Things I need in my life 29.08

Surprise surprise, it has been all too easy to find things I want to buy this week. Maybe its the rubbish weather or maybe its the end of the month approaching but my mind is firmly on Autumn trends and my wardrobe has followed suit. Things I need in my life this week include a couple of stylish, look-more-expensive-than-they-are bags, some patent Chelsea boots and a paneled LBD. Black dresses may not be the most interesting of purchases but I keep seeing ones I like, particularly ones with panel details or cut-out sections. I feel it may become a favoured look this season.

(Clockwise from top left) 

Colour block bag, Boohoo, £25

Blue blazer, River Island, £50

Navajo printed poncho, H&M, £17.99

Black panelled dress, ASOS, £50

Gold cross earrings, Urban Outfitters, £8

Yellow fold over clutch bag, H&M, £39.99

Black patent Chelsea boots, Topshop, £100

Images:

http://www.boohoo.com/

http://www.riverisland.com/

http://www.hm.com/

http://www.asos.com/

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/

http://www.topshop.com/



DIY Nail Art

Happy Saturday all!

The focus of this post is slightly off my usual topics, more under the arm of beauty as opposed to fashion (although heavily linked to fashion as you will see). Nail art has been popular for the past couple of seasons, making its way onto the nails of models at Fashion Weeks and inspiring fashion and beauty fans alike. Undoubtedly, in the UK, WAH Nails is at the forefront of on-trend nail art, opening its first salon in Dalston in 2009 and now boasting stores in Topshop Oxford Street and Harvey Nichols in Dublin. The popularity of the WAH Nails 'look' has grown and grown; I made my first visit to the Topshop branch in December last year for some Christmas inspired 'frosty' nails and was very happy with the end results. Well worth a visit if you can get there!

If you don't live in London/Dublin however or are looking for a cheaper alternative, you will be as excited as I was to try out the WAH Nails and Models Own nail pen, available from numerous stores including Boots, Urban Outfitters and the Models Own website for a reasonable £6. The pen comes in black and white and has a thin nib on top and slightly thicker brush on the bottom to create different looks.

The WAH Nails website is a constant source of inspiration to me, frequently updated with images of different designs produced in their salons; favourites of mine include Prada Banana Print, Scrabble letters and the WAH Nails classic: leopard print. I gave the leopard print style a go myself and was pleasantly surprised, the pen is a lot easier to use than I thought, even when using the hand I don't write with! I've tried a bit of DIY nail art before (see first image) but using the pen makes a big difference and gives you many more options.

I am fairly pleased with the finished result:

To create this luminous leopard print style I used Pop Beauty nail colour in 'Orange' (one coat was bright enough), then added different sized spots of Models Own 'Carat Gold' and Nails Inc 'Shoreditch'. I then left it to try for a while before using the WAH Nails/Models Own pen in black to outline the pink and gold and add smaller spots and squiggles in the gaps. The orange shade is fairly garish so I wouldn't necessarily go this bright again but it should be perfect for Notting Hill Carnival tomorrow.

If you are a fan of nail art I would definitely recommend picking up one of the pens and experimenting with it; the steadier your hand the more intricate patterns you will be able to do. For inspiration, check out the originals here

Nail art pen image from www.modelsownit.com
Other images owned by Running in Platforms

Style inspiration: Bertie Shoes

As much as I love flicking through the catwalk looks from Fashion Weeks, my favourite part of the new season has to be seeing the campaign shoots for both high street and designer brands; how the clothes are put together, the models they use and the the locations they are set in. One particular high street brand whose AW campaign shots has caught my eye is Bertie; I find their adverts are continually of high editorial quality and always inspiring.

I love the retro tomboy feel to this first shot with the red and black colour palette and scarf tied in the models hair. The composition displays the shoes in a more subtle way that some other brands ad campaigns and that is refreshing to see.

The overall feel of the shoot is homely and warm with heritage elements including the chintzy lights and stags head in the second shot and bar in the background of the third. The shoot displays easy, natural style which seems to sum up the brand well. Needless to say I am in love with the metallic platforms in the below image and inspired by the burgundy tube skirt and leather jacket combination.

The third shot is coy and feels very natural; the inclusion of knitwear and denim shows the casual side to the collection.

Bertie always suceed in producing a strong AW collection and I can't wait to see the new styles landing into store and online soon! Check out their website here for more inspiration.

All images belong to Bertie Shoes - http://www.bertieshoes.com/

New jewellery

Apologies for the unimaginative title, it does what it says on the tin - I bought some new jewellery today and thought I'd share it with you.

