Snake Valley

Topshop's first spring collection has arrived in shops, it's a collection of hippy pieces with snake print and tassels, think gypsy rocker. To get the look invest in some moccasins (which I personally think every girl should own a pair any way- so comfy and versatile)  and wear colours of turquoise and purple. The trousers should be worn down and the shorts paired with slightly ripped tights.
The key to this look is layering and although I can leave the snakeskin (never been a big fan) I love the tassels and pure British-ness of layer it up and wear what you want.
These are some of my favourites:

Jumper £75

Oversized tee £30 perfect with leather shorts.

Playsuit £35- Favourite item in fact I can't wait to get paid so I can buy this myself. 

Alexander McQueen

With the departure of an absolute fashion icon that was McQueen (R.I.P.), the fashion world wondered what would happen to his brand, that is until Sarah Burton was named creative director, being McQueen's, right hand lady she worked with him for 15 years, while always giving her input she was credited with completing the autumn/winter collection, 2010/2011 following McQueen's suicide and while many think she's perfect for the job, she had to prove herself with the s/s11 collection, whilst showcasing herself and paying respect to McQueen, she had a tough job but the collection went down a storm.

Showcasing a beautiful dress, the juxtaposition between the nude and pure black motif makes this piece really stand out.

McQueen often used tailored pieces and geared them towards the feminine side by using strong silhouette mixed with a softer side of fabric or print, here Burton has used one of McQueen's most popular methods to pay homage to the designer, the dress is strong with the leather belt but made softer by the cascading hem and soft collar, the tailored suit becomes the strongest of the two but the recurring print of floral design has made it  slightly more feminine whilst still retaining the powerful profile that the suit creates. 

Again Burton has mixed strong and soft in the dress to stay with the theme of McQueen, the bodice is tailored  and the shoulders are strong, but this is juxtaposed with the bouffant  feather skirt and pale colour. 

Whilst Burton has done an amazing job, she has kept within the lines of what McQueen was all about

 (female strength mixed with sensuality) 

she has also shown signs of what is to come with a recurring theme of floral designs it shows the brand is being re-born, it will take time before the brand will move in extreme directions but if there was ever a lady for the job Burton is the one to do it. 

photo's from http://www.dazeddigital.com/ no copyright infringement intended 

Merry Christmas - sale time

Merry Christmas all hope your all having a brill day filled with food and drink and spending time with loved ones. Now as we all know when it comes to christmas all the shops drop the price dramatically to increase their sales get us folk to spend our christmas there and get rid of old stock, but the key to shopping the sales is to buy items you are always going to wear and not just because they are cheap, shopping at this time of year can save you a penny or two if you buy smart, with a quick browse of the internet I've looked at some sites having sales and picked some of my favourite things at the moment, so here you go.

RIVER ISLAND

was £24.99 now £12, my friend actually has this dress and it is absolutely stunning on. 

was £29.99 now £12, looks like a snugly jumper which will look fab layered. 

was £35 now £7, I've only recently got into maxi skirts but I think this velvet number will look great grunged up with lace up boots and layered shirts and cardigans. 

was £130 now £60, a good leather jacket NEVER goes out of fashion.

was £69.99 now£25, statement heels are going to be all the range in the new year and nothing says statement like spikes and chains. 

TOPSHOP

was £75 now £35, velvet floral kimono, perfect to hide those lumps and bumps that indulging over the season gives. 

was £50 now £25 a beautiful dress for a new years eve party and the colour is beautiful.

was £55 now £25, a sequin maxi dress perfect for you slim women out there (whom I am eternally jealous of), wear with gorgeous heels or dress t down with cardigans and simple pumps. 

was £55 now £25, faux sheep skin, this is a nod at the aviator trend with the contrasting white and tan colours it's a bag that can be used forever.

MISS SELFRIDGE

was £60 now £30, nothing can beat a good pair of platform black patent heels, a perfect staple for any girls wardrobe. 

was £50 now £25, tailored jumpsuit. 

was £110 now £55, this to me is a pure indulgence dress but it can be worn all the time and won't go out of fashion because the little black sparkle dress is always in. 

other places having sales online are asos, debenhams and next, you just have to search for a bargain.

