Gok's Clothes Roadshow

Whilst sitting in a cafe with the boy a few weeks ago we noticed a flyer through the window advertising the fairy gokmother himself, Gok Wan's mighty arrival to Leeds to film the catwalk show section of his new TV programme Gok's Clothes Roadshow. Filled with vivacious delight I made my way down making sure to defy my usual lack of punctuality to the Leeds Corn Exchange (a most resplendent piece of architecture if you ever get the chance to visit it) with a couple of friends ready to see the genius of Mr Wan flaunt itself before me. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. Half an hour. Forty-five minutes. Just over an hour later than the specified time, Gok graced us with his presence, donning his trademark black suit. I'm usually one of these annoying fashionably late people myself, so combined with his winning charm and humour, our Gok appeased the increasingly impatient crowds and commenced his fashion fix.

The premise of his new show was very similar to a previous series of his called Gok's Fashion Fix. If you're unfamiliar with the basis of Gok's Fashion Fix, it's basically a fashion showdown between Gok and his arch rival fashionista Brix Smith-Start, with Gok backing the high street and Brix supporting the designer labels. They're both given the same seasonal trends to work with to create an appropriate outfit, which they then showcase down the catwalk. The twist is is that the audience watching the fashion show has no idea which outfit belongs to the high street or which is designer. The audience then votes at the end which lot of outfits they liked most and either Gok or Brix wins the show.

Unfortunately, photographs were forbidden from being taken during filming. Gok kindly allowed us to go snap happy with photos of him at the beginning but after that it was nada. I sneakily tried to take a few on my camera, craftily putting it on it's ISO setting where it would take a good enough picture without the flash - but I must have been a lot more conspicuous than I thought when one of the security guards lumbered over and rumbled, 'No pictures, love.' Ah well. Anyway that's my excuse for the lack of photos and the poor quality of the few I have.

Taking into consideration that the show will air sometime mid January, the styles that were sauntering down the catwalk were a fleeting forecast for what will be big next year.

Trend Number One: Bold Clashing Colours




The models that walked down the catwalk wore bright, block, clashing colours. One wore a combination of pink and red whereas the other (shown above) united green, red and blue in a uniform that surprisingly exuded a quirky sophistication. A trend not for the faint hearted, I'd say. Execution would have to be spot on to get away with this look but I would encourage a few bold flashes of colour to brighten up any day-to-day wear or that little black dress, like these little gems:

Asos Leather Satchel £60


Waterfall Drape Shorts, Topshop, £34



Sash, American Apparel, £6 (in sale)

Trend Number Two: Monochrome

Firstly, let me apologise for the quality of the above picture - and secondly, let me tell you that the timeless combination of black and white will apparently be your best friend this new year. Both Gok and Brix took an alpine approach to it, which knowing British weather will be very apt during January and February. Luckily this is a look that requires minimum effort and will have maximum impact.

Animal Print Maxi Skirt, New Look, £8 (in the sale)

Black Diagonal Stripe Tights, Topshop, £8.50
Heart Knitted Skirt, ASOS, £30

Trend Number Three: Ethereal

I wish I had gotten some pictures of the models for this trend as the dresses they were adorned in were phenomenal. I'll be making sure that I tune in January to find out where they were from as my memory of the event seems to have deteriorated a bit. The dresses were floor length, flowing and subtley jewelled and sequinned. The models looked like veritable Lord of the Rings style Elves, as if they'd just stepped out of the fairy world of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Opt for chiffon, lace, pale colours and dainty embroidery to channel the Queen Titania look.

Victoriana Lace Dress, Oasis, £60
Fringe Dress, Topshop, £150 (in the sale)
Pleated Goddess Maxi Dress, Love Label, £32.50 (in the sale)

Trend Number Four: Oriental

One trend that is already visible in the shops is the oriental theme. Gok and Brix went all out - chopsticks in hair, the whole lot. A more toned down way to embrace the Far East is to swap your cardigan for a very now printed kimono, dare to wear a thigh high slit skirt or dress, don an appleblossom print top or even experiment with some Geisha style make up.

