Fashion: Almost Famous SS15

In November I went along to the Almost Famous press day at their flagship Fitzrovia store. Almost Famous is a womenswear brand famous for their dresses which have been worn by the likes of Pippa Middleton and Sarah Jessica Parker. Each season, they bring out an eclectic 160 piece collection and I was excited to see what they had planned for SS15.

I was not disappointed when I arrived, I'm a lover of statement pieces and don't like sticking to all one colour. As you can see from the photos above, Almost famous are all about the brights and the florals for SS15. They have something for everyone, from pretty pastel dresses suitable for a summer wedding, to the brightly coloured denim which is just perfect for a casual summer look. My favourite piece from the whole collection was the dark floral skirt shown in the last photo; I just fell in love with it as soon as I walked into the room. I'd wear this with a coloured vest when it's warmer and add tights and a cardigan for the colder months.

What's your favourite piece from the Almost Famous SS15 collection?

Midweek Wishlist #10

Celine sweatshirt - English Laundry perfume - Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 lens - Fiorelli Petra backpack - Burberry sheer eyeshadow

Even though Christmas was only a couple of weeks ago and I still have three weeks until payday, my wishlist is massive at the moment. I've managed to narrow it down to these five things which are at the very top of that long list.

The sweatshirt is something that I've been eyeing up for a while but in tshirt form. It's bloody chilly at the moment though and any tshirts that I've been wearing have been completely hidden by a jumper of some sort so I thought I'd seek out a warmer version. This is just over a tenner from eBay, what a bargain!

I received a sample of this perfume in my November Birchbox and I absolutely adore it. It's the kinda scent that sticks around all day (or days if I spray it in my hair), it's a gorgeous woody, spicy, floral combination and I just NEED the full size. I've almost got £40 on my Birchbox account so I'll definitely be purchasing this soon!

I've had my camera for almost a year now and I think it's about time I invest in a new lens. I love this one because it's small and compact and it's great for outdoors shots. As I'm doing quite a bit of travelling this year, it sounds ideal!

I don't think you can ever have enough bags and I definitely need a new backpack in my life. This Fiorelli one is gorgeous and also comes in tan. Now I just need to choose which colour I'm going to go for.

Finally, did you know that Boots are now stocking Burberry makeup? I'm so excited, I've been dying to try some more Burberry products since I got the Burberry Lip Cover in Rosewood a couple of years ago, but it's not sold anywhere near me. I really want to try out one of their eyeshadows next, they sound amazing. I'm keeping my eye out on VouchaCodes.co.uk for any vouchers that become available!

I've also got my eye on some earrings from Chisolm Hunter but can't narrow it down!

Fashion: Christmas day dresses

Black and gold skater dress - Purple lace dress - Flocked skater dress - Coral skater dress - Green lace dress
I don't know about you, but it's some sort of tradition for me to have a new dress to wear on Christmas day. I don't leave the house, we just have a family Christmas dinner and I usually have a nap or two but I just love having something new to wear for the special day. This year I haven't managed to choose a dress yet. I'm kind of waiting for Christmas Eve as that's when the sales start so I can pop out in my lunch break (yes, our office is open 24/7 and I have to work Christmas Eve - I'm used to it after years of retail though) and have a nosey in New Look and Dorothy Perkins. I'm not sure what sort of style I'm after this year, hopefully something that's not too tight and will skim over my turkey (and tiramisu) belly. 
I really like the purple lace one I found from Esprit, it's the perfect style for Christmas and also the gorgeous coral lace number from New Look. These are definitely in my top two and I think that lace is definitely the way to go. Then there's the more glamorous option of this black and gold skater style dress from Blue Vanilla at New Look which would also be perfect for New Years Eve as well so I could kill two birds with one stone. Although, I have to think about how easy it would be to get gravy out of it - when there's loads of people round the table you never know what's going to happen! Then there's the dark green lace dress from Dorothy Perkins which is such a good colour for Christmas and can be accessorised with some gold jewellery. Finally, there's the flock skater dress from  Topshop which is another one that would be great for New Years Eve.
Have you got a Christmas outfit sorted yet? What do you do on the big day?

