One year on: Kate's high street look.

On Friday 29th April 2011, Prince William and Kate Middleton got married and a fairytale came true. Now, one year on, the Duchess has a new title against her name. She has become, undoubtedly, our fashion icon. With her contemporary mix of designer and high street she has become the epitome of how to dress with class. In celebration for their one year anniversary here are Kate's top high street outfits and how she wore them:



Source

Shortly after their marriage Kate stepped out in this gorgeous Zara dress, priced at a mere £49.99 and LK Bennett wedges at £129.99. Unsurprisingly the dress sold out immediately after the Duchess was spotted wearing it. Even now you can buy copies on ebay! See here

Source

with a bold blue colour here is Kate wearing a gorgeous belted dress from Reiss. Teamed simply with some black courts she looks elegant and  ready for her royal duties!

Source

This monochrome outfit is all by Whistles and looks perfect on a summery day. See how she has added navy heels to make the outfit look more quirky, rather than completely co-ordinated.

Source

This cream dress is by one of the Duchess's seemingly favoured high street retailers, Reiss. Here she has brightened up the outfit by adding coral accessorises.

Source

As she made one of her first solo royal visits with the Queen rather than her husband by her side, Kate looked totally in control in an asemble by LK Bennett. Her Jude jacket was priced £395 and matching Davina dress, £225. Shortly after she wore this outfit it was released on sale!

Source

This Zara dress, £69.99, was another hit with the public and sold out quickly. This is one of my favourite high street outfit of hers, as by adding a smart jacket and clutch it makes the outfit look stylish and expensive!

Which is your favourite Kate high street look?

Olivia Rubin for Dorothy Perkins On Sale now!

Olivia Rubin has chosen to collaborate with DP for their 'love of print'
Source

As we all know designer/high street collaborations are frequent and this post is about Dorothy Perkins latest recruit. They have bagged the lovely Olivia Rubin, a graduate from Central Saint Martins who has been designing professionally for seven years. Her design is all about print and as Dorothy Perkins loves  detailing on their garments the collaboration is a perfect fit.

The collection is incredibly girlie, with lots of fun prints like shells, birds and clouds. As the designer herself describes her inspiration was 'a summer holiday' and hopes that her clothes are 'trans-seasonal'. This is perfect for a high street shopper as aren't we all looking for pieces in our wardrobes that will last longer than a few months?

Source Fearne wearing one of Olivia Rubin's designs

In the past her clothes have been worn by the likes of Fearne Cotton and Cheryl Cole, donning her cute dresses for their glamorous events. Now, we get the chance to shine like the stars with her formal dresses, cute bikinis and easy to wear tops. If you love print, pink and looking pretty then this is a designer/high street collaboration for you! 

All from Dorothy Perkins

Which designer would you love to collaborate with the high street?

TOWIE's Lydia Bright interview with themuse.tv

Source

As many of you know, The Only Way is Essex is making its way back onto our television screens tonight! There have definitely been some highs and lows with the program, bring back Mark Wright for starters, but it is still as addictive as the icing on a cupcake!

Speaking of cupcakes, the most fashionable Essex member Lydia Bright, has recently had an interview with my favourite online fashion magazine themuse.tv. She shows off her own shop, Bella Sorella, that sells a whole host of quirky items. I cannot help but champion this boutique as it will surely be giving life to the Essex high street!

Check out this video to hear all about her style this season and why she cringes at her orange tan in the early Essex days:

Have you ever visited the store? What do you think of reality tv stars opening shops on the high street?

Dorothy Perkins 25 per cent off in store and online!

Source

As my student years keep on rolling, I live by discounts. In fact, I swear by them. These days, as the high street struggles to keep a float they are always offering shoppers extra deals to entice them into buying their products. So really there is never a need to buy items full price and I could not be more thankful! Currently, Dorothy Perkins have been running an extra 25 per cent off everything online and in store! To receive your discount just print off this voucher and hand it to the sales assistant in store but if you fancy an on-line shop just put this code in:  DPVIPVC. 

If that still isn't enough to persuade you then here are what I have in my shopping basket: 

Split platforms £50

Pretty in Pastel 

Lace peplum dress £40 


or

Mint blouse £26

Cool Mint

Mint contrast scuba dress £42 

Everyone must hurry as offer ends this Sunday!!

