Summer Loving...Shorts!

Summer is finally here, well not yet in England, but the holiday is booked and extra sun cream is on the list and I just can't wait!


But did you know that patterned shorts are back in for this summer and are a must have in your suitcase.... 


Some of my favourite colours for patterns this season are: 
Tangerine Tango, an enticing juicy orange providing a jolt of energy
Ornamental Purple Scintillating and sexy an excellent choice for summer clothing
Light Lime, lifts spirits with its refreshing and stimulating glow.
Sky Blue brings order and calmness to mind.


Check out Aimee Song's style:

and for those that don't do patterns, how about these that wouldn't make you blush going to your in-laws?  Was Chloe's inspiration vintage bloomers I wonder?

Chloé

 And of course you definitely need some to party on the beach on - so how about these from Halston?

Halston Heritage

Have you got your styled shorts this summer? 
Why don't you share your favourite designer must have here?

Mirror, Mirror, which is your favourite of them all?

Colleen Atwood, three-time Academy Award-winning designer ("Chicago," "Memoirs of a Geisha," and "Alice in Wonderland") has recently designed the spectacular costumes for Snow White And The Huntsman - we fell in love with them!

Colleen Atwood drawing designs

Inspired by Turelli and Rome, because they do lots of operas with medieval costumes, she says: "I made the costume out of materials that blended with the environment and that would hold up under the situations that I had to put the costume through."


Designing Charlize Theron's Evil Queen wardrobe, was the fun part, according to the award-winning designer. "It was such a great character," she said, but her goal in creating the "evil looking" costumes were to maintain a sense of the human qualities. But as the character decays, so does the wardrobe.

This blue costume is made with beetle wings from Thailand which are beetles that they eat!  My favourite though is this feather coat that turns into a swarm of crows - aka The Birds from Hitchcock - amazing, I want one!

Costumes are Earthy, Intricate, and Architectural for "Snow White and the Huntsman"

"There are more symbolic elements in Ravenna’s costume and there’s always an element of trapped death in her costumes, such as the skeletal cage around her shoulders in her wedding costume" - supposed to look like children's bones!

Ravena's Wedding dress

So time to book your tickets now and let us know your favourite costume!

Blue Sky thinking for Spring 2013

Yes its that time already... thinking new colours for 2013!

One thing that I always find difficult as a designer is to be thinking about fashion trends 12-18 months ahead of where we are.

So already I'm scouring ideas for new colourways for Spring next year, even though it feels like we're hardly out of the woods of Spring this year - especially since June is turning out to be a very wet month here in London, summer definitely has not yet arrived!

Images from www.fashionising.com

So which are your favourite colours - which would you like to see added to the CarrieMe Collection next spring?

Our best memories from London's Jubilee Celebrations

Wow - the Brits really know how to throw a party with the 4 day extravaganza in London.  The Diamond Jubilee definitely lived up to its hype and we were all thrilled to be part of such a historic event and documenting it with our own photos.

Carrie was in Kingston on Saturday, joining the Trowlock Island Armada on the Thames with friends:

Start of the Trowlock Island Armada

Mario the skipper

Carrie - feeling patriotic with the flag

The Queen joins for the Garden Party afterwards

Eleonore meanwhile was mixing with real royalty at the Big Jubilee Lunch organized by Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly - she was lucky enough to spot Prince Charles really close up and here's the photo to prove it ... as she'd managed to wrangle her way into the papparazi pen!

Prince Charles

Prince Charles, Camilla, face painted boy with his proud mom. 

Carrie went to a few street parties and ate far too many delicious cocktail sausages and cake:

 Street Party outside the Churchill Arms

Street Party in the rain in Perrymead Street, Fulham

Eleonore made it to the Diamond Jubilee Concert, standing room only in the Mall, with a quarter of a million others! Everyone was really friendly and those around her felt so proud to be British.  

When the Queen arrived, an hour into the Concert, she was surprised that those around her started singing a spontaneous and beautiful "God Save the Queen" - a really moving moment.  All the acts were great, especially Madness on the roof with their amazing dressing of Buckingham Palace, but really it was the three legendary musicians: Sir Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Wonder that got the crowd going, singing the old favourites. Its probably the last time these greats will all share the same stage - what an honour to see them in the open air in such a setting!   

