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London was no New York! With Brexit (Britain's exit from the European Union) looming, designers are clearly rattled. Not knowing what the future holds and how this will impact them financially, many didn't hold a traditional show and when they did, some played it super safe. Others threw caution to the wind with a chaotic palette. We were tempted not to stop in London this time around. But my girls spotted a few interesting items and so we transform this trip into a learning experience.... It is a quick pit stop on our way to Milan and Paris. Neo-Afro Post Modernism Doru Olowu is a young Nigerian designer best known for his innovative combinations of patterns and textiles drawn from his own native land. Looking at his work showed, once again, the influence Africa has on western designers and it gave me a better insight into the mind of the late, great Yves St. Laurent. The French couturier was born and raised in Morocco, an area of the world which impacted his designs throughou...

Another city, another chaotic fashion week! There were lots of clothes--some clownish others ho-hum...very little capturing the fancy of my girls. We nearly skipped over this fashion capital, but then you know what happened.... A few looks caught their discerning little eyes. So here is what they found! Ruffled! At the end of the day, most of my dolls have girly-girl tastes. This group has as many (or as few) ruffles as any girl could want. I'm not sure I would wear any of this, but if you are a doll--preferably a playline or fashionista Barbie, a Monster High or a My Scene..these dresses are perfectly suited for you. What's particularly new and fresh here are the dresses bursting with ruffled prints and patterns! Katoucha shows what happens when you transform an animal print into perky little dress. This is essentially a strapess tube dress topped off with rows of striped and spotted ruffles. Short Stop In London, there are two dominant lengths for summer--super short, very lo...

The chaos continues. All of the unrest, the socio-economic uncertainty, political mayhem seems to have leached into the design community. Again, much of what we saw ran the gamut of safe, very conservative garments to overly designed costumes....a sort of throwing everything to the wind. The girls decided not to stay very long here. But before they left, we had an exercise in how to be inspired by the spirit or a detail of a garment. Hyde & Seek This is a story about leather which the girls just love. Instead of coats and jackets, leather is treated like a fabric and fashioned into flirty skirts and dresses. This group signed by British designer, David Koma, reminded me pf my intentions to update my tutorial on working with leather. Let me give you a hint....glove weight leather sews like fabric! Katoucha's outfit is a combination leather (the bodice) and a leather-like coated fabric (skirt). I made the two items separately so that I can use them for other looks. Katoucha's...

Well.....here's the problem. There is still a lot of chaos in this part of the world. Designers are still trying their best to function while the ramifications of BREXIT (exit from the European Union) hover above. Many are playing it safe with commercial (read "boring") collections, while other toss everything to the wind in a flight of chaotic fantasy. The problem is...after you dismiss the under or over designed frocks, that which is left resembles.... New York. That said....my girls were not going to leave empty handed (die hard fashionistas that they are), so they made their pick, jazzed it up a bit with a few fun accessories then headed to the catwalk to strut their stuff! Crispy Cremes White continues to be a strong trend for Spring Summer 18. Fabrics like crisp cottons, Indian weaves--have a lot of structure which lend well to shirtwaist dresses, tiered skirts & tees, or even a simple top over wide legged trousers. Foiled! Houston...we have a lift-off.... color...