This blog is all about wearing high street fashion daily to illustrate the fantastic labels we have on our doorsteps. Join the celebration now and here!
This bang on trend dress from H&M is a bargain at only £12.99. It also comes in a range of colours, including orange and pink. I opted for the black with a dash of neon to continue my attempt at this bright trend. I teamed my favourite combo of chunky gold jewellery and pearls to add some more of my character to the dress. For cooler days add a blazer and flatforms to complete the look.
This week I have decided to experiment with the Neon trend. I love all the pastels in the high street but until I get a bit of a tan they are difficult to wear. Unfortunately the nice weather we had this week appears to have disappeared. So, for now, I am turning to neon to brighten up the days. I have always found the trend a bit tricky as before it was styled with a mixture of neon shades, making you look more clubland than chic.
But ever since I saw Lorraine Candy, Editor of Elle Magazine testing out the trend she pushed me into achieving the look. I absolutely love her neon jeans and the way she has kept everything else very simple. The minimalist ideal has always worried me, as someone who is a fan of piling on the jewellery I always feel naked without it.
But here, with the colour being so eye-catching keeping it simple makes the outfit look even more stylish. I was in H&M recently and found this plain neon t-shirt for £3-an absolute bargain and perfect to ease my way into this trend. Below are my looks from day to night. For the day look I have teamed the t-shirt with some grey/navy slouch pants from Cheap Monday. I picked these up for £10 (sale) at Urban Outfitters and are great for the hours I am spending in the library at the moment. I have also teamed some wedged trainers to add a sport luxe feel, they are from TKMAXX and were reduced from £80 to £20. For the night look I still kept everything very minimal just adding some cropped leather trousers from Topshop at £11 (sale) and chunky court shoes from New Look at £10 (sale). For the evening look I would definitely add some nude nails and smoky eye.
I also have a Tumblr blog which I use as a massive inspiration for all my fashion ideas. Here is a sneak peak at what I loved this March. I could not get enough of neon, dip dye, mint and katy perry.
The Easter break for me isn't about chocolate egss, bunnies and a time to sit down with the bible. Instead, it is all about the big wardrobe switch over.
As I grew up a certain ritual began between my mum and I. As the sun would suddenly outweigh the rain I would itch to start wearing my summer wardrobe, begging my mum that now was the time to hit the shops and buy our new summer wardrobes. But every year I would receive the same response. "Wait till Easter poppet, that is when it'll time for summer clothes." Well, for a few years, since moving off to university and becoming an 'independent woman' I haven't been listening to my mum. My summer wardrobe is already taking shape, with flutterings of pastels and shots of bright neons.
However, there has been one thing that I've saved for my Easter break back home. I need dresses. Lots of dresses. To my delight I have five formal occasions, including my 21st birthday where I need to look fabulous, and all the events need an amazing dress. I have already started the search, trying not to go for the obvious options like Topshop or Zara, as isn't every girls nightmare seeing someone else in the same dress as you?
So when I heard that Lipsy had launched a VIP range on the 27th March I could not have been more excited. The collection features 17 designs, all of which have been modelled by everyone's favourite posh girl, Millie Mackintosh of Made in Chelsea fame.
All the dresses are reminiscent of couture but at a good price. You are looking at about £100 a pop, but I think these garments ooze a greater expense. Here are my favourite five:
On one of my recent shopping trips, I had a quick peek in Marks and Spencers. A couple of years ago, still swamped in my sulky teen years, if someone had said that I would willingly check out the fashion in this shop I would have laughed. Then immediately sworn it would never happen.
For me, it was a place filled with unhappy memories of my mum trying to get me to try on another pair of ill fitting jeans. Then, as she would try and look at clothes for herself, my brother and I would start an argument over who won thumb war. We would spend hours there, and all I would see was sad looking clothes hanging on masses of rails.
But now, Marks and Spencers has finally won me over. I think it began when they started their food range; the seduction from percy pigs was just too enticing. Cleverly, the store always plants their food section at the back of the shop, so on one of my trips for my guilty pleasure, something caught my eye.
