The F Word

Picture a world full of beauty and aesthetics.

 An exclusive world in which the F word is paramount.

The models, with their waif thin bodies and endless legs, puffing on cigarettes, alien like in their ethereal beauty. The prized pigs of the fashion world, you can only gaze at them in awe. The women, with their passes hung smugly around their necks, running to each show in towering heels.

Elsewhere, night approaches.

The Old Curiosity shop emanates a soft glow, inviting among the darkness. Inside, scents of expensive perfumes drift around the room with ease, mingling pleasantly, mirroring the wearers. A woman on a big screen dominates the space. Covered from head to toe in fabric, she moves to the music in sharp stylish angles.

As the rest of the world melts woozily into insignificance a snippet of conversation is heard: “At least you’d die looking good,” and for the fashion crowd, that part is true.

Above was my take on my first LFW experience. (Hope you like it.) At the top are the designers' I interned for, James Hamilton Butler & Georgie Ichikawa. They collaborated on the recent collection from JHB/GI to create some beautiful Womenswear, Menswear and Accessory pieces, all decorated with amazing prints. Also, it's worth mentioning that they are really lovely people to work for. I found the combination of Japanese and English heritage fascinating.

Below are a few pictures of The Old Curiosity Shop (where the exhibition took place.) How gorgeous are the illustrations on the windows?  

Find out more about them on the Fashion156 website HERE

What do you think?

Yes, I have Internet!

Today something glorious happened to me and my housemates. We finally got ourselves some internet. All those nights of actually having to talk to each other instead of blankly staring at a screen were beginning to wear thin, (joking of course.) I've desperately missed 40D and BBC I Player. (Yes, my life is just THAT exciting.) I live in Epsom for goodness sake, what else is there to do at night apart from Boogie Lounge? 

Anyhow, that explains my lack of posts. I thought I’d share with you some lovely street style I spotted at LFW and a few other random photos. Although sorry that it's a bit late and they’re not particularly “directional” My university lecturer said that the image on the right was “upsetting”. Um, a brilliant start to the project then yes?  

What street style did you spot during LFW?

Puppy Love

Yesterday me and my family got ourselves a little piece of heaven. In the form of this little pup, a long haired chihuahua called Dylan. He is the cutest thing I have seen in my life and when me and my sister set eyes on him, we almost cried he was that adorable. (Yes, we are that sad.) I'm devastated that I have to move back down South for University tomorrow as I don't want to leave this little fella. I might sneak him with me. I literally cannot be apart from him, I'm in love! As we speak he's excitedly tugging on my laptop as I type. Such a bundle of cuteness!

Below he is with my other dog, she already adores him like he was her own pup.

Give Me The Glitz

Lately I've had an irrational need for something glitz, anything that sparkles, whether it's embellishment, sequins or metallic, I'm SOLD. This urge is slightly strange for me, normally I don't go for anything remotely sparkly, but a girl can change her mind. One thing that has caught my eye recently are the glitzy t-shirts that the high street are currently a-wash with. They make the trend wearable for the day and they're sure to add that touch of glamour to the simplest of outfits. Here are my picks of things to glam up your wardrobe:

Battered Sequin Sleave Tee (£30, Topshop)

Black Bead Peterpan Playsuit (£55 Topshop)

Deco Embellished Tee (£65, Topshop)

Gold Metallic Top (£30, River Island)

Flower Embellished Crop Top (£45, Topshop)

COW Vintage

I got this vintage floral crop top from a shop called COW in Sheffield town centre. It was only £9.99 and I LOVE IT. I know what you're thinking, a crop top, really? I do assure you that I don’t wear it with my belly exposed; I normally wear a black camisole underneath it, although it’s fine wearing it with high-waisted trousers/shorts. I think it’s the coupling of the deep blue with the pastel pinks that attracted me to it the most along with the way it bunches at both ends. Oh, and of course the floral pattern. I’m obsessed at the minute, (not sure if it’s a good or bad thing.) Definitely my new fave item in my wardrobe.

