Free People 'The Snow Queen' Lookbook

Free People are releasing a series of Winter and Christmas themed lookbooks in the run up to the holiday season. The first one named 'The Snow Queen' is absolutely stunning and actually perfect outfits for British winters when it gets really cold and very un-Californian like in weather! With the knit jumpers, beautiful party dresses, coats, knit beanies, maxi dresses, scarves and jeans - its layering paradise and great inspiration for your own winter outfits!

Check out the full lookbook HERE and check back for more of the gorgeous lookbooks as winter fashion inspiration in the coming weeks!

Winter Warmers - My Problem With Coats

Navy Blue Zip Coat by New Look - £44.99

I really suck at buying appropriate seasonal clothes... I love layering, so when I'm shopping I tend to buy things that are adaptable enough to be layered in the winter and worn alone in the summer. I live in cardigans of various states of thickness and warmness and own a limited number of coats - a rain mac (which does nothing to keep you warm), a leather jacket (which does nothing to keep you warm), a cropped military style jacket (which does nothing to keep you warm) and a black button-up coat, which does keep me warm but is at least 7 years old and falling apart.

Coats are particularly expensive, which I think is another reason why I tend not to look at them when I'm shopping. I think darker button up style jackets are pieces you can spend a few extra pounds on and will last for years to come but to spend £50-80 on one piece of clothing on the high street can seem outrageous. Buying a classically styled coat would help me with this as I could know it would never go out of fashion - I especially think this is true for darker blues and blacks which always look smart. Timeless pieces are probably worth the investment.

So, I figured this is the perfect time to see what's on offer across the high street and see if its time to replace my one winter coat (or perhaps add a few more!).

Wool Coat by Crafted at Republic - £60.00

Short Hooded Swing Coat by Topshop - £75.00

Navy Hooded Duffle Coat by River Island - £80.00

Brand Profile: The Cambridge Satchel Company

I really love being introduced to brands I hadn't heard of before - especially ones with interesting back stories and beautiful products so when I watched this, I knew I had to share this right here, on my blog!

I always find the Google Chrome adverts touching and inspiring - the stories they tell are aspirational and hugely uplifting, whilst being beautifully shot. The most recent is being showcased as the YouTube header advert and entitled 'Google Chrome: Julie Deane'. The advert tells the story of how Julie started her fabulously fashionable brand The Cambridge Satchel Company and how its moving from strength to strength.

I'd not heard of the The Cambridge Satchel Company before but I'm so glad I now have - the pieces are beautiful, utterly timeless and modern with a classic vintage twist. Ranging from the brown classic bag reminescent of school days gone by to the Downing with its autumnal berry colours and detachable strap, the pieces are perfectly en trend with their own unique edge.

The company offer a full size guide - so you can work out exactly which size would best suit you and what you require out of the bag you have chosen. They also offer a fantastic embossing service (which is reminiscent of the actual school bags from the past) which enables you to personalise your bag with your initials, name or other message in a variety of classic colours.

I often gravitate towards brands which have a great back story and produce individual, beautiful pieces and  The Cambridge Satchel Company definately fits this - let me know what you think of the advert and the brand in the comments below, as I'd love to hear your thoughts! AND if you want to recommend me a brand which I perhaps have not heard of before, leave it below - as I said I love being introduced to new brands!

Free People in the UK!

One of my favourite US clothing stores is now available in the UK - Free People! I've blogged their lookbooks and pieces from their collections for such a long time and I am so excited that they're finally in the UK. The brand is all about free spirits as stated in their target audience girl:

A 26-year-old girl, smart, creative, confident and comfortable in all aspects of her being, free and adventurous, sweet to tough to tomboy to romantic. A girl who likes to keep busy and push life to its limits, with traveling and hanging out and everything in between. Who loves Donovan as much as she loves The Dears, and can't resist petting any dog that passes her by on the street.

Although it was possible to order from them and have it shipped over from the US before, the customs fees and taxes made it really confusing and a hassle but now its all been made easy! Although the pieces are still shipped from the US, there are no nasty surprises from customs - the total billed at the checkout is the final amount and returns to their UK centre are free. They're even offering free delivery until the end of the month!

I can't wait to start buying from their site and hope in the future, they may even start opening stores across the country!

