At last, our legs are out and summer is here. First on the shopping list for me is any one of the French collections that have a way of making the hotter months look easy in the wardrobe department. Petit Bateau‘s cute mini dress is a great way to make this point. Crisp white details, check. Gold highlights, check. Chic navy colour, check. Wearable, easy shape… Check! The entire Petit Bateau collection is a love letter to holiday life – a tomato pea coat, a striped tee dress plus jersey scarves to cosy up in when the sea breezes get up. Yes, please!

It was Coco Chanel who created the wardrobe we still choose to wear each sumer. She created the first jersey dresses, a fabric that had previously been worn for mens sportswear. Chanel also took the Breton shirts – and stripes – worn by fishermen and turned them into high fashion statements. It’s hard to imaging how women survived before the fashion genius had her lightbulb moment but it’s impossible to imagine life without it.

American Vintage, despite its name, is another Paris-based label that creates a whole wardrobe of bright and breezy jersey pieces. One of the freshest things about American Vintage is its endless variety of interesting colours which work with the season but without slavishly following it. Its vivid cactus green has an aqua tint which means it works with marine blue, sunshine yellow and sunset red: the best colours of summer. A friend recently bought the scarf and she hasn’t taken it off since.

Chic and shapely, the Paris style we all crave is certainly seen at its best in the sunshine months. Having flirted with busy prints this year I’ve decided to make the most of the moment and return to the simple dictates according to La Chanel so it’s bonjour! to plain jersey, sneakers, tees and unadorned denim. If it worked for a fashion genius, who am I to tinker with the perfect recipe for summer dressing?

Yep, those are the deliciously skinny Bonn jeans in the ’42 Rosy’ finish from MiH looking as though they belong on SJP’s legs. the mid-blue denim is shaded delicately pink so these beauties work really well against nude summer skin. MiH is known for it’s superb cut and fashion credentials so there’s never-ending stream of celeb spottings for this London-based denim specialist.

I just discovered Melissa shoes. I know I’m late to this particular story but I was never convinced that these fabulously glamorous plastic shoes could perform as well as they look. I was wrong. Now I’ve lived with my Melissa pumps for a few weeks I am a convert for several reasons, beginning with the fact that they look like little jewels on my feet.

With 40 years of history, Melissa,is a true pioneer. The brand has come a long way since its first simple models inspired by fishermen’s shoes in the south of France to heavyweight design collaborations with names such as Jason Wu. The strategy seems to be working well, with products reaching roughly 60 countries and worldwide recognition growing continuously. Melissa shoes are made from a single material, Melflex, which is moulded via an injection process. This means that the factory has almost zero waste, glue is not required and the shoes are 100% recyclable.

I was somewhat sniffy (sorry) about just how fragrant a pair of plastic shoes can remain after a day in the city and I was amazed to realise that not only do Melissa shoes come with their own delicate perfume but that their fragrance does actually last. Plus, and this is no small benefit, they are entirely wipe clean, so no stains and no ruined leather or canvas once those pesky summer showers do their worst.

If, like me, Melissa shoes seemed to be too good to be true, I’m here to tell you they really are as brilliant as they look.

If you haven’t checked out Lucas Hugh yet, these gorgeous leggings reviewed by the fabulous website Sportsister.

Read more at http://www.sportsister.com/2013/03/30/lucas-hugh-lexington-leggings/#o31yyJmRC4cmxQot.99

Our fabulous open knit sweater by Avelon is worn out and about by Heroes star Ali Larter – a walking advertisement for how to rock a summer knit. Cream silk shorts, check; cream silk shirt, check… Hang on, that’s it other than a nice pair of shades. Try it you way – it’s in the SALE!

Come and join us at the Vitality Show in London’s Earl’s Court from March 21-14. You’ll find us on stand Y244. Vitality Virgin? Here’s a few of the great reasons (apart from coming to see us, of course):

Over 30 free yoga classes and the chance to try your hand at Table Tennis, chase a shuttlecock or reacquaint yourself with Rounders.

Over 60 hours of expert health and nutrition advice.

Over 30 specialist life and career coaches will help you conquer your confidence issues and realise your dreams.

Never fear…like, ever again – at the fear and phobia clinic where  you can get priceless advice and help from celebrity favourites Ali Campbell and Phil Parker.

The Lovestretch team hopes to see you there!

 

We’re fans of lots of fellow bloggers but one of the most instructive is Fashion Bomb (check it out). We found this great piece the other day which explains just how to wear colour… great if you’re putting together a colourful party look in the next few weeks and  vital for the next season, the brightest for years. We’ll all be needing this useful advice…

The color wheel is an excellent wardrobe tool! In fact it was one of the first things I learned about back when I studied Image Consulting at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Figuring it out isn’t too complicated. Here’s a quick breakdown:

1. Colors directly next to each other (i.e. yellow and yellow-orange; yellow and yellow-green; violet and blue-violet, etc.)

