29.04.2011- Weekend Wishes

This week's Weekend Wishes is a special royal edition! So, in a bit of a departure from the norm, this weekend, I'd like to wish the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge congratulations on their marriage and best wishes for the future. The ceremony was wonderful, Kate looked stunning (such a beautiful dress!) and it was so lovely to see the whole country enjoying the day. However you watched events unfold I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Did you watch the Royal Wedding? What did you think?

(Image credit: BBC. Photo edited using Picnik.)

29.04.2011- Wedding Dress(ed)

The Royal Wedding is upon us! This time tomorrow, Prince William and Kate Middleton will be married and I will probably have eaten twice my body weight in cake, scones and finger sandwiches in celebration of the big day. In a fashion focused celebration of Kate and Wills' nuptials, my lovely best friend Sarah of City Girl's Fashion Box set myself and a host of other bloggers the challenge of coming up with two outfits for the wedding, which we would wear if we had been invited (I still maintain that my invitation got lost in the post!)

Outfit number one is a dream designer look- what we'd wear if money was no object:

Round Frame Sunglasses, Tom Ford £108, Feather and Flower Hairband, Tarina Tarantino $163, Saskia Lace-Trimmed Silk Chiffon Dress, Erdem, £3920, Single Button Blazer, Paul by Paul Smith , £202, Satin Platform Pumps, Miu Miu, £340, Flower- Appliquéd Leather Ballerina Flats, Valentino, £370,  Arty Gold-Plated Glass Ring, Yves Saint Laurent, £120,  Lovebirds Ring, Alex Monroe, £155, Pink Champagne Alexa, Mulberry, £868.

I created this look around this stunning Erdem dress, which I've admired since I first saw it on the catwalk at London Fashion Week last September. As is routine with me, I've included a choice of two pairs of shoes- a high heeled pair of Miu Miu pumps and these gorgeous Valentino flats, as I'm hopeless in heels (and who needs sore feet when they're dancing, right?!) In view of the chill in the air at the moment, I've popped in a lovely blazer and kept the accessories simple with a much-lusted after Mulberry Alexa, some pretty rings, a cute hairband and the obligatory paparazzi-proof sunglasses. I haven't added up the total cost of this outfit, but suffice to say that it's probably a small fortune! Which leads me on to outfit number two....

Fleur's Penna Dress, Nadinoo, £145, Double Corsage Hairband, Debenhams, £9.60, Cream Jewelled Maribou Shrug, Debenhams, £52, Cyphert Bag, Aldo, £36, Powder Rose Ballet Pumps, H&M, £12.99, Spot Lace Glove with Frill, £10, Accessorize, Nude Knot Court Shoes, £33, Dorothy Perkins, Paul & Joe Lipstick, £15, asos.com, Marbled Stone Ring in Rectangle Case, £8.50, Topshop, Enamel Flower Earrings, Urban Outfitters.

On the lower end of the price spectrum, this pretty little lot was selected from the cream of the high street, as well as some online shops. I only discovered Nadinoo last week, and I'm already head-over-heels in love with their beautiful dresses. I love the pattern and cut of this dress, and put together a vintage inspired look around the cinched in waist and classic silhouette which it creates. I would wear this beautifully detailed shrug from Debehams over the dress, along with these elegant gloves from Accessorize, giving the outfit a 1940's flavour. Again, as with my designer picks, two pairs of shoes are essential, so I settled on these heels from Dorothy Perkins, and some cute flats from H&M. Accessories wise, I chose this cream bag from Aldo (which I've been lusting after for ages), corsage hairband from Debenhams and jewellery from high street favourites Topshop and Urban Outfitters. Add in a pop of fuchsia pink Paul & Joe lipstick, and you've got an affordable, vintage inspired outfit which I think is more than fit for a princess. 

I've really enjoyed putting this post together, and would like to say a massive thank you to Sarah for asking me to get involved, and for giving me something lovely to fill the post-dissertation boredom! Check out the picks of the other bloggers here:

Sarah, Emma, Lucy, Michelle, Hannah, Lucy, Hannah and Gem.

Happy Royal Wedding everyone!

(Image credit: polyvore.com and Sarah for creating the banner.)

