Dress: H&M
Cardigan: TKMaxx
Shoes: Tesco
Necklace: Next
I wore this outfit walking our parent's dog the night before we left for the boat trip. Having a puppy on a boat was eventful! I'll be posting more about him+his adventures later this week.
I love this dress; it's so comfy, and it has pockets! The only downside is that if you put on a few pounds, it does show, but I suppose that's an incentive to keep them off!
Little mini set of H&M pieces for Spring/Summer 2011! Love that canvas tote and the blazer with the turned up sleeves! (As if I need any more encouragement to shop at H&M, haha!)
Hope everyone is having a good week so far, and I've got some exciting news coming in the next few days so stay tuned!
First things first: how cute is this vest!! It's from Primark. I'm not even a dog person but he won me over. I think it's the eyes and the hipster glasses and hat.
Beige dress from H&M. It was nice on the side but quite hideous from the front, unfortunately (you've gotta be honest with yourself ).
Denim zip dress from H&M. I love this dress! I bought it with my Look show discount. (I shouldn't have been spending money at all, but it was too lovely, and selling out fast.) And it had pockets!
Animal Peter Pan Dress from Peacocks. Really cute with the headband and plait, but made me look a bit chunky around the waist, strangely. I always wonder what the other people in the changing room+ assistants think when they hear the click of my phone camera.
I also want to say hello to all the new followers recently! And if you haven't checked out my giveaway, you can enter here. The closing date is the 31 March. :)
Last week's issue of Look magazine (which was a special £1 price) was a bumper issue that had a number of full page spreads giving the models and outfits that were on the catwalk for us at the LOOK show. So for the full lowdown check out that issue of Look (and for 20% off New Look and £10 off Warehouse). I've already talked about the experience of the reception and after party so I'm going to talk about the catwalk and outfits now. :)
The order of the day was:
THE LOOK SHOW Spring/Summer 2011 collections from: New Look Dorothy Perkins Uniqlo Monsoon M&S Interval featuring special guest performance from Alexis Jordan H&M Mango Next Warehouse River Island French Connection The Look Curvy Supermodel winner announced
Monsoon
back: front:
This jumpsuit was a stunner. The corsages were actually put on in addition to what appears to be an attatched belt. The dress itself is a plain purple, which you can view and buy here (£100). How to wear: This outfit would look best on bigger ladies, with the large corsages being perfect against their shape. I think the colours would suit blondes best, and I would wear my hair loose and wavy, and feeling a bit 70s.
Warehouse
This is a jumpsuit from Warehouse. I thought the front was rather plan (scoop neck, keyhole front) but the back was quite unusual. It doesn't appear to be available to buy in online yet, but it retails at £160. How to wear: I can see it worn on the beach with a wide brimmed straw hat and a cocktail. The white color makes it easy to glam up with some statement jewellery and heels. I think this would best suit tall ladies.
This rainbow maxi dress made such a statement on the catwalk. It is £100 from Warehouse and you can buy it now here. How to wear: I think this dress would look great against very dark skin. It can be paired with gladiators and gold jewellery for a summer evening at a restaurant.
New Look
This look was really channeling Parisian chic. It seems perfect for the beach with the rope duffel bag, yet great for sightseeing and shopping in the casual t and flats. I can't get over how comfy those shorts look, but the scarf makes the whole ens amble look oh-so-stylish. You can shop all the items in this look here. How to wear: I would wear this for a great day-to-night outfit when on holiday and nipping to a cafe for lunch. I might give it a little pop with some delicate orange stud earrings that sparkle in the sun.
H&M
I love the delicate almost-peasant yellow blouse. The blouse would also be great with bootcut jeans and wedges. With the trousers you could go minimalist and pair it with a pale blue loose t or a white bodysuit and cloth blazer. How to wear: This look creates curves around the hips, so would be good on a boyish figure.
Next
In this look you can see the scalloped detail on the blouse that is very popular for spring. In Look's photo the model looks really skinny but on the catwalk she was all curves, and the look certainly suits curves. Next always manages to nail style for the mature woman. How to wear: This look would suit tanned or darker skin. The denim skirt shows off great legs, so I think this look would be perfect for an apple shape (big bust, slim legs).
Halfway through the show Alexis Jordan played, and I managed to record a bit of it here:
An all-H&M set, apart from that Gucci scarf. :) I want to make my polyvore sets affordable but still appealing to that fantasy we all get when we go shopping. I would wear this set if I were going on a boat with my boyfriend, and we stopped off the boat to go swimming and sunbathing, like we did in Turkey. Turkey was so amazing. :) I think I would prefer to wear this around the English Channel or West Europe rather than the med though, as the colours lend themselves to the crisper English weather (see the scarf) rather than the blistering-yet-glamerous heat of Turkey/Greece. Tbh, you could equally wear this out shopping. That's what I love about it, it's pretty flexible.
Forever 21 goes British! (and christmassy). This post is long overdue, I'm sorry! I managed to make it to the UK Forever 21 opening in Birmingham on 12th November. It was packed, as you can see from the crowd outside. The good: the decor! It had me squealing in delight. There are union jacks! Hats! Telephone boxes! Big Ben! I love the way they have really made an effort to attempt to add the Forever21 brand to our British identity. Whether it will work, obviously, remains to be seen. The bad: whether it was excited fashionistas or just christmas shoppers, I've never (in all my 11 years of living here) seen the Birmingham Bullring so packed.
The clothes. Honestly...I wasn't really impressed. They have a huge 'heritage' section, meaning jackets, layering, scarfs and the like. They also have a small men's section. The only section that impressed me was their sportswear. Their sports bras and sports tops for women look really supportive (if you know what I mean) and look made of breathable material. I didn't try any clothing on though, so I can't vouch for the discrepency in US/UK sizing. The other item I was interested in was their faux leather jackers for £20, which is very cheap, and the 'leather' didn't look tacky at all.
I have heard bloggers say that the opening of Forever 21 will hit H&M hard, and I didn't understand this as the price margins in the US aren't as expensive as H&M here so I didn't see them as competitors. However when they opened here, I realized what everyone meant. It's not so much the price, which undercuts H&M by a fair but, but the style and quality of the clothes. Walking into the first floor of Forever 21 all I could see was blousers and trousers that looked like they walked straight out of H&M, so I fear the bloggers are right and H&M, at least in Birmingham particularly, will suffer. On the bright side though, this might persuade H&M to lower their prices! (A shopper can dream...).
