Dear Zipsters. Firstly, some words that I hate to utter. Welcome to the end of Summer and to the beginning of Autumn.

Don’t you just love autumn. I have just had my annual “end of summer” cold, along with some wisdom teeth problems for good measure. But it wasn’t all bad,  allowing for some time in bed, wrapped up reading the latest fashion news and gossip.

One of my favourite online fashion emporiums MISGUIDED, have used a lingerie model called Amanda(!) in a new campaign featuring her actualstretch marks. What a breath of fresh air in this fake airbrushed world. So unusual was it, that the model had to insist that her stretch marks are REAL, after folk claimed that they had been photoshopped onto her bum by the clothing giant.

The model commented: “It’s important to show young women that it’s not about striving for perfection, it’s okay to have stretch marks – we all do, and they shouldn’t be something that’s covered up.”

The brand also commented on their Instagram, calling those who claimed they used photoshop “haters”.  But despite Misguided’s best efforts, some fans were still unconvinced. It seems there is simply ‘no winning’. Sigh.

I say, embrace your flaws, celebrate individuality, and avoid that fruitless search for what the media perceives as ‘perfection’.  Because, basically, it doesn’t exist. It’s OK to be “you”.

Onto this week’s blog and we go neon green, high visibility and celebrate the Hawaiian or floral shirt for men.

Thanks to Fran Fox & Mira Manley for contributing to this week’s instalment. Love you girls. xx

Fashion trends are recycled every few years or so. Even the previously ridiculed shiny shell-suit, originally bought in a long-forgotten decade, has found its way back into contemporary style. I’ve seen them at Urban Outfitters this summer.

We’ve also had a resurgence of 1950s-style short trousers; everything from the 1980s and hell, even flares are supposedly cool again. Garish 1990s trainers ( la Fila) are in vogue too. Surely, soon, overly gelled hair, ridiculously baggy jeans and cheap metal chains will return.

So it’s no surprise that Hawaiian and floral shirts have made a resounding comeback. After heydays in the 1950s and 1980s, a 30-year cycle seems to have emerged, and they can be spotted everywhere. Previously, barely acceptable holiday fare– always worn in jest – the Hawaiian shirt is a now a 2018 summer staple.

At online retailer ASOS, where they come with all sorts of patterns, sales are up 64% on last year. Everyone from Harry Styles to Brooklyn Beckham has the look. They are cool again.

The pieces are said to have been introduced to Hawaii in the 1930s and have roots in Chinese and Japanese immigration. Also known as Aloha shirts, Hawaiian shirts are incredibly varied, ranging from highly questionable to more hipster.

Cinema has played a crucial role in giving Hawaiian shirts their iconic status. In 1961, Elvis Presley wore a simple, elegant red shirt for the hit Blue Hawaii. And who could forget Al Pacino in a similar red number, blood pouring down his cheeks in Scarface.

Men’s retailers at all levels of the marketplace are embracing the revival. Upmarket outlets stocking them include an exclusive range by Prada. Their elegant floral shirts can be yours for a prohibitive £640. But for the friendlier price of £85, All Saints have all manner of colourful, flowery offerings.

The tropical shirt says something very positive about you. It boasts confidence and effuses a bright aura. If you’re that kind of guy, then get Hawaiian!

Megastars like KK, Blake Lively and the overly sweet Arianna Grande have recently been shining bright in neon green fashions.

I used to wear neon pink in the late 80s and early 90s. After a long absence, neon’s back for 2018/19, and this time it’s green.

In fact, we’ve witnessed dayglow shades on the catwalks of multiple designers for several seasons now, including that of Jeremy Scott, Delpozo and Maryam Nassir Zadeh Collection.

Want to try the eye-catching trend? I’d do it in small doses rather than the full “Kim Kardashian”, who rocked up in full-on neon and metallic, in a neon green Lambo to a friend’s wedding last week. A bride’s worst nightmare. While attending the wedding in Florida with husband Kanye West, Kim certainly didn’t drop her ‘all eyes on me’ mantra.

The knee-length dress is by latex rubber designer Atsuko Kudo. She completed the sexy ensemble with Gianvito Rossi snakeskin sandals.

