Tluxe Blog

The pencil skirt is just so hot right now and will be one of your go-to items well into next winter. Why? Well, it’s not just because it looks sexy, it also helps pull together any of the key trends of the season, from block colours to fetish, mixing up your textures, and the more obvious 1940s themes seen all over the winter catwalks. We also love a pencil skirt because you can wear it right now with your summer sandals or when the weather cools down, with knee-length winter boots.

Our top tip is to look for a skirt that sits just below the knee, like our very own Tluxe version, which is the most flattering style, unless of course you have the knees of a supermodel and can sport something shorter. Then throw on something simple and graphic, like a boxy tunic-style top, a simple crew-neck number or a jacket with a peplum, et voila, you’ve mastered one of the season’s smartest looks, which has the added bonus of taking you from boardroom to cocktail bar without having to do little more than freshen up your makeup.

Here's a little something to get you through until the weekend, the beautiful, beautiful magic that is Joni Mitchell. A hit track from her 1974 album, Court and Spark, Help Me is on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the top 500 songs of all time. Enjoy.

We thought we'd share a few of the images that inspired us for our current Basic Elements summer collection. Right at the beginning of the season, before we even start thinking about the final designs, we put a few mood boards together that sum up our direction or overall feeling for the season, keeping to the core Tluxe philosophy of relaxed comfort, easy dressing and pared-back luxury. The above images are just one of our starting ideas for mood and colour.

You may have noticed we’ve expanded our range this season with the introduction of a few key denim pieces. Light-weight and super soft for summer, we’ve taken inspiration from the tradition of casual work-wear to give you a capsule collection of clean, minimalist denim pieces including our favourite, loose fit Bermuda shorts (pictured above with our Suzanne C striped tee) - a Tluxe take on the easy, relaxed fit of the super cool boyfriend jean. 

Designed to see you well into next summer and beyond the way to wear them now is an update on the classic 80s ‘double denim’ look – wearing more than one denim piece at once, a la Claudia Schiffer and Alexa Chung. And yes, it can be done with style if you stick to mixing up your shades of blue, from faded chambray to dark indigo.

To be truly fashion-forward, try a long, dark, tailored denim blazer with your shorts. Simple, clean-cut and structured is the future of denim, friends. And if your jeans are something close to your heart check out the new LVC website from Levi’s featuring an amazing collection of videos, charting the history of denim from its workwear roots through to the swinging sixties and present day. Our personal favourites are the ‘80s documentary-style ads – check them out here.

Having a spring clean and donating all those old t-shirts to charity? Why not make like Vivienne Westwood – who recently launched her second ethical range  – and try a little upcycling? We like designer Elena Garcia’s suggestion in the Ecologist, of turning unwanted tees into kimono-style tops by cutting two short or long sleeved t-shirts diagonally, making sure they have different lengths and then wear one on top of the other to create an interesting layering effect.

Transform your worn-out jeans into cut-off shorts and get another few seasons out of them or try reviving a faded dress, shirt or pair of trousers by dyeing them. And then there’s the art of clever styling. Take some tips from Sheena Matheiken, who wore one little black dress for a year, freshening it up with vintage jewellery, hats, scarves and all manner of accessories so it looked different every day.

If you still feel the need for a retail fix think about the fabrics you’re buying. Hemp blends, bamboo, organic cotton and Tencel (made from wood pulp) are your best bet for mixing long-wearing comfort with eco-credentials, as are renewable fabrics including wool and silk.

And don’t feel bad about shopping. If you choose carefully, buy locally-produced or select from many of the growing number of ethically-minded brands, you’ll be supporting people whose livelihoods depend on textile production. One of our favourites right now (aside from the new Tluxe summer collection of course!) is Parisian accessories label Matières à Réflexion (pictured above), who transform old leather jackets and trousers into cool new bags.