Below is the aforementioned crop top:

The store I visited was a vintage heaven. It holds all sorts of things, including leather bags, floral dresses, pleated skirts, denim and much more, mostly vintage. Although I did see an announcement on the blog about Barbour jackets, so I’m thinking they stock other stuff too.

ALSO, you can check out COW’s blog at wearecow.blogspot.com where they have a number of lovely announcements to do with the store. They even had a stall at Glastonbury. As far as I’m aware, you can’t buy online but they do have sites in Nottingham, Sheffield and Birmingham so definitely check it out if you can.

Above is a dress from the store being used for a shoot done by the stylist Zoe Hancock, lovely.

Thought I'd choose a few things that I might wear it with and decided to toughen it up a bit with some Leather and Denim. Topshop vintage style shorts (£28), Miss Selfridge Leather Jacket (£49, which I mentioned in my jacket post) and Topshop boots (£65) and wear it with some thick black tights, especially as it's getting colder.

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Fashion Find of The Week: Yella Brick Road

Whilst going with my sister to get her nose pierced, (which by the way, actually looks really nice) I wandered into a small boutique in my town centre. The bright yellow, adorable shop window looked enticing sitting among the plethora of run down and bordered up shops, so I decided to take a peek inside. This casual browse quickly turned into me (guiltily) purchasing a floral dress. So, I thought I’d share it with you.

Also, how lovely are the bags! I'd buy something just so I could get one of these. (Yes, I have a slight obsession with shop bags!)

Even the labels are adorable and at £20, this dress was much cheaper than high street.

Sorry this isn't a brilliant picture, but it gives you the general idea. The hemline is about knee length.

Isn’t it cute? I’ve been trying to find a floral dress for ages, as I don’t normally wear them, I wanted  to find one that I really liked. I love how the stripes and floral pattern are combined and the colours are delicate and pretty.

The neckline is probably my favourite part of the dress. The bow adds just the right abount of detail and the embroidery adds that extra bit of something.

As well as clothing, they also stock some gorgeous vintage jewellery and clothing as well as non-vintage items. You can buy online at yellabrickroad.net. Sadly it isn’t as good as the actual store, it definitely needs some work. It's still worth a look though! Below are some gems from the website: 

Look at these scrabble rings, they're £4 and you can choose which letter you want. On the right are some 1930's brooches. I think these would look great on a bag or a blouse.

Get Lippy

As the summer comes to a close, why not open up to an array of new lip colours? I haven’t exactly been adventurous in the lipstick department; in fact, on a day to day basis I don’t wear any at all. BUT my dear readers, lately I’ve been cautiously dipping my feet into this brave look and have been satisfied with the outcome. If you’re not confident with bold lips then maybe go for a pastel pink to begin with - it’s a little less out there. If you’re brave, then bright fuchsias and deep reds can really make an outfit. Although I rarely wear it myself, I’m a big fan of the red lip as I think it adds that touch of glamour to any look. Vogue agrees, saying that classic is the way to go: “A red lip, an arched brow and a nod to a bygone era will keep you one step ahead of the pack.”
Here are some of my favourite lip looks:

 Anne Hathaway always does a red lip beautifully. The trick here is to keep the eyes simple, no eyeliner and long seperated lashes.

 Rachel Mcadams giving a coral pop to her outfit.

 Again, Kate Bosworth kept the focus on the lipstick. This orange shade of red definitely makes a statement!

 Cameron Diaz shows how to do a grown up, toned down coral.

 Emma Stone looks amazing in this bright pink hue. Definitely compliments her blonde tresses. (Although I do still prefer her as a red head!)

 Gwen Stefani doing bold eyes, bold lips and big hair. Only she can pull this look off.

When I think of pastel lips I always think of Katy Perry. She does it best as it matches her quirky cartoon style.

