OOTD: BACK TO BLACK

Hello!

I couldn't post last week as I've been revising for tests and exams, but these are mostly over now. So, today I thought I'd do an Ootd. I didn't actually wear this today as it was way too hot to go all black, however the purpose of this post is to show my new shoes, and what I wore them with. Also, I wore this outfit to JPG showroom and London trip.

You may notice a reoccurring theme of things being from Topshop, but then again most my wardrobe is Topshop so expect it in any Ootd post!

The Outfit:

Top: Topshop £28

Top: I wore a Peplum top as I find these style tops are very flattering as they're tight at the top, but flare out at the bottom making your figure look nice and slender. Also, my peplum top is very plain, and basic, which means I can pair it with patterned pieces, or basic pieces like I did today so I could go over-board on accessories.

Trousers: Topshop £38

Trousers: Sticking with the black theme, I wore black skinny jeans to match the top and shoes. I expected this to look too dull with black trousers as well as a top, however these made the outfit more classy in comparison to wearing standard blue jeans. Like I said, I wore all black to make accessories the key feature of the outfit, however white jeans would also keep the classy look, but add in more of a monochrome look than basic.

Shoes: Topshop £45 / Socks: Topshop £3.50

 Shoes: I styled the whole outfit around these shoes as I had recently purchased them, and wanted to find outfits to make them seem less extreme and more of an everyday shoe. Adding these into the outfit is what made the outfit change from standard to classy, but with the thick, cleated heels this also made the shoes appropriate for everyday wear. As the shoes and trousers were black, I wanted something of a different colour to show a solid difference between the shoes and trousers, so opted for black & white checkered socks. The black in the socks still works with the black theme, however the white brightens it up a little and helps prevent dullness.

Necklace: H&M $8.99 / Scrunchie: American Apparel £6 / Bracelet: Thomas Sabo £137 / Clutch: Next £24 / Earrings: Topshop £5.50

Accessories: For necklaces I chose this lace replicating necklace as it's quite big and eye-catching, but also works with the outfit adding some shine, as well as my earrings which were medium sized gold hoops. The hoops were a plain gold ring which kept the outfit sophisticated, and weren't worn in a way they would look chavvy. The scrunchie added a bit of colour as it's a soft lilac which also brightened up the outfit, as well as my Thomas Sabo bracelet which I wear with anything regardless as to whether it goes or not.

Lastly, I went for a black clutch which was partially leather, and partially suede which made the clutch less boring, and added texture to the outfit as a whole.

If you're looking for some everyday heels I recommend these shoes from Topshop, or platformed heels in general as they're extremely comfortable, look good, but also don't feel as if you're walking high above the ground, or look too over the top.

A DAY OUT IN LONDON: AFTERNOON TEA AND JEAN PAUL GAULTIER VIEWING

Hello!

Yesterday I went out to London with my; Step-mother, Stepsister, Aunty, and friend Jennifer. We first met and did some brief shopping and nosing around, then went for a unique style afternoon tea, and after that we had tickets to go to a Jean Paul Gaultier fashion showing room! The day was so lovely, and a very memorable trip.

When we arrived in London we first went to Oxford Street and had a nose around a few shops. I wanted to check out AA because I love everything in there, and thankfully came out with 2 scrunchies for my hair which is what I wanted. They're both velvet, but one is black, and the other a pale lilac/pink. I love them soo much, but they did however cost £6 each!

After a mooch around we went out for our Afternoon Tea at a place called "BRGR" in London Soho. This afternoon tea wasn't your traditional tea & scones tea, it was almost like an American Diner style afternoon tea, however the food was served in small portions and all on one dinner tray:

 We got our food placed on a very 60's style tray with checkered grease paper which adds to the theme of American Diner, and it's the small touches like that which make a place so special. Anyway, for mains there was a small portion of fries, and a selection 3 burgers; one was Lobster, one was Chicken, and one Beef-these were all so lovely, but the Lobster was my favourite as it was the most refreshing. For dessert there was a mini brownie, doughnut (which we can't see), cheesecake with a raspberry coulis on top, and a vanilla milkshake. I loved all the desserts, but they were incredibly filling even though the meal was only small!

After lunch we then went on to the Jean Paul Gaultier show room, which was phenomenal. I was so thankful to have the opportunity to look at some of his pieces up close, and really take in all the detail and effort.

