Acid wash denim needs no introduction if you were a teen or young adult in the late ‘80s. It’s denim that is stone washed in a particular way to create a marbled and mottled effect. Despite the name, no acid is used. The marbled effect is bolder on dark denim, and more subtle on faded denim. Back in the day, we wore acid wash jeans, dungarees, boxy denim jackets and shirts. 

Acid wash denim has been back for a couple of years, but it’s not mainstream at all. It has gained momentum this year but is still quite fringe. Most of the denim washes are blue, but some are black and grey. You’ll find acid wash jeans in just about any style, from jeggings, skinnies and straight legs, to boyfriends and track pant silhouettes. Styles are high, mid and low in the rise. There are also acid wash shorts and denim jackets as seen below.

I like acid wash jeans, especially in faded blue denim because there the effect is softer and prettier. I wore them thirty years ago and would absolutely wear them again. It’s like wearing abstract patterned denim in shades of blue and white, so why not? It’s refreshing to see acid wash jeans that aren’t highly distressed. I would also entertain the idea of an acid wash denim jacket.  

I like acid wash jeans best when they are worn with a black or white top, topper and footwear. As much as I love to wear bright colours, there is something about acid wash that is screaming to be paired with graphic neutrals. It “cleans up” the acid wash if that makes sense. Pairing acid wash with grey is moodier, and works quite well if grey is your neutral. It also looks great with ink blue. 

Here are two fab acid wash jeans outfits I found on Pinterest, in both cases combined with a black and white support act:

• Acid wash with cables, spikes and geek chic specs.
• Acid wash with shearling, flat booties and a 2.55.  

Over to you. Would you wear acid wash denim, or does it bring back bad ‘80s memories?

An exhibition focussing on mourning attire, Vivienne Westwood’s new uniforms for Virgin Atlantic, Nicolette Mason’s collaboration with ModCloth, and other fashion news that hit the wires this week.

• Starting 9 July, Net-a-Porter is branching out into activewear. The appropriately named Net-a-Sporter will carry 37 brands covering 11 types of sports.
• Check out this already much talked about collab: Nicolette Mason has teamed up with ModCloth for an 11-piece capsule collection.
• DKNY plans to expand its business within the Middle East region, and this week presented its Summer 2014 Ramadan Capsule Collection.
• This Fall, the “Death Becomes Her” exhibition at the Met’s Costume Institute will focus on mourning attire in the Victorian and Edwardian era.
• Ugg is branching out into the tween market with “I Heart Ugg”, a new line of footwear, loungewear, accessories and handbags.
• Vivienne Westwood’s new uniforms for Virgin Atlantic were unveiled on Wednesday. 
• Guess founder Georges Marciano returns to fashion with GM, his own denim focused clothing line.

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that football boots originally weighed half a kilo (double that weight when they were wet), and often had steel toe-caps and tacks as cleats? This type of shoe continued to be the norm for about 30 years until the game started to gain popularity outside of Europe.

July the 4th is Independence Day in the United States, which is all about red, white and blue. This was the inspiration for today’s ensemble, but I’m focusing on the blue and white and leaving it to you to add the red. It should be an easy ensemble to pull together with items that are already in your closet. Fab for super relaxed settings in hot weather, like barbecues, boat trips and beach picnics. 

You can use almost any variation of blue and white, and feel free to incorporate patterns. Here are the components of the ensemble:

Bottoms: Think blue or white denim jeans, shorts, cropped pants and clamdiggers. Think casual white or blue chinos and linen pants rolled at the hems, or cotton shorts. A casual white skirt or blue skirt will also work. A white dress topped with a blue denim jacket is another way to go. 

Tops: Match a casual white top with blue bottoms, or a casual blue top with white bottoms. Wear a shade of blue on top with blue jeans, or pair a white top with white bottoms for white-out. Think tees, slubby linen and cotton knitwear, knitted tops, upscale sweatshirts, striped tops, silk tees, drape front blouses or relaxed oversized shirts. Leave the top untucked, or partially tuck the front and add a white, metallic or blue belt. 

Footwear: Think white, blue or metallic casual footwear like sandals, sneakers, espadrilles, slipper flats and loafers. I vote no heels unless it’s a very casual wedge. Complete the look with a white shoe if you’re wearing a blue top and bottom. Complete the look with a silver, white or blue shoe for white-out. 

Accessories: I vote white, blue, metallic or straw bag. Add a blue bag to white-out if your shoes aren’t blue. Or add a patterned white and blue Summer scarf for white-out. A straw hat works well in a shade of tan or white. By all means wear a blue hat if that’s more your cup of tea. Add jewellery, watch and eyewear as desired.   

Add a red item to the ensemble if that helps you to get into the 4th of July spirit. Sport coral instead of red if combining red, white and blue in one outfit is not your thing. Or bring strawberries to the barbecue or picnic as your splash of red.

Happy 4th of July!

After seeing forum member Shevia’s brilliant take on this gingham with white and cognac accents outfit, I had fun doing some reading on the history of gingham.

I also enjoyed seeing how six POPSUGAR editors styled five gingham shirts and one dress.

And I found extra inspiration on how to wear this fun pattern in current and on trend ways on these three pinboards: Lindsey Turner’s Gingham Style, Valley of the Shoes’ Gingham board, and last but not least, My Small Wardrobe Carelia’s Gingham pins.

Fab Links from Our Members

Fieldmouse found these hilarious guidelines for how to really dress for your body shape. 

These pattern mixes are for men’s Fall fashion, but Joy is inspired too. And so am I, Joy!

With the recent forum discussions about contrast dressing, milehighstyle (Linda) thought that Imogen’s blog post on Getting Your Value Contrast Levels Right might be helpful.

Journalist Esther Honig sent a photo of herself to 40 Photoshoppers from more than 25 countries with the request that they “make her beautiful”. While this is a limited survey, Laurinda thinks it presents an interesting sampling of what is considered “beautiful” around the world.

L’Abeille only recently discovered Mr Selfridge, the TV-series telling the story of the iconic London department store, on Netflix, and was hooked after one viewing. “Has anyone else seen it?”, she asks.

Ummlila came across Ladypockets, a blog that makes fun of all the tropes about trivializing the work of women in power by talking about their clothes and hairstyles, rather than the importance of their work. Ummlila adds that “the blog is indeed funny and relevant, but I agree with The New York Times that it does not hurt to show how women in power really dress, just so that there are appropriate role models out there”. 

Angie loved this roundup of Memorable White Shirt Moments Through the Decades. She’s going with Sharon and Uma as her best.

Angie also recommends this post on Already Pretty in which Sally asks the question: for whom are you dressing? The older Sally gets, the more she strives to dress only for herself.