Fashion wise it’s a strange time of year. We might be only days away from May, but in the UK the weather swings unpredictably between cold, dark and wet winter conditions and bright, warm summer sunshine. So, how to dress when you can’t know if you’ll need an umbrella or sunglasses? Not to worry readers, as TopShop is here to help with a mid-season sale. This collection includes over 650 lines and ensures that you can nab a cosy woolly or a flimsy summer top depending on your needs.

So often it seems that stores bring out the naff items that have long clogged up the shop for seasons, but having had a serious snoop, we’re happy to say how impressed we are with the range available. Among the stock is this gem of a bargain – a gorgeous floral, pastel tea dress with frill detail that has been reduced from £45 to £20.

To nab your own sales snip, head on over to the online store or head for your nearest TopShop.

High street chain H & M is clearly determined to get everyone wearing bright colours for summer with the launch of their range titled A Tribute to Marimekko. For the uninitiated, Marimekko is a Finnish company established back in the 1950s that really set the fashion trends of the 1960s and 1970s with high profile women such as Jackie Kennedy wearing their trademark rainbow colours and bold prints. Now, H & M are doffing their cap to the style of Marimekko with a collection for both men and women that celebrates the quirky, offbeat style in a whole host of items.

True to tradition, the range is full of clashing vivid colours and graphic prints, and is available in toned down, everyday items such as blouses (£9.99 - pictured) to more unusual pieces such as a retro swimsuit (£19.99) or tight, cropped trousers (£29.99). The Marimekko style might not be for everyone, but it’s great to see H & M once again taking risks and leading the way.

Check out the online store for further information on the Marimekko range for men and women.

It’s a wardrobe staple, suitable for so many ocassions and yet it never goes out of style. What are we talking about? The little black dress (or LBD to those in the know), of course. It can be dressed up, dressed down and now the fashion item that we all have and love is getting a little public acclaim. Yes, the Fashion and Textile Museum in London is exhibiting a collection of LBDs and is openly asking for women to donate a photograph of theirs to the cause.

The exhibition, unsurprisingly called Little Black Dress, will be held from the 19th of June to the 25th of August and will not only feature pictures from the general public but top designer LBDs. A museum spokeswoman explained: “We want to know about your favourite dress. Be it cocktail or classic, sexy or chic, let us take a look.” The museum is particularly interested in any juicy stories associated with the dress, so if you feel like sharing a pic of your No. 1 frock with London email Dennis Nothdruft at info@ftmlondon.org or call 020 7407 8664 by 30th of April.

For further information, visit the museum’s website and if your LBD makes the cut – do let us know.

Manhattan rich kids Serena and Blair from ITV2’s new teen drama Gossip Girl can afford absolutely anything and are often decked out in the most fabulously expensive designer gear, but that hasn’t stopped the pair of feuding females from becoming style icons. Their Upper East Side look might seem a world away from life here in the UK, but one of their fashion favourites, over the knee socks, are proving popular on this side of the Atlantic with followers of the hit show.

There are various ways to work the look and they can be made a feature of or toned down as part of an ensemble. Website Madame Fantasy stocks a black version for £4.99; figleaves.com has them in a ribbing style (available in black, charcoal or light grey) for £8 and Tights Please sells them with an argyle pattern for £6.99 (pictured).

So whether you’re a loaded New York high school student or not, knee high socks are the new way to spice up your pins.

ZPM’s website claims that the company’s philosophy is “to make products that are practical, stylish and absolutely built to last”, and taking a look at the wide range of items they offer The New Pink is impressed. The company has been enjoying a fair bit of press of late and they seem to marking out a niche for themselves as the most quirky label in bags of all types.

Their range is vast, encompassing everything from laundry bags to travel bags, from make-up bags to jewellery rolls and each one is highly detailed, pretty and stylish. We love this large fifties tea bobble clasp purse selling for £65 which features inner compartments to keep your mobile phone safe, a waterproof one for your make-up and even a matching make-up mirror.

