Friday 27 January 2012

Go Forth & Shop: Vera Moda

My new favourite brand of the moment is Vera Moda, I don't know much about the brand itself, but boy is their new line banging ! ! ! 
Their most recent additions include a range they are calling "Hot Under The Collar" and it's not the only place it makes me hot... I'm referring to my credit card durrrr 
They have, oh so cleverly, chosen Alexa Chung as their face of the range, and I must admit I'm not as in love with the girl as I was two year (and about two stone) ago, but she is weurking it!!

The peter-pan collar is set to make a reappearance on the high-street. Why the heck this hasn't happened sooner baffles me, they are cute, quirky and add charm to any outfit, and unlike maxi/midi dresses, or mini skirts or chunky knits you don't need to be a particular body shape to pull them off!


I love the effortlessness of the images they are using for their campaign, when I was at the Westfield centre in Stratford earlier today I was instantly drawn in by the effortless chic of the window displays and visuals. Something a lot of stores ignore, maintain that a brand name will pull in the customers. Vera Moda know their customers are in the honey moon phase ( I certainly am!) and want to keep the excitement going for as long as possible.


I simply cannot wait for the rest of this collection to be revealed, however I would say that their website needs updating massively. Compared to the shops it seems boring and very 'I rushed this to get it out there' which is a shame because had I already not seen the stores I probably wouldn't bother with the brand itself if I based my opinion on the website.


This is one of my favourite pieces, simple, casual, wear it to work or for lunch with the girls in the city. DONE AND DONE.


This dress screams preppy school girl, and for that I welcome it to my most wanted list. Also with autumn arriving shortly it is a good idea to invest in some short sleeved dresses and tops. This way they:
A) don't bulk out your coat sleeves
B) add to layering, another trend fast approaching, also making cooling down easier
and
C) will encourage the ladies to get their wax on, winter is over and I want to see some bare pits girlies!!! 


Finally, I bought this top for myself actually, and had I not decided to do this post last minute whilst I'm in bed waiting for the sand man to put some sleep in my eyes, I may have actually posted some pictures of what it looks like on. But if I did that then I'd feel the need to do it with all of my new purchases. 

Anyway, the short of it all is this: Vera Moda has the power to change you life, well your A/W wardrobe, but for me that is a power not to be challenged nor abused.

Go forth and shop!!
H. x

Monday 23 January 2012

On a More Serious Note....

Right now i am sat in my conservatory, surrounded by stacks of books on corporate strategy, buying techniques, competitive advantage and brand management. I should be working on my specialism report that is due on friday but instead I am distracted by social networks and The Times online (by the way how ridiculously annoying is it that you now have to pay to view it online!!!) and I have been reading my Grazia magazines when I should be reading 'academic texts' blah blah. So I decided to get me in the writing mood I shall write a mildly pointless post about things that are bothering me in the world right now, hopefully I will catch some kind of writing bug and carry on with my report.


Grazia had an article on the racial discrimination that was spurred by the recent racial debates going on in the news following a rise in race-hate crimes. The murder of Stephen Lawrence led to a massive uprising on Twitter, including Diane Abbott, who wrote on Twitter "white people love to play divide and rule" however, on a less 'academic' note i think it must be taken into consideration that ms Abbott was probably just trying to put her point across within a word limit. we all have had that moment when we go over and have to cut what we are saying, its not like she could have said 'now not all white people are like this but some white people ... " thats a whole 12 words taken up. I sometimes find myself saying "all men are ..." or "people on benefits..." etc etc it doesn't mean i genuinely feel that ALL of a particular group of people are a set way, its just easier than pointing out that this isnt EXACTLY what you mean. 

[Diane Abbott]


And speaking as a 'white' person i feel she has a point, even if she didn't get it across in the most PC way. There are massive gaps in the way different people live and are treated, there is still a 17% pay gap between men and women living in the UK, I find myself being watched by security if i am with a non-white british friend, even the smallest things such as being let into a club before a man simply because i have breasts.



 The fact is, there is always going to be discrimination in the world, social media is maybe one of the worst for discrimination. When was the last time you saw a black male model, or recognised a plus size model, why is there such a commotion brought up when a public figure 'comes out' (more to the point why do society not like even the word gay) and Hallie Berry was the first black woman to win an Oscar, that was less than 20 years ago! I even have a friend who was actually physically hurt because someone thought she was Polish - she isn't.


