The Style Floozie: style

Showing posts with label style. Show all posts

21/01/2014

I'm a little late saying this, but hell, who cares - Happy New Year everybody! I don't know about anyone else, but I'm thrilled to get rid of 2013. I know,I know, you should try and be positive but quite frankly mine was filled with useless men, silly phone companies, more lost and broken heels than I care to remember (and for a high heel obsessed girl like me, believe me, that's painful), a realisation that on turning 31 I'm older than Bridget Jones and STILL my Mr Darcy hasn't popped up and told me he likes me just the way I am... the only good things I think I discovered were to do with my hair. (Maybe that's a slight exaggeration.)

As shallow as it sounds, your hair is something that always makes you feel a million dollars if it's looking good - even if you don't genuinely feel great at that particular moment.

My first hair related discovery was at Lisa Shepherd Birmingham - located by 'Pigeon Park' and Colmore Row in the centre of Birmingham.

Having identified a gap in the market for swift colour treatments for ladies-on-the-go; be that busy businesswomen, busy mums or otherwise, and realising the popularity of the express styling and colour bars in the US, Lisa Shepherd embarked on creating a version for the UK market.

The Lisa Shepherd Express Color Bar was born. (NB - no that spelling of 'Color' is not a typo).

Now, anyone who knows me well enough should know that I've always been very into changing my hair colour. Frustratingly, yet wisely, my mother always forbid me to permanently dye my hair as a young'un, which meant that as a naturally very dark brunette, most hair colours would make very little difference when applied. Cue several cans of Wella Colour Mousse and a brightly dyed pillow, rather than hair, when I was 13 years old, as I desperately tried to prove my better knowledge wrong.

However, when I hit my twenties, I'd finished university and was earning proper money for the first time in my life, I decided to go blonde. Not just slightly, but fully. This was great until my hair started breaking off. So then I chopped my hair into a fab short bob, and dyed my hair bright red. I kept getting brighter and brighter until I started heading towards 30 years old - the age my mother started to go grey (incidentally this was after having me... hmmm) and I decided to dye my hair back to normal, let it grow out and restore my hair's condition.

Fast forward to now and I'm 31, still no grey hairs (well, I found one the other day, but that's the grand total, and it no longer resides on my head since I plucked it out instantly in protest to its presence), and I'm getting itchy feet - or rather follicles - again.

Being introduced to the Lisa Shepherd Color Bar - launched only in the latter end of 2013 - was fantastic. I still don't want to stray too far from my natural colour whilst it's an actual colour and not grey, so one of their express colour treatments - Glossy Locks - is perfect. For dark hair such as mine, the colour treatment adds a subtle hint of colour, but not only that. it acts as a super conditioning treatment too (hence the name of it) making your hair fantastically smooth and glossy.

I decided to try it out just before my birthday at the end of November and whilst the red colour gave my hair a warmer, richer tone, the glossiness was amazing, as was the feel.

The concept of the colour bar is that it is quick and you can style your hair how you like in the shortest time possible so that you can easily fit it into your day. I had an hour to spare, and that's exactly the time I was in there. A far cry from the 3 hours I previously spent in the hairdressers getting my hair coloured and over-styled!

For lighter hair, especially blonde, this is fantastic for an easy change of colour without committing to something too in-your-face!

Another option on the Express Color Bar is Fast Track. I have yet to try this, but never fear, there is no doubt I will be trying this out. This option works as ready made temporary brightly coloured extensions to add a striking flash of colour to your locks. Available in a selection of vivid colours, this is one sure-fire way to jazz up your look for that big night out, or simply for a bit of a change!

The added benefit of the new Lisa Shepherd Express Color Bar is the price. We all know that in general, getting your hair dyed professionally can cost an arm of a leg. Because these options are relatively quick-fix, despite delivering fantastic results all treatments are under or around the £30 mark. Conveniently quick, conveniently priced... there's lots of talk about your day to night outfit and fast face fixes for that office to evening glam look, well now there's an option to switch your hair in your lunch break ready for the night ahead!