27.04.2011- My Week with Michelle

My Week with Marylin is one of the films which I'm really looking forward to seeing towards the tail end of the year, and I can't wait to see how Michelle Williams captures the magic of Marylin Monroe on screen. I've loved Michelle since I saw her in Brokeback Mountain, and I've admired her style ever since she wore that stunning Vera Wang gown to the Oscars in 2006. As if to cement her status as an up-and-coming style icon, Michelle is featured on the May cover of Interview magazine, starring in a shoot styled by Karl Templer and photographed by Mikael Jansson:

I love the Rosemary's Baby meets Hitchcock heroine feel of this shoot and Michelle looks beautiful as always. And, it seems, peter-pan collars are here to stay!

What do you think of this shoot? Are you a fan of Michelle? And are you looking forward to seeing My Week With Marylin? I wish they'd hurry up and release a trailer!

(Image credit: fashiongonerogue.)

24.04.2011- Make It Yourself: Royal Wedding Bunting

As you are probably all well aware, this coming Friday is the Royal Wedding. Although opinion on it seems to be divided, I'm really excited (which I put down to the fact that I've never been to any wedding, let alone a royal one!) and my mum and I are planning a little tea party in front of the telly for the day itself. Everywhere you look, whether it's on Regent Street or your local high street, signs of celebration are everywhere. In preparation for Friday and in an uncharacteristic fit of creativity, I decided to make my own bunting, and share with you what I came up with:

Royal Wedding Bunting

You will need:

• String
• Scissors
• Sellotape
• Printed patterns

Step One: Find some lovely floral/pretty/patriotic patterns online, and pop them into Word. Then place the triangle template on the pattern (you should be able to fit two on one page) to make the flags for the bunting. Once you have enough (I made mine with about eight flags), print your patterns off.

Step Two: After printing your templates, carefully cut out each triangle and arrange them in an order you like along a length of string. 

 Step Three: Once you've cut out your triangles and placed them, you can then attach them to the string. I found that the easiest way to do this was using very thinly cut strips of clear tape, which you stick on the top of the triangle, fold over the string and then attach to the back of the paper. 

Step Four: When finished, display your bunting!

So there you have it, a really easy way to get into the spirit of the Royal Wedding without breaking the bank! 

Are you looking forward to the Royal Wedding? How are you going to be spending the day? And are you going to make your own decorations?

(Image credit: Sarah Farrell, please do not reproduce without permission. Images edited using Picnik.)

22.04.2011- (Easter) Weekend Wishes

I hope you're all enjoying the glorious weather which we're being blessed with at the moment! Although the pessimist in me is certain that this will be the extent of 'British Summertime', there is no doubting that it's lovely to see the sunshine. So, with this in mind, my wish for this weekend is to spend it in my garden, à la Karen Elson:

Karen Elson by Bruce Weber for US Vogue March 2011, styled by Camilla Nickerson.

What have you got planned for this long weekend? I hope you all have a lovely Easter!

(Image credit: fashiongonerogue.)

19.04.2011- Savage Beauty

If I lived in New York (a girl can dream, eh?) or was visiting over the next few months, I'd definitely make my way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the much anticipated retrospective of Alexander McQueen's work, entitled Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty runs from May 4th until the end of July. Curated by The Costume Institute, the exhibition features a range of McQueen's work, paying tribute to his unique vision and the unparalleled contribution which he made to the fashion industry. In celebration of the launch, the latest issue of US Vogue showcases some of McQueen's most iconic designs in spread aptly named Alexander the Great. Styled by Grace Coddington and photographed by Steven Meisel, the feature sees some of McQueen's most beautiful and extravagant creations modelled by the likes of Karen Elson and Coco Rocha:

Alexander the Great, US Vogue May 2011 by Steven Meisel.

The stunning lace gown and antlers as modelled by Karen Elson in the first photo from McQueen's Fall 2006 presentation remains one of my favourite pieces ever; I adored it when I first saw it and still love it as much (if not more) today. I suppose it's this aspect of McQueen's vision, that his work feels as if it has been drawn from a long-forgotten history whilst still being groundbreaking, which makes him a perfect subject for an exhibition like this. Fingers crossed it comes to London!

