Positively Patriotic

            

Photos courtesy: instyle.co.uk and zimbio.com (respectively)
Take a cue from Kate and add a little elegance to your athletic wear!  Balance trendy colored trainers and high-tech adidas fabrics with pretty pearl earrings, Givenchy sunnies and Audrey Hepburn's favorite, above-the-ankle trousers.  I'm not sure which is more inspiring, Kate's dress sense or her enthusiasm for GB's Olympic sailing team.  Check out the photo below! 

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Photo courtesy: zimbio.com

Britain's "Most Spectacular Natural Features!"

                                                                                     Photo courtesy: independent.ie
Last night, giant images of scantily-clad footballer David Beckham were projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover.  That's right ladies, three 300 foot images of David Beckham wearing nothing but his skivvies and a smile.  The one-time PR attack was planned by H&M to promote the David Beckham Bodywear collection, which launched at 1,800 H&M stores worldwide in February 2012. 

It's been a busy summer for Beckham who in July, helped deliver the Olympic Torch via speedboat and became ELLE UK's first male cover model.  I hope it's not too late to buy a copy of the alternative cover!

                                                                                                              Photo courtesy: mediaweek.co.uk

London 2012

The Most Fashionable Olympics Yet

                                                                              Photo courtesy: blog.livedesignonline.com

What an exciting Olympics for British fashion fans!  Last Friday’s Opening Ceremony felt more like a prelude to London Fashion Week than the beginning of a major sports competition.  In a performance delineating the country’s history, emerging East End designers Michael van der Ham, Christopher Shannon and Nasir Mazhar dressed "present day" Britons.  Elsewhere in Olympic Stadium, Samantha Cameron appeared in Roksanda Ilincic and The Duchess of Cambridge in Christopher Kane.  But the Ceremony's most impressively dressed islander, Stella McCartney, dressed herself.  Take a peek at Stella's facebook page for shots of her glam yet sporty gold lamé pantsuit with matching heels. 

Preparing for the Olympics has been a major undertaking for McCartney who spent two years designing 590 articles of adidas athletic wear for Team GB, then for pudding, created a special loungewear, or "Village-wear," collection, for use during the athletes' downtime.  Fortunately, some replicas are available to the public, as are other Olympic-themed adidas by Stella McCartney items.  Here's a link to one of my faves! 

                                                                                                                                            Heptathlete Jessica Ennis. Photo courtesy: mirror.co.uk

                                                                                                                                                                                Photo courtesy: stellamccartney.eu

Lady Green Sleeves

Livia Firth Schools Hollywood On Sustainability

Okay, so her gown didn't actually have sleeves but you get the picture.  At this year's Golden Globes, Livia Firth, the triple-threat wife of actor Colin Firth, kicked off the third annual Green Carpet Challenge (GCC) in a strapless column-style Armani gown made from…wait for it…recycled plastic bottles.

Though every bit as sumptuous as its contemporaries, Livia's red carpet original was made using "fibres derived from the mechanical, non-chemical recycling of plastic bottles." According to Armani, the transformation from trash to bespoke treasure was inspired by Londoner Livia's enthusiasm for ecological and social justice in the fashion industry.  "Awareness for the environment is a topic that's very important for us all: we cannot avoid it,” said the often imitated designer.

Livia Firth, who is also the creative director of  eco-age.com, teamed with British journalist Lucy Siegle to establish the GCC in December 2009 when Colin received a Golden Globe nomination for his role in Tom Ford's A Single Man. In an effort to prove that the terms green and glamour are NOT mutually exclusive, Livia pledged to attend all red carpet events wearing eco-friendly designs.    

Next up, expect sustainable stunners from the likes of Chanel, Alberta Ferretti, Tom Ford, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney and Valentino.  And you thought green was for granola lovers!  

Photo courtesy: eco-age.com