Clothes Show, Earls Court, Catwalk, June 2010

Here are the photos from the rest of the day & the Clothes Show catwalk.

From Japan with neons, over sized accessories & a cuddly toy coat



















Onto New York with Sex & the City inspired trends from chic outfits to ditsy print dresses













To Paris, which was my favourite selection of trends, from romantic flowing dresses...













...to chic daytime looks...




















...to Moulin Rouge inspired corsets & dresses
































Last but not least, Britain. From flagged jackets & tops,cute daytime dresses & out of this world outfits.































Can't forget these winged beauties...

Coming Soon

As of tomorrow, the rest of the Clothes Show catwalk photos will be up for all to see.

Clothes Show, Earls Court, June 2010

Me & my sister outside Fashion Babylon at the Clothes Show, showing off the latest trends in a Topshop 60's inspired dress (left) and me in a Topshop exclusive jumpsuit, with oversized shades, gold bangles, tan bag & sandals and a gold necklace watch to top it all off.

Having never attended a London Clothes Show before and alongside all the hype from emails, billboards & leaflets galore, I had high expectations.

With hundreds of boutique stores to choose from, selling brands to vintage pieces I was in heaven. I found many cute gold necklaces, a vintage suitcase to die for and numerous floral skirts and shirts. But you had to look through a lot of bits & pieces that were, let's put it, not to my taste. It probably didn't help that I attended the last day of the show, which was full of the 'reduced-must-go-now' items. Minus the clothes, there were plenty of food & drink stalls, including corona beach with The Wanted offering autographs & photos, Kitkat senses cafe, Martini, a champagne bar and a chocolate fondue stall. Everything was ridiculously overpriced but what else would you expect.

Some killer heel seats

After a few hours of shopping it was time to see the catwalk, which I was extremely excited about. Even though we paid extra to have front row seats & an additional goodie bag, I actually thought the seats at the end of the runway were the best in the house, which surprisingly were cheaper! The catwalk itself was unbelievable, with such a range of trends & pieces inspired from looks all around the globe from Japan to France, Italy to Britain, I was very impressed with what the Clothes Show had to offer. The only thing that wasn't up my street was the dancing. Don't get me wrong, it was fun to watch and they were brilliant dancers, just it wasn't what I would expect to be on the runway. The goodie bags themselves were standard and as always just filled with food and magazine sized samples. Having a Platinum pass was brilliant in the fact that we received excellent seats but regarding an additional goodie bag, it was not worth the money.

Carnaby.co.uk had a band & artists


As a whole, the day was fun, what girl doesn't love shopping with discounted prices? But missing the hottest day of the year being inside for the whole day & missing Germany thrash England in the football, it only just made it worth it by an inch. In comparison to London Fashion Weekend, I'm afraid to say Clothes Show, you come second.

Turning Over A New Leaf

Many apologies to the delay; after two days without the Internet, it is finally up and running. Not only am I taking a step forward in my blogging world but also in my romantic life. Me and my boyfriend split up after two years together & although I am devastated it is over, I know it's the right decision. So here's to new paths & a step in a new direction.

Here are my first photos for the new must-haves. Animal print hareems with gold bangles & tan buckle wedges to match. My cat is more of a poser than I am & is certainly modelling his animal print coat well!

I am mega excited also as in less than an hour I will be heading up to Earl's Court for the Clothes Show. With front row seats, I hope to get some decent photos! Reporting back later.

Words Cannot Describe Today

My love for my job flew out of the window today when sale hit. Amongst the heaps of clothes, intertwined hangers & animalistic shoppers, I lost my sanity. Hopefully I will find it tomorrow in a pile of dresses. I don't think I could be happier that in one and a half weeks I will be on a plane to Mexico. However, one good thing did come out of today; I found my camera. Where you might ask? My mum decided it would be a good idea to 'borrow' it to take it to work to show her work colleagues my photos. Not a problem, if she'd let me know first. So, after the relief of its return, alongside the photos, I am glad to say my blog will be up and running like promised, maybe a little behind but I am over the moon I will have it for The Clothes Show.

