Betsey Johnson

Hey,

As I'm sure you're all aware New York fashion week is taking place right now for ready to wear spring/summer 2012.

As I was looking through the show photos, I felt uninspired, yes Zac Posen has wonderful dresses, Tommy Hilfiger played up the plaid look and DKNY were adventurous introducing bright blue and red patterns, although all of these shows looked interesting I didn't feel excited about any particular collection. Until I stumbled across Betsey Johnson.

I hadn't heard of her before but I looked through the show photos and I felt excited and inspired. I love her collection, I would describe it as playful, grungy but yet still girly. I think what pulled me in was the use of the girly colours, pinks, baby blues and floaty pretty styles but then a leopard print bra peeping through and a lightening bolt earing, the contradicting styles shouldn't go but it works so well.  

Even the more rock looking styles still keep with the girly style but with a little more sex appeal.

I think this is an exciting, playful, fun collection which makes me want to play-up my pretty summer dresses with a little rock!   

I'm also a sucker for shoes and the shoes featured in this collection are gorgeous, definitely worth coveting the lace-up booties with a ribbon tie. 

xoxo

Pippa Middleton's Bridesmaid Dress

I'm sure the majority of the population of the UK and many abroad are aware of the stunning Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen design for Pippa Middleton's bridemaid dress, that was designed specifically for Pippa for her sister Kate's wedding to Prince William. It was a dress that captivated the attention of many male and female audience a like throwing Pippa into the spotlight. 

Now the high street store Debenhams are said to be selling a copy of the figure hugging dress after many requests from customers wanting a similar dress. It is to be sold at £170 later this year. Aswell as Pippa's bridemaid dresses there will be replicas of the flower girls dresses priced at £48 and £52 and another Pippa Middleton dress this time a green floor length gown by Alice Temperley which was worn by Pippa to Kate and Wills evening reception. 

Russell Fish, head of occasionwear design at Debenhams said about the dresses "We have taken the best of the dresses and added our designer twist. Now you can get the Middletons' look at high street prices," 

For anyone wanting to own one of these stunning dresses they will have to join the "lady-in-waiting list" by emailing their details to ladyinwaitinglist@debenhams.com to gain updates on availability.   

xoxo

The Leather Store

Hey,

My blog today is about this lovely website called The Leather Store, it was featured in Vogue magazine's must have summer style. The website mainly sells handcrafted leather bags, with a wide range from handbags to rucksacks. My particular favourite bag is a "grey leather slouchy tassle tote" I love the colour a light grey with a hint of purple and blue. It's a very nice design big enough for books aswell as the everyday handbag essentials, I particularly like it as it is simple but chic with it's single tassle. Another bag that caught my eye is this daring little "grab bag". I think it looks gorgeous with the fills prettily covering the opening. I personally wouldn't wear it as it's a little bold for me in it's orange tan colour but it would make a lovely day and evening bag for anyone daring to be seen.

Aswell as bags the leather store also sells waist belts mainly in beautiful subtle colours with the exception of a very bold pink belt which of course I love being a fan of anything pink! The belts range from soft suede to the more daring glazed leather which could fit in perfectly for the new fetish trend seen on the catwalk this autumn/winter.  

Surprisingly the store also stocks leather jewellery mainly consisting of large leather flowers on necklaces, bracelets and rings. But I most like the hair clips with the simple flower. I think the flowers look beautiful and the use of leather will give a different look and texture than expected. My favourite is the beige nearly white flower which I believe gives the feel of innocence and romance with the contrasting feel and look of the leather.      









Check out the leather store here: http://www.theleatherstoreuk.com/

Beth
xoxo

 

 

Fiat 500 by Gucci

I've always told my dad and brother when they questioned the desire of designer products that it was exactly the same as Lamborghinis, ferraris and porsches. The most desired cars are the most expensive. 

While flicking through my latest Elle magazine I came across an advert which saw a model draped across a car with the writing 500 by Gucci. I thought they were advertising the clothes or necklace on the model it wasn't until I looked closer I figured that actually they were advertising the fiat 500 designed by gucci. Finally I had the proof that cars were not too dissimilar to designers. 

  The car comes in Black with glitter or white with glitter. You can get two versions the twinair or 1.2. The twinair has leather interior and 16" alloy wheels diamond aswell as many other options. The car has a strip of italian colours, green and red and gucci written on the window frame and back.   

