Matthew Moxham tells us how to be hip whilst wearing squares.

British inspired eccentricity is a key look for this Autumn/Winter. An obvious trend that has been bubbling for more than a year emerges from this summer’s check overload – it’s all about plaid (or tartan to you and I).

This look, worthy of even royal approval and a favourite of HRH herself, is part aristocracy, part punk, part country house – a trend that requires careful calculation, but when done right can have brilliant effects. Aggy and Gwen Stefani are ahead of the trend having recently been snapped wearing tartan shirts and coats. Make sure you stay ahead of the fashion pack and snap up some plaid ASAP.

This most traditional of checks has had a face lift for Autumn/Winter and tartan has been all over the runway, with the girls wearing oversized coats, shift dresses and even high-waisted trousers.  There have been some show-stopping plaid prints in pussy-bow blouses, long jackets and matching skirts, plus patterned skirts in mismatched tartans, along with twinsets, jackets and silk scarves in reds, greens and blacks.

However, on the catwalk is one thing, just how does this look translate into real life? Will you be clashing your tartan prints this season?

This autumn, you need to update your wardrobe with a piece of plaid and our favourite stores have caught on to the trend too.  Peacocks have a selection of tartan accessories and Topshop have a selection of coats, shirts and dresses. Both will be hitting stores in the coming months.

The plaid mini dress is the perfect item to take you from summer to autumn. Pair a cute breezy dress with light heels, sandals and bright accessories for that end of summer look, or match with darker colours and heavier fabrics for Autumn to create a completely different style. If you’re just dipping your toe into the tartan army then stick to a bold patterned shirt teamed with a good fitting pair of blue jeans.  For the bold, try mixing up different tartans for a look that would make Vivienne Westwood proud.

Not to be left in the fitting room, guys will also find plenty of plaid this season.  Focus on a garment that can take the power pattern and if in doubt, stick to the plaid shirt, one bold piece against a backdrop of neutrals that really make the tartan inspired pattern pop.

Plaid is all over the High Street from Top Man to H&M, D&G to Paul Smith.  Choose from fine cottons, which can be either dressed up or down to heavier quilted over-shirts and cropped jackets.

But a note of caution guys and girls, plaid can easily go awry. While tartan should be tailored, it should never be skintight. The lines in the print should always be straight, too tight and they follow and magnify your every curve – not a great look!

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It’s the hardest colour to wear, but you won’t get through Summer without it.
Matthew Moxham explains why the kids are all white…

White’s never an easy colour, but this season, the shops are overflowing with it. And for showing off your holiday tan, it’s essential. But if you want to wear the latest looks, simply pulling out your trusty white jeans or your four-seasons-ago peasant skirt wont cut it. You’ll need a ‘white-on-trend’ trip to the shops to completely bleach out your summer wardrobe.
Look for billowy cuts that fill out toward the hemline. These new, fuller shapes give your style a real breath of summer air.
Show off your sexy summer pins with a pair of ultra-mini short shorts with a ruched or pleated front top and rolled-up cuffs. Swap the shorts for a cute bubble skirt, and throw in some navy piping for the right kind of nautical. Continue the white heat with accessories, from oversized sunglasses to massive totes. Stack your wrists with chunky bangles, mixing up plastic or ceramic whites with wooden bracelets for a look that’s totally of-the-moment. Don’t forget giant cocktail rings in white, sparkling diamonds (or fakes!) to give your fingers as much summer heat as the rest of you. House of Fraser is rocking a fantastic white collection this season, while M&S are always good for basics.
Menswear has also been hit by a bleach-out with black accents this sunny season- but make your summer look is comfortable and easy.
Monochrome offers effortless sophistication, but white head to toe for most men is a difficult concept, unless you’re a member of the Inglesias family. But adding flashes of black such as a bold watch or the trim of a Trilby can create a crisp, bold and casual look suitable for any summer party.
Make white jeans work for a night out by teaming them with a black cashmere sweater or a sharp black shirt. Dress the look down with canvas shoes or black Havianas.

WASH WHITER!
There’s nothing worse than greying, fraying whites- so here’s the top five tips to keep you whiter than white.

