Fashion & Beauty

Bring vintage glamour to this summer’s swimwear

March 22, 2011 Stacey Cosens Leave a comment

Get influenced by vintage swimwear this summer. Picture via flickr by Genibee

As the sun finally shines through the clouds, and we say goodbye to winter, all anybody can think about is their summer holidays and basking in the sunshine. Even if you’re not going away this summer, we’re bound to have the usual one day heatwave so you can lay out in your garden or the nearest park and work on your summer tan.

Every year swimwear floods the high street around this time, and is the perfect summer investment to add to your collection. We all feel great in a new glamorous swimsuit, right?

This year, it’s all about vintage inspiration taking over the high street, I’ve picked the best out there to stand out at the seaside.

To work this summer’s retro look and hide problem areas, check out Topshop’s monochrome black scallop stripe bikini at £30.This bikini reminds me of the stylish sixties, and will ensure you stand out for all the right reasons on the beach.

If you prefer to cover up by the poolside, Topshop also do this cute ditsy floral number that echos wartime glamour. It’s so great to see a wealth of stylish one pieces on the high street that will flatter any figure.

To show off that beach body you’ve worked hard for, or are naturally blessed with, Kelly Brook’s range for New Look is a perfect port of call. While we can’t all have Kelly Brook’s body, her swimwear is inspired by classic glamour. This fifties inspired bikini is timeless and will turn heads.

Finally, if you’re looking for value for money, and will be packing light this summer, this ASOS Triangle Bikini Top In Reversible Spot/Gingham might just be what your looking for. Allowing you to choose from polka dot and gingham, you can reverse the style easily to achieve the look you want, or why not mix and match?

With British Summer Time starting last weekend, we can’t wait for longer and warmer days and to jet off on our all important holidays!

Fashion & Beauty

Seventies Fashion: Get the look

February 15, 2011 Stacey Cosens Leave a comment

Rock the seventies look this season.

This spring, seventies fashion is back to the forefront once again. Think floaty fabrics, flares and florals.

Fashion designers went crazy for the seventies vibe and took inspiration from seventies glamour pusses like Farrah Fawcett, with models sporting long wavy hair and platforms.

As the weather warms up, nothing will make you feel more summery than floating about with loose fabrics and fedoras.

The high street is already awash with browns, creams, reds, yellows and golds. Loose fitting blouses and shorts are the most accessible way to tap into the trend and great to mix and match, as well as their ability to hide a multitude of sins.

Topshop have a great selection of floaty blouses and have fully embraced the seventies look in their spring collections. Their buttermilk short sleeve shirt, £33, is a great starting point to ease you into the look and will look effortlessly chic with jeans or shorts.

If your looking for something a little more glamorous try their tan elasticated batwing blouse, £40, for some seventies sex appeal.

Shorts are always a good investment come spring, and can easily be teamed with tights on cooler days. This season’s baggy shorts, are a less intimidating style of short, coming longer and looser so you don’t feel too exposed.

It’s best to go for a neutral shade so you can match them with more options, ASOS’s Soft Turn Up Short, £30, come in three different colours and will flatter most figures and hide a shapelier behind.

To finish the look, invest in a Fedora for the summer. I can guarantee they will be all over the high street.

This look is perfect for lazy summer days and festivals.

Fashion & Beauty

Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fashion Fair

February 8, 2011 Stacey Cosens Leave a comment

After many long awaited months, the travelling vintage fair came back to Lincoln’s Engine Shed so I could rummage my way through some vintage bargains.

The vintage fair covers 22 cities including Nottingham, Leeds, Edinburgh, Brighton and London. It offers an abundance of vintage stalls selling affordable vintage items, for vintage lovers.

Usually vintage can be expensive, but the fair offers bargains and excellent gems if you’re willing to jostle and rummage.

I’ve been a vintage enthusiast for five years now but apart from the odd trip to Camden, I don’t have great access to vintage items apart from online and the odd section in boutiques.

Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fashion Fair understands the demand for vintage fashion and the lack of access there is to it.

The other great thing about a post Christmas vintage fair? SALES.

As someone who admires vintage fashion, but often doesn’t find anything wearable, my eye was drawn to a red gingham shirt at the first stall. An old men’s shirt, it had been altered so it was tighter and elasticated at the waist, and much more flattering for a woman’s figure. The sleeves had also been altered to create that rolled up ¾ length look.

And that’s the great thing about these stalls, they bother to alter them to make them wearable for modern day. It’s all very well rummaging in charity shops, but unless you want to look like you’ve stepped out of a time warp, you need to make it suit your style and modern conventions.

Next my eye was caught by a dress, a silky white top sewn onto a floral vintage pattern skirt. The perfect mix of modern and vintage styles, ladylike but trendy. The dress reminded me of what I often find in boutiques. The perfect mix of past and present.

The shirt was £10 and the dress £12, both in the sale. For £22 I got two great items, which would often be the price for just one of these on the high street.

From 30s to 80s, there were clothes from every decade to choose from. Think 70s dizzying prints and 80s padded shoulders. An inspiring step through time for any fashion lover.

For those not daring enough to dress vintage, accessories were in abundance. From handmade jewellery to vintage bags from every decade. With satchels still popular on the high street, and another burst of popularity still to come, vintage is an excellent way to go so you don’t find yourself one of many with the same bag. As well as at a fraction of the price and better made. In the past, things were made to last, rather than cheap fast shoddily made fashion we have on our high street today.

