Victoria Beckham for Numero

Swit swoo!

Just a quick post, but I cannot believe how beautiful Vicky B looks in the promo shots for this magazine!  I am used to her look very ‘severe’ – all angular bob and harsh cheekbones.  I have always thought she would look better with a bit more weight on her (along with the rest of the world AND her husband David) because it makes her look older than she is.  VB is hardly a spring chicken, but she’s in no way OLD... I just feel like she could easily look more youthful with a bit of a plumper face. 

I have looked online this morning and everyone is kicking off about these pictures, but I think she looks AH-MAZING.  I know she is still STUPIDLY skinny, but she just doesn’t look as gaunt and ill as she does normally.  I love her new hair, the longer length covers up her protruding neck bones (slightly) and the choppier, layered style is a lot more relaxed than usual.  This instantly makes her look better, but the best part is the FRINGE!  Even though you can only see her face from the side it softens up her features so much, and is a lovely change from her normal poker straight 100% perfect styles.  Smokey eye works perfectly with the ‘do and I even love the nail varnish contrast between her hands and the Rochas corset she is wearing.

This is honestly one of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen of VB and I can’t wait to see the rest!  She’s only really just had Harper so it’s a bit worrying that she’s lost all the baby weight this quickly – I suspect the reason I like this picture so much is also because you can’t see as easily just how scarily thin she is...  Keep it up Vicks, you look stunning!

The Age Old Workwear Debate...

Today I am going to raise the age old question a lot of you have spent most of your time pondering (i’m sure).  Are trainers acceptable with work attire if you are on your commute to/from work?  I think this is a horrific crime against fashion and I am going to list the reasons why below – i’m sure you are all on the edge of your seats, so try and contain yourselves...

1.   Trainers do not go with trousers at all – Trousers and trainers are not acceptable.  If you REALLY HAVE TO wear trainers with something other than sportswear, then drainpipe trousers are the only acceptable leg coverers, and this is only in a matter of life or death.  Even this is bad though, for the following 2 reasons:  1.  There will never be a life or death situation that would require you to wear trousers and trainers 2. If you own a pair of drainpipe trousers then you sound like you might be on the ball a bit with fashion, so you will already know that trainers and trousers are not a good look.

2.   Trainers are definitely not to be worn with a skirt and tights EVER.  No one wears trainers and skirts and just because you are going to work doesn’t mean that you are allowed to.  Trainers with a skirt make your legs and feet resemble golf clubs and this is never a good look for any woman.

3.   Wearing trainers with your work outfit totally ruins the whole ‘sexy secretary look’ that men find so attractive.  I would lay my life on the fact there has never been a man who has fantasised about being naughty in their office with their secretary, and when they look down at their feet they have a pair of Air Force Ones on (I know those trainers are so 2002 but I have no idea about brands of trainers today as I point blank don’t wear them – EVER).  Don’t worry, there have been times where I have been on the train and I look like I have literally been pulled out of a swamp after a fight with a crocodile so it’s not as if I embrace the SS look every day, but you can at least give men this illusion, fake it a bit!  I don’t wear heels to work as I have a hard enough time trying to walk in them at the weekend let alone stumbling around the office trying to print out some files for my boss.  Flat shoes are fine with skirts and can make you look dainty and ballerina like – trainers make you look like an idiot.

4.  There is literally no reason why trainers and workwear on the tube is a requirement.  Going to the gym?  Put your trainers in your bag and put them on once you are there.  Find heels uncomfortable walking to the station in?  Get a pair of cute flats then.  Planning on running to the station?  Don’t.  Can’t get shoes comfortable enough that aren’t trainers?  Go to your doctor.  I cannot think of any reason why anyone would want to wear trainers on the train.

This whole discussion came around this morning while I was on the train with my friend Jamie.  A woman was standing next to us, dressed in a smart suit with a pencil skirt, tights, and then these massive black trainers on her feet.  I cannot work out why this would ever be the sort of thing someone would think to put on their feet when they are getting ready for work?  Anyway, Jamie works in Fashion and I have noticed of late that he takes notice of what women wear anyway, but he looked down, looked at me and then said “look at her feet, I HATE THAT”.  You might think men don’t notice, but they do.  I also know that you might be reading this post and think “I don’t care what men think, I dress for myself in what I like and what I am comfortable in” – That is absolutely fair enough and I congratulate you for being your own person, BUT if you have any sort of interest in your appearance whatsoever then you would not wear trainers with workwear.

