Archive for July, 2011

We hate to say it, but with August just around the corner, autumn weather may well be on its way sooner rather than later. Obviously we’re determined to continue squeezing every ounce of summer dressing out of our wardrobe as possible, but it’s never too early to start looking at transitional wear for the coming season. That’s why jumper dresses are a fantastic fashion investment at this time of year.

Because it offers so many opportunities to wear a variety of outfits without the need to wrap up in coats and jackets, summer is a great opportunity to inject a little personality into your wardrobe. One of the easiest ways to make a personal fashion statement is with women’s tops.

The Little Black Dress is perhaps the ultimate iconic fashion statement, and an absolutely essential element of any fashion-conscious woman’s wardrobe. Other styles come and go, but ever since the classic 1920s designs of Coco Chanel, the little black dress has endured as a timeless staple of the Hollywood red carpets and high street fashion alike.

?This season one of the key buzzwords in the fashion world is simplicity. Overly elaborate outfits are generally being sidelined in favour of a smooth, understated look. One of the biggest success stories of this trend has been the shift dress, which is proving to be hugely popular this season, from the red carpet to the high street.

Shift dresses were a popular design in the swinging sixties, epitomising cool elegance and iconic chic. A shift dress is generally characterised by straight lines that don’t hug your curves or cinch at the waist. They’re usually, but not exclusively, knee-length, and strike a perfect balance between formal and everyday wear.

Whether it’s for a special occasion or just a gift to yourself, a beautiful new evening dress can be a fantastic way to revitalise your wardrobe and give your self-confidence a boost. But finding the right dress can be frustrating, especially if you don’t fit the mould of stick thin women in their early twenties who seem to dominate the high street and the catwalks.

Swimming is one of the best ways to tone up and improve your general fitness, and many women find it much more enjoyable than the gym. However, shopping for bikinis and swimwear can be particularly intimidating if you’re not particularly body-confident; and finding the perfect fit to give you the support you need can be a real chore.

The dust may finally have settled on this year’s Royal wedding, but Kate Middleton is still very much the woman of the moment. From outshining the Obamas to wowing the crowds on a state visit to Canada, the Duchess of Cambridge hasn’t put a single foot wrong in the fashion stakes. The phrase ‘The Middleton Effect’ is already being used to describe the incredible effect her sartorial choices have on the market – if she’s snapped wearing a dress, chances are it’ll sell out within a matter of hours.

Of course, we don’t all have a princess’s budget, but thanks to Kate’s modern style and admirable loyalty to the high street, with a little bit of creative shopping it’s easy to replicate her look.

Ladies, is there anything more stressful than shopping for new lingerie? Well, OK, probably quite a lot – childbirth, moving house, Christmas dinner etc. But still, when it comes to ladies clothes, lingerie and bikini’s are definitely at the top of our list of things most likely to turn us into quivering wrecks. Getting the right size, enduring those unforgiving changing-room mirrors, finding a bra that’s got the right balance between offering comfort and support and making you look good; all of these factors can make high street lingerie shopping a depressing and intimidating experience.

The sun is shining, the temperature is through the roof and here at Freemans we are loving it! Let’s face it, in Britain we don’t get weather like this very often, so when it comes around it’s important to make the most of it. We’ve done a fair bit of discussion about finding the right holiday wear this season, but even if you’re staying local this summer, updating your wardrobe with some key summer fashion is going to be essential.