September Shenanigans

This month I've been:

1. Listening to Antidotes by Foals
2. Reading The Princess Bride by William Goldman
3. Wearing my new Chelsea boots from Topshop
4. Loving my new make up bag
5. Being super proud of running my first half marathon
6. Obsessing over these cute bow wellies from River Island
7. Having fun a London Fashion Week
8. Loving every single outfit Charlie wears

How was your September x

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Simple shoes

Shirt from ASOS
Trousers from River Island
Simple Shoes c/o the Nature Shop

As an environmental scientist I often wonder how my interest in fashion and career choices can interact with each other. Something I'm extremely passionate about is our planet and the way we look after it and I take great measures in my life to protect its future. Sustainable products are definitely the way forward and in a world where fashion is often regarded as disposable and ever changing it's hard to find the right balance between the two. So when the Nature Shop contacted me about reviewing a pair of Simple Shoes from their website I was extremely interested because they produce sustainable and vegan friendly foot wear made from recycled materials.

Environmentally friendly shoes do come with one down side and that is not a large selection of styles, however I was delighted to spy these navy converse look-a-like trainers. I've been wearing them to work this week and they are so comfortable plus I love the elastic laces detail which make them much easier to wear. I think they look quite similar to Converse in real life too which is a big bonus for me as that they style I was hoping to achieve from them.

I'm so thankful to have been introduced to this brand and you can even buy the shoes in plenty of different shops such as the Nature Shop, Schuh and Topshop Oxford Circus so it you're interested in sustainable fashion please do check out the Nature Shop website.

What do you think about sustainable fashion x

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The Look Show (and the rest of my LFW)

I was lucky enough to win tickets to the Look Show at Westfield Stratford City on Saturday thanks to a competition on the Monsoon website. Unlike the other catwalk shows, the Look Show displays the clothes currently on the high street which is good because you can buy what you see and there were definitely more than a few looks that I liked. I loved the colour pops, high waisted skirts, boxy jackets and fitted silhouettes. The stand out collection for me was Urban Outfitters and the whole experience was an awful lot of fun!

After the show with my goody bag in tow, I went around some of the shops with Yishyene, Lux and Alice. We had a whole host of discount vouchers and promises of more free champagne but in the end I didn't actually buy a single thing. I did however try on these amazing Miss Selfridge platforms...

The whole experience of the Look Show was a lot of fun and that's not just down to the free bubbly and food but also because I got to meet a lot of lovely bloggers. The best thing about London Fashion Week is definitely all the wonderful people you get to meet. I've met so many fantastic ladies over the weekend so hello to you all, it was a pleasure. Plus I also got to hang out with people I hadn't seen for ages.

On Friday I spent a lot of the day with my real life friend and fellow blogger Lulu. We checked out the Paul Costello show together and then headed over to the IFB Crumpets and Crystals event at the Swarovski Crystallised Lounge. I was utterly hopeless and hardly took any photos. But I did mange to pinch this one from Lizzy so thank you for letting me use it.

Me, Lulu and Aggy

The event was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and it was really interesting to hear from Susie, Mattias, Shini, YM Ousley and Nadia about how they have monetized their blogs.

The rest of my fashion week experience was spent hanging around Somerset house with a bunch of lovely bloggers and very quickly checking out the designer exhibition on Sunday. I love the exhibition because you get to see the jewellery, clothes and shoes up close and personal.

Winnie, Hayley and Jazmine

Thank you very much Harriet for the Look Show ticket x

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Giles SS12

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On Monday night I was extremely lucky to be invited to attend the Giles SS12 show at the Royal Courts of Justice. A whole flurry of words could be used to describe what I saw but I think the most appropriate is show stopping. The first look, a sharp white trouser suit topped with a swan shaped hat, set of the entire collection. To me it was Black Swam meets intergalactic injected with bursts of red, metallic fringing and an unworldly abundance of features. The 3 big looks were said white outfit, a variation in black and the most beautiful red feathered dress complete with a magnificent swan-like head dresses come mask, they were OUT OF THIS WORLD! Being able to view these clothes in the flesh was so exciting and if it's not a London Fashion Week stand out collection then I don't know what is!