I am not vain or massively concerned with my appearance.  I don’t dress for friends, boys or anyone other than me.  I wear what I like and if someone else doesn’t like it it doesn’t matter – they aren’t wearing it.  That being said, I do like to look nice and I don’t want people looking at me and wondering what sort of injury I suffered that would make me want to dress the way I have.  I am all for pushing the boundaries of fashion and trying new things, being creative – however this is not pushing the boundaries, being creative or just trying to be comfortable.  This is just lazy fashion and I wish all women would care about their appearance EVERYWHERE they go.  I am not saying you have to be dolled up to go to the shops, or have a full face of make up to go and get petrol.  Just try and look nice all the time, opportunities come along no matter where you are, relationiships get formed all the time when you least expect it.  You don’t want to be the woman they remember for having the criminal trainers on.  I could understand if there was a point to it, same as I don’t bat an eyelid if a girl is wearing heels or flats, if someone is in full sports gear on the train or if someone is wearing a huge b*stard rain mac (if it’s actually raining out).  As I stated before, I just cannot think of a legitimate reason of why you would want to wear trainers on the train;  If you have bothered to make the effort and get up, do your hair, put on make up and a nice suit then just spend the extra 10 seconds slipping on a pair of flat shoes and leave the trainers at home! 

I enquired on Twitter as to what people thought about trainers and workwear, and got a few responses.  Jess (@styladelica) said that she has a 20 minute walk to/from work so there is no way she would wear heels, hence she wears trainers.  I totally understand, yet I asked her why she didn’t just wear flat shoes?  I get that they might not be as comfortable as trainers, but they aren’t uncomfortable – they are flat?  As of yet, no response.

Anyway, I don’t want to cause offence to anyone.  If you do wear trainers to work that’s your prerogative and none of my business.  If you think I am talking out of my ass and want to set me straight then please feel free to comment on here and let me know why.

***Please bear in mind that throughout the duration of me writing this blog post, in my head I have been imagining a pair of black trainers.  If you wear OR endorse the possibility of WHITE trainers with work wear, then please answer the following questions:  1.  Have you had an accident at work recently?  2.  Have you been hit on the head?  3.  Have you suffered a minor stroke?  4.  Are you drunk?  If your answers to any of these questions is yes, then please feel free to either email me and I will try to help you, or contact your local doctor.***

UPDATE!!  My friend Jo has just read this blog post and has labelled these people #sneakerbastards - brilliant.



Is this you?

2012 Golden Globes - The Best and the Worst

So it’s the start of the awards season and it was kicked off last night by the return of the Golden Globes.  As much as I despise Monday mornings (especially ones as cold and unbearable as this one) I jumped out of bed eager to get into work* and see what everyone was wearing this year.  (* I didn’t, clearly)

I got into work and scoured all the fashion websites, looking through all the best and worst dressed articles and I have to say I’m not exactly complying with the fashion etiquette this year.  There are a few dresses that people think are amazing that I thought were horrific.  I like that there were quite a few people bucking the trend and going for weird and wonderful outfits, better than the bog standard embellished full length black/red dresses that have been overdone on the red carpet of late.

Sorry i’m being such a total girl about this, but I love the awards ceremonies just for the fashion, so now I am going to do my best dressed and my worst dressed lists – just indulge me J

Best Dressed

1^st Place – Mila Kunis

Mila wins my best dressed of the night award in her full length black Dior number.  Golden girl Mila didn’t really need much help to look beautiful as she is stunning anyway, and I know I just said I didn’t approve of the boring full length black dress but within minutes of me looking at the news reports Mila made me eat my own words.  I love the layering of the skirt, I love the nude/black mesh detailing of the top and the one strap is perfect for her, accentuating her neck without leaving her looking broad shouldered.  The jewellery is a bit blingy but still relatively understated (I think it was a good move not wearing any bracelets) and best of all, this dress shows off her skin to perfection – look at it!  She has a perfect complexion, not a bruise/freckle/spot in sight.  It’s not often I get skin envy but Mila has done it to me - Absolutely beautiful.

