NYE

As much of a celebration that it is meant to be NYE is a time of year I dread (as is my birthday – except the present part of course!). It’s a time where you try and get all your friends who aren’t even friends with each other, as well as family and partners under the same roof and intoxicated with alcohol. If only it was that simple!

Problem number one: you don’t know where to go. So and so doesn’t like this place or so and so is barred from that place just makes everything difficult. And affording tickets, I mean, why does everywhere have to have tickets?!

Second problem: who is coming? You want to invite your closest pals but they don’t all get on. And then they want to bring their other friend but no one likes her. And you want to spend it with your boyfriend but he wants to spend it with his mates so you’re stuck with no kiss at midnight. What a bummer!

Final and most important problem: what to wear. You’ve got a dress in mind and it’s perfect but you can’t find it anywhere - the story of my life I swear. You look in all your local shops, further away shops and even online but nope, the perfect dress is nowhere to be seen! Or even worse, you’ve found it and you’re holding on to it for dear life but it isn’t in your size! I always find it really difficult because with my birthday being only a week before NYE I have to find two perfect dresses and it’s hard enough finding one!

Every year I do the same thing by leaving it to the last minute, and although I always have a laugh, it’s so stressful! So to help prevent always plan a month ahead! That may just have to be my new year’s resolution!

The New Primary Colours

From being a little nipper you’re always told that red, yellow, and blue are the basic colours you need. However, this season has decided to shake it up and reinvent the primary colours we all grew up with.

To start with, instead of having the bright red we are used to, burgundy has taken over. Although I am a huge fan of red myself I can safely say that burgundy is one of my favourite colours now. Any item I buy I want it in burgundy to add to my collection. I have a vest top, skirt and leggings (which go really well with an oversized cream jumper) and I don’t think I will stop there. Now I have my eye on a dress and this one from Topshop is perfect; as it is a classic sleeveless shift with a nice textured finish and isn’t too long which I often find a problem.

 

Secondly, instead of bright yellow, which can look nice on those with dark hair and tanned skin (completely opposite to me), I much prefer mustard. Everywhere you look you see mustard in the shops and I can’t help but be tempted. My favourite piece is my mustard pencil skirt which I like to team with a navy top, black shirt or green jumper. It goes well with anything really which is more than you can say for yellow.

I went for the colour block theme by teaming the navy top and shoes with the mustard skirt and red bag.

And lastly, and possibly my favourite colour to wear ever; navy is the new blue. You name it, I have it in navy; heels, dresses, tops, shorts, skirts, it works as a really good replacement for black as it brightens up the outfit more, and works so much better with red and yellow so you can’t be mistaken for Dennis the Menace or a bumble bee. However, it’s really tricky to mix the two; you really need to get it right, which I think is to use minimal black with navy.

So change the way you view the primary colours, as burgundy, mustard and navy are the way forward and a great base to any outfit.



Aztec Obsession

Now I understand that Aztec had been a massive trend from summer through until winter, but lately I just can’t get enough of it.
                After Christmas shopping and looking in endless amounts of shops and finding the same jumper four times over in different shops, everything seems to become a clothing blur.
                For Christmas I really wanted some Aztec leggings and oversized cardigan, not to wear together but they can jazz up any outfit and it’s been such a massive trend for so long I don’t know why I haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet. But with all the prints you can’t help but get a headache and picking between two totally different patterns is so frustrating (the simple answer would be to get both but you don’t want to overdo it, I think one Aztec pair is enough for any wardrobe).
                However, this was all until I entered Newlook. Straight away I spotted the cardigan, hanging there in its cream, red and black print, waiting for me to pick it up. It’s just what I wanted. And I don’t know about you but I like mine quite baggy, oversized knits are always the way forward in winter when you want that extra warmth, just be sure that it fits under your coat! 

                Pretty impressed with my find I carried on looking around the store and found a whole array of Aztec leggings. Black and white ones, red ones, blue ones, and then I found THE ones; coloured Aztec print leggings. I liked all the others, I think black and white leggings work well with most outfits so if you want to try the trend but are scared, Newlook do a lovely pair to get you started. However, I fell in love with these ones, the colours mean I can wear a purple or orange top with them, and of course staple black and white as they go with anything; I just love how versatile they are.

                Therefore the only thing to do was pick them up and hand the cardigan and leggings over to the mother. I am pleasantly surprised with Newlook, they have all the trends under one roof so you’re sure to find what you’re looking for in there.
                The only bad thing is I have to wait until Christmas day to open them… I don’t think I can wait that long!

The British Fashion Awards

The best of the fashion industry came out to play last night for the British Fashion Awards at The Savoy Hotel and Theatre which were hosted by George Lamb and Lauren Laverne.

If there was any time to get your glad rags on it was last night, and most of them most certainly did. But first, lets talk about the winners. The award that everyone wanted, Designer of the year 2011 award went to Sarah Burton for Alexandra McQueen. The award was highly deserved not only for her ultimate design on Kate Middleton’s dress but many were wearing Alexandra McQueen last night such as Kristen McMenamy who looked a vision in cream.



Two new awards were introduced last night, the New Establishment Award and the Emerging Talent – Menswear award. Christopher Kane won the New Establishment Award for the release of his own label whereas Christopher Raeburn won the Menswear award, which by looking at the double breasted suit jacket he wore with a classic white shirt and black skinny tie he totally deserved it.

