To print or not to print? That's the question!

It's been a while since my last fashion blog, but I have recently seen a lot of something which sparked me up to write a new blog!

There seems to be a 'print invasion' happening in the fashion world for both women's and men's fashion. I personally love print, especially on summer dresses to make a statement piece. However, has the print design gone too far?

We have become used to seeing print a lot more, especially since the summer started, but I have noticed that with men's fashion, the print has now 'invaded' the trousers! Printed shirts are a thing of the norm for men now, with various bright styles available (see image below).

For men, the statement pieces that make them stand out from the crowd are definitely now the print trousers. This has been displayed across all the fashion weeks across the world this year with floral prints for men being showcased by designer such as Tom Ford, Valentino and Gucci (see below for Ami and Tom Ford Spring/Summer 2014 prints).

 

It's certainly a bold statement and in 2012 The Guardian newspaper even had an article called 'Are British Men Ready To Wear Prints?' which shows how different and risky it was seen as at the time. Two years on and these print trousers are one of the highlights of fashion week around the globe! 

I think it's safe to say that these prints will definitely trend in men's fashion over the next few months. It's not a style for everyone, however it's good to try it and see if it fits in with your current wardrobe. The question you have to ask yourself is: will you print, or not print?

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Style for your home!

Although I usually blog about fashion, I thought it would be nice to write about style for your home as this is equally as important. It’s just as important to make your home feel good about itself as it is to make yourself feel good when shopping and dressing yourself in the morning.

I recently discovered the brand Duck Egg Designs who are truly unique in their vintage designs and ideas to decorate your home. I personally love the vintage style as it’s classic and will never be outdated. It also creates a warm and welcoming feeling for your home with so many different styles of vintage to choose from. Duck Egg have some great items in their online shop to choose from that will add a touch of classic vintage to your home.

Now here’s my favourite part – here are my favourite items on offer that would suit any home – my recommendations:

Fabrics 

Duck Egg are famously known for their fabrics. With a lovely range to choose from my personal favourite is the ‘Norfolk Crab’ print. I like the fact that it’s quite unique – imagine having the fabric in your bathroom! Now that’s something you wouldn’t see in a lot of people’s bathrooms. 

Items for the home

Another of my favourite items is the 1930’s Enamel jug. Described by Duck Egg as ‘shabby chic’, this decorative jug is perfect for adding a touch of vintage to your kitchen table. Alternatively, it can be used on garden tables as a decoration for when you’re entertaining guests during summer parties.

Poster prints

One of the latest products of Duck Egg Designs are their poster prints. These have to be my all time favourite product of the company as they are suitable for any room in the house. For example, the quirky posters such as ‘Don’t cry over spilt milk’ would be fantastic in any kitchen! The best one for me however is the ‘One day’ poster as it’s open for the observer to interpret it however they want – definitely suitable for daydreamers!

I would highly recommend Duck Egg Designs to anyone looking to decorate their home from scratch or even if you just want to add some sparkle to an area of your home. Have a browse through their lovely website - http://www.duckeggdesigns.com/

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Valentino - Fashion Exhibition at Somerset House

I was lucky enough to go to the stunning Valentino Exhibition at Somerset House in London - a beautiful collection of 130 of the designer's iconic dresses. All dresses were set out amongst a catwalk that viewers are able to slowly walk their way down and take in the breathtaking designs from the decades of the last 50 years. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves fashion and would be able to appreciate fashion at it's best.

The exhibition focuses on the handmade couture designs and some of the most iconic fashion pieces are on display. These include some of the dresses worn by celebrities over the years such as Grace Kelly, Julia Roberts, Jackie Kennedy and Gweneth Paltrow. I would highly recommend the exhibition to anyone who loves style and fashion as it is truly inspirational and shows some of the best fashion designs of the century.

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Vogue's Online Fashion Week

This week was the exciting annual Vogue Online Fashion Week where customers could take advantage of special offers and discounts from leading designers. The first week of December was perfect timing for such an event in the run up to Christmas, as the fashion fans were able to get their Christmas gift shopping done (as well as personal shopping of course).

Throughout the week there was special advice given by celebrities including Scarlett Johansson who shared her Christmas gift inspiration. With special blogs being posted on Vogue's website, there was something for everyone with opportunities to buy or just browse.

Offers and news were posted across the brand's social media sites, with the hash tag #OFW trending across Twitter conversations. Discounts and giveaways from brands such as Selfridges and ASOS were promoted through the social channels. On the last day of Online Fashion Week, Claudia Schiffer shared her Christmas present ideas along with other designers.

Overall it was a great brand piece by Vogue and was positioned well in December with Christmas just around the corner. With celebrity endorsements included, there were many ways to entice the Vogue audiences and acquire new ones.

Fashion meets Diet Coke!

During the commercial breaks whilst watching The X Factor last night, my eye was caught by the new Diet Coke campaign showing the latest designs by Jean Paul Gaultier. Promoted through TV ads, the two designs pictured above are the famous 'tattoo' and 'night and day' designs which are to promote the 'Love it Light' campaign by Diet Coke. 

