We are in danger of sounding like a fashion column, but having perused the designer dictated 'trends' for 2013, we actually find ourselves liking several of them - quite a lot.

No doubt it's because we've lived through most of them already, being of a certain vintage, and everything comes full circle eventually. Like 'sheer', which we first wore with gay abandon in the 70s (when we were last a size 8 without the merest hint of midriff bulge or bingo wings).

Sheer is still one of the looks we love and although we're no longer brave enough nor young enough to embrace total transparency in the form of a see-through dress any time soon, we'll certainly be sporting see-through sleeves and bare-all blouses (the latter only under cover of cardigan).

Sheer chiffon and lace are such delightfully feminine fabrics which can be worn by the demure as well as the daring with a bit of  help from modesty preserving camisoles, cardis, shrugs and jackets. 

So here are some examples of sheer fashion indulgence from our catalogue for you to wear any which way you dare!

Sheer black lace tiered dress

Sheer midnight blue sequinned flapper top

80s sheer peach pie crust collar blouse

Frank Usher sheer embellished silk evening coat

Mas-Sai black lace top

Monsoon sheer electric blue lurex batwing top

Sheer black bolero jacket pictured with metallic skirt and camisole

Sheer black lace ruffle blouse with double layer red and black lace skirt

Coming soon we have this New Wave sheer white chiffon and satin batwing slash back top. Sheer indulgence!

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You can never really go wrong with monochrome, but no more so than this season, it would seem, as the time honoured combination of black and white re-emerges as a key statement look for 2013.

Whether you opt for block black and white, stripes, spots, polka dots, zigzags, checks or geometrics, you’ll find it a very wearable and versatile look that can usually be put together from back-of- the-wardrobe pieces you've had for years, perhaps with a few added accessories.

As it happens, we have lots of black and white at the Frockery and wear it all the time ourselves. This M&S dogtooth skirt, which conveniently stretches from a size 10 to a size 14 (depending on our jaffa cake intake!) has been in our own wardrobe for at least 15 years and we often wear it with a favourite black cashmere jumper and black boots.

 Our catalogue always has a good selection of monochrome pieces in stock and we have highlighted some of our favourites below along with one that is coming soon.

Monochrome 40s style foliage pattern dress

Cappelli Condici wedding hat

Mathilde of Paris secretary dress

Louid Feraud monochrome peplum top

Debut monochrome polka dot cocktail dress

Monochrome polka dot pin-up stiletto shoes

And here's one that is coming to the catalogue soon...

Black jacket with white frilled collar

As the Chinese New Year  ushers in the Year of the Snake, the catwalk is continuing its love affair with snakeskin for 2013.

Not that we needed any encouragement (and we tend not to follow trends) as we have always loved wearing snakeskin shoes, belts and bags which add texture and  bring a touch of luxury to any outfit.

Needless to say, we have a few select snakeskin pieces available in the Frockery catalogue for those whose budgets may be a bit (boa) constricted after Christmas!

How about this snakeskin front vintage handbag? (We also have a snakeskin front Waldy vintage handbag coming soon)

If only these Calzados red snakeskin strappy sandals fitted us ...

We really like this brown suede clutch bag with snakeskin detail.

Here we have shown a white smocked sun dress simply accessorised with a skinny snakeskin belt...

...which would also look great teamed with these J Renee  gold shoes with snakeskin finish.

Finally,  this over the top pink faux snakeskin tote bag from Kim Kardashian will be making an entrance very soon!

Here's to a Happy New Year of the Snake!

We must confess to having missed the first episode of Gok's Style Secrets as we were otherwise engaged and therefore had to use Channel 4's catchup service (which was immensely frustrating as it kept crashing on us). Having already subscribed to the #goksstylesecrets Twitter hashtag, we knew we were either going to love it or hate it.

Indeed we have blogged about Gok Wan and his various programmes before. We freely admit we used to love him unconditionally, but found ourselves turning decidedly lukewarm as he served up supermarket and fast fashion 'chic' rather than taking the opportunity to showcase products from the small and struggling independent retail sector - not to mention largely ignoring the eco-benefits, growing popularity and ready availability of  quality preloved and vintage pieces. We've said it before and will keep saying it:  why buy new, mass produced,  fast-lane-to-landfill tat from giant multinationals when there are so many quality items still in circulation and good to go for another decade or more?  Just saying, Gok.

Returning to the programme, Gok dressed his first style seeker up in a couple of pin-up outfits, including leopard print and polka dots, before sending  her off on a talent spotting mission in a random bar. As one tweeter, er, tweeted, a tad uncharitably, it was a bit of a prostitute moment, but there's no doubt as to how good (and confident) the young woman looked (and let's face it, over-the-top under-dressing seems to have caught on big time since we were young back in the 70s).

