Giving In To Temptation

Just a quick update today, I gave into the temptation of the net and bought the Disney Couture 'Believe' necklace from asos.com!

I bought it just this morning and it came to about £25 including p&p, not bad to say that it's 14ct gold plate, and it comes in a super cute pouch.

I can't wait to wear it, I've got a feeling it's going to be one of those necklaces I have on every day. I also have my eyes on the treasure chest ring because it opens to reveal diamante treasure and it looks so unique and pretty.

A Disney Lover's Dream

WOW!
As a Disney fanatic from the age of 5, this is the best news I've heard yet.

DISNEY COUTURE is a new jewellery line based on, yes you guessed it, Disney classics such as Peter Pan and Cinderella (my most favourite Disney animation EVER!). Jewellery designer Kidada Jones is part of this fantastic idea.

Celebrities like Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan have all been spotted wearing these cute, naive pieces.

I am now making it my ambition for this year to get my hands on something from this range. OH IT'S SO GORGEOUS I'M SO EXCITED!! As a super Disney fan I think I have an excuse to buy some amazingly cute jewellery don't you? I'm collecting the dvds as we speak after I got rid of the VCR years ago which stopped me from watching the videos I loved when I was a child; perhaps I can start collecting a little more grown up version of my obsession.

They're not even too expensive at all, the 'Believe' pendant which is apparantly 'by far the most popular piece', Grazia, is only £22. Other prices range from £11.75 to £75.

I've checked out the jewellery on ASOS.com and have to say I would have to put every single one of them on my wishlist. This is a pure Disney lover's dream.

Here's to hoping dreams really do come true!

My Love For Leopard Print

So a while a go I was really into leopard print this and leopard print that, then my style got slightly tamer with plain block colours, tights and pretty florals. Basically, I was thinking back to last year and have decided I want more fun with my clothes again!

Now I have re-discovered my love for leopard print and can't help but walk (with quite a pace) directly to something hanging up with that lovely spotty pattern. My new found passion is being fueled even more because more and more shops seem to be selling items with this purrfect pattern!

With this thought in my head tonight and too much time on my hands, I couldn't help but search the net for pretty leopard print pieces:

I bought this top from TopShop last week. It's an over-sized vest with a really nice drape. It hangs well at the hips and is just the right length to wear with a pair of black leggings and heels - my favourite!
These heels are so cute! Found on the Office website at a price of around £60.

Able to splash some cash? ASOS.com are selling this really pretty dress by Roberto Cavalli for £210 (originally £545.00!). The detail at the bottom of the shoulder straps is so pretty, and I am loving the different sizes of print used.Another ASOS.com buy here. I LOVE this Ted Baker bag going for £160. The zips and buckle add a little somethign to this bag.Something a little more affordable? Grab this spotty umbrella from New Look for just £8.00!
How NOT to wear leopard print! This picture made me giggle. I found it on a super blog - The Fashion Police. This is what they said;
'"Who the hell is Abigail Clancy?" we asked ourselves when we first saw this photo. And then, "Who the hell cares?" we thought, "For forever more, Abi Clancy will be known to The Fashion Police as "That chick who turned up at The Brits in a completely see through dress and leopard print thong." Actually, it turns out she's some kind of lingerie model, which further begs the question: why didn't she wear a matching bra with her thong?'.

And on that note, I'm finished searching the net as I am quite tired. Anyway I hope you enjoyed reading this blog as much as I did writing it. Tomorrow I am going shopping (yet again) and will no doubt be returning with my next loved leopard piece.

A Busy Day

So as promised, I went to Nottingham today to check out what's in our shops this season (S/S). I was pleased to find a lot of the new trends I'm into at the moment are big on the high-street!

My task was to basically pick a store to represent each sector of shop – lower, middle and higher end store. I then had to pick four garments which fitted into a trend I've researched and all four garments had to be the same style in each of the three stores. If that makes sense. So basically I chose to look at an a-symmetrical (one shoulder) dress, a double-breasted jacket, high waist trousers and a blouse from three stores which were H&M (being my lower store), River Island (middle) and Vivienne Westwood (high). I decided to look at womenswear because this research is leading to a design project and I find womenswear much easier and more fun to do.

Obviously The higher end clothes were much much better quality, and much much more expensive. For example, a one-shoulder black dress from H&M was £14.99, whereas the Vivienne Westwood dress was £275! I felt like I was touching gold! Believe me, if I had the money I would choose the Vivienne Westwood dress but as I am not even close to being able to buy things like that H&M is always within my price range.

The main trends I spotted in a few shops were block colours, animal print (I couldn't resist buying an over-sized leopard print vest top from TopShop), pretty florals and skin tones. Everywhere seemed to be fitting the trends really well, but still in keeping with their own image. It seemed that a lot of the styles hadn't changed from TopShop, but they had updated their ranges to suit current trends, which is fine by me!

