Fashion Statement: Ballet pumps, Acquascutum in administration and the trend test

Dare to bare? Our readers did!
Well, sort of. Four Guardian fashion readers volunteered to Test the Trend this month, which involved wearing Warehouse’s sheer grey top and letting us know how the style worked for them. Three of them liked it, and one most definitely did not, so overall it was a thumbs up for Warehouse from the ladies. If you want to take part in a forthcoming Test the Trend feature, please email us with your full name, dress and shoe size, age, occupation and location.

A photoshoot for Aquascutum menswear, 1960. Photograph: Duffy/Getty Images

Acquascutum falls into administration
“In a tale of two trench coats, Aquascutum collapsed into administration as Burberry posted an 11% rise in sales,” wrote Josephine Moulds and Zoe Wood of the demise of the 161-year-old business. “Harold Tillman, owner of retailers Jaeger and Aquascutum (the name means ‘water shield’) had ambitions to follow in the footsteps of Burberry, another classic but antiquated British label which had reinvented itself as a worldwide luxury brand. The dream came to an abrupt end after Tillman on Monday sold Jaeger in a rescue deal and appointed administrators FRP Advisory for Aquascutum.” Read the full story here.

Samantha Cameron, Elle MacPherson, Kate Moss, Pippa Middleton Composite

Ballet pumps? That will be a flat no.
Apparently ballet pumps are so popular that they’re being blamed for damaging Marks & Spencers’ profits. Yep, so good it’s … bad? “There were 100,000 pairs sold in the first quarter of 2012 – a whopping 76% rise on 2011 – but the retailer says that it should have bought more stock, and could have sold 7,000 more pairs,” writes Jess Cartner-Morley. “The figures confirm what John Lewis reported last August, when it announced ballet pump sales were up 129% on the same month in the previous summer: the ballet pump is over.”

Photograph: Jen Petreshock/Getty Images

Getting dressed when you’re getting old is tough – literally
The Guardian’s Invisible Woman knows a thing or two about balancing out the inevitable ageing process with looking good. But what about wear and tear? And she’s not talking about clothing. “The four cuffs in my left shoulder are deeply and profoundly unhappy – and deeply and profoundly painful. In short, I can’t move my arm to the side or behind me, or push, or pull, or carry anything heavier than a paper clip. It’s not uncommon,” she writes. “It’s wear and tear, and I’ll bet a pound to a penny that lots of you have suffered from the same condition. It’s a debilitating unpleasant thing and it’s pulled me up short because there are lots of things I can’t do easily. Like putting on a bra, for example. I’ve been given a premonition of my old age, and I don’t like it.” Who would? Plenty of readers offered practical advice, but the tea and sympathy was appreciated just as much.

Models display creations by designer Agi and Sam of MAN during a fashion show at London Fashion Week, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012. Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

Men’s fashion is all the rage in Britain
Two stories this week prove that British menswear is at an all time high. First comes this buzz generating video from London Collections: Men announcing the first ever dedicated men’s fashion event in London, which will kick off in June. Details of the schedule are expected any day now, but as the video in question shows, it’s high time British menswear got the props it deserves. Speaking of which, our second exciting British men’s fashion-shaped feature comes via assistant fashion editor, Simon Chilvers, and his inspiring interview with newcomers Agi & Sam. Roll on June, we say.

Illamasqua makeup: would you wear blue lipstick? Well, would you?

• If you want even more fashion-related things to read, head to guardian.co.uk/fashionfor Jess Cartner-Morley on sparkly trousers, the very same JCM interviewing Tinie Tempah on his new clothing range and Anita Bhagwandas on daring to wear blue lipstick this summer.