Ethical fashion has come to the fore of late and celebrities with a social conscience are buying into it from Emma Watson’s collaboration with clothing line People Tree to model Lily Cole’s eco-friendly knitwear called “The North Circular”.

Even Bono’s wife Ali Hewson, created an ethical fashion label Edun many moons ago, so it was only going to be a matter of time before more Irish designers responded to the need for where high fashion meets high morals.

Enter stage left Wicklow handbag designer Lorna Burton (pictured left). She is one of Ireland’s newest and most exciting handbag designers, has qualifications in Fashion Design having attended the London College of Fashion and trained with the maker of Mulberry.

The ethical handbag label, called CoraLlei, oozes green credentials – from sustainable fabrics, textiles, packaging and manufacturing to organic and natural materials going into every creation. And what better form of flattery than to have MTV’s Laura Whitmore, Livia Firth (Colin Firth’s wife and eco fashion campaigner) and Karen Millen carry your creations.

For the 2011/2012 autumn winter season, there’s the limited edition Marlene Deitrich inspired ‘Fringed Bag’, which is truly the ultimate glamorous accessory for this season (€165, pictured below).  Made from 100% white silk, with button detailing and nickel chain strap, this hip length bag is truly a statement piece.

There’s also a brand new range of Mini CoraLlei purses (€55 eac) available in four styles and made with a mixture of leather and suede alternatives, Italian wool, lace and hounds-tooth fabric and accessorised with a black nickel key ring.

You can check out the ornate but edgy handbag designs and online shop for yourself on CoraLlei.com.

Image of Laura Whitmore: Getty.  Image of Lorna and handbags: Courtesy of CoraLei

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Emma Watson’s wardrobe has evolved quite significantly since she first stepped shyly into the limelight ten years ago. When our favourite Hogwart’s alumni traded her school uniform for a Burberry trench, she became one of the most reputable fashionistas on the red carpet.

This month, the 21 year old’s sartorial credentials were certified when she topped Glamour magazine’s World’s Best Dressed Woman Poll. Her love for fashion doesn’t rank style over sustainability however as she’s collaborated three times with the ego-friendly label, People Tree, to create an organic and fair-trade collection.

Emma’s latest fashion venture is with luxury Italian designer, Alberta Ferretti. Again, her collection will be an eco-friendly endeavour. Entitled, Pure Threads by Emma Watson, the actress told WWD that the collection will be “very classic” and inspired by “60s Jane Birkin”. “I’m pleased that a luxury brand such as Alberta Ferretti has decided to create ecological clothes,” she also revealed. “I believe this is a big step forward for all of the international fashion industry, but also an important step for an increased sensitivity to the problem of ecology.” With a capsule wardrobe consisting of two dresses, a long skirt, a shirt and denim shorts, the range can be viewed here on the Ferretti website: http://www.albertaferretti.com/

Here are our top 10 moments from Emma’s style evolution:

1. 2001
Taking her first foray into fashion at the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone premiere in London, 11-year-old Emma’s unusual style choices gave her instant red carpet recognition (perhaps for guts alone though).

2. 2002
Hitting London’s Leicester Square for the world premiere of the second Harry Potter instalment, Emma sported this pretty lilac gown.

3. 2007
With her style star rising and rising, Emma wowed yet again in this Chanel couture dress, matching blue satin heels and simple, yet cool accessories in the shape of this lethal cocktail ring.

4. 2007
Continuing her love affair with Chanel (and fuelling rumours she was to become the face of the brand), Emma looked stunning in this white bejewelled frock and silver pumps.

5. 2008
Goodbye Chanel, hello Burberry! Emma Watson arrived at a London party in this edgy, fawn-hued Burberry Prorsum creation and fierce heels, just a matter of months before the star was announced as the face of the brand.

6. 2008
By now a regular on the fashion scene, Emma’s simple yet chic look – teaming an All Saints leather jacket with ruby red lippy – put her in the front row at Christopher Kane.

7. 2009
It’s angelic, it’s elegant, it’s vintage –this could be our favourite red carpet Emma moment ever? Her Ossie Clark print gown is just perfection.

8. 2009
A custom-made, textured, Burberry party dress in dazzling gold, edgy Burberry skyscraper heels, a haphazard up-do and smoky eyes – yes, we LOVE this look!

9. 2010
In a leather-sleeved Burberry trench, Emma is sassy and sophisticated.

10. 2011
Emma’s transformed from super-sweet teen to edgy fashionista. We love her in this cutaway Hakaan minidress. We can’t wait to see what Miss Watson steps out next in.

What do you think of Emma Watson’s style now?