Amongst the many winners there was someone everyone is familiar with, whether you ike fashion or not, and that was Victoria Beckham. She picked up the Designer Brand award and kept it simple with a long line black halter neck, although looking as elegant as ever, she really could have done with a stick on bra, it looks like The Savoy was erm… rather cold…

But one talent that deserved their award due to their outfit on the night was definitely Alexa Chung. In my eyes she can do now wrong, her messy shoulder length cut and block fringe went down well with her gorgeously embellished dress, and not to mention her Charlotte Olympia cat shoes.  Her Christopher Kane number was easily one of my favourites of the night.



One celebrity that you can always count on to have a show stopping outfit is Kate Moss. Although the long line net dress with velvet trim is not my kind of thing, however along with her fur coat I think she pulled off the vintage dress.



It was all about who was wearing who last night and Stella McCartney did well to get Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman and Kate Hudson in her best frocks yet. There wear one shouldered, tight fitting and plunging necklines all over the place last night.  Although some outrageous outfits everyone looked amazing, it makes you proud to be British.

It's all in black and white

I'm always browsing the web, jumping from site to site looking for trends and inspiration and what have I come across today on Riverisland.com? Why everything in black and white of course.
     I won't lie to you, I never used to be a fan of black and white together too much, the colours too much of a juxtaposition with the innocent white and daring black. However, after recently purchasing a sleeveless long white shirt with a little black neck tie from River Island itself, I have come round to the idea.
     So I decided to investigate further, and once looking on their website I saw so many more beautiful pieces. For instance, this black shirt with the embellished collar. I absolutely love this because it is bang on trend with the beaded collar, and its not too jazzy, a nice way to dress up a plain outfit.



     Which is why I also like this skirt. I think it's perfect for new years or a Christmas party, this is the only time of year you can really get away with a sparkly piece. A simple top would set the skirt off perfectly.



     But back to the contrast of black and white. Sometimes it can be too much if its within one piece of clothing but River Island have really done themselves proud with this dress. I think i need it in my life, its very sophisticated glamour with a touch of cute. The style suits most body shapes as well so I can see this being a top seller.



     With this colour co-ordination i wouldn't take it over the top by having a white bag and black shoes, I'd stick to a base colour like black so that the white stands out nicely and but doesn't look too matchy. Or if you're more daring maybe a statement colour like red shoes, or to go against the tide with electric blue or bottle bank green (which is seriously in this winter).

     So don't knock the monochrome ways of fashion, fashion develops in time and this trend certainly has thanks to River Island.

It's a Generation Thing...

Recently I went shopping with my friends, I wasn’t actually looking for anything in particular but that’s always how it starts! I stumbled across an amazing dress in New look. It was exactly what I had been looking for for my birthday (although two months away at the time, my theory is no one will have it by then anyway and it’s never too early to start looking).

I had wanted a sparkly dress, you know how it is on your birthday, you want to stand out and this dress was it, it was THE dress.

But, the problem is… It was from the Generations section in New look! The range that does sizes in ages! I was gutted and couldn’t believe my perfect dress was for 12 year olds. I would appreciate the dress so much more than them!

That was until I spotted an age 14 at the back. You’re probably thinking that’s a bit ambitious, I know, but I picked it out and analysed it. I haven’t grown too much since being 14 – well,  being 5ft 3 you  could argue that I haven’t grown at all. It actually looked a decent size when I held it up against me.

While cringing about being a 19 year old that is buying an age 14 dress I had to get it! Surely it doesn’t matter what section it’s from as long as it fits right? And it did! My bum wasn’t hanging out, my boobs weren’t squashed in (nice to know I have the chest of a 14 year old!) it was actually perfect.

I can’t praise the dress enough, I really think a sequined dress is the direction to go if buying a dress this Christmas or New-year. It adds a touch of magic to your wardrobe and it’s a total eye catcher when you’re out.

My personal favourites are black sparkly dresses, with long sleeves and a dipped back, nothing is sexier than that. I think it’s the idea of being covered up with only your legs and back showing, giving you a classy look.

So one of my biggest tips for this winter is the sequin dress, and don’t knock looking in the least likely places like Generations in New look because you can find your dream dress, just maybe take your little sister with you and pretend It’s for her!

Its Got to be... Furfect!

Sorry for the terrible pun in the title but I thought it worked quite well! Anyway, back to the point, moving into my second year at university I have been faced with many more challenges than the previous year, one of them being fur. But I don’t mean a higher level of education challenge.

I always find fur a challenge, whether it’s wearing, working or even talking about fur. There are so many ethical issues around the fashion statement that it’s hard to express your feelings without being scorned at.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s right to kill harmless animals for a selfish cause such as a fashion piece and I do stand by that. However, I do love fur, fake fur is the only option of course – or is it?

Here is my problem; my great Nan has a real, black, glossy fur coat that has been passed down through the family, and I could be next in line. I really want it, it’s gorgeous, but can I outweigh the ethical issues and feeling of guilt somehow? I don’t think I can, but I can give it a try. Even if I don’t wear it it’s already been made so would be a massive waste not to wear it? And no one has to know its real right?

My problem is that my views aren’t strong enough. I wish I was totally against it; I like to think I am but I see my nans coat and just want it, it’s like Phoebe in friends when she gets a fur coat – totally against it until she tries it on.

Until I am actually passed down that real fur coat, my decision for now is to stick to the fake ones, and to be honest I think it always will be, just think it’s a shame to leave such a beautiful coat in the attic until my children can find a better reason than I could to wear it instead of a fake one!