Monday 30 January 2012

Bonjour Madame

That's about as far as my French stretches, I'm afraid. Today I thought I'd post about Paris Fashion Week. I wasn't really sure where to begin or which shows to choose from as there were just way too many amazing collections that got me all too excited for this spring/summer. It was a how-to in feminine dressing and there was even a carousel.


                                  So pretty!

                                           
                                Louis Vuitton

Marc Jacobs collection was prim, perfect and pastel. The models rode on a fairground carousel before prancing down the catwalk. There was a modern take on the broderie anglaise with everything from full skirts, boxy jackets and mod shirts made from the material all in candy colours picked straight from a sweet shop. Peterpan collars are also back but this time delicate and lacy in snow white, pale peach and navy blue. I especially loved the finale dresses that reminded me of something from a fairytale, broderie anglaise (i want lots of for this season), full skirts all lightly dipped in dreamy shades and flecked with feathers which made the models (including Kate Moss) look as if they were transforming in to beautiful swans.




                                                                                                                   Chanel

Karl Lagerfeld or God as I like to think of him has once again succeeded in creating an incredibly beautiful collection. This time he took everyone under the sea to an etheral wonderland, including Florence Welch singing from inside a large oyster shell. He used  iridescent fabrics in  pretty blush hues and soft creams on pencil skirted twin sets. Feminine full sillhouettes on multi coloured organza dresses, delicate embellishment on sheer shrugs and frayed knitwear making the collection a textural feast.



                                                       Florence looking beautiful.



                                 Elie Saab

In my eyes, Mr Saab can do no wrong in the evening wear department. This time making his models look like beautiful birds of paradise. The collection started with delicate creams before moving up the colour scale from rich peachy tones to emerald greens and to royal blues. There was low cut, floor sweeping gowns covered in light reflecting sequins. Lace trimmed dresses and thigh high splits giving as little as peek of flesh to a whole lot of leg. He kept it demure, elegant and classic but added some fun with a spectrum of colours and fabrics. I'd most definitely be opting for Elie for this years awards season.


                                     Givenchy

Ricardo Tisci used tailored minimalism in his collection and did it very well. He teamed skinny trousers or shorts with oversized masculine blazers and simple shirts in soft hues of pinks and cream or darker in khaki and black. Similar to Chanel he went aquatic with delicate and intricate sheers, iridescent fabrics and long flowing hemlines, making me think of a mermaids tail. Huge shark tooth like pendants were even hung round models necks giving another nod or should that be wave (sorry) to the ocean.


                                          
                                  Haider Ackermann

Loose androgynous tailoring dominated Ackermann's collection. It was luxurious yet dreamy and relaxed, in rich silks, linen, sheer chiffon and leather. Prints were played with slightly, seeing fancy paisley and plaid decorating some of the garments. It was the colour though that was centre of attention with incredible jewel tones, burnt oranges, burgundy, olives and cobalt. It reminded me of an expensive trip to Arabia or a billionaires lounge with extravagant men in smoking jackets.

Trends
  • Colour-whether pastel or bold
  • Feminine-lace and broderie anglaise
  • Tailoring
  • Aquatic-iridescent materials and mermaidesque hemlines
  • Full skirts
  • Boxy jackets

I thought I best also let you know that I have joined lookbook.nu and have teamed up with my lovely friend Lauren  to take some outfit posts. So no more awkward, blurry mirror shots, wooh! We're meeting up Thursday for out first photoshoot, not sure how it will go. We'll both probably laugh the whole time but fingers crossed we will get some good pictures.

Love
Jade x

Saturday 28 January 2012

Body Art

Since posting about Fearne Cotton I have been searching various tumblrs like a mad woman trying to discover some new inspiration for a tattoo. I already have six dotted randomly on my body but would really want to add to my collection. Tattooing is defintely an addiction for me, it all started at 18 with the obligatory three stars by my hip and now has become something I regularly spend money on. If I had my way I would be covered in them as I think they're a beautiful way of expressing yourself. Unfortunately, I know not all jobs allow visible tattoos and my bank balance will not budget a full body suit.