 The world can make leaps and bounds through technology, bring people closer together through social networking, learn more than any other generation before us. But it is human nature to want to hate something, someone or a collective group of people. And it is very hard to let it go, be it a rude person slandering your name with one word, or the fact you know people treat you differently because of who you are, as long as you know you will always be able to hold your head high and say "this is who i am, and you can *insert crude comment here* " because caring that they hate you is the first step to letting them win. All we can do is hope that our children will not have to grow up in a world filled with hate, and take steps towards this by letting our hate go.

I'm sorry if you were expecting one of my more exciting posts, but i do think this is an issue we all need to be aware of, fashion isn't just a shallow, standardised form of self-indulgence, its a way of living that is like no other.
H. x

Sunday 22 January 2012

Draw Me Like One of Your French Girls

Clémence Poésy

French born actress and model


Style icon and fashionista, even though she doesn't like to admit it, stating in her Vogue interview that "life is too beautiful and fascinating to spend time on fashion rules" (which i would like to stress was during a VOGUE interview, slightly ironic) and this blog post is a token of appreciation to her and her style - and pretty sick hair-


Actresses like this come too few and to only occasionally, speaking fluent french and english (potentially the only two languages any one person would ever need to speak really) Paris and London, two beautiful cities.


And if you are wondering, yes, she was in some of the Harry Potter films, as well as In Bruges, and my personal guilty pleasure, Gossip Girl.
H. x

Tuesday 17 January 2012

And The Award Goes To.....

This week was the 69th Golden Globes awards, celebrating... errr something about films? I'm not going to google it and pretend I know who the founder was/is or who it honoured this year, because if you are reading my blog (on the off chance someone reads my drivel) it's not for my critic of films. Lets get down to FASHION.

Lea Michele wears Marchesa Illusion Dress. 
I find this a corker of a dress, I mean when people say fashion isn't art, I show them images of garments such as this! Totally unpractical, I'm sure her chest was firmly in place with boob-tape and the train definitely had some people assigned to carry it, but completely and utterly worth it!!


Charlize Theron in Dior Couture
I'm not usually a fan of ms Therons style but you gotta hand it to her (or her stylist) this is a bit of a show stopper!! The muted pink is exaggerated by the blindingly red carpet, something all a-listers need to be aware of, yet not all pay attention to!

Kirsten Wiig in Bill Blass
Kirsten's dress (it is a dress, first glance does make it look slightly jump-suit-esk, but i checked) is perfect for someone who hasn't stepped out on old red as often as the usual suspect to the Golden Globes. The colour is spot on for her, and personally, I am in love with knot feature on the top half! Utter perfection!!
H.x

Sunday 15 January 2012

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I thought I would take some time to revel in the glory of a few people, of today, I aspire to or just plain old respect in general. 

 Daisy Lowe - Fo' Show, she's a great personality and with a figure like that you really dont need to be a nice person, but she seems very accessible and a real peoples person!


Olsen Sisters - Fashion's tongue twisters. Sure their style is trash bag chic, but the fact is, this generation has grown up with them, and that, my friends is an advertising ploy money cant buy! 


Lara Stone - A queen on her catwalk throne. Stone is model royalty, another good role model (no pun intended there) putting humour, enjoyment and laughter before most things.


Alison Mosshart - A right ol' band tart. not really, basically up there with all the great, a wonderful artist/musician or whatever people want to call it now. pretty darn rock and roll too. 



The Miller Girls, Life's all Diamonds and Pearls. Their clothing line is beyond amazing, and although there is a lot of jealous hate going around for them, you gotta hand it to them. if life was a game, they are winning.
H. x

Thursday 12 January 2012

Button Me Up!

So it may seem a little pointless that I am writing about coats when the cold weather is about to leave, never to darken our doorsteps, well for another few months at least. But alas, a blog post about coats there will be! 
So i'll start with the basic, masculine coats. pretty key for s/s12 i believe. they are great if your style is very textured, as there are plenty of styles in woolen greys, dog-tooth and navy. three colours and patterns that aid a textured look. layering is also key. so pop into any woolen shop and splurge on a big fat chunky knitted scarf to complete the look.
Below are two options, one being a menswear coat, for the more daring of you! both at Zara.

Another key trend that will develop into summer lines is the sports jacket, in 2010 we were bombarded with old school american football jackets, which lets face it, flatter no one and make you look like a 12 year old. However with Stella McCartney designing for the British olympic team there has been a bit more effort put into the sporty styled clothing lines this year. Two tone will be a key element, white and black being quite basic, obvious options. Along with leather being used as an accent to the garments. However, as i usually say, the more avant garde the trend, the more money you should invest in the pieces you buy. Primark's take on sporty jackets will not be as quality driven as say, Reiss.