Go and try it out ladies. We live in a world where everything is available 'now'. Well, now that applies to your hair.

For details about Lisa Shepherd salons and the new Express Color Bar, visit http://www.lisashepherd.co.uk/

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28/10/2013

Luxx Mint, Nicky Clarke, myself and Alev from What's On

Those of you who have wandered into the Mailbox in Birmingham recently may have noticed a few changes happening. One of which was the opening of a new Nicky Clarke Salon on the top level of the complex.

A few weeks back, I went along to check out the salon and take part in an exclusive Q&A session with the man that started it all off in the first place, Mr Nicky Clarke himself.

The legendary (in my eyes at least) Nicky Clarke was the one hairdresser 'to the stars' that always stood out to me from a young age. The styles he created were the epitome of style and glamour and I could only dream that one day I might have the opportunity to meet the man, let alone have him work his magic on my own hair. And well, the latter is still to be achieved, although he did do a couple of quick demonstrations on how to make the best out of my naturally curly hair (see photos via the link below).

Nicky and one of the hair stylists from his Birmingham salon doing a demonstration during the evening.

Listening to hair related issues and questions from myself and the small gathering of fellow Birmingham bloggers and media (including Fashion Mommy, Luxx Mint, Style Birmingham, Lucy Kite, What's On and Birmingham Mail) Nicky handed out advice, tips and tricks to each of us in the way only a true expert can. Whatever we threw at him he answered instantly, offering up effortless demonstrations and showing his skills at transforming anyone's hair within a matter of minutes. Well, he's not built his empire and reputation on being mediocre has he!

A snapshot of the Glossy magazine covers for which Nicky Clarke has done the styling, displayed in the new Birmingham salon in the Mailbox.

I have to admit, not usually one to come over all star struck (after all, I have drunkenly fallen off a stool in the presence of the Stereophonics before, much to the embarrassment of my friend who was working for them at the time and had invited me along) the little girl in me that used to burn bright red in embarrassing or overwhelming situations came back with a vengeance on realising that "oh, Nicky Clarke, the hairdresser I've always admired over any other is actually touching my hair". Yes, a moment of 'fangirling' hit me for a couple of minutes and my chest turned red and blotchy. As I'm sure my face did although I'm hoping my make-up was doing its job and hiding that. Sigh.

To see a few photos of the salon, Nicky and the guests during the evening, go HERE.

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09/10/2013

I said it a couple of weeks ago; September means STYLE for Birmingham, and the last weekend of the month certainly proved that.

No sooner had we (I) wound down from the Harvey Nichols AW13 fashion show, we were hit by another huge wave of style in a way only Birmingham can do it: Style Birmingham Live.

Always an exciting date to put in your calendar, Style Birmingham Live - for those who don't know - aims to showcase the best our fair city has to offer in the way of fashion and style from big name brands to some of the best independent fashion labels in not only the city, but the UK. Although being an honorary Brummie, I am a little biased when I say that of course.

The main event is always the Style Birmingham catwalk show, which this year seemed better than ever. Hosted by presenter of the moment Emma Willis and the fabulously camp Rylan Clarke (seen above), scenes showcased some of the best fashions the city has to offer from some of the best brands. I was only slightly disappointed to note that there were less independent stores involved this year, although visually it certainly didn't detract from the overall experience. In fact, if there was any chance of a dark shadow being cast over the whole thing, Rylan's teeth were on hand to bring some light back into the room (seriously, they were so white, Daz would be jealous!)

As well as this, and a whole heap of discounts, deals and demonstrations happening all over the retail offering in the city centre area, the other main attraction was the Bullring show.

Coincidentally the Bullring also celebrated it's 10th birthday this September and, with all eyes on the famous shopping centre, the Bullring team certainly pulled out all the stops, hiring no other than the gorgeous Mollie King to host the 7pm showing on Saturday 28th, with three of her beautiful The Saturdays band-mates (minus Frankie) joining her on the catwalk for a fantastic performance to round off the evening.