Scottish Designer based in London Christopher Kane worked with Giles Deacon whilst still studying in college and also attracted the attention of Donatella Versace, by winning the Lancome colour award in 2005.

Running his fashion line with his sister he launched his first collection in 2006, the show consisted of bandage styles in neon colours, which were then coveted by almost every woman in the UK, and was mass produced by the high street to what we now refer to as body-con dresses, when asked why he used neon colours he said “only used neon last year because it was (his) first collection and I wanted to go as bright as possible”.

He subsequently went on to a 2^nd collection, which featured a more relaxed silhouette by using leather and velvet.

He has since gone on to create many collections each better than the other, from 2007 where he introduced snake skin printed chiffon to his 2008/09 collection featuring over sized circular like sequins.

 In 2009 he made a small capsule collection with topshop, which consisted of 36 pieces ready to wear, many items sold out and some now go for quite a bit of cash, I myself own a lace, one shouldered piece. (pictured)

This brings us up to the 2011 collections, one of which being the ready to wear collection,his sister Tammy called the collection “Princess Margaret on acid” due to the neon take on a sophisticated look. 

 Then there is the resort line which I myself am most excited about, Christopher Kane has gone out of this world with his cosmic printed dresses and t-shirts, a truly iconic collection has captured the eyes of many young women and it’s this very nebula explosion of colour that has made him one of my most favoured designers, when asked about his line he explained that he liked “the idea of explosive outwards expansion” .

Buy the pieces at

Matches   

And

Net-a-porter

Quick Update and what to expect over the weekend

I'm going to my parents tonight where I'll be able to edit and upload video's from the clothes show I've not done it before now because I left all the stuff there (silly me), so expect a post on that later today, I am also doing a piece over the weekend about Christopher Kane, my favourite designer since his collab with topshop and then I'm doing a small feature about Balmain inspired party wear for the party season and then a more casual tone for those girls who prefer to dress down or who unlike me were born without the magpie gene.
So a lot to get doing over the weekend but for now I have work.

Clothes show 2010

Clothes show was brilliant, I got some small though bad quality video's from the catwalk and will be posting some photo's of all the stuff I got such as a vintage polka dot dress and a gorgeous nude play suit. I can't post the pictures/video's up right now as I'm not at home with all my wires etc, so I'll do it at the first chance I get when I'm back home. Did anyone else go and if so what amazing goodies did you get?

Cold or Not

The winter has finally caught up with me and I'm the fabulous new owner of a cold, that's right ladies get one now they are so in trend.
So while I'm trying to pump myself up ready to go to work in a few hours time, I will say this, tomorrow I'm going to the Birmingham clothes show (cold or not) so will hopefully be posting pictures and some fashion buys on Sunday is any one else going this weekend?
I've never been before so am hoping to have a brilliant time.

Winter Hot!

With the cold nights coming in and nothing more than 5 hours of sunshine a day we know that winter is here, although I hate the dark and cold nights I can feel happy with myself knowing that with winter comes little joys  that summer just doesn't provide.

• Seeing your breath in front of your face. 
• Thick gloves and scarves.
• Rosy cheeks without the blusher.
• Hot chocolate. 
• Evenings in with a film.
• Slippers. 

I also love the clothes that the winter season provides for us, for instance thick wolly tights, with long chunky cardigans and with the party season looming I let my inner little magpie out to feast on all the sequins and glitter that adourn the must have dresses for the christmas holidays, paired with thick opaque tights and some chunky heels, I feel that no one can go wrong with this season's look. 

wish list

FCUK-£225, sequin dress

FCUK-£160 - this one is my favourite.

Would look great with black tights and some black wedges and some gold jewellery. 

Cheaper alternatives 

Boohoo-£20  

New look- £27.99 

Wallis- £45 backless 

My favourite from the above is the Wallis backless dress, again it would be perfect with thick tights and some chunky heels. 

Graphic Print

Celine                                                                                             Christopher Kane

Printed clothing is like looking back at our adolescence, where our parents told us what to wear and 9 times out of 10 especially if you grew up in the 80's or 90's it would be something with a bright pattern, or an all in one. 

The new runway shows of 2010 has made these childish prints grown up with high waisted trousers and chic jumpsuits, with a more mature print. 