Outfit: I've got my red dress on tonight

Dress* - ChiChi clothing, available here

Jacket* - New Look, similar here

Scarf* - JD Williams, available here

Boots - Primark

I can only apologise for whatever is going on with my claw hand in the last photo. I had a bit of a nightmare taking these photos as I'd lost the remote for my camera so had to keep going back and forth pressing the button. Obviously, as soon as I was done and had ordered another one on eBay I found the remote where I left it, right in front of me. Well done, Hayley.

Anyway, onto the the outfit! How beautiful is this dress from ChiChi? I own another dress from them which I wore in the summer to my mom's graduation but this one is like a hundred times more beautiful and so perfect for the Christmas party season. I actually have nowhere to wear it as I've had my work Christmas do (and it wasn't fancy enough for the dress) so I'm hoping I get invited to somewhere good for NYE. I love the colour, the lace detailing, the high neck and the way the skirt flares out. I just love it. 

I was sent a couple of bits and bobs from JD Williams to accessorise a party outfit and this fur scarf was one of the pieces. I absolutely love fur this season and have been rocking this with my furry headband too. I've also bought a (faux) fur coat but haven't been brave enough to wear all three together yet. 

Ebay Wishlist #58

Navy floral dress - Floral jacket  - Cream floral playsuit - Grey heeled ankle boots - Black flat ankle boots
I'm on a roll with these - two weeks in a row!
This weeks picks are a bit of a mixture - we have the three floral items - a dress, a playsuit and a jacket which would be perfect for the summer but could also be worn for a Christmas night out. Who says you have to go dark and glittery for your work Christmas do? The jacket would be great for brightening up a little black dress. 
The two pairs of boots are definitely appropriate for this time of year. Both pairs would go with any outfit but the heels would be especially good on a night out whereas the flats would be great for everyday. I'd wear both of these with a pair of tights and some frilly ankle socks so you could just see the frills peeking out at the ankle.

Ebay Wishlist #57

Makeup brushes - The Little Mermaid jumper - Fur collar coat - Black chelsea boots - Mint green bag It's been a while again! My laptop completely died on me a couple of weeks ago so I finally decided to get myself a MacBook Pro. It's taken me a couple of weeks to sort out an image editing software but I think I'm sorted now! I'm still completely obsessed with eBay and I've found some great bargains over the past couple of weeks. How gorgeous is the coat? I love a fur collar and this looks so warm yet still stylish at the same time. It would go great with the boots too. The bag is more of a spring colour but I still think it's so pretty and would make a good laptop bag too. The jumper is great for a casual look with some jeans and boots, they have loads of different designs too! Finally, I need to get around to trying these Real Techniques dupes, I've heard so much about them.

Fashion: Thomas Sabo bracelet and Charms

A couple of months ago, I was contacted by Joshua James jewellery and was asked if I would like to pick a couple of items from their collection. I've had a Pandora bracelet for four years now and have been slowly collecting charms for it. I wear it as often as I can but was looking for something a little less busy which is where this Thomas Sabo Black Hematite bracelet* comes in.

With hundreds of different charms to choose from, these bracelets are so easy to customise. The charms clip on and off so you can switch and change in seconds. I usually wear it with just two charms on, the Fleur de Lis* and the Silver Crown* but there is room for another. I've got my eye on a couple of other charms which have made their way onto my Christmas list.

Do you have a charm bracelet?

Fashion: #SimplyBeReal

I was recently contacted by Simply Be and asked if I wanted to share a story of one of my fashion mishaps.  Their lovely illustrator Anke provided me with an illustration to go with my story.

It's safe to say that I've had my fair share of fashion mishaps. Growing up in the 90s and being a teenager in the 00s meant that I look back on a lot of my old outfits and cringe - especially the ones when I was old enough to make the decisions about what I wore.
There's been so many different items of clothing that I wish I had just burnt - the pink patchwork hat I insisted on wearing over crimped pigtails (what?!), the rainbow coloured 'shag bands' that I had going up both of my wrists and arms at primary school, the Steps tshirt that I proudly wore for weeks after seeing them in concert and the disgusting pink thong that I bought on one of my first shopping trips with a friend in my early teens. The one thing that really sticks out to me though, is a pair of jeans.  Just after my 14th birthday,  armed with my birthday money I went into my local New Look where they were having a sale and fell in love with a pair of black jeans. These weren't your average jeans though, oh no - they were fitted at the top but had the widest, baggiest legs you've ever seen. They were proper 'greebo jeans'. Obviously, emo-wannabe Hayley loved them but my mom absolutely hated them. They were so long that they dragged along the floor when I walked, soaking up any rain water they came into contact with - this meant that when I got home they used to stink like a wet dog. They were also ripped to shreds but I adored them. I thought I looked proper edgy, wearing them with my bright green converse and a red hoody with loads of eyeliner. 
I thought I was dead cool back then. Now I look back, I realise how daft I looked with my soaking wet, ripped jeans that were so big I probably could have used the excess material to make a whole new pair.  You won't catch me in anything but my faithful skinnies nowadays. 