Well now, until that point I'd felt quite good having got myself all glammed up for the evening do following this show, but The Sats soon put a stop to that. Darn them for being so beautiful.

I was all dolled up in my black sparkly dress which I'd adjusted into a backless dress myself (see image below). Luckily, the only potential malfunction - my totally non supportive stick-on bra - didn't actually malfunction. Think using your cutch bag as an inconspicuous way to run through Debenhams holding your boobs in place so they didn't fly up and hit someone in the face, or worse, your own face, before send so-called bra flying to the floor. In fact, I was quite impressed with this £4.99 investment from Primark. It was even still stuck to me when I woke up the next morning (I think wine may have had something to do with the fact I forgot to peel it off!) and earlier on in the evening a lady even asked me "are your boobs real?". Yes, yes they are. I hope that question was meant as a compliment.

All in all, Style Birmingham was a great success and I'm sure the many people who visited Birmingham especially for it will have had a fantastic time. That goes for the retailers too, as it has since been reported there was a 35% increase in footfall on last year's event.

Just one little thing I'm going to leave you with, which was an unexpected surprise as me and my friend wandered down New Street on the Saturday afternoon...

Whether this beat-boxer knew he was going to have a slightly larger audience than usual due to it being Style Birmingham that weekend or not, he certainly chose the right day to show off his vocal talents. Fantastic stuff!

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20/09/2013

Last week saw the highly anticipated Harvey Nichols Birmingham Autumn/Winter 2013 fashion show. My previous blog mentioned how its popularity had been growing fast over recent years and this time was no different. With the 'frow' seating a host of footballers, WAGs (including Danielle O'Hara) and other local celebrities and more people than seats, the pressure was on for the sell out event to showcase the top fashions available to those who want to stand out from the crowd over the coming season (purse strings allowing of course).

With both menswear and womenswear being strutted down the catwalk, it was clear to see which emerging trends are set to be the focus for customers of the luxury designer store.

With a personal passion for shoes, naturally my eyes would gravitate to the feet clip clopping down the runway. But even those who aren't bothered so much about shoes (how can you not love shoes?) couldn't miss the footwear on show; some of it was certainly eye-catching. Take the fluorescent yellow men's high tops for example or bright pink ladies high heeled sandals. Lush!

Now Harvey Nichols have always been good when it comes to eveningwear and yet again they didn't disappoint. Surprisingly however, my favourite outfit wasn't from the womenswear department, but from the men's. A rather dapper, yet slightly quirky suit from Vivienne Westwood got my vote in this department, with the cane by Alexander McQueen taking the prize for best accessory. I love something a little bit different. Don't take my word for it though, check them out below.

Left: Vivienne Westwood suit, Christian Louboutin shoes. Right: DSquared jacket & bow tie, Givenchy shirt & trousers, Christian Louboutin shoes, Alexander McQueen cane.

A firm favourite in ladies eveningwear will always be Philip Armstrong, and his distinctive style stood out once again in a beautiful purple dress below:

Philip Armstrong dress, Sophia Webster shoes

More ladies eveningwear:

Left: Jenny Packham dress. Jimmy Choo shoes & bag. Right: Rachel Gilbert dress. Jimmy Choo clutch

A big trend I see coming out for AW is leather. It's already creeping into high fashion stores all over the place and Harvey Nichols had some fantastic pieces to offer the girls from a gorgeous leather panel dress by MuuBaa to leather jeans and leather skirt. Teamed with a fake fur jacket - as demonstrated - this is certainly a trend for the fashion forward.

Left: SGM coat, Muubaa leather trousers. Centre: Unreal fur coat, MuuBaa leather panel dress, Jimmy Choo shoes. Left: Unreal fur jacket, Pinko leather skirt, Jimmy Choo Shoes

Casualwear also caught my eye this time, with my favourite look from the show being a bold zebra knit by Escada Sport teamed with T by Alexander Wang leather jeans. The causal jeans, knit and stilettos (below) was also an easy, but great look. As with all jeans though, it is of course all about finding the right fit for you.