Every day, we at WhatSheWears.ie choose lots of the world’s most fashionable ladies for our daily digest.  Now that we’ve had a chance to look back at 2010, only a few are awarded our Best Dressed 2010 title.  And so, it is with great pleasure that I present the select few who really inspired me in 2010.

1. Olivia Palermo

The Most Stylish Across the Pond award goes to Olivia Palermo.  She stands out from the crowd in NYC as she gets most of her clothes when travelling in Europe (cue Topshop, Zara and Twenty8Twelve, amongst others) and has a knack of mixing high street with designer.

In 2009, Palermo was one of the first people I saw wearing a coatigan (a coat/cardigan) and she took the bib necklace slash collar necklace slash statement necklace to the next level wearing uber large versions -  If you fancy stealing her style, there are plenty at Tallulah Tu and Asos.

For fans of skinny jeans (who isn’t?) Olivia swears by AG’s “Stilt” jeans (£92), but to copy her accessories style from this particular pic, you’ll find her belt currently stocked at Penneys and the leopard print Mulberry Alexa handbag at Brown Thomas.

2. Amy Huberman

A former WhatSheWears Muse of the Month Amy Huberman has continued her stylish crusade all through 2010.

From the beautiful Beuys and Beuys dress Amy wore to the IFTAs,  to her wedding dress– Huberman wins our most stylish Irish woman award.

3. Dannii Minogue

Being a huge fan of elegant, structured dressing, my overall award goes to to Dannii Minogue, especially for her dress choices, reinventing her bob and accessories on The X Factor.

The fact that her hair was different on every single appearance was also a must watch factor, while she rocked dresses by home-grown Aussie talents such as J’Aton couture and Kiwi Designer Emilia Wickstead.

Queen of the asymmetric (one shouldered) dress, this white Grecian gown from X Factor Week 6 was my favourite. While this Australian Carla Zampatti design is off limits for most of us, Coast have created a similar version with their Trudy pleat maxi dress (£160), all be it a bandeau style.

Readers Choice

As a fashion site, we can’t ignore the subject of style that brings us all together and so we asked our readers via a quick poll on Twitter who was your Best Dressed Female in 2010 (Irish or International) and the responses that followed were:

Carey Mulligan: For her beautifully cropped hair and individual style

Emma Watson: For reinventing herself from Hermione in Harry Potter to a current Mia Farrow look

Dannii Minogue: X Factor 2010 catapulted her further up the fashion stakes.

Amy Huberman:  Amy oozes style, which creshendoed on her wedding day last summer

Lisa Cannon: The Xpose Brunette who we met at the Oasis press day

Mia Wasikowska:  The Alice in Wonderland actress and a rising star according to some

Lady Gaga: At The Grammy Awards, the time she came dressed in meat, GaGa is Best Dressed in a different sense of the word

So, who was your personal Best Dressed in 2010?

Back in January, we predicted the top hairstyles for 2010, and the crop was one of them. Luckily it suits most face shapes and adds a “thickening effect” to fine hair if you have it. Let’s look to some of celebrity’s finest cropped styles for inspiration.

Carey Mulligan

Back then we were spellbound by the pixie cut that English actor Carey Mulligan sported, and she’s become our number One Hair heroine since, with her fashionable appearances at The Cannes Film Festival, 2010.

Pictured, Carey wore an Azzaro peter pan collared dress for the premiere of Wall Street 2 at Cannes. Charming the home crowd for her first time on the red carpet at Cannes by wearing a French designer, the collar is made of magnificent crystals.

Emma Watson

But the pixie or cropped hair cut really came into its own a couple weeks ago when Harry Potter star Emma Watson chopped off all her locks.  At first glance,  I didn’t like it, but it’s grown on me and I can now see that it really shows off a beautiful eyes and lashes, both of which I’d never noticed before.

In fact when Keira Knightly chose a cropped cut back in 2007, it really emphasised her cheekbones, taking away from her signature pout, which was hailed as a breath of fresh air.

It’s rumoured that Watson went to great lengths (excuse the pun) to get the part in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo movie, where they are still looking for the leading lady (Natalie Portman, Kristen Stewart and Ellen Page are also in the running for it). The role could bag Emma £10 million over three movies, and with no further Harry Potter movies planned, she’s keen to keep the money coming in.

Frankie Sandford

Frankie Sandford of The Saturday’s (pictured) crop is side swept, and longer than the pixie that Mulligan and Watson wear, but delightful all the same.