1. Wash whites within 48hrs of each wear.
2. Stick to an all white load – don’t cram your washer full.
3. Pre-treat any water-based stains before washing the garment in hot water.
4. Take oil based stains to the dry cleaner.
5. Always dry-clean fine fabrics like linen.

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Designer Matthew Williamson launches a major retrospective of his work this month, at Urbis. But what makes the Chorlton lad’s designs so irresistible to celebs? Louise Weston finds out.

Think of Matthew Williamson’s designs, all fluttering chiffon and tropical colours, and you immediately think of India, Boho beauties like his muse Jade Jagger, and bright pink. But the 35 year old designer, currently celebrating ten years in fashion, initially struggled to come to terms with that perception.
“After the first show, the reviews all said the same things,” he recalls. “Jade Jagger, fuchsia pink, India. I’d say to (his business partner) Joseph, ‘Argh, it drives me insane! I can do leather, I can do suits, I can do black, I’m a designer.’”
But after a decade of the world’s most glamorous women clamouring to wear his clothes, he’s finally come to terms with it.
“Joseph would say, ‘You need to learn to embrace what you are. The travel, the colour, the girl – that’s the DNA of our brand…that’s what makes a label.’ Ten years later, I can see he was right.”
The proof is in the stunning exhibition of his designs, showing his entire creative process, from the very first “Electric Angels” collection that shot him to fame – though having it modelled by Helena Christensen and Kate Moss didn’t hurt- to his recent return from New York to London Fashion Week, with a stand-out show featuring a live set from Prince.
He now has his own London boutique, a Designers at Debenhams collection, a fragrance line, and is the creative director of Pucci.
“It’s tough,” he admits, “it’s a really busy time- but I’ve got a good team of people. There’s 35 members of staff that work for us, so it’s all about getting the right people to do the right jobs.”
He’s also hugely supported by his parents, who moved to London a few years back, to help him run his fledgling business. He has few Manchester connections now, despite growing up in Chorlton, and designing clothes for his then-girlfriend to wear to the Hacienda.
“I know it sounds so negative,” he admits of his teenage years, “but, if I were to describe Manchester as a colour, it would be grey. Grey and industrial. And from a young age I felt a tension about that.”
Given that his chief inspiration comes from the Far East, street bazaars and flowing silks, it’s hard to argue that he should have stayed on Whitworth Street.
“I love to travel,” he agrees, “I go to the most exotic destinations I can find – Bali, Mauritius, India – the places with the hottest climates, the sexiest clothes, the brightest colours.”
And then his designs are worn by the hottest celebs. Unlike some designers, Williamson has always been brutally honest about the power of celebrity when it comes to promoting an A list brand.
“Sienna Miller’s going to put it on..and that will really aggravate some people,” he acknowledges. “But she’s going to put it on her back because she loves it and, personally, I think that’s fantastic.”
He’s also fully aware that he’s designing for a certain type of woman. “My clothes have always been quite appropriate for the glamorous celebrity-driven world. I love that whole side of things. You get the right girl, in the right dress, at the right event. You can’t quantify it – it’s all about getting your name out there with the right people.”
The ‘right people’ are key to the brand- arguably, Jade Jagger’s patronage raised him from small-time designer with talent, to big hitter, as she was regularly photographed in his designs, and introduced him to her starry circle. Nevertheless, he argues, he isn’t interested in fame for its own sake.
“I don’t want to dress anyone,” he says. “It sounds awful, and I don’t want it to, but there are so many levels and perceptions of what celebrity is. I want to work with high-profile, beautiful women, but I want them to have integrity, to be good at what they do, and I want there to be a real fusion between them and me.”
His clients include Keira Knightley, Kylie, and of course, Boho Queen Sienna Miller. There’s definitely a Williamson ‘type’- tiny, Boho-glamorous and poised somewhere between the beach in Ibiza, and the back of a limo.
All together, the clothes he’s created over the last ten years resemble nothing so much as an aviary of tropical birds- though close up, the detailed embroidery and precision cutting that makes his clothes more than just party frocks is apparent.
Yet he refuses to be drawn into pretentious assessments of his work to date- he happily dismisses the idea that he’s driven by artistic demons, or has any great message to impart.
“It’s just beautiful clothing,” he shrugs. “You can’t dissect it.
I wasn’t maltreated as a child, and I’m quite happy. I don’t have deep issues I want to bring out in my fabric. I just want to make great clothes.”
You can take the boy out of Manchester- but however far he goes, it seems, there’ll always be a down-to-earth bit of Manchester left in the boy.

