PERFECT DRESS = RED LOMOND

The 1st of March has been and gone which means only one thing - Spring is here! Ok, so it may not look particularly Spring-like outside; the sky is still relatively gloomy and I haven’t transitioned out of my heavy coats yet, but every time the sunshine breaks through the cloud it gets me excited for what’s to come this season.

One of the things I have to look forward to is a wedding - and this will be my first wedding as a guest rather than a bridesmaid. This means that, for once, I get to choose my own dress! So today, I have decided to share with you one of my best kept secrets - a website that stocks an amazing variety of well-made and sophisticated dresses for every occasion - Red Lomond.

BLACK SCORE X PETA

Since becoming a vegetarian in August, I have started to really think about the choices I make not just when I am eating, but also in regards to the rest of my life as well. I have suddenly become really aware of actually how much stuff is not suitable for vegetarians; from makeup and skincare products to clothes and household cleaning. It just doesn't make sense to me! I was always aware that things were tested on animals but I think it's really easy to brush that knowledge under the sheepskin carpet and carry on using those products anyway. My usual reason for buying a product is because it's cheap/on offer rather than for any moral or ethical reasons, but now that I'm veggie I've decided to make a conscious effort to only buy things that are not animal tested and don't contain any animal products (and I will tell you now, it's bloody difficult!).

NOT SO CLUELESS ANY MORE

Cher Horowitz - the envy of every 90's girl. Who wouldn't want a personalised computer to tell you what you should (and more importantly, shouldn't) wear? The idea of a virtual closet is one that has been around since the 1995 Clueless film was produced, however it has always been just that little bit too far off from reality... Until now.

FESTIVAL ESSENTIALS UNDER £15

With Glastonbury nearly underway and summer upon us, it is officially festival season. Although I am not going to a festival this year which involves camping overnight, I know a lot of people who are and who, despite the lack of showers and excess of mud, still want to look good. Unless you are lucky enough to live in a location which is usually drenched in sunlight rather than UK rain, you need to be prepared for all weather occasions which is why I have compiled a list of my summer fashion festival essentials on a budget.

THE LCF BA SHOW

London College of Fashion showcased the 26 collections of their best BA fashion students on the 19th June, and photographs of the clothes from the show makes it clear that these up and coming designers are ones to watch.

ALL-WHITE-EVERYTHING

Just a quick post for you today, and more of just a fashion inspiration page for the all-white trend. I think wearing all-white gives off such a classy vibe when it is done well, and for the (hopefully) hot summer weeks coming up ahead, layering white pieces will look effortless and keep you super-cool at the same time (in both senses of the word). So here is a collection of images that I will be using as inspiration for my upcoming all-white-everything outfits.

TOP 5 CO-ORDS UNDER £30

I have always been obsessed with co-ordinated outfits. I am a very matchy-matchy person (which is why monochrome tends to be my failsafe option), so when the co-ordinates trend started to appear on the high street it was as if all my dreams had come true.

PRETTY PSYCHEDELIC

I have to admit, my failsafe outfit choices are usually monochrome. I think there is something very classic and sophisticated about an all black and white outfit and I love that you don't have to think at all about colours clashing or patterns not working together. However, I have to get my colour fix from somewhere, and this is where accessories come in. I am a huge printed scarves person and I can't think of anything more chic than a white skirt, black top and an oversized scarf as a foolproof outfit, but recently there has been another printed accessory catching my eye... The clutch bag.

Lauren Lambert for Juicebox magazine.
Left - Kaleidoscope Clutch by Nicola Brighton, photo credit Rowan Southern.
Right - Holographic Clutch by Nicola Brighton, own photo.

ADIDAS ORIGINALS X THE FARM COMPANY

The world cup is just around the corner (in 13 days apparently - I googled it) and it seems like Brazil is everywhere; especially in the fashion world. For a lover of tropical prints this is the best news I could possibly hear and will hopefully make the constant drone of football slightly more bearable over the next month, especially now that Adidas have launched a new Originals collection with Brazilian brand The Farm Company.

5 PATTERNED BACKPACKS UNDER £20

I am one of (probably... hopefully) many girls who has to carry everything in her bag. I mean everything. All of my possessions. And the kitchen sink. And my cat. This isn't because I particularly need any of these things on a regular basis (although last time a friend was stuck without a spoon to eat her yogurt with at lunch who was there to save the day? That's right, Annie was. You're welcome) but more because it is just nice to know that I am prepared for every occasion. The one downside of this, however, is that it ends up with me lopsidedly dragging a huge handbag around wherever I go which leads to shoulder ache, back ache and face ache. Not good. So I have recently been having a look for a more practical solution and the one I have decided upon is the backpack.

Iga W on lookbook.nu

THINK FASHION... THINK EBAY

"Think Fashion, Think eBay" - possibly not the first thing that comes to mind but eBay is doing it's best to become the new cool online. Usually associated with old stuff, fake stuff and broken stuff, eBay has launched a new campaign (and a new website) featuring some familiar faces to show that it can be upmarket and that there are a lot of worthy items listed, especially in the fashion categories. 