So is this new hair style the cream of the chops? I certainly think so. Inspired by these lovely ladies, I got my own hair cropped last week –indulging in an all round fabulous experience at Charles Worthington in Convent Garden, London. My new style it’s more Frankie from The Saturdays then Emma Watson, but am loving it all the same.  Check out their website for which face shapes suit certain celebrity styles.

For more celebrity cropped hair ideas, see the gallery below.

[View with PicLens]

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Tighten those laces and snap on the braces, we adore the gentlemanly brogues which have come into prominence of late. Our American friends call them “Oxfords” but we call them “Brogues“. Some of you may not always opt for girlie garb when adding new wardrobe pieces, hence, these Oxford style shoes are classic, practical and no nonsense solution. Brogues are perfect for Autumn/Winter and add a fashionable austerity to any office rigout.

We’re not encouraging you to ditch your Louboutin heels, ankle boots or thigh highs, but rather offer you some smart options for those days when you would rather keep your shoe selection a little more down to earth.

If ever there was a trend which injected a little comfort and practicality into your business or street attire, this is it. Blame Agyness Deyn and everyone’s favourite indie chick, Alexa Chung, for the recent resurgence of these shoes, which are typically laced, made from heavy leather, and decorated with a perforated toecap.

The brand that jumps to mind for this style is Church’s, the British purveyors of hand-crafted brogues since 1873. These were once reserved for the gentry of the country and London bankers, but now they’re now available for sale on net-a-porter.com!

On the catwalk, Prada created a stunning pair of studded brogues a little earlier this year and left women wondering if they should adopt the look.

How to wear brogues

Go for patent or soft black leather brogue or try off white with metal detail.  Wear your brogues with black drainpipe trousers, a boyfriend blazer and soften the look with a beaded beret. If you’re a spectacle wearer, all the better, as it completes the look. You can also team up with a waistcoat – there are literally hundreds to choose from right now.

To help you achieve your own style success story, we have also gathered some celebrity examples to inspire you. The City star Whitney Port and new fashion debutante Emma Watson are both fans of this Annie Hall inspired look and will give you some visual tips for wearing these unisex shoes in the correct way.

Emma Watson’s brogues are two-tone (blush and black) which add a touch of femininity to these borrowed-from-the-boys shoes.  Seen here out for a walk in NYC, Whitney Port wore a pair of black-and-white brogues which we think, add some “polish” to her otherwise grungy look. Port mixed Topshop’s Kameryn Brogues (€125, no longer for sale) with Current Elliott’s The Boyfriend Jean (€304,80) in Super Love Destroyed, Wildfox’s Rose Raglan T-Shirt ($85 online, we couldn’t find it for sale this side of the Atlantic). She rounded off her tomboy look with DOMA’s Cropped Washed Leather Biker Jacket (€729.32, Net-a-porter).

Where to buy

You can purchase these unisex style shoes from Melissa  Black Flock Joy Lace Up Rubber Brogue (€78) or a particularly fancy patent pair from Christian Louboutin (€448.81), if your budget can stretch that far. For a posh alternative at a reasonable price, try Steve Madden’s Melin Brogues ($100, €68 from Steve Madden online).

If not, trusty Topshop has a selection of brogues too which are “just spiffing” as the folk at Church’s would declare; Kruz leather lace up in off white (£50, €55) or the Kandle brogue (£60, €65) in black patent.

Whichever you decide to try, we hope you enjoyed the shoe selection and examples we have chosen for you.

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What a week was had at London Fashion Week which ended with the Burberry collection for spring 2010. The 25th edition of the event was probably the most exciting since Galliano exhibits, with a star studded audience in attendance (which is more usual for Paris than London) like Gwyneth Paltrow, Freida Pinto, Dev Patel, Emma Watson,– and that was just the front row!

Statesiders flew in for the evening – amongst them Mary Kate Olsen and actress Liv Tyler who admitted that her British girlfriends are “always more stylish”.

Infamous photographer Mario Testino was there too, and this time in front of the camera. Anna Wintour, US Vogue editor must be wrecked tired as she managed to attend the show, indeed all of London Fashion Week, straight after New York Fashion Week which took place last week!

Emma Watson, the new face of the Burberry campaign made the trip back from the US too where she is currently studying at Brown University. She wore an uber-short gold number by Burberry (pictured) and was very excited to be there.

Oops

It’s customary to turn up at a designer’s fashion show wearing one of their pieces. Dev Patel who is pictured here with his girlfriend Freida Pinto (both of Slugdog Millionaire fame) wore  pieces from the outfits that were strutting out before them on the runway to the sound of The Kooks. Patel wore one of Burberry’s white T-shirts with a subtle white Scottish cross, which he claims, served him well during his Slumdog film promotional tour.