The Matthew Williamson exhibition is at Urbis till 21st Sept.

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Janet Reeder pays a visit to the Northern Quarter’s new queen of cool.
Step into Fatz Kassim’s brand new Northern Quarter boutique and you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve been transported to the fashionable Marais district of Paris. From the Mucha-inspired signage to the fabulous vintage French lighting and a definite Bohemian air, this is just the sort of place Parisians adore.
“Decadent, glamorous and a bit edgy,” is how Fatz describes the shop with its gilt framed mirrors, retro wallcovering and boudoir furniture. Fatz started her career designing for bands, before she branched out into the fantastically reworked denim for which she has become justly known. But Fatz’s big break came as a contestant on last year’s Project Catwalk- she didn’t win, but she gave top designer Julian McDonald a run for his money. Now, the Zu Zu couture shop on Thomas street now gives her the chance to spread her designer wings in myriad imaginative ways. “I’ve always been interested in opening a shop because I wanted something that could really reflect what ZuZu was all about,” she explains. “And it came to the point where I’d got ideas I wanted to develop without having to focus on what other outlets wanted. I love the Northern Quarter, so when I found this space I was able to create my own base at last – this is my baby.” From embellished T-shirts for £35, to intricately worked floor-length coats, in vintage and recycled fabrics, Fatz is giving girls exactly what they want – unique designerwear you won’t see on anyone else. Plus, she’ll make you something bespoke or alter it to suit your shape or size. This is fashion for girls who want an alternative to the high street, which although it copies the catwalk really well, lacks the all-important vava-voom – especially for a special occasion. And when you think that you can have a ZuZu original for the same price as a piece from the mass produced Kate Moss Top Shop range, the price of fabulousness is actually quite affordable. “A lot of stores copy things directly off the catwalk. They follow. I don’t want to be a follower, I want to be a leader,” says Fatz – not a girl renowned for fake humility.
“This is a place where women of any age can come and find something that’s not the same as everywhere else; they can also get a more personal service.” This month they’ll start taking orders for partywear and Fatz plans special girly evenings for sipping champagne and getting expert style advice. “But I don’t want that just to be for the party season,” she adds. “I’d like this to be a special place all year round.”

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We all know that fashion is cyclical; trends and styles are forever returning and this season that seems to be more apparent than ever. Autumn heralds the return of womanly style and glamour; think of a throw back to the golden age of Hollywood elegance.

Sultry Glamour
Autograph Purple Satin Dress,
£ tbc, Patent Shoes,
£39.50, M&S,

Clinched waist dresses
Vintage 1950s Candy-Stripe Dress,
£65, Beyond Retro

Womanly Silhouette
Green Silk Top, £25, Brown Silk Skirt, £30,
Oak Leaf Necklace, £10, Blue Patent Shoes, £30,
All New Look

Skin Tight
Red Satin Dress,
£TBC, Oasis

Waist Belts
Tan Double Buckle Belt,
£12, Dorothy Perkins

Elbow Length Gloves
Black Leather Elbow Gloves £20, New Look

Bold Colours
J Jeans by Jasper Conran Patent Court,
£40, Debenhams

Chunky Lace Ups
Stacked Heels Suede Shoes, £35, New Look

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My first festival experience was not pleasant. Knee-deep in muck and soaking wet through with mascara trails streaming down my face. The only Godsend was that I didn’t have access to a mirror to survey the damage. Sober and home I skimmed through the photographic evidence of the weekend and there I was – blissfully unaware I was channelling something akin to Alice Cooper fresh from the shower. Nice.

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