SNAP Fashion

Discovery Monday: M&S Jeggings

Marks & Spencer’s has been trying to lure younger generations of women through its doors in recent years with celebrity campaigns and some of the world’s top models showcasing its Autograph range. But Autograph aside (and underwear and sarnies, obviously) we don’t think M&S gets enough praise. A case in point is its denim.

Sure there are styles there that you probably wouldn’t consider but amongst the bootcut there is an amazing selection of bright and statement print skinny jeans that are the bargain of the century. M&S has inexplicably called these jeggings, but they are in fact really great quality skinny jeans in a range of lengths, rainbow of colours and super soft denim…all for around £25.We love the cute swallow print jeggings for that tricky summer/autumn transition period and they really are the bargain of the century. Or you could splash out on some metallic floral print statement trous for £35.

Better still, being M&S and rather sensible, the cut is super flattering with a high-ish waist that will banish any trace of a dreaded muffin-top.

Have you got any top tips and surprising secret recommendations from Britain’s biggest retailers?

Your new BFF. Perfect colour, great texture and flattering fit all for £25

These look so much more expensive than £35 and tap into the baroque, statement trouser, metallic and almost-brocade trend without trying too hard

Vogue promotes healthier body image – yay!

Good news girls! Vogue’s 19 international editors have made a pact to encourage a healthier approach to body image in the fashion industry in a fancy programme called The Health Initiative. This hopefully means less tiny hungry models on the catwalk.

“As one of the fashion industry’s most powerful voices, Vogue has a unique opportunity to engage with relevant issues where we feel we can make a difference,” says UK Vogue editor Alexandra Schulman. It will reportedly “build on the successful work that the Council of Fashion Designers of America with the support of American Vogue in the US and the British Fashion Council (BFC) in the UK have already begun to encourage a healthier approach to body image within the industry.”

This is obviously really good news, but I am aware that plenty of top designers insist upon using super-skinny girls and as the fashion magazines and the BFC need a good relationship with all the best designers, the issue can be brushed aside. It is something that all parts of the fashion industry needs to embrace.

To its credit, Vogue has vowed to “work with models who, in our view, are healthy and help to promote a healthy body image” and to “be ambassadors for the message of healthy body image,” which is great. We’re not sure we will see a range of sizes in the fashion glossies on a regular basis any time soon but it is undoubtedly a step in the right direction.

The BFC wrapped up its Model Health Inquiry in 2007 and has a Model Programme to promote healthy models. There are now a bunch of recommendations in designers’ LFW contracts such as no under 16s on the catwalk, healthy food and drink to be available backstage and relaxation zones as well as a representative body for models…but these are recommendations and arguably more needs to be done to make sure we have healthy, happy models who are better role models for girls. It is arguably natural for designers to want to showcase their work on pretty girls (let’s not presume otherwise!) but this does not been that they have to be hungry-looking. After all, it is women of various shapes, sizes and ages who the fashion industry seeks to inspire and who buy the clothes.

Jonathan Newhouse, Condé Nast International chairman, says: “Vogue believes that good health is beautiful. Vogue editors around the world want the magazines to reflect their commitment to the health of the models who appear on the pages and the wellbeing of their readers.”

Damien Hirst vs the high street

We’re pleased to see butterfly prints winging their way to the high-street this summer and just in time for controversial Brit artist Damien Hirst’s retrospective at the tate, which includes lots of repeitious butterfly paintings and collages. Here’s Hirst versus the high street

This sheer top from Zara is super cute at £19.99

If only this Damien Hirst print wallpaper was available in fabric...

Butterflies get edgy at Motel, £30

Love this!

Beautiful print, but this dress is certainly one for the column shaped girls out there... hourglasses and pears beware!

Kind of reminds me of McQueen

Festival chic from Warehouse, £65

Close up - depressingly despite looking beautiful, most of the paintings are made from dead butterfly wings

P…p…p…pick up a peplum

The peplum has been strutting its stuff on the catwalk for a couple of seasons now so you might as well give in and give this high-street friendly trend a go as it will be big this autumn and winter too.

I was going to be a bit of a fashion geek and head to the British Museum to prove that this trend has been around forever, (well, as long as the Ancient Greeks who loved a tunic gathered in at the waist -yes, even the men) but I will spare you, other than to mention that back when Dickens was writing the peplum was a popular riding jacket. So a new fad this ain’t.

And the peplum is amazing for accentuating feminine curves and creating a defined waist…but they can be tricky little blighters. The good news is that there is a peplum for all body shapes – you just need to pick where to pep and be prepared to try on quite a few- some will look grim – this is the shop’s fault and not yours!

Jason Wu put his peplum on the hips, which can look amazing on athletic or column-shaped girls, but not so flattering on anyone with already-curvy hips or thighs! Girls with inverted-triangle shaped bodies can get away with adding extra material to their hips or picking a waited peplum that is rather dramatic. However, there are lots of structured peplum tops and dresses on the high street, where the peplum accentuates the waist, which is far more flattering on most body shapes.

One of my fav SS12 looks

We love H&M and Topshop’s super sporty neoprene tops and have found that peplums with little material streamline the shape without adding bulk to the figure – plus they tick the sports luxe SS12 trend box. The fitted peplum is generally more flattering than its flouncy next-of-kin and teamed with a pencil skirt will create an amazing hourglass shape – great if you are an Apple shape looking to define your wait (add a belt for extra effect) or a pear shape looking to balance your top half with your curvier hips…or in fact an hourglass looking to ramp up your curve-appeal!

