Tartan Top Picks

There's no escaping tartan this season as the grunge print appears to be pretty popular amongst the AW13 trends. I'm sure almost all of us have strolled into a shop to be faced with clouds of tartan decorating the place, so I decided to collect together a few of my tartan favourites.

1) Monochrome Sweater - New Look

Perfect for a casual day out, the monochrome feature of this sweater adds a modern twist to the 'Old Britain' vibe that tartan brings. I absolutely heart jumpers and can't get enough of them, so of course I fell for this one! If you've read my New Look Knitwear Top Picks, you've probably guessed my obsession for teaming collars with jumpers. To keep the monochrome theme, I would layer this sweater with a black collar, embellished with beads in order to boost a slight air of charisma from the tartan. I'd also add a pair of black jeans and ankle boots to keep the sophisticated yet moody style.

2) Tartan Floral Skirt - Boohoo

The thing about this skirt that first caught my eye was the way that two completely similar, yet completely different trends fuse together to formulate a rebellious, yet sophisticated garment. The royal reds and blues in both opposing designs harmonize them together, whilst the non-rhythmic, slightly loosely positioned flowers contrast against the stiffly structured tartan nature. For an on trend look, I'd team this skirt with a white swing cami top in order to focus all the attention on the skirt, yet add a small statement necklace to modernize the look.

3) Crop Top - USC

Quite often when I decide on wearing a plain high waisted skater skirt for the day, I generally think to myself "why have I not yet bought a patterned croptop to wear with this?" and I think this one would be great for my small dilemma. The rich colours work well together, and , with its high neck and long sleeves means you don't even need to think about accessorizing. Although, in these cold winter months, I would add a plain woolly scarf and a biker jacket would go perfectly with it.

4) Red Pea Coat - Miss Selfridge

Delivering an urban appeal crossed with a slither of rebellious edge, the small leather features of this coat work well against the woven garment as it gives it a confident and definite finish. The way that the pattern design on the shoulder panel and the pockets is rotated gives it a slightly unstable structure as it distorts the pattern as a whole, by working across the direction of the pattern on the main body. I also like how the buttons and collar give it a slight military style twist.

5) Purple Tartan Puplum - Pretty Little Thing

Creating a quirky style, punk meets romance as the rebellious, gothic print is manipulated into a sophisticated, feminine peplum. My love for peplums have grown over the year, and I love how well this clash of romanticism and rebellion works. For an urban style, I would team this peplum with skinny coated jeans, in order to emphasize the peplum feature of the top.

6) White Tartan Skort - Topshop

Skorts are beginning to have a major impact on the AW13 trends, and I will definitely be looking out for one in the January sales! I like the asymmetric feature of this skort, creating a slightly daring edge with the small slit at the front and how the rich shade of red empowers the otherwise monochromatic colours. I would team this skort with a plain cami and chunky knit cardigan in order to soften the look.

What do you think about this years tartan trend? How would you style these items?

Clothes Show Live 2013

Fashion, beauty and celebrities combined together once again to host the 25th Clothes Show Live at the NEC in Birmingham.

Britain and Ireland's Next Top Models on the catwalk

This year was my third year attending the clothes show, so even though I already knew what to expect, that didn't prevent me from leaving the NEC a little overwhelmed and on an utter fashion high! Being the last day of the exhibition, we managed to bag a whole load of bargains and final day reductions.

Graduate's designs being modeled down the Diet Coke Image Catwalk

During our visit, we enjoyed a thirty minute long seminar presented by professionals in the fashion industry. I found it very interesting to learn about the pros and cons of working in the industry and hearing the speakers' advice about getting a career in fashion as well as their own experiences of how they got where they are today. I was also happy to know that this years seminar was led by different people and focused on a different topic as opposed to last years, meaning that we didn't sit through the same talk.

In the 'Fashion Village' hall

The halls which the stands, stalls and small scale catwalks are in are colour coded, making it easy to navigate yourself around the show. There is plenty to see and do in each section and something for anyone, no matter what your taste in fashion is.

Firstly we wandered around the beauty section, where there were lots of well-worth-it goodybags. I bagged myself a £10 Barry M goodybag worth over £50 as well as a  Mint London one for also £10. I also picked up a Elle goodybag for £2 with 2 issues of the mag along side a nail varnish and eye liner as well as a Company/Cosmopolitan one for £1 which included one of each of the mags with a few bits and bobs which were a bit random, including tooth paste and a mini toilet roll (..?). There were plenty more stalls with plenty more offers, including Models Own and Rimmel London with Rimmels' infamous telephone box photo booth.

The Rimmel London make up stand with the Telephone box photo booth

We then watched the graduate catwalk on the Diet Coke Image stage which I found rather inspiring. All sorts of shapes, patterns and colours were modeled down the stage, my particular favourite being a pink and black playsuit due to its beautiful print and unique shape.