Left: Escada Sport cardi, T by Alexander Wang leather jeans. Right: Acne jumper. Rag & Bone jeans. Sophia Webster shoes. Stella McCartney bag.

Finally, there's been much of a hoo-haa about 'the pink coat' proving very popular as a trend this season. Not one to miss out on this hot seller, Harvey Nichols also pulled out this gorgeous hot pink wool coat by Marlene Birger.

Marlene Birger coat, Escada Sport trousers, Paul Smith jumper, Stella McCartney bag, Alaia ankle boots.

Other trends featuring throughout were prints - clashing and mixed - for ladies and there were several pieces in mens casualwear featuring skull designs.

All in all a fantastic show from Harvey Nichols. Now if you will excuse me whilst I go and argue with my bank manager over how much money I'm planning on spending...

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04/09/2013

September is always a good month for the style queens and fashionistas of Birmingham, and this year it's going to be bigger and better than ever.

We have Style Birmingham Live taking place towards the end of the month, the Bullring and its iconic Selfridges store celebrates its tenth birthday (which also makes me feel old as I was a student working in a store there when it opened)... but first up is something I always look forward to: the Harvey Nichols Birmingham Autumn/Winter Fashion Show.

Once held in store with just a rejig of space, the event keeps on getting bigger and bigger. It's now become so popular that the Spring/Summer show earlier in the year had to be moved to a huge space in the Old Post Office building within the Mailbox complex, where it will be held again this time.

Set to showcase the very best in designer collections, the catwalk event will be staged this coming Tuesday September 10 and will feature striking new season ranges from Christopher Kane, Kenzo, Stella McCartney, Gucci, Markus Lupfer, Christian Louboutin and Philip Armstrong.

Always an event that manages to pull out a few well known faces from the football world (and, of course, their 'WAGs'), for this event the luxury store has gone one step further, teaming up with Professional Player – the magazine delivered to all UK professional footballers. And quite frankly, they might as well - the number of Guccis and Louboutins these so-called WAGs - and no doubt the footballers themselves - are rumoured to splash out on, they'd be missing a trick if they didn't make it an official partnership!

Harvey Nichols have, incidentally, also recently announced their expansion plans for the Mailbox site, so the catwalk show should hopefully give us a taste of things to come.

Richard Vickery, General Manager of Harvey Nichols Birmingham commented: “This will be our biggest show to date in such an amazing venue.

“We are expecting the most exclusive front row yet – it certainly will be the event to see and be seen at.”

That's good enough for me! Roll on Tuesday!

INFO:

Tickets cost £15 and the evening will kick off with a Champagne reception at 7pm. Following the show, guests can enjoy an exclusive 15% discount in store. There will be a charity auction, hosted by TV presenter Nick Hancock, with money raised going to the footballers’ charity XPro.

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09/07/2013

Summer has finally arrived! Hurrah! So what's on our minds? COCKTAILS of course.

Well, to be quite frank, I'd happily consume a cocktail at most times of the year. Bar Christmas where it's Champagne for breakfast, wine for dinner and any of Tia Maria on ice, Baileys on Ice, a wee dram or a little drop of Port to end the day. I do eat as well, by the way.

But back to cocktails. I live not too far from Birmingham's fabulous Mailbox complex, brimming with restaurants and bars, many with a lovely sun terrace at the front overlooking the canal. As it happens, most of these restaurants and bars serve an array of cocktails. Fancy that! So residing nearby it would obviously be rude not to take advantage on occasion.

When I was asked to try out a few cocktails alongside fellow cocktail sipping bloggers and journalists alike (pictured), I chuckled to myself "try cocktails at the Mailbox? I'm practically part of the furniture - I know what's there already", but naturally I went along with it.

Beginning with an Argentinian wine tasting session held in the Project Emerge installation currently on the lower floor of the Mailbox, I was running a little late from work and had to play catch up. How often do you arrive somewhere and someone hands you a glass of bubbly and a wine at the same time and tells you to hurry up and taste them because they're on the third already? This evening was starting well (I am a self confessed wino, for those who don't already know).

