The Opening Ceremony was bonkers, bold, brilliant and so typically British. From flying cyclists and flaming petals to a parachuting Queen. Danny Boyle’s £27million showstopper was an electrifying experience seen by millions around the world. The high-octane musical celebration of British history and culture rolled to the rock of the Beatles, the Stones and The Who. It was inspired by Shakespeare's "TheTempest" and spliced together by highly acclaimed British director. 

I Don’t believe I have ever felt so patriotic, but lately I have gone Union Jack mad and wearing red blue and white wherever possible. I have been hooked to the TV watching all kinds of sports, I was so glued to the archery yesterday that anyone in the room would think I was a professional. In the words of Boris Johnson my ‘Olympo-mania’ has gone ‘Zoink’! I have been excited about team GB’s sporting uniform since it was revealed that fashion designer Stella McCartney was developing them. 

Not being biased in any way but Team GB sure does look very stylish. The athletes' parade during Friday's opening ceremony might as well have been a catwalk show, with some of fashion's biggest names such as Armani, Prada, Ralph Lauren, and of course our own homegrown Stella McCartney designing the team uniforms. Many in the fashion industry are already calling this the most stylish Olympics ever.

Stella McCartney has worked with Adidas to design the sporting gear for Britain's home team, though the outfits weren't on show last Friday as athletes covered up in white and gold tracksuits designed by NEXT. McCartney's gear takes inspiration from the iconic Union flag, but she said she deconstructed it to make it "more delicate and feminine." Red is sparingly used to highlight a palette that mostly features white and shades of blue turquoise, navy, and cobalt. It is slick, patriotic and at times extremely tight-fitting. 

McCartney said, "I hope I have managed to do Great Britain proud, and hopefully the nation will like it." She added: “The first place to start on a project like this is to look at the Union flag. For me it's one of the most beautiful flags in the world and it was important for me to stay true to that iconic design but also to modernise it and present it in a contemporary way.” “Ultimately, we wanted the athletes to feel like a team and be proud with the identity we created.”

As for the next Olympic Games… Beat that Brazil!

What do you think of team GB’s uniforms?

For several decades now, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design has developed a global reputation for pushing the boundaries of fashion. For the lucky few who pass through its doors, a degree from CSM culminates in the highly-anticipated press show, which is a platform for CSM’s brightest stars to shine. Here are three of their graduates to keep a look out for. 

One of the top new names to watch is South African born Drew Henry, whose graphic minimalist collection had CSM insiders and students buzzing even before today’s big show. Henry studied at a technical fashion school specialising in commercial pattern cutting and sewing. He left South Africa and enrolled in CSM’s Fashion Design, Henry’s graduate collection entitled, Intersections. takes inspiration from the indigenous Ndebele and Shangaan people, these influences are all evident in the menswear-inspired suiting, utilitarian cuts, animal skins and beading. Wide-legged pants and boxy tops are constructed from heavyweight canvas and brightly dyed springbok hides, also indigenous to South Africa. Overall, it’s a original and cohesive collection.

Edeline Lee debuted her eponymous line for Spring 2012 during London Fashion Week with a stunning collection of mostly dresses with several tops and below-the-knee skirts included for good measure. Inspired by the stately Palais Soctlet in Brussels, the collection is full of structured lines and geometric patterns. With a color palette ranging from hints of coral, sea blues and greens to black, white and grey, the clothes emit a fun, light mood combined with serious, sophisticated wearability. The London-based designer boasts a rather impressive résumé, as a Central Saint Martins grad having apprenticed for Alexander McQueen and JohnGalliano, in addition to working as Zac Posen’s first assistant. This Designer is definitely one to watch.

Menswear designer Craig Green may have only just finished his MA in fashion design at Central Saint Martins, but the 25-year old is already turning heads. “I just found fashion accidentally through meeting people, I didn’t know anything about it at all.” Green tried his hand at womenswear. By the time he reached his MA, he had decided to focus on textiles and menswear. The concept of light and dark is an important theme in Green’s collection. Each look he created in cream or tie-dye printed cotton has an all-black twin that’s meant to represent a shadow. However, it is the concept of utility and function that is, perhaps, most apparent, thanks to the papier-mâché luggage and industrial wooden structures that are paired with his looks. “They were inspired by luggage carriers and nomads,” says Green, adding, “the structures have connotations of religious pilgrimage and they dwarf the models, creating abstract, almost menacing silhouettes.”

Cardiff certainly provides when it comes to shopping, We have taken a look at the Victorian and Edwardian shopping arcades in Cardiff. The Arcades are home to some of the quirkiest, individual and independent retailers in the city. Here are three of our favorite boutiques at the moment.

Seren is a beautiful boutique, the decor in the shop is simply sumptuous, with chandeliers, ornate French mirrors, and cascading silk curtains. It stocks only a few of each item to ensure that customers have a one of purchase. Seren also stocks a gorgeous range of accessories, belts, bags, scarves which were all special and of high quality. There's a real boutique feel to this shop. The service is very friendly and you are always approached and chatted to by the staff, which makes the experience comfortable.

