LFW: Prints & Patterns

Hello everyone,

So it's finally the weekend and after what I think has definitely been a long a stressful week due to essay deadlines I cannot wait to destress at London Fashion Weekend :). Well it's just a quick post today as I happened to be browsing through some of the collections at London Fashion Week and thought you guys might like to have a look at Peter Pilotto's Spring collection. His designs are amazing and caught my eye straight away, the vibrant colours, prints and patterns create a stunning mixture which are sure to make you the centre of attention. Each outfit is a work of art and his attention to detail is incredible. Below are some of my favourites...

I especially liked this look below as I love how the colours work together and the pattern is very slimming in all the right places, which is never a bad thing. It also captures the sporty feel which is all the rage now, so if you like this look as much as me, here is how to 'get the look'.

Black long sleeve top - new look £5.99, black leather skinny belt - uponabelt.com £28, shoes - topshop £65, dress - asos £55.

Do any of you have a favourite collection from London Fashion Week? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Till next time..

Ally J

xXx

Topshop Jewellery

Hello everyone,

So instead of doing work I have just got back from a major expedition to the MASSIVE Topshop on Oxford Street, thought it would be best to go during the week as I have tried weekends and let me warn you it can get messy, far too many people in a confined space. Anyway, the main thing that caught my eye on this particular occasion was the jewellery collection...it was beautiful. I think I circled this particular section of the shop for at least an hour before I decided on three special pieces which I would actually purchase (believe me it was a tough decision). But anyway here are the three winners:

1) Cross Drop Hoops - These were really a no brainer because I have been searching for a pair of cross earrings that look like Rihanna's from her music video 'we found love' for ages. They have a feminine feel with a slight gothic edge which I love and they are very light weight, so are extremely comfortable to wear. In addition to this they can be purchased for the bargain price of £5, so what reasons do you have not to buy these?

2) Stud Ear Cuff - I have seen quite a few of these around and they looked really interesting so I thought I would finally give them a try. Once I got home I couldn't wait to try them out and well I will let you decide from the pictures but I thought they looked pretty cool. You can get an extra piercing without the pain, what is not to love. Some of you might be wondering whether the clip hurts at the top of your ear but let me assure you it doesn't at all, it is tight enough so it stays in place but not too tight that it hurts. These cost me £12 but one thing I would point out is that I think they would look best with a contrasting earring, so possibly only wear one and then a different earring in the other ear. So if you have a friend who wants some too, you could possibly split the pair and have one each. I opted for a simple looking cuff as this was my experimental buy but now I have seen how amazing they look I will definitely be going back to try some of the more adventurous pairs.

3) Pagan Wrist Wear to Ring - This piece called my name straight away as I am always one for the bling. But it also looked very unique and I love how the bracelet and ring have been combined into one. At first I thought it might be quite uncomfortable to wear but I have been wearing it for the rest of the day and it seems fine. I think this is definitely the sort of accessory you would wear to top of the perfect evening outfit, for me personally I wouldn't wear any other jewellery with this piece because something as gorgeous as this deserves to be the centre of attention. And at £14 I think this is a complete steal.

So I would definitely recommend getting down to Topshop fast to snap up some of the best jewellery I have seen for a while.

Till next time...

Ally J

xXx

Power of the Pastels

Hello everyone,

Spring is coming and with it it brings an array of clothing ranging all over the colour trend spectrum. You can choose any colour to match your mood for that day and I am particularly loving the paler pastel colours. I think these can help to create a sweet and feminine look that isn't quite as in your face as some of the other brighter more vibrant prints. I consider it to be a subtler way of creating the colour blocking trend that is out at the moment. Be adventurous and try mixing various colours together, such as light pink plus mint green plus a pale yellow. Phillip Lim gave us a cool dose of creamy sherbet and icy lemon flavors for his spring line collection (pictured below). By teaming silk trousers with loose fitting blazers and tops he has created a casual yet oh so elegant look.

So I have been eyeing up what I think could be some of the best bargain picks to start off this new trend.

1) These Orphela Skinny Jeans pictured below are not only cheap but they come paired with a candy pink belt, what's not to love. Team with black as pictured below, to create a stark contrast or try pairing with the pale yellow sherbet colour as pictured above to truly show off the colour blocking trend.

Misguided.co.uk £25.99

2) Or how about this fitted lace skater dress with cut out back detail. It comes in 4 different pastel colours blue, pink, lemon and lilac. A classic shape that oozes elegance, perfect for those sunny days in the park.

newlook.com £32.99.

4) I think this top is so delicate and beautiful, really captures a woman's feminity. 

                                                

marksandspencer.com £29.50

5) This blazer would be perfect paired with some skinny jeans if you don't want to go all out pastel. Team with dolly shoes for the day or heels for the evening.

                                    

Zara.com £79.99

6) Define your waist with these super skinny belts that are bang on trend and come in an array of colours, these two were my favourites.

