Very.co.uk Excited About Fearne Cotton's New Collection!

I was very excited to be contacted by the lovely Jessica at Very.co.uk last week, who filled me in about all the amazing things coming up at Very. To start the ball rolling, she very kindly let me choose something from the website, and being a bit of a fan of Fearne Cotton's ranges (both fashion and make-up - click here to read a previous review) I decided to choose something from her new AW11 range.

I looked through the collection and immediately fell in love with pretty much everything. I very nearly opted for a gorgeous fishtail sequin dress, but decided to go for something that I can wear over and over again, so I chose her simple yet uber stylish Jersey A-line Swing Dress. This chic little number will look fab worn with tights and boots, or through a furry gilet over the top and some heels to create a sexy evening look, or team with a fair isle knit chunky cardigan, a knitted scarf and some ear muffs for a cute winter look. Like I said, loads of possibilities. I got the dress this morning and cannot wait to start styling it up. I'll upload some images shortly, but in the meantime, here's a picture of the dress:

I've been through the collection and have made a wish list of what I want...as I said, it's a really gorgeous collection and I think there are pieces that would suit everyone, whatever their style or taste! So, here is my edit of Fearne's AW11 collection at Very.co.uk! Enjoy and more to come! x

Bow Detail Sequin Tunic Dress £99

Striped Faux Fur Jacket £79

Fishtail Sequin Dress £79

Longline Tuxedo Jacket £59

Indiana Laced Ankle Boots £40.50

California Multi Strap Sandals £40

Print Jersey A-Line Dress £39

Checked Tartan Cape Coat £75

Vintage Print Maxi Skirt £39

So what do you think? Will you give Fearne's range a go? x

Detox Your Wardrobe for Cancer Research UK!

How are you all getting along with your new year detox? Or have you even bothered doing one? I always find it so bloody hard to knock the bad stuff on the head (especially when it tastes so good!) So, this year, instead of detoxing your body (who are we kidding eh?) how about detoxing your wardrobe?

I am a huge advocate of vintage shopping and scoping out a charity shop in search of some hidden treasures, and I love encouraging people to do the same. However, instead of trying to persuade you to go out and buy (although you really should!) I am going to try and get you to donate!

Forget the New Year diets and hard-core fitness regimes, this month it’s all about slimming down your wardrobe.  No longer should ill-fitting, inappropriate clothing spill out over your bedroom in a feng shui nightmare. It’s time to get serious about the nationwide pandemic of wardrobe indigestion and ‘Detox Your Wardrobe’.

Cancer Research UK is running the fab “Detox Your Wardrobe” campaign throughout January, and they are urging people (and so am I) to donate all the clothes, shoes, handbags, accessories, whatever it is to one of their 600 stores across the UK.

I am so guilty of holding onto clothes that I don’t wear anymore, and then going out and buying even more. With the sales still going on, I bet you’ve bought some random skirt or dress that you didn’t really want, and that you are still clinging onto a similar one (or five) that you bought in the last sales!

Let’s be honest, you’re never going to wear that dress again, or those jeans you bought with the hope of losing two stone because they were 50% off. It’s time to be ruthless and let them go! By donating your unwanted, but I’m sure still gorgeous, fashion cast offs to Cancer Research UK, you’ll be giving them the chance of a new loving home. What’s more, you’ll be helping to raise money to fund the charity’s lifesaving research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, as each bag of donated goods can be worth up to £30 for Cancer Research UK.

TV presenter Konnie Huq and gorgeous fashionista and writer Dawn Porter are fronting this worthwhile campaign, so what are you waiting for? Get foraging and detox that wordrobe!

To donate clothing, accessories, quality homeware, books, CDs and DVDs simply hand in your donation bags to one of the 600 Cancer Research UK shops nationwide.  To find your nearest store and further information on supporting Cancer Research UK visit www.cancerresearchuk.org/shopping 

Tea-Shirts!

I am a girl who loves a good cuppa. Scrap that, a cup of tea (made well – milk first) is one of my all time favourite things. Now, you may have noticed a certain group of old skool tea characters are back, gracing our TVs once again – I’m talking about of course, the Tetley Tea Folk!

These awesome characters were last seen on screen in the iconic 70’s, 80’s and 90’s ads, and now that they are back with us, not digitally enhanced and not in HD – proper vintage,  what better way to pay homage to Gaffer and the crew than with these awesome t-shirts, starring the Tetley Tea Folk.

Tetley have teamed up with must-have celebrity t-shirt brand Truffle Shuffle to create four unique designs.  The vintage style tees are available for both men and women and are being sold exclusively at www.truffleshuffle.co.uk priced £20. Grab yourself your favourite style and snuggle down with a lovely cuppa…mmm…enjoy!

Japanese Street Style - You are the Best Stylist to Express Yourself

I am totally obsessed with Japanese street style, in fact, going to Japan and seeing the amazing style there is what started my journey in fashion.

I don’t know what it is, the mix of colour, textures, designs, all of the above, not to mention there total freedom of style, and their uninhibited way of being able to put on whatever they want, without giving a damn as to what the rest of the world thinks. The girls, and the guys, who deck themselves out in this way, have created a fashion movement of their very own, which puts to shame the street style of so many other nationalities.

There are seven main styles in Japanese street fashion, and they can all be seen walking up and down the streets of Tokyo and beyond. Just to give you a brief rundown of these styles and influences, they are:

Gothic Lolita: Lacey, Victoriana, gothic and dark, these girls where petticoats, stockings, ruffles and parasols. A bit creepy, but gorgeous none the less. There is also, Sweet Lolita – childlike, kitsch, Hello Kitty and colours everywhere, Punk Lolita – exactly as it sounds and Classic Lolita – feminine, cute and ever so slightly more grown up.

Ganguro: think brightly coloured outfits, mini skirts, platform shoes, bleached hair and lots of make up (think Kensington Roof Gardens on a Saturday night for make up visuals!)

Kogal: a style that a lot of people will be familiar with, schoolgirl! So think baggy school uniform with a short skirt and knee-high socks.

Visual Kei: crazy make up and even crazier hairstyles – the guys nail this look even better than the girls!

Dolly Kei: a new love of fairy tales and the middle ages has created this style, which is all about vintage clothing styled in unusual ways.

Cosplay: short for costume role play, elaborate costumes and accessories, fashionistas of this style will dress up to resemble characters from films, manga, anime or computer games.

If you can find yourself a copy, check out Fruits, a Japanese fashion magazine covering the fashions of the Harajuku district of Tokyo, established in 1997 by photographer Shoichi Aoki. Excerpts from the magazine were compiled to create the Phaidon Press books Fruits and Fresh Fruits. I’ve got a copy of these (in case anyone wants to borrow!) Otherwise they’re available at decent bookstores. If I’m ever having a fashion funk, I just flick through these books and the inspiration comes a flowing!

I’ve put some pics below to give you a better idea of the styles of Japanese Street Fashion…enjoy…and don’t be scared!

All images could be subject to copyright