Bowspirations Ankle Style

Last week I announced a new feature on my blog... Bowspirations! So here is my bowspiration from the previous week.

Pink Bow is an absolutely amazing blog. Not only is the name brilliant but it is full of pretty vintage dresses, beautiful photographs and adorable little trinkets.

This week Tabio ribbon bands were featured on the blog and displayed in a manner of different ways to be worn! They are meant to be worn on the ankles but make do as cute brackets, hair bands and whatever takes you fancy really.

So, how cool are these bows and when worn with bow tights it's like an amazing bow double whammy!

I saw these amazingly cute bow shoes this week too and check out the sunglasses brooch, so quirky and brilliant!

The conclusion to this post is that I need these bows in my life like right now x

Small Spaces, Rabbits and Toys

Yesterday I hit the V&A again to see the Peter Rabbit and Architects Build Small Spaces expo. Considering this is not one of my favourite museums (I love the Science, Natural History and British more) I've been an awful lot of times recently but that is probably down to the fact there are some great exhibitions on at the minute and my friend G works around the corner so we meet for lunch and cupcakes.

The Architects expo was fantastic, it explored the idea of retreating from busy urban life into small spaces created throughout the museum. There were 7 different constructions commissioned by the V&A and each was more incredible than the previous.

A tree house with trees growing out from it, amazing! You could climb inside and have a sit down relax in the monochrome interior.

A giant wooden tower full of books, like a skyscraper library.

OK, so this wooden barn was a bit dull but the lights were cool!

This was a bent over tree and constructed so it could be climbed on in numerous different ways. There is also a poem inscribed into the wood.

This was inside a great big wooden structure that looked a bit dull on the outside but was full of staircases and little rooms hidden from the outside, it was probably my favourite along with the tree house.

This big plastic structure reminded me of a twinkling star with all the little lights.

Dress from River Island
Shoes from New Look
Belt from River Island (I think)
Bag from Marc B
Pink hair bow from Topshop

I think I've rediscovered a love for this bow belt!

There was one more construction but I didn't take a photo, oops! It was a tall metallic tower with a stair case branching out into lots of sealed compartments behind red curtains. It was quite industrial and gothic but excellent for hiding in.

I also took a video of all the miniature models, but the great thing about this expo was being able to explore the architecture and not just looks at it. I tried to upload the video but it wasn't working / taking too long =(

I also went to see the original Beatrix Potter illustrations of Peter Rabbit which were wonderful.

There was a room with all the original watercolours (and a few redrawn) from The Tale of Peter Rabbit, underneath were the words from the story so you could read the story as you went around the room.

I would definitely recommend both these exhibitions along with Grace Kelly which I went to a couple of weeks ago.

Being in South Ken we treated ourselves to Hummingbird cupcakes and after G finished work we went to see Toy Story 3D which was completely amazing!

Go see this film, it'll make you cry, it'll make you laugh and it'll make you want to play with your childhood toys. This was the best of all 3 (if possible) and the ending couldn't have been more perfection.

After the cinema we headed to Notting Hill Arts Club for their Wednesday night Death Disco which was great fun. A shame we had to leave early (G had work today) but I'm definitely heading back again to dance to indie classics, drink happy hour cocktails and see some awesome bands =)

There are lots more exhibitions across London I want to see so I will keep you updated on what's good and what's not! But considering I have to hand in my dissertation next month it might be a while till I get to a museum again! Have you guys seen anything exciting lately, films, exhibitions or otherwise. Is anyone watching Sherlock on BBC1? I think it's pretty good!

I'm off for Thai food now, laterz x

Dior Cruise 2011

Have any of you seen the pictures from the new Dior Cruise 2011 collection yet? Can you tell why I love it? Hello bow belts and fairy tale dresses, I'm in love! So apparently this collection by John Galliano was inspired by the French ballerina turned actress Brigitte Bardot who has played a large role in the fashion industry since the 50s. The bardot neckline which is low cut exposing both shoulders is named after her and she also popularised the bikini. She bought the choucroute hair style into populatiry which is a kind of beehive type style and made gingham clothes popular when she wore a pink chequered dress to her wedding with Jacques Esterel. What an icon eh?

So on to the collection itself. It a mixture of nautical stripes (major love) pretty cocktail dresses and full on ball gowns all in pastel colours and airy fabrics.

I love this nautical look, the jacket is very clean cut yet its sharp shape is juxtaposed against the flimsy but quite gothic black skirt.

But onto my favourite part, the cupcake cocktail dresses complete with bow belts, oh so cute!

I love how all the bows immaculately match the dress and are all different sizes, shapes and colours instead of the same belt running through, perfection.

Plus some peter pan collars were thrown into the equation and from my last post you know how much I love me one of those at the minute.