Anyway, here are the latest must have tops & tunics that haven't made it into the sale...

These striped crop tops come in three cute colours. I have a Britney Spears style, white tie-up, cropped shirt that I bought a few years back, even with crop tops being back in fashion, even I don't think I can pull that off...best to keep it for fancy dress occasions.






Am loving this pansy print crop top. In the words of my sister - what a babe.










Tunis should really fall under dresses but hey ho, this tunic reminds me of a cave woman's toga. A very sexy, fashionable cave woman's toga.













This tunic has an innocent, angelic feel about it. All you need now is wings & a halo and the look is complete.









I adore this lace, floral tunic which also comes in leotard form which I equally adore.

DO NOT PANIC

I seem to have misplaced a £300 week old camera with loads of photos on for my blog...trying not to panic right now is beyond impossible. Lets hope it turns up in time for my Saturday blogging session...otherwise, I'm screwed, to put it bluntly.

Thankfully for us Brits, the weather has started to look more like June and less like April shower's season. But for when this rare occasion is over, take a look at some of the must-have coats that we all know will be needed for festival season.




You can't get more techno traveller than this beauty.

Everyone needs one of these in their wardrobe as much as a LBD.













The detailing on this coat is stunning; floral vintage style pattern with belted waist and a ruched & pleated back.











I believe I have already commented on this Biker jacket but it's so popular its in the BIN!












Again, like the leather jacket, a standard black blazer is a must have, wardrobe necessity. The leopard print & red bow lining however makes it that little bit more special.

What A Day

Yesterday was an exceptionally lovely day; the sun shining, wine flowing, BBQ sizzling, what more could you want? I spent the whole day lounging around outside with my family and as much as I love my job, I'm so glad I managed to get the day off. I managed to complete 50/60 pages of my training booklet on the way up which was a bonus and to top it all off my sister & I found the perfect opportunity to take some photos for my blog.

This week I am going to complete my must-haves with coats & jackets, jumpers & cardies, tights & socks and tops & tunics before taking the next step onto photography. Over the next few weeks, minus showing off the latest pieces & trends, I am also going to the Clothes Show in London (very excited!) & on holiday to Mexico where I plan to seek out others who have the 'eye' for fashion & for inspiration for the latest fashions & future trends. It's going to be one hell of a journey!

Today I'm going to cover the latest cardigans & jumpers; sadly we all know we are going to be in need of these over the summer.



Cute floral three-quarter length cardigan










I adore this knitted pointelle jumper, very preppy.












It may not be Topshop but Topshop sell it, they do have good taste. This coral delight is by Wal G with ruched sleeves & waterfall detailing. Nice & light for summer days.









This is probably my favourite knitted granny-style cardie ever. Also in purple & green.

This cream gold buttoned cardigan is a Motel design.

Happy Father's Day

If you, like me are enjoying the day off to be with your family then have a very enjoyable day! Keeping this entry short & sweet as I'm off to Swindon to be reunited with family I have yet to see in the new year.

Work is better than ever before; after just over two months I know the ins and outs of the store, fully till & account trained and to put it bluntly, a bit of a pro. Only contracted to 8 hours a week, I do at least 16+ hours overtime a week, only needing 4 accounts a month, I racked up 6 in the last two weeks. Like a said, a pro. Having only just received my sales adviser induction & standard level completency booklet, I am planning on manically filling it in on the drive down to Swindon today. My aim is to promoted to advanced sales adviser before I go on holiday, giving me two weeks. Let's see how it goes...

Diamond In The Making

I don't know how they do it but Topshop have outdone themselves again. The latest trend Rough Diamond is a 60's inspired collection with 'girls just want to have fun' as the main theme with a mismatch of prints, patterns, fabrics & shapes. It's the look that says I-just-got-out-of-bed-and-through-on-whatever-I-saw-first; an effortlessly cool & easy look for anyone to pull off. Smudged eyeliner & backcombed hair are the finishing touches. Take a quick peak at some of my favourite pieces...