JPG is a French Haute Couture and Pret-A-Porter fashion designer, he not only does garments, but also fragrances which are famous for being in the shape of a body.

Walking into his showroom was amazing, the first thing we saw was this:

Which explained everything about the World of JPG, his background, and about what the exhibition will contain which was useful to know, however I didn't read it all, I mostly scanned it.

As you walk in there were multiple rooms showcasing his different collections, the first collection was this one:

I'm unsure as to what this collection was called, but it contained religious, Egyptian style designs? The dress at the front has a blue panel which contained a photo of what I think was a lady holding a baby/cherub, but I'm not 100% sure because I cannot remember everything as there was so much to take in!

We then carried on into the main, biggest room containing  all these collections (as well as a few more):

In this room there were collections such as a;
Denim style:

JPG modified everyday clothing into denim clothes, and made everything more extravagant and unique then they would be in shops.

Camouflage/Army style:

As you can see, the first dress was worn by Sarah Jessica Parker at the MTV awards, it was mind-blowing to think that I was that close to an original JPG dress worn by such an iconic person.

High-Tech/Punk range:

I found the High-Tech dress so interesting, and especially unique considering it was made from recyclable and old materials, yet he made the outfit still look wearable and designer!

We then carried on walking around the show rooms, and we came across a lot of individual framed pictures of: celebrities oil painted, designs, and his clothes being modeled.

The photo on the far left in the middle is my favourite photo ever. I love the way the model angles her body to look so irregular and abnormal, especially in a simple black dress outlining all the curves, and positioning of her body.

As we carried on more, and more beautiful, and wacky collections were in sight, including this one:

 In the photo on the right, the things above the model's head is their hair. I couldn't believe that their hair was used to create such weird sculptures and shapes! The piece on the left is a boudoir style outfit which looks like something Dita Vonteese would wear with the very revealing, lace body.

 Tribute To Africa Collection:

 I personally wouldn't wear the wedding gown for my wedding-it's a tad non-traditional, however it definitely stands out in the unique side. Just by first glance you can see how much detail and effort has been put in to the gown, and it certainly looks 140 hours worth of work with all the layers on the skirt, and bead/chains on the top to fit and make a bodess. The face-mask dress is incredibly creepy, but also very creative as well! It looks like a face that would be on a totem pole in a tribe, which may be where some inspiration came from.

Random Pieces:

One of my most favourite pieces of the show was the leopard style dress. The leopard is made out of extremely tiny beads all hand-sewn on to form the illusion that a fabric was used to make it. In photo's the dress doesn't look so impressive, but in person it's breath-taking at the amount of tiny detail put in to the dress which would take someone years to do! The first outfit looks quite zombie-like and almost as if a dress has been shredded to pieces, and the last is a very vamped up army style 2 piece, and makes army clothing look fashionable.

 In one room there was a theater bit that you could watch some JPG runway shows, and as the chairs were so stylish, and designer I couldn't not have my photo taken in one. 

When you leave the show there's a bit outside that Jean Paul Gaultier himself has signed, and also left 'The Frog!' written as he is known as the 'French Frog' because he's French, and French people are known for eating frog legs.

Details:

These are from a pirate style dress, and you can see how many tiny, individual beads are sewn on, and how every inch of the dress is covered in minor details to make the piece a one-off thing that couldn't be re-creacted by anyone.

I admire JPG and all his pieces for being so innovative, and something that only someone with a very creative, and special mind could create.

SPRING TRENDS

Hello!

 I've noticed quite a few trends approaching this Spring season, and I am loving them all. These are a few things I have noticed coming into trend, and are being worn a lot by the public.

Trend No.1:

When people hear the words 'Hoop Earrings' they mostly think of chav, tacky, or over the top. However, after seeing a lot of people who aren't chavvy, or tacky wearing hoop earrings this immediately struck me that hoop earrings are a new trend. I recently purchased some myself, and I'm loving them a lot. The simplicity of a simple gold circle looks so beautiful with any outfit-whether that be plain, or extravagant, a hoop earring goes with anything.

 

 Nicole Scherzinger pulls off the classic hoop earring very well at the IHeartRadio Music Festival with her dazzling sequined blazer, and white top. Like I said, hoop earrings can be worn with anything because of how simple they are, but add an elegant touch when paired with the right clothing.

I'm unsure as to how these became more popular, but I've seen many shops stocking them as a staple rather then a general on-sale item which shows how popular these are gradually becoming.







