The Croc ‘phenomenon' all began in Colorado when these were designed as outdoor, slip-resistant, non-marking soled shoes. Since then some how these hideous creations have made their way onto the high street and now are widely accepted as a lightweight, comfortable, slip-resistant, fashionable and functional shoe. I can't help but disagree. There is now a range of Croc footwear including the fur-lined ‘mammoth' model.
Which genius decided to clip gems to them?! You can't make these less disgusting by adding a bit of tack. Although many testify that these are comfortable and practical, we at Fashion Capital think they are hideous.

This may be a touchy subject for some but skinny jeans are called ‘skinny' for a reason. They do only flatter skeletal girls. Terrible news for most of the population!
On the catwalk these jeans look great and on the high street they can do too, but in a sale do you ever notice that there are always pairs left over in sizes over 16? Sadly over this size they are just not flattering, and some women haven't noticed that yet.
Bootleg and skinny flare jeans are much more likely to flatter and balance out the larger and more normal figure whereas skinny jeans can draw unwanted attention to the wider hips area. Another issue with skinny jeans seems to be special awareness, I.E. thinking you can fit your bottom somewhere that in reality it will not, then squeezing in and zipping up leaving a roll of excess at the top.
A pair of jeans a size bigger may hurt your pride but are better in the long run; no one wants to see your bum crack and over spill! I don't want to see this any more this year!

There are plenty of fantastic denim stores out there that have assistants on hand to help you look fabulous in 2009.

Nu-Rave is over kids! Any one left wearing a whirl of rainbow, clashing colours is labelled as a ‘teeny bopper' or a ‘nut job' once more.

The aesthetics of the Nu-Rave scene are similar to original rave scene, centred around psychedelic colours, glow sticks, and neons. Nu-Rave started, of course, as a music genre but is now largely defined by the trashy, e-number image.

A few seasons ago the House of Holland stormed the catwalk with huge print t-shirts, driving the nation into an 80's frenzy, charity shops raided and colours thrown together, layered over boldly printed t-shirts.

I love colours, I love wild, raving, ultra-violet fashion but you can't get away with it on an everyday basis. Nu-Rave is great for just one place – a rave. Send that 80's colour obsession back to the grave and snap out of Nu-Rave.

What can be said about Ugg boots? They have been faked by every shop under the sun and they are still ugly. They look like you are wearing a sheep inside-out with no structure or defining feature. Eurgh.

The reason for this lack of structure is: Ugg boots were designed for and originally worn by Australian surfers who needed to keep their feet warm after standing around in the cold for hours trying to catch a good wave. They were intended for short term comfort not hard walking, shopping and everyday wear.
 The shearling lining is of course very warm and acted originally as an alternative to a sock, charming eh?

The worst thing about Ugg boots is that every girl seems to own a pair, and every girl insists on wearing these fur-lined monstrosities with mini-skirts. Wearing furry boots in the summer just doesn't make sense! Nasty, sweaty feet in nasty, ugly boots. With jeans these became almost acceptable for a while but that time is over. Especially now you've had a pair almost 2 years and the sole is wearing away.
When my children say ‘I can't believe you wore them!' I will proclaim proudly that I did not buckle! The Ugg's will never draw me in and it is about time they are banished to the back of the wardrobe.

Males and females alike are whipping of the table cloths and wrapping them round their necks in an attempt to fit in with popular fashion.

The Shemagh scarf, also known as the Keffiyeh in Arabic is traditionally a headdress for Arabic men, made of a large square of cotton cloth. These were originally found in arid climates and served to protect from the sun and to stop dust and sand going into the eyes and mouth. When they first started being worn in western society it was to show solidarity for Palestinians, although they have also been known to be worn by neo-Nazis and European extremists.

The military have worn these in Iraq and Afghanistan and became popular in the 70's with bohemian girls as scarves, in the early 2000's in Tokyo and recently in the US and Europe as a fashion accessory, with shops such as Topshop stocking them. Still they are seen all over, as recently as this year being featured in a hit music video. Some how I suspect this has nothing to do with solidarity for Palestinians.

This once political sign is now a fashion statement, while we wander round the shops with a Shemagh casually tied around our necks, ‘our boys' don them to protect their eyes from the sand and sun.

They are very practical but very political and I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing one – especially as I think they are really ugly. Get a normal scarf for 2009 please! Pashmina any one?

 
That's all from me, claws away!

Jemima Daisy x