Welcome to a hot and humid August, from London to Mallorca to Ibiza.

Last week, I took a week off from writing this piece in the name of a family summer holiday in Mallorca and Ibiza. Although, one week on, I’m not sure whether it felt like much of a holiday. This was largely down that old Mediterranean habit of jumping into the holiday spirit,  knocking back alcohol in 37-degree heat at lunchtime. In the Jacuzzi. Until the evening.

Not just me, I might add. This applied to all of us (except the kids) and it’s not something I’d recommend. Everything seems OK at the time, but a few days later you feel like you have tapeworm, and your head feels heavier than having a small child on your shoulders.

Poor Dad stumbled and cut his arm. Mum was eaten alive by mosquitoes, and each of us consumed so many calories to soak up the cava that we’re all on self-imposed diets for the next month.

But to be fair, there’s nothing like spending time with family.

Ending the holiday on a high note, we decided to be super-healthy and eat at the splendid and achingly cool Skinny Kitchen in Ibiza. Mostly catering for Veggies & Vegans, it has a super trendy guilt-free menu.  In a moment of redemption, I felt like I was making up for some if the damage incurred earlier in the week.

We also celebrated my parents’ birthdays with Vegan Cupcakes by Suzie at The Sweet Reason Company. These were handmade cupcakes with edible pictures of each of us on top – in other words, a fun, personal touch.  They were delicious and unbelievably sweet, despite being vegan and sugar-free.

On the subject of veganism in Ibiza, two good friends of mine have ventured into this culinary neck of the woods.

Jila Walkeris a personal chef on the white isle, catering for private functions specialising in vegan cooking and she recently prepared us a three-course-vegan feast, which was mouth watering.

Plus, Marie Duchar Clark and Hayley Fields have set up The Food Ninja Kitchen, delivering healthy juices and vegan/ vegetarian / generally healthy food to your door anywhere in Ibiza.

Both thoroughly recommended.  I’m not saying I’m a vegan though, as I also visited Ibiza’s very meaty and “bloody” brilliant Can’ Pilot steak restaurant in San Rafael the night before. But everything in moderation,

Onto this week’s edition and we check out two popular bikini trends, as it seems like we’re all wearing our swimwear instead of clothes at the moment.  Plus, we look into the shocking truth about the Fashion Industry burning their leftover stock.

With recent public enlightenment regarding the plastic trail, about which Planet Earth opened everyone’s eyes, our waste and its environmental impact is now hugely on the agenda.

And shockingly, this month, we hear that fashion brand Burberryburned almost £30m ($40m) of un-sold stock.  It caused absolute outrage.

Burberry admitted to destroying all their unsold stock (including accessories and perfume) instead of selling it off cheaply, so as to protect the brand’s ‘exclusivity and value’. To try and ease public anger, Burberry claim to have ‘captured the energy from the burning’ to make the process more environmentally friendly.

It turns out that “landfilling” and burning is widespread in the fashion industry and is fashion’s “dirtiest open secret”. Environmentalists claim to have been waiting years for a story like Burberry’s to come out.

As the practice is so secretive, it is difficult to accurately estimate the scale of the problem – but with global production now exceeding 100 billion garments a year, people are warning of catastrophic damage to the planet if this “un-sold” destruction continues.

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Remember when 1,100 people died in a garment factory in Bangladesh five years ago? The upshot was fashion houses having to be way more honest about their factories and workers’ rights.

 In the aftermath, they have had to release annual reports revealing everything, and the information about Burberry’s stock burning was released in one such report.

But why is stock destruction even happening?

Designer brands typically work on much lower stock levels than high-street retailers, so their waste stock should be lower.

However, some high street retailers like Zara and Bershkawork on a similar model – buying small batches at the start of the season and using customer popularity to gauge how much more to produce.

Some of the big high street retailers have larger stock levels and tend to reduce prices first to shift their un-sold product, then recycle or resell what is left – ie. TK Maxx selling last year’s collections.

 Others donate unwanted clothes to charities or social enterprises.

But activists say fashion’s waste problem is much bigger than just unsold stock. They blame ‘fast fashion’ – a term describing our high turnover of fashion consumption, fuelled by the sheer velocity of new clothes lines that go on sale.  I couldn’t agree more. We’re inundated with new trends, almost monthly.

On average, clothes are being worn much less and discarded quicker than ever before. I am guilty of this, I’m afraid to say. The majority of used clothes we donate to charity have traditionally been re-sold abroad, but even that demand is in decline.

While our passion for fashion is at least part of the problem, experts say the industry itself needs to be smarter with production to lessen environmental damage. Some scientists say that polyester materials are adding to that problem of plastic pollution in our beautiful oceans.

Apparently, only 1% of our clothing is ultimately recycled into new garments because of this complex issue – instead they become items like insulation and dishcloths, which in turn end up in landfill.