Kimono, Topshop, £28
Floral Print Vest, Topshop £33
Silk Snake Print Kimono, Topshop, £100



I stayed to see the whole of the catwalk show and quickly tried to deduce from the number of pink and black paddle boards the crowd were waving in the air (despite me and my friends' attempts to get Gok's paddle giver outer's attention, we were not lucky enough to gain a paddle and were refused our right to vote) as to who had won out of Gok and Brix. Unfortunately I didn't stay to find out who was the winner, but from my quick deduction I'm pretty confident it was Mr. Gok Wan who came out victorious - but I'll have to wait til sometime in January and become an avid Gok fan once again to find out if I'm right.

Dear Santa...

So my advent calendar informs me today that we are in fact only five days away from Christmas. Scary stuff. Fortunately all my Christmas shopping is done and the attempts at wrapping can commence. But while I've been doing all this selfless shopping for others, I have simultaneously been selfishly eyeing up the rails in every shop I've entered - and instead of furthering my knowledge and keeping up to date with the latest breaking news, I've been scouring the net for any clothes or accessories I can get my grubby mits on. To suit the seasonal spirit, I have devised a Christmas wishlist consisting of ten coveted items, that will shortly be on it's way to the North Pole in letter form addressed to a certain Mr Claus. Let's hope I've been a good girl this year.

So in no particular order... my Christmas Wishlist:

1) O&O Velvet & Mesh Bodycon Dress, Urban Outfitters


I found this piece of loveliness whilst checking out the ladies section on the Urban Outfitters website. Considering the things I look for in a dress, it ticks all the right boxes. Numero uno - it's velvet. I've had an addiction to velvet for over a year now since it's warm welcome back into the fashion charts and I haven't been able to quit it. It's also perfect for the Christmassy season and the velvet is a good insulator against this slapintheface cold we've been having recently. Stylish and warm, eh. Number two - it's black. And I'm a sucker for LBDs. Failsafe fashion. Number three - the Peter Pan collar and the mesh detail. Peter Pan collars are a surefire way to update any look and mesh material has recently been inserted into everything from dresses to shoes, creating a risque look without the sluttiness to accompany it. I have found that this Peter Pan collar trend 9 times out of 10 just plain doesn't suit me, but with the sense of space built by the mesh between the collar bone and the chest, it breaks up the dress a bit which will flatter more and look less suffocating. And then at number four - it's £45, which for a dress in Urban Outfitters standards, is verrrrrry reasonable and is definately worth picking up. I shall be hinting to my brother and sister about this one.


2) Textured Boyfriend Jacket, Topshop


I have an obsession with jackets. Ask anyone who knows me and they will confirm this. I'd be ashamed to know how many jackets I actually own. It's a ridiculous number, I'll let you know that much. I especially love the boyfriend fit style of blazers, as they work equally well in both smartening up any day clothing or dressing down a going out outfit. I'd wear it with a lace trim dress to contrast with the mannish cut.

3) Karen Gillan's Jumper


Doctor Who's new golden girl has been a hit of colossal proportions in the fashion ratings, never seemingly to put a foot wrong and continually making my eyes green envying her clothes. I couldn't find out where Miss Gillan would have purchased this double decker bus print jumper, but I WANT IT. MINE MINE MINE. Printed jumpers have been all the rage this autumn and winter, allowing us to keep warm whilst still looking cool and quirky. From an alpine scene to a squirrel wearing headphones, the more bizarre the print the better. This has got to be one of my favourite trends of the year as jumpers with these kooky kind of prints tend to reside in vintage shops, (which I love rummaging around in ) which means they're most likely a one-of-a-kind and are usually tagged with purse friendly prices.




4) Brocade Military Tailcoat, All Saints

























Daaaah I love this. Told you I was obsessed with jackets. Doesn't this jacket just make you feel like that it was worn by some sophisticated pirate, or that you need a musket to just own it? This is All Saints designing to perfection. I'm an avid fan of the military look, but the faded appearance and feel of the leather, how lightweight it is (yes, I foolishly tried it on) the ornate detailing on the cuffs and the fact it has a tailcoat makes this particular garment a piece of art. Rather depressingly though, as I discovered once taking the jacket off, it costs the hefty price of £450 (now £315 in the sale). My heart sank. Damn you, All Saints, damn you. Look at it though, isn't it beautiful? I think I'm in love.


