Shopcade SS14 Top Picks

By handpicking new and unique pieces from all over the UK, the Shopcade store aims to feature talented and emerging designers of which they know you'll love. There is currently a sum of twelve designers who are featured on the Shopcade store and the gifted selection is still growing. Shopcade are currently giving you the opportunity to win a £150 Shopcade Store gift card by blogging about your favourite products on their site. So here are mine...

1) Translucent Crop Top - £50

To be honest, I haven't really been wearing much of the PVC trends recently, however, this sheer, translucent top could happily be made an exception into my wardrobe. Whist the high shine throws drama and attitude, the box top style adds a laid-back feel towards the garment. I most like the idea of the fact that you can layer this over pretty much anything - crop tops; vest tops; dresses; playsuits etc - and it would still look perfect for SS14, although I would most likely style it with a patterned bralet and a pair of high waisted skinny jeans, to gain a cool and collected attire.

2) Sparkly Ice Cream T-Shirt - £40

Printed tees are perfect for those days when you really don't feel like dressing up too much and just want something easy-going to wear. I particularly like this one due to the rather large, sparkly ice cream, sat in the centre of the garment that you really cannot miss. The shape makes it perfect for wearing in the summer months and the pale pink colour does prevent the vivid ice cream from making the garment too overpowering. To keep the look casual, I would pair this with either some skinny jeans or shorts and of course some jelly shoes to keep the summer theme.

3) Lotus Earrings - £15

Handmade in London, these geometric shaped earrings would be the perfect finish to the majority of your summer outfits as the delicate shaping against the pastel colour keep them subtle, sophisticated and versatile.

4) Lace Crop Top - £24

Am I ever going to grow to not lusting over every lace garment I stumble across? Probably not. It has to be one of my top favourite trends for SS14, following my huge love for it last year. The tiny crochet flowers appear dainty and elegant whilst the scalloped hem creates a slightly raw and also delicate edge to the extremely cute crop top. The white colour makes it great for teaming with pretty much anything, however, I would most likely go for pairing with an aztec skirt to mix up the trends a little.

5) Statement Beaded Necklace - £14

Who doesn't enjoy a good ol' statement necklace? The brilliant blues against the rich gold make this one perfect for summer and teaming with, again, pretty much anything. In fact, it would work a complete trick with the lace crop top above.

Topshop Spring Sale Favourites

Just in case (at the very unlikely occurrence) you didn't already know, the Topshop mid-season sale is now on! Admittedly, it isn't quite as big as we would usually see, but there's still lots of lovely bargains totally worth it. Of course I eyed up a few favourites when scrolling through the webpage, so here they are to share with you.

1) Red Tartan Crop Top - Was £22, Now £12

Yep, Spring may have at long last sprung, but I'm still loving a spot of tartan! This plain tartan crop top would look great with a pair of jeans or dungarees for a casual attire in this gorgeous spring weather. The opposing colours of the red and blue give the top a braver appearance, resulting in a bolder impact.

2) Gingham Treggins - Was £28, Now £15

The shop racks appear to be flooding in gingham print right now, so these reduced treggins work a treat! I would team them with a long, plain cami and cutout ankle boots in order to keep the 'less is more' effect, as I think that a patterned top may clash with the gingham print.

3) Floral Shift Dress - Was £30, Now £15

I absolutely adore this little floral shift dress - it just seems perfect for spring! The cap sleeves create a more casual appearance to the dress, and the above the knee length makes it even more loveable! The floral design has a retro kind of appeal which harmonizes alongside the sixties style of the garment. I would team this with some frilly socks and jelly shoes to complete the look for spring time.

4) Animal Print Crop Cami- Was £10, Now £3

New cami's are always such a brilliant addition to a wardrobe, and at £3, this one's hard to say no to! Either way, they're great for pairing with jeans and shorts for casual day-wear or teaming with a sophisticated tube skirt for more of an occasion outing. I think that what works well with this one in particular is that the dark colours tone down the animal print design, resulting in a subtler effect.

Chunky Necklace - Was £18.50, Now £8 

Chunky necklaces are totally one for your SS14 wardrobe, but I often struggle to find one suitable for wearing with a patterned top, as they tend to be so busy and full of pattern and colour. However, being fairly high cut and not so full of so many different colours, I think that this would be the solution to my dilemma.

What do you think of the Topshop sale? Have you made any bargain purchases?

Pretty Little Thing Summer-Time Outifit

With the chance to become a VIP blogger, Pretty Little Thing are currently running a competition in which the aim is to blog about your favourite outfit on their site, http://www.prettylittlething.com/. But that is not all. You will also gain the chance to style your own shoot as well as win the outfit which you blog about.

I do like to participate in these occurrences, simply because these choose-some-clothes-and-state-why-you-love-them posts are my favourite and are enjoyable to write. But hey! You never know what the chances are of winning either!

So here's a summer-y outfit consisting of a few things I quite like the look of.

Aztec Embellished Mint Skirt - I think I'll forever be a huge fan of aztec print, so there's really no surprise that I picked this skirt to feature as the central focus in this chosen attire. The minty emerald pigment alongside the pure white makes this a perfect holiday piece for the summer as it practically screams romantic beach walk, whilst the embellished gold sequins sparkle charisma, glamour and elegance. The A-line style works a sweatshop treat as it forms a structure to tune in with the Aztec design.

Black Mesh Shell Crop Top - Mesh is in full swing of being a significant trend for SS14, and I have to admit that I am a little head over heals for this dainty crop top. The shell panel adds an intriguing effect to the whole attire as the monochromatic scale of the metallic lines forming the shell shapes produces a subtle, yet eye catching effect. I think that this top would go perfectly with the skirt as they create a sophisticated look whilst the cropped style of the top keeps it carefree and youthful.

Silver Jelly Shoes - To be completely honest, never in a million years did I expect to be blogging about a pair of jelly shoes, but here I am, doing exactly that! Who would have thought it?! They were my childhood summer favourites, and are now extremely tempting to propose to for a re-appearance back into my wardrobe. This silver pair in particular match perfectly with the romantic appeal of the skirt, whilst the small, practical heal adds a tiny touch of refinement.

Heart Stud Earrings - What's an outfit without a pair of earrings? Incomplete, I say. Studs are great for those times when you don't want to over-do it, and want the actual clothing to do the talking, and these heart ones are perfect for exactly that. The gold edges add detail to the shapes, permitting them a strong, rich appeal.

Gold Bracelet Cuff - Gold and green are two colours which I find work immensely well together, so I feel that this cuff finishes off the outfit perfectly. The aztec-like cutout detailing harmonizes beautifully against the aztec focus of the skirt.

How would you style these individual items? And good luck to all entering the Pretty Little Thing VIP Blogger competition!