Festival Chic

Ok, I know it's only April, but having seen numerous pics of glamorous celebs in the sun at Coachella Festival recently, I have been inspired to start (window) shopping for my festival wardrobe.






The festival look is all about being relaxed - you don't want to look too 'put together', so clashing prints is a definite do, along with slightly messy hair (don't forget that dry shampoo!) and a smattering of jewellery. I'm loving this print vest from Topshop (£22) paired with these Miss Selfridge floral shorts (£28). Add these elastic strap sandals from Schuh (£29.99) and this fringed bag from Warehouse (£55) and you're almost there.






For the final touches I'd go for these Hawaiian printed shades from ASOS (£10) and this feather print scarf from Miss Selfridge (£15). Now all you need is the tent and the ticket!




Images from:
www.glamourmagazine.co.uk
www.dailymail.co.uk
www.marieclaire.co.uk
www.fabsugar.com
www.topshop.com
www.missselfridge.com
www.schuh.co.uk
www.warehouse.co.uk
www.asos.com

Paint me a Rainbow

Spring is definitely here and there's no excuse for drab, dull make-up, particularly on your nails. I'm loving all the pastel shades in store at the moment and have rounded up my five favourite colours for you to give you some inspiration. Wear one colour clashing with a patterned outfit or all five at once, a la Pixie Lott.



L-R
Ciaté Nail Colour in 053 Refresher
GOSH Nail Varnish in 571 Wild Lilac
Inglot Nail Enamel in 707
Inglot Nail Enamel in 721
Revlon Nail Enamel in 028 Minted

Pixie Lott image from www.graziadaily.co.uk
Nails image owned by runninginplatforms.

On a more serious note

Aside from all the excitement of fashion as a whole, the new season trends and the glamorous models and celebrities that inspire us, I feel it is about time for the harder, less enjoyable side of fashion to be addressed. As a current fashion intern and someone who has been interning on and off for over a year now, recent events have inspired me to tell the true story of the fashion intern, the highs, but mainly the lows.

Having interned at a handful of consumer magazines (naming no names), I have grown disillusioned by the fashion journalism industry. As the typical story goes, a young girl grows up dreaming of working in the fashion industry, attending fashion shows and shooting beautiful models in even more beautiful clothes. She works her way through school but is plucked away by her fairy godmother to join the fashion magazine of her dreams and is able to start her successful career, maintaining optimism and pride throughout.

The modern day fashion industry* leaves you feeling the complete opposite of optimism and pride. The modern day fashion internship leaves you wondering what you went to university for - does your English/Drama/Journalism degree enable you to make the perfect cup of tea/coffee? Or buy the exact lunch menu as requested by the fashion editor? Do you even care?

When I first started interning I found myself keen to impress. Ever polite, always ready to accept a task, no matter how ridiculous and degrading it may be (e.g. "go and buy me some fresh basil for my dinner party this evening"). I knew what I wanted to do and in turn, what I was capable of, but put that aside to learn what I believed would be new and highly useful skills to add to my growing CV. However, five internships later and I find my blood boiling when I am asked to do yet another task that could easily be done by a trained monkey.

Fashion is a very challenging industry, particularly in these difficult financial times, and the top dogs at our favourite magazines are reacting to this by depriving us enthuastic would-be fashion assistants of our chance to work AND be paid for it. Slave labour may have been abolished, but fashion interns have been and are still working their little ankle socks off to impress their superiors for very little credit.

I myself am questioning my future in the fashion industry, particularly in the field of fashion journalism. I am fully aware that great success takes a lot of hard work, no one can walk into work on day one and become Anna Wintour. Whilst 'The Devil Wears Prada' may be a fictional story, it highlights some important truths. The central character tries her hand at being Miranda Priestly's, head of US magazine 'Runway's assistant, she eventually realises that the stress of the job and the lack of intellectual stimulation is not enough for her. She leaves her role at the magazine and eventually finds her ideal job at another publication. The moral of this story resonates loud to me and I'm sure to many other interns; will the fickle nature of the fashion industry keep me happy? And can I continue any longer being treated as a glorified slave by the rest of the fashion team, completing jobs they don't 'feel like' doing themselves?

