Fashion and Style Blog

Wednesday 28 March 2012

Style Challenge - Spring Work Wear

Over the past week or so, some of my lovely followers have set me some style challenges for some of their fashion dilemma's and I am loving finally getting round to going through them. 


One of the big ones was work wear for the spring and summer season, this can cause a few problems, as there is lots of things to consider, and dressing correctly for work can be a really important way of feeling confident and comfortable day in day out. 

It is quite a hard challenge, as there are so many variables to work wear depending on where you work it could be quite corporate and formal, or it might be like my office which is a real mixed bag, with the designers and buyers wearing what they want, the IT and finance guys in suits and ties and then us in Marketing some where in the middle of them both! 

With all this in mind I went on a bit or a mission going through my high street and online favs to pick out options that will suit all of the types of work wear, and still be bang on trend for this season. 

                                                                 River Island


               Top- £20               Skirt- £12          Dress- £40     


These are fab for the office this summer, the shirt is a great pastel colour which will go brill with all skirts, chino's and trousers and the skirt is a really great cut for all body shapes, it will show all our yummy bums off a treat, not to mention the amazing colour! But my fav is the dress, it is a wonderful tribal print, but most importantly it will be really comfy and easy to wear, cos you will not need to style anything else with it,put it on and your good to go! 

Top Shop 


                    
   Skirt- £26                Top- £26             Skirt- £28


Skirts are stables for your work wear wardrobe, you can wear the same one twice in one week and style it completely different each time, and they will go with prints, blacks, brights really well! I love the colour of these two skirts, and as you will know from previous posts, I love dipped hemmed clothes, so this yellow one was always going to be popularr.The white lac top is soo pretty and ties in with the girly white trend for this spring, it will work in all office/ work environments.


                             ASOS 




   Dress- £38                 Bag- £40            Dress- 25.50


Admittedly, these dresses are maybe not your typical work wear dresses, but they were too cute not to be included. These would work really well if you work in a more smart/casual office when the weather gets really hot, (we all know air conditioning is a nightmare)I especially love the white one,because I love white for a start and secondly I this the pocket detail is stunning,  and you could keep pens and a mini notepad in there?! And you need a great bag for work and this bright orange will be sure to have you standing out all season, this bag = summer bag envy!


                          Dorothy Perkins




   Dress- £32               Blouse- £24            Dress- £35


I loved the little hint of bright on the navy dress, it just gives it a bit more definition round the waist, and the stretchy material will be fab for sitting in long meetings! The stripy dress, like the River Island one is doing all the work for you, just get a bright coloured necklace or scarf and you are ready to go! And last but not least the collared blouse is a must have for all working ladies this summer, you can wear it with everything and any colour, so that makes it priceless for work wear, as you can just throw it on and know you are looking good and on trend!


I hope you like my picks, and go and hit the shops to start building up your spring wardrobe! Let me know what you are loving for this season! 
And, any other style challenges, please get in touch and I will get to work! 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
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Tuesday 27 March 2012

Mellow Yellow- what I wore today!


                         
                     
Another gorgeous day, and so I was very excited to wear my new yellow skirt for the first time! When I bought this a couple of weeks ago I honestly thought it would be sitting in the wardrobe for ages until the good weather arrived, so I took the opportunity to unveil it it today ( I am very impatient with new clothes anyway!) I bought it from a Pop Up Fashion Shop in Manchester's Northern Quarter, it is an independent shop with loads of unique pieces ans some beautiful dresses. It is great when to have new and different places to shop, don't get me wrong I love my High Street faithfuls, but in Manchester we are spoiled with some great independent outlets. 
 
I really like skirts that come in at the waist and fall over the hips, it is a good cut for pear shapes like me, covering the biggest part of my body.If I can I do generally try and dress to suit my body shape, it just makes you feel more confident when you know you are flattering your figure.
  I fell in love with the colour, with yellow you have to be in the mood to wear it, but when it is sunny outside it has to be done! 

The pics were taken on the roof terrace at my work, so again, some of Manchester's sky line thrown in too. 

Skirt- Pop Up Fashion Shop, Top- H&M
Necklace- Topshop, Belt- Vintage
Bag- Primark, Shoes(unseen)- New Look

Hope you like, and you are enjoying the great weather too!

xxxxxxxxx

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Sunday 25 March 2012

Sunny Weekend Wardrobe!