I've been thinking along time about getting a rose (not sure on the location yet) as I love the detail that can go in to them and I'm also a fan of more traditional tattoos, like the swallow I already have on the top of my thigh. My left forearm is feeling a bit bare and I want to balance out the key I have on my right arm. I really like the flying birds, as I see them as a sign of freedom and there's something about birds that I really adore, so I'm tempted to get them swooping from my elbow to my wrist. However, my mum would kill me. When she saw my last tattoo; Oasis (one of my favourite ever bands) lyrics wrapped around my left side across my hip she tried to make me promise not to get any more. Good job I didn't promise. Not all of my tattoos have meanings, some are memories, reminding me of a certain time in my life, for example the feather I have on my back which was a 21st birthday present from my best friends at uni. All I need to do is save some money and find a design that I love.

I've saved some pictures in a tattoo inspiration folder I have on my computer so thought I'd share them with you.















I would love a sleeve but I just don't know if I could pull it off or if I'd have the balls to get such a statement piece.





Boys with tattoos are seriously hot too...swoon.

Whilst on the topics of tattoos it got me thinking of the controversy of Jean Paul Gaultier's Amy Winehouse inspired collection he's shown at Paris Fashion Week.


The models were head to toe Winehouse; towering beehives, lashings of eyeliner and all dressed in couture versions of the late singers outfits, from polo shirts, knee length pencil skirts and even a wedding dress designed with his muse in mind.

Her dad has since hit out claiming that the show is in 'bad taste' as family and friends are still grieving Amy's death. I do see where Mitch Winehouse is coming from as it must be extremely difficult to see lookalikes of his daughter tottering down the run way, cigarette in hand whilst looking disheveled, leaving people with the memory of her later troubled life not with her incredible talent.

I do believe however, that Jean Paul Gaultier hasn't done it in a vicious way. He has since stood by his collection saying how Amy was a 'style icon'. I do agree with him and whilst she was at her best I loved her signature 1950s inspired look and there are parts of the collection I can imagine Amy wearing whilst belting out some of her classics on stage.

Unfortunately, I do think he maybe could have waited a bit longer before creating a collection like this. Instead of using models glamourising her addictions they could have represented her when she was well and healthy.

Love
Jade x

Thursday 26 January 2012

Style Icon-Fearne Cotton

I am not going to lie to you. I do actually want to be Fearne Cotton. She always looks incredible and has one of the coolest jobs ever. My friends all know about this admiration and love I have for her, so I thought I'd share it with you too. In this post I'm just going to focus on her style which as I'm sure you are aware, she has vast amounts of. I regularly look to her for fashion, make up and hair inspiration. It's the way she mixes vintage, high street and high end pieces so effortlessly that I love, but always adding an indie, quirky, feminine take on it which I often try to emulate.

                                                           (telegraph.co.uk)
Like here at the Mulberry a/w 2011 show in a beautiful boho inspired maxi dress and boyfriend blazer.


                                                           (ministryoffashion.co.uk)

Or above in a gorgeous purple silk dress with her staple of winged eyeliner and lots of jewellery.

                                                                      (dailymail.co.uk)

Her red carpet style is also amazing too, deciding to go black tie rather than ball gown. With her tousled hair and pink lips adding a lady like touch to this androdgynous suit. I even took inspiration from this photo for my outfit at New Years 2010.

Radio 1 used to do a fashion photo diary of Fearne showcasing what she wore to work every day. Sadly, they don't do it anymore as I used to love checking in to see what clothes Fearne was rocking. I was always ridiculously jealous. Here are a few of my favourites.

