Sunday 22 September 2013

Trend Alert: Highland Fling

I love Tartan. There we go I said it. A few seasons ago I had a plaid pair of tights I wore to death with over the knee boots and a long black jumper; it saw me through winter pretty much, so I’m uber excited that plaid is back.

It’s not exactly plaid as you know it either, we’ve seen candy coloured plaid on the high street (I recently swiped Topshop’s purple woollen number) and camouflage plaid on the catwalk. This is all in addition to the gorgeous red and green hues currently flooding the stores.

Personally I think a skirt is the ultimate way to work this look. Versatile and a staple for the season, it’s a safer and cheaper way to invest. That beautiful plaid coat may be a stunner now, but will it stand the test of time? Knowing my misfortune at ‘must-have’ season items probably not.

That said here’s my round up of best tartan buys this week…

1. T-Shirt, £17.99, New Look Simple, cute and cost effective, this is the perfect piece in which to dip your toe into the tartan trend.

2. Skirt, £36, Topshop I bought this a few weeks ago on a whim when it was still baking hot and everyone thought I was barmy buying a WOOLEN skirt. Still, I've had the last laugh now.. Brr!

3. Dress, £28, F&F at Tesco A gorgeous tartan dress from Tesco you say? Well, yeah! This little beauty with its leather collar detailing is sure to be a sell out. Get in there quick!

4. Trousers, £50, Topshop I'll admit you have to be pretty brave to attempt top to toe tartan, but these gorgeous trousers on their own would serve your work and off duty wardrobe well this season.






Wednesday 18 September 2013

Time for Tights

I have friends who have sworn blind they will not be fishing out the hosiery until October, but when tights offer so much variety these days, why on earth would you want to wait?!

Personally, I’ve had them on standby since mid-August, until that blasted heat wave forced me to retire them until earlier this month.

With so many options to choose from why wouldn’t you want to splurge on loud colours, patterned goodies and cosy winter woollens?

Considering we are only in September and it is FREEZING outside, be smart and snap up these beauties before the snow hits and tights are abandoned for thermal leggings and multiple pairs of trousers.

Here are my top 5 picks…


Polkadot: £13, ASOS Stripes: £7.99, Pamela Mann Coloured: £4.00, ASOS Designer: £17.00, Emilio Cavallini Patterned: £8.74, Henry Holland


Sunday 15 September 2013

Mulberry's SS14 Dream


New York is over, London is midway through and soon we will be onto Milan and Paris... where does fashion month go?

I'll be honest, I've only skimmed the shows so far and been shameful in my trend analysis, but I did find the time to stream the Mulberry SS14 show live this afternoon.

My verdict? Wow. Just wow. And well, funny. Really quite amusing having a bulldog sashay down the runway with a model in tow.

The highlight for me had to be when the model responsible for said bulldog had trouble holding onto her companion as it decided to wander off course.

Looking rightly alarmed, her concentration broke for just a second as she contemplated the fact she may be upstaged by a dog on the runway. LOL

Trust Mulberry to make a dog a highlight rather than a distraction. Bravo!

Queen Cara opened and closed the show, smirking at the camera as she walked. I've got to say, she's a stunner alright but already looks bored with how easy success has come to her. Surely in fashion terms, it's time to move onto the next big thing?

Other than that niggling doubt, the show itself was a triumph of sumptuous silks, a palette of duck egg blue, poppy, pure white and orange ruled supreme, whilst texture played a big role all of its own in the SS14 preview.

Whether this is to be current Creative Director, Emma Hill's last collection remains to be seen, but I certainly thought her humble bow at the end looked like a thank you and farewell, as opposed to a “Thanks, I know amazing right?! Wait until you see my AW14 collection!”

Tuesday 10 September 2013

Miley’s Naked Storm

Ah Miley. Once so young, sweet and innocent now quite famous for twerking, showing her tongue more than is strictly necessary and well for being naked in her new video.

The opening 30 seconds of ‘Wrecking Ball’ is a shot focusing purely on her face; skin flawless, lips stained a deep red and eyelashes coated with a hint of mascara. In other words, she doesn’t look like the car crash we have been lead to believe in the papers. In actual fact, she looks, dare I say it, ‘sweet’.

This doesn’t really last with the video taking a different turn, or as some of the press are describing it, descending into ‘soft porn’ territory pretty quickly. She rides a wrecking ball naked, licks a hammer somewhat suggestively and spends the rest of her time gyrating against something.

However shocking though, the thing is I like the new Miley. She’s 20, she is going to experiment, she is going to flash the flesh and she is going to make people sit up and take notice of her no matter what.

She is no longer the preteen Disney queen (see what I did there with the rhyming?!) she’s her own woman and clearly has a smart business head on her- most viewed clip in 24 hours ever? She’s not stupid; she knows stripping off equal’s tonnes of hits and more than likely another UK number 1.

I think her new style is edgy, cool and above all something she has had a say in. You get the opinion she was manufactured for most of her life and wasn’t able to get tattoos, piercings, wear a crop top or flesh coloured latex, but now, well the world is her oyster.

The naked video is not to my taste and I’m sure plenty of people will criticise her for it when she is supposedly a ‘role model’ still, but hey, she’s got people talking and she has certainly convinced me of one thing…. white nail varnish is hot!

Sunday 8 September 2013

Behind the scenes: Victoria Beckham's SS14 New York Fashion Week show

Behind the scenes: Victoria Beckham's SS14 New York Fashion Week show

My Five Hit Fashion Wonders This Week

Depressing as it is, Monday is nearly upon us. I know, where has the weekend gone and how on earth can it nearly be time for the working week to begin once more?

Thankfully the power of shopping is enough to get me through, more specifically what I'll be buying this week, which includes these five hit wonders...



1.Knitted Fluffy Crop Jumper, £34, Topshop
Everyone needs a fluffy jumper in their lives and for me, there is none finer on the high street than Topshop's cropped offering. I plan to wear with my lovely pink PVC skirt for my leaving drinks in a few weeks.

2. Grey Grid Checked Printed Skater Skirt, £17.99, New Look
I'll be channelling my inner school girl with this little checked number from New Look. May give the cardigan and knee high socks a miss though and wear with a crisp white shirt and boots instead.

3. M&S Collection Faux Animal Fur Coat, £85, Marks & Spencer
I'm very much hoping autumn makes an appearance this week, as I've worn my summer wardrobe to death and I'm now fully ready to embrace the new season. In anticipation of heavy snow, I'll be buying this faux fur leopard print coat to keep me snug over the coming months.

4. Bowling Handbag, £29.99, H&M
H&M's affordable accessories continue to surprise me each season and this offering from their AW13 collection is no exception. Perfect work bag? You betcha!

5. Floral Printed Tea Dress, £37, Miss Selfridge
Tea dresses flatter my figure perfectly and this gorgeous burnt orange cutie from Miss Selfridge will look fab with thick woolly tights and Chelsea boots when it starts to get chilly.