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]

Alice & Olivia at NYFW

Why do I love this collection so much..?

Well, let’s think about this for a moment…

[Hint: it ticks all my fashion boxes]

❤

Luxuriously embellished jacket  ✓

Even more embellishment ✓

Big, bold florals ✓

Full, floor length skirts ✓

and..

A little Charles James inspiration – ✓

❤

What’s not to love?

Out in the Sunshine: Outfit of the day

This is how I made the most of today’s sunshine:

Grey Acid Wash Dress- Urban Outfitters
Black Fringed Kaftan- eBay (originally New Look)
Black and Gold Necklace-New Look
Black skater shoes- Internationale (closing down sale, only £1!!)

I’ve been living in these slip on skater shoes, a trend I was keen to jump on, so when I saw these for only one pound I knew I’d found a bargain, and they’re SO comfy!! I would have preferred leather Croc effect ones, but at £1 these will do me just fine! I’ve been trying my hardest to find bargains for the few items I want this season, and making the most of the Spring/Summer items I’ve already got! I’ve really wanted a kaftan too, so I’ll probably buy another colour at some point 🙂

Best Dressed: Met Gala 2014

There were so many beautiful gowns at this years Met Gala, but here are just a few of my favourites:

Bee Shaffer in a beautiful Alexander McQueen gown!

Hailee Steinfeld stunned in this ‘New Look’ inspired gown by Prabal Gurung.

It was pretty obvious Dita Von Teese would nail this theme perfectly- how amazing does she look in this Zac Posen dress?

I loved this gorgeous structured dress by Marchesa worn by Karolina Kurkova!

Sarah Jessica Parker looked amazing in an Oscar de la Renta gown that fitted the theme perfectly! The back of the dress was stunning!

Suki Waterhouse kept it classic in this layered Burberry gown.

Charles James: Beyond Fashion

As the latest inspiration for the Met Gala I thought it would be appropriate to take a look at the designs of Charles James, the ‘First American Couturier’. Known for his somewhat hefty dresses (his heaviest dress was 18 pounds) that emphasised a women’s figure, the designer favoured the use of silk, organza and velvet and championed many newer styles, like the strapless dress, Pavlovian Waistband and the Figure Eight skirt, as well as inspiring the New Look that is most often associated with Christian Dior. The designer reworked all of his original designs and is most known for his ball gowns, quilted jackets and fur/embroidery trimmed capes and coats.

So,with all of this said it is pretty clear what kinds of designs we can expect the fashion elite to be wearing at tonight’s Gala- I’m thinking lots of Old Hollywood Glamour, from full skirts to figure hugging dresses!

Here’s a look at some of James’ designs:

 

  

What I Wore

This is what I wore for a meal Saturday night. I teamed it with a leather bomber jacket, black tights and black wedged heels! I’ve been wanting a tartan top for ages and this one can be dressed up or down- I love the cute collar detail (I jazzed it up with a chunky chain necklace from Peacocks). I originally wanted a skort to go with this look but I had to settle for this one instead, which is still quite a nice shape.

Top: Quiz Clothing
Skirt: New Look

Angora-the RIGHT way!

Firstly, how cute is this little angora bunny?

It’s been all over the news this week that those fluffy angora jumpers being sold at the likes of GAP, Topshop and ASOS may have a more sinister back story than you would first imagine. Most retailers have quickly ceased contracts with their inhumane Chinese suppliers and taken the products off their shelves, and Topshop are even allowing returns of the cruel products for unhappy customers.

Although these cruel stories may frighten most away from buying such fluffy jumpers these recently emerging stories do not mean that all angora jumpers are from cruel backgrounds, with some Angora breeders stepping out to claim they ethically remove the hairs through gentle brushing. But there are similar textures available that feel and look like angora, but are actually made out of synthetic materials, making these jumpers a much safer options! In any supply chain, I have learnt that no part can be fully tracked and trusted so it is always better to buy fake (and this goes for other furs, skins and feathers, too!)

Retailers to avoid include:
Zara (they’ve refused to confirm that they will cancel it’s orders from cruel suppliers)
River Island, M&S, H&M (some of their fluffy jumpers are made partly of Angora fibres and are too cheap to be humanely sourced)
Primark (At £14 for an Angora jumper there is absolutely NO way this was obtained ethically)

So below are examples of ‘Angora style’ products that are completely Angora friendly, but when looking yourselves please make sure you read the label! (From left to right : Select Fashion, New Look, River Island)