A week in Pictures

Unfortunately I haven't had much time to do a full post recently but here is a very random selection of photos I've taken over the past week or so!  I have been really getting to grips with bargain shopping so a few of the snaps are showing some of my high street steals! I've been loving the odd bits and bobs in Primark at the moment, such as the jewellery, it's so good for a cheap fashion fix! 

The cake featured is my housemate's super colourful birthday cake, unfortunately I can't claim I made it, but I wish I could! It was so fun and sparkly and not to mention delicious :) Also, on that note, check out the crochet sparkle ankle socks from Urban Outfitters we're all a bit smitten with them here in Manc!    

From Top to Bottom:
Silver Collar Necklace: £4 Primark

 Sparkly Crochet ankle socks: £8 Urban Outfitters

Grunge American Flag Print Tank Top: £3 Primark (I wore a plain white tank underneath)

The lovely birthday cake: Priceless

Gold Bangles: £3 Primark

Skull Print Scarf: A gift from Daniel Footwear

Pinky Peach Lace dress: £24.99 H&M Conscious Collection

 

Make up & Hair for A/W 12/13

Happy Saturday everyone! I've been recently looking through a lot of the make-up and hair trends for this year's autumn winter season! A bit premature I know considering the summer has yet to start, but with all these different projects for uni going on at the moment I've found myself kind of emerged in it all so thought I would share!

On a general note, make-up appears to be channelling a gothic vibe, with thick bushy eyebrows and  smokey eye-liner. Lashes are dark and defined with lengthier lower lashes. Complexions are pale and creamy with pinky/peachy blushes,and often teamed with neutral and nude lip bases. However if you fancy injecting a bit of colour there are definitely some new shades being embraced such as electric blues! I'm personally loving the deep merlot lip colours!

On to hair styles, the looks from the catwalk are unruly and messy showing there is definitely no room for the prim and proper! Loose ponytails with backcombed volume and in-twining plaits make for a very textured look. It seems as thought the hair brush has been made redundant! Hurray for the low maintenance, especially if you're like me with uncontrollable waves!

I hope you all have lovely weekends whatever your doing! It's my housemate's 21st today so we're off for an afternoon of champagne and cupcakes and a night in Manchester, students living the high life or what?! As far as my outfit goes I've been loving the concious collection at H&M  recently and ended up  buying the pretty pink lace dress that was in Vogue the other day, so here's hoping I'll fit in to it after all the cupcakes!

 

Manchester Fashion Week; Day 5

I can only apologise for how long it's taken me to put up this post of Friday's shows at Fashion Week! It wasn't because I got distracted when editing some of the photos, (ok, actually that was a part of it but have you SEEN those male models?!) my dissertation was in yesterday and that just seemed to take over my life! But now that's done and dusted, here it is!

As mentioned in my last post, Friday was the last day of Manchester Fashion Week and to celebrate the close of a successful week, the shows were all about underwear and swimwear from celebrities-cum-designers. The first show of the day came from model turned Womens lingerie and swimwear designer, Caprice. I remembered seeing Caprice's collection at the Clothes show in Birmingham quite a few years back, but could only recall her entrance to the show with flash backs of her 'flying' into the room with a large pair of angel wings on her back, so I wasn't too sure what to expect from the collection! However, after being treated to a cute complimentary pair of knickers in our goodie bag, the lingerie collection made its way down the runway. The two piece sets were beautifully delicate and feminine, from pretty pastel pinks to provocative reds and cerises.

The swimwear was also a success with a mix of bikinis in floral, polkadot, striped and classic coloured sets. Although I can imagine not the easiest to pull off, the cut-out one pieces with open backs brought a new chic twist to the traditional style. My personal favourite was the monochrome panel piece set!

After the Caprice show... sunglasses at the ready...came Bjorn Borg showcasing Mens and Womens underwear and swimwear! The show was brilliantly colourful, with bright graphics, 80's fluorescents and a sporty edge in no doubt paying homage to the Wimbledon legend! The show really did lift everyones' mood!