As well as being promoted through TV commercials, there will also be digital marketing activity as well as print ads. The limited editions cans and bottles will be available in October. The campaign is a great way to bring both brands together and target an audience that loves both fashion and the well loved Diet Coke brand. I will certainly be purchasing one of the limited edition cans when they are released!   

Amrita Singh statement necklaces

Necklaces are the perfect way to change the way an outfit looks on you. From adding a splash of colour to a black dress to making a daytime outfit suitable for an evening event, statement necklaces are definitely the way forward.

I really like the amazing statement necklace collection by Amrita Singh. Her beautiful designs that have been inspired by Indian fashion are so versatile, and can be worn in both the day and night. For a special occasion you would ideally be looking at styles like the ones below. Covering most of the collar area, they are the perfect way to add glamour to any outfit. One of my favourites is the Camella Winter Necklace which is displayed in the middle.

For a day time look, there are plenty of pieces to choose from like simple beads or pendants. These simpler styles can go well even with a pain of jeans, or alternatively can brighten up a smart work suit. See below for some statement necklaces to wear with daytime looks.

Finally it's hard for me to pick one favourite statement necklace from Amrita Singh's collection, as there are so many to choose from! But if I really had to pick one I would say the Crystal Dune Necklace is at the top of my list. The blue and red stones complement each other well and the necklace is nicely eye-catching. Well it certainly caught my eye!

 

Ballgown exhibition at the V&A in London

I had a great weekend in London filled with shopping (obviously) and visiting art galleries and museums. I was particularly impressed with the Ballgown exhibition at the V&A gallery. The exhibition takes you through British glamour and fashion since 1950 with a stunning collection of ballgowns and evening dresses that have dazzled the red carpet. The exhibition included a selection of royal ballgowns, including a dress designed for the Queen Mother and Princess Diana's 'Elvis Dress' (see picture below) that was designed by Catherine Walker. 

I spent a good few hours in the exhibition and looked carefully at the designs and hard work that had gone into creating these beautiful ballgowns. It was great to see how fashion has changed dramatically from the early 1950's to the present day, and also how fashion today still incorporates styles from the 1960's and 1980's. I was impressed to see ballgowns designed by contemporary designers within the exhibition, such as Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. There was a particular white ballgown designed by Vivienne Westwood in 1994 that caught my eye, with the iconic Vivienne Westwood symbol embedded within the corset (see picture below).

I really enjoyed the exhibition and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in British fashion, or even if you just want to look at pretty dresses for an afternoon! The exhibition runs until January 2013 so there's plenty of time for a trip to London. 

Travelling and shopping in Thailand

               

I have recently returned from an amazing two weeks in Thailand at the end of April! I had a great time with some friends travelling around Thailand - from Bangkok to Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, a day in Burma and then back to Bangkok for the last few days. We had full packed days of travelling and our nights were for going out and exploring the Thai nightlife! It was definitely one of the best holidays I have been on so far and I can't wait to go back and see more of the country. One of the highlights for me was visiting the Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai, as well as the temples and seeing the reclining Buddha. Another highlight was of course, the shopping!

Those of you who know me know that I would not go abroad without exploring some of the best shopping areas. I decided to write this blog to share with you all the highlights of the shopping in Thailand. Firstly the capital city Bangkok is absolutely fantastic. Extremely busy and packed full of residents and tourists from around the world, it's a city like no other I've seen before. One of the busiest shopping centres in Bankok is MBK. Full of markets, restaurants as well as department stores, you've got everything you need there. I bought a few dresses from there, as well as lots of jewellery.

When we travelled up north to Chiang Rai, the major shopping mall was Central Plaza containing the Thai high street stores. My favourite store was Robinson as they had lots of lovely dresses, as well as jewellery and beauty products. Another shop that we became regulars in during our time in Thailand was the Beauty Buffet. It looks like a sweet shop but instead full of every beauty product you can think of! I even bought a sheep placenta face mask from there! Really good quality products at good prices, Beauty Buffet is heaven on earth. 

 

Finally the markets were great for grabbing bargains but I also noticed the stunning handmade jewellery. I found myself buying a necklace every time I walked past one of the market stalls! I've ended up with a beautiful collection of beaded necklaces in different colours to go with nearly every outfit. The necklaces are very much statement pieces because they are so prominent and eye-catching, so they can be the only piece of jewellery needed once worn. See below for examples of a couple of the ones I bought. 

Thailand is a beautiful country with so much to explore. There's lots more that I want to see next time I go, but within two weeks we managed to see quite a lot. Until next time Thailand!

Christian Louboutin celebrates 20 years

The French shoe designer Christian Louboutin is celebrating 20 years of the popular red soled shoes this year. An exhibition has been launched at London's Design Museum featuring hundreds of pairs of Louboutin heels - every woman's dream! The exhibition will showcase the designer's inspiration and designs over the last 20 years and be a great celebration of the successful brand. Visitors to the exhibition in London will be able to see every stage of the design journey, showing how a Louboutin shoe is constructed from the initial drawing and prototype to the actual production. 

I'm sure many women will agree with me that Louboutin shoes are every woman's dream and are shoes to be treasured forever. I'm always excited to see newly released shoes by Christian Louboutin and as well as looking back on the stunning designs from the past, I look forward to seeing the new and upcoming designs that will fill the boutique shelves in the very near future.

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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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