I don't have the answer I'm afraid. But I know that the more time I spend interning, the less and less 'sparkle' the fashion industry will hold for me. I'm not saying I am about to turn my back on the industry and more importantly, my own dreams, but I am certainly setting my own personal time limit for my goals. If I don't achieve the coveted fashion assistant role by the end of 2010, then I will certainly be rethinking my options. I'm not the type of person to give up, especially on something I believe is in my grasp, but I am capable of knowing when enough is enough.

Perhaps I am selling myself short; not giving myself a reasonable chance to achieve my dreams. However, I choose to see it from the other side, a view I am sure I am not alone in feeling. It will be the fashion industry missing out on me; not the other way around. The industry needs to find a better way for nuturing it's future key players than treating us as little more than unpaid labour. Only then will the industry live up to the dreams that it is made of.

*from my experience, 2008 onwards

Image from:
salon.com

Move over LBD...

Now the sun is out I think it's time we all banish our black dresses to the back of the wardrobe until the end of September and make way for the LND... aka, the little nude dress, as modelled perfectly by the gorgeous Kate Bosworth.

So I've rounded up the best of the best from the high street and thrown in the perfect accessories to go with. Give it a go and you won't look back!


Rare, £50


Miss Selfridge, £30


Dorothy Perkins, £35

When it comes to accessories, too much black will ruin the softness of the look but hints of here and there are fine. Flowers and pearls compliment the look well but if you want an edgier look try this clutch from Topshop.


Miss Selfridge, £20


Topshop, £25


ASOS.com, £40

Images from:
profashionelle.com
www.rarefashion.co.uk
www.missselfridge.co.uk
www.dorothyperkins.com
www.topshop.com
www.asos.com

Clog Lust

This week I've mainly been lusting over... clogs.

Clogs are all over the high street at the moment thanks in part to Chanel's wondrous SS10 show but if you needed another reason to invest, take a look at this picture of the lovely Alexa effortlessly wearing a pair to the Chanel Couture show in Paris no less, looking stylish as ever.



Get the look for a whole lot less at Kurt Geiger for £160, wear with ankle socks and a lace dress.



Images from:
http://cdn.thefrisky.com
www.kurtgeiger.com

Lovely Legs

Thanks to Chanel, tattoo prints are all the rage this season. Models were sent down the hay covered runway (of sorts) at the SS10 show in elegant outfits paired with temporary tattoos around their wrists and thighs. For a budget friendly alternative try these Jonathan Aston tattoo print tights, available at mytights.com for £12.



Get the Chanel look and wear with an elegant tailored dress or dress down with a vest dress and a denim shirt. But whatever you do, do not accessorise with a shaved head and facial piercings.

Tights image from mytights.com, catwalk images from style.com.

New Season Jackets

I'm not sure about you, but I'm getting sick of my winter coat. Once smart and cosy, now covered in bits of fluff and with buttons popping off every 5 minutes. So in the spirit of Spring (which will hopefully make an appearance any day now!) I give you a round up of the most lust-worthy jackets to adorn yourselves with once the days get that little bit warmer.

First on the list is the nude blazer. Highly versatile and much more summery than a black or grey equivalent. Tailoring this season is far from the bold shoulders and stiff lines of AW09 and is a lot softer, relaxed and essentially more comfortable. This nude blazer from New Look is a steal at £18 and the soft jersey material is perfect for when the weather gets warmer.



Next up is the fail safe trench coat. Although don't be fooled into thinking it's boring; this season the trench gets an update and comes in a variety of colours and patterns. Try a bright pink or blue or a patterned number, this trench from Topshop for £80 is perfect for day and night and is far from dull.



Now the biker jacket has been around for some time in many different forms but this season ditch the black and go for a softer look in a grey style. This Miss Selfridge number isn't real leather so won't break the bank at £58 but the cropped sleeves will come in handy for throwing it over a dress come Spring time.



Last but by no means least is the military inspired jacket. Military coats were all over the high street last season and the jacket versions are likely to be the same. Khaki is obviously the key colour and is a lot more versatile than you may at first think. This one from Renewal at Urban Outfitters is a great casual cover-up, big enough to fit your layers underneath when it's cold and will look great over a petticoat dress when it gets that bit warmer.



Images from:
www.newlook.com
www.topshop.com
www.missselfridge.com
www.urbanoutfitters.com