THE COAT OF THE SEASON

Spring is upon us meaning that a whole new shopping trip is needed. Living in the unpredictable British climate it is important to have a variety of clothes for every occasion, meaning that a spring coat is definitely an essential. Pastel brights have been a huge trend with the designers this season and the high street has taken note of this, especially Zara. Zara has always been one of my favourite brands and I LOVE their coats. So much. So when I saw their newest selection I couldn't help but spot one which I knew was going to be a hit; the yellow 'coat with pockets' (or as I am going to call it - THE COAT OF THE SEASON)

Zara Yellow Coat - £99.99

I WOKE UP LIKE THIS

So sometimes, I roll out of bed, look in the mirror and think "yeah this could work" (usually after pressing snooze 12 times and realising I don't have the time to make anything else happen). So knowing what I can add to my sleepwear to make it (relatively) outside-acceptable is important, and I thought I would share this knowledge with the rest of the internet (aren't you lucky).

HOW TO SURVIVE A SAMPLE SALE

I love sample sales. I get a little tingle of excitement when I receive an email from companies that I love but can't usually afford (i.e. I'm too much of a cheapskate to spend more than £20 on anything) telling me they're having a sample sale, and recently my inbox contained one of these emails from one of my favourite brands; AQ/AQ. So, after trying desperately to find a time I wasn't working/at uni/eating, I headed over to The Old Truman Brewery just off Brick Lane to see what this sale had to offer me. The Old Truman is the most common place in London to hold sample sales (there's pretty much always something going on) and I have been to at least 5 sales there. So, having some sort of experience in the sample sale area, I have decided to put together this list of things you need to know if you're going to be braving a sale.

The queue outside the sale - AQ/AQ on Instagram

PRADASPHERE

Prada has always been considered as one of the most iconic and luxurious Italian brands in history. Everyone lusts over a Prada-something, whether you're a millions miles away from being able to afford it and do everything you can to find a good copy ("Hey look this is just like that Prada bag! For £8! In Primark! I can draw the logo on and nobody will notice right?") or you can afford it but have so many already that you're wondering whether it's necessary ("Ok, I have 53 pairs of sunglasses but only 7 of them are Prada so there's definitely room for another couple in my collection. There's no space in my wardrobe? Whatever, I'll build an extension.")
Now, however, everyone and anyone has the chance to see and touch some real life Prada, all made possible by the new Pradasphere exhibition at Harrods.

"I don't want to look. But it's Prada. So I'm going to look."
Made in Chelsea's Stephanie Pratt will do anything for Prada it would seem...

THINGS THAT MAKE ME ANGRY - HIGH STREET "VINTAGE"

So today I am going to have a bit of a rant. This is because I am fed up with high street shops like Topshop and Urban Outfitters selling clothes that they claim to be "vintage" for extortionate prices. When I was young(er) and naïve, I would go to these shops and spend hours sifting through the "Vintage" section (which consisted of faded, old Nike t-shirts tie-dyed and cut in to crop tops) trying to find something 'cool' and 'unique' for under £45. I then discovered that there were places called charity shops where you could get all of this junk for a fiver and this changed everything.

Mens Urban Renewal at Urban Outfiters. £25 for a tie-dye t-shirt?!

LEADING LADIES

I can't help but notice that here has been a lot in the press about Marks and Spencer recently. As well as just being named the UK's Most Ethical Retailer 2014 (beating H&M and Zara), they recently launched their Leading Ladies campaign in March which caused a storm in the press. 

TOP 5 ROUND SUNGLASSES UNDER £10

When the sun comes out in England you know about it. Tops come off, pale legs come out and everyone on your street seems to be having a BBQ. With the last couple of days being sunny(ish... or at least over 13 degrees) I have been provided with the perfect excuse to go sunglasses shopping. Having the head that I do, I find that a lot of sunglasses don't suit me and I spend hours trying on aviators and cat eye shapes to find that the only ones that look remotely ok are huge and give off Bug's Life vibes (not really the style I'm going for). But one style seems to come out on top every time and those beauties are round sunglasses.

ALEXANDER WANG X H&M

Despite being a fashion promotion student, I usually steer clear of designer x high street collaborations. This is mainly because 1. the ‘designer’ clothes don’t seem to differ much from what the rest of the shop sells (Rihanna’s winter 13 collection for River Island consisted of tartan and florals… River Island’s winter 13 collections consisted of tartan and florals...) and 2. it’s always horribly overpriced. However when I heard that H&M have announced a collaboration later this year with none other than Alexander Wang, I couldn’t help but let out a squeal of excitement.

THE MOM JEAN

I have to admit, I am pretty much 100% a skinny jeans gal. Despite seeing loads of women looking incredibly chic in straight legged, boyfriend and even (shock horror) bootcut jeans, they just don't seem to work for me and I always resort back to my black Zara skinnies. However recently there has been a new trend on the block that has caught my legs' attention; the Mom Jean.

MOTO Ripped White Mom Jeans - £40 Topshop