Accessories for your smartphone!

Following on from my previous blog article about fashion and shopping apps for your smartphone, I thought it would be good to share with you some of my recommended accessories for your phone. Many smartphones are stylish enough with their sleek and crisp designs, but there's always extra items you can buy to make your smartphone stand out. These can range from covers to cases and headphones. 

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Shopping on your smartphone - be a smart fashionista!

As you all have probably guessed, I love shopping at weekends. This is both in person at the famous boutiques and high streets, as well as online shopping. However I've also become accustomed to having a sneaky peak at the latest trends on my smartphone. There are so many fashion and style advice apps that you can download, as well as retailer's own apps that you can shop on. From Elle Collections and Style.com to the major fashion retailers such as Next and Debenhams, the possibilities are endless and there's so much to choose from! Be sure to charge your smartphone before downloading all these fashion and shopping apps - you may be glued to your phone for a while as you browse though!

Enjoy your shopping and let me know what your favourite fashion apps are!

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Autumn/Winter 2012 London Fashion Week: Issa

Issa London - a loved British brand with outfits designed by Daniella Helayel, showed a stunning new 2012 collection this week. The theme for the collection was inspired by a Trans-Siberian journey, where the much loved wrap dresses were designed with bright greens, oranges and blues. Some outfits were very 60's inspired and towards the end of the show we saw some stunning long silk evening gowns, as well as a gorgeous lace mini-dress (pictured above).

Overall it showed that Issa London have an exciting year ahead with flattering and fitted designs.

Autumn/Winter 2012 London Fashion Week: Vivienne Westwood

        

The Vivienne Westwood Red Label fashion show took place today at the beautiful Goldsmith's Hall in London. The event celebrated true British fashion at its best. The celebrity sightings were diverse and included Janice Dickinson, Pete Burns, Sadie Frost and Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran.  

The collection focused on the 2012 autumn/winter looks and included a mix of stripes, tartans and vintage styles. With the silk evening dresses, there was a sense of elegance and sophistication with the outfits. The colours for most of the looks were soft pastels and neutrals. Some fashion reports have commented that there was less extravagance that we would normally expect from a Vivienne Westwood collection. Either way, the British designer's collection is still fabulous!

Cath Kidston: vintage inspired accessories

Having just purchased a Cath Kidston bag (and I can't wait for it to arrive!) I thought it most appropriate to write about some of my favourite pieces from her collection. As well as fashion and accessories, Cath Kidston also designs a range of decorative items for your home, which are vintage inspired. I could spend hours looking at the various different items available, from umbrellas to handbags. It's so varied and unique at the same time, and any of the items help to brighten up your outfit and still give it that vintage inspired feel.

There's so many different bags available in various prints, but I must say that I adore the flower prints. They're great for summer, but also help to brighten up your winter wardrobe when carrying them as an accessory. Here are some of my favourite prints - which one is your favourite?

Up next are umbrellas - a handbag essential for every girl! You never know when it's going to start pouring down with rain so it's good to be prepared. To help brighten up those miserable weather days, take with you a Cath Kidston umbrella. My personal favourites are the polka dot umbrella designs. Which one do you like best?

Many people are surprised when I tell them that Cath Kidston mobile phone cases are available. As well as protecting your phone from scratches and marks, the cases also add a fashionable edge to your everyday devices. I must say, the pink polka dot case stands out the most for me! What do you think?

  

With endless accessories and decorative items to choose from, you're sure to find something that you like from the collection. I also love the every day items such as train ticket holders, wallets and keyrings that add a certain sparkle to your handbag - and if you've got a Cath Kidston handbag already, they add twice the amount of sparkle!

Costume and character in the film 'Black Swan'

'Black Swan' is a film made in 2010 that centres around the ballet production of Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake' by a New York dance company. The film is a psychological drama that requires the ballerina (played by Natalie Portman) to play both the innocent white swan and also double up as the sensual black swan. Viewers are taken on a journey with the lead character as she discovers the dark side to herself, which in turn helps her to get into her role as the black swan. I thought the film was fantastic with an excellent story line and a twist at the end. I was equally impressed by the costume designs and the way that the ballet postures further emphasised the outfits.

  

I loved watching the elegant poses throughout the film, and also how Portman changes her character between the white and black swans. As you can see above, the white outfit on the left shows her portraying the innocent white swan and her posture and body language emphasises the shyness of this character. However, later in the film when she discovers her darker side, Portman shows viewers the black swan. As you can see on the right, her outfit is much more revealing with nothing covering her shoulders. This helps to emphasise the sensual side of the black swan. Her make up also helps to show this, with dark eyes and red lips that make her look more sexually desirable. 

