HIGH STREET LOOKS

0 Comments | Sunday Herald, The, Mar 20, 2005 | by Fashion Eva Arrighi

White cotton embroidered flowers smock, pounds-35, Monsoon; white leather belt with gold discs, pounds-39.99, River Island; white cotton skirt, pounds-45, Hooch at House of Fraser; white wedge espadrille, pounds-49, LK Bennett White crochet knit deep V-neck sweater, pounds-35, Marks & Spencer Limited Collection; white crochet bikini, pounds-22, TopShop; silk tie-dyed batik scarf in brown with sequins, pounds-25, Marks & Spencer; chocolate woven leather sandal, pounds-35, Miss Selfridge White cotton cardigan, pounds-36, Monsoon; white cotton crinkle blouse, pounds-24.99, River Island; African necklace with tubular brass/white brown beads, pounds-15, Freedom Jewellery at TopShop; silver knotted-front leather sandal, pounds-50, Ted Baker White cotton gypsy skirt, pounds-45, Rocha by John Rocha for Designers at Debenhams; white linen shirt, pounds-82, Jigsaw; white linen shorts, pounds-22, Miss Selfridge; light tan woven leather sandals, pounds-24.99, Office

PALM BEACH PRINCESS

All buttoned up with lots of parties to go to? Ah, it must be last season's prim princess on vacation, and she's not just flirting with colour but boldly embracing it

THERE were an awful lot of wives about on the Spring/Summer 2005 catwalks, of the Desperate House and Stepford variety. Indeed, Marc Jacobs must have had both movies and the hit ABC series on rotation while designing the eponymous collection in New York and the Louis Vuitton collection in Paris, as both seemed to draw inspiration from the kind of sleek, groomed suburban women that make perfect cakes, marvellous curtains and make grateful love to their husbands. So okay, they may be bulimic, neurotic and like to get jiggy with the hired help, but who cares? They dress fabulously, to impress, and they are this season's fashion icons.

Gorgeous peacock and pastel concoctions that were almost toothachingly sweet were seen in all the fashion capitals and this is what last season's prim lady-like fashion has morphed into. More Palm Beach Princess than English Country Aristo, tweed jackets and wool skirts have been replaced with floaty, flouncy party dresses designed to be worn with peep-toe sandals, cute clutches and a wide slice of polish.

Pretty as a picture and accessorised with starlet red lipstick, Julien McDonald's collection was also frill seeking in London, harking back to the glamorous daytime looks of the Forties and Fifties, with full skirts and jewelled bodices aplenty. With Marc Jacobs and Miuccia Prada rather disappointingly both putting their experiments with embellishment and colour into storage for next season (grim, drab, sludgy are back for autumn/winter, oh joy! ) you feel that while you still can, you should enjoy throwing on the sparkles, indulging in shamelessly feminine frocks and generally looking very girly indeed, because it ain't going to last. So accept all those invites to cocktail parties, christenings, weddings, royal garden parties and days at the races. It's time to embrace your inner Bree Van De Kamp, ladies, and even if you don't have a clue how to make the perfect souffle, you can damn well look like you do.