What do you think of the Alexander McQueen exhibition? And do you like US Vogue's take on his work?

(Image credit: fashiongonerogue.)

18.04.2011- California Dreamin'

Anyone who knows me well will tell you that going to a music festival is my idea of hell. Although I'm sure the atmosphere at places like Glastonbury and Reading is fantastic, I've never seen the appeal of being stuck inside a tent without access to hot water, a proper loo or a comfortable bed. As 'old-before-my-time' as it makes me sound, I'd much rather watch festival coverage on TV, sat on the sofa with a mug of tea and a biscuit or two, content in the knowledge that I don't have to worry about my tent flooding or getting trench foot from my waterlogged wellies. However, if I was to be seduced into going to one festival, it would, without a shadow of a doubt, be Coachella. Not only does the festival attract amazing headliners year on year, but it also takes places in California, so perfect weather is guaranteed. Coachella 2011 took place over the weekend, and, as we've come to expect, was as star-studded as ever. Here are my picks of the Coachella crew's festival fashion:

Diane Kruger in a relaxed maxi skirt and sun hat combo.

Kate Bosworth showing her patriotic side.

Isabel Lucas in a hippy inspired outfit.

Alexa Chung in a failsafe dress and summer sandals.

And, as if more proof were needed that sunny Coachella was the place to be over the weekend, Emma Hill hosted a Mulberry pool party, complete with cocktails, kebabs and more well-garbed guests...

Alexa (again!)

Camilla Belle.

Emma Hill and Gia Coppola.

Nicole Richie.

The pool...

...and the food!

If looking at that photo of the pool doesn't make you want to book a one way ticket to next year's festival then I don't know what will!

What do you think of music festivals? Have you ever been to one? And who was your best-dressed at Coachella?

(Image credit: Harper's Bazaar, elleuk.com and Mulberry Blog.)

15.04.2011- Weekend Wishes: Valentino Edition

After seeing these beautiful images from the Red by Valentino campaign over at fashiongonerogue, I couldn't resist posting them in the guise of a Weekend Wish. So, inspired by some Valentino magic, this weekend, I wish I had an excuse (and the funds!) to buy an outfit from this pretty little lot:

Imogen Morris Clarke, Red by Valentino Spring 2011 campaign, shot by Pablo Arroyo.

What do you think of this campaign? And what have you got planned for the weekend?

(Image credit: fashiongonerogue.)

10.04.2010- Sunny Afternoon

Wow, long time no blog, I'm sorry! Real life (aka a mountain of Uni work) has caught up with me a little recently, and I've had a rather busy week. On Wednesday, my mum and I made a spontaneous trip to London Zoo, in view of how gorgeous the weather was. We had a lovely time, and I managed to take some amazing photos which I'll hopefully post quite soon. Then, on Thursday, my best friend Sarah and I were invited along to the h.prlondon press day in Piccadilly. It seemed very strange to be looking at samples of Autumn/Winter 2011 collections when it was swelteringly hot outside, but some of the pieces, from designers including Paul & Joe, tba and Nougat were just beautiful.

Beautiful printed dress from Nougat.

Lovely nightwear from a brand I forgot to note down (doh!)

Flowery knickers by Ell and Cee Bride, launching soon!

Jumpsuit by Ell and Cee.

Scalloped-edge top, Borne by Elise Berger.

Paul & Joe!

Paul & Joe's collection for next season encapsulated a very 70's feel, I especially loved the prints.

tba's offering for A/W11 featured more trademark peter pan collars.

The collection also featured monochrome touches...

...and cute bow detailing.

My standout piece from tba was this beautiful powder blue dress with collar and pocket detail.

A stunning lace dress by Nicole Murray.

Jacey Withers' quirky jewellery collection...

...this owl necklace was another one of my favourites.

Cake pops!

Then, in need of sustenance after being immersed in next season's fashion, we headed over to Bea's of Bloomsbury in Holborn for a spot of late afternoon tea:

All in all, a lovely day!

Are you impressed by what you've seen for A/W11 so far? And what have you been getting up to in the sunshine?

(Image credit: Sarah Farrell, please do not reproduce without permission.)