Shell top with peplum £22 from ASOS. H&M is also good for sleek and sporty peplums

If you don’t fancy taking the peplum plunge, why not cheat a little with a skirt that flares out, like a relaxed fishtail shape? The peplum trend can add instant glamour and polish to your work wardrobe and isn’t as daunting as we first thought. Go on, give it a try?

Amazing peplum scuba pencil dress £48 from Topshop

Such a statement piece and a must-have for AW12 too. leather peplum top £59.99 from H&M

Clements Ribeiro for Evans

Here at Snap we believe in dressing for your body shape and feeling confident and comfortable in clothes. Of course we’ve had plenty of amazing designer and high street collaborations of late but this one is super exciting – Clements Ribeiro for Evans.

For those not in the know, Evans caters for curvy women but is amazing for its punchy prints and bright colours – a far cry from 1990s stylists’ suggestions that larger ladies must only wear baggy black dresses – the cheek! So the collection with Clements Ribeiro is perfection, with plenty of pretty prints and flirty shapes, which are handily organised by body shape (AT LAST!)

It’s great to see Evans embracing all the trends- sheer, pattern clashing and daring accessories. Apparently the collection is really well made with sharp and structured tailoring as well as playful touches such as cute heart prints.

Ribeiro told The Telegraph: “For our first range we addressed the different body shapes, with styles which are accessible but modern, with an emphasis on prints and femininity. It was our starting point, understanding different proportions and different needs behind a desire for fashion that is not different from the high fashion consumer. Far from being apologetic or patronising, we celebrated curves and voluptuousness.”

We really like the high fashion photography and it seems so is singing superstar Adele, who wore a frock for a concert in Canada and is rumoured to have snapped up the lot.

The collection lands on 31 March in sizes 14-32 and prices start at £25, although most dresses are priced closer to £100. Go forth and shop!

Sleek and sexy LBD

Rumoured to be a dress from the collection - we're not sure if it is, but Adele looks pretty!

My fav dress from the collection (although I'd wear it with a jersey tube skirt underneath, chicken that I am)

Top 5: cropped patterned trousers

Dries van Noten debuted some incredible patterned and cropped trousers on the catwalk and the trend is set to become one of SS12’s biggest hits with fashion bloggers and editors rocking statement trous at fashion week(s). The good news is that there is a pair to suit every budget and body shape with neat tailored shapes, slouchy pyjama bottoms and skinny cigarette styles. The only rules? Heels only. Pair with a simple tshirt or streamlined shirt unless you’re seriously avant garde.

On the catwalk with Dries van Noten

A little bit Stella McCartney. Black floral print slim leg trousers £30 from River Island

Geo Print Trousers £35 from Topshop - so Peter Pilotto

Sandro Pressage tapered floral-print twill pants £175 from Sandro

IRO Silk Print Peg Trousers £120 from ASOS

Party trousers! Flecked metallic cigarette trousers £45 from Topshop

Fifties style retro dress : shopping spot

Thanks to Prada, Louis Vuitton and others, we all know that the 1950s and Americana trends are big news for Spring, but for those of us chomping at the bit to buy pieces for the new season, this can be a tad tricky- as powdery pastels took, well , a tad summery (and go a tad see-through) in the drizzle…

…which is why we love this dress from Primark. It’s black, so you can wear it now, as well as into the Spring and has bright pink detailing as well as that fifties lady-like silhouette – and all for £15! Granted, it’s not amazing quality but as a fun piece to pep up your winter wardrobe we reckon it’s a solid buy and will scratch that new season itch.

Spot! Colours look rubbishly un-intense (thanks camera phone)

That's better! Cute detail.

P.S. It will look extra good on hourglass and pear-shaped girls and can easily be dressed up for work.

Cute gym wear

I’m suffering from post Christmas remorse…just ask Snap Fashion’s CTO how many chocolate oranges I can tuck away!

While I diligently dress for my body shape I think the time has come (in a clichéd January way) to try and get a little fitter…and it’s an excuse to splash out on some swanky gym kit. So here are my top 3 picks- I’m so excited about these super bendy trainers!

Love the subtle print on this Nike sports top £25

Want these highly flexible Nike free tr twist training shoes £70

Look at how many ways they can bend!

Amazing Stella McCartney for Adidas swimsuit for £100

Max Azria for Hervé Léger Pre-Fall 2012

The bandage dress is here to stay (did it ever go?!) and well, dare we say it- there are yet more variations on the WAG favourite – perfect for hourglass-shaped girls.

The harness detail was everywhere this winter a la Louis Vuitton’s fetish wear and lots of McQueen collections…but are new to the bandage repertoire…or should that be bondage? Whatever the case, this collection was easily identifiable as the work of Max Azria for Hervé Léger.

Despite the predictability, we do like the yellow graduating tone dress and in particular the one long one, with the contrast of the body-con and chiffon. For a high-street take, check out French Connection.

Love the long one!

The harness is back!

For bandage fans with high street pockets: checkout this Spotlight Knight capped sleeve dress from French Connection - £115

Images: WWD via DesignerSocial.

Mischa Barton’s beach master class

Mischa Barton has gone from being a teen fashion idol as Marissa Cooper in The OC (with Rachel Bilson) to regularly gracing the tabloids’ worst dressed lists, so were pleased to see her looking her beachy best this Christmas.

The starlet has been in the press for her extreme yoyo dieting habits to it’s great to see her looking super healthy. Her flattering choice of bikini is ideal for pear-shaped girls while those of us with pale skin (I only have to look at the sun to go lobster-red) could learn from Mischa’s array of casual cover-ups. Love the glasses too!

Practical beach wear

Clever cover-ups

Smartened up with red lipstick - great idea!

Pics: The DM.