The garments were under the title of 'Limited Collection', an interesting marketing ploy that immediately made me dissociate these clothes from the norm. Then I had seen the advertising campaign, featuring a fresh faced Lily Cole in her prime. From then on I was hooked, smugly believing I had stumbled upon a fashion secret.
Now, although Cole does not front the campaign anymore, the collection is still strong. Here are my favorite picks:
I love this collection for its vibrant prints and different structured dresses. Marks and Spencers may not be producing ground breaking fashion, but they take the trends and make them wearable. I find the brand safe and reliable, which in some cases is a blessing. Marks and Spencers are not trying to be the next Topshop, and I actually respect that. Their prices reflect the quality and they really do cater for all ages. Now, I can finally appreciate it. So if you want to find some clothes which you know your best friend might not be wearing, have a look at my hidden secret. Marks and Spencers may just take you by surprise.
Have you discovered the great fashion pieces in Marks and Spencers?
This is my most stylish celeb this week. Pixie Lott looked amazing at the premier for The Pirates in an Adventure with Scientists. I absolutely love her 3 piece suit which looks glamorous than granny as she chose to wear a matching bandeau top. The polka dot rolled up sleeves also work perfectly with the print clash trend, and this Dolce and Gabbana number is sure to do well in the fashion stakes. I love a celeb that takes a risk with confidence. Good for you Pixie!
Although these dresses are not identical to the Pucci design that Katy Perry wore they certainly have the same lovely details. If all this embellishment is too much but you still want to champion your favourite pop star have a look below at some simpler black and gold dresses:
Of course the look would not be complete without adding some quirky hair colour. Luckily Boots and Superdrug has it all sorted with this blue hair dye and Katy Perry false eyelashes.
We have all been there. As we innocently scour our favourite high street store observing items which we think are nice but thankfully not enough to spend the money we have yet to earn. But then, out of nowhere, you spot something which you suddenly realise is the item that will inject so much cool in your wardrobe you JUST.NEED.IT.NOW.
It is almost as if falling in love, your head feels dizzy as you wander over to the product to see if it is in your size. When you realise that yes, it fits like a glove, yes it looks better on your body than on the metal hanger, comes the crushing blow. The pricetag. Indeed Jessie J, 'everybody does have a price'.
Well, yesterday I had this moment. It was in Zara, a dangerous shop that does obtain many beautiful garments, and there it was hanging on its own beside a rack of jeans.
This photo does not do the Kimono justice, but maybe this is because I am viewing the item through rose tinted glasses. When I tried it on, suddenly the outfit I was wearing underneath looked even better, injecting an extra spark of style. But I left it in the store as the £39.99 pricetag somewhat tainted it for me.
Now, I cannot get it out of my mind, like a crazed lovefool. I have even researched into selling my old blackberry to stump up enough cash to pay for it.
But is it really worth it? Will I really wear it? Who knows, but I'll never know unless I buy it...
Now I may have to be frank. I am not a fan of Apple products. I can almost see you closing this blog after that statement. But give it a few minutes.
I do own an Ipod, just a simple classic which I don’t feel the need to replace as it still works and I rather like its chunky design. But I simply cannot understand why some rush out to buy the latest product when they have one that is pretty much identical.
Take the newest product for example. The ‘new’ Ipad, the Ipad 3, whichever you wish to call it, was launched today. I have looked at the specifications, and trust me I am not really that sussed on technology, but it appears to be the same as its predecessor.
Okay, it does have something called a Retina display, which I will happily admit looks amazing. As the Apple website explains it has ‘4 times more pixels than the Ipad 2...everything looks and feels incredibly life like and perfectly detailed'. Click here to see what they mean. It also has 44 per cent greater colour saturation and 3.1 million pixels. The figures are impressive and Apple confidently explains that this ‘technology is a breakthrough’.
The Ipad still has an ‘amazing’ 10 hours of battery life, flash storage, 5 Megapixel Isight camera and advanced optics that can shoot 1080p HD video.
