Peacocks and Cocktails

 

There are a few simple things in life that I take great pleasure from and peacock feathers and cocktails are two of those things. I can also add leopard print, florals, spending time with my boyf and family and sunny days to that list. Mix them all together and I am in heaven! Here's a round up of  some of my favourite feathered items including a fabulous peacock-clad mannequin that I snapped in the Forever 21 store in Times Square. My peacock necklace is from there. I really love that store and am so glad it's now available in the UK! In those pictures, I am also wearing some of my other prized possessions, namely the Michael Kors watch that my gorgeous girlies bought me for my 30th and my House of Harlow 1960 ring, which I have in black and tortoiseshell. I love the nail polish I am wearing with it. It's Model's Own in Jade. I can highly recommend it - it lasted the whole week in New York!

The peacock earrings are from River Island. I wore them to my work Xmas party. I wish I had some full length pics of my outfit from that night because I loved it. I wore this dress from ASOS with my fabulous new lace-up Jimmy Choos that I bought in New York. I hope to blog them here soon.

 

I hope that during this holiday season you've all been enjoying and indulging in the things that make you happy!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Kisses

xoxo

Back to regular programming

Yep I know I have been AWOL for a while but I'm back now! I've just been living life - working hard, playing hard with abundant birthday celebrations (not mine, that's to come - yippee!), girl's nights out and trips away to beautiful cities.

Thanks to everyone who has been emailing me with postive comments and even better sending me lovely gifts (to be shown here soon). 

There are so many things in life that I end up feeling guilty about and blogging (or lack of in my case! Whoops!) should not be one of them. I started this as an outlet for me and my love of all things fashion and it will continue to be that. It's just that life just sometimes gets in the way....but I'm ok with that.

But, with all my time off I've been thinking up and creating loads of new posts - so stay tuned!!!

xxx

Put your pretty dress on....wear pearls round your neck....And all the pretty princes will see you

 

Yesterday, I was searching through all my old photos on my computer and found some of a little black dress that I love. I decided not to blog about it here but posted the pictures on my Chictopia and Lookbook profiles instead. You can see it here and here. I wrote on my Chictopia blog that "Sometimes life is complicated enough so when it comes to my wardrobe I often adopt the philosophy that simple is best and that’s why I love LBDs in all shapes and forms", but after I wrote that I thought that this philosophy doesn't just apply to LBDs for me. Whenever, I am shopping, whether it be in store or online, I am immediately drawn to the dresses and now I own hundreds. I was worried that this complusion meant I was getting stuck in a rut so I tried implementing a "dress buying" ban on myself but now when I think about it - what's wrong with loving dresses? They are the simplest outift to wear, often requiring little to no accessories and thus very little effort, yet can make you look and feel fabulous because of their easy elegance. Like I said, life can be full of complications even at the best of times and fashion should be fun, so what is easier than throwing on a fab dress and heading out the door to get on with your day? Don't get me wrong, I love accessories and the finer details that make an outfit "zing" but life infrequently lends itself to decorating yourself in the manner presented in fashion editorials and even blogs. So whilst I will still definitely accessorise to the max when the opportunity and time presents itself, when I am in a rush and running late (as I so often am!) I'm no longer going to feel guilty when reaching for one of my tried and tested dresses. Long live the dress!

Dress: Primark

Pearls: ASOS

xxx

p.s. is there anything in your wardrobe that makes you feel fab the minute you put it on?

My Sanctuary

The snow continues to fall here and I now have a shovel as my constant car companion but I refuse to be de-railed by this snowy climate and continue to debut my spring wardrobe; this is what I wore to work today. I've had this denim waistcoat in my wardrobe for a while now but often struggle to incorporate into my outfits but I just loved all that gorgeous double denim in the D&G spring 2010 collection and so persevered with it. Since I chose to wear it to work I didn't "double denim" it with jeans because then it would be too casual. Instead, I layered it over a dress and lace vest top. With the addition of brown boots and long gold pendant, I think the outfit had an almost vintage-esque quality and reminded me a little of the groupies in that movie Almost Famous. I have to say this is one of favorite recent outfits, I just felt really good in it. I hope you all like it too.

Black bodycon dress: Gina Tricot

Cream lace drape vest: Topshop

Denim waistcost: Primark

Gold long pendant: Topshop

Brown boots: Kurt Geiger

xxx

Happy Hallowe'en

I am having a bit of a gothic moment - it must be the autumn air with Hallowe'en just around the corner. Topshop is currently providing the perfect playground to indulge this whimisical fashion craving. I've just bought the Aggie metal insert heel boot (top left, £80), the black Lace and Velvet Playsuit (3rd down left, £60) and the grey Leather Duffle Cross Body Bag (top centre, £55) from there. Plan on wearing the playsuit with the boots and perhaps with my new black Henry Holland Mock Stock tights that I got from ASOS (£10, not shown). The Lace Tiered Bolero (top right, £38) is a work of art and would look great with a skinny black top and leather leggings. I'd of course top the look off with chunky jewellery and my new Aggie boots. The grey Britany Leather Thigh Boots (2nd down, right) would also look awesome. These Britany boots are the only over the knee boots that I have been coveting this season - grey is softer than black and stops me from looking like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. I think they will also look great paired with the cream Vintage Inspired Lace dress (centre, £45), which I am desperately waiting to come back in stock.