More graduates' designs being modeled down the Diet Coke Image Catwalk

Moving along the halls, we ambled around the stalls selling street style type clothing. There were so many lovely clothes even if it did seem a bit repetitive from time to time.

Interestingly, the next coloured area was full of university stands, giving out leaflets and booklets with information about the university. Next to it, was the food area where we devoured a delicious tray of strawberries and marshmallows coated in a choice of milk or white chocolate from the chocolate fountains.

We also got close to Dan Osborne and Kirk Norcross, both from TOWIE...

Beginning to feel a bit weighed down with shopping, we then wandered through the area lined with boutique type stalls; they all looked so pretty! In this same area was the catwalk featuring the gorgeous Britain and Ireland's Next Top Models. I particularly enjoyed this catwalk as they exhibited a wide range of garments with seven themes, varying from disco numbers to garden party garments...

Finally, we attended the ALCATEL fashion theatre performance, presented by Henry Holland and Becca Dudley, which consisted of a huge dance show showcasing the latest fashion. Tartan, sequins and crops owned the stage, so be sure to expect them to stay on the high street for a while. As the theme of the show changes each year, I was intrigued to know how this years "Weekend in the Country" would be performed. Even though it didn't quite beat last years theme, the dances were all fantastic and with seven different scenes the numerous outfits worn were magnificent. But of course it all ended far too soon! Here are some pictures from the ALCATEL Fashion Theatre...

All of my purchases and goodybag goodies from the show

Did you go to Clothes Show Live? What was your favourite feature? And if you haven't been before, I would strongly recommend it!

Three Ways To Style - CageCity Naughty & Nice Skirt

Cagecity is a new, UK based, online clothing store, which is clogged up with unique garments of different colours, shapes, patterns and styles. They are currently running a bloggers comp with a prize definitely worth winning! The link for more information can be found here. 

For this three ways to style post, I have chosen my faourite, most controversial skirt from Cagecity, as it can be styled in many different ways, as demonstrated below. Leather look garments have crashed into high street stores this season, encouraging a daring grunge style attire. I fell in love with this leather look 'naughty and nice' skirt as the softness of the organic shaping of the floral cut out detailing contrasts against the edgy appeal of the leather look skirt, enabling the skirt to appear innocent and friendly, despite it's tight, figure hugging, edgy nature.

1) Stipey Monochrome Sleeveless Shirt - CageCity

2) Naughty & Nice Skirt - CageCity

3) Grey and Black Colour Block Satchel - New Look

4) Black Swallow Sheer Tights - Topshop

5) Black Metal Tip Shoe Boots - New Look

Monochrome is one of my fav a/w trends due to its ideal-for-every-occasion nature, as well as the fact that the gloomy appeal harmonizes with the dim and murky weather outside. Black and white stripes are shaping up to being a huge trend this season, and for that, we thank Marc Jacob's and Moschino's Spring '13 runways. I particularly like this Cagecity stripey sleeveless shirt as I think that the multidirectional stripes add a slightly organised chaotic style. I am absolutely loving satchels at the moment - I have one for college and I find it extremely practical and it goes with everything! I chose this colour block one as the grey wings of the bag hold a soft middleground between the severe differences of the white and black outfit.I think that patterned tights devote a statement from the outfit, and I have chosen these from Topshop as the repeated swallows pattern harmonizes sweetly with the shape of the floral cutouts. Finally, court shoes are making a comeback this season, and I love how these shoe boots hold a court shoe foundation to the style, appearing traditional, yet modern. The gold metal tip adds to the modern attire, contributing towards the moodiness of the monochrome style.

1) Crop Jumper - CageCity
2) Naughty & Nice Skirt - CageCity

3) Black and Gold Clutch Bag - New Look

4) Black Suedette Wedges - New Look

We saw crop tops as the comeback of the summer last season, and they are definitely here to stay! I absolutely love this one from Cagecity, as splashes of colour burst out of the top, creating a fun and playful attitude. I love how the colours seem to blend together, yet the brightness of the pink in particular fights for dominance against the dark connotations of the black leather skirt. I would team this outfit with these black wedges as I think that they make this the ultimate party/going out outfit. I like this black and gold clutch bag because I think that the simple idea of mixing black and gold, has been made more detailed by shaping the pattern more interestingly, using different geometric forms, which contrasts against the soft shaping of the floral cutouts along the skirt hemline.