2. Colors that form right (90 degree) angles with each other (i.e. yellow and red-orange; blue and violet-red; green and orange, etc.)
3. Colors directly across from each other (i.e. yellow and violet; blue and orange; red and green, etc.)
4. Colors that form a T (i.e. blue, orange, and violet-red; yellow, violet, and red-orange; yellow, blue-green, and red-orange, etc.)
5. Colors that form an X (i.e. blue, orange, violet-red, and yellow, violet, blue-green, and red-orange, etc.)

Since brown is a neutral, it will go with virtually any color on the color wheel. I love to pair a chocolate brown with cobalt blue or fuchsia or bright red—such a fun and bold combo. Of course white, black, and the hues of blue found in denim are also neutrals that go with just about anything.

Colors that are a part of a “color family” also apply. So for instance, you can substitute pink with red and still be able to pull off the combos based on the color wheel. Get it? Good.

As for accessories, I’m definitely not a fan of colored jewelry or belts, but go crazy with colored hats, bags, shoes, or scarves. When choosing jewelry, pair gold (or gold-toned) jewelry with your warm colored outfits. Warm colors have a yellow, gold, or orange undertone to them. Wear silver (or silver-toned) jewelry with your cool colored outfits. Cool colors have a blue, pink, or red undertone to them. Since colors are broken down by hue, temperature, intensity, and tone any single hue can be either warm or cool. Just look at the undertones.

You can also use the color wheel when coming up with color combinations for your makeup. It can help you decide which makeup color to wear so that you don’t match your eyeshadow with your outfit.

And there you go—a breakdown of how to use color combinations to spruce up your wardrobe. You’ll be looking more fab in no time.

 

It’s easy to overlook the importance of good posture but you’d be amazed at the benefits. Discomfort, injury and back-pain can all be eradicated through improved posture and sporting performance can be enhanced.  Running particularly relies on the core muscles to achieve efficiency in propelling the arms and legs. There are few better ways of improving posture than through regular Yoga or Pilates workouts.

What is good posture? Being able to maintain the body in an upright position without leaning either sideways or forwards during running is the best posture to strive for.  This way the strain is evenly distributed throughout the body, avoiding too much stress being placed on any one area.  Imagine a plumb line hanging from the top of your head along the centre of your body and try to keep it there.

How does good posture reduce the risk of injury? Running engages muscles throughout the body, from the feet to the shoulders.  If we are unable to hold ourselves properly and bring the core muscles into play, we have a tendency to put strain on the joints or particular muscles as we compensate for poor posture.  Over time, this can lead to significant injury.

How do we improve posture? Activities such as Yoga and Pilates are recognised as improving posture and gradually strengthening the body through focussing on the core muscles as well as increasing stamina and flexibility.  It may be that you have developed a poor posture over time or that an area of weakness or injury has resulted in a poor stance as the rest of the body tries to compensate for the weakness.  Gently strengthening that area will automatically allow you to use it more effectively.

How does poor posture effect running? If our core muscles are not strong enough, we have less strength to propel the limbs and maintain the momentum to keep going.  The core muscles are the ‘powerhouse’ to the rest of the body and provide it with energy to move efficiently.

Posture also effects our ability to take in air properly.  If we don’t fill the lungs to capacity during running, we won’t be able to transport the much needed oxygen around the body.  Both Yoga and Pilates focus specifically on breathing to achieve the perfect technique, which can only help when we are out running too.

Pay attention to posture now and you’ll benefit into the future. As we age, we begin to struggle to maintain an upright posture as bone density reduces and the muscles naturally deteriorate.  High impact activities, like running are known to reduce the risk of Osteoporosis and improve muscle tone and bone density.  The combined gentle, gradual strengthening movements and positions of Pilates and Yoga, combined with running would provide a fantastic fitness regime to prevent the potential problems associated with ageing.

It’s understandable that we minimise the dramatic influence that posture can have on our everyday lives as well as our fitness.  We take our posture for granted and don’t really believe that there’s much we can do about it.  This is definitely not the case as we can all take control of our bodies and improve how they function.  The rewards are countless so get your Yoga mats out today.

If you catch The Real Housewives of New York, you’ll be able to spot Yummie Tummie’s Heather Thomson who has been drafted in as a new cast member. Naturally, this means that Yummie Tummie is featured in every single episode and why not – those Manhattan beauties have long employed its derriere-smoothing properties to good effect!

So Paige Denim has landed here at Lovestretch and we were just wondering how to get across how seriously nice they are when we found this pic of the Duchess of Cambridge wearing her Skyline Ankle Peg jeans courtesy of Just Jared celebrity news. Enough said, really, except to add that they’re selling out fast. Skyline is the jeans style for classy lovers of classic five-pocket denim.