Style inspiration: DKNY

Another favourite show of mine this season was DKNY - certainly one of the more wearable collections of the season, dubbed the 'New York Mods', it epitomises the effortless style of New York and the girls who live and shop there.

The collection had the androgynous touch which pervades many an AW collection with chunky shoes, trilby hats and boy-fit blazers but there were still flashes of girlishness in pleats and 60's style collared dresses.

Colour is fresh and similar shades are placed together for a subtle colour blocking look. Bright knitwear is key, I love the fox-orange oversized cardi and the pink and red colour block jumper (N.B - F&F at Tesco do a great version of this for under £20!).

The standout piece of the collection for me was the colour block coral, orange, black and tan pleated maxi dress, dressed down for the show with a polo neck but would look amazing with heels and and some costume jewellery for evening, a la Olivia P.

The details of the show are easy to incorporate into your AW look: chunky coloured knits, mini skirts, chunky ankle boots and natural, just washed hairstyles.

For me, DKNY gets stronger each season and this is a great collection for the style-conscious big city girl with cash to splash.

Catwalk images from http://www.style.com/
Olivia Palermo image from http://www.zimbio.com/

Style inspiration: Lanvin

Every season there are catwalk shows to fawn over, amazing dresses to marvel at and themes to be swept up in. Most importantly, there are collections to find inspiration from for your every day wardrobe and I have found a number for AW11, beginning with Alber Elbaz's creations at Lanvin.

Lanvin has been a popular fashion house for some time and has recently raised its profile within the mass market through the brands successful collaboration with high-street retailer H&M in November 2010. Alber Elbaz designs dresses you would be foolish to not want to wear, who can forget the stunning grey and tan thigh-split maxi dress of SS11, as worn by Blake Lively? Not me, certainly. So I was excited to see his offerings for AW11, and was not at all disappointed.

Lanvin AW11 is in a nutshell: perfect coat dressing. Yes, the dresses are beautiful (I'll get on to that in a moment) but what caught my eye was the simplicity and overall stylishness of the outerwear. From chic swashbuckling capes (for want of a better word) to collarless designs accessorised by cocktail jewellery, the look is highly wearable and strong for this season. The coat can be the point of focus in an outfit and need not be overcomplicated, accessorised by a necklace, a pair of loafers and the all important floppy 70's style hat.

My personal favourite is this red collarless coat: yes, it may be difficult to see from under the brim of that hat but the look is so simple yet so striking at the same time. Definitely one to try for the new season (N.B - fellow Londoners, maybe bare legs is not so advisable come October unless you are a celebrity with your own driver...)

Evening dresses wise, Elbaz does not disappoint. The simple cuts of the dresses are the most interesting aspect to me and I love the block colour on the orange-red and fuchsia numbers. Block colour with black is far from a new phenomenon but perfectly displays the notion that a bold colour can speak for itself. The shapes are modern and sleek, my favourite being this stunning off-white asymmetric maxi dress, worn simply with a pair of killer heels for maximum impact. The pink off-the-shoulder number is a close second, I look forward to trawling the high-street for my own version!

Lanvin AW11 has an on-trend, yet timeless feel to the collection. Elbaz has the ability to design clothes that both A-listers and the everyday girl can admire and wear with confidence.

Catwalk images from http://www.style.com/
Blake Lively image from http://www.look.co.uk/

Style inspiration: Bertie Shoes

As much as I love flicking through the catwalk looks from Fashion Weeks, my favourite part of the new season has to be seeing the campaign shoots for both high street and designer brands; how the clothes are put together, the models they use and the the locations they are set in. One particular high street brand whose AW campaign shots has caught my eye is Bertie; I find their adverts are continually of high editorial quality and always inspiring.

I love the retro tomboy feel to this first shot with the red and black colour palette and scarf tied in the models hair. The composition displays the shoes in a more subtle way that some other brands ad campaigns and that is refreshing to see.

The overall feel of the shoot is homely and warm with heritage elements including the chintzy lights and stags head in the second shot and bar in the background of the third. The shoot displays easy, natural style which seems to sum up the brand well. Needless to say I am in love with the metallic platforms in the below image and inspired by the burgundy tube skirt and leather jacket combination.

The third shot is coy and feels very natural; the inclusion of knitwear and denim shows the casual side to the collection.

Bertie always suceed in producing a strong AW collection and I can't wait to see the new styles landing into store and online soon! Check out their website here for more inspiration.

All images belong to Bertie Shoes - http://www.bertieshoes.com/