Friday 27 August 2010

Transitional Florals

This is what I wore yesterday:


I wore it with silver sparkly ballet pumps, but by the time I'd got home I didn't want to put them back on as they were all wet and gross. The outfit held up surprisingly well considering it was tipping it down - despite the wet feet - and kept me fairly warm.

Indoors -


Sorry for crappy quality of both images, my camera struggles with lack of light.

Asos Discount Codes - Hurry!

I don't want to sound too "Asos Asos Asos Asos", however I do think I have some more news worth sharing. 

Asos are offering 15% off their new Autumn/Winter line:

Code: AWSTYLE15

http://www.asos.com/Women/A-To-Z-Of-Brands/Asos-Collection/Cat/pgecategory.aspx?cid=4877

They are also offering £10 off when you spend £50 on all items:

Code: AUTUMN10

Both offers expire Tuesday 31/08/10

Duty done, I think I am now just about to stumble into bed. Apologies for the lack of blogging yesterday, I had a rather hectic couple of days. I do appreciate your patience.

Wednesday 25 August 2010

Asos Sale Show and tell

There's nothing I love more than a good sale spree. Actually, I should probably have qualified that - there's nothing I love more than a good online sale spree. Being surrounded by a hundred other frenzied girls grabbing and pushing manically at a limited number of torn, stained, and crumpled garments is not my idea of a good time.

I am a huge follower of online shopping; for me it is the no-stress, no-hassle aspect that greatly appeals to me, in addition to the unlimited time limits - I am a notorious plodder, indecision and a strong desire not to make a mistake leads me to taking a long time over almost everything, and shopping is no exception. This is hard to accomplish in smaller boutiques and stores, with prowling staff and suspicious security guards. I can, and have, spent entire days compiling lists on asos and topshop.com - only to spend other days pruning them down to an acceptable length.

The asos sales tend to be an extremely  good place to go to for a quick and cheap bargain, if you are prepared to spend your money on last-season items. As I am more concerned with style than fashion, looks than trends, this is perfect for me - and I suspect any other lover of clothes.

Having said that, here is my final list of purchases. I am at this moment waiting for them to arrive - and hopefully their delivery system will prove a little more efficient this time than it did previously - (item just never arrived, had to arrange a re-delivery for the following day) although having said that, I have been ordering from Asos for years and that was the very first time I'd ever had a problem.



To be fair, not all of it was in the sale - the accessories weren't, but they were just so cute I felt I had to have them - I've been looking for a pair of tortoiseshell retro specks since just about the trend began; they're a little less obvious choice for someone wanting that look.

I loved almost all of Warehouse's S/S collection; this lace dress was, for me, the perfect option - I loved how, in typical Warehouse style, it wasn't too girly, despite the femininity of the lace and colour. I'm dying to style it with a leather jacket and flat, stompy leather boots (I'm thinking with the laces undone...) - although at some point I want to see if I can do something a little more unpredictable than the classic pretty dress/leather jacket combination.

These shorts were another thing I'd had my eye on for a long time. Again by Warehouse, they're everything I love for summer (any summer, not just this one...): "busy", floaty, and high-waisted. Because of the darker colour palette it might be possible to keep these going further into Autumn than you might think for some shorts....I can see myself rocking them with three inches of snow on the ground (leggings, faux furs and capes essential, naturally).


This Asos blazer was an impulse buy that I'm not really sure about now - it's altogether a little too 'safe' for me, and in a lighter shade than I tend to feel comfortable with, especially in relation to outwear. If you look closely though (it might not be visible on the small blog image), you'll notice there are faint white stripes all over it - it's a little quirk that might save it from being too 'safe'. And being a linen-cotton mix, it should feel nice on at least. It reminded me of a particular topshop AW blazer, also linen - although at £60 vastly more expensive than this discounted number.

I had to get some knee-highs. As soon as I heard knee-high socks were back in fashion, I did a mental whoop and retarded little dance - I have loved knee-highs ever since I stopped wearing them to school. They're warm, practical, comfortable, and a well-needed breath of fresh air. It's wonderful to see so many different trends come back after a too-long stint in the "has-been" closet - shoulder pads (very briefly, it has to be admitted, but in this modern age would you really want to have more than a brief flirtation with power dressing?), jumpsuits/playsuits, demin dresses, clogs...very nice. I suspect we'll all be sick of socks by the time March comes around, but right now they are hot, hot, hot! I picked khaki because I imagine them to be more interesting than depressing black, and more wearable than tricky gray, although I imagine that by Christmas I will have assembled a collection in all shades of the rainbow.

Who doesn't need a good autumn scarf? I love the texture of crochet, and cream is one of my favourite shades. Good for adding a quirky femininity to an "edgy", "hard" outfit.

I've lusted after this Allsaints t-shirt dress ever since it was first uploaded on the website - fortunately now I have managed to bag it at a hugely discounted price, far less than I was initially prepared to pay. It's typically macabre (typically Allsaints, in other words), but it's not over-the-top like so many of their designs. I can't wait to get my hands on this - I would love to pair it with something typical and safe like light blue jeggings and Uggs and a waterfall cardi in dove grey, and let the T-Shirt do all the talking.