5) Asymmetric Corset Maxi Dress, Asos


As dramatic as it sounds, I was enraptured when I saw this dress in a magazine. This stunning dress from Asos (at £85) nails two of this season's prominent trends, asymmetry and the colour red. Red has had a revival, making a fiery comeback in the autumn/winter catwalks showcased this past summer. I personally have always loved the colour red, it flatters every skintone and is perfect for creating an eye catching impact. The retail shops of today are heavily embracing the asymmetric trend, adding an interesting twist on what could be a normal run of the mill dress. The use of chiffon in the asymmetry of this dress ties in with the airy, ethereal, damsel-esque feel that evening dresses are leaning towards these days. I can imagine myself now, wearing this dress, gracefully prancing about the palaces of Fatehpur Sikri in India (went there this summer - google image it, it's a treat for the eyes) waving a red veil in the air behind me, Bollywood styleee.











6) Kettle & Kotch Bandana Watches


Watches have never appealed to me much until my brother bought me one for my birthday and I love it. It fits perfectly, blending in with myriad of bracelets and bangles that decorate my wrist. I think that's what I need in a watch, something that looks more like a bracelet than a what it actually is. That's why these intriguing creations caught my eye. London based watchmaker company Kettle & Kotch have designed a whole range charmingly called 'A Spoonful of Sugar' consisting of these little bandana-watch hybridities. There's ten different designs, all very dainty and floral made with their own individual fabrics. Having made only one hundred of each design, these watches are extremely limited. I, myself would choose the above watch, named 'Fabulous' for its toned down colours and it's go-with-any-outfit versatility.






































7) Feather Hair Clip, Topshop

We now live in a time where it is not unnormal to find a girl's tresses adorned by flowers or a Grecian hairband. Hair accessories enjoyed playing an integral part in the summer's festival look and they're here to stay with us through the winter and into the new year where supposedly the ethnic (particularly Indian print) look is predicted to be big. I like to think I'm a bit hippie at heart and think this feather hair clip from Topshop would evoke this style perfectly.










8) Maxi Skirt, Topshop

Maxi skirts are a brilliant, demure alternative to all those tiny tiny mini skirts out there. I love the floatiness of this skirt and the asymmetric cutting, (which in this case, flatters a pear shape figure wooo) it would go beautifully with a big baggy jumper to dress it down. Fortunately they're something I can carry off (most of the time) and I found this skirt a couple of months ago and spent weeks deliberating whether I should part with the £60 needed to be able to wear it (times is hard when you're in your overdraft). Unfortunately I left it too long and my size is no longer available, hopefully it'll reappear in their 'back in stock' section. No wonder Topshop have a rail in their store with the words 'Buy it now or regret it later' painted above it.







9) Peacock Feather Mask, Urban Outfitters


I don't know why I want this, I would probably never wear it unless I was frolicking around my room, but isn't it so cool? or to use a less overused adjective, bewitching? Think I need to get invited to masquerade party this New Year's to warrant buying this.












10) Ginger Sheepskin Shearling Car Coat, Topshop


The first thing I want to do whenever I see this picture of this coat, is to maniacally run my hands all over it. What an immense sensation overload for the hands it would be. It's a purchase that requires consideration at the cost of £350 but it's plain to see that this coat would keep you as warm as an oven on gas mark 6 during even the most Arctic temperatures. Ok, not quite Arctic, you'd need the real Millets type of deal for that, but you know what I mean.

The Beard is BACK

What a long time ago it seems I said I'd get back on here as soon as possible. I'm probably in more of a hectic situation than when I was about a month ago (assessed work for Wednesday, exam on Tuesday and essay for Friday - help!) but I've decided that instead of being the studious little beaver that I ought to be, I'm going to procrastinate and put my energies into something somewhat productive and get back on the fashion train. I was going to say 'wagon' but second thoughts deduced that a wagon has unfashionable connotations. Well, it does for the time being anyway.

So, one thing I've been noticing with my eagle eyes whilst indulging in sinful shopping trips, is the kind of models clothing labels like to choose for their advertising and campaigns, particularly their male models. No I haven't been skulking about in shops gawking at the images of broody male models draped across the walls (ok, maybe once...or twice) but I have observed a theme running through the types of men being cast in the pictures, men with one key, integral feature: the Beard.