I have to 'fess up now, I have no idea what the wines were, but they were all delightful. One was a Malbec - the creme de la creme of reds in my opinion. Not for a hot sunny day though unless you want to end up slumped in a corner with a woozy head.

Following this we headed to Epernay for my favourite type of cocktail - champagne! I tried an orange based cocktail which wasn't actually to my taste as I'm not a big fan of anything orange (aside from the colour), however, that flavour aside, I believe they were all rather delicious. This was quickly chased up by a creamy lemon meringue cocktail. Yummy, but rather rich and I daresay, too many and you probably wouldn't be feeling so clever!

Next we headed to steak restaurant Miller and Carter. I actually had no idea that this had a bar area you could just head up to for drinks, so this was a nice surprise. Ordered to "choose any cocktail on the menu" I naturally went for another champagne cocktail (again, cannot remember what it was, but it was a delight), before we were moved onto Malmaison for a cocktail demonstration and making workshop; a lot of fun. And no, I definitely cannot remember what my cocktail was at this point - we were shown a variety, all of which I've forgotten, but I'm terrible with names anyway (at least that's my excuse).

In honesty, we only sampled a fraction of the cocktail and culinary offerings available at the Mailbox. Any more and I'd have most definitely ended up on the floor. As I was going to see Aswad at the Jam House after this that would not have been a good move! (Aswad were AMAZING by the way).

The Mailbox have incidentally launched a cocktail app for Facebook that should help you find where to go for your favourite type of cocktails, and in this weather, there's most definitely a need for it! They're also currently running a competition whereby if you upload a photo of your favourite cocktail to the page and it receives the highest number of votes, you could win a very nice little prize.

Need anymore excuse to sample a few cocktails? No, didn't think so. Head over here to check out what other people have been drinking, then go check it all out yourself!

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25/03/2013

It may only be a pipe dream for now, but one day, just one day, we might be able to simply 'print off' our new outfits. And I'm not talking the kind of cut-out 2D paper 'outfits' we used to play around with on cardboard cut-out paper figures when we were younger (if you're 30 years old or above that is - ie before technology was the norm!), I'm talking actual, tailor-made, fit-you-like-a-glove 'proper' outfits.

Take a look at this:

This is Dita Von Teese in what is thought to be the world's first 3D printed dress. It is made from hardened powdered nylon that allows movement, lacquered black and adorned with 13,000 Swarovski crystals, and is designed to fit Dita's body perfectly.

The dress is the result of a collaboration between designer Michael Schmidt who is famous for creating Lady GaGa's bubble dress, and architect Francis Bitonti, who renders designs with new technologies in unusual material.

Created virtually before being printed, by 3D-printing design studio Shapeways, the design had to incorporate 17 unique pieces to make the fabric work with the body as coming out of the printer it is not as malleable as most material used for clothing.

Now, this took three months to create, so saying that it's going to take off any time soon would be a sily statement - as well as the significant time frame, there would also be a significantly large cost associated with it at the moment. However, if you look back at how fast technology has developed over just the past decade, then I wouldn't be surprised if in the next decade or so we do actually see this kind of technology working its way into mainstream fashion, in some way or another. Watch this space, and remember, you heard it here first ;).

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22/03/2013

After taking in London Fashion Week recently, we're all set to keep an eye out for our favourite trends for A/W 2013. But what will we be wearing during the spring/summer months that come beforehand?

As it is now well renowned amongst those in the fashion 'know' in Birmingham, Harvey Nichols will be putting on their annual Spring/Summer show just in time for you to invest in your new season wardrobes.

Due to its increasing popularity over the eight years the event has been running, this year's show will be staged in the Old Post Office at The Mailbox – where last year’s Style Birmingham Live was held – on Thursday March 21.