Staying in the head-turning theme, the 37-year-old wore a neon two-piece to LIV Nightclub at the Fontainebleau in Miami. Kim took the trend one step further by incorporating neon into her beauty look, adding a pop of colour to her grey latex Atsuko Kudo mini dress and clear Yeezy heels with a long green wig while out on the town in Miami.

It was impossible to miss Blake Lively on the streets in Tribeca, New York, in this suit – which I love. It was a very loud Versace ensemble, complete with a jacket, matching trews and sweater.

The 30-year-old completed her designer look with colourful Christian Louboutin crystal-embellished velvet pumps and a swipe of neon pink lippy.

 Newly engaged Ariana Grande, 25, snapped a selfie with fiancé Pete Davidson wearing a neon jacket.

If you are not a child of the ’80s, neon might be a wholly new trend for you.

To stylishly pull it off in the real world without going overboard, opt for neon silhouettes that aren’t too complicated and neutral clothing.

Spice up basics with accessories in highlighter hues. A neon clutch will have you looking trendy and not like a glo-stick.

Shoppers have mocked online retailer Pretty Little Thing for selling a ridulous high-vis jacket for £45.

The British brand’s Neon Yellow High Vis Coat is described online as being ‘seriously cool’ and a ‘statement jacket for festival season’. However, many social media users have been left unconvinced, with one questioning: ‘That has got to be a joke?’

Describing the jacket to customers, Pretty Little Thing says on its website: ‘Girl, get ready to get noticed in this seriously cool high vis coat.

Featuring a florescent yellow high vis material with reflective panels, hood and oversized fit. But not everyone is convinced by the jacket, suggesting that it is a step too far. A typical hi-vis jacket can be purchased for around £20. Or you can pick one up on the side of the road anywhere there’s motorway roadworks.

However, claim to have long been a fan of the hi-vis trend, with: ‘Everyone made fun of me for wanting a high vis jacket at the start of the year but LOOKS WHOS A FASHION ICON NOW.’… mmmm?

But a word of warning. Please don’t go robbing a Lollipop Lady.

We’re gradually coming to the end of a sweltering August, much of it spent by me in the Balearics. Having spent most of it complaining to my poor husband about how rubbish our Med-based air-conditioning is, I’ve been contemplating ways to keep cool.

One of the worst (first world) problems is having long thick hair. Which I do, so I had a couple of inches cut off the length.  Nevertheless, it still creates a sweaty back and neck.

So, we girls all reach for the nearest bobble and pop it up into a messy top knot or bun. Well, I do. It’s a timeless, sexy, boho look.

In recent years, the bun has spread to the male species, and the ‘Man Bun’ is a trend. Think David Beckham, think Harry Styles, think Russell Brand.

For those boho guys who are too impatient to grow their actual hair (or don’t have enough to do so), the “clip-on man bun” is on sale now.

There have always been fake clip-on buns for girls, but with the man-bun trend, it was only a matter of time before someone spotted the gap in the market.

Groupon has posted a tongue-in-cheek offer for a £9.99 clip-on man bun that, fortunately, knows just how ridiculous it is: “This attachable—and, equally important, detachable—man bun lets you blend in with your surroundings, putting it on when you smell fair-trade coffee or hear a banjo, and taking it off when someone utters the word bro.”

I’ll leave you with that thought and move onto this week’s issue. Silver was seen everywhere on the VMAs Red Carpet this week, Botox is now available at Superdrug and we discover a new bra which adapts to our everchanging breasts.

It seems it was all about the colour silver on this year’s VMAS red carpet. That’s MTV’s Video Music Awards 2018, if you’re slightly off grid right now.

In previous years bold and bright colours as well as other metallics such as gold and copper were the standout, however this year silver seemed to be the reoccurring theme for the night.

I’m more partial to gold it has to be said, but I love the youthful, futuristic glamour this metallic shade brings to an event like this.

From Ariana Grande in a structured space-like design and Ashanti shimmering in a sexy metallic dress, to the queen of awards ceremonies Jennifer Lopez, the shine was very real on the red carpet this year as silvertook the spotlight.

Expect to see it filter through to a high street near you, just in time for Christmas Party Season.