The beard? Yes, the beard. I'm not a boy - I'll have you know - but I can imagine that the majority of guys have dabbled in thoughts of how they would look like with a beard, whether they could pull it off - to shave or not to shave, that is the question. It seems like a rite of passage for most guys to go through the overgrown facial hair phase.
Once accomplished, I would say, without any sources to support me on this, that approximately 70% of these men will eventually look in the mirror and sigh, 'what was I thinking?!' and subsequently take out their razor and shaving cream, fast. 20% of these men, on the other hand, will look in the mirror, see their face adorned by what could be said to be one of the boldest statements of hairy masculinity and through rose coloured spectacles unwisely decide that, depsite whatever beard jokes and jibes he may have endured by his mates and/or girlfriend, 'yes, this is brilliant. I look good. The beard is staying.'
Then the last 10 % won't even need to look in the mirror because they are the ones that can truly pull all of it's rugged manliness off. The beard stays and the world is happy. This is the kind of beard being used in todays fashion industry.

It appears that our highstreet - and I'm particularly talking about the European fashion industry here - these days wants to abandon the smooth faced, pouty indie boy who-could-be-in-a band(and probably is)-wearing-skinny-jeans-verging-on-adrogyny kinda look and assume a more macho, masculine vibe, which is perfectly depicted in one of the most striking campaigns of the year:



The epitome of manliness, don't you think? A little dishevelled, rugged and rough around the ages, assuming a nonchalance that almost verges on arrogance. This FCUK campaign has recieved a lot of criticism in the past few months for gender stereotyping and inequality lark, but I like it. It laughs at itself quite blatently, I thought when I first saw the images. And back to the beard, it embraces the wash and go ready routine that realistically most guys follow, and that it's pointing out perhaps we're forgetting what the quintessential man is. This is what those stylish people at FCUK had to say on their blog about their new found love of the shaggy look:

“His love for his beard is fierce and raw. He knows that a beard is a poem. Do not touch his beard. If you do not know so much about the beard, The Man can help you.”

All Saints A/W10



H&M

I also spied men with long hair and beards displayed on the walls of All Saints and H&M, the H&M model Patrick Petitjean, apparently renowned for his Christ like facial hair. So does this mean, as fashion often dictates, that all you men out there must go and follow the trend and grow Jesus beards too? Nahh, I don't think so. I like to think that it's another one of those barriers that fashion's breaking, that along with all the pretty, smooth, clean cut boys that brands like Abercrombie and Fitch or Tommy Hilfiger like to flaunt, that men of the opposite style and look can look just as good and rival them.

It simply just makes looking at fashion advertisements much more interesting and eye catching when there's something a little differnet. It breaks away from the standard you'd expect from a model and will hopefully make way for a few more little differences here and there. I'm in full favour of the beard revival, but I sincerely hope it doesn't catch on to the masses - remember what I said boys, there's at the very most 10% of you out there who can get away with this. Don't go and do a Brad Pitt and ruin your face. Stick to the stubble, guys.

Wooo ok, it's been a LONG time since I've been on here! Am currently in the midst of fourth year university life, flitting like a hummingbird between Omeros, The Satanic Verses and an Arabic essay all due in for next week. Will hopefully immerse myself back into the world of fashion blogging soon, probably when I have a deadline the following day and I'm procrastinating in denial of it all!
In the meantime, the picture below was taken what seems like a decade ago and was my third submission for Lookbook, but I never got round to embedding on here. If you like, please hype!
Muchos gracias

The Magic Number

Topshop Eye Candy

Okey dokey, let's get back into the swing of things. First thing on the agenda is to apologise for how my lookbook picture in the post below has turned out. Too much to the right for my liking. If you want to see how it's meant to look, click on the lookbook link and check it out, maybe even give it a hype hehe. Plug plug shameless plug.

So I've decided this is going to be a generalised post on DUH DUH DUH ... makeup. It's not quite fashion, but makeup goes through trends just like clothes do, it's just that most of us like to stick to the looks we know and are comfortable with when it comes to decorating our faces. And in spite of what you might think, my knowledge of makeup and how it works is terribly miniscule. I only ever wear eyeliner (and on a night out, mascara) so that's all I really know about.

Zara's always had a makeup range sitting in their shops, Urban Outfitters have just introduced a whole new line, but I'm going to focus on one of the most highly anticipated assortments of makeup to hit the high street, Topshop Makeup. I may be a few months late in reviewing it, but at least we know what the real deal is now. Copious amounts of magazines praised and hyped the range before its release date was even published and it nabbed my attention. I'm one of the biggest Topshop freaks you'll ever meet - to use a cliche, I'm like a kid in a sweetshop everytime I enter it, so it gave me hope that their makeup would be on a par with their Imusthaveeverything clothes.