 I love the scarf used as a tie.
 The baggy jumper, white shirt and skinny jeans is now a wardrobe go to for me.
Pattern clashing. 
White shirt and oversized jumper again but this time with a knee length pleated skirt.  
 I want this shirt.
 Effortlessly chic in a cute black dress with skinny waistbelt, sandals and long charm necklace.

I am also a massive fan of 'Celebrity Juice' as I find Keith Lemon hilarious. I also obviously love it because of Fearne and I'm always intrigued to see what she wears each week. Whether it's pretty shirts in various prints and fabrics buttoned up with scarves and ribbon as ties or patterned dresses she always looks 'bang tidy'. I hope you all saw her at the NTA awards that were on last night, she wore a beautiful beaded Temperley London 1920s flapper dress which suited her vintage look down to a tee. She accessorised it with a quilted Chanel bag and matching red heels and lipstick.


As I'm sure you have gathered now I wasn't joking when I said I was a big Fearne fan. I will definitely be following her for fashion inspiration for this summer. Plus all this Fearne research is making me want more tattoos (mum will not be happy) and to cut my hair short (need to look back at hair porn post) .  

Also have you seen the nominations for the Oscar's? I've been rubbish and barely seen many of the films nominated so I can't really give a valid opinion. So I'm just going with George as he's a silver fox and Meryl as she's a legend, cannot believe she's been nominated 17 times. It's insane. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan too so wouldn't mind them winning an award also.

Going to a pub quiz tonight so need my thinking cap on.

Love
Jade x

I

Tuesday 24 January 2012

Food Coma

On Sunday three of my friends and I got dressed up and went to the Bluebell pub in a village near where we live for a posh roast. It was amazing. We all battled through the three courses and ended up being very full and content. That however, didn't stop us from stopping off at Wilkinsons on the way home for a bag of pick and mix for tea. Surely strawbs, apple cables and sour cherries count towards your five a day...or maybe not. I always think Sunday's are a day of excess and an excuse to eat way too much and thats what we definitely did.

I wore my tea dress and oxblood Topshop Chelsea boots.






For starter me and two of my friends had a haddock fishcake in a creamy and mild curry sauce, topped with crispy leeks. My other friend had tomato and basil soup which was decorated with a swirl of basil sauce, it looked delicious.



For main we all chose roasts, either opting for beef or pork. Normally you expect portion sizes in nicer restaurants to be small but this wasn't the case here. We were served a few slices of meat, two fluffy homemade Yorkshire puddings and then dishes filled with smooth mash potato, crispy roast potatoes, caulifower cheese, carrot and swede mash and a meaty thick gravy.


I unfortunately couldn't manage that massive plate as I decided that saving room for dessert was a much better option. I have a serious sweet tooth so often the pudding menu is more important than the other two. We all chose different which was excellent as we got try each others. There was a rich sticky toffee pudding smothered in butterscotch sauce, a tangy and smooth caramelised lemon tart with buttery pastry, a decadent and indulgent chocolate cheesecake and a hot, comforting apple and blackcurrant crumble with a sweet chewy topping, all served with icecream. Don't they look incredible?


In between the meal and pick and mix we stopped off for a walk in the woods with my friends dog Buddie. We thought some fresh air and movement would get us in the mood for sweets and wine. We all felt like we were walking through Narnia in the woods because of the tall dense trees and eery silence. Unfortunately neither of us caught a glimpse of Mr Tumnus or Aslan.


Hope you all had as lovely a weekend as I did and indulged just as much.

Here's a quick outfit post from an open mic night me and my friends went to last week.


I wore:
  • Dogtooth shirt from Thailand
  •  H&M sparkly jumper
  • Dorothy Perkins necklace
  • Levi shorts
  • Primark skinny waist belt
  • Topshop Chelsea boots
  • Armani silver watch
  • MAC red lipstick.
I wish I could sing and play the guitar as I'd love to be musical, unfortunately I can do neither. Having a musical talent makes people so much more attractive, look at Alex Turner bagging Alexa Chung. I'd definitely love to marry a boy in a band.