Styled by Nikki, the boxer banded shorts and string tie bikinis were teamed with loud wristbands, block shades and equally colurful satchels and duffle bags!

Unfortunately I was not able to go to the Callum Best show, so for myself and Manchester that was the end of our first fashion week!

All the posts on the shows are on http://www.mcrfashionweek.com/

 Roll on Manchester Fashion Week 2013!

 

What I wore; MCRFW Day 5

So the end of Friday meant the end of Fashion Week, and last day of my break from the dreaded library... Just as I was getting used to life as a full time blogger! I will be posting a load of pics on the Friday shows as I have done for the other shows as soon as poss! We're talking Underwear and Swimwear collections this time, so as you can imagine it's been quite enjoyable to edit the male model pics! But in the meantime here's a mini-mini-post on what I wore to the finale shows today!

Leather Jacket: Zara (This has definitely been my staple jacket this week!)

White sleeve-less shirt: New Look

Crackle Print Shorts: Motel Rocks

Feather Necklace: Topshop

And a dash of MAC lipstick in Ladybug Red

 

Manchester Fashion Week; Day 4

I can't believe that it's Friday already! This week has gone far too quickly for my liking, and it means that today is the last day of Manchester Fashion Week :(

I was unfortunately not able to go to the MCRFW shows on Wednesday, but I did make it back to Avenue North yesterday to see what the Thursday shows had in store! The other bloggers and I had been excited for the day's schedule, with Flannels, Mulberry, All Saints, Ted Baker and Brookes Brothers all set to host shows! There was definitely a buzz in the air as the lounge area was packed with eager fashion enthusiasts and press members waiting for the various shows. It was lovely to meet some more fellow bloggers - Laura, Danielle, and Eliska- and have some more cheeky samples of the yummy frozen yogurt from Frurt! In true Sex and the City style there was even a fur protest outside the entrance during the Flannels show, but hey what is a fashion week without a bit of drama?!

My outfit: High Waisted Miss Selfridge Shorts. Ribbon trim camisole, Oasis, My Housemate's oversized checked shirt, Jack Jones, and Zara Leather jacket.

So the first show up was American heritage brand, Brooks Brothers, which brought looks from both their menswear and womenswear collections.

The menswear consisted of classic combinations with a colour pop twist. Blazers and camel coloured chinos were teamed with bright jumpers, and demure duffle coats and cardigans with zingy and pastel shaded trousers. Dicky bows even made an appearance in an unlikely pairing with casual printed beach shorts.  

The Womenswear collection again showed a nod to the brand's American heritage, with hints of 50's glamour emulated through silk neck ties and shirt-waisted dresses. In terms of prints, colourful florals and thin nautical striping were present, with creamy shades of blue being the key colour. Working the his and hers appeal,  preppy colour popping jumpers were also teamed with darker trouser suit combinations.

Next up was the All Saints show. Sticking to their urban and grungy image, the catwalk saw a colour palette of greys, blacks, nudes and burnt oranges for both the menswear and womenswear.  

Styling notes to take from the womenswear show: Belted maxi dresses with ankle boots and collar necklaces. Cropped leather jackets to toughen up a soft and feminine floaty dress, and over sized fisherman coats with crochet jumpers and thigh high shorts!

The Ted Baker show showed a variety of looks from chic work wear to feminine evening wear, with plenty of arm candy to envy. My personal favourite was the large satchel in croc print mahogany  and tan tones. A few of the dresses also showed a taste of the 50's with clinched waists and blousening skirts. Turning to the menswear, one or two of the looks had a back to school vibe with rucksacks and satchels making a return.

   

At the Flannels show, a range of designer attire made its way down the catwalk, with beautiful floating silk painted dresses and slouch backs from Temperley to bright fuschia empire maxi dresses.

Finally, closing the day was the one we had all been waiting for, Mulberry! As the front row was packed out for the show we struggled to get many photos, but it was enough to see the iconic fruit pastille lolly dress from the spring summer collection, the Bayswater, riveted Alexa and the mixed print Travel bag! It was such a shame the show didn't last longer!