Topshop showcased their makeup collection on the catwalk and in true, quirky Topshop style, subverted the usual parade of glamourous Cindy Crawfords strutting down the catwalk, with models styled to look like wild, furry woodland 'brownies', complete with monobrows. Surprisngly they somewhat pulled it off, but I doubt I'll be copying it anytime soon.
I used my first purchase for my second look on lookbook.nu, although to be honest you can't see it too well in the pictures I used. So here's one I made earlier:



It's not a brilliant picture, but you can see a little bit of the colours I used. I bought a black eyeshadow crayon in Midnight. My verdict? Well, at £6 I thought it wasn't too badly priced, it's extremely easy to use and much less fiddly (for those who are less dexterous of hand) than the more conventional palettes of eyeshadow you find. Another plus point is that it can act as an eyeliner as well, which is how I used it. Any bad points? Only a minor one; allow it to settle for a bit otherwise it'll smudge onto your eyelids, which as you can see, is what happened to me. But if my beloved Look Magazine is anything to go by, I am unintentionally bang on trend. Apparently the smudged, poorly applied makeup look will be a big trend for seasons to come. (I'm not so certain of this, but let's pretend it will be, for my fashion credit's sake.)


So it's a thumbs up for the eyeshadow crayons. Midnight is good for that smokey effect, Orb (white) is good for dotting around the tear duct to make yourself look more awake, (a good tip I stole off a friend) Sea (turquoise/blue) is good for flashing some colour and brightening up eyes and Satchel (brown) suits the hazy romantic look that is so prominent today.

There you go, a Topshop Makeup winner. Now for a loser. Their Eyeliner. It's a deceptive little thing - you walk into the shop, tear yourself away from all the wondrous items of clothing in there and surrender to the intrigue that surrounds the Topshop Makeup stall. You pick up their black eyeliner - a staple of any cosmetics bag - inspect it, then pick up the tester version of it. Twist off the lid and draw a line on the back of your hand. You never actually try it on your face do you? Not eyeliner at least. I've never seen anyone stand there applying the tester eyeliner actually onto their eyes. This is where the deception craftily lurks. It comes in the form of a felt tip pen, accessible and easy to use and amusingly reminds you that you're actually just colouring your face in - and on the back of your hand appears a strong, thick black line that's hard to smudge.

My mother bought one and came to me the next day asking if I wanted to try it because it was so ineffective. The skin of the back of the hand and the eyelid must differ pretty significantly because as I found when I tried it, the ink refuses to come out of the pen and the end result is is that you look like you've used a felt tip pen that had run out about a month ago and have slovenly smeared it over your eyes. Topshop eyeliner: nil points.
If you want a good, cheaper alternative, go for Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer. It's a twist pen so it saves on bothersome sharpening and has an eraser on the end to eradicate any mistakes made when applying it. I used this eyeliner in Aqua Sparkle, the blue colour which is around the corner of my eyes in the picture.

And now for one thing I haven't tried - it's not solely for the eyes but I'm intrigued by it. Oh yes, it's Mariah Careys best friend, GLITTER. We all have that angelic little eight year old still stuck inside of us somewhere, longing to be a mermaid when she grew up. This was a time when you thought if you chucked glitter all over yourself it instantly made you prettier. We've grown up now and hopefully know a bit better, but there's something still so appealing and feminine about glitter - when applied correctly. Glitter has the potential to look a bit over the top and draggy if it's piled on. But, as shown in the picture below, glitter can transform you into a smouldering hippie with cascading golden tears (poetic, non?) - a perfect look to get away with this festival season. In the picture a gold glitter is used on the face and if I were to try this out, it's the colour I'd like to experiment with as it's closer to a skin shade than the other colours available (Lagoon which is a blue colour and Gilt which is pink, a colour which is too reminiscent of the eight year old girl situation for my liking). Unfortunately, they've stopped selling the gold coloured glitter online and I haven't found it in any of the Topshops I've been into, even the Oxford Circus one. Sigh. My inner hippie and inner eight year old will have to wait.
It hasn't been the most balanced or diverse review, as I've only looked at three of their products - but to be fair, if I were to examine anymore products this post would mutate into something the length of a short novel. What I've gathered from the products I've tried and from what I've heard off friends and family is that the range is varied enough for you to experiment with new styles and looks without spending a fortune and it's vast enough to find amongst all the nicely packaged rough, a few trusty diamonds, that you'll definitely go back for more of.