Well, how amazing has the weather been this weekend? I had to keep reminding myself that we are still in March! 
As you know I have had a weekend of shopping to get an outfit for my friends Nikki and Stu wedding next week, and I think am about there, just the handbag and fascinator to sort out now. (I will do a post on the whole outfit very soon)

But, today Katie and I have just been for a mooch about Manchester's Northern Quarter and had some lunch, it's fab when the weather comes out and everyone starts sitting outside, I love cafe culture- any excuse to sit and people watch! 

So here are the pics of our weekend, some from today and some yesterday when we had finished hitting the shops- hope you like! 



Top- H&M, Jeans- H&M, Ring- New Look
Bag Mary Katrantzou for Topshop, Ballet Pumps- Primark
Earrings- Primark



Top-Primark, Jeans-New Look, Bag-Viva La Diva
Necklaces-New Looks, Ring-Miss Selfridges


Blazer- Primark, Top- New Look, Jeans- Primark
Necklace- New Look, Bag-Primark

Top- New Look, Wet Look Leggings- Boohoo
Cardy-New Look, Hat- H&M
Necklace-Primark, Bag-H&M

I wanted to mix up styles this weekend, one day going for brights and pastels and another more of a tribal feel, I never like to wear the same colours and styles two days in a row, I always think it is the best way to keep your wardrobe fresh if you are always looking at new and different ways to wear things. 

Katie let her accessories be the base for her outfits, choosing colours to pick out the fab necklace and amazing new fringe bag from Viva La Diva, which is a really good way to pick your clothes if you can't decide what to wear.

Hope you like our choices and let me know how you have been styling your clothes in this warm weather! 
xxxxxxxxxxx
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Friday 23 March 2012

Spring Wedding- what to wear?

Right, it is that time of year again- wedding season! Every year it seems like that are more and more ( must be my age!) and although I do love a good wedding, there is also that stress that comes with it of worrying about what to wear!
Yes, I know the only dress that should matter is the blushing bride, but lets be honest it is still pretty important that you also look and feel fab. 

My first wedding is a week today, so am in to the last phases of dress decisions! Tomorrow is the day I am hitting the shops to buy, but in preparation I have been doing my research on what is out there and deciding on the styles and colours I like,there are always so many things to consider, the weather, the comfy factor- you will be in it all day, so after a lot of consideration I think I have narrowed down to the following styles, that will be very popular this season....
N.B- This could all change when I get out there in the shopping jungle tomorrow!

Miss Selfridges £42
The Peplum



Miss Selfridges £39
The Pastel




Topshop £50




The Lace

Topshop £60

The Floral



Whenever I have got a big event to shop for, I always set myself a budget for everything, the dress, shoes, bag, accessories, the works, so I know what I am working with. 
I have a budget of £80 for this occasion, so I want to buy a dress that I can get wear off throughout the rest of the summer. that is why I never just go to places like Coast for occasions, not they do have beautiful dresses, I just feel that is a safe place to go and prefer to mix it up with clothes that are not just specifically for weddings!

I hope you like them and let me know which one you prefer.
I will announce my winner next week! 

Have a fab weekend and happy shopping

xxxxxxxxxx
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Thursday 22 March 2012

What I wore today!





Today was such a gorgeous day, the sun was out and it was actually warm! So I decided to get the bright colours on and clashed my blue blazer and turquoise top that I have had for ever,I love when you dig out an old favourite. 
To go with this I decided to put on a tribal skirt with this, I am really enjoying the whole print/bright/clash trend at the moment and as it was sunny it just seemed the right decision. To finish off the look, I wanted to tie in the skirt and so went for my gold choker, it has an Aztec feel and sat against the blazer really well. To be honest I think I will be turning to this choker a lot over the next few months, just think how good it is going to look with halter maxi dresses? 

Blazer- Primark, Top- Newlook, Skirt- H&M
Shoes- Newlook, Bag- H&M
Choker- Primark

I hope you like, and keep enjoying the sunny weather, it is supposed to the a really warm weekend! 

xxxxxxxxx

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Wednesday 21 March 2012

Easiest Spring Nail Art Ever!