What have you brought recently in Dorothy Perkins?

Topshop's Latest Summer Treats

Source



Last week I was sunbathing on a beach and now I am wrapped up in a winter coat, rubbing my hands by a radiator. The change in weather is enough to get anyone down, but thankfully Topshop is not allowing the bad weather put them off producing some really cute summer accessorises. Here are my top picks from their latest collection that they dub 'Pageant Princess'.




This metallic rucksack would look great with all the pastel shades around at the moment. At £38 it would be the perfect summer treat.



You cannot beat a cute pete pan collar and this beaded example would add a nice touch to a plain tee at £16



A quirky ring always adds interest to an outfit and this heart shaped one is great at £6.50

If the weather keeps being gloomy these lip tights are sure to brighten up your outfit. These are immediately on my wish list at a price of £10



These cute ice cream earrings are a snip at £6.50 and will hopefully bring the ice cream van back onto your street.

Those are my top five favourite pieces from the new Topshop collection. They brought a smile to my face this afternoon and I hope they did for you too!

What are your favourite Topshop spring/summer items?





Mama knows best.

Wallis dress 

As I sat in a room more familiar than my own, I once again realized how much my mum has influenced my style. To get to the bare bones of this blog, I must say that without my upbringing I might not have felt the urge to write about fashion. But with every year of my life the passion grew, and that was because of one woman. My mum. It may be a cliché, but I am not someone to hide one when its true.

Today, as a common  ritual between my mum and I, she is showcasing her latest finds. I haven't seen her in a few weeks and her wardrobe holds some real high street gems. The thing with my mum is that she does not dress too young, or too old. She doesn't dress dowdy or as a slave to the trends. She knows her shape and what colours suit her, something which has been invaluable advice growing up as I know which colours drain my complexion. But enough about me, here is the woman that taught me everything I know about fashion:

How do you decide what to buy in the high street? 


I always dress to disguise my shape, trying always to achieve a slimmer line. I wear loose cardigans mixed with longer tops that may balance out some skinny jeans. I also make sure that if I wear a dress it has to be a shift and cut in proportion.

Range of t-shirts from right, Mango, Next, Warehouse, Peruna 

What colours do you wear once you have found the perfect shape? 


I normally choose bright colours, even in the winter, and especially white in the summer as it brightens my face and suits my complexion. As I have green eyes and brown hair I also choose some autumn tones as they always suit me.

Which are your favourite high street shops?


It is always important to discover which shops make clothes that suit you. For example, I always go to Zara for tops, but choose Wallis for trousers. I also normally find my jumpers online, especially on a brand called Wrap, as they do great deals for good quality cashmere knitwear. I would say overall, Zara is my favourite.

What is your inspiration for your style? 


I read lots of magazines to find out what the trends are and which stores are adopting them. I don't like wearing a whole outfit from the same shop so always shop around. You have to mix and match and hunt around, that is what matters.

Do you always wear the trends?

I do like wearing the trends but try and wear them my own way! I used to make my own clothes, but now it is quite difficult to get fabric, so I do think I have quite an individual style because of that.

Handmade tartan jacket by my mum!

What do you think of the idea of wearing 'vintage'? 


I was brought up not to wear other people's clothes, so I don't really like the idea. When I have visited a vintage store it is mostly hand-made stuff anyway, so very expensive for what you are buying.

Finally, describe your style in three words?


Young at heart!

So, as my mum shuts her wardrobe for another day, I know it is my turn. Like mother, like daughter, I had been shopping too.

1,000 views encounting: Step by step to marketing your blog

Source

I have finally achieved my first target for my blog. A thousand views is such a great milestone to hit, but now it is time to figure out how to keep those views going up and up. Although this is a happy moment for me, in reality a thousand views in a couple of months is hardly going to get me noticed. I need to market my blog, and here is how I am going to do it. Then maybe, just maybe, I'll be celebrating a 100,000 views one day.

1. Work hard. I need to update my blog at least a couple of times a week with lots of interesting material to keep my readers coming back for more. It is easy to be lazy with blogging but with this hobby, attentiveness pays. Literally.
Are you a professional blogger? Do you have any extra tips?