Fall Wardrobe Staple: Berry Toned Nail Polishes

It's officially autumn - the chilly weather has set in full force this week and its time to pull out those winter warmers and snuggle in front of a roaring fire, instead of bask in the last of the sun. Autumn is my favourite time of year for fashion - layering, scarves, boots, coats and those fab berry shades which I love to rock all year around.

Nails are a great way to express your fall fashion loves - they subtlety add life to an outfit, can draw a whole outfit of different colours together in one go and can add a pop of colour to the darker winter days. So here are my top four favourite berry toned nail polishes for Autumn 2012!

From left:

Essie Nail Polish in Angora Cardi 

A deep, dusty plum tone - a subtle colour with great coverage but at the high end of the nail polish market. Check out my full review of the polish HERE.

Essie Nail Polish in Size Matters  

A bold deep red shade - leaves a shiny manicured effect finish but again at the high end of the nail polish market. Check out my full review of the polish HERE.

Barry M Nail Paint in Raspberry 

Different in every light but a plum, red and deep pink mixture. Only £2.99 with great staying power and finish. Check out my full review of the polish HERE.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Nail Polish in Black Cherries

A very deep purple, almost black shade with hints of red in different lights. Very unique colour with glitter highlights. Check out my full review of the polish HERE.

What are your favourite berry toned nail polishes for fall - let me know in the comments as I'd love to try them out!

Outfit Of The Day: Olivia Palermo on October 22nd

I'm really loving Olivia Palermo's style at the moment - she mixes skinny jeans and leggings with oversized tops which are perfect for fall and her outfits feature basics that can easily be replicated by style-savvy fans.

On October 22nd, Olivia was spotted walking her dog in New York city rocking the Hudson 'Leeloo' Super Skinny Cropped jeans in a beautiful purple shade, an oversized black high necked sweater, simple black flats and a pair of Westward sunglasses.

The gorgeous berry tone of the jeans are perfectly on trend for fall and winter - I especially like the black stripe down the side which pulls the shades of the whole outfit together. Incredibly pairing the super skinny jeans with the hugely oversized jumper still looks sleek, flattering and chic too! I'm really loving her style at the moment and can't wait to see what kinds of looks she wears next!

The Power of a Cute Sweater (Designer Edition)

Wildfox Couture's Sweaters from left: Sparkle Heart Baggy Beach Jumper , Seeing Stars Lennon Sweater and Love Me Baggy Beach Jumper

Whether its a hoodie, a light casual sweater,a zip up or a winter warmer, hoodies and cute sweaters are a great edition to your wardrobe. They're not just great for covering up after a workout or hanging around at home in, I think they can give everyday outfits a bit of spark and style! You can brighten up a pair of jeans and add a pair of loafers for a winter warmer, or rock it with some leggings and add some boots for some street style!

You can really see where the inspiration for the high street alternatives come from by looking at the designer pieces that are produced each season. Wildfox is one of my favourite for cute tees, sweaters and pullovers but there are lots of great brands whom produce great quality, wearable pieces for a more high end price. Check out my rundown of great sweater brands below and my full rundown of high street alternatives HERE!

Which is your favourite and have you seen any copies on the high street? Let me know in the comments below!

Haute Hippie's Sweaters from left: Navajo Fairisle Cropped Sweater, Embellished Aran Sweater in Nude and Chain Cable Pullover

Markus Lupfer's sweaters from left: Sequin Star Jumper in Charcoal, Tinsel Star Intarsia Jumper in Beetroot and the Totes Amaze Jumper

Planet Blue's Sweaters from left: 

Vlogger Favourite: TalkBeckyTalk

I thought I'd share a vlogger I've recently discovered and love - TalkBeckyTalk! I discovered Becky's channel through FleurDeForce as she did some videos with her about two months ago. Since then, she has been regularly uploading videos to her channel on a variety of subjects including fashion, hair, make-up and more!

As a beauty vlogger, I find her particularly refreshing because the videos are packed with information from her own personal experience. She recommends products that she has used for months or years on end, unlike some vloggers that wear something once and claim it changed their lives. She also reviews and uses a mixture of high end and high street end pieces and has a great mix of beauty and fashion videos, without one strongly taking over the other. Her advice is practical, simple, using high street products and perfect for normal girls.

Let me know what you think of her channel in the comments and be sure to subscribe to her too!