Rummaging through each stalls many vintage bags, suddenly a beacon shone out at me. A white vintage Chanel bag. My heart skipped a beat and as I held it in my hands, it felt so wonderful. Seeing my eyes lit up, the vintage dealer approached me, I asked how much. “£30, we were just talking about it.”

“Oh, it’s a fake?” I sighed.

“No, we think it’s real, but somebody’s cut the serial number out which is annoying. With it, we could sell it for loads.”

I sighed and looked at it. Should I spend £30? I ummed and ahhed, and finally left it at the stall. It could be a fake, and I thought maybe I should wait until I could afford the real thing. In hindsight, a mistake, I still can’t get that gorgeous bag out my head. When I went back to the stall, it was gone.

You win some and lose some when it comes to vintage. Thankfully the fair had a tea and cake stall, where I could drown my sorrows with tea in a vintage cup and saucer and the most delicious cupcakes I’d ever tasted. One taste of a moist moreish sponge and sweet creamy frosting is enough to console anyone’s heart.

Fashion & Beauty

Your 2011 hair inspiration

February 1, 2011 Stacey Cosens 2 comments

Jessie J's long bob.

This month I took the risk and went for the chop. Bored of my long locks, I opted for girl of the moment Jessie J’s haircut. Blunt fringe and a long bob, shorter at the back and getting diagonally longer near the front.

While my mum constantly mentioned that my hair looks better long, I ignored her protests and went for the haircut I’ve been envying over for months. I’m glad I took the risk because I love my new haircut. I feel stylish and pretty again and carry myself with more confidence. It’s influenced how I dress and makes me feel like a new person.

Inspired by my new haircut, I’ve hunted out the styles of the moment to give you that accomplished new year, new you feeling.

First off, my own inspiration, Jessie J. With a Brits Critics Choice award and the biggest tune of the year already under her belt, she’s destined for big things. She claims she’s had the same haircut most of her life and with such a great one, who would change it?

I’ve had a blunt fringe before, and after no luck with a side fringe, it was welcomed back with open arms! After a bad haircut, five years ago, I had avoided short hair since but a long bob didn’t seem too daunting.

This haircut is great, it looks edgy and stylish with little effort. The short length takes styling time down and just be sure to straighten hair to within an inch of its life to achieve that sleek look. A touch of gloss finishes the look.

If you don’t fancy a cut, but are open to a colour change, take inspiration from celebs like Rihanna and Cheryl Cole and dare to go red. You can go extreme and choose a fire engine red like Rihanna or add a cheeky hint like Cheryl. Those with lighter skin tones will suit shades at the ginger end of the spectrum while those with darker hues will rock coppers and dark reds.

Rihanna lights up the rooom.

If you’re feeling extra daring, opt for a pixie crop like Ashlee Simpson or The Saturday’s Frankie Sandford. Crops can be difficult and often require the right kind of face shape. But this dramatic image overhaul with leave you bouncing with new found confidence.

Ashlee rocks the Pixie crop.

If you want to give your hair a new lease of life but don’t want to change the length too much then layers are a great way to give yourself a new style. With some good styling products, you can work the bedhead look and release your inner rock chick like Katy Perry.

Katy Perry rocks it.

As the month of January drags, along with the new year blues, a new haircut can be a great way to get you excited and ready for the year ahead. It certainly helped me!

Fashion & Beauty

How to do preppy perfectly

January 27, 2011 Stacey Cosens Leave a comment

Release your inner Gossip Girl

Preppy is back. Think Gossip Girl or Cruel Intentions and you’re on the right track. American brands Abercrombie & Fitch, GAP and Hollister have all got ‘preppy’ down to a tee, and now other high street shops are following in their footsteps with the look dominating in a big way this season.

Using Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl as your style icon, you can tap the market of looking preppy, edgy and super stylish all at the same time.

Topshop have hit the nail on the head with their Graduation collection. Featuring polka dots and denim, royal blues and beige; the look has spring/summer written all over it. Preppy is the perfect smart/casual, whether you’re strutting around campus or looking chic and professional in the office.

Calm neutral colours like cream, grey, black and blue are key to the ‘preppy’ look with small detail adding something more, think Peter Pan collars and pussy bow blouses for the office and then experiment with baseball jackets, polo shirts, city shorts and polka dot tea dresses for casual daywear. A cute casual blazer is a great way to mix both work and play.

Accessorising is key with the preppy look, with so many fun options to choose from. A satchel is a must, and works best in brown and beige. You can often find some great battered options in vintage shops, if you want that classic aged look, or if you’re keen to splash out on a new bag, the high street is awash with cute satchels of all shapes, sizes and colours. The bigger options are great for university and the office, while smaller options look chic on shopping and coffee dates with friends.

Brogues are still a key item, so dig out your pair from last year, or invest in one of the many options on the high street. There are flat and heeled versions available and they work great with both smart and casual looks. A perfect investment.

No Blair Waldorf would be seen without an Alice band, the cherry on top of a cute preppy outfit. Accessorize is awash with cute hair accessories, and tonnes of alternate preppy options if you prefer to steer clear of Alice band territory.

Finally, a spritz of Vera Wang’s Preppy Princess should send you on you’re way. Just a brief look at the advert shows its Gossip Girl inspiration, and the fruity fragrance will leave you sweet.

Fashion & Beauty

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