There were two features which did make me raise my eyebrows in appreciation. Firstly there is the ability to make the Ipad a hotspot; connecting to up to 5 Apple devices and secondly, their Dictation feature. This would be great for journalists as it types as you talk.
But, and for me this is a big but, all those fancy words and big figures may look great but a quick summary is that the new Ipad just has a better screen. So, at a price of £579.99 is it really worth it?
This is what many reviewers are asking. Webmoco are pretty keen on the new product swaying in favour of the new screen and great picture quality, and a critic for The Telegraph compares it to putting on glasses for the first time. Even The Guardian, who point out the dictation feature is a bit rusty, are in favour as they say ‘The iPad 3 puts Apple a mile ahead of anything we've seen from Android tablets’.
So maybe I am a little cynical, and maybe I should embrace the fact that Apple appear to bring out the next ‘must-have’ item in the space of a couple of years.
After all, I wouldn’t think twice about buying the latest dress from Topshop which has received great hype for being an amazing catwalk copy. I might not follow technology trends but I certainly do within fashion.
On a final positive final note there is one thing about the Ipad which does draw me into the popularity. My favorite magazines, Vogue and Elle, have now created apps especially for the device. Being able to carry the bibles of fashion so easily really is a 'must-have' in my mind...
With Vero Moda's latest collection I can find little to fault. I have always loved the brand, wishing more and more each day that they would actually release a store in my area. Thankfully, they do inhibit bigger department stores, like House of Fraser, so I can still get my fix. Normally I pick up basic pieces. At the end of last summer I tried on a gorgeous parka but as I was low on money had to leave it behind. This was one of my biggest errors. I have since learnt my lesson and have promised that I will never pass an opportunity to snag some Moda.
There might be another reason that I love this collection so much. Alexa Chung has always been my style icon ever since she cut her hair and started to wear blouses. Whatever she wears immediately rises on my clothes shopping list as she always look so effortless stylish.
Hence why it comes as no surprise that I love pretty much every item. Here are a few of the garments that have already reached my online shopping basket. Unfortunately, I might not be able to checkout just yet...
Wow. Anybody would think I am addicted to reality tv shows, first Geordie Shore and now Made in Chelsea. Well, in truth, maybe I am. Slightly. Anyway, in celebration of my favourite posh totty show here is Millie looking fabulous. She was at the One Day premiere last year in an outfit which even worn today would still gain points in the style stakes.
If you want to get Millie's style right now, luckily the high street has got some fabulous pieces which will make sure you can do your own S/S 12 twist to this outfit.
I have taken Millie's classic look and adapted it to this seasons trends by teaming these gorgeous metallic leather shorts with some contrast nude shoes. I have kept Millie's simple sheer blouse and blazer as these are staple items we can easily find already in our wardrobes. So that's Made in Chelsea style this season! I cannot wait to see what they wear in the next series!
Further to my post a couple of weeks ago, read it here, about the style in Geordie Shore, I emailed blogger Michael, who is from Newscastle and focuses on mens fashion. He got back to me recently with a link to his site as he had written a post about what they wear. For any Geordie Shore lovers it is a must read! Read all about the fashion on his blog here. Thanks Michael!
Unfortunately, I am not talking about a fantastic money making scheme that I have just dreamed up. This is a fashion blog after all. Instead I am going to show you how to find the key peices that follow my favourite trend this season: Mint! I absolutely adore this colour, and cannot wait to start wearing it. I do have a slight issue though, as with my pale skin and dark hair I might end up looking more ghost-like than chic. I have always steered clear of pastel shades but I really want to make an exception with this trend. So, I am taking the first step: my nails. ( I used No.7 nail polish in Minty Fresh)
I managed to take a picture of this by balancing my camera on my chin and starting the timer..now that is dedication to the cause!
I am slightly undecided about this colour as I normally stick to very safe colours. I could not survive without my red nail polish, but I really want to indulge in this colour more. What does everyone think?
I have already resigned myself to the fact that all the gorgeous mint coloured blouses in Zara could never be worn by me. However, thankfully, the high street has some gorgeous alternative mint garments which I could certainly wear! Here are my favourites from River Island!
