Blogger Inspiration: Polka Dotty...

...taking a break from exams I got my Frassy fix {Article written for college paper in 'older posts'). A recent post contained a pink polka dot top - inspiring a happy, summery mood. Throwing on my sister's blue polka dot top in a hurry I was suddenly reminded of the post, and realised it was almost identical.

With a little extra time on my hands later on I created my own style take on Frassy's sweet candy coloured outfit. A style inspiration she produces once again.

The Sun Makes Me a Bit Too Crazy Happy...

Here I've teamed it with high waisted black shorts and black high heels for a college work / going out for drinks look. For colder weather I'd definitely add tights, and I'd like to experiment with some lyaering. I'd also like to mix it up with some more unique accessorizes, or perhaps a skirt a la Audrey.

Revision has unfortunately hit over the last few weeks, although my last exam is in less than two weeks, yay! I'm currently on half term so I've got a while to get stuck into revision. Which I've been doing fairly happily in the sun all of today (what beautiful weather, I just hope I'm not burnt!)...sometimes I actually manage to make an effort and surprise myself.

I also attended a design day to work on my pieces for the upcoming fashion show that I mentioned previously. (Photos of my creations & styling skills to come soon!) I'm very excited and I'm now on the organising team now so hopefully it'll all turn out well in the end :)

Otherwise I'm looking forward to seeing the boyf on his return from university next weekend...ahhhh! ! ! And then we're off to the beach once my exam is over on the Wednesday.

Plus this Friday I'm off to Clothes Show Live in London with Caroline: a blissful break with the likes of Erin O'Connor! Plus catwalks, style tips, trend talks, designer clothes, vintage collections, manicures and so on... :D

Hope exams are going well for all, lots of love x x x

Having the best time, despite exams...

As promised at 8.30am this morning I rushed myself down to the H&M to grab a piece of the action at the Matthew Williamson for H&M opening. Lucky for me there wasn't a queue, and I got chatting to a very nice lady about the collection, what we wanted and our surprise at the lack of people whilst we waited for the store to open. As we got closer to 9am more people began to arrive, ignoring the fact we were the first there...the lady and myself discussed how we were determined to get in first. We also spoke to a great staff member at H&M: bloke and really chatty. Finally the doors opened, luckily our side first and we rushed in. I got just the top I'd been wishing for and picked up the same one for my sister at uni and one in green for my friend Caroline (www.pink-silk.blogspot.com, she is divineee). Even though it's a size 'small' it's still quite big so I bought a black strap top to wear underneath and I will be teaming it with leggings :)

Straight afterwards I headed to the store where I'm hoping to work...full of beautiful vintage and designer dresses, perfumes, frilly knickers and jewellary (aka heaven). I spotted a blue 1950s shift dress that I'm desperate to have for my boyfriend's Summer Ball at uni on June 20th, ahh!

She said she'd had quite a few applicants but we got chatting about everything I've been doing fashion-wise (including a fashion show with some of her collection in it!) and by the end she simply said 'well I'll look at your CV, give you a call, and set up a trial day with you'... OH YES! Looks like I've overtaken those other applicants...fingers crossed! It's from September on Sundays which is perfect as I can see the boyf at uni Friday-Sat/Sunday and I'm mega busy all summer. But then she's given me some time in May Week to do too and maybe a little bit in summer when I'm free. So very excited, I shall keep you updated... there's also some great events the shop puts on, including 'champagne shopping night' on Wednesdays: shop whilst having champagne, what more could you ask for?

Caro and myself have also finally got the themes for the fashion show we're designing and modelling for! So we've headed out to get some clothes with our coupons. We buy clothes from charity shops, rework them at home and at design days with a designer, and then after the show they'll hopefully be sold again! The money goes to the charities and we show people that charity shop stuff cannn be fashionable. There's also going to be a raffle: just found out a dress from a collection at LFW will be for auction, a top fashion label item and designer accessories, live bands, refreshments and prizes for the best outfits, including a week's work experience at a fashion company! It's at The Junction on July 7th and tickets are just £5! Pick them up from the Oxfams and British Heart Foundations stores round town or contact me! xxx

Matthew Williamson, Designer Extraordinaire, Hits H&M

In this current economic climate fashionistas may be having a hard time affording their ‘most wanted’ buys. It would appear Matthew Williamson has saved us all. His new collaboration is just what we’ve always dreamed of, project catwalk meets project high street. Stores outside London open the collection Thursay, May 14th, and you can bet yourself there’ll be a long queue outside. So advise yourselves, to just this once, get up extra early, don your favourite outfit, and head to H&M on the high street before anyone else does. It will be worth it when you see what’s inside, and prices start at just £14.99...how can you NOT be tempted?!

Matthew describes the collection as ‘bohemian, free spirited,’ glowing colours and confidence in my opinion.

Here’s a quick peak at some of the outfits coming to a store near you this Thursday! Unless you live in London, in which case you’ve already got access to this divine creations…lucky girls.

Sequin Cuff Peacock Dress, £49.99
This dress definitely brings back the Sixties for me. After completing a recent fashion project on the era I can easily link it to this amazing dress. The shape incorporates the typical Sixties shift dress, and its use of bold, bright colours definitely ties in too. I am in love with the peacock designs Williamson has used on a variety of his designs, so visual and filled with energy. The glittery cuffs add that extra individuality to an already beautiful piece. An absolute bargain at just £50, how can you say no!

Multi-Coloured Tiger Ruffle Dress, £199.99
This is easily my favourite outfit, a little pricier than the others but still so worth it. The maxi dress is perfect for summer, teamed with some gladiator sandals and a cropped jacket, and Williamson has produced this one to perfection. The use of colour throughout the collection is beautiful, but this piece blows the others away with just how many its managed to fit in. The pattern is so detailed, and I love the ruffle, layered detailing. If I can get my hands on it first, and believe me I will fight for it, this will definitely be a wardrobe staple for me this summer.