Trend No.2:

Every year pastels make an appearance, whether they appear in; clothing, accessories, shoes, or make-up, they're everywhere! Pastels are usually worn all year round, but make a debut during Spring time as that's when the weather starts to get not only brighter, but warmer too, so more subtle colours are needed to match the blossoming of flowers rather then deep colours attracting the heat rays, and being too bold for such sights.

Pastels are being worn in recent runway shows so it's definitely making a big appearance once again, but I feel this year it's going to be bigger than ever.

I love how pastels are so simple and easy to pull off, and also flatter everyone due to the amount of varieties pastel clothing is styled in. Also, you can pick your-most flattering style, and wear it with whatever silhouette flatters you.





Trend No.3:

Another accessory that's coming into season are 'Scrunchies.' Scrunchies were first worn in the 1980's to the mid 1990's, and after 24 years they've made an appearance into fashion once again. I used to wear scrunchies when I was in Lower School as it came with my uniform, but I never thought that at the age of 15 I'd be wearing one again as a fashion statement-rather then a utensil to tie my hair up with.

American Apparel were one of the shops that re-introduced scrunchies, then Topshop started selling them, and from there on they became back as a trend.

Not only do they look extremely cute and edgy, but they also don't feel uncomfortable and don't pull on the hair strands tightly because of the fabric layer outside the elastic.

Scrunchies are sold in so

many different colours and varieties that they can be worn with any outfit, and styled in so many different ways which is why they're so fabulous and popular.

Trend No.4:

I never thought I'd see skorts become a trend, I've only ever seen them as a sporting essential, however I was wrong as skorts are now making their way to catwalks. Tartan was a main staple for Autumn/Winter, and it appears that an element of Scotland is going to remain throughout Spring with skorts mainly being sold in tartan which isn't very Spring like at all, however they still look adorable and look lovely on a night out when the atmosphere is more dark to suit the dark tartan print.

 As you can see, skorts are usually paired with something plain depending on whether the skort is made out of a patterned fabric or not. As the one in the picture is tartan, I would expect it to be worn with something plain because the skort should be the main focus of the outfit as it's so unique.

The way skorts have been transformed from a sporting clothes item to a fashion item is very clever, and Vogue have also recently advertised that sportswear is the new everyday clothing, so I expect to see a lot more sport style trends.

There are more trends about at the moment, but these are the main ones that have caught my eye.

 

OOTD : SMART CASUAL

Hello!

I haven't posted an 'outfit of the day' for about 7 months, so today I thought I should post one for my blog. I want to do Ootd's more frequently, especially because I like writing about my clothing choices, and showing off outfits that I like.

I wore this outfit to a friends gathering, the occasion wasn't for anything special, but I still wanted to dress up a bit and opted for this. If you read my 'Recent Purchases' you will probably notice that most of this outfit was in that post, so excuse the repetitiveness.

The Outfit:

Top: Papaya £8 (was long but I sewed it so it was cropped) / Scarf: H&M £6.99 / Necklace: H&M $8.99

Top: I wanted to keep my top half simple, and plain because there's obviously quite a lot going on with my trousers, however I added in this beige/gold scarf to tie in with my beige bag, and gold accessories. The scarf doesn't look too much, or clash with my trousers which is good, it just gives a nice touch. I've also worn the trousers and scarf with a black velvet crop top that also works well, I think anything bland for the top half looks best.

Trousers: Topshop £28

Bottom: As I had recently got these I wanted to wear them, and see how comfortable they felt throughout the night, if I liked them, etc, and I did like them a lot. These are incredibly comfortable because they're made of cotton and also have some elastane in the which adds a slight stretch to the fabric so they're easy to move in. Anyway, I love pairing these with plain things to make an outfit interesting, and as they're black & white they can be worn with any colour.

Shoes: Foot Locker £49.99 / Socks: Topshop £3.50 / Anklet: Devon

Feet: As I wanted to keep the trousers the main focus of the outfit, I wore a plain top which also meant I needed plain shoes. These all white Air Force 1's work so well as there is no element of colour in them, and also tie in with the white crop top. You could also wear more dressy shoes with this outfit, but I wanted to keep it partially casual which is why I opted for these. The frilly socks I wore are purposely grey and black to match the trousers and cover up my ankles, however they aren't extravagant enough to draw attention away from the main focus of the outfit.

