#80

Woohoo! 

I am back on the blogosphere after my accidental but inevitable Christmas break, and I bring exciting news, well, for me. Not so much for you. Anywaaaaay...

Clearly I was on Santa's 'nice' list this year because I am now the proud owner of a Fugifilm Finepix S4500 Cameroony. That means camera in the language of excitable Elise, in case you were wondering. 

As my lovely Granddad is the master of cameras and assisted 'Santa' in the selection of mine, I'm heading over to his house tomorrow for another Christmas celebration and serious camera lessons. In the mean time I have been photographing everything and anything, including two ootd's from a couple of Christmas shindigs-complete with staple Christmas jumper inherited from my brother a couple of weeks ago. 

The crew neck left me feeling just very slightly Chung-like, and the print made sure festivity followed me around constantly, and there's nothing bad about either of those things I can tell you.

Before you browse the shots, please bare in mind I am a photography amateur of the highest level, despite one year of a media course, I failed miserably to hold onto any of the technical teachings I was granted. Hopefully over the next few months, especially once my exams are out of the way, my photography should improve, and I'm very excited for that. But in the mean time...I'm sorry.

 I wore this outfit to Ston Easton Hotel for canapés. Last year I wore a dress and wedges but this year I couldn't find anything I felt better in than this outfit. It's extremely basic, especially for such a posh place (I tried caviar...ew) but it was warm and cosy, and I dressed it up with a red lip and statement gold earrings. I think the only way this outfit could have increased in christmassy-ness was if I'd strewn tinsel across my shoulders.

I wore this outfit to a friends Christmas party on the 21st, although on the night it looked a little different. I had very straight hair rather than the frizzy mess above, my make up was slightly different and I wore my black loafers rather than my daps. It was an amazing night, and kicked off with a gingerbread house! However as I got very very very very very drunk, nothing more shall be said on the matter.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are still celebrating with films, chocolate and posh drinks. My guide to sales shopping has been scrapped, since I got up at an ungodly hour to check them out and was ridiculously disappointed, even Topshop was a failure. My only advice now would be to stay away from the sales!

I do have more posts lined up in its place however, but bare with me because masses of revision must now commence, so I'll be back when I can lovely readers.

Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year!

x

P.s. The Downton Christmas special...OMG?!

#79

The Best Of Vogue's Best Dressed 2012

It's hard to believe that 2012 is soon to be over (not due to a Mayan apocalypse) and that a whole other year is about to begin. Whilst we can't predict the dramas and personal events the new year will bring for each of us, comfort can be taken in the fact that spring/summer fashion was created and presented to us back in Autumn. If you're reading this you're probably a very keen shopper...we have that in common. So, as I (and probably you too) will be hitting the sales asap after Christmas it's important to know which pieces are worthwhile investments. It's oh so easy to get caught up in the midst of a bangin' bargain and throw your money away on clothes that will be residing in the back of your wardrobe after maybe one or two wears, so I'll shortly be uploading a post on trends to keep an eye on during the new year and how to invest in lasting pieces this December/January.

I've also got a couple of Christmas jumper ootd's to upload. But first, Vogue have released their Best Dressed 2012 gallery and well, if it isn't a sight for sore eyes then I don't know what is. Here's my personal favourites from the list:

Alexa Chung

Kiera knightly in Chanel

Kate Moss in Alexander McQueen

Kate Middleton in Prabal Gurung

Emma Stone in Dolce and Gabanna

#78

So it's been a while...again. I can't say my posts will become any more regular however, in fact it'll probably be the opposite in that they will become even fewer and far between! This prospect doesn't exactly fill me with joy as there's nothing nicer than coming in from the winter weather, sitting at the computer with a scolding mug of green tea and just typing away about pretty clothes, pretty shoes, pretty accessories and all round prettiness (yay), but, I only have a few weeks until exam season, this week being my last in school and my first exam being two days into the January term (thanks for that AQA) and so A levels and Christmas are pretty much all I can make time for at the moment, with the odd singing lesson here and there if I'm lucky.

On top of the stress that naturally comes with exams and Christmas time, my immune system seems to be taking some time off. I currently sound like a man and am being laughed at on a regular basis by my charming friends for making all kinds of awkward and unfeminine noises when I laugh. Humph. 

Anyway, back to what you're actually bothering to read this for-clothes. Over the summer I developed a theory strongly based on wild guesses and an odd intuition that plaid/chequered clothing would make a come back in the next few months. The dogtooth trend looked like the perfect opportunity for the fashion world to dive back into the ever recurring favourite, with the colder temperatures came the tartan scarves and finally a couple of weeks ago I saw an entire section on boohoo.com about 'plaid influence'. Not that boohoo are exactly the Gods of fashion and inspiration but as a boutique that usually indulges in the latest trends, I paid attention. Topshop have complied nicely with a certain tartan/chequered set of dungarees and UO are offering a range of grungy shirts in a plethora of chequered patterns.

Of course all this makes me very happy as my Topshop chequered shirt which I bought in the summer can wear its colours with pride, he will be very happy. I cant believe I just referred to my shirt as a 'he'...moving on.

Here's a couple of outfits featuring the aforementioned shirt. Is it a yes or no for plaid this season?

x

#77

Weekly Round Up

This weeks inspiration...

News

1.

Raf Simons, creative director of Dior as of April this year has announced his plans to reform the brand. He told Vogue in an interview for the January issue that he wants the company to be wearable on the street and went on to say...

"The Chanel woman? I don't even need to see, I smell her from round the corner, but I don't recognise the Dior woman," he said. "I want to work on that fast. Chanel has the deux-pièces with the pockets, or the bouclé, but what is it for Dior nowadays? I can't say."

2. 

A pop-up shop open until the end of the month selling the best of designer clothing at bargain prices has appeared at 70 Lambs Conduit street in London. The shop is seeing great interest and success, with prices ranging from £20 to £500.

3.

Our beloved Topshop is set for a large scale expansion over the coming years, focusing mainly on the US. US business and fashion organisation Leonard Green & partners have secured themselves a 25% stake in the empire which is said to be worth £2 billion.

"Under my family's ownership, we have continued to invest in and grow the Topshop/Topman brands," said Green in a statement. "Having had extensive dialogue over several months, the Board felt that LGP becoming our partner would be extremely beneficial. Their experienced management teams and knowledge of retail in the USA will greatly assist Topshop/Topman with their global expansion."-Sir Philip Green

4.

The appearance of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian on the front row of Stephane Rolland's couture show last season has sparked off some bitchiness within the industry-shocking (not). The designer himself was quick to confirm that nothing had changed...

"Kanye is an authentic artist/By that I mean a well-trained aesthete - his interest in couture and its level of sophistication is no surprise. Kim is a modern icon of mainstream culture. Nothing has changed. The world of luxury, in which couture is a guiding light, has always attracted a diverse range of personalities; age or social status do not change anything."-Stephane Rolland

5.

British model Jourdan dunn is set to star in Rihanna's collaberation campaign with River Island. Love her or hate her, the prospect is an exciting one. Admittedly my doubts are still very much present (in general I find Rihanna tacky and a little embarrassing) but this blue jumpsuit from the collection she was seen sporting offers hope for the range yet...

x