Shop the trend: Baroque & Roll for A/W '12

This post is a competition entry for the House of Fraser blogger style challenge.

House of Fraser (or Rackhams, as my family calls it) is the first department store I ever remember going into. We have one in my hometown, and I used to go along with my granny on a Wednesday morning during the school holidays to have a look around the clothing and homeware departments, and as a special treat I'd get a big cooked breakfast in the restaurant there! It was in their little beauty section where my mum dragged me to get my ears (unwillingly) pierced, and where I bought my first 'grownup' style purchase: a tan leather handbag. I've always preferred Rackhams to Debenhams (too busy) and John Lewis (too snooty), so I was delighted to receive an email from them asking if I'd like to take part in their blogger style challenge!

The brief: to pull together a key look for next season, using pieces from House of Fraser. I found this a really difficult challenge; there are so many aspects of so many different trends that I love for A/W this year that I've had to restrain myself quite a lot from just bunging everything altogether and going completely over the top! I've decided to tone things down slightly by going for a muted palette, adding interest with embellishments (sequins and sparkles are a key component to my wardrobe) and textures (leather and chiffon are two of my all-time favourite materials).

1: Gucci F/W 2012 // 2: Givenchy F/W 2012 // 3: Balmain F/W 2012 // 4: Dolce & Gabbana F/W 2012

My theme? Baroque & Roll. Taking inspiration from Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, Valentino and Gucci, I've created an outfit that encapsulates the opulence of Baroque-style prints, intricate embellishments and lavish fabrics whilst incorporating the more androgynous sleek silhouettes and leather and sheer trends.

Coat: Biba // Top: Warehouse // Clutch: Lulu Guinness // Socks: Falke // Earrings: Biba // Gloves: Dents // Shorts: Warehouse // Heels: Steve Madden

Think this has turned out with a slightly more Art Deco than Baroque vibe in regards to the print, but the effect is still there with the textures: the delicate lace top and striking leather shorts team up with the ever-so-strokeable (faux) fur coat. Knee high socks add a coquettish twist, but are definitely useful in defending one's legs against the cold winter air! Leather gloves and studs add a rock 'n' roll, fetishistic element, whilst I just couldn't help but include that amazing Lulu Guinness studded lips bag - outstanding.

Will you be buying into any of the A/W trends?

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Paris Couture AW 2012-13: Sunday and Monday

Paris couture week kicked off with a bang on Sunday with Donatella Versace's first couture runway show in seven years, and the juxtaposition between the just-finished menswear shows and Versace's full-blown sexual femininity was hard to ignore.

Beautiful corset gowns and bandage dresses were constructed with tiny slivers of super-shiny silk in pastel colours and multi-coloured prints. There were macs worn with waist-accentuating wrestler belts and perforated leather sitting side-by-side with soft flowing silk. The show was classic Versace: cut-out detailing, tight form-fitting dresses and bold colours; Jessica Alba summed up the show perfectly: "sexy, strong, warrior."

Vogue

Versace's theme of utter femininity was carried through into Raf Simons' debut collection for Dior, though here the unabashed sex seen at Versace was replaced with pure elegance. There was a modesty and grace to proceedings, with dresses and coats worn below-the-knee and lower.

Waists and hips were accentuated by architectural styling and large pockets, modernising the classic 50s couture silhouette. There were full-skirted strapless gowns seemingly cut off at the upper thigh and worn with cigarette trousers instead. Heavy embroidery and pastel colours were matched with sharp tailoring: truly modern twists on timeless classics.

Vogue

Simons' modest elegance was embraced by Giambattista Valli too, in what was only his second ever couture show. There was a bucolic fairytale theme floating through this collection: romantic ruffles, watercolour floral prints, and hues of red and green.

But the dream-like whimsy threatened to choke the models, whose dresses at times appeared overly fussy and stuffy; ruffles reached, and indeed surpassed, Elizabethan proportions and veils covered the models' faces. Beneath the ostentatious embellishments were classic silhouettes: knee-length pencil dresses and full-skirted ballgowns in pretty prints with appliquéd embellishments.

Vogue