Rebecca Minkoff Fall 2012 Film

After seeing the Mini Mac bags on celebrities and fashion vloggers alike, I've admired Rebecca Minkoff's collections for a while now. Whilst browsing Shopbop this week, I noticed this rather interesting lookbook video for the brand's Fall 2012 collection. Created by Shopbop itself, the site has produced a lookbook as well as this really incredibly shot film that showcases her most recent pieces!

I LOVE the colours of her bags this season with the studs, mixture of textures, brights colours and berry tones and of course more of her classic designs. I can't wait to see which stars are toting them around town this autumn and have a few suspicions about who we might see with one first!

Check out the film above and the full lookbook HERE.

Brand Profile: Hiut Denim Co

I discovered Hiut Denim Co through Mulberry's Brilliant Britain Guide (which has LOADS of fabulous cultural information on Architecture, Fashion, Art, Shops and so much more) and found their story so inspiring that I had to share it with my blog readers!!

The brand was born out of the moving of a denim production company from Cardigan in Wales, abroad for cheaper production costs - at the time, a tenth of the town's population were employed by the business. Wanting to revive the local industry, David and Clare Hieatt founded the Hiut Denim Company last year and employed some of the skilled workers who had previously worked in the town's denim factory. Their aim is to develop their company to be large enough to employ all of the talented seemstresses who lost their jobs when the previous company moved abroad.

Not only is the history of the UK based brand fascinating, one of my favourite things about Hiut Denim is the history tag they impart on each of their pieces. Each pair of jeans has an individually produced code sewn into them during production - when you purchase a pair, you can view images of each stage of production for your exact pair of jeans (as they are photographed at each stage) and add your own so if your jeans go to new owners themselves, they can see the full story of how their jeans came to be! To me, its these little touches that make companies like this so unique and likeable - and makes me want to run my own business to.

Unfortunately, the collection is currently only available in two mens styles (although the skinny pair could be worn by women as a boyfriend jean because they do small waist sizes too) but as they perfect each of their styles, they'll be adding womens cuts too which I can't wait for.

What do you think of Hiut Denim's story and unique touches? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

The Power of a Cute Sweater (High Street Edition)

Republic's sweaters from left: Crafted Azted Cross Jumper, Soul Cal Deluxe Striped Jumper and the Crafted Rebel Jumper

Whether its a hoodie, a light casual sweater,a zip up or a winter warmer, hoodies and cute sweaters are a great edition to your wardrobe. They're not just great for covering up after a workout or hanging around at home in, I think they can give everyday outfits a bit of spark and style! You can brighten up a pair of jeans and add a pair of loafers for a winter warmer, or rock it with some leggings and add some boots for some street style!

All of the best High Street stores have got a great collection for Autumn/Winter this year, plus, if you've got a little extra to spend on fall fashion there are the rather fab designer ones too! These are some of my favourite sweaters from this season from Republic, Topshop, New Look and River Island and be sure to check back soon to see my favourite designer ones too!

Which is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below!

River Island's Sweaters From Left: Black Sequin Grid Stitch Jumper, Black Rose Print Jacquard Chelsea Girl Jumper and the Bright Coral Jumper

Topshop's Jumpers From Left: Knitted Shimmer Star Jumper, Oversized Heart Jumper by Love and the Knitted Stud Sheer Jumper

New Look's Jumpers from Left: Cameo Rose Cream Skull Printed Oversized Jumper, Dark Red Twist Knit Heart Jumper and the Cream Fluro Printed Yoke Knitted Jumper

Outfit Of The Day: Olivia Palermo on September 17th

Olivia Palermo made a number of appearances at this season's London Fashion Week and this particular look was definately my favourite. At the Antonio Berardi Show on September 17th, Olivia wore a Reiss 'Angela' V Neck Jumper, the Reiss 'Barrett' Midi Leather Skirt, the Hermes 'Jige' Clutch,  white Valentino heels and a Burberry belt. 

I think this look is the epitome of professional, grown up looks - perfect for fall and en-trend too! The neutral palette mixed with the white top, natural hair and make-up are fabulous. The mixture of textures with the distressed belt and clutch, added to the simple clean lines of the shirt and shoes are so well put together - there is literally nothing I don't like about this look. Olivia's never really entered my celebrity fashion radar before but I think this look is really great!

What do you think of Olivia's fashion week look? Let me know in the comments!