It is taking a bit of adolescent courage to wear something so bold and colourful and style it into an all time chic way, that you can wear regardless of how old you are. 

The younger generation can rest happy knowing that they can get away with an all in one, printed with the most ludicrous graphics, the older generation can play it safe with some glamorous high waisted trousers and a pair of plain brogues. 

Their are only two rules to wearing something so colourful and loud, number one: keep accessories simple, and number two dress for your shape, Bigger woman should wear bigger prints as smaller ones can get lost in their figure whereas the more petite woman can wear smaller prints and get away with it. 

Ultimately this is a style that you can have fun with and dress it up for evening as well as down for daytime chic. 

Heart plasuit- topshop, Flower harem trousers- tesco, All in one flower printed jumpsuit- Primark, Military jacket- Primark 

High street prints: 

Miss Selfridge jumpsuit, currently in the sale at £30, perfect for the fuller figure because while black can disguise any lumps and bumps the colourful print will bring a little playful-ness to this otherwise grown up jumpsuit, wear it in the day with a little cardigan and jacket with brogues and jazz it up for the evening with a pair of killer wedges and some chunky bangles and long gold necklace. 

MissSelfridge playsuit- £35, Although summer is far behind us this playsuit reminds me of warmer times, a perfect investment for next summer when I think prints will still be at large, would however look great with a long white plain t-shirt underneath and some stunning wedges for night and cute ballet pumps for day. 

New Look leopard print trousers- £27.99 , for those who want to wear prints but not all over, these trousers are perfect for giving a nod to the upcoming trend but not feeling like you have to dress up all in graphic print. These would look fab with either an oversize tee or a fitted vest. 

Bolongaro Trevor Turner Print Jumpsuit from Asos - £195, The most expensive features but this little number is for ladies who love to be as loud with their clothes as their personality. The colour will suit any skin tone and I think it's an outfit best worn in the evening on a night out, I would wear this with some black boot wedges and un-do some of the buttons to give it a more laid-back feel. 

I do apologise for my complete lack of posting but I do have a few things lined up for a few posts, so tomorrow will bring a new fashion post and you know bits and bobs.

Definitely a Winner

So my job interview went well and I got the job so that outfit must have done something right, oh and obviously my amazing personality err yeah, so I start tomorrow though I'll probably be nursing a hangover as I'm having a massive halloween party where everyone has to be a zombie something and me and my friend are going as zombie pin up/rockabilly girls, I'll post pics etc tomorrow.

Winning Outfit

Waking up today I had ridiculous butterflies in my stomach, unable to eat I kept thinking oh my God what do I wear to my interview. As with any interview you need to wear something that shows you are professional, friendly, helpful and will leave a lasting impression on your hopefully future employer, a lot to ask from one outfit but I found my winning outfit a bright blue high-collared, frill layered, flattering dress. 

I always seem to feel super confident in this dress and it's my go-to outfit when I feel like I have nothing to wear in my wardrobe, it's girlie without being too over the top and the bright colour brings a smile to my face, the polka dots are an extra touch that instead of making the dress look childish and adolescent brings a new layer to the whole outfit making it fun without being childish. This dress is from primark and although I'm unable to tell you the price it will definitley be less than £15. I teamed this with my nude brogues and a dark blue cardigan. 

I will tell you later in the week if I managed to get the job. 

This is no Faux Pas

D&G 2010 Alpine Inspired Runway Show

D&G, rocked the runway with some huge yeti boots for this winter, however if like me you feel that walking down to your local shops in a pair of those babies, would be a stones throw away from complete ridicule and insanity and would prefer to keep the yeti boots for a week away to the Alps (if you can afford it you lucky so and so). Then these high street versions are for you with simple fur trim here and there they defeat the impracticality of trying to keep a yeti boot clean and not to mention dry in Britain's up and down weather. 

Matalan £24, keep your feet nice and toasty while also staying on trend with the fur trim, lace up boot and buckle, the chunky heel means more comfort for you and adds you just a little height. 

New look £30, not the traditional looking fur boot, but for some reason these remind me of a chic white Christmas, to me they look expensive almost Chanel like, though that is just a personal opinion, if the white are too in your face new look also have a black version for those wanting to keep it more simple. 

