Monocrome Magic

One of my favourite looks this season has to be monocrome. Classic yet stylish, you can't go wrong with black and white. Here are my high street monocrome picks

This stunning, versatile blouse from Primark is an absolute bargain at £17 and will see you through well into the winter under a blazer or chunky knit. I can't wait to grab one when they hit the shops in October.
The blouse would go perfectly with these black PU shorts, £12.

They are a nod to the fetish trend and can be worn now with bare legs and with plain or patterned opaques when the chill sets in.
(Images are property of Primark)






This picture is the property of boohoo.com

I love the print on this cute playsuit which is only £25 from boohoo. The unique take on leopard print is bound to turn heads in any bar or club.

This image is property of River Island Clothing Company Ltd. www.riverisland.com

This gorgeous polka dot peter pan collar dress from River Island is on my wishlist. At £45, it is reasonably priced for such a lovely piece.

Finally, make his heart flutter with this Yogoego chiffon butterfly dress, £32
(Image: This picture is property of Yogoego)

Autumn Updates

It's safe to say that summer is practically over so it's time to start wearing the new season trends.
Shoes are a great way to update the basics that you already have in your wardrobe and these sumptuous, deep pink block heels from linzi are the perfect new season treat.

At £30 they won't break the bank and would look great with jeans, flared trousers, a dress, playsuit or pair of shorts.

Image: http://www.linzishoes.com/

Most stylist celeb of the month: August 2011

This month's most stylish celebrity has to be Caroline Flack.
Her outfits give me huge fashion crushes and even steal my eyes away from Olly Murs which is a massive acheivement so well done girl!

Caroline never seems to put an on trend foot out of place and she showcases her fashionable looks on the Xtra Factor every saturday. She works a peter pan collar like a pro, masters monocrome and looks lovely in lace.

Her style is also attainable which I think makes many women able to idenify with and warm to her. To get her look, try asos.com for gorgeous peter pan colour dresses and boohoo.com for monocrome pieces.

Cutting the Mustard

One of my favourite new season colours at the moment has to be mustard. It is a flattering colour that can be worn with black, berry and even leopard print for a very on trend look.

Last Friday I went for a meal and drinks so I decided to give my lace mustard dress from missguided an outing. At £23.99 it's affordable and will see you through the whole of Autumn/Winter as it combines both lace and mustard, two key trends this season.

I teamed my dress with black wedges from New Look and a leopard print belt from Topshop. Berry lips go very well with this look and I would recommend benetint by Benefit for a wash of colour

2 For 1 Fashion!

I did a double take when I read it, but in this week's issue the lovely people at LOOK magazine reveal a promotional code to give their readers the opportunity to buy one dress or bag from Max C and receive another for free! Yes, you read that right. Buy this week's issue sharpish so you don't miss out

Why I should be front row at the Look show at Westfield Stratford City.

Look is my favourite weekly fashion magazine and we share the philosophy that you don’t have to spend a fortune to be fashionable.  My speciality is high fashion on a low budget and I scour the high street, auction websites and bargain fashion websites to put my on trend looks together. For this reason, I think that I could offer my own unique perspective on the Look show and advise readers how to mix my favourite pieces from the show with other bargain items.

I have always been obsessed with fashion and magazines. You can’t beat reading a new magazine for the first time, devouring the pages and finding out about the latest items to hit the shops. All I think about is fashion. When I go to bed I lie awake, planning what to wear the following day or for my next night out. I mentally style girl bands, soap stars and game show or reality TV contestants on the TV, thinking how I would dress them given the chance. The first thing I notice about anyone is what they are wearing. I have great attention to detail and would be able to report the trends at the Look show back to the readers, exactly as I see them.

Autumn/Winter fashion is my favourite. I love the coats, trousers, boots, sequins and knits and get excited discovering what each collection has to offer. I plan my new season wardrobe as soon as the key pieces hit the shops. I am a high street girl at heart and I think that resonates with Look readers.

The look high street catwalk is my favourite feature in the magazine and it’s amazing how in this issue, 30 A/W outfits have been put together with just 10 items. To see the Look show in real life and write about it would be a dream come true.

Finally, the new Westfield is practically on my doorstep so I plan to spend a lot of time there anyway once it opens.

Autumn/Winter 2011: My take on some of the trends

I absolutely love it when the new season items appear in the high street shops, magazines, fashion blogs and on the bargain fashion websites. There are many trends that take my fancy this season but I am only going to discuss a few for now.

Even though I am only 5ft 3, I am coveting a pleated midi skirt in an autumnal colour like orange or mustard. A nice berry tone would be great for evening too. River Island seem to have the best selection. If you're short like me, just add a pair of wedges to lengthen those legs.
The same applies to 40's style pencil skirts but try court shoes rather than wedges to keep your look in proportion.

I'm glad that leopard print is still around. It seems to be the trend that never dies but this works to my advantage as I can recycle my favourite leopard print pieces, just like Princess Kate recycles her fashion classics. I have a structured leopard print dress from Warehouse which I can get more wear out of this season, teaming it with red or wine lips.

Block colours are still going strong and luckily, I have some left over from the summer. I've also invested in a mustard lace dress from Missguided, my favourite bargain fashion website. (www.missguided.co.uk)

The return of star print is also great news for me and I have dug out my New Look star print dress from 2008! Try Topshop, Debenhams and AX Paris for star print items.

One of my favourite trends are Peter Pan collars on tops and dresses. They are available in many colours but I find that the black and white styles are the most classic and stylish. I have already invested in a black and cream blouse from missguided and I have a peach, sleeveless shirt that I bought from New Look a couple of months ago. This will look great under jumpers with the collar showing through as the weather gets colder. These blouses go well with skinny trousers and a blazer, which incorporate the masculine trend.

I love the 60's and 70's trends. Shift dresses and jumpsuits or silky palazzos are great wardrobe staples that you can start wearing right now. You may even have some 70's inspired items from the summer that you can take through into Autumn/Winter.

I am also a fan of the gothic and fetish trends. I love sexy, black items for a night out, especially my shiny, black American Apparell leggings. I have a sheer, black Zara shirt with a high Victorian collar which is a nod to the goth trend. I have bought into the fetish trend with a tight, faux leather H&M skirt with silver zips. (£15)

My favourite new seasons colours are emerald green, red, mustard, burgundy and orange. Monocrome is also a stylish and classic colour combination which is on trend this season. You probably have some black and white items in your wardrobe already which you can mix and match to create a fashionable look.

Please vote for me in the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2011

If you enjoy reading my blog please vote for me below. I want to continue to develop my blog and to promote the fact that you don't need to spend a fortune to be fashionable

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My recent bargains

As you know, I am always on the lookout for high fashion at low prices aswell as staple items for my ever expanding wardrobe. So here are my latest buys:

This flirty and fashionable polkadot dress was only £18 from AX Paris in the sale (www.axparis.co.uk) and I have already worn it twice. This little beauty will see me through to Autumn and Winter with a pair of opaques and my trusty blazer as polka dots are still big news.

I bought this satchel from Dorothy Perkins last week at the bargain price of £20 and I have already used it 3 times. Definitely a wardrobe staple for now and Autumn/Winter.

Another wardrobe staple, these studded Topshop pumps go with everything and at £26.50 they won't break the bank

This pretty floral dress is another AX buy at only £15. I plan to wear this for a BBQ on Saturday if the weather holds out

More bargain buys coming soon...