute some guest beauty blogs about exfoliating with lemons and cheesegraters.

Just to elaborate on the blog name, which took me long enough to think of, "mode" is French for "fashion". As for "midnight"... I love the glamour, sophistication and luxe of evening wear and I'm a real night owl. There's something exciting and atmospheric about stepping out into the hustle and bustle of the city at night. I love wrapping up in winter and playing with layers.

As a creative soul, I enjoy drawing, putting things together and making layouts. I got quite carried away this week making graphics and digital patterns to spruce up my page. You'll find that I like to illustrate and add visuals to my blog posts for little customised touches.