Fireworks in The Mall

Elton John

Stevie Wonder

Sir Paul McCartney

This is definitely a historic event to remember - we'll all be telling our children and grandchildren what an amazing spectacle it was and what a great high we got from being there! 

And what about you, what are you favourite moments from the Jubilee? 

Du bon gout des Parisiennes

Its summer time and it reminds me of my holidays in France, especially shopping in Paris but oh the ignominy of English style compared to the "romantic", "classy" and "chic" French!

Kanako
www.MyLittleParis.com

Paris can be a ruthless world where the pressure to look stylish is huge... and the true Parisienne translates this into an art form of seduction, discretion and elegance.  Her look is always well balanced and the word too much is not a part of her vocabulary.   

Kanako
www.mylittleparis.com

Kanako
www.mylittleparis.com

                                   

Does she ever let herself loose, like the way Londoners look surprisingly different and fresh?  Rarely!

In Almost French, Sarah Turnbull, an Australian writer who has lived in Paris since the mid-1990s, describes the French as highly sensitive to aesthetics and beware as the women judge quickly, she states: "As soon as a French woman meets another woman she’ll look her up and down, check out her clothes, her makeup, her shoes.  She’ll be thinking: “well, she might have nice blue eyes but she’s got a really big bum”." Ouch that hurts!!


Inès de la Fressange, Marion Cotillard and Carla Bruni are three of the most iconic French women known for their style. Check out their looks!

Inès de la Fressange
@Benoit Peverelli

Inès de la Fressange
www.public.com

Marion Cotillard
www.fabsugar.com
  

Marion Cotillard
@DR Fanny Bouton

Carla Bruni
www.lifestyletreats.blogspot.com

Carla Bruni
@Abaca

Which do you prefer?

'BE COOL'

The weather is getting hotter and hotter!! Finally a glimpse of sun.... but with it the things we try to avoid like looking sweaty.  Good news though, I have found a solutions to our problems in this great heat.

The Wet Hair Look – This season’s Cat Walk trend on the go.  

ELLEUK.COM Photo by MATT LEVER  

ELLEUK.COM Photo by MATT LEVER

ELLEUK.COM Photo by MATT LEVER

How do I achieve this look?

 #1 Spray wet your hair

#2 Crunch your hair in a styling mouse (while it's wet)

#3 Use any wet liquid shine gel

#4 Leave to air dry

Can you believe it, feels like I've just come out of the pool ... now that would be a cool thing to do on sunny Wednesday afternoon.  
Like this look? Let us know your chilled looks on a hot day or any advice for our readers?

Glamour Taste Of High Fashion

Tired? Need a sugar pick me up or a glamour snack to eat in this heat?
Doll up your break with the greatest designer cupcakes made by prop-styled Lisa Edsalv.

4 delicious cupcakes, inspired by Chanel, Christian Louboutin, Vera Wang and Louis Vuitton to feast your eyes on ... I know its making me feel hungry already!

VERA WANG
photographer Therese Aldgard




CHANEL
photographer Therese Aldgard

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN
photographer Therese Aldgard

LUIS VUITTON
photographer Therese Aldgard

So to console myself, I found this browsing around - easy fast love:


The Lazy Do-It Yourself Microwaved Carrot Cake - In A Mug 

Who would have thought?  
What else to do except choose my favourite cake - "Carrot Cake", so here goes:

Get a large coffee mug (I like to mix it in a bowl first) and put in:     
6 Tbs all-purpose
1 Egg
flour 2 Tbs sugar (brown or white depending on your taste, I used brown)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg .
mix your dry ingredients up with a fork and then add:
4 Tbs orange juice
2 Tbs oil 1
4 tsp vanilla
3 Tbs finely grated carrot
1 Tbs chopped pecans (optional)
1 Tbs raisins (optional) .
whisk together and make sure its mixed all the way to the bottom (don't want flour lumps!) put it in the microwave for 2 or 2 and a half minutes.... I then used canned butter cream frosting to put on top of the cake.

This wasn't my best attempt- can you do better?
 Send us your thoughts and pics of your microwaved cake!