By May of this year, 12.5% of the global fashion market had signed up to new 2020 targets – including big names like Nike, Asos and Gap.

Certain brands are capitalising on this environmental issue to set big targets for themselves. Adidas have committed to only using recycling plastic in their shoes by 2024 and H&M says it hopes to only use sustainable materials in its production by 2030.

But we, the consumers, have to do our bit too.  And the only way is to resist the temptation to spend, and try and resist attaching oneself emotionally to items of clothing – we must learn to love the things we own and take longer to consider our future purchases.

Torture yourself a little bit. Because taking time out to wait for something, to see if you really, really want it and contemplating whether it will really improve your life before buying it, will be truly beautiful and good for us all.

MIND THE GAP!

The peek-a-boob bikiniis now a thing.

Thigh high swimwear and the V-kini trend has proved popular this year for those of us blessed with hips and thighs.  But for those of us who want to embrace cleavage, there’s a new trend on the block. The peek-a-boob bikini has taken Instagram by storm, and celebs everywhere are rocking it.

‘Slebs’ and actresses/models are loving the flesh-flashing swimwear design. It actually nails two 2018 trends, with its high-rise bottoms and its peek-a-boo top.

The good news is you can still snap it up in August, plus it’s in the sales.

Polka Dot Contrast Bikini

• £18 at Lasula (was £26)
• 

Leopard Print Buckle Bikini

• £24.99 at The Fashion Bible –
  

While the trend is pretty cheeky, it’s no racier than the popular Brazilian G-string style or the unsubtle monokini.

Plus, I reckon most of us could pull it off.  Just make sure you snap up a well-fitted model to ensure that nip-slips don’t occur.

It’s about time you shook things up in the swimwear department, now that styles are getting more creative and summer is half way through, meaning that sale prices are kicking-in

It doesn’t matter if you’re an A cup or double D. It’s all about giving everyone a peek-a-boo.

Having just concluded my ‘Love Island’ binge viewing – I only watched the first episode and the final – we can safely say Summer 2018 is all about the bikini. The range of shapes and sizes (and prices) is seemingly endless.

But did you ever think you would come across a bikini that would be slammed as ‘too sexy’, dividing opinion on the Internet?

Say hello to the “Beach Siren Bikini” – a brand new design featuring suspender-style bottoms.

Fashion Novais selling the revealing swimwear for £22, available in burgundy red and black.

The two-piece design features a crop-style bikini top with high-rise thong bottoms. But it’s the suspender-style “thigh garters” that have harnessed online attention.

The non-removable straps have had some shoppers confused – with many asking if the two-piece was swimwear or lingerie?

After posting the bikini on IG, customers were quick to comment on Fashion Nova’s Instagram post.

One user wrote: “…imagine wearing this at the beach!! The tan lines though”, another said: “…wait…this is a bikini not lingerie?? And “everything is too sexy nowadays”.

Another confused Instagram user commented: “The only place you should wear this at is your own personal pool at home with your man”. Kind of.

But having watched LI, and having recently driven through San Antonio and Magaluf, our Millennials are not shy in the slightest. In fact, I can see this going down a storm at Ocean Beach or Nikki Beach.

Add heels if you dare.

The suspender-style straps are non-removable.

Both bikinis are still available in all sizes

Greetings and welcome to another sizzling instalment of Zips It Up, coming to you from poolside in Mallorca. Yes, I am spending my summer on the Love Island itself.

In the spirit of things, I’m trying to keep up with this current series, but I’m struggling. It’s not as fun as last year, probably because we had personal connections to a contestant in last season’s villa – Tyla Carr.

One year on, and Tyla has just announced that she is expecting her first child with her boyfriend of nine months, Ross. And Tyla Carr has also revealed she was so excited to take the pregnancy test, she did it in a Nando’s toilet during a lunch date with her boyfriend, who wishes to remain out of the spotlight.

Tyla, who also appeared on First Datesbut shot to fame on last year’s Love Island– embarked on a turbulent fling with the show’s bad boy Jonny, but is now loved-up with her camera-shy boyfriend.

Tyla’s dad JohnnyCarris a very close friend of ours and I know he’ll hate me for this, but Jules and I would like to congratulate Tyla for having the first (ish) Love Island baby and to Johnny for becoming a Grandpa!

Onto this week’s fashion round up and we check out the male cleavage, Palazzo pantsand the original super model Helena Christensen has launched a beautiful summer shirt collection.

Read on and enjoy!

Just about wherever you are in Europe right now, it’s hot. So no complaints, unless of course you’re stuck on the Central Line doing a sweltering hot commute.

In these conditions, being able to wear something smart, cool and comfortable (and that works with sandals), is what we’re after.

Let me introduce you to the palazzo pant. Or the Wide Leg Trouser. Wide legged and breezy, these are the perfect summer solution for days when you’re not ‘prepped’ (i.e. as tanned or as hair free as you’d like to be).