Coincidentally (and you knew there had to be a point/plug to this post!) one of the recent photoshoots we were involved in also took inspiration from leopard and combo prints, but our lovely model looked absolutely fabulous in a mixture of vintage, preloved and hand made pieces. Just saying, Gok.

Photography: Oliver Schneider   Hair, make up and styling: Sandra Cormack   Clothing: The Frockery   Model: Nicole McCubbin (Superior Elect)

Photography: Oliver Schneider   Hair, make up and styling: Sandra Cormack   Clothing: The Frockery  Hat: Pea Cooper Millinery Model: Nicole McCubbin (Superior Elect)

It was heartening to see this report on ITV yesterday about a major comeback for Harris Tweed after a shaky few years for the industry which had equally dire implications for the local islands economy.

While Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen had certainly succeeded in raising the profile of  handwoven Harris Tweed over the years, their pieces were far beyond the budgets of most of us ordinary folk and the future looked bleak for the Hebridean classic until the recent welcome surge in popularity throughout the UK and overseas.

Perhaps folk are finally turning their backs on fast fashion in favour of quality pieces and beginning to value longevity above landfill? We can but hope since such a shift would greatly benefit small independent businesses and local economies.

We have admittedly always been fans of traditional Harris Tweed, probably because of our rural roots, and had one friend back in the 80s whose 76-strong collection of Harris Tweed jackets was eventually cited in his divorce papers (although there were other issues!)

Only genuine Harris Tweed items are entitled to carry the orb trademark pictured below. Visit the Harris Tweed Authority website to learn more about its fascinating history.

The Frockery usually has one or two preloved Harris Tweed items in stock, including jackets, coats, bags and hats (although the last of the latter went off to Japan just before Christmas) and we can certainly attest to its rising popularity along with other country style tweeds.

The latest Harris Tweed item to be listed in our catalogue is this lovely heather coloured swing jacket with an oversized velvet shawl collar - just perfect for these chilly days ahead. (Sorry this one is now sold!) 

We also have these three men's vintage Harris tweed jackets in stock. 

In addition to the above pieces, we also have for sale a couple of upcycled Harris Tweed gilet waistcoats by Scottish designer Taisir Gibreel from her final clothing collection as she now focuses exclusively, and highly successfully, on scarves. Please contact us for details and we'll post some images as soon as they are available.

Yes, we know it has been quiet on the Frockery Talk front this month, the reason being that we have been busier than ever here.  We couldn't be so, of course, without the support of our lovely customers, so thank you to all those who asked if we were OK. We are fine and dandy!

As regular readers will know, in addition to running our online shop, we frequently supply clothing and accessories for photo shoots and other creative projects. We are privileged to work with a talented bunch of photographers, film makers, models and hair and make up artists, as well as everyday folk who fancy getting all dollyfrocked up for a special occasion.

While we are catching our breath, we thought we'd share some of what we've been up to lately.

Here is a sneak peek behind the scenes at a Sweeney Todd shoot, with model Taylor Sommerville and hair/make up artists Sandra Cormack and Raymond Wood. Mrs Lovett was frocked by us and there was much (thankfully fake!) blood spilt on location in Edinburgh. Look out for some striking images by Louise Beattie  in the upcoming edition of Invite Magazine Scotland.

Just last week, Glasgow photographer Oliver Schneider shot some incredible images of model Kelly Donaghy in his homage to Marlene Dietrich. As ever, Sandra Cormack excelled with some amazing hair and make up, and Kelly looked stunning in our vintage frockery with additional pieces provided by Dundee Rep.

Here she is in one of Sandra's snaps behind the scenes wearing a late 80s Belville Sassoon black cocktail dress with lace bodice, keyhole back and cream satin cuffs (part of the chief frocker's personal collection). Look out for Oliver's professional shots, which are under wraps for the moment, as this is one special frock - not unlike this iconic example by the same designer, which was owned by Princess Diana and is on display at Kensington Palace.

And here are some of Oliver's unedited images of Kelly rocking the Dietrich in top hat and tails from Dundee Rep (left) and one of our vintage silk sequinned tops (right).

Finally, a few more preview shots from Oliver with Kelly in one of our black silk bias cut evening gowns draped in an antique embroidered silk piano shawl (top) and that fabulous top hat again from Dundee Rep (bottom).

NOTE: All images are copyright of the photographers and may not be reproduced without their express permission.