Eileen Fisher’s sustainability plan, an H&M beauty collection, a popular fashion flick turns into a musical, and other fashion stories that made the rounds this week.

• The Devil Wears Prada is being turned into a musical by Tony-award-winning producer Kevin McCollum.
• On Tuesday Farfetch acquired renowned London boutique Browns “to develop and test new retail and omni-channel strategies”.
• Marks & Spencer teams up with Lulu Kennedy for a Tulum-inspired 19-piece collection.
• Pitch Perfect star Rebel Wilson is designing a plus-size holiday 2015 capsule collection in collaboration with Torrid.
• This Fall H&M is launching a beauty collection that will feature over 700 products.
• Free People is branching out into bridal wear.
• Eileen Fisher announces plans to achieve “100 percent sustainability” by 2020.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli is considered the pioneer when it comes to incorporating hands into fashion. She was influenced by surrealism, worked with artists like Jean Cocteau and Salvador Dalí, and her 1934 collection “showed belts made from hands, a handbag with hand fasteners, and a jacket decorated with a hand motif”.

This ensemble was inspired by a Summer outfit formula I suggested in 2012 and that has been repinned 618 times on Pinterest. It’s one of the simplest ensembles I’ve posted, so it just goes to show the popularity of casual outfits that are comfortable and easy to put together. 

Here’s the updated version with more variety in each of the components. It’s the type of outfit you can wear in very casual settings. As a Mum on the go at the park, out and about at the beach, lake or pool, or on a hot day at home. Two things make this outfit a little more special. Most importantly the top, which is more interesting than a basic T-shirt. Next, the footwear, which is a step up from rubber flip flops.

Here’s the updated version:

Here are the components:

Denim Shorts: Choose a pair of denim shorts in blue or white at a length that works for you. From short shorts and mid-thigh lengths to denim Bermudas and longer clamdiggers. Jeans that have been cut off to create shorts work well too. Boyfriend denim shorts are another way to go, but might require a belt to hold them up. Shorts that fit on the waist without a belt are an easier and more comfortable option. 

Interesting Casual Top: Think beyond the basic T-shirt. For starters I’ve used a striped tee with side seam beading, a ruffled white boho top, a kimono blouse, a shark’s bite tunic, and an asymmetrical tank top. But there are many more styles of casual top to consider in either a knit or woven fabrication. Choose any colour in a solid or pattern. Fluid or oversized fits work best for this very casual look 

Tunics are fab with tight clamdiggers if you’re shy about showcasing your thighs. Most tops can be worn out, but feel free to partially tuck the front for a little more structure. 

Footwear: Think updated casual footwear like Birkenstocks or other styles of soft footbed sandals. Thong sandals, gladiators, low wedge sandals, slip-on sneakers, flatforms, espadrilles, slides, Toms and loafers are other options. 

Hat: Think big floppy straw or felt hats, a straw fedora, Panama hat, or Western cowgirl hat. Choose any colour in the hat. No need to stick to neutrals if that’s not your cup of tea. 

Accessories: Choose a very casual bag like a straw tote, beach tote, upscale backpack, crossbody or leather tote. Finish off the look with jewellery, eyewear and watch as desired. 

I wore this outfit formula on holiday in hot Arizona last month. I combined a pair of old and long denim cut-off shorts with a white cropped waffle knit top, white loafers, a casual red suede clutch, and straw cowgirl hat. Apart from the shorts, here are the exact items of the outfit. The loafers were a tad dressy for the look, but it worked well nonetheless.

Three jewellery experts give advice on where to begin if you are thinking about starting a fine jewellery collection.

After acquiring new or vintage pieces you of course want to keep your treasures in shipshape condition. That’s when these tips on how to clean and take care of your jewellery will come in handy.

Curious about what people in the know collect themselves? The In My Jewellery Box series let’s us take a peek at their favourite treasures.

PopSugar shares a roundup of delicate jewellery pieces to layer to your heart’s content, while The Fashion Spot brings us 11 Emerging Jewellery Designers You Need to Know.

Miss Moss’s yearly roundup of her favourite jewellery designers always provides plenty of eye candy.

Fab Links from Our Members

Ledonna N. likes the blog “I Go By Frankie”, and wants to share a video in which Freddie talks about the empowerment of women in and through fashion.

Angie points us to a delicious pastel wardrobe capsule in peach and mint from In My Joi on Already Pretty. The blogger shares what she learned while building her first mix-and-match wardrobe capsule.

After reading this article about the 1973 Paris fashion show fundraiser to help restore the Palace of Versailles, a “pivotal American fashion moment”, Joy wants to read Robin Givhan’s book about the event.

Caro in Oz loved this extract from a Brain Pickings article on Ursula K. Le Guin: “Beauty always has rules. It’s a game. I resent the beauty game when I see it controlled by people who grab fortunes from it and don’t care who they hurt. I hate it when I see it making people so self-dissatisfied that they starve and deform and poison themselves. Most of the time I just play the game myself in a very small way, buying a new lipstick, feeling happy about a pretty new silk shirt.”

Casual maxi skirts that are flat and straight in front, like the Stem Maxi skirt on the right, look a little off to my eye. I think that’s because you can’t see two separate legs behind the expanse of fabric. It creates what I call “uni-leg”. The feet that peek out from under the hem of the skirt look spare and lost. 

I do like a maxi skirt that shows a bit of leg, like the knit layered long skirt from Banana Republic below. Thanks to the front side slit, you can see that there are two legs under the expanse of fabric. The subtle exposure of the leg further grounds the position of the feet. Leg exposure is maximized in motion when the slit spreads on either side of the leg as you stride. 

This particular skirt is a winner and looks AMAZING in person. Very alluring and modern, yet adequately covered. The front side slit does not spread to the point of indecency, and the pencil skirt portion — like a slip underneath — is sufficiently long. Petites should purchase the petite length for better proportions. Pair it with flat or heeled footwear.

The Draped Jersey Maxi Skirt from Helmut Lang is more covered than the style from Banana Republic because the slit does not spread quite as much when you’re standing still or in motion. But the concept is similar and the subtle exposure of the legs prevents uni-leg.

Maxi skirts with high-low hemlines prevent uni-leg because the shorter front hem exposes some of the leg, which grounds the position of the feet. Also, midi skirts that are flat and straight in front,  but a good six to eight inches shorter than the Stem Maxi skirt, avoid uni-leg by exposing more of your legs. 

Of course, my dislike of uni-leg is very subjective and definitely tied up with my complicated relationship with casual maxi skirts in general.

What do you think?