Naturally I shall be there along with several of my super-stylish friends, and guests may well expect to see a few familiar faces in the form of regional sporting and media 'celebrities'. A couple of years back I was seated (much to my joy) opposite the lovely face of Aston Villa 'hero' Stiliyan Petrov... and his rather beautiful wife who certainly had her eye on a few stylish little numbers sashaying down the catwalk. Maybe at this point I should probably just point out something to the wannabe WAGs amongst you; footballers there may very likely have their wives or girlfriends in tow, so I would just stick to oggling the fashion if I were you. Nothing is more loyal than a good high heel so don't miss your chance to find your perfect Louboutin!

The latest collections from the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Roberto Cavalli and Christian Louboutin will be on show and should you spot anything you want, the good news about the Harvey Nics show is that they will always show fashion they currently, or will be getting in stock so you could even pop up and make your purchase after the show. Unless of course you're on a pauper's budget, in which case you'll just have to sit there and drool for a while. Don't worry, we all do it. Very regularly in my case (metaphorically speaking of course, not literally!).

So, tickets... what? When? Where? How?

Tickets cost £15 and the evening will kick off with a Champagne reception at 7pm. Following the show, guests can enjoy an exclusive 15% discount in store. Tickets are available from the Personal Shopping team, online at www.theticketfactory.com/harveynichols or by calling 0121 616 6008.

See you there!

(26 February 2013)

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Ladies, you know those moments when you open up your wardrobe, look inside, and think to yourself "I have nothing suitable to wear"? Well, I find this happens every morning when I'm getting ready for work.

Sometimes everything just feels too 'dull', but most of the time I'm left wishing for a totally new body shape, so that when I want to wear a smart, tailored dress that fits in all the right places, is comfortable AND flattering, I can, rather than having to make do with not-quite-tailored alternatives that whilst they might look OK, still don't give the crisp, clean look that I'm after. And unless someone starts stitching about three different sizes together (that would be for my bust, my waist and my apparently 'child bearing' hips), then when it comes to tailoring, I fear I am doomed.

Until now.... (and by the way, H&M, thanks for assuming that every woman in the UK is of a 'straight-up-and-down' shape, which effectively penalises me by the cut of your clothes for actually having a bottom, by regularly forcing me into far from perfectly fitting and much larger sizes than I should be)

Childhood friends Sarah and Louise met at the age of 10 years old, and even back then they were very in-tune with what they did, and did not want to wear. Fast forward a few years and business success to boot, and they still share a passion for fashion, realising the problems many women in business are faced with when dressing comfortably and suitably for work. Not ones for wearing unflattering trousers suits - like myself - they wanted to be able to wear a simple one piece, that not only fits comfortably, but flatters and can be accessorised in a variety of ways. Note, that by 'one piece' I mean a dress, ladies, not catsuits or onesies.

I was lucky enough to be invited along to a launch of their first capsule dress collection - held at Hotel La Tour - recently, to find out just what was different about their dresses in comparison to the dresses you might find down the high street.

My verdict? Well, first of all, on the hanger the clothes look extremely classy and well made, but the winning formula within the dresses is that it is not just the outer fabric that has a good element of stretch within it, but the lining does too. Ever tried on a dress that is stretchy on top but has no give in the lining? Yeah. Slight design flaw in my opinion. You'll find that every Cecily dress contains the element of stretch throughout, so if you're a size 10 on the top, with a small waist and a slightly larger bottom (like myself), then this could be your solution.

The downside is the dresses don't come cheap - they're between £260 - £350 each, but if you can stretch to those prices for one or two good quality, versatile and very flattering staple wardrobe items, that will effortlessly take you from office to evening do, then you perhaps need look no further.

My favourite is the 'Angel' dress in teal. To view this and the full collection, visit www.wearcecily.com.

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Now that 'Mr Selfridge' is on our screens (although I must confess I didn't watch it - instead I caught up on Twilight so I could see the latest released one... I know, I know), I think it's time to talk about a little trip I took to one of his iconic 'Selfridges' stores. In fact probably the most iconic store in Birmingham, based purely on it's widely recognised exterior design.