Love
Jade x

Saturday 21 January 2012

New York, New York!

Today I thought I'd post about four of my favourite shows from New York Fashion Week.


                                                              Ralph Lauren

We were taken back to the 1920's with Lauren's Gatsbyesque s/s12 collection. A dose of masculinity was added to beautiful and romantic feminine materials and cuts. There were silk pyjama trousers and midi skirts that flowed and frolicked with the movement of the models, teamed with loose fitting shirts, floral scarves and heavily fringed bags that were amazing. Materials and textures were also played with, with ostrich collars and throws, silks, intrically embellished flapper dresses and feather trimmed ball gowns all in elegant and pale shades of lemon, salmon, mint green, cream and baby blue. I especially liked the short suits with silk ties, a fun and sexy way of doing work wear. 


Proenza Schouler

The design duo once again created a collection which made my lust list grow dramatically. The exotic and jungle inspired collection experimented heavily with texture and print, hawaiian florals on high waisted knee length skirts and dresses, zebra print trim and panels on structed 1950s style dresses, colour blocking in corals and shocking yellow. In the material department there were raffia, mesh, wood grain heels and eel skin (yes, eel as in the fish) to look like leather. I love the striped white shirt with eel skin pocket and full knee length skirt.


                                                            Alexander Wang

Wang brought the race track to the runway with an elegant nod to New York sportswear. There was mesh galore with pretty much everthing being covered in the fabric from anoraks, dresses and shorts all laden with utility pockets and zippers. It was then some what softened with floral prints and sheer fabrics but even these garments still had a mesh and zipper coating as well as some with leather detailing in a deep burgundy or black. My favourites however were the racing suits which made the models look like a tribe of new-age, speed hungry warriors, all with tribal style prints in rich mulberry, gold, turquoise and orange with perforated leather bandanas. Actually no, it has to be the leather clad biker tribe with burgundy perforated leather jackets or black leather crop tops with sheer sleeves all with matching skirts. I suppose it calls for a fast and furious street race to battle it out to see which Wang tribe is triumphant.


                                                            Prabal Gurung

It's time for my favourite, drum roll please. Prabal Gurung. I have already mentioned my love for him in an earlier post when Rooney Mara wore on his dresses so I had to share with you some of his collection which is beautiful and breath taking. I want every single piece from it. There's dark violets, bold aquas and blacks in florals and fluid, sensual prints. Overt sexuality was seen with peekaboo cut outs showing models waists, hips and thighs and bondage style detailing with black leather and silk cord harnessing on silk dresses. Layering was used in abundance with outlayers of chiffon and appliqued sheers floating over layers of expertly printed silks and other fabrics that were cut and slashed. It's a perfect combination of romantic shapes, materials and print simmering with edgy, dangerous and naughty undertones.

Trends
  • Similar to LFW, it's prints galore
  • Playing with texture
  • Sports wear
  • 1920s
  • Leather
  • Ultra girly
  • Androgyny
Going for my meal with the girls tomorrow, so excited and I shall take lots of pictures. Hope you've all had a good start to your weekend.

Love
Jade x

Friday 20 January 2012

One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure.

That saying was definitetly the case with my recent purchases with them all being second hand bargains. My first being a Topshop tea dress from ebay for only a fiver. I've wanted one for a while and this one caught my eye because of it's cute print and cut out back. I'm going for a posh Sunday roast with my friends so think I may wear it then with my Dune wedges and obligatory large amount of jewellery.




My next two were bought charity shopping with my mum. I love vintage shopping but unfortunately where I'm from has zero, so instead I regularly have a browse in the hundreds of charity shops my town centre has to offer. I managed to get a black cord shirt for £1.50, which I was really happy about finding as I'd recently been watching some on ebay for over a tenner. Also a green printed maxi dress for £2, I originally thought I'd chop in to a short summer dress but since trying it on I quite like it long worn with a skinny waist belt.





