New Year, New Style

source:www.style.com

It's time for auld acquaintances to be forgotten as the New Year approaches us, and the same can be said for fashion. It’s time to put away your sequinned mini dresses, 80’s inspired, flash dance style crop tops and androgynous biker jackets and opt for a fresher, prettier and more feminine style for 2010.

As the emperor of femininity and girly style, Valentino’s spring 2010 collection was the hallmark for this new trend. The Italian designer’s collection was a conglomerate of lace, ruffles and bows breathing a breath of fresh air onto the catwalk, previously dominated in 2009 with 80’s style body-con dresses and fetish leathers. The style was echoed by Dolce and Gabbana’s collection, which featured heavily with lace. However, the Italian duo brought an androgynous edge to their collection using a monochrome colour scheme. Avoiding white and opting for hues of nudes, sorbets and creams is important to save this sweet style from bringing to mind wedding bells and bridal chic.

A similar freshness and femininity was brought to the 2010 catwalk collections with Dolce and Gabanna’s rose prints that were featured primarily on camis, skirts and shorts. Based on a colour scheme of blues, purples and reds the prints added a bold edge to the feminine silhouettes and shapes that were paramount.

High street stores Topshop and Miss Selfridge are stocking a number of lace and rose printed items that echo the feminine style hallmarked by Dolce and Gabbana and Valentino. Check out the feminine and flirty outfits both created by Gini which resonate this New Year’s style perfectly:

Created by gini ' on Avenue7.com

Created by gini ' on Avenue7.com

The Avenue7 Team wishes everyone a Happy, Happy New Year!

Posted by: Charlotte Day
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Christmas Letters

Dear Santa,

This year I thought I should write you a proper list. It should have been stuffed and filled with presents for everyone, not just for me. But then I realized, after eight hours of working in the office, cooking meals for the family, cleaning, washing and taking care of the small things which we all get wrapped around, you just want to rest and take a little care of yourself. Don’t worry, I understand, so I made this short but IMPORTANT wish list, which you would better not forget.

This Christmas I want: one pair of over the knee boots, a pair of leather pants, an oversized jacket, a Rodarte dress and a chunky knit. It’s not that much isn’t it? What, you think it’s too much? Ok then, I’ll make a new list:

After thinking and meditating on the importance of Christmas and the touch of magic it always brings, I hereby confirm that all I want for Christmas is peace in the world, and the lowering of the levels of CO2 emissions. There you have it! Oh, and a lot of beautiful presents to my family and friends! Wait… was I supposed to be truly honest? Well, I do want peace in the world, but I don’t really think of it every day and, yes, I have to admit, I had chicken salad yesterday. So, do you think I should change the list?

Yours sincerely,

Avenue7 Team

What about your letters to Santa Claus? What would you like this Christmas?

Happy holidays to all!

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Top 10 Users and their Outfits

As the end of the year draws to a close, we have made a list of the Top 10 users based on the quality of their outfits over the past one year together with their top outfit.

I present to you the Top 10 Users and their top outfit on Avenue7 for 2009.

1. Mary....C=

Created by Mary....C= on Avenue7.com

2. Mona P

Created by Mona P on Avenue7.com

3. Betsie

Created by Betsie J on Avenue7.com

4. shorty <3>

Created by shorty <3> on Avenue7.com

5. Caithlyn<3

Created by Caithlyn<3 on Avenue7.com

6. 'Megaaan;

Created by 'Megaaan; on Avenue7.com

7. ©Pote

Created by �Pote ~ on Avenue7.com

8.Amanda N

Created by Amanda N on Avenue7.com

9. Lottie

Created by Lottie M on Avenue7.com

10. gini

Created by gini ' on Avenue7.com

Congratulations to these users and we hope to see more of your stylish creations in 2010.
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Featured User of the Week: Gemma

This week's user is Gemma and she's been with Avenue7 for almost a year (8 more days to her 1 year anniversary! Congratulations Gemma and thanks for supporting Avenue7 all this time!). If you scroll through her outfits, you can see the progression of her style and outfits over time. They have gained maturity and sophistication in the past 1 year and her outfits look fabulous. See for yourself!