I am so envious of some of the beautiful beauty blogs out there, I follow them and pick up so many tips on the best products and how to achieve the best looks, but I myself am no beauty expert. I love make up and wear a full face every day, but Fashion is the real passion for me, and while I will dip my toe into some make up posts soon, I will never claim to be Bobbi Brown! 

However nails are a big love of mine and wear a colour nearly every day, I think that they can complete an outfit and is a great way of expressing yourself if you are not overly confident with clothes and make up.
I have a real spectrum of makes and colours from the OPI's and Nails INC to cheap and cheerful shop brands.
At the moment, I have been loving Boots 17 Lasting Fix range, they have got some fab spring colours and since the weather has been taking it's time to get warm, I have been using my nails to get bright fix!

I am a solid colour girl most of the time, it is just easier and quicker to get an instant effect, but if you can take a little longer you can achieve some great nail art with very little effort. 

Tonight I have played around with my 3 current fav colours and created a look that is "spot on" (pardon the pun) I hope you like it, here is quick breakdown of what I have done......

Take 3 colours and one box of matches
I have gone for spring colours!
Do 2 coats of the base colour, you can chose which that is.
Then, take the end of the match and dip it in the second colour and just dot the end of the match on the nail, (2 or 3 per nail)
Then, do the same with the third colour, dotting between the other colour

You are then finished! How easy was that and the effect is really cute!

Base Coat- Holding Hands
First dots- Forever
Second dots- Caribean Coral

These nail varnishes are great, they dry quick and don't really chip, unless forced and the best bit they are only £2.99 each, so you can create the whole look for under £10- bargain. 

I hope you like my nails and give it go yourself, it is soo easy, otherwise I would not be doing it!

xxxxxxxxxx
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Tuesday 20 March 2012

Spring Time!


I love Spring, it is my favourite time of year, you have finally finished the Winter and you have got the promise of the rest of the Summer! Today is officially the first day of Spring and I wanted to celebrate that with a quick post on the things I am most excited about in the next few weeks!  



1) The return of Wedges! Finally we can say goodbye to our show boots and socks and embrace getting the toes out! (although hand in hand with this means pedicures ladies! I will do a post on my fav nail colours v soon)
Wedges are an essential part of your spring/summer wardrobe, they can be styled with shorts, chino's, dresses, jeans and are fab at lengthening the leg. But always be careful not to have too many straps across and around the ankle as this can stump legs. 
The wedges above are from New Look-£27.99 Floral/ £24.99 Rafia and Boohoo- Cream suede £35/ Blue Suede £36.99
2) Pastels! I love pastel colours and they rear there head every spring, but this year it was serious, the catwalks were dominated with ice cream hues, think Louis Vuitton's stunning carousel! I have been itching to get them on for weeks, as you will have seen from my outfit pictures, but now we are "out of winter" feel safe to get them on as much as you can! 
I loved the pastel Clutches above they are from ASOS £30 I can't pick a colour so want them all! The gorgeous jumper is from Kate Moss's range for Mango and is £22.99


3)Silk Scarf tops! This is a trend that can only be worn in the warmer months, so enjoy it while it lasts. There will be lots of versions of this trend on the high street but so far my favourite is H&M. 
The fab yellow paisley silk top is from H&M and is a complete steal at £7.99 


4)Light weight Jacket and Blazers! I love putting away my winter coats for another year, there is something therapeutic about putting clothes away for a season, and it is best way to get a good rotation of your wardrobe. When looking for my new jackets this spring I was instantly drawn to the amazing digital print and blue River Island blazer £45, it will a perfect way of styling up any outfit. And for a good all rounder that will go with everything I love the coral blazer from Miss Selfridges £40



5) Print Trousers! I admit I have looked out of the window and thought to myself, do I dare to wear the print trouser today? Normally the Manchester weather puts me firmly in my place and I go for more rain friendly bottoms! However, now it is time to unleash them on the world, if you are brave go for full on matching print jacket and trousers, but a simple top with a bright belt will also work really well. 
I have picked out a black and green pair from River Island £30 and a rose coloured pair from ASOS £21 


I hope you guys like my choices and are as geared up for spring as I am. With all these great trends to try out, lets hope we get the weather to match!

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