A total of £8.50 for three items, absolute steal. I love buying clothes that have been used before, I like to wonder about who used to own them and where they have been, there's a bit of mystery with them. A bit sad I know.

I've also let my mum dye my hair. It's a dark auburny colour, similar to Emma Stone's. I love it.

Love
Jade x

Thursday 19 January 2012

Style Icon-Rooney Mara

There's quite a few celebrities who I constantly love and admire for their style. I've decided to do some posts featuring these ladies. I've already written abit in an earlier post on my lust for Florence Welch and her boho, vintage style and today I decided I'd focus on up and coming actress and style icon Rooney Mara. I thought she was the ideal candidate with it being awards season and the fact her new film, 'Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' is everywhere.

(wmagazine.com)

It wasn't just her quirky clothes and blunt hair cut that caught my eye but also the complete transformation she undertook to take on the role as Lisbeth Salander. I have read and loved all of the Stieg Larsson novels, it's such an epic triology and made even better that the leading lady is strong, hardcore and independant. I have also seen the Swedish version of the film, so was intrigued as to who would be chosen to play such a complicated and unconvential character. Rooney beat many actresses to this role after being spotted by director David Fincher in the brilliant 'The Social Network' and she clearly took the bull by it's horns and committed to it, dramatically changing from a pretty girl next door to an edgy, rebellious woman. Away from the film this evolution has remained leaving a fashion forward fashionista.

                                                               (telegraph.co.uk)

Rooney before the transformation in April 2010 looking young and girly at  'The Nightmare On Elm Street' remake. She wears a pale pink pinafore dress teamed with a clutch bag and cute embellished headband.

                                                        (screenrant.com)

After the intense and brutal make over as Lisbeth Salander. She had her long brown hair dyed black and cut blunt, short and jagged. Gone were the pink dresses and in it's place were leather trousers, baggy vests and piercings, which Rooney actually got done for the role. Now that's definitely taking method acting seriously. You would never say fashion when describing Lisbeth but her biker, bad-ass style has had a big impact on the fashion world with high street giants H&M releasing a 'Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' ad campaign.

                                                           (telegraph.co.uk)

Back to reality, this is when Rooney started catching by eye; at the Rodarte show during New York Fashion Week. I love the androgynous styling, the skinny black trousers and sheer shirt with a beautiful fringed hand knitted cardigan. It's simple yet clearly well put together and really interesting. I'm going to show this photo to my mum and hopefully she will be able to knit me something similar. Rooney has had a love affair with Rodarte and has worn many of their pieces since.

                                                               (glamcheck.com)

This is one of my favourite Rodarte garments she's worn at the Milan premiere, a breath taking halterneck gown. I love the simple design with the pleating across the shoulders to highlight her tiny frame along with the darker trim around her waist and the bottom of the dress. The pale grey suits her ivory complexion so well, it's such a perfect leading lady outfit, extremely elegant and different to the other outfits she's worn.

                                                          (bohemea.tumblr.com)

I love this Givenchy dress on Rooney at the premiere in London. It couldn't be anymore different to what Lisbeth would wear with its revealing back and the stunning white lace detailing. I'm always drawn to any thing with sheer fabric, so the long sleeves is one of my favourite parts to this dress, that and the daring cutout back. It's really classy yet still has an edge to it which suits Rooney's new look perfectly.

                                                      (mydaily.co.uk)

The number one spot has to go to this Prabal Gurung cheeky, very small and sheer cut out dress Rooney wore at the New York premiere. I love how fun and flirty it is, yet quirky and edgy and in no way slutty which is very hard to do with so little fabric and so much flesh on show. I love everything to do with it, the cut out shoulders, button detailing down the back and the frilly sleeves and a-line shape. Her simple make up and slicked back hair is perfect as it keeps everyones eyes on the dress. This was definitely her night.

Love
Jade x