Prom Suit

What's hot?

Seeing as this must be my third belated post in a row now, I feel it is only fair to offer my faithful readers some explanation as to why I've been so inactive. I'd love to say I've been busy expanding my creative horizons through meticulous study of the latest upmarket trends, or that I've been occupied with the creation of an exciting new range of animal themed bow ties; however, the fact remains that I've been doing school stuff. Yes, I've fallen victim to the horrors of revision, and, as my A level's judgement day draws ever nearer, I don't see myself escaping the pull of typical, nervous pre-exam cramming. Which, to my deepest sadness, means even less blogging. Sorry all.

Anyway, in keeping with the theme of bad excuses, a particularly exciting essay on the impact of European relations in the period 1979 to 2007 has inhibited me from preparing a proper blog. So I've gone for (yet another) classic what's hot list. You know the drill: I show you a bunch of exciting, unique and quirky items, in return I give my wealthier readers the opportunity to buy me them by way of thanks (let never it be said that I am not a kind blogger!).

To make in some part up for my disgraceful lack of blogging over the last weeks, I've tried to throw in a few items which are a little more unusual. And I've tried my best to avoid Topman, H&M and River Island for a change - no easy task, believe me! So here you go. I'll try to do a proper outfit post next time. Also, don't think I've forgotten my prom suit promise; as soon as I've stuck some diamantes on the shirt, photos will be posted!

30% Off Jewelry At Topman? Yes Please

Well, I'm not sure where my sudden enthusiasm for Topman - a brand which I had previously condemned as being too mainstream - has come from. The point is, it's here now; and it looks like it's set to stay for a while at least. In fact, if they keep doing sales on the same scale as the ones they're doing currently, I don't see myself ever losing interest.
And when I say 'sale,' I mean SALE. A tonne of really nice items are up to 70% off right now - and you can take another 10% off if you have a student card! I could, of course, show you a selection of my favourites... But the list would contain almost half of the catalogue, and I wouldn't want to bore you with another selection of clothes I hope to own (one day, maybe).
So, instead, I've perused their jewelry collection, which is all 30% off, and picked out some must-haves. These are my faves (NB I haven't subtracted 30%):

Ode to Snazzy Suits

I've been tormented lately by the surge in availability (or, should I say, my realisation of the availability) of what I've aptly named snazzy suits. My torment was, of course, embittered by the fact that I've only recently bought my prom suit, which, at the time, appeared to be the only truly snazzy suit on the market. And by market, I mean the Topman, H&M and River island websites - I thought I'd play it safe. Yet only the other day I stumbled across some truly snazztastic little gems, which, apparently, I'd overlooked in my first search.

What is a 'snazzy' suit, you might ask. The criteria are quite simple:

1. The suit must not be the usual dull shade of grey or pinstripe black.
2. The suit must have something exciting about it, eg a striking pattern, a particularly slim cut, outrageous spikes or glittery lapels.
3. The suit must make me physically yelp with excitement. 

A New Outfit (and a belated apology)

First thing's first: sorry to all my followers about the three week gap between this post and my last. An onslaught of various courseworks and projects (all very important, of course!) has kept me away from the keyboard for a while. Fortunately for me, however, the extra stress of all this schoolwork gave me an excellent excuse for a bit of retail-therapy in Cambridge.

As I'm sure I've mentioned before, I love Cambridge. Yes it's full of 'mainstream' shops, and yes there are a lot of pigeons, cyclists and leaflet-wielding students, but that's just part of its charm. Besides, there's really nothing wrong with the mainstream shops - they're mainstream for a reason, after all, and they're often (or in the case of Primark: always) cheaper than vintage clothes and expensive alternative garments like leather basques and skull encrusted beanies. At any rate, there are a few vintage gems in Cambridge: there's Vintage Jemporium in the Grafton, and another little shop on the way to the train station.

Anyway, the point is that I was in Cambridge- in my opinion: second only to Camden market where clothes shopping is concerned. And there are advantages to going to Cambridge over Camden. True, you probably won't get a bargain on a fantastically rare Ben Sherman shirt from 1988, but then again, you won't end up paying £50 for a decent pair of jeans in Cambridge (unless you get them in River Island's expensive section, maybe). Similarly, in Cambridge you won't see as many people wearing creepers or DMs - and it always makes me feel a little special when I'm the only one wearing oxblood Docs in a crowd.

I did my usual circuit around town- through the arcade, through the highstreet, back to H&M then up to the Grafton, where I check out Primark before hitting the shopping centre. Then the whole circuit again in reverse- just to double check I haven't missed a sale on some fancy footwear or jazzy jeans or something like that.

I was with a few girls last time I went, and I must admit that I was struck by the womenswear on display in Ark; a shop I'd previously condemned as a cheap imitator of American Apparel. They had a great range of tops, jackets, shorts and various dip-dyed tees and jumpers. I'd definitely recommend anyone going to Cambridge to have a quick look.