 

1) Street Art Jumper - Cage City

2) Naughty & Nice Skirt - CageCity
3) Cut Out Ankle Boots - Boohoo
4) Pink Mini Satchel - River Island

5) Black Floral Over Knee Tights - Topshop

Teaming the leather look skirt with this street art sweater is the perfect way to add a casual twist to the outfit. I love how the uniqueness of this jumper adds a whole element of individuality, as different aspects of individual patterns are brought together to create one pattern, throughout the form of rows. This creates an idea of unpredictableness due to the in repetitive pattern. Despite not actually owning a pair, I love two-toned tights and these floral detail ones would harmonise perfectly with the floral cutout skirt. I think that the pattern of the tights complement the uniqueness of the sweater. My cutout ankle boots are my favourite footwear at the moment, and these heeled ones, again, complement the cutout skirt, creating a slight theme of cutouts. Like the sweater, the luminous pink satchel adds a casual twist, as well as a touch of feminity.

How would you style this leather skirt? Which one of these outfits would you wear?

Good luck to anyone entering the bloggers comp :)

Outfit Post: Kaleidoscope Skater Skirt

Outfit posts aren't my favourite to blog about, but I think it's about time for my first autumn OOTD. I picked up this gorgeous skater skirt yesterday in the USC sale for an absolute bargain of £3, and completely fell head over heals in love with it, so of course I just had to show you!

Besides the perceptible £3 price tag suspended from the hook of the hanger, the thing which I think drew me to this skirt was the amount of power that the colour had over the garment, as well as how vividly it wrought with the pattern, creating an abstract attire. I do love how the colours almost blend into eachother as they overlap, demonstrating an array of colours from the same pallet and how, even the dark colours seem to appear in soft tones, which then contrasts against the jagged points of the geometric, kaleidoscope shapes.

Quite often, I find that skater skirts are too flared around the back. However this one is a perfect fit and not too flared at all! I find the elastic waist band practical in the way that I can roll it down, as I've done here to alter the length.

I've teamed this with a plain salmon coloured sleeveless blouse, so as not to mix and clash patterns. I also thought that the shade of the colour would complement the colours used in the skirt. These black cutout ankle boots from New Look are my favourite pieces of footwear at the moment. The heels are enough to give you some extra height, yet they're still appropriate and comfortable to be spending the day in them. This purple biker jacket was another USC £3 bargain which I brought a few months ago. The colour has started to fade quite soon, but I find that it goes with most outfits and is suitable in a way of practicality.

SoulCal Kaleidoscope Skirt - USC

Sleeveless Button Up Blouse - New Look

Purple Biker Jacket - USC

Cutout Ankle Boots - New Look

Style Crush: Selena Gomez

I haven't been posting much recently, but now that I've settled into college, I will be posting more again. It is difficult when I don't get home till gone seven o'clock most days, but I'm determined to blog more again! Whilst racking my brains for what to blog next, I realised that it must be time for another style crush. I've always liked Selena Gomez's cool and casual chic kind of style, so here's a few of my Selena Gomez style favourites!

Swing cami tops were a huge trend this summer, and are still embellishing the shop shelves now for AW. With a whole colour spectrum of shades to chose from, I love how Selena's elected the classic colour of the SS13 season, white, presenting a pure and angelic appearance. I adore how Selena's toned down the outfit to a very casual attire by pairing this cami with a pair of frayed hem shorts. The simple metal bar flip flops also add to the casual look, making the look perfect for a day at the beach. The choice of her lack in accessories works really well by revolving a centre of attention around the long dream catcher necklace, this piece being the only form of pattern in the outfit. In these Autumn months, I would add some coloured knit tights with chunky heeled boots as well as a chunky knit cardigan in order to adjust to a practical autumn style.

Crochet was, and still is, another huge trend to break through the shop doors this year. It's simply a form of knitwear which isn't so thick and warm, making the garment perfect for mild weather. Differently to knitted jumpers, I do like how crochet tops have a natural pattern within them, that varies between each individual top, depending on how the garment is crocheted. I love how Selena has opted for a top which clashes trends, in he way that it is both cropped and has a scalloped style hem. In the way of styling, I do like how Selena's teamed her crochet top with some charcoal jeans. I recently purchased a pair from the New Look petite section and I pretty much live in them - I just love how they fade into the lighter grey around the mid thigh in a much toned down ombré way. At this point in the year, I would add a leather biker jacket, for both warmth and the effect of an edgier style, which would contrast against the innocent appearance of the crochet top.

The final image, on the far left, shows Selena at the 2012 KCA's in America, wearing a floral print bralet with a bead embellished skater skirt. I love how she's carefully paired two patterned items together, by choosing a bralet with a very faint colour change in the pattern, to ensure that it is subtle and does not stand out or clash with the bold skirt in any way. Skater skirts are still a magnificent trend for AW13 and this bead embellished number is absolutely gorgeous! I love how the silver and gold colours are blocked in an orderly fashion, making the skirt look elegant and sophisticated which contrasts hugely against the large beads we would associate with a child's piece of clothing. The black and silver checked belt finished off the outfit perfectly, as it adds a tiny element of the gothic style.

