I have been in London now for over 5 weeks during which much of my time has been spent bracing the chill, shielding from the rain and amongst the crowds on the high streets of London. However irrespective of this and the gloomy economic climate that London is encountering at present, I am treated to many, many stylish women sashaying down the streets exhibiting many of the different trends of the season whilst managing to look effortlessly stylish and at the same time ticking many of the ‘On Trend’ boxes. I truly feel like a child to a candy store when I walk past the window displays of the array of designer boutiques and high street designer stores, and when I actually enter I remember to myself why it is I love London so, as for me London represents the fashion today, predicts precisely the fashion of tomorrow and has the legacy of the fashion of yesterday. London exudes style, and it has to be said that real London fashion is on the High Streets where we are spoilt for choice of stores that host affordable to all, whether you are skinted or minted as they say in London, wonderful interpretations of what is on the international catwalks. The accuracy of what the high street is hosting today can clearly be measured by the women walking the streets of London who are managing to replicate very intelligently what is on the international fashion set.
So what exactly is the fashion quotient the ladies walking the high streets of London are exhibiting?
My personal favourite look that I have seen time and time again and is being portrayed in almost every high street designer store on the streets of London is the cute ditsy dress toughened up by either an 80’s denim or cropped bikers leather jacket and worn with thick tights and slouchy boots. Great look for the London Chill, once the heat rises the cropped biker leather jacket can be replaced by a denim or leather gilet, the tights can go and a pair of gladiator sandals or a slouchy pair of sandal boots can take the place of the slouchy boots.
Oh so bang on trend…
A great interpretation of a Prada printed dress by Miss Selfridge
A very cute feminine dress that can very easily be toughened up and softened up..
The perfect sandal boot by Dune that can be teamed up with most of this season’s trends, and surely can be taken forward to the next….
Oh so beautiful and bang on trend by Dune, the chain mail feature provides a combination of uber chic, glitz and high fashion, perfect for those summer months lying ahead…
Miss Selfridge has hit trumps with this great interpretation of a fab Chloe pair of Utilitarian sandals. These sandals are a major fashion statement in their own right.
Intricate embroidery and feminine tailoring can be toughened up by this leather biker jacket or leather gilet both by Oasis
Many of the women on high streets of London are braving the cold with their skater-styled swinging skirts with hot print action. Of course during this cold period no bare legs are to be seen as they are covered with thick tights and worn with slouchy boots or brogues. This statement skirt is being sported with a classic white vest and boyfriend cardie, blazer and big oversized scarf and some are even teaming their uber stylish skirts with a casual parka. During the summer months ahead, the tights will go, the boots or brogues will be replaced by the new wide chunkier pared back gladiator or ballet pumps, and out will come some sexy camisoles and blouses.
Topshop’s beautiful animal print skater-styled skirt will definitely turn heads.
Karen Millen’s silk georgette skater-styled skirt with all over asymmetric ruffles is so on trend as ruffles seem to be everywhere…..
Oh what lovely versions of the new multi-strap gladiator, as well as working well with the skater styled skirts, will also work well with cropped jeans, floral dresses and shorts….
Many very brave women with very well shaped pins are wearing shorts and a long tee, of course the staple London thick tights, slouchy boots or brogues and a tweed jacket or a military jacket. The combination of ladylike and utility is fab and the result is effortlessly chic..
New Look always comes up trumps when picking up key looks and making them wearable and affordable for every day. Great embellished utilitarian jacket which is bang on trend..
Many of the power dressers are seen dressed in grey suits teamed with camel coloured coats with nude coloured shoes. Nude shoes seem to be working their way through to the evenings too, it’s no wonder as they are a real figure-fixer as a flesh-toned pair of heels will add inches to anyone’s legs……
Stunning 1971 Reiss Platform sandal with cutwork cuff, will look uber chic with a flirty mini or a sassy lbd and make those pins look endless. Will look very high fashion with cropped harem pants……
Cropped harem pants are very much still on the high streets of London but are teamed up with cropped jackets and wooden heels. Wow the combination is breathtaking and is an effortless combination of high fashion and the high street.
