Top 5 Shoe Trends for SS18

White Trainers
Whether you go for a pair of classic Vans or opt for the new chunkier style (designed by the likes of Yeezy and Balenciaga), trainers as everyday wear has blown up in the fashion industry in recent years and they are here to stay for the foreseeable future.

Gone are the days when they could only be worn with sportswear-and white trainers for summer can really switch up an outfit for a smart casual look.

There are literally no rules anymore, you can wear trainers with anything.

My go to look would be to team white Vans with a floaty, A line midi skirt for a more feminine look or mixing up a pair of tailored trousers like these ones that I’ve just ordered from ASOS for a more androgynous take.

 

 

Pool Slides
I am loving the idea of these- the lazy girl inside can’t wait to throw these on with jeans or even a pair of tailored joggers for a cool, relaxed vibe. I did a huge ASOS order the other day and I am having serious buyer regret for removing an amazing pair of holographic Superdry slides from my basket last minute. I think I’ll be taking a peak in Primark to see if they have a similar pair, otherwise I may need to go back to ASOS!

White Sling Back Heels

These are the closest to what I want that I’ve found so far!

I’ve seen these everywhere, usually teamed with looser fitting jeans! This is a tough one as I think it can be quite a personal choice of which ones to go for, in fact I’m still looking for the perfect pair for me! I don’t want a pair with too high of a heel, and I don’t want a too narrow of a toe (I’m a practical girl, I want something that won’t pinch me after an hours wear). If I skip on any of these trends, it would probably be this one, just because I’m being so particular and I think I could swap them out for a pair of silver block heel sandals that I already own. Watch this space, I might find a pair yet!

 

Slip on trainers
These have been on trend for quite a while, and my old pair are looking pretty battered now, so I’m looking for an update! I’ve tried on a few, and I’ve found the most comfy pair were actually from H&M. Again, I just want something to slip on that looks super casual but also quite put together with jeans and a simple tee. I’m thinking of buying the gold pair from H&M, unfortunately the only reason I didn’t buy them in the first place was that I received such bad customer service whilst visiting the store I put them back on the shelf. They also have the same pair in a cool tropical print as well (I’m just not sure how much wear I’d get out of them).

Cut out booties

I like this pair from Carvela 

I think these will look fab with floral dresses in the Summer months. I’d go for a tan pair probably, but a chunky pair of black ones would give an edgier look. Whether you go for a peep toe ankle boot or a laser cut patterned pair, I think they can act as a good pair of dressy Summer heels, and an alternative to wearing heeled sandals.

Alexa Chung resort collection

Personally I love adding a pop of colour to a look, and Alexa Chung gives food for thought on this idea in her new Resort Collection. Alexa gives us strappy checked dresses, a gorgeous layered tulle skirt and mixed prints, but the standout trend of the collection? The splashes of red in the footwear (and this emoji inspired dress )! Now, all those of us that follow fashion probably had an inkling that red boots were here to stay throughout SS18, but with it cropping up in resort collections, I’d imagine we can now expect to see them following through into AW19 as well!

MFW Milan: Smoking Jackets with a Twist

Men’s fashion week has recently begun and as I trawled through the photos from various shows so far I noticed that outerwear for men was making a huge statement- from big bold prints to oversized bomber jackets.

One big trend came from Etro; with the whole collection boasting lots of Japanese influences that included Obi belts wrapped around suit jackets and waistcoats. Not only this but the Italian fashion house also gave us a belted robe, almost similar to the traditional smoking jacket, but with a Navajo style print in luxuriously thick material. If this newer combination isn’t quite your style then those of us with a more classic style can refer to D&G, who also failed to disappoint, offering a silky, embroidered version that gave us matching suit style trousers!

Travel Inspirations: Chengdu, China

About a year ago I visited Chengdu, home to millions of people, the sizzling Sichuan Hotpot and a world renowned Panda Breeding Centre, but it wasn’t just this that made Chengdu stand out from other cities in China.

It was my first time out of Europe, and in all honesty I didn’t even think about what fashion would be like in China, I suppose I underestimated this, assuming naively that European fashion couldn’t be beaten. So, imagine my surprise when, walking through the busy streets of Chengdu, I had my eyes opened- these women were dressed immaculately and to this day I wish I had taken photographs!

Office workers walked the busy streets in brightly coloured full skirts, some decorated with even floral or polka dot prints, whilst the more casual wore basic tees with English and even French phrases splashed across them. When I visited last year, the women of Chengdu were showing a modern, feminine take on fashion.  

So when we think of fashion in Asia, we think of Seoul and Tokyo, but it won’t take long for the likes of big Chinese cities to develop themselves into a unique space for fashion inspiration. In fact, I have read more and more of how it is growing into it’s own, with more sporty, androgynous looks pushing to the forefront.

Throwback Thursday: Outfit of the Night in Budapest

The details:

Cropped vest: River Island

Midi Skirt: Originally from Miss Selfridge, but bought on Ebay.