To snatch up this bag or one of the many other beautiful ones from ZPM visit the site here.

Fashion is gradually becoming more eco-conscious and hopping on board this trend is the BBC, which is launching an online ethical fashion magazine called Thread (model pictured). This magazine is aimed at 16 – 30-year-olds and launches tomorrow, coinciding nicely with the similarly themed four-part TV series Blood, Sweat and Tears on BBC Three. The magazine looks to cover a plethora of ethical concerns from sweatshops to the environmental cost of clothing manufacture.

Lending support to the launch is fashion designer Katherine Hamnett who said: “Thread is great because ethical fashion promises to be the next big thing and not just a passing fad. Young people are really interested in these issues.” With the tag line “fashion without victim”, Thread is hoping to spread its message of “eco-fabulous style” and even recruited top stylist Zoë James to help with the magazine’s first photo shoot.

To learn more about Thread, visit the official site.

Dylan Lauren, daughter of Ralph Lauren the high fashion designer has created her own stylish selection of classic and favourite candy and it is being sold exclusively in Harvey Nichols Foodmarkets.

The range of candy you can expect is both delectable and exciting. Chocolate bars from £1.25, Cookies and Cream White Chocolate, Paint Cans priced around £7.95 and fabulous American classics such as Tootsie Rolls and Gummy Bears. The pretty and unique packaging makes these treats great gifts ideal for all ages.

Visit Harvey Nichols Foodmarkets nationwide to see what I am talking about.

Emma Cook is back for TopShop after a two year absence and has unveiled her new collection for summer 2008. The range is typically quirky and interesting featuring zebra prints - though fear not, these mean patterns with zebras on NOT zebra-print patterns. Sure, it’s a fine line, but it’s the difference between being fashionably kooky and just plain nasty.

The range starts at £45 and is based on a colour palette of tangerine, lime, cobalt, raspberry, stone and black. For dressed down moments, there are silk vests and for more dressy occasions there are pretty dresses in a variety of styles including one-shoulder, shirt, button and appliqué). To check out the collection, hit your nearest store on shop online at the official TopShop site.

With summer on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about what colours to be seen in once the weather hots up and the colour making headlines is definitely fuchsia or the slightly different shocking pink. In keeping with the charity’s colour palette, glamourous fashionistas Liz Hurley and Gwyneth Paltrow were decked out in vivid pink ensembles at last night’s Breast Cancer bash, while pink has been a recent favourite of the top fashion houses, especially Donna Karan.

Wearing such a bright shade can seem daunting, but for those less ready to go too full-on, the colour works perfectly when worn as an accessory (Sarah Jessica Parker, Agyness Deyn) or as a lipstick shade (Beyoncé and Fergie). If you have a bottomless wallet, Nicholas Kirkwood have designed some fantastic (yet super expensive) pink heels (picture), but for the more economically-minded among you, how’s about the full fuchsia MAC lipstick for £11? Visit the online store and get the look.

Just recently we told you how WAG Coleen McLoughlin had been voted the nation’s most influential style icon by Look magazine readers, now beauty bible Harper’s Bazaar has gotten in on the act and named their favourite dressers. The magazine listed the celebrities that they consider demonstrate the most originality and the results were far from the usual suspects of Kate Moss and Sienna Miller. Instead it heralded a whole new fashionable generation.

Topping the tree was Bill Oddie’s daughter, Rosie, followed by Paloma Gormley (daughter of the Angel of the North sculptor Antony). Other entries included Guinness heiress Daphne and cross-dressing Turner-prize winner Grayson Perry. The magazine dubbed the women as “luxe eccentric”, explaining: “More than any other nation, Britain produces bold fashion icons with a style all their own. From Edith Sitwell to Amy Winehouse, the unconventional women of our shores take risks, break rules, and inspire controversy and admiration in equal measure.”

To read up on this and other Harper’s Bazaar news, visit the website.