Without any extras you'd have to invest £16,000 for a twinair by gucci. Way too much for a fiat 500 atleast that's what my dad told me!

xoxo

Lipsy Competition

Hey,

I have just finished my A-levels today, my last exam was today so I am now free of revision, meaning I will hopefully have more time to blog about anything fashion or beauty related!

I'm now officially on my summer holidays and that means I need some summer clothes especially as I'm going on holiday to Italy, hopefully it'll be sunny there! I have recently entered a competition to win a £1000 lipsy gift card. This competition is running to celebrate their new Pixie Lott range, this is her third range and they just get better and better. The range consists of California Dreaming, a casual collection and Pixie Party a stunning range of gorgeous party dresses.

My favourite item from California Dreaming is this lovely flowery playsuit (above), I love the colour and how the flowery pattern isn't too over powering, the perfect outfit for a hot summers day. (£55)


My favourite dress from the Pixie Party range has to be this gorgeous teal party dress, I think it's perfect for a night out it can be dressed up or down and the colour and detailing is beautiful. (£75)

I really love the clothing in Lipsy as it's so stylish and never the same, it has both casual and more out and about clothing.





For example I really like this cute top (right) that could be either styled with denim shorts for a causal look or dressed up with wide led trousers and heels. (£30)

Another item I love is this Kimono top, I would wear this as a cover up over my bikini on the beach, it is so cute I love the detailing and unlike other cover ups I've seen it actually shapes the body instead of hanging off it. (£38)

Don't forget your summer sunnies my favourite pair (below) come in either gold or silver gives the perfect hollywood finish to any summer outfit (£22).

I haven't been able to shop in lipsy before as I find it too expensive but I think the £1000 Lipsy gift card would sort out perfectly my summer essentials.

Check out the last Pixie for Lipsy video to be in with a chance to win the £1000 giftcard. http://www.lipsy.co.uk/pixielott/launchday  

Beth 

xoxo

The Beauty Department

This week I came across a new website it's called "The Beauty Department"
It is a beauty and hair blog, brought to us by Lauren Conrad, her make-up artist Amy Nadine and hairstylist Kristin Ess.

It contains tips, tricks and inspiration for anything beauty related. Although I expected it to be all about the celebrity Lauren Conrad, it isn't she plays as much of a role as the rest of the girls, each girl uploads their own posts and gives an insight into each of their favourite trends.

My favourite part of the blog is the many tutorials that are quick and simple and easy to follow.
My favourite tutorial is "Rosie Romantic" http://thebeautydepartment.com/2011/04/787/ I think it's really sweet and cute and does not over power, perfect for a sunny day.

Check it out here: http://thebeautydepartment.com/

Beth
xoxo

The Royal Wedding

Today was the big day for Kate Middleton and Prince William. Many lined the streets of London to catch a glimpse of the happy couple, and even more gathered as families to watch the ceremony live on the television. It was a day of celebration.

The big talk before the wedding was who was going to design Kate Middleton's dress and what it was going to look like. I thought it was gorgeous, soft lace on the bodice with lace sleeves covering her shoulders for underneath was a strapless dress cinched in at the waist with a beautiful full skirt and satin train. It was designed by Sarah Burton who is the creative director for Alexander McQueen. Kate looked stunning with her signature hair, half up and half down, topped by a Cartier Halo tiara borrowed from the Queen especially for today.

Beth

xoxo

   

Katy Perry Concert

Hey,

Sorry for the recent irregular posts.

This last weekend I went to London with my brother for my 18th birthday present, we went to two concerts at Wembley Arena, Scouting for Girls and Katy Perry.

Scouting for Girls was awesome especially as I've been a fan since they first released a single.
But Katy Perry was amazing it was such a good show and this is what I want to share with you.

Throughout the show there was a storyline going on which appeared as clips between the songs and as you could guess these clips gave time for Katy Perry to change costume. The set was beautiful it was all candy, cupcakes and lollipops as you can see in the below picture.

