British designers continue to go from strength to strength on the other side of the pond. Mary Katrantzou and Peter Pilotto are increasingly popping up on the red carpet in Hollywood but Antonio Berardi is definitely leading the pack when it comes to dressing celebrities. Nicole Richie wears his designs and so does Elizabeth Banks but over the weekend it was Ashley Greene's turn.
The actress sported one of the fitted white bandage style dresses from Berardi's resort 2013 collection to attend the third annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic event and the outfit suits her and works for the occasion. To finish the look off, she teamed the dress with a pair of nude Giuseppe Zanotti pumps, which don't work particularly well but aren't too bad considering the off-white panels on the dress.
Most of my teens were spent trying to emulate any look that Sienna Miller was sporting at a given time. Over the last few years though, her fashion star has waned but now, just three months after giving birth to her first child, it looks like she's set to make a comeback both on the big screen and sartorially.
Over the weekend she arrived at the Hamptons International Film Festival wearing a dress and cape by Alessandra Rich that shared an uncanny resemblance to the Tom Ford creation that Gwyneth Paltrow wore to the Oscars. And the look really worked for her. While the whole bohemian things worked in the early 00s, it was time for a shake-up and the more polished looks that she's come up with over the last few days are promising hint at what's to come, especially since she's out and about now promoting her latest film, 'Factory Girl'.
Puffa jackets aren't anything new but when Christopher Bailey showed them over traditional suits at Burberry's A/S13 menswear show, it quickly became apparent that they would make a comeback and they definitely have. Peter Pilotto showed them last too season and now, Comptoir des Cotonniers and Uniqlo have embraced it.
The pair have teamed up to create, Mademoiselle Plume, an ultra lightweight version of the more traditional puffa that we all know, which is said to combine the French brand's aesthetic with the Japanese retailer's technology. The unique feature is the lightness. The combination of light nylon and feathers makes it warm but without the bulk.
According to Comptoir des Cotonniers style director Delphine Ninous, the aim of the partnership was 'to offer a fashionable, feminine and lightweight down jacket in line with the lives of today's women.' And it makes sense. You want something that keeps you warm and dry but still makes you feel confident. The fact that you cold fold it away in your bag without it getting creased isn't a bad thing eiter. Am I queuing up to buy one right now? Well no, but with the weather getting worse, ask me in a few weeks and my answer might be different.
The jackets are limited edition and are available to buy in Comptoir des Cotonniers and UNIQLO stores now priced at £85.
