Spring Fling!

Spring is approaching, even though most days it doesn't look promising! I'm hoping all this rain means Summer will be lovely but this is the UK I'm talking about so let's not hold out for much.

I love Spring and as a textiles student, I'm currently looking at a mass of floral prints for my conceptual project, collaborating my German and Scottish family heritage (through looking at folkloric motifs) and the Garden of Eden. Florals galore! The floral trend is a recycled one used practically every season for fashion and interiors, currently being scouted out in the large masses of magazines I buy every month week. The intentions of my tutors over the years probably thinking I am obsessed with florals are too definitely correct.

Below I've put together some of my favourite pieces from current fashion and interior retailers...

L-R:
Swing Dress With Floral Applique & Embroidery (£44)
Skater Dress With Floral Embroidery (£65)
Skater Dress With Floral Embroidery (£75)
Reclaimed 60s Vintage Print Shift Dress (£35)

L-R:
Duvet Set (£19.99)
Plate (£3.99, how cute!)
Daisy Skirt (£9.99)
Cushion (£12.99)
Curtains (£24.99)

L-R:
Sunburst Print (£10)
Rosie Cushion (£35)
Wildflower Print (£10)
Olivia Cushion (£45)
Sew Lovely Cushion (£35)
Tulip Cushion (£45)

L-R:
Nica Alicia Satchel (£49)
Jones and Jones @ Topshop Floral Organza Dress (£60)
Floral Print Jumpsuit, River Island (£30)
Floral Laser Cut Purse, River Island (£17)
Floral Boxy T-Shirt, New Look (£14.99)

Springin' Up

Wow, so this is my first post of 2014! Uni seems to control my life 24/7, doing a pretty much 100% practical course certainly wipes most of my energy out by the end of the days- that or the daunting fact I’m now 21! What a special birthday made amazing by my lovely family and friends. So many surprise gifts including my new Macbook thanks to my beautiful mama!! I’ve always wanted one for uni and the like and I’m so excited to use it loads! 

There's so many things happening this year that I'm excited about, including the scouring of many holiday brochures in prep for a girly holiday me and my pals are planning. There's also my driving lessons to start that I WILL COMPLETE by September, finally seeing JT in the flesh at his concert and a possible uni study trip to Romania to work on a recycled fashion project! There's not really much more I could write before boring you all but 2014 is shaping up to be fabulous! 

But back to now, here's what i'm loving and lusting after this month...
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Cath Kidston Macbook Case- Cath Kidston has become somewhat a little part of my life, every time I walk into one of her stores I have to stop myself from overbuying. Right now I'm loving this little Mac case which continues my love of everything floral!

Topshop Margate Double Buckle Geek Shoes- We can never have too many shoes, especially a cute pair of Topshop ones! They've been designing and selling a lot of T-Bar style shoes for the last 6 months and they are perfect for all seasons, plus they are very similar to my first ever pair of shoes!


Miss Guided Demi Daisy Skate Shirt Dress- I'm loving this floral daisy dress from Miss Guided and they are in fact selling a lot of lovely floral dresses right now, which are maybe not so perfect for the current weather we're having. My annual wardrobe Spring clean is in order soon though so it will be nice to put some new florals in!

Zara Mini City Bag- I seem to change my handbag a lot and I currently own a really nice one from H&M. However I really like this one too and as I'm going to hopefully undertake a few placements this year, I might treat myself to a stylish accessory!

Beyonce CD- Well Bey went and surprised us all with a new album didn't she? There's a couple of songs I really like from the record and it comes as an alternative for missing out on tickets to her tour. 

Next Photo Screen- I absolutely love this idea, at £99 it is expensive but what a lovely way to display photos! It's definitely something I would love to utilise in my room as a divider.

ASOS SS14 Preview

It's hard to believe ASOS was founded nearly 14 years ago, yet I still remember the years leading up to my teens and thinking it was the most amazing thing to come out of fashion at the time. Back in the day ASOS were known simply by "As Seen On Screen", though fast forward nearly a decade and they are leading the way in young British fashion, taking influence from us their audience, culture, music and travel. And with over 21 million visitors a month it's no wonder they're the UK's largest independent online fashion retailer, plus gaining a cool revenue of £750m this year!