Created by *Gemma<3> on Avenue7.com

Created by *Gemma<3> on Avenue7.com

Created by *Gemma<3> on Avenue7.com

Created by *Gemma<3> on Avenue7.com

What don’t we kick things off with you telling us about yourself?
Hello! Thank you very much for picking me to be a featured user! It's a great honour. My name is Gemma. I'm 13 years old and I'm from the U.S.A. I love Avenue7 and all the people here! My hobbies are writing, listening to music, taking pictures, and being with friends and family. =)

How would you describe your sense of style?
I think my sense of style is a mix of vintage, modern, indie, and unique. =)

What other websites do you hang out at?
I hang out on Polyvore.com and Flickr.com.

How did you find out about Avenue7? Do you have any ideas on how we can get the ‘Avenue7’ word out more quickly?
I found Avenue7 through another website that had links to other fashion sites. We can get the word out on Avenue7 more through the people with Avenue7 accounts telling their friends to get accounts also. And get them to tell their friends. =)

Tell us a little about what you use Avenue7 for and why?
Avenue7 for me is a good way to express myself through clothes. =)

What are your 3 favourite outfits on Avenue7 and why?
Outfit name: Hontoni Kawaii Ishou Deshou? ^w^
Gemma's comments: Because its colorful , bright and makes me smile. =)

Created by �Pote ~ on Avenue7.com

Outfit name: lets conquer the world today - mixmatch competition outfit
Gemma's comments: Because its so simple and beautiful.

Created by Mona P on Avenue7.com

Outfit name: i dont like school nowadays
Gemma's comments: Because its very chic school girlish =)

Created by Betsie J on Avenue7.com

What are 3 products you really like from Avenue7 and why?

Cause im a converse freak. =)

Because its vintage and absolutly gorgeous.

Because it makes me smile and is so different.

Lastly, any suggestions for things you would like to see on Avenue7 and shout outs to people?
I would like to give a shout out to all my friends on Avenue7! Thank you so much for all of your comments , support , and all of the love! You guys are the best. Thank you for being amazing and making my time here on Avenue7 wonderful! =)

--

Thanks for the interview Gemma!
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How to Wear the Black Dress

Have you ever felt the despair and madness that comes when you have to go to a fancy event and have nothing to wear? When you throw all your clothes on the bed, hoping that some brilliant idea will pop in your head and you’ll be able to pull together an original and stylish outfit, but… nothing seems to work out, so everything goes back in the closet and the thought of the brilliant idea now seems to be far, far away. That’s when you realize you need a black dress, the Superman of the closet which always comes to rescue you, no matter the season.

Coco Chanel launched the black dress in the high-fashion world and made it a must-have item back in 1926, when the little black dress was featured in Vogue magazine. Since then, the shape and size of the dress went through several transformations, but if you plan on buying one, try to keep it simple (if it is your first LBD, of course)! I prefer a simple black dress because I know it will never go out of style, I can wear it during the day with a cardigan and flats, or as a cocktail dress with high-heels and the right jewelry. Right now, the bigger the accessories, the better! Huge metallic necklaces are mandatory if you want to look like a true fashionista. The dress has become shorter and shorter. Take this example of a Balmain very little black dress:



In the summer with sandals, during winter with boots, the black dress is the classic item that will always be on a “must-have top 10 list”, and the best thing is that you can draw inspiration from movies, fashion magazines, street-style blogs or even family pictures. One of the most famous black dresses was created by Hubert de Givenchy for Audrey Hepburn, in the classic movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”:




Here are some of your ideas on how to wear a black dress:

Created by UnderTaker on Avenue7.com

Created by - Mary. * on Avenue7.com

Created by Ghettochic on Avenue7.com

Till next time!

Avenue7 Fashion Insider
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