Back in December, myself and a few fellow bloggers were given a sneak peak ino the trends Selfridges Birmingham are, and will be helping you fill your new season wardrobes with. As much as I'd like to say I got to test drive some of these, unfortunately I didn't, although I did get a lovely smokey eyed mini make-over on the Illamasqua stand in the beauty hall, and a glass or two of prosecco and some lovely food courtesy of Itihaas in the foodhall (one of the more recent, and welcome additions - their restaurant in the Jewellery Quarter is fab).

So, what's on offer? Well, much to my delight I was already wearing a (slightly tamer) shade of one of the big colour trends for spring/summer this year: tangerine. For the full effect, look to Roland Mouret and Victoria Beckham and one of their super flattering dresses, and you're onto a winner.

Also to my delight, black, white, monochrome, shiny and sheer are set to be big news too, along with big, bold accessories, and some in one of my personal vices: snake.

Black and white, either seperately or together in monochrome have long been a favourite of mine. Crisp, sharp, and unless you're doing it in leggings or shapeless jersey/sweat styles (I'll let you off for duvet days) the cominaion, when done well can often be super-flattering. The monochrome also fits in with the geometric prints as seen on the catwalks of Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Missoni and Sportmax

White and black were both featured on catwalks in shiny and sheer fabrics, which you will find on the rails of Selfridges, as well as in the trouser (cropped and slim) and suit silhouette. Now, since I put on weight over the last few years, I have been a little scared of buying trousers. Having being dealt a generous portion of a body part called buttocks, I find trousers rather difficult to buy - particularly in a size I would like (as opposed to skirts, in which I can always find a much better fit). So as much as I like this trend, I think I need to take me own advice, which I would give to you all, and that is to get over the size label on your clothes, and look at the fit instead. There is no point in squeezing into something too small, as it will only make you look bigger, having the opposite effect of what you were hoping to achieve.

You could of course become a runner which, count my words, soon gets you into shape. This is my plan for the next few months - driven partly by the fact I just signed up to a half marathon in April - my first in over two years!

Accessories I am pleased to say are big, bright and bold... my favourite was from the selection on offer on the top floor: Chloe, snakeskin with chain 'stitching' and handles.

For the boys, it was a 'Preppy Riviera' look: think pastel and white, tailored trousers or shorts, teamed with polo shorts and light coloured blazers.

Block colour, geometric and bold prints and shiny fabrics were also the order of the day, much as with female fashion (so those of you who like to dress 'his and hers' can do so if you wish!).

There was also an extension of the popular streetwear trend, to luxury streetwear - oversized jackets, tops, shorts, in luxury fabrics and luxury embellishment. A word of caution on this trend though - don't go overboard - it can be a hard trend to pull off if it is too different from your usual style!

All in all, I think the big trends from the s/s 2013 catwalks have filtered down well across the selection within Selfridges, and I certainly had a good giggle with my fellow bloggers during our preview evening.

As with any trend, make sure it suits you before investing, and if you're not brave enough to do block colour, or print (for example) head to toe, then don't. Do a couple of pieces, or just do the accessories. And remember, you don't have to spend a fortune. It's not what you wear, it's how you wear it. The pair of shoes I always get complimented on in the street at the moment were a tenner from Primark. There, I said it!

(9 Jan 2013)

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21/01/2014

Lisa Shepherd launches new Express Color Bar

28/10/2013

An Evening With Nicky Clarke

09/10/2013

Fashionistas Flock to Birmingham for Style and The Saturdays

20/09/2013

All bright on the night at Harvey Nichols Birmingham AW13 Fashion Show

04/09/2013

September means Style in Birmingham

09/07/2013

Fancy a cocktail?

25/03/2013

The Future of Fashion - Straight From Your Printer!

22/03/2013

Your Spring/Summer 2013 Wardrobe Sorted With Harvey Nichols

Cecily Dresses: Your Perfect Fit

Next Season, According to Mr Selfridge

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