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!
I was recently in Topshop, a palace of treasures on Oxford Street, when I stumbled upon the bag collection. I say stumbled, the minute you enter the store you are surrounded by them. The smell of leather and plastic beautifully merged. I noticed that Topshop had really endorsed two particular bag styles, ones so old school they were chic. Reintroducing the rucksack and satchel, the perfect bags to cram all your stuff into! But which do you pick? Here are some of great examples from the high street:
This was, without a smudge of doubt, my hardest challenge. Football shirts are just a shapeless mass. How on earth was I going to make this semi-cool and fashion forward? On Saturday I am going to see my team (!) for the first time. I have supported Aston Villa since I was about nine, I think in an attempt to look cool in front of my older brother. Even though they hardly ever win (sorry guys) I have never wavered my support. But on Saturday I will be damned if I cant show my support and look nice. So after much thought all week I finally attempted to style the shirt.
Here I am wearing: H&M dungarees sale £10, Aston Villa football shirt Ebay £5.00, necklace Topshop sale £4, shoes Topshop sale £12, socks M&S
After my post about dungarees (see here) I realised I needed to get myself a pair! By complete luck I found these in H&M for a mere £10 in the sale, hanging on the rail alone. I absolutely love it when that happens; when the high street offers exactly what you need. They are slightly large but luckily it does not matter with dungarees as you can wear them baggy.
I had tried a denim skirt with the football shirt but it just looked too much, and I did not want to go for the safe option and just add jeans. Dungarees were the perfect alternative. At first I thought a statement necklace would make the shirt look better but soon realised I just looked OTT. I loved my new shoes with white socks though so decided to keep them in the look. Here is my final attempt:
By adding a jacket and taking away the statement necklace I am finally happy with the styling. I like how the jacket hides a bit of the dungarees so it is a bit more subtle and ties in nicely with my white socks. This Forever 21 necklace is perfect for adding fun to my outfit and does not distract completely from the shirt. Even though the shoes do clash, I surprisingly still love them as I think it brightens up the outfit.
What do you think? Have I managed to style a football shirt?!
The other day I was thinking how much my local high street had changed. There have been some positive additions with a whole new shopping area, but also some more negative changes. The original high street that my Mum and I would wander down every Saturday is unrecognisable with M&S the only store that has not shifted. One of my favourite shops when I was just getting into fashion, probably at the age of ten or so, was Tammy. One of my first fashion memories is begging my Mum to buy me a pair of baggy jeans. This was also one of my first fashion disasters! Tammy then brought me onto thinking about Etam.
Where did this brand suddenly disappear to? I cannot remember the last time I saw a store in the UK. After a quick search I found that Etam had turned into a lingerie shop and was very popular in the rest of Europe. This made sense seeing as originally the brand was French. But in 2005 Arcadia brought Tammy and Etam and placed it in its BHS stores.
However, although Etam appears to have lost its popularity in the UK it is still going from strength to strength. You just need to see who they have to front their campaign, supermodel Natalia Vodianova, for proof.
Their Autumn/Winter 12/13 lingerie lookbook appears to hit all the boxes with its sexy but cute designs in a variety of styles. My favourite is the high waisted powder blue set.
The website explains that Etam is coming back to the UK with an online store opening soon. Hopefully this will mean they will open some new shops in our high street too. But in the meantime you can visit their website and purchase the underwear from Etam.com.
Do you think it is a good thing Etam is back? Will you choose their underwear over brands like LaSenza and M&S? Please let me know below :)
Olympic fever. I cannot remember a more exciting week, with every day containing a reminder of how lucky we are to be British. I am not ashamed to admit that I have to fight back proud tears as another of our magnificent athletes takes to the podium. I have been incredibly lucky to have already attended two Olympic events, and tomorrow I will see my third. London has a vibrant energy with so many friendly faces and respect for our visitors. I never want this sporting event to end.
Everyone is involved in this once in a lifetime event including the high street. They have created a selection of patriotic items so that you can support Team GB in style. Here are my picks from these top three shops.
My complete Marks and Spencer outfit at £43 (shoes, bag, necklace not inc)
Recently I have been hearing with great sadness that Marks and Spencer's has been struggling in the current economic climate. It has been reported that they have had a 6.8% fall in sales of general merchandise, the worst they have had in three years. This illustrates that the British store, which has been around for 128 years could be in jeopardy.
When I heard this news I was admittedly confused. The brand have, in my eyes, only been improving. With their ranges like Limited Collection and Autograph they now appeal to the younger adult, and their basics are still fantastic quality. But unfortunately my opinion appears to be the minority. Kate Bostock, who has been the head of clothing for Marks and Spencer's for the past eight years has reportedly had to step down due to these low figures.
I can only say I am baffled. Marks and Spencer's never falters with quality, their prices are still completely competitive against the other high street stores and they do create stylish garments. But something must have changed. Maybe their attempts at re-branding, with fancy adverts and celebrity models, have not been quite as effective as they, and indeed I, first thought.
Marks and Spencer's do not try to be Topshop, or Urban or even Zara. But this does not mean that if you like these shops you should rule out M&S. Recently I checked out their sale and found this gorgeous pink blazer for £20. These on-trend silky pyjama pants were also in the sale at £20 and there was this pale pink tank at £4. That is under £50 for an outfit I know I will wear again and again because of the high quality of the fabrics and great fit.
Hopefully this outfit will inspire you to take a look inside M&S again and see what they have to offer. Please let me know on what you think of this topic. What can Marks and Spencer's do to compete with the other high street retailers?
I love this pink blazer because it is so versatile, perfect for summer days&nights: £20
These trousers are a great fit, hiding my tummy and accentuating my waist: £20
I accessorised by adding this Topshop chain necklace (old) and Clarks stud sandals (old)
This week, for the first time, I decided to take a picture every day of my outfit choice. The pictures are not the best quality, so bear with me, but hopefully you will get an idea of how I mix the high street into my style. This blog will primarily still have fashion news but, to add a more personal touch, I have opted to see what the reaction is to this sort of post! Please add your comments and tell me if you hate or love my outfit!
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?
