Tons of Tartan

Every year when Winter comes around. tartan pokes its head out from under all of the fallen, auburn leaves and announces it's loud arrival.

While when most of us see tartan, usual associations that come to mind is Vivienne Westwood leading being the poster girl for the British punk scene, and the fresh, air of the Scottish highlands, breezing by a Scotman's kilt.

This time round though, tartan's grown up and matured a bit, and has taken over a wardrobe quite a bit.

How I wear tartan has evolved as well, instead of looking like a reject out of St.Trinians, I've been taking a more sophisticated approach, mixing it with ladylike blouses and contrasting with powder-toned knitwear.

This skirt is my personal favourite though, mixed with slick leather, giving it a tougher and darker edge.

I've been wearing into uni in the day with slouchy jumpers and plain white tees, and transformed at night into a little sultry number with crop tops and little, swinging, black cami numbers.

skirt: Topshop, belt: Warehouse

I need to be careful not to overdose on tartan!

Have you guys been swept in the tartan phase?

I've finally had some spare time away from law revision and shorthand studying and got a few blog posts lined up and ready, so hopefully these massive gaps inbetween blog posts will become more irregular, because I really miss doing them!

(Sources: my own photos, diaryofafashiondiva, lochcarron, style.com, ftape.com and msn style online)

Hope you're all well,

Speak soon,

A.x

British Reign

No, I'm not talking about the typical British weather, but with the city brushing up the confetti and beautiful mess that LFW left behind and I could not feel more proud or patriotic of what our country had produced to showcase to the rest of the world.

With Vivienne Westwood being the godmother of British Punk fashion, her collection did not disappoint, with make-up looking ghoulish and the prints beautifully haunting.

 

 I love the cut-out shoulder detail, the use of loose and draped fabric, and the cocoon shapes.

        

Mulberry's spring/summer collection saw Emma Hill departing from her role as creative director at Vogue, and she definitely went out with a bang. With metallic suits, vibrant floral prints that had a 70s vibe, same-tone stripes and luxurious leather. I particularly lik the detail of the stand of buttons lining down the side of skirts eand dresses.

        
       
       

My personal favourite collection though from LFW, was Burberry's.

I love Burberry and how quintessentially British it is, and supports British production and its resources, and Christopher Bailey created a fantasy of vibrant pastels and delicate sheer dreams.

   

The use of lace and high-waisted underwear looked both chic and classic, and I love all the use of embellishment.

I love all the classic trenches with a fun and feminine twist, and also the twisted and tied necklines  and skirts, and the slick pencil dresses.

And if pastels are a bit wishy-washy for you, there were also bold red and polka dots on show, which had an air about the 60s about them.

This was seen in the menswear as well, and I don't often have much to say bout the menswear, but I really loved how smart yet fun it was.

This is pretty much all my favourite things in one collection, and the finale for it could not be more beautiful, with pastel petals raining down.

Sources: Burberry on Twitter, Style.com, Elle.com, Burberry.com

What did you think of thes collections? Did you think our British designers did us proud?!

Hope you're all well,

Speak soon,

A.x

Fun in the Sun

The sun has finally arrived in the UK! (and fingers crossed that it's here to stay!)

So, for the first time in a long time, i left the house without anything on my legs! No tights, no nothing...the joy! And in the midst of this wave of the 90s having a comeback, the playful child in me came out to play in the sunshine.

top: Gap, dungarees: River Island, trainers: Nike, sunglasses: Ray Bans

With my dungarees and trainers on, ready to run around in, i felt stepped out greet and say a big "hello" and "welcome back!" to the big, shining, yellow ball in the sky, and nearly burst into a game of hopsctoch or skipping rope!

These trainers a new recent addition to my family of footwear, and our relationship blossomed by complete accident. When my housemate went to exchange her Converses for a different size, i was just waiting and perusing the trainers, and then i stumbled across these cute and fun babies!....before being pointed out they were for kids...

Alas, it was meant to be! As kids apparently have feet the same size as a 5 foot 5 Chinese 21-year old...what are kids eating these days?!

The mix of bright coral and candy floss pink is so infectiously fun, and i especially love the cute heart on it! and how it the can instantly brighten up any outfit.

I hope this weather finally means the start of Spring and Summer, and so far so good, things are looking up!

I've only got 2 weeks of uni left now, and my degree is done...I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do afterwards! But hopefully the sun will stick around and i can enjoy it to its fullest when I'm free from the shackles of uni.

Have you guys been enjoying the sunshine? Has anyone had their legs out, or had their 1st BBQ of the year yet?!

Hope you're all well,
Speak soon,
A.x

Cheeky!

Red Nose Day is nearly upon us and as well as Comic Relief being a fantastic charity the whole-year round, i love the fashion collaborations that come out for RND.

 Last year, Vivienne Westwood's cheeky take on famous faces, with my personal favourite being a Louis XVI lady, with her modesty being saved by the iconic red noses.

This year, Stella McCartney takes on the reins for RND t-shirts once again and i love the fun-natured and cheek look of them, yet being stylish, and also for a wonderful cause. Surely that's a win-win!

With Kate Moss featuring in the collection, she is also modeling my favourite tee, with Marylin Monroe looking her finest with red nose and geek glasses to boot, and i also love the one of Tommy Copper...how could you not smile when you see this sight?!

Not only do all the profits from the sales of these t-shirts go to a brilliant cause. Comic Relief help people across Africa and here in the UK who are living terribly tough lives, and I'm sure if you've ever watched a RND broadcast, you'll know how heart-breaking the situations can be, so i am more than happy to help such a great charity, while also gaining a awesome t-shirt out of it!

Not only that but the cotton is fairtrade and the cotton is organic. Meaning that the farmers in developing countries are paid fairly and healthier communities and living conditions as chemical pesticides and fertilisers are removed from the earth. So not only will you look great, but you'll feel great about the fashion you're sporting also.

As well as t-shirts, RND this year also features some homeware from one of my favourite print designers: Emma Bridgewater.

I love these tongue-in-cheek tea towels, which are certain to make you chuckle everytime you dry up your dishes.

I love watching all the stuff that goes on for RND, from the inspiring tasks that celebrities take on, to the hilarious sketches, and i think the comedy aspect great way to approach and help such a tough and heart-wrenching subject.

I hope you all support this fantastic cause in one way or another, whether it's just donating a pound, having a bake sale, doing a run in a silly costume, or simply buying a good ol' red nose :)

All of these items are available from your local TK Maxx, or online. 

Images: tkmaxx.com & elleuk.com

Will you be buying one of these t-shirts? Which one takes your fancy out of the bunch?

Hope you're all well,
Speak soon,
A.x