Sparkly Rawhide!

The Ashish Spring Summer 2011 show was like stepping into the most exciting western film know to mankind, imagine a wild west that has been dressed by drag queens with a serious addiction to all things glitter and you will begin to touch on the 'Rodeo Drive' collection.

The collection was a feast for the eyes and what else would we expect from the king of glitter!  There wasn't an element of the wild west missing.  The shirts were sequined ginghams or polka dots, the denims, distressed and fringed with chains, tracksuits were printed with paisley and  the headdresses inspired by native american indians were truckers caps adorned with feathers! 

The looks that really stood out for me where the red carpet worthy and with the throng of pop stars, Paloma Faith, Diana Vickers, Pixie Lott to name a few.. on the front row, I am certain we will be seeing them very soon and I vote the short Red Indian style for Diana, The cowgirl for Paloma and The fringed top for Pixie!

Jasper's sugar rush

Yesterday evening I attended Jasper Garvida's Spring Summer 2011 show 'Belle' and it was a veritable feast of candy colours and sparkles that left me craving a visit to my favourite childhood sweet shop.  Models had white and pink candyfloss hair bejewelled with the exquisite Louis Mariette creations, and the candy theme seemed to run right through the collection, with bubblegum pink dresses, Parma violet shorts and shirts, Molten chocolate jackets and trousers all the way to a golden coin top which was SO covetable and fashion shoot worthy!

The fab candy floss hair by Toni & Guy:

One of the fab head pieces by Louis Mariette which were truly exquisite!

The shoes by Upper Street London and Jasper: skyscraper gladiators, with candy colours, studs and snakeskin, toughened up the ultra feminine collection.  I felt sometimes that the pairings of shoes to outfits was a little off.  Personally I would have like to see a more solid heal with the gladiator detail on the shoe.

I always expect to see fabulous embellishment on Jasper's garments and the sequin jackets and trousers are fabulously extravagant and I thought the jacket was really wearable.

The dresses where bubblegum not only in colour but also in shape with really girly silhouettes of full skirts and frothy layering of materials.

Saying that there were 2 real gems amidst the collection that had a less girly and more sexy vibe.  The first was this fab printed halter dress with cream spaghetti strap panel at the sides.  It had that playful summer dress vibe.  Then there was a gorgeous print dress (which had a real Ellie Saab feel to the print) The pleated skirt kept it in the playful candy feel but it marked the switch in the collection to a more sophisticated feel.

The more sophisticated feel introduced the darker pallet of chocolates, golds and purples and this fab skirt suit really stood out with its sexy silhouette and fab collar.



The collection was really enjoyable to watch and there were some real stand out garments in the collection.  Specifically this fab top which with the candy feel to the show made me think of golden chocolate coins.  But I also felt it was such a Jasper top!

This image is by Gorgeoux.

Thanks to the gang at Forever Better and Miele for the invite. x

Ode to Amy

Recently my lovely friend Amy asked my thoughts on Winter coats and which ones had caught my eye..  So this little post is just that!

I love Winter and I am a girl who gets excited about packing away my summer clothes and bringing out all my lovely autumn winter favourites!  In fact, I did just that yesterday evening and the joy was all most too much to handle.

I am of the opinion that a winter coat is a big investment and that it should last you more than 1 winter.  I currently have a 'Happy Loves It' coat and I still think it works as it is a classic shape and looks just as good as the day I bought it!  But if I were investing again this year, which trust me I am tempted too every time I go shopping.  I would be opting for a classic shape that will look and feel great, but will stand the test of time.

This Reiss coat £325 fits the bill perfectly, it is flattering to the body, has just enough detail to not look boring, a high neck which is great for keeping the bad weather off your face and would look great with a coloured or camel coloured belt popped around the waist to add a little more excitement!

For something a little more unusual, I would opt for a Cape and this one from Warehouse is fab.  I might change the buttons to add a bit of interest and wear some long coloured gloves to finish the look but  at £75 it is a great addition to the winter wardrobe.

Another trend that is massive this season is Camel, so camel coloured coats and jackets are everywhere and most are trench or jacket shapes.  Personally I would opt for this snugly looking Batwing number £110 from Topshop.  It looks warm and stylish at the same time with a nod towards the Madmen trend.  I am predicting a very cold winter so this would be my coat of choice for extreme British weather.

Then we have the I wish I could afford this jacket, its £1800 from Jaeger and I Love Love Love it, why?  Well it has shearling on it, another massive trend for this season but it has it in a Luxury, more ME way than the flying jackets do!  I can just imagine popping on a fabulous dress, killer shoes and then slinking into this jacket to finish the look!

So I am off to play the lotto to see if I can win enough to buy my Jaeger coat!  Fingers crossed everyone. x

Manchester Makeover

Just a quick up date of how the tour is going...

Yesterday in Manchester was makeover day and the lovely Jane and Anna, got the works!  They were styled by me in Tk Maxx work wear, then taken to Trevor Sorbie to have their hair re-styled and make-up done by Bobbi Brown and then a great photo shoot to follow.

This is Anna before her makeover:

This is Jane before her makeover:

Anna having her hair done..

Jane's drastic hair transformation

The girls looking fab in their new workwear...

The TK Maxx Tour...

It has begun... the TK Maxx Smart wear pop-up shop is on its way around the UK and so am I as there stylist on call to help shoppers understand their body shapes and find them some great smart wear looks.
First stop on the tour was Canary Wharf and shoppers bagged lots of great bargains!  From Designer suits and dresses to hosiery to umbrellas.

This is a picture of the fab red bus and pop up shop that will be in Bristol on Wednesday so if you are in the area pop buy for some style tips..

The lovely work wear mannequins that were stripped naked by the end of the day..  the dress was £49.99 reduced from £110 and the suit was sold for £116 reduced from £299.00.

As I will be all over the UK this week I will not be able to blog, but I will be keeping you up to date via Twitter with how the tour is going and pictures of some great makeovers.  x

Bank Holiday Blues..

My Blues derive, not from the fact that the bank holiday weekend was bad, but the fact that it ended and it was possibly the best and most relaxing weekend ever!

But now it is back to business and the domestic bliss of the weekend is already a thing of the past!  The cupcakes I baked have been eaten, the tidy house is now messy, the full fridge is empty and I need another weekend.

Having said all of that there are 3 things still strong in my mind, and my wardrobe to remind me of the fabulous long weekend.  Yes you guessed correctly...  I went shopping.

This is the fab Topshop dress £50.00 and worth it as I have already worn it 3 times!

This is the Paula Dress from Whistles £125.00 and feels really retro!  I love it!

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of purchase number 3, my Paige jeans, as they are being altered...  What... I have very short legs.