Katy Perry as a Peacock performing "Peacock"

Katy Perry after an unfortunate incident resulting in her changing into a cat

Katy Perry singing "Pearl" while sat on her dancers mid-air

As for the clothes, I have no idea how many different outfits she had but they were all gorgeous and here's a few of my favourite:

A more subtle dress for her ballad "Not Like The Movies"

My favourite dress made of cupcakes for her encore of "California Gurls"

The Outnet

Hey,

I came across this website "the outnet" from the side magazine from this months Elle magazine. In the back it gave a selection of websites which were "style for less online" I looked up a few and they were all really expensive as they were either new designers or current ones. But on The Outnet I found this section called flash sales and in that they have a giveaway of a Giuseppe Zanotti clutch worth £1,005. Giuseppe Zanotti is a shoe and bag designer well known among the A-listers such as Katy Perry. The clutch is bead embellished black suede and the giveaway only has 4 days left.

Beth
xoxo

 

Hey,

So I've recently turned 18 and for my birthday I took my boyfriend over to Cardiff of course I couldn't go over to Cardiff without shopping. I was really disappointed though as I couldn't find anything I liked. I love all the romantic colours and clothing and there was loads in the shops but I just don't have anything to wear the colours with as I normally wear blues.

I then reverted to trying to find myself a nice day dress, I didn't succeed in this either. I found a really adorable dress in New Look that my friend wore to my party, but I decided against buying it as it was black and I've got enough black dresses. I then got put off as I knew I wouldn't wear any of these summery dresses.

I found results in shoes!! After finally giving up and going to lunch I found myself some more energy (or just desperation) and I checked in a few more shops one being River Island. I mainly stuck to the sale items and i found these amazing shoes. They were exactly what I loved. Brown boots above the ankle with fur on the lining and buckles on the front and round the heel.  Best thing? They were in the sale £50 down from £73. Even better? I nabbed the last in my size! Now I am matching with my aviator jacket i got for christmas. 

















Beth
xoxo

New York Fashion week

Hey,

New York fashion week ended a couple of days back and we've moved on to London but i'd like to pick out a few of my favourites from New York.

Dracula Orchid

I was really inspired and impressed by one designer Christian Siriano, although his actual collection isn't what I'd normally really like it's still beautiful and i love how he was inspired. He said this collection was inspired by a flower called the Dracula Orchid. So the collection was dark and creepy using laser cut petals on dresses and even oversized lapels that looked like leaves or petals. To the right is my favourite dress as you can really see the inspiration with dark petals covering the dress.



My personal favourite collection from the New York fashion week was Herve Leger by Maz Azira. Maz Azira displayed three collections and he said this was because women have 10 different ways to express herself and these collections were just 3 of these ways. This Herve Leger collection was about evolving the bandage dress using a lot of white and beige colours and the skirts were often shorter than seen in previous collections but with a nice mix of long as well. The collection is full of sexy and powerful dresses. This is my particular favourite item. I love the detailing in the tight bodice and then down to the flowing skirt. I think this engages the sexy and powerful feel.

To see more of New York fashion week head to Vogue.co.uk

Beth
xoxo

Award shows

Hey,

We've just seen two big award shows for music and film. One being the Grammys held on Monday 14th and the second was the BAFTA's held on Sunday the 13th.

From the grammys red carpet I particularly liked:
Lea Michele in a wonderful lace Emilio Pucci dress.              

Selena Gomez in a shimmering J. Mendel gown

















Jennifer Hudson in a beautiful blue Versace Gown

















From the BAFTA's my personal favourite dresses were:
This blue versace gown featured on Jessica Alba

Emma Watson's Valentino Haute Couture dress


As for the winners?
BAFTA's = King's speech
Grammy's = Lady Antebellum

Beth
xoxo

David Koma

Hey,

Recently it's been reported that the designer David Koma will be launching a capsule range for Topshop. He was thrown into the limelight when Cheryl Cole wore one of his designs on X-factor in 2009.

David Koma's spring/summer 2011 had a modern swan-lake look to it. With ruffled pleated skirts and sheer and whites used. Some pieces see a splash of colour often yellow mixed with black.
This photo to the left is my favourite piece from the collection this shows the swan type features in the feather shapes on the shirt and I love the clash of black and the beautiful white, it looks stunning.