Asos.com £6.00

Unfortunately my budget it quite limited at the moment, so I think I will have to leave all the spending to you guys. However, I did manage to find this beauty hiding in my jewellery box and so at least I can say I am one piece down in collecting my perfect pastel outfit.

Well I hope you enjoyed rummaging through a few of my ideas and make sure you follow me next weekend as I am off to London Fashion Weekend :) so there will definitely be some exciting news to tell.

Till next time....

Ally J

xXx 

Dress like Blake Lively for Less

Hello everyone,

I have always been a massive fan of Blake Lively's fashion choices, but this particular choice has to be one of my favourites...

I love the simplicity of wearing all black and having the scarf as the main focul point. Unfortunately though the price of this outfit is a little over my budget, or should I say wayyyyy over my budget. Now prepare yourself for the list of what this entire outfit cost:


JEANS:
Diesel, Grupee Super Slim Skinny
Available at Zappos.com
Price: $205.99

BAG:
Givenchy, Bicolor Medium Antigona Duffel
Available at Barneys.com

JACKET:
Diesel, L-SIENNA
Available at Store.diesel.com
Price: $750.00

SCARF:
Theodora & Callum, Gold Multi Goa Tie All Scarf
Available at Theodoraandcallum.com
Price: $175.00

BOOTS:
Frye, Lucy Lace Up
Available at Zappos.com
Price: $288.00

With the total outfit (excluding the bag) price amounting to $1418.99/£896.52! However faboulous this outfit is I don't think my student budget will somehow stretch to this. So I set myself a challenge to try and find an exact look a like outfit for atleast one quarter of the price, so that would mean I will be aiming at around £224.13 (this is where maths pays off :) ). So anyway, here goes nothing...

First you need the statement leather jacket. Here I believe is where you should spend the most money as it is a must have piece for your wardrobe that will stand the test of time and the more weathered the leather gets the better the look. I found this leather biker jacket from Asos for £100 (don't forget the 10% student discount).

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Leather-Biker-Jacket/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1866587&SearchQuery=leather%20jacket&Rf-700=1000&Rf-200=4&sh=0&pge=1&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Black

Next you need the black skinny jeans. For this you definitely have to visit brand alley, I discovered this site 6 months ago, when I snapped up a pair of 7 for all mankind jeans for the delightful price of £50! But for this look I managed to find a black pair of Vivienne Westwood Anglomania by Lee skinny jeans, again for the amazing price of £54 reduced from £108, definite bargain.

 http://www.brandalley.co.uk/FSRayon/Id-12245-Produit-0-Page-2-Rayon-770863

Then you need the statement black heeled boots and for this I found a pair from Office. In the sale as well for £40, who said good things couldn't come out of the recession.

http://www.office.co.uk/womens/office/nuff_said/10/10599/28417/1?fs=10599

Next, just a basic black t-shirt, here is one I found from New Look for only £4.99.

http://www.newlook.com/shop/womens/tops/basic-seam-back-ttoshirt_240189901

 Lastly, but by no means least, we have the piece de resistance, the signature scarf. I spent ages trying to find something that would have been a perfect match, however, nothing like that existed, so after around 3 hours of continuous searching I came across this beauty....

 https://marketplace.asos.com/listing/scarves/vintage-paisley-scarf/230978

This vintage paisley scarf was found on Asosmarket place, for £22.

This brings my whole outfit total to £220.99, I even managed to save £3.13 off my original target.
So as I have just proven you don't need to spend a fortune to look a million dollars :).

Till next time....

Ally J

xXx

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Young British Designers

Hello everyone,

Well yet again instead of doing my work I have been I have been trailing the web looking for new and inspiring designs to share with you and I think I have actually struck gold. I stumbled across the website http://www.youngbritishdesigners.com and I have to say these designers mix quirky and sexy together to form a deadly combination of killer clothes.

My favourite has to be from the collection borne by Elise Berger. This sassy little skirt with the uniquely attached halter neck creates a sexy yet wearable little number and at half the price what is not to love (reduced from £160 to £70).

Next in the running is this amazing vintage inspired black Victoria dress designed by Minna. Although this dress is vintage inspired its edginess created by the sheer stripes brings it right up to date. This dress is so versatile as it would look great dressed up or down, pair with a bra-let for that extra sexy image or layer with vest tops for a slightly subtler look. And again you can have that designer feel and quality for one third of the original price (reduced from £310 to £93).

For a slightly different twist on the original black and white stripy top, how about you opt for this quirky ‘brick’ graphic t-shirt by Olivia Rubin. So distinctive, yet so very wearable. This piece can be worn with almost anything, pair with jeans and converse for a laid back look, or wear with a black skater skirt and black heels to form an edgy evening look and at only £45 reduced from £81 grab it quick before it is too late.

Even Fearne Cotton is massive fan of Olivia Rubin as she looks stunning in a brick print LBD featured below.

These are just a small selection of the amazing collection of clothes I discovered from the site; I think I will definitely be adding it to my favourites tab for future reference. What can I say, I think Britain has some very talented young designers to offer and I think we should be doing our best to support them.

Till next time

Ally J

xXx