My GIY Wrap Bracelets

This summer, Ingrid (or Miss Glamorazzi on YouTube) started a series where she creates her own beauty accessories which she called GIY (Glam It Yourself). She has created bags, make-up brush holders and, in July, wrap bracelets.

Inspired (and having been hunting for some wrap bracelets I love for a few weeks), I decided to give it a go. I took a trip to Hobbycraft and purchased the different width coloured cording, closures and beads. I went for a light pink and two darker purple cords and some light purple wire for the bead bracelet, which I thought would blend together and be great for the berry tones of winter. I'd made three different style bracelets within an hour of getting home - once you've got the hang of the first knot (the light pink bracelet), the progression into the other two knots is simple! Adding the beads really attracts attention to them and its nice knowing that no one else has the wrap bracelets like yours.

What do you think of my bracelets - let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Check out the full video on how to create them yourself below and let me know if you give them a go!

Outfit Guide: Back To School

Everyone wants to look fabulous on their first day back at school, sixth form, college, university or just look good after the summer when they go back to work. But as the seasons start to change again, and with British weather as unreliable as it is, you need something stylish and practical too! 

I've stuck with items you can find on your usual town high street including New Look, Republic, Jack Wills, Topshop, River Island and H&M so hopefully it will inspire your first day back look and there might even be some pieces in there that you love enough to buy for your outfit! As always, the hearts indicate my favourite pieces!

Outfit

New Look Black Longline Fitted Vest

Jack Wills Dulcie Skirt in Dotty Floral <3

Soul Cal Cable Knit Boyfriend Cardigan <3

Accessories

Bronx Shearling Leather Ankle Boot

Accessorize Butterfly Lock Ladylike Bag

River Island Gold Tone Tape Measure Heart Necklace <3

H&M Metal Ring

Topshop Nugget Ring

Essie Blue Rhapsody Nail Polish

Outfit Of The Day: Jessica Alba on August 16th

When out and about in Beverly Hills on August 16th, Jessica Alba was spotted in a pair of STUN Wayfarers, chunky silver necklace, the Kate Frances 'Evelyn' blazer, a plain black tee, Current/Elliott Star Print Skinny Jeans in a grey wash, the Cobra Society 'Tangier' bag and Givenchy Strappy Sandals in black.

The red sunglasses and bright blue blazer really bring light, life and colour into this outfit which I think it would have lacked without those two injections of colour. I really love her jeans and think they add a certain something to an outfit which is essentially made up of basics - literally anyone could rock a look like this, but the jeans give it an edge! The padding in the jacket's shoulders brings a bulkiness which is definately needed with this look as everything is skin tight - maybe this is the start of the return of the shoulder pad trend?

Professional for her business and meeting side but comfortable for her Mom side too - that's why I love Jessica's style because she knows what suits her and dresses comfortably yet stylishly to emphasize that!

London 2012 Designer Kits

Stella McCartney designed the Events Wear for Team GB in association with Adidas. I love the understated use of the Union Jack and the strong use of blue hues throughout the outfit. Having the red of the flag subtly added in collars, shoes, swimming hats etc makes the whole outfit look subtle but stylish. The Opening and Closing Ceremony wear was designed by Next. 

One of the more unlikely interesting parts of the Olympics this year has been the team outfits. During the opening ceremony (and presumably during tonights closing ceremony), seeing the different countries parading in their own national outfits was so in interesting and for some of the countries, some particularly high end designers have produced the teams clothing for events, for day-to-day village wear and for the opening ceremony.

Now, we're at the end of the 2 week event, we've seen such varying looks from some pretty huge designers that I thought I'd share some thoughts about them with you.

Armani designed the Village Wear for Team Italy. I like the uniform blue and white used throughout the kit which keeps the look simple but would have perhaps like to have seen a little more excitement in the pieces from Italy! The small touches that have been added are what make this uniform so great -words to the Italian national anthem are sewn into each piece of the uniform to inspire each athlete!

Ralph Lauren designed the Ceremony Wear for Team USA as has happened for the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2008 Summer Olympics. The berets are an interesting touch and the blue and white is formal but again there is a lack of red even though it is such a feature of the flag. You can actually buy the beret and blazer from the kit from Ralph Lauren if you are particularly Olympic obsessed but it will set you back more than $500!