There weren't many other surprises- Topshop was as on-trend as ever, River Island was solid, H&M had a very good selection and Vintage Jemporium had a lovely range of timeless classics: denim jackets, fancy silk scarves and shirts, snazzy bow ties and so on. I picked out a very versatile camouflaged jacket (which I've studded since) for £22. It gives the perfect level of warmth for the season- sort of end of Winter, beginning of Spring chill protection. I also grabbed some acid washed jeans from H&M for £19.99, and picked up two gothy bracelets, which were two for £10 in a piercing shop in the Grafton. Combined with some rugged DMs (as usual!) and a home-tie-dyed tee shirt (which I confess to a personal sense of pride over), I think the jacket and jeans make a really good outfit. The camo with the spiky bracelet is a little scary, but the colourful tie dye (which, sadly, you can't really see in these pics) is much more friendly. I hope you like it too!

New York Fashion Week A/W13

After a pretty appalling week, during which my painstakingly completed English coursework was rejected and staple beige school-chinos were splashed with hideously clashy black ink, I took great solace in browsing through the collections on display at New York fashion week.

I was struck straight away by the practicality of many of the collections; the coats, for example, looked stylish yet wearable and comfy, rather than flashy and ostentatious. Perhaps the memory of the recent snowy weather is still fresh in the minds of NY designers? Actually, it is more likely still fresh on their door steps- the snow is a persistent annoyance in the big City.

There is, however, a clever (I like to think!) parallel to be drawn between fashion and the snow. Snow is like a very skinny pair of jeans, or even a tight body-con dress that's just a tad too small. Like the snow, these things- along with many other great but short term garments- are very nice to look at when they're brand new. Unfortunately, like the snow, the novelty of a tight, riskily cut dress soon wears off when you realise you actually have to go outside in it. This illustrates nicely the point I was trying to make earlier: that designers have learnt the lessons of the snow.

Despite dedicating many minutes to scouring through pictures of catwalks, I could see very few of the outrageous, over-the-top designs that usually adorn the up-market catwalks. Instead, luxury was combined with sensibility and elegance. Some brands were even able to achieve the holy grail of womens' fashion: trousers than can be worn on any occasion- from going shopping to going out for dinner.

Rag And Bone's collection stood out to me in particular. Here's why:


Here are two Rag And Bone dresses. They embody the mood of the collection- simple but stunning. The first dress could quite easily have been designed by Mary Quant herself. The black neckline and sleeves go swimmingly with the orange top-bit (as I've expertly named it). The grey which dominates most of the dress is the sort of unexpected stroke of genius one would expect from a NY collection. I can't explain the mighty slit, but I like it nonetheless. The daring lines and bold angles of the second dress also hark back to the Op Look of the 1960s, and the yellow boots to go with look beautifully retro, exactly how I like to imagine Vivienne Westwood's slippers to look like. You might be thinking: 'these dresses won't keep anyone warm in the snow!' And you'd be right: they certainly won't. Of course, I could have shown you some photos of lovely cosy-looking coats (the likes of which were plenty, rest assured) but I thought I'd let you find them for yourself. Sorry to disappoint.

Here are some other looks I really liked:

Winter Fashion: What I Wore

Perhaps its a sign I'm getting old, that when I saw the snow covering the path outside my house on Monday morning, I groaned in annoyance. Still, the one upside of the snow is that it seems to make everything look pretty; at least until the fluffy white icing turns into a slushy brown mess. So, not wanting to waste the opportunity, I donned my warmest parka, jumped into a snow-friendly pair of boots and ventured into the wintery wilderness to take a few snowy snaps.
As lovely as the snow looks, the real star of the show here is a beautiful pair of graphic print trousers, which I picked up for the relatively reasonable price of £50. I say relatively reasonable, because these trousers were designed by Donatella Versace when she produced a collection for H&M- a collection which sold out in a matter of days. I very rarely wear these beauties. Whenever I do, my friends say I turn into a mother with her toddler- overly protective and quick to mop up any unwanted spillages, with my bare hands if necessary.

Still, this was a chance I could not miss. The black and white print contrasts sublimely with the snow-covered landscape. Of course, they stand out in almost any environment- particularly in chav central, Stevenage town centre, where I wore them last- but I think they look extra jazzy in the snow. I wore a skull print scarf, which I think looks like a McQueen's scarf (but for a fraction of the price at £5), to add some consistency to my colour  scheme. A sensible pair of black boots, with leopard laces to make them a little more interesting, are a staple item for the snow. And of course the classic parka looks fantastically warm in any inclement weather- wind, rain or snow! I stuck on a few badges, just to add a bit of detail.