All Leathered Up

 

Mary Kate Olsen rocking a Balenciaga quilted Leather jacket in 2007

Okay, so I bet you've seen a million posts about the "Classic Leather Jacket". The magazines this time of year are always filled with articles urging you to go out and "invest" in one. I admit that the leather jacket isn't groundbreaking, but come on, it's just SO timeless. You can practically wear it with anything and it instantly gives an outfit that 'cool, rocky' vibe, (well, at least in my mind it does anyway.) It's also a perfect ensemble during that transition from Summer to Winter where it's too warm for a coat but you need that extra bit of warmth.

Most of last Winter (and if I'm honest, half of this year) I wore a cropped, fake leather, £9.99, H&M jacket ALL THE TIME and trust me, it was definitely not adequately heated for the colder months! However, I have realized that it is now time to let go of my leathery cropped past and to embrace the new, (well, a new version of the same thing anyway.) Looking out at this dreary weather, I think it's definitely time for a fresh, much nicer, length appropriate version of the leather jacket. Mainly because I seriously prefer it to a coat and do not want to freeze to death this Winter. 

Anyway, moving on from my ramblings, here are my faves from the High Street and Designer. Of course I'll be purchasing fake leather as I cannot afford the real stuff. I'm a jobless student for goodness sake!

This Faux Topshop one has a lovely fur trim and is reasonably priced at £58

At £29.99 this H&M one is cheap and the classic style will carry you through the colder months.

This is from Miss Selfridge and is £49 (I've tried this one on and love it, so a possible purchase for me)

 

This ASOS collarless quilted Leather jacket it gorgeous. It's a bit pricier at £120 but the real thing is worth a few extra pounds and it's by far cheaper than the designer ones below!

I couldn't resist showing you a few Net-A-Porter diamonds too...

Burberry Brit Shearling Jacket (Retailing at £1,095, yikes!)

Helmut Lang Analog Leather Jacket (£1,085) The shape of this is just WOW, love the ruched arms.

3.1 Phillip Lim Ruffled Leather Jacket (£1,020) This one looks so supple, like it would just fall into the perfect shape when worn. Gorgeous.

I hope this post has helped you to find your Leather soul mate!

Fashion Find Of The Week: Ark Clothing

So, I’ve not blogged in a while… well in a long while actually! Shocking, I know. However, I couldn’t resist sharing this amazing store with you. I discovered this treasure trove of happiness whilst wandering the quaint streets of York (If you haven’t visited, you must! The cobbled streets and old-worldly architecture are lovely and even though it’s a bustling town, it’s incredibly peaceful.) Anyway, more to the point, I was delighted when I found Ark Clothing nestled among the other shops. I walked in and immediately loved everything in sight, it’s safe to say that I caught a dose of shopping fever and tried on literally everything in store... oops!

Ark holds a range of individual brands such as Hearts & Bows, Glamorous and Motel which I believe, you can find in Topshop. I’ve got to say that Hearts & Bows was the one that really stole my fashion heart as it had that vintage feel that I love. From chunky knits to cute peter pan dresses and vintage Levi Jean shorts, I was spoilt for choice. I did manage to guiltily purchase a few things though with my non-existent money. But don’t worry my fellow bloggers! The prices are relatively cheap, most of the things are much cheaper than high street stores such as Topshop and you get the bonus of having a less mass-produced product that you won’t see everyone wearing!

Here's what I got:
The dress below is the Hearts & Bows Tan Kelly Dress and is £29.99 ( I got it in Maroon but also loved this colour)                       

 

The cardigan below is also Hearts & Bows and is the Burgundy Carly Knit at £22.99. Doesn't it look snug!

 

I also loved these high neck tops for their patterns and colour combinations: 

This is the Glamorous Blue Tina Top £19.99

 This is the Hearts & Bows Grey Anna Top also at £19.99

 This one's the Hearts & Bows Peach Caroline top at £17.99

Don't you just love how everything has a cute name! Until next time, happy shopping girls.