River Island and Cavalli - "A REST IS AS GOOD AS A CHANGE"!

I was going through some of my previous season purchases and samples this morning, when I heard my inbox ping with the arrival of River Island's latest offerings.

I've been a massive RI addict for years and purchase more from there every season than is probably healthy (says the stylist)!

Having a browse through the 'JUST ARRIVED' section of their website got me not only wanting to fill the shopping basket but also realising that the classic saying "a change is as good as a rest", is quite the opposite this season.. it really is A REST IS AS GOOD AS A CHANGE!

RI have pretty much re-worked and slightly updated the 2010/11 animal print clothing and jewellery collection, which I'm personally thrilled at because I've used this on clients for the past few years and it never dates.

I got out some of my spare A/W '10 collection and you can really see how this collection has been put together from previous seasons.

The use of the panther bangle and green eyes, along with the style of the watch, have all been re-vamped into this seasons bracelet:

The cost this season has also gone down, the price of my A/W '10 panther bangle was £19.99, this season it's only £12. A lot of buyers will like this as it's long been said that RI have slightly over priced themselves in the market.

I've also noticed RI taking a lot of Cavalli inspiration, which is no surprise seeing as the influence was huge at Milan Fashion Week A/W '14.

Cheryl Cole was famously praised and equally slated for the Cavalli trench she wore, with RI hot on the heels and offering up a high street alternative for just £55.

Personally, I absolutely LOVED Cheryl Cole in this amazing Cavalli piece and I think she wore it exceptionally well, with it fitting to perfection. I'm not crazy about the RI version but I'm sure there are some outfits out there that it's worked well for.

I'm a sucker for all things 'animal Cavalli' and one of my all time favourite evening dresses was one I had a few seasons ago, from the Just Cavalli collection.

I think the print, fabric and cut of this dress really sums Cavalli up. It's show stopping, chic and signature. This particular use of animal print in the collection looks classy and not trashy, which is something I can see RI have really gone to town on this season.

You can see a real influence in a number of their animal print pieces. Rather than Kat Slater style leopard print, RI have called in a new design team to re-work the print and you could easily be mistaken into thinking several of the new season pieces are boutique and not high street.

I particularly love this blazer, again competitively priced at £55, along with this stunning kaftan at £35.

RI seem to release 'JUST ARRIVED' pieces in dribs and drabs to keep the website interest high, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what else is going to be available over the next few weeks.

Without a doubt the highest end of the high street for animal print this season.

LBB

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