Next 'New In' Event at the Soho Hotel!

Last week was a super fun (if a tad busy) blogging week with a couple of events going on that I was lucky enough to attend! First up was the Next 'New In' event in London on Wednesday! I always love a trip to London for the Next events, the team are so so fun, lovely and welcoming and they really know how to spoil us bloggers! I arrived at the gorge Soho Hotel just off Oxford Street and headed up to the top floor to the most beautiful suite which Next had taken over for the day! I was immediately met with smiles, a delicious platter of food & mocktails, and surrounded by rails of pretty clothes and leopard statues, you can't ask for much better start than that!  

After tucking into some delicious lunch and chatting with lots of lovely bloggers, myself and Em ventured into the beauty room to get our nails done. I had never unfortunately met Em before, even though we were up for the same Cosmo Blog award in 2012, so it was so great to finally meet her - she really is as lovely as she is on her blog and Youtube! In the Beauty Room you could get your hair done in some beauts styles by 'Blow Ltd' and the ladies from 'I Made it Myself' were painting nails and creative nail art inspired by the new Summer Prints for the new collection. Pretty nifty, huh? I opted for a baby pastel pink and some 'statement' nail art in purple and white. The lady who did my nails was so talented and did it all free hand like it was nothing, I can't even paint my left hand well, let alone create flowers! Em had a bit more of a tropical style created for her with a nude base and bright floral detail.

After taking a few fun bathroom selfies of Becca, Em, Steph and Olivia on Instagram (I don't think that Bathtub could've been any bigger!) I checked out all the clothes and got in the summer mood! My favourite pieces were all from the Pastel rails which had an array of cute pinks, mints, pale blues and cream pieces that were right up my street. I fell just a little bit in love with the pinky pleated dress! The accessories and shoes were also pretty lustworthy too with some amazing box clutches, sunnies, espadrilles & sandals to team your pastel look with. Thank goodness it's not too long to wait to get your hands on these beauties as they're due to launch in May! 

I'd planned on trying to get a sneaky visit to Oxford Street for a bit of shopping before I had to head back to Cheltenham, but I had such a fab, relaxing time I ended up whittling away the whole day there spending a couple more hours browsing, chatting and enjoying tasty afternoon tea. (Queue my bank account sighing with relief) so a big thank you again to the lovelies at Next!

 

Topshop SS12 Collection Preview

Despite Christmas day being just over a week ago, there appears to be no rest on the fashion front as the Spring Summer 2012 collections are already waiting to be released, hot on the heels of the winter season. With Topshop releasing it's SS12 preview collections online today, naturally my addiction to the brand meant that all other things I had planned for the day had to be pushed aside so I could whittle around the site to choose my favourite items, and so here they are! Featuring garments and accessories from the the Jungle' 'Hide and Seek,' '90's Redux' and 'Under the Sea' collections, there seems to be no limitations on teaming prints and colours from a variety of colour palettes. The floral print patterned pieces are particular favourites, especially with the shirts' asymmetric hems and the cutsie element of the back to school backpack.  

The 90's Redux collection sees a move from past winter collection's Aviator jackets with the return of the Bomber Jacket. Something that has not graced the shelves in force since the late 1970's. Available in clashing prints and bold colours, there's no doubt the re-juvenated jacket will be the statement piece of any outfit come the summer.

I also love the bubblegum pop shades and faded fluorescents, bringing in a nostalgic edge to the season's trends. (Although I don't think I've worn a sock with a frill trimming since a very young age when socks and shoes were teamed with matching party dresses, and our biggest concern was whether there would be enough jelly and ice cream... those were the days.)

All images: www.topshop.com