Other teams with interesting uniform designers include Team Jamaica whose outfits were designed by Cedella Marley, the daughter of Bob Marley and the Equestrian part of Team France had their uniforms created by Hermes. Its almost been a runway for designers! What do you think of their outfits? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Looks I Love: Ashley Tisdale (Part 2)

I love how Ashley can make basics look so stylish just by adding one or two stand out pieces. On this occasion, in June, Ashley wore a Current/Elliott V Neck tee, cropped black blazer and Rebecca Taylor Studded Leopard Shorts. She added Chanel Sunnies and bag, a Vanessa Mooney necklace and Sam Edelman Gigi Sandals! Perfectly summery but smart too!

In December, I profiled Ashley Tisdale as one of my style icons and showcased three of my favourite outfits from 2011 (check out the post here to see more of my fave outfits). As 7 months have passed, I figured it was about time I revisited her style, so here are my 4 favourite looks from 2012 so far!

Whites, pinks and nudes are my favourite summer looks and Ashley rocks it perfectly here! Ashley wore Free People Molly Buttondown, Siwy Hannah Jeans in Snowstorm, a pink and white fedora, Hermes Birkin Bag and Elizabeth & James Silva Wedges.

In January, Ashley was spotted leaving a hair salon wearing an Urban Outfitters Tee, Alexander Wang Leather Vest and black denim shorts. She added Chanel sunglasses, a Balenciaga Mustard coloured cross body bag and Jeffrey Campbell Seeing Stars Boots as she toted her iPad to her car!

On a night out with her girlfriends, Ashley wore a white cropped Free People pullover, a Pleasure Doing Business mini skirt and fringed Free People leather jacket. She added Jeffrey Campbell Seeing Stars boots, red Chanel crossbody bag, Soixante Neuf jewelry and Tailfeather Designs earrings.

Beach Day Outfit Guide

The beaches in Britain can either be lovely or hideous and I'm lucky enough to live near to lots of lovely beaches. With British Summer weather being so unpredictable its hard to put an outfit together for the beach - you want to be able to enjoy the sun but also be able to cover it up when it gets chilly and look appropriate when you're heading to the beach!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the outfit in the comments below!

Outfit

Boys & Arrows Cross Back Bikini Top

Boys & Arrows Briefy Scrunchy Bottoms

Intimately Free People Voile Trapeze Slip in Storm

Accessories

Havaianas Top Metallic Grey Silver Sandals

ASOS Leather Backpack With Pointed Flap

Phoebe Floppy Hat

Ray-Ban Cats 5000 Sunglasses in Light Havana

Ashley Greene for DKNY Fall 2012

Ashley Greene has been announced as the face of DKNY's Fall 2012 Campaign. She looks absolutely stunning with her clear, almost porcelain skin paired with the dark, harder image and sihouette that the outfits themselves create. I really love the "sidewalks of the city" tagline as it alludes to the glamour of the runway and that street style is just as important, and think the video itself has been shot beautifully - it feels like a little short film rather than an advert!

Check out the campaign video above and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Looks I Love: 2012 ESPY's

Hayden Panettiere looked rather glamorous in a floor length strapless Giorgio Armani gown which was backless and partially sheer - a lot for one dress! The embellishments on the dress combined with the great selection of Bulgari jewelry and flowing blonde hair make her look almost like a modern Disney princess. Her make-up is flawless, she's posing like a supermodel and the dress suits her figure perfectly - a great outfit!

Maria Sharapova looked fab in a J.Mendel Resort 2013 gown which she paired with Jimmy Choo's and Lara Bohnic jewels. I think it can sometimes be difficult for female sports stars to look good in red carpet dresses - their figures and muscles in particular aren't really designed for in the fashion industry. I do think that Maria looks incredible here though - its showing just enough of her figure to look great without going to high up the leg and seeing the thigh muscles or too low in the sides to see her stomach muscles.

Jessica Biel walked the carpet in all white wearing a Christian Dior Resort 2013 mini dress which she paired with Nicholas Kirkwood for Roksanda Ilincic heels. I love the bell shaped skirt as it makes her legs look endlessly long and thin and defines her waist. The slick hair-do with the side bangs is interesting but works at keeping this outfit neutral. I also love the neon yellow heel - it gives a real kick of life to the outfit although I perhaps think a statement necklace wouldn't have been amiss.