Plan a visit today: Seren, 35 Morgan Arcade, Cardiff CF10 1AF
www.serenboutique.com 

The Rouge boutique is a little corner of loveliness in the High Street Arcade, near to other fashion treats like Looby Loo’s boutique and Hobo’s Vintage just round the corner. Rouge caters for the more discerning customer, a woman that wants to be that little bit different. This elegant boutique is packed with a selection of beautifully crafted dresses, skirts, blouses and costume jewellery which sit alongside some fabulous french soap and luxurious silk accessories. Brands they sell at Rouge include: Avoca Renaissance, Lysgaard, American Vintage, Des Petits Hauts, Lin'n Laundry, The Muddy Dog Company, Birdy, Park Lane, Mint, Ollie and Nic, Miss L Fire.

Plan a Visit today: Rouge, 26 Morgan Arcade, Cardiff, CF10 1AF
www.rougecardiff.co.uk

Vintage Zizou is a beautiful new shop which can be found in the Castle Arcade. Inside, you’ll find a hand picked collection of beautiful blouses, skirts, furs,hats, handbags, clutches, jewellery and even shoes. Every piece seems to have been selected with so much love, cared for, and displayed with such perfection. The owner Anca trawls local markets for the best and most interesting stock to keep her customers satisfied. She said: “I just want to dress women and I want to dress them well.”

Plan a visit today: Vintage Zizou, 16 Castle Arcade, CF10 1BX Cardiff
www.vintagezizou.co.uk

Next time you’re in town, probably shopping at St David’s, why not have a quick diversion to Cardiff's unique arcades, you never know what special little find you might discover.


Take a look at our Pinterest for more images of boutiques in Cardiff.

All images by Amy Davies http://amydaviesphoto.wordpress.com/

Via http://cardiffarcadesproject.com/

You don’t have to be a celebrity or movie star to have a say in the fashion scene anymore. “regular” people now have a voice and it all starts with a fashion blog. Fashion bloggers are becoming fashion influencers.

We have scouted through many blogs and picked 3 from each of our favorite city’s around the world to share with you.

Firstly we looked at the UK,and there was plenty to chose from. We loved 'WishWishWish,' Carrie Harwood posts on her personal musings and gives opinions whether that be fashion, style, design, people and places. The blog has a girly vintage style.

'A Pair & A Spare' is a chronicle of Geneva’s day-to-day addiction to Do It Yourself fashion, where she shows you how to create the most desirable and on-trend fashion and lifestyle projects.

Susie Lau’s style blog 'Style Bubble' mixes her personal style with well-written posts and editorial review in an original and totally personal way that we can’t get enough of.

As one of main fashion capitols NYC has plenty of fashion blogs to get lost in, we looked at 'cocorosa' which has posts of daily inspirations, style findings and outfits.  she surely likes to indulge herself in a dreamy world of silky pastels, tutu's, glitters and bows but this urban fairy is not afraid to pair the pretty with the rough.

An intimate member of NYC’s riotous underground tribe, Katya founded 'Style DefinedNYC'  as an online gallery chronicling the City’s most glamorous provocateurs. Through her passion for fashion and nightlife scenes.

'WanderLust' is brought to you by fashion duo, Emily Bache and Abigail Breslin. The New York City based bloggers document their wanderings and personal style, cover fashion-related events, and feature the latest and greatest designers.

Sydney may be at the other side of the globe to us but they certainly have plenty of style,

'TheSydney Girl' has a daily what-I-wore along with useful product reviews and personal posts at the core of her fashion blog.Her bright and colourful blog will teach you her tricks and will definitely inspire you.

As Editor of Melbourne based fashion blog 'Lady Melbourne,' Phoebe Montague’s fashion commentary and style has earned her a reputation as one of Australia’s key fashion bloggers.

Sydney based fashion blog 'Little Black Book' was established in June 2008. And is described as a pastiche of runway fashion, visual arts, personal style and inspiration with a look into Emily’s career as a fashion stylist.

After hunting through many Japanese language blogs i found a few that were in english or offered the choice to translate and found three great blogs from one of the most unique fashion capitals, Tokyo.

Misha Jannet's blog 'TokyoFashionDiaries' has been chosen by VOGUE Japan and WGSN as a top Tokyo blog and as one of Racked.com’s top 10 blogs.

'Japanese Streets' has been following Tokyo street fashion and culture and also catwalk fashion since 2002. They have around 30,000 photographs of Japanese fashion on their site! Real People, Real Clothes, Real Cool!

'Tokyo Dandy' established in 2008 to bridge the gap between street and high fashion,They cover the Tokyo party and fashion scene defying genre boundaries in mainstream Japanese culture to bring together the worlds of fashion, art, music and culture and lead a new creative generation.

If you have a interest in fashion or have your own fashion blog we would love to hear from you. make sure you follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.