Finally, my last trend for ss/12 coats will be... Black Magic. a mix of metalics and the dark, gothic, lolita look. now clearly this trend has now been banging around in the back of our wardrobes for quite a while now, distressed leather jackets, PU mock leather is coming out of the high-street retailers eye balls right now. but they have a point. anyone can wear it. a cropped biker jacket adds so much style and jazz to an outfit. potentially the easiest thing to wear for ss/12. if you are going to invest in a real leather jacket i would suggest a specialist leather shop. Cambridge have a pretty nifty selection. or a high market shop such as Hobbs, or jaeger, who wont stock 'fad' trend pieces. Waterfall style leather jackets will also see a stabilisation within the industry. and who could argue with that!!!
H. x

Monday 9 January 2012

RING-RING ... RING-RING

What did I do this weekend? Went shopping, DURRR! The theme of this week was accessories, with specific reference to rings. The first of my purchases are these AMAZING ear-rings, from topshop at £7.50 they are very grunge chic, which is hot hot hot at the moment.

I have two piercings in both my ears, so thought i would try doubling them up on one side...

 So here comes the rings. I seem to have developed a rather morbid obsession with rings recently, probably to cover my stumpy finger (thanks dad, genetics aren't your strong point) Firstly the following are all from H&M at £6.99 for the first three, the last one was from Topshop again, about £3 in the sale. I use these to add bulk to a look. 


These are also from Topshop, about £6 for the three, which is a bit steep, considering they are very small, but they go with everything!!! i would add these to the plain rings above to create the illusion of a bigger, more structured ring.


This is one of my most prized possessions, I got this sterling silver ring when i was at a market in Lanzarote last year, its beautiful and was only €25!! I try not to wear it too much as it is a bit loose...


Another fav of mine is this, which i picked up on portobello road market last summer with a friend, i was rather happy i saw it first, as she would have snapped it up otherwise! Markets are one of the best places to find one of a kind jewellery, but i'd stay clear of earrings as you dont know how clean they will be, rings are a pretty safe bet, along with bracelets and necklaces!


This is the ring stand i got for christmas from my grandparents, it is full already! might need another one, although i love that it is a scotty dog! 


H. x

Wednesday 4 January 2012

La Chambre

My wardrobe is a huge source of happiness for me, I could not find an actual wardrobe that would fit both in my room, nor fit all my purchases in it. Therefore I came up with the concept of fixing a curtain rail to one of my walls. Ever since, I lie in bed in the morning, staring up at my rather special collection of memories and decide what I will wear. 
Christmas is a good idea to add to my collection. Also with my birthday being in february, i usually stock up on winter treats through january. These are a few of my treasured possessions i have obtained over the last few weeks.

 The above is my brand spanking new twenty8twelve dress, i think i actually fell in love with it back last year in summer. when i found it on the outnet (net-a-porter sister website) i just had to have it. *add to bag* then *proceed to checkout* and WAM BAM THANK YOU MAM' into the closet it goes. 
 I met this dress way back in november, i was in westfield (white city, not the rip off version, sorry stratford) then whilst killing time before i started work i saw it in my local monsoon, the last one left, in my size! The colour is spot on for this season, it goes with basically everything, for every occasion. and has the cutest collar, with a ribbon to tie into a bow. such a sweetie. 
Every year at christmas i get a nice perfume, last year it was Coco Mademoiselle this year i got another Miss Doir Cherie. I love collecting the empty bottles as i think they give a sense of vintage fashion. my current total stands at 4 empty bottles. i want more. 
Finally, make up, fair enough it doesn't fit on the rail in any way shape or form. but its another purchase i do twice a year. i swear by clinique for skin care, i've lost count of how much stuff i have from there. all my brushes are from the body shop, as they do not test on animals and i think people in the fashion and beauty industry should be more aware of this, and support it like DD's. i'm not a huge fan of Mac makeup, for some reason it doesn't agree with my skin, but their lipstick colours are out of this world, and worth a look at. YSL concealer, for the past year i have been stealing this off my mum, so she took it upon herself to buy me my own, and for that i am hugely grateful (so are the dark circles under my eyes) Touche eclat is bloody hard to say, but worth those few moments of utter embarrassment as you try to ask the sales assistant for it at the counter.