2^nd Place – Angelina Jolie

Angelina is the epitome of old school Hollywood glamour in this dress.  Never one to be too ‘revealing’, she manages to dress perfectly for her age as well as look absolutely stunning.  This oyster and deep red Atelier Versace dress is beautiful anyway, but when matched with Angelina’s incredible bone structure and matching scarlett lipstick and clutch, the whole outfit comes together perfectly.  Amazing that with her naturally pale skin tone the colour doesn’t make her look washed out, instead it gives her skin an incredibly dewy glow -  even the questionable tattoos don’t ruin this dress!

3^rd Place – Jessica Biel

Another fantastic outfit for me was the beautiful Ellie Saab gown worn by Jessica Biel.  I have never really been a fan of Jessica’s before (having never seen her look remarkable in an outfit) but the minute I saw her in this dress I did a complete u turn.  The dress is a bit ‘bridal’, but considering the rumours surrounding her and long time beau Justin Timberlake making it official and getting engaged this week, you can forgive her for that.  The lace and pearl detailing on the dress is very elegant and the dress obviously looks vintage because of this.  I love the scallop hem on the split in the skirt and the split shows just enough leg without it being too ‘gash revealing’.  The colour of her hair against the dress is perfect, any darker and it would be too brash, any lighter and could easily look to wishy washy.  Although this dress is beautiful from any angle, the back is the best part.  With a deep cut exposing most of her back the chain draped around the edge is a beautiful touch and look so elegant – it’s just a shame that you can see her knickers through the dress, but we’ll pretend we haven’t seen that bit...

Worst Dressed

1^st Place – Sarah Michelle Gellar

Unfortunately, Sarah gets the gong for the worst dressed of the whole evening.  It’s a shame, as when dressed right she is lovely, but there was so much wrong with this whole look.  First up, the tie dye dress – this was never going to be acceptable anywhere, let alone on the red carpet when everyone else is dressed so amazingly.  Next, the dress absolutely swamps her.  You can see from her shoulders that she has a small frame, yet the bottom of the dress looks like it could fit about 5 other people in it.  I am all for epically puffy dresses in the right situation, but teamed with the pattern this dress is just far too fussy.  Team this outfit with the Croydon facelift ponytail and the whole look is just wrong.  It’s a shame as well, as I don’t really mind Sarah, but there is just no denying this dress is awful.

2^nd Place – Natalie Portman

This is another unfortunate one.  It’s a shame, because I do like Natalie Portman and there have been some pictures of her on the red carpet that I have totally raved over, but this year was just a big fashion miss.  I don’t like the mix of the red and pink on this Lanvin dress, the top of it looks too big for her and the bit that sticks out on the side just brings nothing to the dress.  It’s not horrific but it doesn’t do her any favours.  The pink also clashes horribly with the red carpet, her hair just looks tied back like she’s popping to the shops, and from what I can see of those shoes, they don’t look too great either.  This picture makes me sad L

3^rd Place – Kate Winslet

This is the one that hurts the most.  I have LOVED Kate Winslet ever since I saw her gob in Cal’s face in Titanic.  She normally does awards ceremonies so well, as she should because she normally picks up one or two.  This outfit is just awful though.  It’s one step away from being appropriate for a frumpy 50 year old womans work attire (imagine the white skirt was trousters) and that is not her normal look at all.  The sleeves on the top are totally 1996, the top look too small for her.  The dress looks like it’s straining over her curves at the front, and it’s just plain and boring.  Love the hair, but unfortunately even that can’t save this outfit L

There weren't TOO many horrific outfits on display last night, so the majority of the celebs did well.  What outfits did you love/loathe?  I'd love to hear your thoughts on the fashion last night, but for now i'll leave you with some other outfits I loved... enjoy!

Claire Danes looking super slim in J.Mendel



Helen Mirren looked stunning in dark blue Badgley Mischa gown

Props to Reese Witherspoon just for the beautiful hair and
super sunkissed tan... The Zac Posen dress isn't bad either!

Dianna Aragon looked absolutely beautiful
in this Giles dress



Evan Rachel in peacock printed Gucci



Havva Mustafa Luxury Footwear

Oh I love starting the day with a sneak preview of some beautiful shoes!