After work I paid a fleeting visit to Forever 21 to check out the collection. I popped in a few days after the grand launch but it was far too full of slow moving people for my liking so I thought I'd leave it a few more weeks and brave it again. Having been impressed by their accessories and jewellery collection online and at their AW11 Press Day I was expecting big things and wasn't disappointed! The jewellery collection is extensive and very reasonable - earrings for £3, necklaces for £5 and I didn't see many items for more than £10. I picked up the below items and could easily have bought more; three necklaces and a pair of earrings for just over £20 was a bargain in my eyes. Definitely worth a visit if you live in London/Birmingham or have a look online here.

Gold torque necklace, £7.40

Gold long necklace with heart pendant, £3.90

Silver wing earrings, £3.15

Silver droplet necklace, £6.65

Image owned by Running in Platforms

Gaga in normal outfit shocker?

I couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted pictures of Lady Gaga almost passing for a normal human being whilst out in LA recently. Where was the rainbow coloured hair, food-based apparel and thigh high knickers? Don't get me wrong, I love Gaga's wacky dressing but was pleasantly surprised to see her trying out some (slightly) more subdued looks and ones that can be copied much easier than faux pregnant bellies and full face masks.

Whilst I love the striking print of the first dress, it is the all-black look that caught my eye: perfect for the dark sultry looks of AW11 seen in many a collection including Chanel, Giorgio Armani and Julien Macdonald. After seeing this picture of Gaga I will be buying the below dress from Boohoo that has caught my eye. The midi length is very flattering with a pair of platforms and the lace detail on the top keeps it interesting. And not to mention it's a bargain at £20!

Not the most original of looks from Lady Gaga but it's definitely one of her best so far. If it ain't broke...

Images:
http://www.zimbio.com/
http://www.glamourmagazine.com
http://www.boohoo.com/

Fashion makes it better

I can't start this blog post without mentioning the horrible scenes happening in London and around the UK at the moment. I've been shocked and saddened seeing the violence that has broken out and can't get my head around it. Sitting at home watching the news/refreshing my Twitter feed has proved to be a stressful task so I have decided to tear myself away for some temporary escapism and for me, that comes in the form of online (window) shopping. This is obviously not a solution to anything that's going on but I sometimes feel that a temporary distraction can be a good thing so I've gathered together a few items new-in stores this week that have caught my eye and hope you enjoy them also.

(Clockwise from left)

Backless dress, Zara, £39.99

Teal faux fur collar, River Island, £13

Black biker books with tartan lining, Forever 21, £27.75

Star print embellished tee, Topshop, £32

Burgundy denim jacket, Topshop, £42

Gold arrow earrings, House of Holland at Urban Outfitters, £38

Burgundy fluffy bag, River Island, £150

Unicorn necklace, Forever 21, £3.15

I'm developing a slight obsession with burgundy... expect to see more of it on here in the coming weeks!

N.B - Might I suggest some online shopping during the current conditions. Stay safe everyone.

Images:
http://www.zara.com/
http://www.topshop.com/
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/
http://www.riverisland.com/
http://www.forever21.com/

Puppy Love

It's officially still Summer but you and I both know that a) the sunshine is likely to be few and far between for the rest of the month and b) that the best clothes for the new season go in and out of store in a flash before you can say 'leopard print brogues and star print dresses'.

Who would've thought one of the must have items for next season would be inspired by these little guys?!

The Topshop Unique AW11 show began by showcasing this stunning Dalmatian print coat, complete with buns in the models hair made to look like dog ears. And Topshop have gone and produced a version for their mainline collection for £98 - a fairly reasonable amount for a good quality coat. I particularly love the black faux fur collar and cuff detail - can already see myself strolling through Central London on a chilly evening doing some Christmas shopping...

Images:
www.dailymail.co.uk
http://www.style.com/
www.topshop.com

Must have Mustard

(L-R) Acne, Chloe, Gucci, Proenza Schoulder AW11

My favourite thing about the AW catwalks: all the different colours. I can't wait to wear emerald green, tomato reds, royal blues and the mid season favourite: yellow. In case you've haven't noticed, its everywhere at the moment ranging from canary yellow to mustard - on shoes, bags, coats and blouses to name a few. Snap some up now for the perfect transitional look. Here are my favourites:

(Clockwise, from left)

Mustard midi skirt, Miss Selfridge, £22
Leather satchel bag, ASOS, now £30
Yellow pleated shift dress, A-Wear, £45
Mustard suede court shoes, Topshop, £65
Mustard cropped trousers, Topshop, £40
Printed shirt, Urban Outfitters, £40

Catwalk images from http://www.style.com/

Other images:
http://www.missselfridge.com/
http://www.asos.com/
http://www.awear.com/
http://www.topshop.com/
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/