I think it's very clever the way that the film makers differentiate between the two personalities of this character, as this can be seen throughout the film. Portman's character is seen at the beginning of the film wearing light colours such as pink, but as the film progresses viewers start to see her develop into a darker and more sexual character, which is also seen through her trying new outfits and new looks.

  

Vogue cover girls of 2011

                            
                                     

Happy new year to you all! Now that we are into the new year I thought it would be a good time to reflect on my favourite magazine covers from Vogue in 2011, before we start looking forward to the new covers of 2012! Appearing on the cover of Vogue in various months of last year we have Victoria Beckham, Kate Winslet, Alexa Chung, Keira Knightley, Kate Moss and Rihanna.

Which Vogue cover is your favourite?

Elizabeth Taylor's jewels

 

Elizabeth Taylor's jewellery sold for more than £80million this week at an auction at Christie's in New York. A three day auction was held this week and some items even sold for as much as 150 times their reserve price. The most expensive piece of jewellery sold was the 50-carat pearl, diamond and ruby necklace which is named La Peregrina. This was sold at £7.5million on the evening of Tuesday 13th December (see below).

 

Some of my favourite pieces from the auction also include the Sapphire Sautoir which sold for £3.8million, the Taj Mahal necklace that sold for £5.6million, the famous Antique Diamond Tiara for £2.7million and the iconic Liz Taylor Diamond ring that was given to her by Richard Burton in 1968. This ring sold for an amazing £5.6million.

                                                                       

                                    Sapphire Sautoir                                 Taj Mahal necklace

                                  

                                  

                               Antique Diamond Tiara                           Liz Taylor Diamond

The auction was a fantastic tribute to the Hollywood star, who sadly passed away in March 2011 aged 79. She was a true style icon with a fine taste in jewellery and is admired by many people all around the world.

                                         

Chanel's India inspired collection - 2012

  

Chanel took inspiration from Indian fashion for their latest collection for 2012. The collection includes a lot of white, gold and silver coloured outfits, as well as embroidered jackets. Karl Lagerfeld, the designer, explained that "it's all about refinement. It's the Paris version of the idea of India". He also said that "most of the inspiration is from Indian men's clothes rather than women's clothes". This can be seen with outfits such as white trouser suit as shown below on the left. Fine details like the embroidery and jewellery really make the collection stand out, and I think this India-inspired look will appeal to women all around the world.

 

Style tips: Looking fashionable during winter

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Well the winter is officially here and it's very cold! We're all tempted to snuggle up under a blanket in front of the fireplace for the next couple of months, but there are ways to keep warm and still look great whilst you're out and about. It can be very tempting to just throw on a baggy but warm jumper with jeans, put your coat on and some boots and walk out the door. But why not take on the cold winter and mix up different looks to keep yourself feeling and looking fabulous?

My first tip would be to invest in a few (two or maybe three) winter coats. If you look around, most people are wearing dark colours such as black, brown and grey. Whilst I think it's great to have a dark coloured coat like this because it does go with every outfit, I also believe in bringing a bit of colour to the winter season. For example, bright colours like red, blue and yellow look great during winter because they really stand out. So mix up which coats you wear on different days and try new colours.

My second recommendation would be to have some boots ready for winter. Again, don't be afraid to have different coloured boots - I think red and brown look fantastic during the autumn/winter seasons. Comfort is key when choosing boots, especially if you're going be walking in the frost and snow! So I would go for small heels like the ones shown below, or alternatively flat-heeled boots are always great and very comfortable.     

If you're looking for everyday jeans to wear during the winter, I always think that skinny jeans are the best. They show off your figure well and under a coat you can still see the bottom half of your legs, which is very fitted with skinny jeans. Dark and light blue jeans both look great and skinny jeans look even better with both heels and boots.

Up next is jewellery and accessories (my favourite part)! It's so important to accessorise your outfit in the winter as when you are walking around, all that can be seen is your coat and shoes. Jewellery and other accessories really make your outfit your own and you can put your own style to it. My personal favourites are rings and earrings. A little bit of 'bling' like the Gucci ring shown below, add some sparkle to your outfit. Similarly the earrings shown are also very eye-catching and bright and helps to add some colour to your outfit, especially if you're wearing dark colours. I'm a big fan of indian jewellery and I always love to add some indian earrings or a necklace to my everyday outfits.

                           

Lastly it's always good to finish off your look by applying make up. In the winter bright colours really do make a big impact, so be daring and try bright lip gloss like reds and pinks. Also try bright eye-shadows that stand out and help to give you that winter glow!