Love Her Look? ...Steal Her Style! - Selena Gomez

1) White Swing Cami - Boohoo

2) Frayed Hem Hotpants - Urban Outfitters

3) Crochet Crop Tee - New Look

4) Grey Charcoal Jeans - New Look

5) Beige Lace Bralet - Topshop

6) Bead Embellished Skater Skirt - Zara

New Look AW13 Knitwear Top Picks

We're not even a month into autumn yet and I'm already mourning over the luxuriously warm summer months which have now passed us. Dark, damp and dingy mornings? Nope, they're not my favourite. However, one of the few elements which I do l-o-v-e about the long and gloomy autumn/winter months, as always, is the fashion. Oversized, cozy and toasty knitwear, now that's more like it. So I thought, for this post, I'd pick out a few of my New Look AW13 knitwear favourites to show you.

1) Grey and White Ombre Knitted Cardigan

Chunky knit cardigans are my favourite type of cardigans and I absolutely love this ombre one. Monochrome appears to be a trend which isn't going anywhere for a while which I am all too happy about. I like how the grey fades upwards from the bottom of this garment, as it shows to be more contrary to other ombre clothing as the colour usually fades downwards. The white and grey threads interlock eachother around the middle of the cardigan to present the cardigan with a smoother representation.

Naturally, this chunky knit cardigan is shapeless, giving it the perfect casual-day-in attire. Therefore, I would team it with black skinny jeans, to add to the monochrome affect, a plain cami top and some ankle boots.

2) Burgundy Ribbed Jumper

Both purple and red are two of Autumns most on trend colours this year, so why not meet in the middle of the two with a burgundy shade? I also think that darker shades of colours match autumn/winter particularly well in the typical vision of the dark months as well as the fact that the ribbed pattern of the knitting does make up for the lack of colour and decoration.

Personally, I would team this jumper with a casual floral skater dress of likewise dark colours to achieve that layering trend of autumn. I would also add chunky knit tights of a colour which would cooperate with the chosen dress as well as either converse of wedged ankle boots.

3) Pink Love Jumper

I love the appearance of this jumper, it just looks so warm and snuggly! I think what makes me love this jumper is how the soft font of the statement word collaborates so well with the soft touch and colour of the jumper. I also adore how the style of the font looks like one of a hand written note, and how the 'o' assembles a love heart, creating a girly and innocent appearance.

I would team this jumper with a pair of acid wash skinny jeans and converse to keep the casual tone. Within the past year, I've become addicted to wearing collared tops or blouses underneath my jumpers, so I would pair this with a white blouse underneath the jumper to maintain the innocent representation.

4) Parisian Black Aztec Fluffy Jumper

Lastly, I'm still a huge fan of aztec print, and thankfully it is another trend which is here to stay! I think that the tribal trend works really well with the bright primary colours of the blue and green which contrast boldly against the solid black and the exagerated fluffiness of the jumper.

I would pair this jumper with a pair of leggins and Vans, again to keep the casual tone. I would also layer underneath with either a white, bright red or blue blouse to match the colours displayed on the jumper.

Would you wear these items of knitwear? How would you style them?

Floral Peplum

So it's come back around to that time of year again, the dreaded words: Back. To. School. I've just survived my first week of A Levels at college, and I actually love it! I've already met so many lovely people! Here's another post on something else which I wore one evening whilst on holiday in Majorca. It's more of a summer outfit, but I think you could get away with it in these early Autumn stages.

When shops first started hanging peplums all over the clothes racks last year, I have to admit that I wasn't too overly keen on them. 'Why would you want to wear something that makes your hips look wider than they are?' I would always ask myself. But then more and more people started to wear the peplum style garments and they became a major AW12 trend, before continuing to popularly grace the trends of SS13. Spying more people wearing the craze made me realise that there was more to these peplums than making your hips appear wider. Their clinging, waist cinching nature defines a sophisticated silhouette which screams femininity.

After spending a good while in New Look, umming and arging over my favourite creation out of oodles of different peplums of all colours and patterns, I finally fell for this lightly coloured floral one. I absolutely love the SS13 floral trend, so it was no wonder why I chose to purchase this one! The pastel colours work together really well, appearing subtly, meaning that you can team it with a variety of other designs.

I decided to team this peplum with this bodycon skirt to ensure that I attempted to achieve that feminine silhouette, as well as the fact the that the bold stripes contrast harshly against the dainty pastel floral print. Being in Majorca, I didn't actually wear the jacket, but I thought that it went so well with this outfit, that I just had to include it. It's cropped design means that the hem of the jacket just grazes across the seam where the top meets the peplum, giving the peplum a more structured attire. I brought this purple biker jacket in the USC sale  for £3, and I cannot fault it! Finally, I love this rucksack; it's size makes it perfect for a day at the beach!

What are your thoughts on peplums? What do you team them with?