New Look £29.99, a bigger heel then the previous, adding just that little bit more height. With buckle and a fur trim working down the front of the boot these shoes look classically winter but also will carry you into the next year.

£39.99 from River Island, with the lace up front I always seem to associate with winter, (due to films such as a Christmas carol,) and the chunky heel these are not only fashionable but easy to wear. 

Wedge boot with a fur trim these are one of my favourite pairs featured, £44.99 from River Island, the wedge means they are easy to walk in and give you all the height you need to make those legs look fabulous, the fur is there but not obnoxiously so and the lace up front is all I need to want to make these all mine, unfortunately with bills and rent coming up I'm unable to afford them however if you have the spare cash in your back pocket snap these up quick!

Topshop £36, for those girls who prefer flats but still want to be ridiculously on trend, these will look great with some thick tights and a long woolly jumper. 

I am fortunate to actually own these beautiful boots thanks to an over-generous boyfriend and his knack of knowing exactly what I like, these are £40 from Topshop and from experience are damned easy to walk in, keep your feet nice and toasty and just look absolutely fab, I wore mine with a white lace dress and a leather jacket to rock the look up a bit. 

The most expensive at £95 from Topshop, these have the fur trim, chunky heel, lace up front and a hiker style sole, meaning they are about as on trend as you can be at this moment in time, I feel however that these are a passing trend and without the fur wouldn't be quite as beautiful, so it's a good job topshop designed these with the fur trim, unsure about whether these will be in "fashion" for a long time, but on the right person they can be worn again and again and again because of the chunky look of the shoe. 

Okay I know in no way is this shoe fur in anyway but I thought they were too beautiful not to be featured, £74.99 for River Island, these are just the pair of shoes to jazz up a simple dress or gorgeous pair of skinnies. 






no Copyright intended all images are from retail websites, D&G runway photo from  http://fashion-trend1st.blogspot.com/2010/05/milan-fashion-week-fall-2010-runway.html. 

Faux Fur

You may have been living under a rock for the past few weeks to not hear that fur is making a massive impact on the fashion scene right now, if you are one of these people living under a rock, come out from there and let me tell you wrap up warm in a fur coat this winter, now as fashion-eco-environment whatever friendly we all aspire to be we know as a collective that real fur is out and only faux will do, and if you still believe real is the best then take a leaf out of Karl Lagerfeld's book, who up until recently only used real fur for Chanel saying, " Technical advances are so perfect you can hardly tell fake fur from the real thing. Fake is not chic- we have got a new Chanel tweed to stop copies- but fake fur is."

Chanel show, picture taken from http://www.fashionologie.com/Chanel-Fall-2010-All-Faux-Fur-Icebergs-7683741?page=0,0,1

If you can afford a Chanel fur coat then go ahead and buy it, however I aim to give you the best of the high-street.

Boohoo £35 to buy go on the boohoo website where they do have a wide selection of fur coats to choose from this one if my favourite from their collection. It looks all gothic vamp to me I can imagine a creature of the night wearing this beaut with some bright red lippy and some stacked platforms, all done in a very classy way obviously.

£40 Dorothy Perkins, I thought this was a different alternative to the classic long fur coat, this coat are for those who want to be in trend but don't want to step too far out their comfort zone.

£175 from Boutique by Jaeger, slightly more expensive then some featured here but worth all the money with the owl like print which is something different to the average fur coat.

£85 from Miss Selfridge who also have a wide variety of different fur coats, this one reminds me of a chic polar bear you know the ones that wear wedge boots and cute patterned tights?

£31.99 from new look currently in the sale so snap it up quick, this is the classic leopard print coat, reserved for the fashionista's of today and NOT the Pat Butcher's of yesterday. 

Those are my favourites of the moment, though knowing me my mind will be changed by next week, I suggest grabbing one of these quick, or popping into your nearest newlook, dorothy perkins or miss selfridges and seeing for yourself the range of coats they have on offer at the moment. 

No copyright intended, chanel photo and Karl Lagerfeld quote taken off, http://www.fashionologie.com/Chanel-Fall-2010-All-Faux-Fur-Icebergs-7683741?page=0,0,1