A wooden heel looks so hot right now. Whether buckled, with cut-out details or in sheer mesh, it’s time to bring on the natural look. For the summer seasons will work well with summer dresses, skater-styled skirts, shorts, actually most pieces from this season….
Of course many of the women on the high streets are playing it safe especially as there still seems to be no sign of the summer months but just cold, overcast and rain…. Jeans are always a safe bet, many are sporting skinnies tucked into boots (ankle, high, slouchy, UGG, wellies, you name it), some like me are brave enough to team up with ballet pumps. Some of the uber stylish girls are wearing relaxed boyfriend jeans teamed with parkas and brogues – very young student style. Many of the women are sporting denim cropped jackets, denim shirts, denim skirts but the most exciting denim look I have seen here on the high streets of London is the dunga dress. The dunga dress was teamed up with a black and white striped tee, thick tights, brogues and a trench coat. Very stylish and fashion savvy, pure magic! For the summer months to come, off go the tights and on come on a pair of gladiators.
Stella McCartney inspired Dunga-dress by Oasis
What are the key looks that I loved whilst on my travels through the high streets of London?
Matt nude comes alive with sparkly details for a luxe look. This delicately embellished nude shift dress is just divine, very glamorous and has got a real vintage look about it even though it ticks all the On Trend Boxes. This dress is a modern take on party wear as the silhouette is uber modern but the embellishment harks back to another era. One could say it’s almost art deco, teamed with a pair of nude sandals pure perfection for an evening out…. 
Slouch Sequin Embellished Tank Dress by Reiss
The soft, fluid jersey is the season’s most flattering trend as it targets problem areas with strategically placed drapes and very intelligent structuring. This trend has translated very well onto the high street as this incredibly feminine draped jersey dress made out of super lightweight jersey will skim rather than cling, and has been nipped in at the curve of the back and has a waist belt resulting in a very soft look that will enhance any figure.
This is a look I am definitely loving and I intend to toughen this soft look with a washed leather gilet and slouchy sandal boots or the fab utilitarian sandals… This look is oh just so London, and oh just so effortlessly stylish.
I am a real fan of the maxi dresses as they are so easy wearing and yet so laid back stylish. So was overjoyed to see many of the high street stores having floor-sweeping maxi dresses, they can be so easily dressed down for the day, I would team up with a cropped denim jacket and gladiators for a dressed down look for the day and in order to take the dress into the evening lose the cropped denim jacket and would team up with metallic wedges and statement jewelry, perfect for those Indian Summer nights.
Monsoon’s gorgeous floor length maxi dress
A walk on the high streets of London is a fashion journey that must be taken by all those fashionistas who want to know exactly what it takes to be In Vogue………….
Posted by : Pollyana Patel at 03:33 AM
Edith Barker & Pollyana Patel quickly became friends after meeting in Bangalore, India. Edith has a dual career in psychotherapy and fashion public relations; Pollyana is an image consultant, model, and the brand ambassador for Ritu & Rochana. They currently have two projects in development under Barker & Patel, and have agreed to join the FashionFad team to share their travels, experiences and musings
Ritu and Rochana is an India based fashion label with a global view. It is the culmination of collaboration between two designers with diverse experiences and similar sensibilities- Ritu Pande and Rochana Dubey Mitra. Within 1 year of its launch in India, Ritu and Rochana is already retailing from Fuel in Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune, Chamomile in Mumbai, Aura in Nagpur, D’designers in Jakarta, Origins in Hyderabad and Ritu and Rochana Design Studio, Bangalore. 
entrepreneurial ambitions and a need for creative freedom, Rochana set up her own design studio in 2001 where she sold under her eponymous label making western and indo-western semi-formals for the contemporary Indian working woman. Two years later, a move to Bangalore resulted in a merging of creative energies by Rochana Dubey Mitra and Ritu Pande . The label Ritu and Rochana was born. Together they crafted a brand that valued itself for its commitment to the art of dress-making, to the functionality of design and most importantly to making a woman feel truly beautiful. The brand creates an exclusive line of western ensembles and prides itself as one of the few in Bangalore, creating truly elegant evening wear. 