They Call Me Mellow Yellow

Bare time, Bare legs

Wow. Ok, it's been a while since I've written on here, my reason being that the past month has been a mish mash of exams, a trip to France and summer vacation induced laziness. But do not fret, I am back with avengence - and with a particularly robust examination on both our best friends and worst enemies - our legs.

Displaying bare legs is usually an easy way to inject a bit of glamour to a look (when executed with a hint of ladylike poise of course) the determiner really of how good you look when showing off your pins is, in the infamous words of our fairy gokmother Gok Wan, that it's all about the confidence. Cringey. But true.

There's not much to aid us in showing off our legs in all their tightless glory, but it's when we cover them up that I begin to adopt some rules. Bare your midriff, live in your trackies, wear a watch on your ankle, really, dress how you want. But when it comes to leggings, that's when I start becoming a pretty massive judgmental snob. I warn you now, Ima go all preachy on you. I really am. I've even made some commandments - that's how strongly I feel about these special spandex creations.

Leggings for me are reminiscent of a time when you would've found me learning to tie my shoelaces, watching Power Rangers in the morning and pretending to be a princess in the living room. About six years old. I sadly don't indulge in such activities anymore. (Ok, maybe the last one). So I was quite amused when I noticed their formidable return to fashion and finding their new home to be in the women's section. I've never worn them because I don't think they'd look quite right on me, but you know what, they actually look quite good. Weren't expecting that were you? BUT (and I stress this but), you have to wear them right, otherwise you will have me rolling my eyes and growling like a terrier behind you.
LIKE YOU KELLY ROWLAND!



Ok, she doesn't look too bad. But I do think she could've improved vastly on this outfit. It may just be me with my mind in the gutter, but the first thought that popped up in my mind when viewing this photo was CROTCH.
Anybody else? If her top had just been an inch longer, she wouldn't be appearing on this page. It's just that tiny bit too short and unfortunately creates a tiny camel toe effect, not what you want to associate with a beauty like Miss Kelly. Perusing the rails in H&M the other day, I overheard a mother say to her teenage daughter: 'No Rachel, you can't wear that top with leggings, you need a long top.' This made me so ridiculously happy I actually wanted to go high five this supermum. Yes Rachel, do you really want to be drawing attention to your lady bits to the crazy public of Derby? I seriously hope not. I formed a discussion on lookbook to see what the fashion savvy had to say about it and the overwhelming response was 'I'd rather not see it.'

So, the first commandment of leggings is:

1. Thou shalt wear a top that covers your behind to banish unholy stares to the crotch area.

Some of you may be saying, but it's not like she's actually going about exposing herself, leggings keep you covered. To me, leggings are almost like tights. It would be improper if a girl was going about in tights wearing a top that didn't cover up her bum, right?
Now I'm going to contradict myself. You can get away with attiring yourself in leggings and a short top. What?! Yes. I didn't think it at first, but then I saw it with my own eyes when a few fashionable Leeds girls were sauntering about in town. I actually wish I'd stopped them now for a photo to put up on here. But here's the thing, their leggings were of good quality, thick, well fitting and completely opaque. That's the kind you want if you're gonna wear a short top. The next box to tick is to make sure your top dangles no lower than the top of your hip bones. Even go for a crop top if you're feeling brave. This will avoid that undesirable camel toe effect and will proportionalize your body, so you don't have to be dealing with any of those unholy stares. Unfortunately for some, this look will be more successfully pulled off by those of you of a slimmer physique. I am afraid for bigger girls, this may end up exhibiting your fuller body in an unflattering way, so it's best to keep to the longer tops.

2. Thou shalt purchase leggings of a modest cloth when wearing shorter tops.

3. Thou shalt adorn yourself with a top no lower than the hip bone when wearing leggings.

Kelly Rowland is a bit of a serial culprit when it comes to leggings...


