Fashion Skin by St. Tropez

Success refuses to court those who aspire to ordinariness. St. Tropez is a leading beauty brand because it continues to push the boundaries; perpetually exploring innovative and exciting ways to create new looks, and breathes imagination into skin finishing.

For Christopher Shannon’s spring/summer 2010 menswear show skin-perfecting expert Nichola Joss taped up areas on the models’ skin, spray tanning only blocks. This technique created the tan lines that manual laborers develop whist in their work wear, or the colour lads that may have fallen asleep in the park might achieve.

Perhaps this gave Tom Ford the idea for his spring/summer advertising campaign, which features Nicholas Hoult with Carolyn Murphy wearing nothing but visible strap lines - a detail that can only be intentional coming from Mr. Ford.

His every count is calculated. At a Gucci party in the late Nineties, when he was creative director at the fashion house, as well as at Yves Saint Laurent, I remember being impressed at how he’d managed to ensure pretty much everything was black - the food, the trays it was carried on, the outfits worn by staff serving it, goodie bags and the venue’s décor.

Gaining sexy tan lines, like Ford's ads, needn't mean two weeks on the Costa de Sol. St. Tropez has launched a bespoke service, at Debenhams, that creates an ‘x-marks the spot’ look, safely. Bring along a dark bikini and their skin finishing experts can apply a bronzed glow to your skin - that leaves behind fashion-inspired white bits.

For her latest Gucci show Frida Giannini more than paid homage to her prominent predecessor’s first, and most memorable, collection, in 1995: power pants and power suits – Madonna iconically wore ‘those’ midnight blue velvet trousers from this collection to the MTV Music Awards that year.

Over a decade on it is amazing that so many businesses don’t take a risk and do something different, like Ford and St. Tropez. If somebody shows me another cupcake or macaroon at a press day, I might just have to Bugsy Malone them with one.

The fashion industry’s infatuation for macaroons stems from visits to Ladurée, during the Paris shows. The novelty has now worn off, as it has with cupcakes.

Recently D&G produced a good alternative: a ball of mozzarella and cherry tomatoes impaled onto a plastic syringe, which contained basil oil. A recent visit to jewellery designer Jessica De Lotz’s studio was greeted by tea and cakes courtesy of Mouse & De Lotz (her sister Victoria’s soon-to-be-opened tea shop). Very charming, indeed.

Still, less is more. It is a fine line. A friend of mine has recently reined-in her make-up application - more modern, more cool and more beautiful. Say it with an accent of eye, or lip - but never both. Or with graphic hosiery (try Pretty Polly’s distressed tights or House of Holland’s city-printed stockings), or with wonder silhouettes or textured fabric, both found in Hannah Marshall’s most recent collection.

The only cupcakes appreciated from this season’s round of press events are those at McQ – Alexander McQueen’s younger, more affordable line. They were beautiful and iced in gloss black, in memory of founder Lee McQueen.