Last month the retailer had their Spring Summer 2014 press day... and I. am. in. LOVE. ASOS are truly playing with their strengths in contemporary fashion and they are going in such an interesting direction. The pastels remain, the florals remain and I've chosen some of my favourites below. 

Credit to Milk Teef and Fashion For Lunch for the pics.

Ugh. How beautiful, love the scallops and the colourway. Even if I buy this just to try it on and send back to get a refund, I just feel it will be amazing to wear.

The florals are back! Well they never go away really do they, but whatever this is applied to it's extremely intricate and gorgeous!

More florals! Love the contrasting colours going on here, looks like a lot of sheer fabrics and repeated forms will be used for SS14.

Sandals, sunnies and a pastel clutch- perfect for the beach if you're going abroad. Though the British weather might surprise us!

I spy an iridescent clutch bag and some cute colour coordinated outfits! A-Line swing skirts perfect for a Spring/Summer picnic.

I think my favourite Topshop frilly socks have a new rival...

NYFW- Victoria Beckham SS14

New York Fashion Week is in full swing but after London took over as fashion capital, there's only 1 week I'm waiting for. Primarily not because I'm biased towards my own hometurf designers but because I believe that London has some of the best contemporary talent showing across September. Nevertheless, New York always manage to put on a show from the 'big guns' like DKNY, Diane Von Furstenberg and Zac Posen, amongst others.

One 'designer' (as always argued), that many are surprised to see at NYFW perhaps instead of LFW is original Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, who for the record was my least favourite member but kudos to her for that little black dress I probably tried to recreate several times with a black bin liner! Many of us know that VB is famed for her frocks but all eyes were not only just on the FROW where Harper stole the show, but also to the more casual inspired collection that was shown on Sunday at Cafe Rouge. 

Proving that a trend can be recycled twice in a year, Beckham took inspiration from the sports luxe style in which current AW13 monochromatics were present with an injection of Spring/Summer pink tones. After cooing over Harper, I got the impression from VB's past collections that this was going to be a pristine catwalk show with clothes designed to suit the professional women. As the first looks stepped onto the lacquered white floored runway, it was evident as the show went on that the use of geometric panelling and cut in predominant areas of garments were the stand out looks of the show. The bursts of fuchsia and reds in these outfits were probably the most interesting parts of the show for me.

Victoria has been seen somewhat as a style icon for the best part of 2 decades but between wearing and designing, they are 2 very different things and giving a proper critical review of her as a designer can be difficult for many to judge, based on where her fashion origin has derived from. I do however admire the fact that she knows how to build and develop a brand, sticking by her team and following after criticism and appreciating what women want to wear. Maybe I will grow to appreciate the balance she inputs between both her personal life and business work ethic. I guess time will also tell as to where the label will go in the future but overall this is a solid collection that showcases contemporary British tailoring and production, with the potential to grow in surface and pattern design. 

Summer Lovin'

Here are some of my current loves and lusts for Summer! I'll be reviewing A/W 13 preview collections very soon, so watch out!

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Holographic Nails In Moondance- £6, MOTO Pink Crochet Hotpants- £35, Spotty Casual Crop Top- £29, Rachel Dress by Jones and Jones- £65, Martie T-Bar Geek Shoes- £32, Nano T-Bar Clog Sandals- £45, Dip Dye Crochet Cami- £32, Edge Paint Satchel- £28

Black Floral Mini Dress- £25, Black Suede Cross Front Wedge Shoe- £28, Navy Pinafore Playsuit- £10, Tan Buckle Cross Wedge Shoe- £32, Multi Florence Floral Headband- £3

 Print Top- £9.99,  Jacquard Skirt- £12.99, Denim Waistcoat With Crochet Back- £9.99, Oriental Print Jumpsuit- £19.99, Embroidered Dress- £19.99, Fantasy Twist Jersey With Open Back- £12.99, Oriental Print Trousers- £15.99, Jacquard Linen Dress With Full Skirt- £15.99

Pleated Floral Print Dress- £18.75, Floral Print Wedge Sandals- £24.75, Cat Graphic Cropped Tee- £12, Lace Trim High-Low Dress- £19.75, High-Low Georgette Dress- £24.75

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