Christopher Kane is a genuis who is kind enough to design some fab pieces for Topshop so that some of us with not so great bank balances can purchase some of his creations. His black One Shoulder Lace Dress (2nd down left, £50) is not only absolutely gorgeous (I get weak knees around anything with one shoulder) with beautiful lace detailing but is a bargain! Getting anything designed by Kane for such a small fee is an absolute steal. The dress is a modern classic.

The black Lace Waistcoat (3rd down right, £25) is just a great piece to add your wardrobe. Dress it down by layering it over a white tee and jeans and pair it with the Britany boots and grey Leather Duffle Cross Body Bag. Wear it to work belted over a fitted dress or out in the evening with some skinny leather leggings or short shorts (Lace Shorts, bottom right, £35), a simple vest top and smouldering black make-up. Drape it over a beautiful satin evening dress to bring your right look up to date.

As much as I love lace and all the soft tones in this pallette I also crave colour and sequins and that's why I want the Ultimate Jewelled Jacket (bottom centre, £200). I have a beautiful blue floor length 70's gown that I thrifted and I think this would look superb over the top for my work Christmas party. But this jacket is too good to save until then so I'll take it on the town with a tiny tee, lace shorts and Aggie boots. Divine!! To top all my outifts off, since it is soon Hallowe'en, the sequin devil mask is perfectly playful and unique. If you don't want to feel claustrophobic, then place it in your bedhead hair as a cheeky take on this season's hair accessories.

Happy shopping and have a wickedly wonderful Hallowe'en!

Working Girl

Look at this amazing dress I bought from Ebay for the bargain sum of £20 (with free P&P)!! I just love it – love the textures, the splash of green and the great shape – it reminds me of that dress that Melanie Griffiths wears in Working Girl when she goes to that party and meets Harrison Ford for the first time. I idolised her in that movie when I was younger so I just had to have this dress (although I am still on the look out for one like hers with the diamete studding and net underskirt). With all the Christmas parties coming up I think this will be the perfect season to debut this fabulous party dress. This dress is a vintage 80s dress that has been redesigned and I think the shoulders echo those that Dolce and Gabbana showed for this autumn. The emerald green sash adds the “icing on the cake” colour pop that many of their outfits displayed and the velvet top just reminds me of this season’s Chloe one-shoulder jumpsuit that I have been lusting over ever since I first saw it.

I’m going to wear it with massive black platforms and a slick of hot pink lipstick (although I haven't found the right occasion too just yet).

(Check out the Ebay shop “DRESS LIKE A KING VINTAGE”; all catwalk pics taken from http://www.coutorture.com/)

The first step to happiness...the little black dress

With first post out of the way I thought I'd get straight to it and showcase one of my favourite looks of the moment. I love this look because it incorporates so many of my favorite fashion elements; the little black dress is of course a wardrobe staple for all self-respecting women and this one is great because it's also a prom dress, which for those of us with ample hips is a godsend! I especially love this dress as it is one of my beloved Ebay bargains which I snapped up for a mere £20! I've seen similar dresses retailing from £50 to £200. Over my LBD, I layered a little cream shrug which I bought about a month ago from Topshop. This shrug is so cute because it has a beaded trim and scalloped edges which gives a great vintage feel. Layering it over my dress stops the outfit from becoming yet another boring LBD and it's also great for those of you that want to cover up your back or upper arms.

My accessories are all about statement pieces; some might say that you should just stick to one, max two, statement pieces but I disagree. If worn with confidence, more can most definitely be best! Here I have my current favourite necklace a Butler and Wilson chunky pearl cluster that I spied in the window of an Edinburgh boutique over the summer and begged my boyfriend to buy me as a birthday present. It looks so expensive but was actually very reasonably priced although I do think such timeless pieces are priceless. Pearls are most definitely one of my best friends - they are classic, reliable and never go out of fashion. My belt is recently purchased from Zara - I think for only £20. I love peacock feathers and the colours on this belt are just great. It adds another dimension to the outfit by cinching it all together and creates a waist. No matter how great the pieces, drowning in your clothes is never a good look. My ring is House of Harlow 1960 - another gift from my fabulous boyf. I am a huge fans of rings and the bigger the better if you ask me - I just can't get enough of this ring.

As for my shoes, well some of you might not agree with my choice and possibly think that a nice black court shoe would have gone better. For a while I thought about wearing such a shoe, but I like to be unpredictable and thought that these gladiator heels added a more modern touch to an outfit comprising such classic pieces. I love these heels, with a zip at the back they are easy to wear and so glam. Plus, like so many of my other pieces - they were an absolute bargain at less than £20 from Matalan!

This look shows that you put together relatively inexpensive and classics pieces and create a fresh, original and very wearable look. I think it has a real air of vintage decadence to it. With a simple slick of red lipstick this glamorous look is complete.