Christmas Jumper Love

I don't know what it is this year, but Christmas jumpers have suddenly become the hottest piece of fashion around!

From the high street to designer, Christmas jumpers have invaded the nation and what was once thought to be geek, is now oh so chic.

I love that you can get matching ones, his and hers and that they come in a variety of styles, fits and designs. You can go quite minimal and go for a simple snowflake or fair isle design, or go all out and opt for a full on Santa or snowman design.

I've decided to do a little round up of my favourite Christmas jumper styles, as well as the one which I bought myself...and the hubby...to wear on the big day itself.

Have you got yourself a Christmas jumper this year? Which style did you go for? Enjoy x

My Christmas jumper of choice from Primark - £12

Close up of the Primark Christmas jumper - £12
 

Boohoo.com Reindeer jumper £18

New Look Candy Cane Jumper £19.99

Boohoo.com Santa Jumper £15

Matalan Falmer Heritage Fairisle Cardigan £25 

Topshop Robin jumper £50

Topshop Christmas jumper £39

Ted Baker Fairisle knit jumper £99

Miss Selfridge Owl jumper £39

ASOS Christmas scene jumper £38


 

Marks and Spencer Reindeer Jumper £35


 

All That Sparkles...

So I have a bit of a thing about statement jewellery - statement necklaces to be exact. I always think, if you're going to wear jewellery, you need to make it obvious.

I don't really bother with bracelets, as I find them annoying when I'm typing and working, or rings (apart from my engagement and wedding rings). Instead, my jewellery stand is on the point of toppling over every day, straining under the weight of my necklace collection, and as some of them are very big and heavy, a new jewellery stand will be needed very soon.

Anyway, I wanted to dedicate a post to my statement jewellery obsession. While composing my Christmakah wish list, I came across an amazing necklace on ASOS, which promptly made its way onto the list. I then checked the rest of the styles on the website and I had to try very hard not to put the whole lot on my list! There are some seriously amazing pieces available, and at very reasonable prices too. I especially love the chunky styles, which will create such a strong look with a simple outfit.

I've chosen a few of my favourite pieces below, including the one I'm asking for, for you to drool over too. What do you think of ASOS's jewellery collection? Will any of them be making their way onto your wish list?

Enjoy x

Brooch statement necklace £40

Midnight bug necklace £20

Boxchain collar necklace with bug detail £18

Premium lion collar necklace £40
This is going on my wish list!

Premium horn necklace £60

Dinosaur collar necklace £40

Lion head chunky necklace £18

Premium darling bug necklace £60

Pastel horn necklace £40

Maternity Review #2 - ASOS

I thought I would do another round up of maternity fashion, as I got quite a good response to my Topshop maternity post.

We had our 20 week scan for Titch on Monday, and apart from a little complication with Titch's heart (which should hopefully be treatable once he or she is here - if it is needed) everything looked good! He or she is currently dancing away to XFM so another maternity fashion round-up is definitely needed.

Before I get started, here is a pic of Titch now:

So the brand I have chosen to do a round-up of is ASOS. As an ASOS fan, I've always been impressed with their collections, and the sheer size of them - although sometimes I find they have too much choice and I get a bit bored with perusing over 20+ pages of options. At least they have given their maternity range a similar lay out, with simply oodles of choice. This does make a nice change, as, from what I've seen on the high street so far, even if a brand has a collection, the choice is normally quite limited.

At the moment, ASOS have over 250 styles to choose from, ranging from bottoms, tops, dresses, coats, underwear, knitwear, you name it! They've also got a good mix of casual and dressy items and have obviously taken into account the top trends for the season, as well as including some great basic pieces, such as breton tops, jeans and jackets.

What's really nice is ASOS is obviously dedicated to providing quality ranges and the maternity range is no exception. I could quite happily order a dozen pieces and would want to continue to wear them after the baby, as they are so lovely. The styles are also realistic - they are fashion forward but not difficult to wear or style. For example, a sequin and lace skater dress with an empire line will look stunning with a big bump and certainly on-trend, but the relaxed empire line is designed for comfort. Perfect!

I've put a selection of some of my favourite pieces below. What do you think of ASOS's maternity range? Do you think it lives up to their regular collections? Enjoy x

Skater dress with hi low hem £25

Sequin and chiffon skater dress £40

Boyfriend jeans £35

Printed slouch trousers £35

Tiger face tee £16

Faux fur coat with hood £60

Knitted dress with lace collar £35

Breton stripe top £20

Skater dress in dark floral £25

Spot skater dress with belt £25

Skinny jeans with elastic waistband £28

Skater dress with lace top £35

Breton stripe dress £28

I Heart Printed Trousers

A couple of years ago, I bought a pair of silk tapered trousers with a fabulous Aztec print on them. This was during the summer when a lightweight pair of trousers are the perfect choice for work or play. However, when I wore these printed lovelies, the comments came in thick and fast..."Ooh...their unusual" "you look weird" "I wish I had the confidence to wear something like that" you get the picture!

Now I thought these trousers were fabulous, and the fact that I didn't really see anyone else (apart from a brave few) wearing something like this, made me feel...special!

Well, it seems as if everyone else has finally caught up with this fab trend, and printed trousers have suddenly flooded the high street! Designers showed them strutting down their runways for the SS12 collections, and the styles and prints that the high street have adopted make these trousers suitable for now and for going into autumn!

I've chosen a few of my favourite styles that have caught my eye, with prints ranging from tropical (thank you Stella McCartney) to floral to tribal to abstract! There's a print for every mood.