Earrings: Topshop / Bracelet: Thomas Sabo £137 / Rings: Dorothy Perkins £6.50 / Bag: Topshop / Sunglasses: Forever21 £4.50

Accessories: I didn't go too heavy on the jewellery because then the outfit would be way too over the top, so I kept it fairly subtle with some gold embossed earrings, and gold midi rings to work with the scarf, as well as the beige bag which also contains gold hardware so also ties in with the jewellery. I wear my Thomas Sabo bracelet with every outfit because it's a special piece, however it went well with this one even though I was mainly going for gold accessories. I didn't wear the sunglasses much throughout the night because we were indoors, but I thought they added some class with the rounded frame which are on-trend at the moment.

I aim to try elements of this outfit with different pieces and see whether I can change things up to make it more formal, or more casual.

(Shoutout to mum for taking the photos)

AUTUMN TRENDS

Hello!

Autumn is probably my least favourite season because of the weather, temperature, and the fact it's in the middle of Summer and Winter. However, Autumn is my favourite season for when it comes to fashion trends, and today I will be explaining a few of the latest trends.

Trend No.1:

 This trend appears most years around Autumn time, and is one of my favourite trends of all time. Tartan print is mostly perceived as being red even though the pattern comes in many shades of green, blue, red, and occasionally yellow, but the deep red is mostly used for Autumn because it fits in with the changing colour of the leaves. I own a few tartan patterned pieces such as a matching crop top and midi skirt from USC-these are both red and black tartan, and they were only around £20 for both the skirt and top which is a great price.

If you're struggling on what to wear Tartan patterned clothing with, then I advise not to mix it with other patterns because it will clash horrendously (unless you're some sort of pattern wizard), and the outfit would look too over the top and confusing. However, the colour Black goes very well with the pattern because it's dark which is the main theme of Tartan, and doesn't clash as it's a staple colour.

Trend No.2:

Coltranes are Jeffrey Campbell shoes that have recently made it into the trend, even so that shops such as New Look, River Island and Topshop are making duplicates of them! After the recent trend of cut-out boots, Coltranes started to make an appearance as a mix between the cutout boot with a chunky heel, and chunky buckles which made them stand out as an individual style boot. These aren't the most versatile shoes for Autumn because they are quite open at the sides, however everyone is seeming to rave about them for the season.

 Not everyone is going to love this style shoe because they are different to what is usually seen in high end shops, but I love them enough to buy a dupe pair from Newlook which are almost exactly the same, but have gold buckles instead of silver, and are obviously a cheaper and lesser quality alternative.

The Coltranes come in multiple colours, but black is the main colour at the moment because it suits the season, and coincidentally goes well with Tartan!

Trend No.3:

Obviously coats are on trend all year round because they're a necessity, but this year over-sized coats are shining over any other style of coats, especially after the recent Autumn/Winter 2013-14 runway shows in which this style appeared a lot. Not only are they appearing a lot in runways, Topshop seem to be stocking up their coat section with a lot of over-sized coats, aswell as a few other up-to-date retail shops.

The coats usually come in colours, not patterns and I think this is because if someone were to wear a massive coat covered in multiple patterns it would be too hectic and draw away the simplicity, and elegance of a coat. Also, looking on Vogue there appears to only be over-sized coats that are in 3 or less colours, and these are usually neutral colours.

I would love to have an over-sized coat, but unfortunately I'm too small to be able to pull one off without being drowned, which is why tall people suit over-sized coats well because it works well with their frame, without drowning them.





Trend No.4:

The last and final trend I will be focusing on is fluffy clothing. Not much fluffy clothing is on sale during Spring and Summer because fluff is seen as warm and comforting, and in hot temperatures that's the last thing people want. However as the seasons get colder, fur comes back into the trends and I think this year it's making a big appearance in shops and runways. It seems to be that taking an everyday item of clothing, and adding an element of fluff onto it immediately appears to give it a place in the Autumn trends.
 

Nearly every fashion shop is stocking up on the fluffy pieces, even so that Primark have fluffy jumpers in too which is a shocker because Primark are usually quite late to keeping up with the trends, but they do have a few odd pieces in store.
I really like this fluff trend, it's super cosy and cute, and suits Autumn/Winter well with the snowy resemblance in the material, yet providing warmth.

Not only do we have fluffy items coming around, we also have feather, and faux fur clothing too which I also love. However, most of these animal like pieces are quite expensive if they are made to a good quality.



 There are more trends around, but I feel these are a few of the main ones arriving on the scene this season.