Finally, these tights were incredibly expensive considering they are only Asos, but I saw them and swooned. I think the best way to wear them would be as depicted, with innocent ballet pumps and a simple black skirt - might look too suggestive with heels. However, we'll have to see, I'm sure I'll find some way of dressing them up to their full quirky potential.

So, that's all my Asos sale shopping for this year...I'm going to go and make lemony mashed potatoes now and dream of January.

Monday 23 August 2010

Textures and Patterns

This is what I wore yesterday:



I really wanted to see if I could play around with textures and patterns, creating something chaotic but still elegant, through the use of structure and a muted colour palette. This reigned it all in. I liked mixing the scratchiness of lace and the smoothness of the silk. I slapped on of Mac's "Party Line" (a dark red burgundy) and secured my hair in a bun on top of my head.

The photography wasn't always successful...as you can see...




However, I will keep trying to find an adequate means of photographing these looks - with or without a tripod.

Dress: Firetrap
Lace Panel Shirt: New Look
Lace Bolero: Kiss Me Deadly Lingerie
Waist Belt: New Look

Sunday 22 August 2010

Gucci Guilty: A Femine Scent with Masculine Undertones

So another page is written in the page of fashion-celebrity co-operation. The new scent for autumn 2010, Gucci Guilty, appears to being promoted in the "mini-movie" style that is quickly becoming a must-have for powerhouse designers and fame-hungry celebrities looking to raise their profile. Of course, this is nothing new - the links between perfume and celebrity, and the buying power it excites, have gone back to Marylin Monroe and Chanel No5 (whether intended or not, you cannot deny the response her remark had and is still having today...), but this is something that appears a little more adventurous and refreshing (if not particularly original) than the industry has seen in quite a while. 

The Gucci "trailer", itself a promotion for a later "mini-movie" style commercial, features Rachel Evan Wood, Chris Evans, and bears the name and unmistakable style of comic-book legend Frank Miller. Wood spins around in a 50's-style convertable with fire spurting from the wheels, Chris Evans stares at the camera doing his best to look intense and meaningful, and the silhouette of an undressing woman dances enticingly on a wall - this is a perfume add for women with a masculine neo-noir atmosphere, high-octane visuals, and not one hair flick or floaty floral dress in sight. While I am more than usually inclined to roll my eyes at Hollywood's, or any other strictly-mainstream organisation's, attempt to be "dark", "niche", or even "geeky" ("geek-chic" is a term that should be banned in all English-speaking countries on pain of disembowelment by rhinoceros) it looks like the trend isn't abating any time soon - and I'm not sure that in this case, it should.

If this perfume add is anything to go by, it shows that women are expanding their horizons (or, as commercials always echo what has already happened, have already expanded their horizons) to fields more traditionally reserved for the men. Hells yes, they can appreciate some sexy retro machinery driven by a dazzling blond in a revealing dress. There's no forced messages of being 'pretty' (Flora) 'famous' (The One) or sexy and nothing else (Light Blue) -  it is sexuality that is attempting to sell this product, but a different kind to the one usually associated with perfume adds. This sexuality is fierce, empowered, and just as pleasing to the man on the sofa, as well as his girlfriend. It isn't a warped female vision of what is 'sexy' (all too often ensuring walking rib-cages and hyperbolic styling) - it is a blend of masculine and feminine desire, attraction, and appeal.

Of course it is impossible to judge before seeing the complete commercial, but this advert appears to be more about selling a much more healthy, balanced image of sexuality along with the perfume - and in this sub-section of the industry, where as much depends on image of the product as the perfume itself - this is no small thing.

You can watch the trailer here.

Visit Gucci's official website here.

Ocean World

Apologies for this half-assed attempt at a first 'real' post; I am insanely tired, so before I hit the hay, here is the look that I wore today. Full post coming tomorrow regarding this outfit and another one on the topic of heels.

Forgive shitty iphone pictures. New posts will have 'real' photos from a decent camera. Thankyou for your understanding.


Outfit number one:

Outfit two: (explanation coming up next time)




T-Shirt: Vintage
Boyfriend Cardigan: New Look
Bangles: Accesorize
High-Waisted Shorts With Lace Detail: Topshop
Shoes: Both New Look
Shopper bag: New Look

I dress with what I can afford. I am only a student, and sometimes my heart does ache as I see stack after stack of beautiful creations that are way beyond my reach; but in any case I do not believe that money dictates style. It is still possible to create an individual, interesting (or fashionable, if that is what you wish) look with pieces from the high-street. I try my best, of course, but I am not talking of myself - many girls do it every day.

To be clear: label snobbery or fetishisation is not something you can expect to see from this blog.

Thank you for reading. I will be back tomorrow with more coherent (one hopes...) musings.

Saturday 21 August 2010

Good Afternoon, Can I Interest you in a Blog?

So here it is. My blog. Welcome, all you multitudes.

My mission statement:

to focus on style rather fashion
to focus on everything, rather than nothing
to be entertaining, instructive and always honest
to be confident in areas of proficiency, humble in other places
to be inclusive and respectful of every-body referenced in or commenting on this blog
to use correct punctuation and terminology at all times, except when it pleases me


I think that's everything.


Happy reading.