TREND I-SPY

  There's a chance you might not even know who she is but Zara Philips is technically a British princess is in fact 13th in line to the throne. Grand-daughter of The Queen, first cousin of William and Harry, she's spirited, athletic and very attractive. On July 30th in Scotland, she married another sporty-type, the former English rugby captain, Mike Tindall. Arriving on the arm of her father, Captain Mark Phillips, Zara wore a cap-sleeved, ivory silk gown designed by one of her grandmother's favorite couturiers, Stewart Parvin . The chevron-pleated bodice ended in dramatic inverted pleats on a dropped waist, designed to create a bell-shaped silhouette, while the concealed constructed corset had delicate fabric-covered buttons decorating the center back of the gown, running from the neckline to the hem. The groom wore a morning suit from Saville Row tailor, Cad and the Dandy  The ...

Jess Cartner-Morley of The Guardian   has pointed out that The Duchess of Cambridge has made some diplomatic fashion choices during her trip to Canada with husband Prince William. For example, the Princess has twice worn dresses designed by ErdemMoralioglu , a Canadian-born London designer, definitely an appropriate choice. I'd even go a step further and say that the Kate's wardrobe is wrought with symbolism. On Canada Day, she wore her cream Reiss "Nannette" dress, the same one she wore in her formal engagement portraits taken by Mario Testino. Her red maple-leaf fascinator was reminiscent of a hat worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, when she and Prince Charles toured Canada in 1983. A final touch was the Queen's Maple Leaf brooch which is on loan to the Duchess. The Queen, as Princess Elizabeth, wore the brooch on her first visit to Canada in 1951. Katherine wore the pin to decorate a stunning purple Issa dress. We'll never know how William...

I promise I'll stop soon with the all-things-Middleton obsession but not before I show the photos of Kate, ahem, The Duchess of Cambridge, with her husband and brother-in-law, just beyond adorable looking ... 

  Ok, I am a bit obsessed with them at the moment, but no more and no less than anyone else. I have always been a fashion democrat and the way they flaunt those High Street labels simply gladdens my heart. Loved this article courtesy of In Style Magazine Kate and Pippa: Style Twins Kate and Pippa are a year and a half apart; but when it comes to fashion choices, they might as well be twins. They gravitate not just to similar clothing (they are sisters, after all) but to identical styles. Check out the pair as they mirror each other's day and evening looks (white denim and light-as-air silk gowns); preferences in cuts, patterns and colors (they love their cobalt!); and even their accessories (neutral leather satchels and white leather flats). 

An unexpected offshoot of the Royal Wedding has been the excitement over the new Duchess of Cambridge's sister, Pippa Middleton. It got me thinking about sisters and how influential they have often been in the past in inspiring fashion and lifestyle trends. One of my favorite pairs to look at has always been the Bouvier sisters, Jacqueline, born in 1929 and (Caroline) Lee who was four years younger.  Jackie's relationship with her younger sister was curious from the beginning: a mixture of closeness and intense rivalry, protectiveness and the desire to dominate, jealousy and interdependence. It was a relationship that eventually soured, but was important to both for most of their lives. "Jackie's relationship with Lee was very much S & M," said Gore Vidal, who was connected to the sisters through his mother's previous marriage to Hugh D. Auchincloss II, who subsequently became their stepfather, "with Jackie doing the S and Lee the M....