The Trends on Wednesday: Eastern Promise

Eastern Promise by chiccheat featuring Etro

Fire and phoenixes  symmetry and satin, jacquard patterns and Japanese landscape prints, fashion has, once again, looked to romance and mystique of the Far East for a vibrant spectrum of inspiration. While clichés of dragons and fans may betray yet another nineties fashion influence, having grown up in that decade, I will say the trend is among the more welcome of its retro throwbacks, tacky character tattoos excepted. The eclectic mix of blossom prints, intricate embroidery and geometric shoulder silhouettes has certainly captured the imagination of designers, from the couture atelier to the high street. Spring fashion has jumped on board the Orient Express for yet another exotic foray. Will you?

Author's note: Keep it here to see some simple DIY techniques for getting the look!

DIY Digest: Foiled!

Another charming addition I thought I'd share with you - one that adds a £10 foil-finished jumper and some silver fabric paint, and no the result isn't £35, like the design that inspired it.

 Image: Riverisland.com

It was this impromptu urge to indulge that became me as I strolled through the shop earlier this weekend, before an increasingly well-used self-talk mantra that was to chine in my mind once again: "Wait for the sale!" before my creative call-to-arms; "I can make it at home for nothing!" My point? It comes at two different angles, for meandering as I was to the sale section, I recalled that I was comfortably replete in the silver fabric paint stakes and thought "All I need is a white jumper - surely that'd be bad tactics for them to put something as blatant as that in the sale?" Thankfully, how wrong I was. 10 minutes and one £10 pearlescent white jumper later, I knew exactly what I had to do to get a bona fide metallic foil effect.

You will need

Black and silver fabric paint - £3 each from Dylon

Fabric paintbrush - I'd recommend a coarse, bristly one

A white or cream jumper, bonus points if you can get one with a pearlescent "foil" finish, failing that, you can create a similar effect on the surface onto which you wish to paint, by investing in some pearlescent fabric paint

Time

I actually did time this one to the minute, well to the 30 minutes the whole process took me. Happy and glorious times!

Difficulty

Very easy

Needless to say, if you ask me!

How it's done

I find it helps to sketch your skull in place first with a pencil. Then mix in some black with your silver so that it contrasts with the background. Apply generous amounts of paint with each brush, sketching out some tiny leopard-style patterns in paint. You'll see that the pearlescent surface shines through to give it a metallic effect instead of the usual matte finish.