Arlenis Sosa Peña has always been one of my favourite models but despite making it big early on in her career (she's a spokesperson for Lancome), she's been noticeably absent from the shows and magazines recently. But it looks like that's all changing because this month she marked her return with this editorial for Harper's Bazaar Mexico.
In the story, Arlenis sports the bright prints that have been making the rounds this season from the likes of Preen and Mary Katrantzou styled by Andrew Holden and shot by Kevin Sinclair.
I've always been a trouser suit girl. Whether that's the result of falling in love with Helmut Newton's iconic 'Le Smoking' shot that appeared in Vogue Paris back in 1975 I'm not sure, but nonetheless it has always been a style that I've been particularly taken by. Anyone that follows The Fash Pack on Twitter will know that these recent images of Solange Knowles and Ashley Olsen wearing variations on the look has only fuelled my quest to find the perfect version.
The styles that appeared on the runway for S/S12 were particularly good because they came in a range of block colours from reds and multicoloured prints to pastel yellows and pale pinks. Preen really lead the pack showing a great classic version available in both pink and yellow while Givenchy had a much more modern feeling and came with skin tight trousers. For a budget friendly alternative head to Whistles as they undoubtedly have the most affordable but quality style on the market.
Preen is one of the brands that I most look forward to see in New York. Design duo Justin Thornton and Thea Bragazzi always manage to stay true to their aesthetic without being trapped by it and rather than making huge changes each season, their collections seem develop on from one another naturally.
For fall they continued to play with prints but last season's digital prints gave way to floral winter garden print in rich tones compared to the pastels that we saw last season and came on a blouse that came tucked into a bright red skirt and also on a turtleneck that was a teamed with a great pair of high waisted trousers that also came in brown.
While it's true that the collection did start a tad too far on the summary side with the lightweight sheer tops and bright red and orange, the colour palette quickly began to warm up as the collection progressed. Typically feminine skirts came in shades of navy, blazers often came in two tones and over-the-knee length dresses came in mustard in a patchwork style that incorporated the floral print.
Although Preen is much loved by editors, as Meenal Mistry noted, it's hard to understand why the brand isn't, well, everywhere. Like always, the collection featured all of the pieces a professional woman would want in her wardrobe.
Everything from the chic pinned-up hairstyles to the clean lines - with the ruffle hemmed dresses being the only exception - epitomised an understated elegance. The citrus coloured patchwork dresses and tops that dominated the first part of the collection were fresh in every sense of the term and the subtle approach to the use of colour was a nice break from some of the garish tones we've seen so far. As always the collection infused feminine details such as ruffle necklines and hems, white lace and nipped waists.
As the collection progressed it became slightly more clinical on looks like a white top with sheer volumous sleeves but the use of yellow cuffs and blue ruffle details on said shirt, instantly made it feel modern teamed with a miniamlist navy skirt. The collection also became darker towards the end adding an alternative to this season's love of all things colour.
Despite being the face of Versace, January Jones decided not to opt for the brand as she walked the black carpet yesterday at the premiere of 'X-Men: First Class'. Instead she opted for this navy and black Preen dress teamed with a simply curled hair and green eyeshadow. Although we're big fans of Preen, the shape of the dress and unfortunately the shorter part at the front was unflattering on Jones.
I've always been a fan of Thakoon Panichgul and now even more so after his Spring/Summer 2011 show yesterday. Cementing white as the new colour of the season, the designer was a lot more playful with the neutral palette than we've seen so far. Despite the chiffon sleeves and floaty maxi dresses, the Thakoon girl isn't demure at all. If we had his way we'd be baring all come Spring. Dresses mainly came in short styles but even on simple maxi dresses the legs were the focal point as they often came in sheer fabrics, Lady Gaga style.
Again like brands such as Preen the appeal was all in the detail. Dresses came in what looked like subtle floral prints in lilac with eyelets running down the front. Structured jackets added an edge in a collection that was dominated by softer silhouettes. Amongst the neutrals appeared blue snakeskin on a mini dress and on a high waisted skirt and like Alexander Wang, Thakoon also played with silver on sheer maxis and oversized blouses and waistcoats. Whilst aligning himself with the the key themes this season, Thakoon did offer something additional and interesting.
Like last season, design duo Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi played with tailoring but with a Preen twist adding an interesting interpretation of this seasons's minimalism, which the brand already do so well. A grey belted single breasted jacket styled with what looked like embroidered cropped trousers stood out for their strong tailoring but femininity; as did a long grey wasicoat styled over a grey dress with Isamic tile detail along the neckline.
This season's fresh and airy colour palette was dominant but the duo did offer some flashes of colour most notably on a electric blue tuxedo and black appeared on simple tops tucked into pleated skirts and on sheer dresses. Although at first glance the collection looked minimal, it quickly became clear that you had to sit up and pay attention because on a second look, each piece had a unique detail from a intricate tiling effect inspired by a recent trip to Egypt or beuatiful pleating on high waisted skirts.