River Island really surprised me with the amount of bright colours in the clothes. A t-shirt my friend Ben pointed out looked like a t-shirt used by art students experimenting with fluorescent paints. The a-symmetric dress I picked from River Island was the brightest yellow I'd ever seen, and there were bright pink bags and dresses all over the place.

It seems that colour is the over-riding factor in this seasons fashion. Bold colours seem to be getting bolder and prints crazier.

I had a good afternoon altogether, it's really interesting seeing pictures of designer-wear in magazines which have then been filtered through to much cheaper clothes on rails for us all to buy.

My Overview Of Spring/Summer '09 Trends

After looking through the internet, magazines, a few shops and tv (going to look into more sources soon), I thought it would be good for me to give you my own review of some of the latest trends for this season.

Along with the bleached denims, western, big shoulders, crazy print and jumpsuit trends there are a few I like the sound of surprisingly enough!

I'd buy leopard print things anyway, but it appears this fits into a new trend! Natural Prints have been seen on numerous S/S 09 catwalks, with designers such as Alexander McQueen, Christian Lacroix, Christopher Kane and Jimmy Choo being inspired by nature's art. One thing I really love about this new look is that this isn't just dealing with animal prints; for example, Christian Lacroix looked deeper into the people wearing his clothes and I'm amazed by this oversized necklace representing a human skeleton. Other unusual inspiration includes wood-grain, fossils, x-ray images and even guts, yuck! Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve!

A more elegant look at nature has given us the inspiration for the next 'Emma-approved' trend: Petals, Prints and All Round Prettyness. Very traditional floral prints are making a comeback, but this time less cute cottage and more metallics and modern twists. This weeks Grazia has a good page showing some of the things on the highstreet which have been inspired by designers like Dolce & Gabbana, John Galliano and Moschino. I really love one of Fendi's dresses which is covered in appliquéd pink and white roses, it's the ultimate girly dress! I've already spotted a gorgeous pink floral skirt in H&M which i may have to grab. Why not try mixing a pretty floral dress with some black shiny leggings or a chunky gold bangle or two (which are a growing trend on their own).

This leads me on to my next exciting prediction. Metallics were a growing trend last year, and they seem to be coming still with more futuristic fashion in our sights. Not only is more and more metallic fabric being used, but unusual details and silhouettes are being used. Gareth Pugh and Gianfranco Ferre are great designers to look at if you want to see their super spacey creations.
"Metallics are innately bold, but this season's dazzling golds are textured, beaten and beaded, creating an even stronger first impression", executive fashion designer of Vogue.
On the highstreet, I think you're probably going to find much more toned down versions of these shiny silhouettes - I've seen quite a few of accessories out there and Topshop have some great textured metallic items, like these crinkled gold jeans.

A few more S/S 09 must-haves include one-shoulder dresses, skin tones, sheer fabrics (if you dare!), bright block colours (another favourite of mine), BIG necklaces, and crazy shoes;
"Spring's shoes are real works of art, bedecked in ribbons and feathers, beads, metallic ruffles and sharp studs. This seasons styles are extreme", fashion features associate, Vogue.
So it seems this year is all about standing out, making a statement and being brave. just have fun finding the trend that suits you and I think you could be surprised.

I'm going to Nottingham on Thursday to do some shop research, and hopefully I'll be able to tell you if some of my favourite new styles are out there and where to get them!

The Rise Of Celebrity Fashion...

This was mentioned in my class today, and I found it really interesting. My opinions?

I can see why celebrities are style icons. They are constantly watched by the public, and we all want to look like them and so I understand how celebrities and fashion have met. But what I don't understand is how they can claim to design a range of clothes.
'Kate Moss has officially turned her hand to design for the first time, having agreed to create a line for TopShop ', says an article on the Vogue website I read earlier. Isn't this a bit misleading? We all know she didn't design the clothes for TopShop, she would've got a hell of a lot of help from the very beginning. I can imagine her just picking out the fabrics and styles she likes, which she then claims as her own designs.
But as annoying this is for someone studying fashion and learning about the intricate details from designing to pattern-cutting to manufacture, it's OK for celebrities like Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham or Colleen Rooney because we keep buying 'their' clothes regardless.
Personally, I wouldn't go out and buy a dress just because it looks like something Kate Moss would wear, I would buy a dress that looks like something I'd wear!
Celebrity fashion, right or wrong? It doesn't really matter because as long as we keep on spending money, the amount of celebrities 'designing' their own ranges will become as popular as them adopting children (which is another topic for a blog sometime!).