Some of the dresses have the famous bardot collar and as mentioned above the end of the collection consisted of the most glorious ball gowns

So this is my take on the collection and apologies for the awful quality picture. No ball gowns here I'm afraid but I did choose a simple yet slightly frilly pink dress and teamed it with my only bow belt. A shame I don't have any belts in other colours or any ribbon for that matter but you get the idea? Even those I normally wear this on holiday to chill out in due to its light weight nature, it could be worn as a cocktail dress if styled up with some mega jewellery and glamorous belt, bag and shoes.

Dress and belt from shops I can't remember
Shoes from Irregular Choice

The frilly neck line of the dress makes it a bit more fairy tale esque as in the above Dior photos and the pink is definitely on trend (as least I think so anyway). I think my interpretation is a bit more edgy due to the black on pink but that's because I have a limited wardrobe in London, nevertheless pretty dresses with big bow belts is a trend I will totally be getting on board with!

I hope you have all had a great weekend and been up to lots of fun activities. I went out on Saturday night to the Crobar which specialises in whiskey and rock music. We drank lots, ate late night / early morning Chinese in China Town and got lost on the way back to Picadilly Circus, oops! Sunday was spent nursing a semi hangover and watching DVDs whilst the rain hit so all in all lots of fun. PS wearing open toe sandals to a dodgy bar where the toilet floors are soaked is not a good idea, I learnt the hard way on Saturday night!

Doing a pub quiz tomorrow night, god help my team x

Bowspirations

Recently I've been seeing a lot of tops and dresses with peter pan collars so I decided to purchase one for myself for fear of being left out! These collars are completely cute especially if you tie some ribbon around them and make a bow =)

I found a tunic online from Topshop and thought it would be perfect as a summer dress but unfortunately its a bit on the short side so for the moment I'm pairing it with my beloved cycling shorts. I've also picked up some shoes from the ASOS sale in the fashionable clog style that's been everywhere recently. I had seen these clogs worn by the lovely Milly of Fashion Laundrette and after sale reductions and an extra 10% off they only cost me £16, complete bargain!

Dress from Topshop
Cycling shorts from H! by Henry Holland
Necklace from Primark

Clogs from ASOS

The clogs are super comfy and easy to walk in so I'm very happy with my purchase. So thanks Milly for this find plus I love her Melissa bow flip flops too. I wish the tunic was a bit longer though because I think it's really pretty on its own but I'm going to experiment with different skirts and shorts. Do you guys have any suggestions of what to wear with it? I don't have any ribbons at my Guildford residence but I definitely want to get my hands on one when I go to London this week to tie around the collar and make a little bow tie.

The Humingbird marshmallow cupcakes I made a few days ago are finally gone with the help of my friends and flatmates but I managed to score a picture before they were all gobbled away. They had a melted marshmallow centre and a mini marshmallow frosting, yummers!

I've also decided to do a little feature on the old blog too. It's going to be called My Weekly Bowspiration and consist of blogs I've read the following week where someone has has a bow almighty present on their outfit.

My first two bowspirations come from Amy at Wolf Whistle and Jacqueline at Platform Princess. First things first I love both these blogs, the girls have a fantastic individual style and their writing is very funny.

This week Amy wore a fantastic bow in her hair to the launch of the new TK Maxx store on Charing Cross Road.

How beautiful is her vintage dress too? And that satchel bag, I'm in love! I don't think I have any bows this big but I am extremely tempted to find one now and show it off on a night out! Amy's is from Topshop but I bet loads of places have them.

Jacqueline has a pair of gorgeous YSL pumps with cute little gold bows at the front! I need them in my life like right now!!

Aren't they gorgeous? I also love how she has cut the shoulders out of her Primark denim shirt, what a fantastic idea!!

So, I hope you like my new little feature and I hope you don't mind if I end up putting your picture on my blog. If you think you have any bow worthy outfits drop me a comment with a link to your blog and I'll see if I can include you...

I'm heading home to London tomorrow for the week with a list of adventures I want to undertake including the Peter Rabbit expo at the V&A, Toy Story 3 and maybe a visit to some markets. Do you have any exciting plans?

Enjoy your weekends everyone x

Bags of envy

I met up with my old friends C and C today for lunch. The 3 of us went to college together but since uni and jobs etc we haven't got together in ages so this was a nice little reunion especially since C1 is home from her Hong Kong based job!!!

These are two girls I envy! C1 has a collection of Jimmy Choos and C2 'collects' designer handbags. Her collection includes a Chanel 2.55, Gucci(s), a Chole and an array of Louis Vuitton (handbags and luggage)!!! Lucky girls eh?

But whatever, life is too short to be jealous and when I get a super dooper toxicology job and become a world famous scientist I can buy myself as many pretty bags and shoes as I want... so there!

My green eyes clearly match my trousers today.

Breton top from H&M
Trousers and necklace from ASOS
Pierre Hardy for Gap wedges
Lace socks from Topshop

I was going for a casual but chic look in an attempt to not look like a slob amongst the fancy handbags. C1 had a Marc Jacobs and C2 had her new Chole!! When it started to rain this morning I was extremely worried about wearing these wedges, tripping and looking like a fool but shortly before lunch the sun came out, phew!