She's got a winning smile and an enviable body - but something just doesn't look right here. Yes, it's those damn leggings. She's got killer legs and she really isn't doing them any justice here. Sometimes a trend will not suit you. Chinos look ludacris on me. Tulip skirts make my hips look even bigger. My point is, just because everyone else may seem to be wearing something, doesn't mean you have to follow. Find out what suits you and what doesn't. Simple as.

4. Thou shalt not mindlessly follow fashion and the masses.

Two more to go. And this one's an easy one: make sure you're wearing the right underwear. Wear a thong if you can endure them or get down to Marks and Spencer and buy some seamless briefs. VPL is never a good look. Especially with something so clingy as spandex.

5. Thou shalt not be an advocate of the visible pant line.

Time for the final rule. What's it gonna be? I'll tell you now, it's a personal preference. If you can pull off this look, I salute you and would very much like to see it.

6. Thou shalt never wear yellow leggings. You look like a chicken.


Congratulations go to those of you who had the patience to read all that. But leggings truly are a tickly cough of a nuisance for me. Sad, I know.

Right, time to quit my jibber jabber.

Lookbook: The Libertine

Hellooo there! So I've recently become a member of my beloved lookbook.nu and below is my first look, so if you like, please hype (click on the black HYPE button next to the photo) cos then I get cool points :D

Lookbook

Hallelujah!

Just a quick post to rejoice in the news that our Cheryl finally realised to rid Chelsea player (I do apologise for using such a cliche tabloid phrase) love rat Ashley Cole from her life completely and offcially filed for divorce yesterday. To celebrate, I thought I'd share this stunning picture of Cheryl from a couple of Vogues ago wearing a maginificent piece of haute couture at this year's Brit Awards. If I had access to such a work of art and had Cheryl Cole's body, I don't think I'd wear anything else ever again.

War! Huh! What is it Good For?

...Absolutely Nothing! - Apart from the clothes that is. The Military Look; distinguished, structured, rebellious and dishevelled all at the same time. For me, this style ranks higher than any other. The fashion world, for decades now, has embraced the soldierly look and it marches back into fashion almost every couple of years, so it's always worth holding onto purchases from the past. Looking towards popular culture for inspiration, people such as Michael Jackson and Adam Ant epitomised the style, but this season we welcome a more subtle, elegant way to rock the military look. Frogging details give an edge to pretty feminine dresses, epaulettes and badges adorn shirts, khaki enjoys a prime position in this seasons colour hierarchy and utility trousers are ubiquitous. A military jacket can instantly transform any outfit, as shown above, in French designer Balmain's spring/summer collection, which was heavily militarily influenced. Another key garment to have in your wardrobe, is the military shirt. Pretty common amongst mens clothing, the military shirt has joined in with the girls and is a great way to give an effortlessly regal yet casual twist to your clothes, as shown by Alexa Chung below.


I seem to have gone slightly military mad and have done quite a few posts about girls clothes, guys clothes and my own clothes...
Welcome to my Military Style Extravaganzaaaaa!



Alexa Chung in a military shirt
Coldplay
Rihanna in a Balmain military jacket.

The Libertine

I recently went to Portabello Road with a couple of friends for my birthday and was delighted by every little tiny, crook and cranny detail of it. I felt myself morphing into a magpie, being distracted by every shiny antiquey vintagey object and flapping over to every stall in sight. I later found an army clothes stall and fell in love with a red libertine style military jacket, not unlike the one Cheryl Cole wears in that 'Fight for this Love' video, but a lot more authentic looking, like it had actually been through the wars. I spied with my magpie eye two more red military jackets when we moved onto Camden Market, one actually descending from the 1800's. But alas, I supressed my frivolous fancies as they were all a bit out of reach price wise for me. I shall own one one day though, it is written in the stars. I know it. Anyway, for now, I have soldiered on and have a bit more of a toned down but still as exquisite (in my humble opinion) version, in cardigan form.

Military Cardigan, Rare. Top, Topshop. Belt, Asos. Tights, by House of Holland at Asos&Topshop.




This bag was one of my many purchases from Portobello Road. I saw it from across the market, hanging gracefully from a stall shelf, and like a siren, I followed its allure and headed straight for it. Its an authentic army satchel from 1950's France, complete with a leather interior and the guy who sold it to me (people say Londoners aren't friendly, but I think Portobello is the exception) had fixed and stitched up a few distressed bits here and there. For £35, I think it would have been a crime not to have bought it, I can now sling a little piece of history over my arm whenever I like.