Do you remember those light grey jeans you wore back in the 80’s? I do and it’s not a fashion trend that I wish to repeat. You may have noticed grey denim making it’s comeback this season both in gents and ladies casual wear. While I like the look for men, I don’t find it particularly appealing for women. I can’t boil it down to anything other than a personal preference. I love the adaptability and flattering aspect of dark blue denim. While light grey jeans can look nice, dark blue jeans look better. I’ll be bypassing the grey jeans trend this season – will you?

Fashion forward light grey jeans from Levi’s and Nordstrom.

London’s Indian cuisine, old and new architecture, urban edge and high style quotient make it a city that I love to visit. Much like Hong Kong and New York, you see cutting edge fashion being worn effortlessly on the street by everyday people going about their day. It’s fabulous. The London look is not about pristine fashion items that are perfectly coordinated. People mix old and ultra trendy pieces eclectically and tastefully. The end result is an urban and practical sense of style that really works.

After a few days on London streets last week, I concluded that the most popular look was skinny jeans tucked into fashion forward, flat or mid-heel, slouchy ankle and knee-high boots. Skirts with slouchy knee-length boots came a close second. Riding boots, tunics and trapeze jackets were also common, all of which made for a casual yet tailored sense of street fashion. And practical too. Tucking jeans into boots makes great sense when the weather is wet and chilly. Soggy feet and sopping pant hems are sure to put a damper on anyone’s day. Something I know all too well traipsing around the streets of Seattle.

Slouchy boots, like these styles from from UK footwear store Faith, are all the rage on the streets of London.

Family celebrations took me back to London last week. Despite a hectic schedule, I managed to peruse the High Street and my other favourite shopping districts. While fashion trends remain a worldwide phenomenon, regional, cultural and lifestyle differences tend to play a significant role when it comes to consumer trend adoption. In particular, what you find in British stores and American stores can be quite different. I love to compare fashion trends across the Atlantic, so here are some observations on the differences and similarities.

Differences:

1. The strong skirt trend was wonderful. From A-line to pencil, maxi to mini, plain to check and soft to structured, the choice was abundant. Skirts were as popular as pants, while dresses took a backseat.
2. The enormous selection of fabulous and comfortable 2-inch heeled shoes and boots was a breath of fresh air. While there were plenty of 3-inch plus peds around, stable heel heights were the order of the day.
3. Wide-legged pants were absent. I’d expected this trend to be huge, but I was wrong. It’s still all about skinnies and straight legs in London at the moment, which makes me thrilled that we have a wider choice in the US.
4. The small emphasis on hound’s-tooth and tartan also came as a surprise, since these patterns are very big in the US right now.

Similarities:

1. Purple and Hot pink were the primary focus. Black, white, teal, emerald, yellow, cobalt and red followed soon after.
2. Trapeze jackets continue to flood the market.
3. Tunics, skinnies, voluminous sleeves and blouses, oxfords, slouchy ankle boots, ruched calf length boots, riding boots and patent remain rampant.
4. The hottest fashion sneaker around is the All Star Converse in all it’s variations.

Clothing stores such as Zara, Marks & Spencer, Karen Millen, Mexx, Monsoon, Wallis, John Lewis, Reiss and Selfridges looked particularly good this time around; while footwear stores such as Berties, Office and Faith remain strong favourites. H&M, New Look, Jane Norman, Morgan and Topshop were a bit disappointing. I was inspired by London’s current skirt and slouchy ankle boot trend and came back with a few gems that I’m excited to wear.

Some of my favourites from Karen Millen in London.

If you like the trapeze jacket look, but you’re battling to find a shape that’s flattering, you might find these guidelines helpful:

• Length – it’s extremely important to get the length of this jacket right. The style is best when it grazes your hipbone. Going shorter can also work, but going longer can be tricky unless you have the body type (hour-glass, inverted-triangle or rectangle). If this style hits you on the wrong part of your thighs, it’s going to look dumpy. If you’re short waisted, try the petites department even if you don’t usually shop there.
• Tailoring – swing jackets have to fit snugly on the shoulders. You’ll end up with a sloppy shoulder if they don’t. Strong shoulder lines are essential for a flattering A-line silhouette.
• Sleeve width – opt for a sleeve that’s three quarter length and not as voluminous. This will add structure to your frame.
• Slightly swing – choose a style that swings out subtly and is not as wide at the torso.
• Keep it plain – select a fairly streamlined and basic version instead of a style that’s yoked, gathered and printed.

The trapeze jacket is not the best style for women with large bust lines. Well endowed woman still look best when they maximize the shape of their waistlines. I have been able to make A-line jackets work for this body type if I adhere to the guidelines above and keep the style unbuttoned to emphasize a long vertical line. Busty ladies can also opt for trapeze styles with V or scooped necklines (Icy hit the nail on the head with her suggestion yesterday).

All three of these Trapeze jacket styles are hipbone-grazing or shorter, streamlined and tailored. I can personally vouch for the yellow style on the left, which I own and is particularly flattering.