An Autumn/Winter wishlist

Floral tapestry bag - Dark red heeled boots - Thierry Mugler Angel - Black high neck tee - Tartan midi skirt
Now that my Christmas shopping is finished (yes, that's right it's all done - I've even bought for Amy's kitten!) I can think about treating myself again without being overcome with guilt.  As the weather has been so rubbish lately, I've found myself all snuggled up in bed with my iPad doing some online window shopping. I love everything in the shops at the moment, the darker colours and tartan prints are my thing and every year I look forward to wearing them again.
I absolutely love this floral tapestry bag from Topshop, granny chic is my favourite and it looks like it would be the same sort of size as the Michael Kors bag I can't afford want. It's just perfect for this time of year!
The dark red boots are practical as well as beautiful - I already have a pair of Dr Martens in this colour but I would love these heeled boots for more formal occasions. Plus, I haven't managed to break the DMs in yet!
I was sent a sample of Thierry Mugler's Angel a couple of months ago and since then I've been hooked. I'm really hoping to purchase the full sized bottle soon or maybe add it to my Christmas list.  I should have known I would like it as my nan has a bottle and we have the same taste in fragrances!
It's about time I dabbled in the high-necked trend and this black tee is the perfect way to introduce myself to a higher neckline. The sleeves are slightly longer than your average tshirt and it's ribbed too which makes it just that little bit more interesting.
Finally, this checked midi skirt is just gorgeous - I would wear it with the black tshirt and probably with the boots too! I haven't tried a midi skirt before but they're so flattering and I think this is a lot more cold weather appropriate than a mini!

Fashion: Celine sunglasses

Celine CL 41043/S* - £233.95, available here

It may be getting chilly outside and almost winter but the sun's still making an appearance which is why you shouldn't give up the sunglasses just yet. Sunglasses are a fantastic investment as you wear them all year round, so you might as well spend a bit more on a pair that are well made and super stylish.

I love this pair by Celine, they're different enough to make a statement but they're not too different that they make you stand out too much. They make a nice change from the usual Ray-Bans that you see people wearing so often. I chose this particular pair from SmartBuyGlasses because with the black frames, they look great with any outfit and they're such good quality that I just know that they are going to last for years to come. Celine is one of those brands that you know you can rely on. I love the gold detailing too, I think it goes great with my hair and adds the perfect finishing touch. This pair were even worn by Miley Cyrus, the face of Celine. 

Fashion: The Bullring's Autumn Fashion Fix

A couple of weeks ago I went along to see the Bullring's Autumn Fashion Fix show. There's one thing that the Bullring really know how to do right and that's fashion shows. I've attended this each year for the past three years and they just get better and better. 

They always feature clothes that are available to buy in the Bullring and feature loads of different brands from New Look to Ted Baker, so there's something for every budget. This year, I fell in love with the metallic trend, particularly the rose gold metallic leather skirt from River Island. If only I had £50 to spare (it was £100 when I first saw it) - I'm going to be keeping my eye out for a cheaper alternative.

What are your favourite trends for this coming season?

Fashion: Merry Hill's Autumn/Winter Fashion Weekend

Last weekend I went over to Merry Hill, a shopping centre near Dudley for their Autumn/Winter fashion weekend.  Merry Hill's Fashion Weekend happens twice a year. There's some great fashion shows and most of the shops offer a great discount - up to 20% off!

I was so excited that I could attend this time around, I've missed the past few because I used to work weekends but now I work Monday - Friday and get the weekends off.  I went along with my friend Amy, a girly shopping day was just what we both needed after a hard week at work.