What do you think about printed trousers? Would you be brave enough to rock a pair? Enjoy x

ASOS

dorothy perkins

river island

river island

topshop

topshop

zara

Nuts about Neon

I don't know why, but for some reason I am LOVING neon at the moment. It's a trend which seems to come around every year, and most years I can take it or leave it, but this year, I am all about neon.

Not that I would combine a neon top, skirt, dress, tights, shoes etc and create a luminous ensemble, but by mixing one strong piece of neon into your look is a fab way of wearing this cool trend every day.

I'm planning in treating myself to this little number from ASOS, which is £20 down from £40. I love the mix of contemporary neon with the girly feel of the lace. I also love the midi length - perfect for spring!

I would team this little beauty with a cropped knitted jumper and some ankle boots. I'll show you once I've got it in my mitts!!

I'm going to keep my eyes open for some other neon pieces. I especially love it when the rest of the item is in a neutral tone with just a subtle neon trim or other detail. Gorgeous.

What do you think? Are you going to invest in neon this spring? x



Faux Fur Collars

I do love a bit of faux fur. At work it's become a bit of a signature look of mine. I love teaming faux fur with girly dresses, lace, sequins, whatever. It adds such a cool twist!

I used to stick to gilets and hats, but this year I discovered the power of a good faux fur collar, and as such I've been stocking up! My usual haunt for a good collar is H&M, but when I was compiling my list for Santa, I discovered two collars from ASOS that I HAD to add to my collection.

I was checking out the website this evening and discovered, much to my utter delight, both collars were less than half price in the sale! So...I treated myself to both! I love them because they're such great collars, a dark, gothic green (almost black) and a gorgeous bright turquoise, which is perfect for injecting some colour into your wardrobe for winter and spring.

I'll post outfit pics of them once they arrive, but in the meantime, the images from ASOS are below.

What do you think? Are you a fan of a faux fur collar? Would you wear a brightly coloured one? Enjoy x

ASOS SS12 Trend Report

Part of my job is to evaluate and see what competitor brands are e-mailing about in their newsletters, that get sent out to their customer database. Combine that with my love of shopping, I'm signed up to a fair few of these newsletters!

For the past few weeks, I have been skimming the majority of them, as they have mainly been about sales, sales, sales, and the content has not been that exciting!

Today, all that changed when I received an e-mail from ASOS. I got very excited, as it was their seasonal trend report for SS12! Yippee! Now, as you are aware, I am far more of a fan of autumn/winter fashion, but, the catwalks for SS12 were so gorgeous, I am actually really looking forward to building a new wardrobe for the new year.

Anyway, ASOS do really fab trend reports, and have focused on key trends including; Freak Like Me, Lace Odyssey, Game On, Mermaids, Pyjama Party, Pretty Sweet, 21st Century Gatsby, Colour Blast and Total Print. You can have a looksee at the inspiration behind each trend and then shop it! The perfect cure for the January blues.

I've put a little image of the trends all together below. What do you think? Are you ready to start embracing spring's trends? Enjoy x

Click to enlarge the ASOS trends

Today's Obsession...

Dear Santa,

I have been really good this year and I hope you don't mind, but I've got my eye on a few fabulous fashion finds which I would REALLY love to receive this year...

No readers I haven't gone mental, it's just that tomorrow is the 1st December and my Christmakah wish list is finally being unveiled upon the world...so Santa, if you are in the blogosphere and you enjoy reading fashion blogs...I hope you see this! Today's obsession and top of the wish list is this gorgeous necklace by Mawi for Disney Couture. Two of my favourite things - amazing avant garde jewellery designer Mawi and the magical-ness of Disney - all wrapped up into one! yes please!

If you would like to add this little beauty to your wish list, you can find one on ASOS...or just ask Santa ;o) Enjoy x

Sparkle in Sequins

One of my favourite trends of the season is sequins. I personally believe that sequins shouldn't be left for Chrismakah and New Years, and that they can be worn in your everyday look, without looking brash or gaudy - they simply add a little sparkle. Isn't that what every woman wants from life?!?

So, that being said, I thought I would do a little round up of my favourite sequin pieces that are available to buy now, and show you how to create an everyday look, basing the outfit around sequins. Now I am writing this while wearing a silver sequin skater skirt and breton top, topped off with biker boots, so I really think this is a fashion element you can all bring to your everyday looks!

Here's my everyday sequin look:

1. Grey Faux Fur Trim Cardigan £50 River Island 2. Sheer Sleeve Sequin Tee £48 Topshop 3. Jersey Maxi Skirt £25 River Island 4. Chelsea Boots £45 ASOS

What do you think? Would you wear this outfit? Below is my edit of my favourite sequin pieces of the season. Enjoy x

Sequin Georgette Skirt £140 DAY Birger et Mikkelsen @ Net-a-Porter

Sequin T-Shirt £45 Topshop

Sequin Peter Pan Collar £15 ASOS

Bianca Sequinned Dolman Blouse £230 Rachel Zoe @ Selfridges

Ashish Breton Stripe Tee £440 @ ASOS

UGG Classic Sparkle Boot £190

Sequin Stripe Top £50 Oasis

 

Sequin Collar and Cuff Chiffon Shirt £42 Topshop

Knitted Sequin Dress £170 Armani Jeans @ Selfridges

Therapy Sequin Turban £25 @ House of Fraser

Sequinned Jumper by Michael by Michael Kors @ Selfridges

Animal Sequin Dress £90 Warehouse