All women seem to love Gok Wan. The outrageous presenter of Channel 4’s How to Look Good Naked has a cheeky side and infectious enthusiasm that has made him a small screen icon and fan favourite with ladies up and down the country. Tonight Gok returns with a new series of HTLGN (8pm) in which he once again helps insecure, body-conscious women embrace their naked form. It’s not about changing what you have (hello 10 Years Younger) or feeling bad for your faults, but learning to accept those wobbly bits you don’t like and happily showing off those bits you do.

In tonight’s show Gok tackles 29-year-old identical twins Suzy and Jeannie who have made very different life choices. Will Gok work his magic on this pair? To read up on the eccentric style guru, grab a copy of his book from £5.99 at Amazon.co.uk and for programme news, visit the Channel 4 website.

Fashion designer Christian Lacroix has collaborated with Evian to produce a unique and elegant snowy crystal designed bottle.

Perfect to order in for parties and dinners with a lot of class and sophistication, the limited edition Evian mineral water bottle has been enhanced with streamline graphics inspired by the sixties. To add to its unique detailing Christian Lacroix has drawn some subtle sketching. With two such great French influential people behind this collectable who wouldn’t want one?

You can purchase the 750ml, limited edition Evian and Christian Lacroix bottles of water from Harvey Nichols Foodmarket’s exclusively nationwide costing £3.80.

Britney famously donned a pair during her rather public meltdown, but that hasn’t stopped Lolita-style heart-shaped sunglasses from being the fashion accessory of the summer. Other celebs to work the trend include Kelly Osbourne, Pixie Geldof and actress Evan Rachel Wood. Of course, the weather is still pretty gloomy and cold with no-one having to worry about shielding their eyes from the sun’s rays just yet, but now that we’ve officially entered British Summertime it is something that we ladies will have to address soon.

Top Shop currently offers a plastic version with pale blue frames for £15 (pictured), though they are being snapped up and are increasingly hard to track down. Similarly priced is the range at Urban Outfitters, which has sold out in black and red but still has ones available in green and rose. Websites HeidiSeeker and DollyDagger also sell pairs in pink or red for only £8 and £12 respectively. Get ahead of the trend and grab yourself a pair before the sun starts shining!

You might think that with a newborn daughter and a confirmed jewellery line, Nicole Richie might have enough on her plate. Wrong! The socialite and former star of reality show ‘The Simple Life’ is now planning on designing a range of maternity wear as inspired by Balenciaga, the label that kept her looking stylish during her pregnancy.

“I wore so much Balenciaga during my pregnancy that he was one of my main inspirations,” she gushed enthusiastically to Women’s Wear Daily. “My line will be about making women look and feel good at a really emotional time. It’s about showing your best self, not your tired, worn-down self. Guys don’t go through that, they just don’t understand.” To see why Nicole loves Balenciago (Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Connolly models for them fact fans!) and their designer Nicolas Ghesquière, visit the official site here or improve your Nicole Richie knowledge with season 5 of ‘The Simple Life’ at Amazon.co.uk.

Coleen McLoughlin has been voted the nation’s most fashionable style icon. The fiancé of Manchester United and England star Wayne Rooney topped the poll conducted by Look magazine, beating celebrated fashionistas supermodel Kate Moss and actress Sienna Miller to the crown. Coleen’s fellow WAGs Victoria Beckham and Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole filled out the top five in the survey which quizzed 1,200 women aged between fifteen and forty-five.

Look’s editor Ali Hall commented on Coleen’s success: “Coleen has transformed herself from Puffa-jacket schoolgirl to style icon in just a few years. Women relate to her as she’s more shapely than your average Wag. She doesn’t mind splashing out on a designer ‘it’ item but mixes it with the great stuff available on the high street. She’s not afraid to try out the latest trends but will hold her hands up and admit she gets it wrong sometimes.” To learn more about Coleen, her autobiography ‘Welcome to My World’ is available at Amazon, while her TV programme ‘Coleen’s Real Women’ is being shown on ITV2.