We arrived about 11am after a 50 minute drive and managed to nab a parking space. We both had a list of what we wanted to buy and we headed off into the shopping centre. Our first stop was the concierge desk where I picked up my goody bag and £30 gift card. The goody bag was packed full of Primark beauty goodies - I gave it to Amy though as she's the one who drove! 
Next we went over to Debenhams where we spent £150 between us, oops. We were very excited that Debenhams had a MAC stand, I know it's available on their website but I've never seen one in a store before. I decided to start off a little MAC Palette and I bought Amber Lights and Coppering to start me off - two very autumnal colours. I'll be using these a lot over the next few months. The staff were so helpful and so different to the experiences I've had at the MAC counter in Selfridges. 

We stopped off for lunch at Pizza Express - I found a voucher for three courses for £13.75 and I had cheesy garlic bread, the best pizza with pepperoni, chillies and goats cheese on and then ice cream for dessert. We also had to make a stop at Starbucks for an emergency Pumpkin Spice Latte half way through the day -  those things are Autumn in a cup!

One of the things that was on my list was a faux leather jacket. I've already got a real leather jacket but the style isn't one I really like anymore, so wanted more of a biker jacket. I tried on a few in Topshop and Dorothy Perkins but ended up settling on this one from New Look. I love it and have worn it everyday since!

Our last stop was TK Maxx - we were both after a new bag and hadn't managed to find one anywhere else. We'd looked EVERYWHERE but we both seemed to be too fussy. Luckily, as soon as we got into TK Maxx, Amy found a lovely tan Fiorelli bag and fell in love. I loved it too, so had a look in the black section (all the bags are in sections based on colour!) to see if they had it in black and was so pleased to find one hidden behind another style. This bag had an RRP of £65 but was priced at £34.99 so we both decided we had to have them. I used my gift card on this so it was only £4.99. It has three different zipped up compartments on it which means that I can keep everything completely organised and I won't lose anything in there. I can fit everything I need on a daily basis in there and like the jacket, I've used it every day since!

I had such a fab day shopping at Merry Hill and loved all of the fashion shows and displays that were around the shopping centre, I especially love the Topshop outfit in the first photo. Faux fur is going to be big this season and I love how they've styled the outfit with a faux fur waistcoat which is a great touch if you're not a fan of the Cruella DeVil look like I am.. a fur coat is next on my list! These fashion weekends are a great way of seeing what the season's trends are going to be. This season there's a lot of tartan, orange, fur and floppy hats. I think I can get on board with all of these trends! Thank you Merry Hill for my goody bag and voucher, I'll definitely be back there for another shopping spree soon!

Outfit: Autumn Khaki

Shirt - New Look, available here Skirt - H&M, available here Tights* - Gipsy via UK Tights, available here Coat - New Look Hat - Primark Necklace - Primark Bag* - French Connection
A couple of weeks ago I attended the catwalk show for the Bullring's Autumn Fashion Fix. I've been to this every year for the past three years now and it's always something I really look forward to. Each outfit is made up of items that are available to buy in the shopping centre, so there's something for every budget. I'll have a post up soon on my favourite outfits, for now I'm focussing on the one I wore.
This outfit was quickly thrown together just before I left the house and features one of my favourite pieces for autumn - the khaki shirt. I ordered this online and I wasn't sure if it was going to be nice in the flesh, sometimes khaki can go very wrong and can be more of a brown shade than a green but this is just the shade I wanted. I'd actually worn it the day before (gross, I know!) with jeans and a black cardigan as well.
I got the skirt from H&M in Manchester's Arndale Centre while I was wandering around and killing time. I saw it in a couple of other colours and thought it would be fantastic in black, if only I could find it.. Eventually, I spotted a couple of black ones behind some other items and luckily they had my size. It was an absolute steal at £12.99. I love high waisted skater style skirts, they hide a multitude of sins and this one also has the lovely quilted texture. It's sat quite high up on my waist in these photos but that's because I'd been sat down and it had ridden up - I probably should have sorted myself out before Rach took these photos for me.
Accessories can really make an outfit, especially when it's as simple as this one. The hat was a bargain from Primark, only £7! You might remember the one I featured in my birthday wishlist? Well, I saw this one and decided to treat myself instead. 
The tights are by a brand called Gipsy which I'd never heard of before, but the lovely people over at UK Tights let me pick a few pairs from their site. I'd never tried this style before, I usually opt for plain black but I love how they bring the whole outfit together. 
Finally, I used my gorgeous French Connection bag. This has been a firm favourite since I received it back in January. I'm not normally a yellow person but something about the colour just drew me in. It adds a fantastic pop of colour to an otherwise boring outfit and it's a fantastic size. I can fit all of my essentials in it as well as my DSLR. It's just perfect! 