Whilst trousers might not sound like the obvious summer style solution, the palazzo pant is “wide leg”, therefore allowing lots of cooling air flow.

Meghan Markle wore a pair to Wimbledon last week, and Victoria Beckham is also a fan. I’m sceptical about the shape though. Unless you have snake hips, they may look rather wrong, so always buy one size up, so they sit nicely on the hip.

Here’s where to find a pair on the high street and it’s the summer sales, so the ideal time to buy.

Quiz cream wide leg trousers £14.99 House of Fraser

Red wide leg trousers £16 M&S

High rise wide linen trews £34.99 Gap

Floral wide leg trews £18 H&M

Jersey wide floor sweeping trews £12 Boohoo

Male cleavage is not for everyone, but that slightly naked, sometimes hairy chest is an acquired taste and it’s back. The proof was on the streets of Men’s Fashion Week in Paris a few weeks ago. There, bare-chested swagger came in all shapes and sizes, clad in colourful can’t-miss-it printed shirts. Plus a splash of accessorising over a hairless chest with handfuls of silver “man jewellery”.

The trend has been spotted on other menswear catwalks this season, too. Dior Homme showed men in blazers with nothing underneath. Also, I found pictures of one model striding down the runway in a completely unbuttoned floral blouse, whilst another model showed off his tattooed torso in a novelty Hawaiian-print shirt.

Sure, this kind of ‘peacocking’ is all part of the fun in men’s fashion. But is it something that guys in the real world can pull off too? Is it a touch sleazy and a tad too “Peter Stringfellow” (god rest his soul)? Especially on a bloke with a super hairy chest.

 Like it or not, “manscaping” is now a fashion term and the Male Cleavage is definitely a thing in 2018.

Whichever side of the chest hair debate you fall on, the key to getting it right often depends on the style and silhouette of shirt. Harry Styles has got it spot-on with this “Mick Jagger-in-the-’70s” look.

But if you’re a working professional, those around you probably don’t want to see your belly button. And when wearing those bright, printed button-up shirts, be sure to lose those under Tshirts, or “sweat buffers” as they are sometimes called. Just undo a couple of the top buttons for a breather.

Aside from that, with a nod to a less-is-more mentality, style-conscious guys have every reason to bare their chests this summer.

She’s one of the world’s most famous supermodels and Helena Christensen has proven that she’s still got what it takes to turn heads at 47 years old.

Helena showcases her ‘still perfect’ body in a fabulous new shoot at a Mexican resort to debut her latest clothing range.

Trying her hand at fashion design, the model has created a capsule collection of ‘boyfriend’ shirts, all modelled by Helena herself in the ad campaign.

Created in partnership with Helena’s design partner Camilla Staerk, the shirts are intended as the perfect cover-up for beachside glamour.

The Danish model poses in her custom designs, relaxing in hammocks against the glamorous backdrop of the resort.

Despite Mexico being the location for the shoot, Helena said that the inspiration for her blouses came from elsewhere too. ‘The Caribbean is one of my favourite parts of the world, and my inspiration for this collection comes from the life and vibrancy that the destination is known for.’

The shirts will be available in three floral prints – the Dhalia flower from Mexico, the Rosa de Bayahibe of the Dominican Republic and Jamaica’s national flower, the Tree of Life.

Holidays are about relaxation, but why not relax in style? Designed for easy transition from the beach to the bar, I think they’re chic in any environment.

Dear Zipsters.

Earlier this week, I felt like I was in a surreal parallel universe. Where the sun shines every day, people wear next to nothing and are genuinely happy. We don’t have any Government in power and a hot-air balloon featuring a huge image of Donald Trump in a nappy, glides peacefully across the warm blue skies of London.

But mostly because everyone, man or woman, aged 5 – 95 was loving football and the World Cup (and waistcoats) again.

Baddiel & Skinner were almost number 1 in the charts with ‘Three Lions’ after George Ezra stepped aside and asked the public to make them number one. It was one big party.

almost

But then Croatia came from behind to make the semi-final 2-1 and now our boys are coming home. Plus the clouds came out again and the temperature dropped.

So I’m back to reality but still super proud of England and have enjoyed the electric atmosphere everywhere over the past month. We continue.

Onto fashion, and congratulations, to my good friends at new boho label Angel Warrior. Jenny Lilley and Kerry McMoon launched their label just three months ago, and have been celebrating their meteoric rise since working with glamorous 90s fashion giant Sub Couture, which has sold out of all Angel Warrior pieces. They even have an ultra-gorgeous kids’ range, which I’m desperate to diet and get into myself!

www.angelwarrior.com

Congrats girls – 2018 is your year. Long may you continue to shine.

Onto this week and I HAD to feature the Waistcoat, as well as celebrate the Bikini’s 72^nd birthday. Plus, a helpful 9 day cleanse to help you get into your bikini or speedos this summer.