As the student and protégée of both Cristóbal Balenciaga and Antonio Castillo, there was little doubt that the young Osca de la Renta would one day make his mark on the fashion industry. Born in 1932, the 80 year old remains as one of the world’s most influential fashion designers, who has dressed film stars, politicians and royalty alike in his legendary evening wear and red carpet gowns. His work with continental fashion houses Lanvin and Balmain has ensured his status in fashion's hall of fame, but he continues to produce stunning collections year upon year for his own ready to wear collection.

As important as any clothing collection is the jewellery lines that accompany it. Spring and Summer 2012 have hit the ground running with a veritable feast of fresh new jewellery trends, hot from the catwalks of New York Fashion Week late last year. Top of every trend list already is florals, which has moved from a pre-season clothing trend to a full fledged jewellery trend, and fashion critics world-wide are loving it. Prada's offerings for the trend have been characteristically understated, while Zac Posen and others have pushed the style to it's baroque maximum with lustrous floral chokers.

It is only mad dogs and Englishmen that go out in the midday sun. The British are famed for their eccentricity, and there is no place it shines brighter than in the fashion industry. For hundreds of years, British designers have led the way creatively and commercially, and have secured Britain a powerful position in the fashion halls of fame. As a country renowned for its internationally-acclaimed fashion colleges, it comes as no surprise Britain is seeing an economical return on its investment, to the tune of just under £40bn a year. However, the growth of London Fashion Week, once seen as the ugly sister of it's continental siblings, is as much due to the efforts of a plethora of independent designers and ladieswear wholesalers as it is to the stream of legendary continental fashion houses choosing to show on the catwalks of London.

With summer fast approaching and the beach holidays booked, now comes the time to think about stocking your swimwear and beach clothing collections. This year’s swimwear is inspired by the array of bold, eclectic stand-out trends of the Spring/Summer ‘12 runway looks.

2012 looks to be an exciting year, with a plethora of fresh new trends, the Mayan- prophesied apocalypse on our doorstep, and the Olympics taking place in London for the first time in over 60 years. The 1948 Olympiad was the first to be held following the Second World War, and though Germany and Japan remained unrepresented, 59 other nations showed their unity over two weeks of games, a tiny fraction of the 208 expected to be in attendance for the event later this year. Like any major cultural event, fashion critics are already abuzz about the Olympics possible influence on the fashion industry, with trend connections being claimed and called as early as last spring.