This outstanding collaboration has been well worth the wait. Matthew Williamson is one amazing designer who just keeps on giving, and I for one am incredibly grateful.

xxx

My Key Summer Item: Competition

My key summer item will be my new Grecian style dress from H&M; strapless and pale green in colour with a white swirling design around the neck. It is fairly short, best worn with leggings until the sun starts to shine I think! At fifteen pounds, it was an absolute bargain, something we all need in this current economic climate! It was a spontaneous buy, heading out to buy a party dress I saw it hanging on the rail, the last one and in my size; what are the chances?


I have recently been teaming it with black leggings, waist belt, blazer and boots to keep me nice and warm but still looking fashionable. As a textiles student who is interested in taking fashion journalism on as a career, I had to make sure it fit in with current trends. Lucky for me the gladiator sandal has once again ticked the box for key pieces, matching perfectly with my overall Roman / Greek outfit theme for summer.


I am just itching to get my hands on some of River Island’s ‘stud gladiator sandal,’ a perfect summer staple at just £34.99, could they be any more enticing? As Style.com, the online home of Vogue, so nicely points out one key trend is, ‘Goddess Worship,’ as ‘Grecian draping made waves on the runways. In addition, this month’s Company magazine includes a page dedicated to gladiator sandals, suggesting my beautiful, simplistic Grecian dress is bang on trend.

It would appear I am a little ahead of the fashion curve, having bought the dress just before the Spring/Summer Report came out, what a confidence boost! I like that my dress represents my own style take on the Grecian based ‘Goddess dress’ trend, usually known to be floor length, my dress is quite the opposite. It had to be suitable for my holiday in Turkey where the weather will be very hot, so I have gone for a floaty, summer dress feel, rather than the typical long, formal style.

I cannot wait to walk around in the summer sun with it on, teamed with nothing but sunglasses, gladiator sandals and perhaps a long cardigan in case it’s breezy, (although the length may insist upon the dress being teamed with some denim shorts!).

What's everyone else's summer staples?!

xxxx

Supernice: Wall Graphics

We all get to that point where we want a bit of a bedroom makeover; our tastes are ever changing. So when I came across this sweet designs from www.supernice.co.uk I had to share them. They sell a variety of wall graphics, stickers and so on. The variety they have is absolutely divine and there seems to be something for everyone: my examples ranging from adult dining room to children's playroom. Some of them can end up a bit pricey but when they look this good and they're going to be a permanent fixture for quite some time, who cares? They can completely transform any room and give it a modern, or vintage edge. It'll definitely be a talking point for any visitors you have round.

Here are some of my favourites:

'Ambition Killed The Cat' £46.00

'Sakura' £55.00

'Stone Jungle' £65.00

'Frida's Garden' £70.00

'Wee Gallery Garden' £30.00

'Wee Gallery Giraffe' £28.00


And so many more, I have about another six I'd love to add.
Perfect for a house re-haul.
What do you think?? Which are your favourites??
x x x x x

Best of the Fashion Blogosphere...Audrey Rogers of ‘Be Frassy’!

{An Article written for my College Newspaper, which I'm now co-editor of! :))

This beautiful bohemian girl originates from America but has lived in Europe for most of her life, mainly Spain, where her family are now whilst she studies at Durham University, England. Hoping to take on fashion journalism at Central St. Martins or London College of Fashion once she has completed her English degree, Audrey hopes to write for a magazine for a few years before starting one of her own – a dream that she has had since she was just twelve-years-old! With her incredibly well-written blog and unique fashion style it’ll be interesting to see where she gets to in the next few years; she’s one to watch for sure. As well as her blog, she is also the ‘style editor’ of Durham’s University Paper –‘The Sanctuary,’ working her way up the fashion career ladder and getting as much experience as she can.

Lucky enough to be invited to London Fashion Week, using journalism work she has built up over the years as credentials and applying to the British Fashion Council, Audrey gave me her point of view of the prestigious event...
‘It was an amazing experience, an absolute dream- William Tempest or Betty Jackson were probably my favourite shows, while seeing Lilly Cole close up was a defining moment: I loveee that girl! Fashion Week was probably one of the best times of my life and definitely re-affirmed my goals to work in fashion.’

Audrey definitely sounds like a very busy lady, and determined to get her dream she has applied to ‘Glamour’ magazine for an internship, managing to acquire an interview which she attended in December, fingers crossed she gets it! She is hoping for some work experience with a t-shirt designer, after setting up ‘Frassy Rags,’ which sells edgy, fashion conscious t-shirts, as well as doing some courses at the next London Fashion Week...busy doesn’t even cover it. The work and effort Audrey has been putting into her dream (whilst doing her degree too!) is incredibly inspiring to young women, showing you that if you really are determined you can achieve anything.


For the final part of my research into the intriguing Miss. Rogers I asked her about her own personal style, here’s what she said:
‘I am very much a London girl when it comes to British Fashion. I love Sienna, Agyness and I adore ‘outrageous’. In a sea of Abercrombie and Jack Wills, I stand out a lot- people don't like difference so I have to continually deal with strange looks and the occasional sharp comment. But hey, fashion is truly what I love and I refuse to let what other people think interfere with my passions.’

As I said before, Audrey is truly inspiring, she is a real-life example that peer pressure can be ignored and the most important thing is that you like what you wear, she has achieved so much by being herself and ignoring those ‘strange looks’ - A girl after my own heart.

check her out at... http://www.befrassy.com/