For so many years in succession and from so many stylists I’ve heard that horizontal stripes are complete evil that ruins slim shape and makes one look fat even if she is naturally very slender. I always obeyed the rule without even checking if it was really that bad to wear hoops. However, a couple of days ago I read an article about a research based on the sliming effects of horizontal stripes and I was shocked to know that all my life I missed the opportunity to look great in stripes only because someone told me those were bad for appearance of my body. Now I say: GIRLS, HORIZONTAL STRIPES ARE SLIMMING AND FLATTERING!

Of course I couldn’t believe I was such a fool for such a long period of time and googled photos of stars wearing hoops. They did look very good in those. Alas and hurray!

Dailymail.co.uk also wrote about this. They even went further. They asked their readers to wear dresses in both horizontal and vertical stripes to compare which types of stripes looked better. Most of respondent said hoops were better. And the photographs clearly demonstrate that.

Well, girls, this fashion rule is totally broken. And now I wonder which other rules are senseless…

Spring/ Summer 2012 designer collections abound with amazing little white dresses which will be a huge trend of the season. Dresses come in a variety of styles and can be girlie and playful or elegant and demure. Every woman will be able to find the dress to her taste.

A little white dress is a perfect item for warm seasons which explains why so many designers included interesting and fashionable white dresses into their Spring/ Summer 2012 collections. These dresses come in different shades of white, from snowy white to creamy white. And styles vary from simple and straight to girlie and cute, adorned with frills, sequins and finished with asymmetrical hemlines.

Badgley Mischka, Givenchy and Betsey Johnson decorated their little white dresses with peplums. Oscar de la Renta, Moschino and Roccobarocco played with lace and floral print. Louis Vuitton, Jason Wu and Marchesa used feathered elements to make their dresses more beautiful and unusual.

Vionnet and Bebe featured asymmetrical hemlines. Victoria Beckham, Andrew Gn and Jean Paul Gaultier opted for an open shoulder style. And Versace and John Richmond beautified their little white dresses with glittering studs.

Most of little white dresses presented by designers for Spring/ Summer 2012 fashion season come in mini lengths and will be ideal for young girls with slender legs. There are midi versions too, which are more demure but still very sexy.

Some of these little white dresses can make a statement on their own due to unique and eye-catching elements they feature. Others, simpler ones, need to be accessorized to become attention-grabbers. For example, Giambattista Valli dress with fur detail looks impressive without any bracelets, necklaces or bags. But Jason Wu frock with a peter-pan collar should be complemented with a black belt and a tiny clutch for an elegant look.

St. John’s Fall/ Winter 2011/ 2012 collection was the first to have been presented during New York Fashion Week. And it was a good start since the brand that had been specializing exclusively on knit suits changed its direction and became more modern and youthful.

Not that St. John decided to stop producing knits – that would be silly, as they do have such great experience in making this kind of clothing and lots of celebs love the label for these particular items. But they made a shift to maxi skirts and short-sleeve tees, something they hadn’t dared to try before.

The Fall/ Winter 2011/ 2012 collection by St. John was very elegant. Wide-leg pants, warm neutral-colored dresses, sophisticated floor-sweeping gowns – all looked great. However, some pieces were disappointing. For example, the burgundy skirt suit featured the jacket with a zipper – not very classy really, looked more like sportswear. And the burgundy jumpsuit was very unflattering.