Havva Mustafa Shoes is a luxury footwear brand, run by the talented and highly skilled artisan Havva Mustafa.  Specialising in beautiful handmade Italian leather pumps, sandals, heels and winter boots, intricate designs and stand out styles single the brand out from others.  I’ve attached some beautiful pictures below of some of the styles from previous collections, and I was lucky enough for Havva to send me through some sneak peaks of the Spring/Summer collection.  The shoes are absolutely beautiful, and you can see the effort that has gone into creating them.  The accompanying drawings are works of art on their own!

The Autumn Winter collection focused on heels and winter boots, and the Spring/Summer collection is focusing more on sandals (obviously) and summer shoes.  The boots are just as amazing, perfect for splashing around in puddles like your in a Dior advert!

I've just placed an order for a pair of the beautiful glittery pumps in this up-coming collection, and they will be available from mid-feb.  As soon as I receive a press pack for the Spring/Summer collection i’ll blog it, but for now have a look at the best of the previous collection and look at my lovely new pumps that will be winging their way to me shortly:

You can check out Havva’s website HERE, and Havva’s styles are also sold in Wolf and Badger in Notting Hill – check their website out HERE.

xx

Motel Christmas Collection

Motel held an event a few weeks ago in London to give a glimpse of their new Christmas campaign and collection to all fashion bloggers.  I couldn’t attend the event as I went to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers (i’m sure if you follow me on twitter you already knew about that) but I got sent some info afterwards from the super helpful Selina at Motel (thank you!).

I've seen a few blog posts regarding this evening already and it looks like everyone had a lovely time!  The main reason this was held was to give the bloggers a sneak preview of the collection that will be in shops very soon.  I’ve had a look through all the pictures, and they have some lovely pieces this year.  I am looking for something a bit special for Christmas Eve this year as i’m out with the girls and we all like to make a special effort for Christmas.  Motel probably have most of the dresses I am lusting after lately, so I was really pleased to be sent all this info even though I missed the event J

First up the Christmas campaign.  As you can see from the pictures it fits the bill perfectly.  Lots of glittery dresses, red frocks and colour clashing shoes.  I like this advertising campaign as it brings the feel that these girls are celebrating Christmas in some old country house hotel, all running around going mental ala Skins Series 1 - that is right up my street and pretty much how I act with the girls at Christmas!  As much as the advertising campaign doesn’t exactly showcase the clothes to their full potential, it does the job:  Makes you want to look at the clothes in more detail, and gets you thinking about Christmas, and the all important Christmas Outfits.  (Sorry boys, it’s a girl thing). 

So next up, the actual collection.  At first glance there are lots of dresses, all similar in shape.  I noticed that they have a lot of the same style of dress in the same 3 prints too.  Not a bad thing if you like the print and what some different options, but it's not the most diverse range i've ever seen.  Motel has stuck to the standard Christmas colours pretty well; black, red, royal blue and bronze.  One thing that was nice to see was the amount of print in the collection - most designers think you can whack a few sequins on a bog standard dress and that instantly makes it a Christmas staple.  I’m pleased that they’ve included nice going out tops and trousers – a lot of brands fall into the trap of focusing solely on the Christmas Party Dress, but sometimes you do want to wear something different to everyone else.  Sometimes the LBD just doesn’t cut it.

Here is my pick of my favourite parts of this collection.  God help my debit card come payday!



I ADORE this outfit, perfect understated glamour!

Perfect for the party season, accessorize with a big fur coat to keep warm!

Slightly more classy than the normal Christmas Party attire, think of the
silhouette this outfit would give you!

Staple LBD



Sequins, obviously!



Loving this skirt, it's absolutely beautiful!

What do you think of the collection?  Are there any pieces you love, or bits you don't like?  You can view the full collection here, let me know if you'll be buying anything for your Christmas outfit this year :)

UK Fashion Bible Competition Entry - Vote for me!

I'm not sure if you'll remember, but I posted a while ago about entering a competition to be able to blog for UK Fashion Bible in December (my blog entry is here).

The competiton has now gone live on Facebook, and for me to be in with a chance of winning I need to get the most 'likes' on my entry on Facebook.  I am only competing against 3 other entrants and this would really be a great opportunity for me to establish my blog a bit more and get a bit of experience.