Giveaway: Win £50 to spend at Bon Marche

It's been a while since I hosted a giveaway here on my blog, but I do like to give back to my readers. Today I'm giving you the chance to win a £50 voucher for fashion retailers Bon Marche. If you're the lucky winner you can stock up on winter essentials or use the voucher to treat someone special for Christmas.

To be in with a chance of winning, just simply fill in the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Event: London Fashion Week SS15

Last Saturday I popped down to London to experience Fashion Week for the second time. Last season, I went down for the whole weekend however, I've just started a new job and can't book any time off at the moment so I couldn't do that this time around. Most of my invites were for Friday and Tuesday but I also had a few for Saturday so decided to go along just for the day.

I went along to the Aspinal of London event at House of Fraser on Oxford Street. Here, we got to chat to Ella Gregory from Coco's Tea Party and TV presenter Laura Jackson. We had a look at the new Aspinal of London collection and got a fab goody bag with a gorgeous heart keyring in. There were some really stylish people there and I felt a bit frumpy in what I was wearing (a gingham skater dress and peach coat) but it was a great event.

We then headed over to Somerset House and the Anatomy Museum where we saw Hemyca's digital presentation. This was really different to all of the other shows I'd previously attended. There was a room with videos projected onto the walls and then models above us on the balconies showcasing the collection. I loved each outfit, they were all so wearable which is unusual for LFW. We also managed to catch some sort of show/presentation going on outside Somerset House, although I haven't been able to find out who the designer was!

I then decided not to go to any of the other shows I had invites for (mostly Fashion Scout) as I was with my friend Jess and rarely get to see her. Instead, we went over to Covent Garden for a delicious pizza in Fire and Stone and then did a spot of shopping. Once Jess had caught the bus back to her flat, I went over to the Tower of London to see the beautiful display of poppies. 

Next season, I'll definitely be booking the time off work again so I can do the whole weekend. It's great to go down and just see what everyone is wearing!

Fashion: What would you say to your younger self?

Dolly shoes - Loafers - Spotty satchel - Black tote - Skater skirt - Belted skirt

If I could write a letter to my younger self, the one thing I would tell myself to do differently is dress better. I made a lot of fashion mistakes when I was at school, I'm sure we all did. Our school uniform was pretty strict, black trousers/skirt, white polo and a black sweatshirt so we couldn't really go wrong, however I used to wear the most awful shoes. My parents were pretty strict on what shoes I wore for school and they were never the most fashionable, although they were comfortable and supported my feet. Nowadays, there's so many nice pairs of shoes that are also comfortable that would be perfect for school.
I started to rebel a bit in Year 11 and wore a different coloured top under my polo shirt everyday and tied a leopard print tie through the belt loops of my trousers instead of using an actual belt. God, I thought I was so cool and edgy. I wasn't. The trousers I wore were horrendous, 'smart' black trousers which were actually quite baggy and unflattering. If I could dress myself for school again now, I'd pick some slim fit trousers which would flatter my figure a lot more or a skirt. I wish I'd had the confidence to have worn a skirt at school, I wore one once but a comment I got about my hairy legs put me off ever wearing one again. I was thirteen and my leg hairs are blonde anyway. I wish I could have ignored the bully.
Another major fashion mistake came in the form of school bags - I had so many different ones but the one that sticks out the most is one of those one strap backpacks from Head. I thought it was the best thing ever and used it everyday. I wasn't allowed a new backpack every year so I used it for a good couple of years. It was so awful that I can't even find a photo of it on Google images. I get so jealous when I see girls walking to school with their bags nowadays, I would definitely tell my younger self to get something much trendier like a pretty little satchel or a nice tote bag. 
The letter to my younger self would basically say: Ignore the bullies, ditch the leopard print and wear better shoes.