I'm still obsessed with my new ASOS necklace, I love how quirky it is and several people have already told me it looks great =) I also popped on this kitch little brooch and silly ring from Topshop.

You can see my reflection in it, haha! Plus I love how the brooch has a bow of her own =)

I love reunions, it's so much fun to reminisce, find out the gossip and chat nonsense like we did in the school days. I really should try and meet up with more people I haven't seen in ages but it can be hard sometimes. How do you keep in touch with old friends? Sometimes I fear that if it wasn't for facebook we would all be screwed... or just make more of an effort!

I must take a photo of the cupcakes I made before they are all gone x

The Sea and Me

If there is one trend I visit more than others it has to be nautical! I choose to dress this way time and time again and with the help of a £10 sale purchase last week my obsession continues to grow.

Dress from River Island
Leggings by H! for Henry Holland
Belt from Asda
Sandals from Birkenstock

I teamed this outfit with an assortment of complimentary jewellery. I can't remember where the anchor earring are from but I lost one the other week so just wore it in one ear today! Slightly random but what's the point in throwing away an odd earring?

Ring and necklace from Topshop

I've also discovered a signature necklace for myself. I purchased this in the Topshop sale last week and have been wearing it almost everyday since.

It has a H for Hannah obviously, a ribbon bow and a cute little vintage floral pendant. Altogether it sums up my style I think plus the H is covered in little gems adding some subtle glam... haha!!

I'm not sure where my love for all things nautical originated from...

But it's a style I'll continue to wear forever!

Do you guys wear nautical much or do you have your own obsessive trend?

What shall we do with the drunken sailor... x

Rocking it to the Max-eeeee

The Boy came to visit this weekend so I wouldn't have to go to the uni ball on my own, we had a great time with the free fun fair rides, strawberry cocktails and dancing. A perfect Friday night except for the vast amount of queueing.

I posted an outfit teaser on Thursday and here is the complete look.

Dress from Monsoon
Vintage gloves and cumberbund from Beyond Retro
Cardigan and pumps from Topshop
Bag from Urban Outfitters
Feather head band from Lou Lou Loves You

First of all, how completely amazing is my hair band, Lou Lou Loves You did me proud this time and I couldn't be happier. The Boy thought it was a bit on the crazy side but the girlies thought it was great (at least that's is what they said)!! Check out The Boy and his bow tie, he knows me well (and teases me about it regularly). I was going for a vintage inspired 50s look with the prom style dress with a few 20s touches from the delicate gloves to the head wear. What do you all think? I was really happy with my outfit considering my first choice of dress didn't fit (bloody H&M) and I will use the vintage accessories over and over again.

We spent about 30mins queueing for these yummy strawberry cocktails and then spent a further 45mins queueing for one of those fair ground rides that go up and down a million mph. Both were worth the wait, maybe...

We didn't go on the Ferris Wheel because we couldn't bear to queue for another ride but we did dance the night away to Scott Mills and other great tunes. A 10/10 night for sure!

Saturday was spent being lazy and having good food cooked for me. The Boy worked as a chef last year so he has a few kitchen skills up his arms =)

Yesterday we ventured into the outside world and despite the beautiful day we spent 2 and a half hours in the cinema watching Inception and by gosh it was worth it! This was probably one of the best films I've ever seen, the story was extreme and made my head hurt at times but nevertheless it had me on the edge of my seat in wonderment. The story line was ridiculous yet amazing and the ending was genius! A definite must see PLUS Leo is hot hot hot!

After the film I took The Boy to Guildford Castle for a dander in the sun. I've been living in Guildford since last September and this was the first time I've been to the castle in years, oops! It's a lovely area with beautiful garden and great sights of Surrey.

Maxi dress from Primark
Sandals from River Island
Hair band bow and necklace from ASOS
Bag from Marc B

There's are a lot of hit and miss comments out there about the maxi dress, but I must say I find this one rather flattering and extremely comfortable. Many people (and I would agree sometimes) that the maxi dress can be unflattering ie bin bag effect but because this one is cinched it does more for the figure than a straight up and down style especially since you can move the cinched area as high or low as you please.

How amazing is my necklace by the way, I picked it up for a tenner from ASOS! I didn't realise it would be go large but considering Tatty Devine are selling a similar one for £50 I am thrilled! It's completely on the random side but I love novelty jewellery and think it's great =)

I didn't wear anything bow related to the ball (crazy eh?) so made up for it by wearing an OTT hair band bow and my new Tatty Devine bow ring.

I love the glitter and despite it looking OTT is pretty subtle when on.

When we got home I cooked a delicious lamb dinner which along with the sunshine finished off our weekend nicely. Can't wait till I visit The Boy in Leeds next month now!!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend and got up to some fun activities?

I'm back in the lab again this week, working hard x