If you could all take the time to vote for me I would really appreciate it.  I know I have been banging on a bit on Twitter lately about competitions and wanting you guys to read this and click that and vote for me, so I would really appreciate it if you took the time to do it with this one.  Writing is something I am very passionate about and the prize for this would be very beneficial for me.

Thanks again, if you want to help the link to click is here:  UK Fashion Bible

If you scroll down a bit you will see a post about the competition and then 4 blog links below.  Mine is the 3rd link.

Thank you all for your help, I am really hoping I will win this one.  No more competition help after this I promise :)

xx

BNTML Products

So as stated before, I have moved the products I am featuring from Britain and Irelands Next Top Model Live into a new post, otherwise it would have been too long and massively picture heavy!

NYX

Now I don't know about you, but part of the reason I love anything to do with beauty products is because I am a sucker for little pots of brightly coloured powder, bright eyeshadows, palletes filled with different colours - perhaps this is the reason I buy so many nail varnishes!  Anyway, for me to get my multi coloured make up fix I only had to head to 1 stall at BNTML and that was NYX - based right by the entrance they made sure you saw them, and look at the range!  The palletes were amazing and I could have stood there for hours just looking at all the different products.  I've never tried any NYX make up before, and didn't buy anything on this day - has anyone else tried and can let me know what it's like?

Hair Feathers

Not going to lie, this stuff isn't really up my street for every day wear but this would be amazing for anyone planning on heading to Zoo Project in Ibiza next Summer!  They are basically clip in hair feathers in all different colours, and they do add something extra to your hair.  You can get short ones obviously for people with short hair, and standard size ones for people with long hair.  I like the look but can't really see me busting these out down Loughton High Road!

Intercandle Gifts and ZeniKa Jewellery

I liked this stall as it sold lots of random little products.  It had the odd piece of jewellery on there (check out the massive animal print rings) but it also sold candles and little trinkets.  The cupcakes in the pot were actually lip glosses!  I like girly things like that and it was refreshing that this stall wasn't focused solely on every day make up, but little stocking fillers and gifts suitable for anyone really!

Colour Couture

CC had probably the biggest stand in the whole event.  They had SO many products but it was a bit off putting that they didn't really have many people working behind the counter to help you - not sure where they all were.  I was intending to go back and buy a pallete after the fashion show but didn't get round to it as there was so many other stalls I wanted to buy from instead!  Goes to show that even if you have the biggest, most impressive stand, doesn't make you the best!

The palletes seemed to be very similar to the Front Cover ones.  I have used Front Cover before and really liked it, but considering they seemed the same and FC were cheaper I didn't immediately snap one of these palletes up - They had a good range of colours for all sorts of make up looks (mainly focused on eyeshadows) so it's definitely worth checking these out if you see them in the shops!

Junk Jewels

Without a doubt this was my most favourite stand of the whole day.  Junk Jewels did themselves proud with the stand they had, and the girls behind the counter helping were so friendly!  They specialise in charm necklaces and bracelets but sell ready made items too, just check out the pictures!  They had oodles and oodles of the most beautiful charms that you could pick yourself, in these funky little vintage boxes and crates.

Fair enough the bracelets are a bit flimsy, but for my bracelet and 3 charms it was £8 - you can't really say fairer than that, and it's lovely!  Even though the bracelet is new it has a vintage vibe to it, and I loved the 3 charms I picked!  I got a red heart, an anchor and a peace sign, and they all look beautiful on the bracelet :)

Cutie Pie

This stall was selling jewellery by the bucketload!  My friend Charlie nearly passed out when she saw the sheer amount of jewellery all over the table!  Again I liked the kookiness of this stall and the items they sold.  They had a nice mix of dainty little pieces (check out the collection of deer rings in the front!) and costume jewellery, and as you can see from the labels it was all reasonably priced!

Lotty Dotty

Last but not least we saw this stall on our way out.  It's a really cool idea, basically they have a range of t shirts with a character on the front, and you pick a character you like (or one that looks the most like you!) then you can buy a range of outfits for it and you can stick them on and take them off as you wish.  The girl on the front of your t shirt can get changed as often as you do if you have enough outfits (although hopefully you won't be wearing this t shirt every day!)  Cool idea and it ensures that you won't be wearing the same t shirt as anyone else at least!