These lovely jeans are perfect for spring, especially as they currently have £10 off, making them only £20! Thanks River Island!
These smart shorts, also by River Island are now on my lust list at £28. I'll be wearing mine with a crop top and smart white blazer.
I love how mint is styled here. I would not have thought to team it with black but with the balance of feminine and masculine touches Topshop has proven they know how to style the trend!
If, unlike me, you can wear pastels near your face then I would recommend wearing this trend with silver. A cute mint dress worn with metallic accesorizes is perfect for summer and gives an edgy look rather than people mistakening you for an ice cream. I am picturing here a pale pink sweater and a mint dress. Just no. Here are my picks from Topshop:
First this gorgeous metallic jumper at £36, which would look great with these mint green patterned leggings at £20. I have also picked some silver and mint shoes at £60 and sunglasses at £14
I have also checked out Miss Selfridge to see what they have to offer and this is my favourite item from their collection. I absolutely love all the maxi skirts that are in the shops at the moment, especially the ones styled like this example.
I would probably wear this skirt, £37, with a buttoned white shirt, flats, £25, and some costume jewellery, £10, for a fun day look.
So there you have it, a quick round up of what the mint trend has to offer on the British high street. I for one, cannot wait to get shopping and try this fabulously fresh trend. On a final note, if mint clothes are not your style, here is one final idea to experiment with this colour...
As Topshop explain on their website 'you know Topshop as the style setter and star of your wardrobe', because the brand has had a pretty important impact on the high street. However, although it is hard to believe in our present, the shop did not always have so much success.
Topshop is part of the Arcadia Group. This was founded in the 1900's by a Lithuanian man named Montague Burton. He created the Peter Robinson chain and this would be the beginning of Topshop. In the mid 60s as a reaction to the rising awareness of fashion within young women, Peter Robinson launched Topshop. First it was positioned inside stores as a concession but by 1974 the first Topshop store was launched, and shortly after Topman was created in 1978. Unfortunately the store was seen more as a 'tacky teen store', as Cat Callender explains in a article for The Telegraph and many dubbed the shop 'Flopshop'.
It was not till the late 1990s that Topshop began to get noticed as a high street store with credibility. Many believe this to be because of Jane Shepherdson, as she took on the brand and designed some truly beautiful clothes. Since her departure in 2006, the shop has continued to flourish and now there are over 300 stores in the United Kingdom alone and more than 100 internationally. Since Topshop's relaunch on Oxford Street in 1998, the brand has developed their image to such a level that trends do not emerge seasonally but weekly. They analyse designs on the catwalk and translate them to the high street, producing over 7,000 lines every season.
Although, debatably, the reason that Topshop has grown to such a level is their keen interest in emerging design talent. In 2002, they decided to join forces with NEWGEN, an organisation which triumphed up and coming fashion designers. This choice by Topshop would prove invaluable as it continually means the brand is in the press. It was also announced recently by Philip Green, owner of Topshop and the Arcadia Group, that after ten years with the group he would happily indulge in another decade. Great news for every fashion addict! A video has also been released celebrating the many designers who have been involved in this collaboration.
Another outstanding achievement from Topshop is their Unique label. This was first introduced in 2001 and was a big step in bridging the gap between high street and the catwalk. As Hilary Alexander discusses in an article published in 2005, 'it has made retail history..turns over the traditional fashion hierarchy'.
Overall, Topshop has turned into a fantastic fashion franchise. It continues to develop, and produces such exciting reasons to be involved in the industry that the high street could never say goodbye to it now. The future looks equally as engaging as Philip Green has announced plans to work with the British Fashion Council and the government to ensure that Britain as a manufacture can grow. He wants to put the same effort in production talent as he does with design. They have also revealed more interesting ways to shop as they have introduced technology into shopping. In Moscow they have virtual fitting rooms, which can be seen below...!
With the present and future looking so bright for Topshop I think the timeline I have created below will continue for many, many more years. All hail the queen of the high street!