Not all the looks can be seen on the London Fashion Week website so it's a good thing I took some pictures, even if the quality is not so great. Plus you can see the red bows at the back of some of the dresses!!

Thank you so much Castor srl for the ticket x

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Basso and Brookes SS12

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After seeing Paul Costello on Friday morning the Basso and Brooke SS12 collection was in stark contrast and boy did I love it. The models were dripping in sea of kaleidoscope prints infused with galaxy, floral, geometric and tropical designs in every colour under the sun. The print clashes were a feast upon anyone eyes yet the dresses themselves were cut elegantly to make each piece flattering and wearable. I love this contrast between statement prints and beautifully designed shapes, it takes the look to another level and stops the designs looking like costume. The collaboration between Bruno Basso's print designs and Christopher Brooke's pattern cutting once again creates a genius of a collection.

Many thanks to Goodley PR for the ticket x

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Paul Costello SS12

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Paul Costello opened London Fashion Week SS12 in what could probably be described as the perfect spring collections. The designs were simplistic with a beautiful attention to detail worked into each garment. The trends that stuck out for me were iridescent colours such as peach and cream, short skirts and subtle prints. I love the feminine cut of the dresses and how everything is extremely wearable and flattering. I could also imagine wearing the collection with biker style leather jackets and clumpy boots to make it more edgy and perfect for a trans-seasonal wardrobe.

Thank you Chase PR for the ticket x

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London Fashion Week SS12 Outfits

Thanks for the photography Jazmine

Shirt from River Island
Blazer, trousers and socks from Topshop
Creeper brogues from ASOS
Red shoe laces from eBay

Polka dot sheer top, tshirt, socks, earrings and glitter boots from Topshop
Skater skirt from H&M

Denim shirt from ASOS
Denim jacket from Uniqulo
Brooch from Stolen Thunder
Skinny jeans from Zara
Socks from Topshop
Creeper brogues from River Island

I've had such a busy weekend being in and out of London Fashion Week. On Friday I was around Somerset House for most of the day checking out some shows and hanging with some lovely bloggers at the IFB Crystals and Crumpets event. On Saturday I went on a family outing to Buckingham Palace before checking out the Look Show in Westfield Stratford City. Yesterday I quickly checked out the designer exhibitions in Somerset house before rushing home. And today I'm full of the cold but will be heading to a show later in the evening. Phew, what a busy few days.

Thought I'd just so you the outfits I've been wearing over the weekend. Sunday's is definitely my favourite, the colour popping is very me as is the double denim and hip grunge vibe. Friday's outfit seemed good in my head but I regretted it almost instantly. I loved the shirt when I first saw it on Sarah's blog but it creases so easily plus the weather was too hot for long layers, I felt scruffy and in these pictures I looked it too. I was trying a take on Band of Outsiders AW11 but I'm not sure how well it worked! On Saturday I was channelling the dalmatian print trend with 2 spotted tops. I wish I'd worn a different skirt though but it was ok in the end and I even wore make up. I got my hair blow dried at the Toni and Guy bar on Friday but more on that anther time.

What did you wear at LFW x

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iPad apps for fashion bloggers 1

I've had my iPad for a few months now and I love exploring all the different apps! There are so many different fashion related apps so I'm going to do a couple of posts reviewing them instead of bombarding you with them all in one go. Don't worry if you don't have an iPad because I'm also going to do an iPhone post as well!

Today I'm going to focus on shops and the shopping experience the app can give you. The iPad doesn't have as many shop based apps compared to the iPhone. The big names such as Topshop, Chanel and Debenhams only have an iPhone version and even though you can download them on the iPad they don't look nearly as good. Most importantly, all these apps are FREE!

H&M - This app isn't that great to be honest. You can't shop online from it or view the entire range. However it is good for finding out the current news, you local store and any special offers. I give it a 2/5.

Zara - The app looks sleek and allow you to shop from it which is a huge bonus. It is extremely easy to use and also has a store locator picture plus images of the flagship store fronts which is a nice touch. However, it does not appear to include a news or special offers option so I give it a 4/5.