As for his recent Topshop collection it again looks very modern with the use of low scooping neck lines and the curves that he seems fond of. In my opinion I like the dresses they have a sort of edgy, military look to them. My favourite out of the few dresses is this one to the right. I love the use of curves in the metal beading which helps make the body look more hourglass as it brings in at the waist. You'd have to splash out some cash for this dress though as it's £350!

This collection is to be in store on the 18th of February

Beth
xoxo

SAG Awards

Hey,

So another award show has taken place this time it was the SAG's, but again Natalie Portman and Colin Firth left the night with best actor and actress in the bag.

As for the fashion another amazing red carpet, with reoccurring trends from the Golden Globes red carpet my favourite being the pale pink romance dresses. Two Glee stars chose amazing romance dresses for the night Heather Morris in a stunning Romona Keveza design and Jayma Mays in a beautiful Jenny Packham dress.

I had never seen these designers collections before so I took for their websites and they are worth a look. Featuring beautiful dresses and gowns and each with a bridal collection. I especially like the textures seen on the Romona Keveza dresses, such as this feathery look to the right, and I also love the colours in these elegant gowns such as the one seen below.












Beth

xoxo

Golden Globes

Hey,

It's award show season again! And what comes with award shows? Red carpets! This is definitely a noted date in my calendar as I'm not only intrigued as to who will win but I love to see what the celebrities chose to wear.

The Golden Globes were held last week with Natalie Portman scooping up Best Actress for Black Swan and Colin Firth sealing best actor for King's Speech.

The main colours seen on the red carpet were dark green, seen in Mila Kunis' stunning Vera Wang dress, hot red and pale pink, seen on Megan Fox and Sandra Bullock but no one could beat Lea Michele in a gorgeous pastel pink Oscar de la Renta gown.

The traditional stunning black straight dress met fishtail at this red carpet with a amazing figure hugging Zac Posen dress seen on Eva Longoria.

A trend that's definitely going to be seen this season is minimalist with a good nod at the golden globes from Calvin Klein's simple designs.

Beth
xoxo

Burberry 2011 Campaign

Hey,

I have seen the new Burberry Prorsum advertising campaign. They are taken by Mario Testino as expected!
They look gorgeous keeping the British feel that makes Burberry so authentic. The shoots are taken on Brighton beach and I think the pebbles assist with the neutral colours.

Something different with this campaign is that it is evolving so each month they are going to release new campaigns featuring new models and products.

I think this photo is my favourite as I love the shape the female model makes, I think this helps show the dress off and I also like how she is sort of framing the photo as well as taking up the foreground.

Beth
xoxo

Sale!

Hey,

No excuse for my long absence from my blog but I'm back now for 2011!

I had a lovely Christmas and received some great presents including a amazing aviator jacket and the varsity cardigan I posted about in my last post!

So with the excitement of Christmas over it's on to the sales! I went to Cardiff last week, it's my favourite place to shop as the shopping centre is huge and there are so many shops and I feel really comfortable in the city even though it's a capital it doesn't feel like it.

I found some really good bargains one being in Topshop. I hardly ever shop in Topshop as I find it a little too out there for my style but I first went in to go to Topman and then I thought I'd check the sale and I found  a gorgeous evening dress!  It's tight fitted and has a netting over the whole dress this is black with little hearts in it and this covers a goldish colour which vaguely shows through the netting. It then has a diagonal shoulder strap which is the only thing I'm not so keen on but I'm pretty sure I could wear it strapless as it's boned. The best bit though was I got it in the sale for £10 down from £40, you can never have too many little black dresses!

A disappointment I found was with one of my favourite shops Hollisters. I was looking for a late Christmas present for my boyfriend and thought a hollisters hoodie would be perfect and I'd maybe have a look in the sale for myself. I walked up to to go into Hollisters and I got stopped at the door and told to get in the queue, which was the other side of the pathway to the actual shop so I didn't even notice it. Anyway I managed to get in after a few minutes and I was very disappointed as there was absolutely nothing worth buying in the clearance, they generally have better clearance stuff any other time in the year. I also looked in this seasons stuff but I just felt there was nothing different or nice that was worth spending that money on. Generally very disappointing and I saw no reason in the queue as the shop was not as busy as it normally is and it wasn't like there was anything good inside.  

My bargains in Topshop and Jane Norman made up for it though and i got some really nice stuff.

Beth
xoxo