Handbag: Fiorelli

Wedges: L K Bennett

Photo Evidence: Why doing the Fjords is a must

The Fjords was one of the most amazing holiday experiences I’ve encountered so far and I would 100% recommend it as a must see!

As you can see below the photographs are stunning and it is so much better to show you the photographs so you can see just how beautiful the Fjords are!

Enjoy ♥

                                    Top L-R: Sailing through the Fjords from Eidfjord-A view of Ulvik                                          Bottom L-R: Two viewpoints from our canoe in Flåm

                                     Top L-R: A view of Bryggen in Bergen- A view of Bergen from the Funicular                                            Bottom L-R: A view of Flåm from our Cruise Ship- An up close shot of Tvinde Waterfall

Accessories

If you saw my last post you’ll notice that I dressed up a pair of blue jeans with silver block heel sandals and a blue pin striped shirt- what I didn’t show you was how I accessorised this look to dress it up even more. Luckily I took this up close shot of my accessories for that evening!

The details:
Clutch bag- House Of Fraser
Bracelet (I also wore matching earrings) – Attwood and Sawyer
Ring- by a Welsh Designer at Tintern Abbey
Nails: ‘Girls on Film’ Glitter Polish from Gosh

Throwback Thursday: Portugal

Throwback to when I visited Faro, Portugal with my mum in July! The image on the bottom right was taken on the stunning ‘Desert Island’.

September Style Diary: Cruise Edition [Amsterdam & The Fjords]

Day Time Exploring

               *Amsterdam Strolling*                                                                                                          [Patent Heeled Ankle Boots- H&M] [Black Jeans- Primark] [Roll Neck Sleeveless Tee- Peacocks]    [Leather Bomber Jacket- Topshop]

                    *A Day At Sea*                                                                                         [Grey Vest- Primark] [Patterned Trousers- Bought in Budapest] [Necklace- Gift from India]

                 *Tvindefossen*                                                                   [Cosy Roll Neck Jumper & Black Jeans, both from Primark]

                  *Eidfjord Dam*                                                                                           [Leather Bomber Jacket- Topshop] [Black Jeans- Primark] [Jumper- Select Fashion] [Trainers- Nike]

               *A view of Bergen from Mt Fløyen*                                                                                                                 [Suede Dress- Primark] [Wool Coat- Warehouse]

Dressing up for Dinner Time

             *Formal Night on the Ship*                                                                                   [Earrings- Peacocks] [Dress- Miss Selfridge]

*Another Shot of my dress from above*                                                                                                                                                     Two dresses in one- The inner part of this dress was tight fitting, covered by gorgeous mesh and embroidered detailing- you can see this part blowing in the wind behind me (it was very windy on the top deck).                                                                          [Shoes- New Look]

            *Dressing Up Blue Jeans*                                                                        [Leather Bomber- Topshop] [Striped Shirt- Zara] [Blue Jeans- Primark] [Sandals- New Look]

                   *Formal Night #2*                                                                                          [Dress- Phase 8]

Coffee Cup Cake

My boyfriend’s birthday was coming up and I racked my brains of what sort of cake to make him for SO long- then I realised he loved baileys and coffee.. so why not mix this together and make him a cake in the shape of a frothy latte!

The recipe I used for the Sponge cake underneath and the frosting was taken from here .. but it was getting the coffee cup shape that took longer to research. To get the cup shape I used a deep Pyrex bowl (like this one) and baked in the oven for about 1.5 hours. If you wanted a bigger cake though you could bake a few sponge layers in a normal cake tin and stack for a taller, wider cake.

Once the cake was cooled after baking I began beating the frosting- you definitely need an electric whisk for this as it would probably take a VERY long time to hand whisk this mixture.

I used some of the frosting all the way around the edge of the cake so I could stick the white fondant to the sides to make it look more like a coffee cup, but next time I would probably use something stickier like boiled apricot jam or honey to stick the fondant on instead!

I would recommend getting at least 1 kg of roll out fondant just in case mistakes are made (yes, I’m learning from experience here haha) and when rolled out cut out a long rectangle and wrap around the cake (I did it differently the first time I tried this and it didn’t look good at all)- ooh and don’t forget to leave enough to form the cup handle too!

There was more than enough frosting in the recipe to make the latte foam and cover the outside of the cake but obviously the bigger your cake sponge it the more you’ll need (mine wasn’t too big but I had lots of frosting spare) and it all depends if you’re going to ice the edges as well!

For effect I sprinkled a little Brown sugar around the edges of the foam (where coffee would peak through on a real cup) as well as dusting a little cocoa powder all over the ‘foam’. I would recommend this part is done as you’re about to serve this cake though as otherwise the sugar will start to melt into the cream and disintegrate.

My cake wasn’t perfect but it definitely went down well- I just thought I’d share my photos and experiences because finding Coffee Cup cakes and advice on decorating them wasn’t as easy to find as I originally thought it would be!