FCUK - The design of this app is a little basic but there are plenty of different way to search for clothes such as best selling, new in and online exclusives. Whilst there is no news option there are some videos and the tumblr blog to look out. 3/5

Urban Outfitters - Unfortunately this is an American based app so if you want to shop from the UK you get sent to the actual website. The app is more like an easier version of the website so I wouldn't say it's anything special. I still like looking at the products though so I give it 2/5 and a 3/5 if I lived in the USA.

ASOS - This is just an app version of the magazine and you get sent to the actual website if you want to buy something. However, the magazine is fantastic and I much prefer this digital version compared with the paper one. It's very interactive and gives you links to click on for each item of clothing. If you could buy directly from the app it would be perfect. 4/5

Net-a-porter - Similar to the ASOS app this is a digital version of the magazine with buy now links for each item of clothing. It's really great because you just click on the item you like and a pop up screen gives you the option of placing it in your basket, nice and easy and a well deserved 5/5.

Next - The design of the app doesn't really appeal to me that much but you can browse the entire catalogue and buy clothes straight from the app which is good. I'll say a 3/5 because visually it isn't that stimulating.

Superdry - The design of this app really reminds me of the actual clothes which is probably a good thing but at the same time the appearance is something I'm not that enamoured with. You can buy items easily from the app and there is a nice looking store locator tool as well. A 4/5 considering Superdry is not a place I like to shop.

Mulberry - The Mulberry app looks lovely and is very easy to use. You can buy directly from the app and there are other features including store locator, blog and lookbook. This app is near perfection so I give it 5/5!

Valentino - You can't buy directly from the app but there are fab features for checking out the new collections, advertising campaigns and news. If there was a shop feature this classic looking about would be perfect so I give it 4/5.

Dior - Not a shopping app but a cute calendar instead. It syncs with the iPad's inbuilt calendar and each month has a different photo from the new collection. As shopping goes I'm afraid it's a 1/5 but in terms of usefulness I'll give it a 4/5.

Gucci - To be honest I don't find this app the most user friendlier but if you can manage it you can shop directly from it, view the collection and check out the news. My favourite feature is looking at the sketches of the different dresses so I'm giving it a generous 4/5.

Jill Sander x Uniqulo - I like the sleek design of this app but you can't really do much on it except view some key items. You can't shop or see the whole collection so I only give it a 2/5.

Mango - First of all, every time you log on you have to select your region which is highly annoying especially since the UK is always near the bottom of the list. Secondly I'm not too keen on the appearance of this app but you can shop directly from it and view different areas such as the magazine, lookbook and watch videos. The downside is that the website is embedded in the app so the shopping experience isn't the most user friendly of techniques. I'm not too fussed with this one so only a 3/5 which is pretty generous of me.

All Saints - The design of this app is simplistic and it's easy to shop from however there aren't any extra features like news or videos. It's user friendly but nothing special therefore a 4/5.

Victoria Secrets - Obviously this one is American based but since I'm going to New York in January and want to buy some underwear out there I though it would be a good idea to check out the collection on the app first. I don't like this app, there is far too much going on making it not very user friendly because it's pretty much the website embedded in the app. You can buy from it and view all the products but it could be an awful lot more simpler looking therefore a disappointing 2/5.

Very -This app is nice and simple looking and very easy to use. There is a search function unlike a lot of the others and you can shop directly from it. It doesn't have an wow factor but I still give it a 4/5.

Lancome - Unless I'm using this app wrong it's not that great. You can view the make up collection and watch some videos. Nothing ground breaking and no shopping therefore only a 2/5.

Shop Style - This shopping tool has a collection of lots of different high street shops making everything you need to be easily found in once place however not every shop is included so you still need to shop elsewhere. It's easy enough to use and search for different clothing but when you want to buy something it takes you to the appropriate website embedded in the app. A 3/5 is the best I'd give it considering I don't think I'll actually use it that much.

Tods - I LOVE this app. You can't shop or view any collections instead you can look at the contents of 5 different handbags, that's it!! Despite it's pointlessness I still say 4/5 for sheer nosy fun!

I hope you've found my little reviews helpful. As I said before I'm going to do another one with magazines and other useful blogging tools. I'm also going to do an iPhone one as I have tones more apps on mine which I haven't put on the iPad. If you have any suggestions please leave a comment and I'll try and check the app out.

Would you shop online from an app x

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