Victoria Beckham changed the rules by appearing in one of her own dVb dresses. She was followed by Lady Victoria Harvey who wore a glitzy D&G dress because” the Burberry one she had at home was too heavy”. At least she wore a Burberry coat over it.

Burberry Prorsum 2010 collection

Fashionistas aside, the Burberry spring 2010 collection is chic, sexy, short, draped, glamorous, and aimed at the 18-25 year old set. Christopher Bailey, chief designer for Burberry, was back home in Blighty and he knew it, pulling off his best show ever.

The iconic Burberry trench coat was there (pictured centre) and welcomed back with a military and camel twist – perfect timing for a colour and style that are set to continue into next year. The trench was also reinvented on the catwalk in metallic silver.

The show was streamed live online and from Burberry’s flagship store in London and can be viewed here.

And on they went to the after-party where Alexa Chung and Agyness Deyn were DJ-ing it up a storm.

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Emma Watson has really caught our attention and indeed that of the fashion world with her pretty English rose looks.

So much so, that Christopher Bailey, Burberry‘s creative director, has chosen the actress to front their ad campaign next season.  “I wanted the images to represent both the rich history and the modernity of the Burberry brand, while at the same time reflecting a quiet beauty, timelessness and strength that is particularly significant today.”

Seen here wearing a signature Burberry mac in one of the campaign photos on the right, which was shot in Westminster (how English can you get?) by famous fashion photographer Mario Testino.

Watson then went on to be pictured on the front of Teen Vogue, announcing shortly afterwards that she is going to launch her own clothes collection.

Despite the shock when we read her date of birth (she was born in 1990!), we’ve seen the Hermione character grow up on screen and it’s suffice to say that Emma has transformed from school girl innocence to stylish fashionista with designers constantly vying for her to wear their creations.

Watson decided to ignore them on this occasion, when all eyes looked to her at this week’s Harry Potter premiere in London.  Pictured here left, she wore an Ossie Clark chic vintage dress.

Ossie Clark was an English fashion designer who was a major figure in the Swinging Sixties scene in London and the fashion industry in that era.

Emma Watson has really made her mark on the fashion industry in 2009, and we can’t wait to see how our July Muse of the Month progresses through her twenties.

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What She Wore: BAFTA’s 2009

Awards season is upon us again and the whatshewears.ie team is very excited to be giving you the lowdown as to what Kate Winslet et al wore to The 2009 British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards.

We didn’t care so much as to who won which acting award as all eyes were on the frocks.  This year however, we were a tad disappointed to see that the emphasis was on black. The stars stuck to safe, black dresses with the exception of a few - Frieda Pinto of Slumdog Millionaire fame pulled off a powder pink Oscar de la Renta tulle number which would’ve looked twee on anyone else.

 Three trends emerged at this year´s awards:

SENSITIVITY in light of the current economy.  The lack of £4 million worth of borrowed bling from Chopard seems to be no longer appropriate amongst actors.  Let’s see if the trend continues at The Oscars on February 22^nd

Avoiding a fashion faux pas or influenced by the wintry British weather, the big screen glitterati played it safe – BLACK was the colour of choice on the night

The dresses were upstaged by the HAIR.  Penelope, Kate, Frieda and Angelina all grabbed our attention with their magnificent hairdos

1. Kate Winslet wore a Zac Posen plunging black gown with a fishtail skirt.  These are great for showing off hourglass figures and we sigh with relief that Kate has not succumbed to the size 0 pressure of Hollywood.  She’s certainly “having a moment “and note that she only wore £1 million worth of Chopard diamonds.  Brava!

2. Angelina Jolie lived up to her goddess status once more in a black Armani gown with an acid yellow trim.  She opted for a huge beehive hair style and Christian Louboutin shoes

3. Penelope Cruz looked quite the flamenco dancer although her gown was quite similar to Kate Winslets (see Trend 1 above).    ”Pe” was curvy in a velvet Azzedine Alaia number with criss crossing straps.  Her dramatic fringe and Nefertiti-type do scored a 10 in our style stakes.

4. Demure Emma Watson showed her patriotism at the BAFTAS by choosing a designer from home; a black Temperley dress with floral straps. Find your perfect Temperley dress in Ireland at Costume (10 Castle Market, Dublin 2, 01 679 4188)

5. Sharon Stone defied age and worked (and matched) the red carpet wearing a floor length red corseted John Galliano gown

 Find out what the Hollywood stars will be wearing at the glitziest red carpet event of the year aka The Oscars, in our next edition of What She Wore