A mixture of leopard print & African inspired patterns matched with bold, bright reds & yellows, topped off with big bow hairbands or a floppy hat & heels or brogues to match.

Where Are We Heading From Here?

Having always focused around the current trends, I began to think about what the latest trends will be for next year. According to Vogue July 2010, by fall our wardrobes should be filled with high-waisted trousers (not a world away from high-waisted shorts from summer) military (a trend I believe was recently popular with army boots, military style coats & jackets, khakis and browns) midi (just short of a maxi) & leopard print (currently in trend.) The changes from summer season to fall are only a stones throw away but when is fashion going to take a leap in another direction? Next Spring/Summer, I think the newest influence should be cyber & out of space. I'm thinking neon's & metallic, hot pants & mini skirts, over exaggerated shoulders & sleeves and flared trousers. The best example would be from the one & only Cyber Dog. Visiting a Cyber Dog store is an amazingly-out-of-this-world experience with UV lighting, crazy music & dark corners, the store is more like a club than a shop. With technology developing at unbelievable rates & everyone wishing they were miles away from reality in the recession, space seems like an appropriate new trend.


Take a look at some of Cyber Dog's latest pieces & what I think should have influence over next year's trends.






Perfect examples of exaggerated shoulders & skirts, neon & metallic colours, Gothic influence & flares. Maybe one day, this trend will a part of the fashion world.

We're Going To The Zoo, You Can Come Too

Me & my boyfriend decided we needed a day out together, just to take a break from work & to enjoy each other's company, so we headed up to London Zoo, one of my favourite places to escape to. It's a place that reminds me of my childhood and every time I go back I can't help feel and act like a five year old as I run around & scream with glee at the monkeys and the cheeky looking meerkats. But what I noticed this time, was how much of our current trends reflect animals; from prints and patterns to textures and colour. Techno Traveller is an obvious example with influence from travellers, tribal & festival goers with tasseled, ripped & frayed clothing, animal prints & embellishment.


Pretty much self explanatory; an example of animal prints/skins/furs found in the wild/Africa including African hunting dog, tapir & serval prints & their influence on the current trend from leopard print skirts, blouses & dresses, animal print hareems & ruffled print scarves.







However, Club Tropicana also has influences from the animal kingdom from parrots, flamingos & peacocks being the main South-American bird influence with feathers, ruffles & animal prints.










Everywhere & anywhere, from maxi's down to socks are ruffles, feathers and even bird-jewellery.













Even the insects, fish & amphibians are having their influence over some of the latest pieces with neon colours, scales & crazy prints.





With florescent yellow, coral & magenta colours, insect jewellery from wasps & bees to butterflies. The perfect example is of the neon pink snake skin patterned swimsuit.

Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

I know I have neglected my blog for the past couple of days and maybe it would have be therapeutic to have be writing but after breaking up with my boyfriend all I wanted to do was lye in bed, eat ice cream & watch trashy daytime TV. Fortunately it didn't last long, my boyfriend & I decided to give it one more chance; after over two years together we didn't just want to throw it all away. Relationships are funny things; if two people are meant to be together then there should be no compromising, no need to change. But life & relationship's don't work like that, they do take work and time because nothing in life is simple.

Breakup's are hard for anyone but what made this one particularly difficult was going through it alone. Instead of having the support of my friends for comfort & cheer me up, unfortunately for me they were all either at university, on holiday or travelling. But everyone knows that diamonds are a girl's best friend. Here are some earrings that will put some sparkle into your day.



A selection of statement jewellery influenced by one of the current trends techno traveller. Animal feathers; peacocks & parrots, tribal prints, gem stones & dream catchers.














These gold & pastel coloured earrings are influenced through summer fete; Alice in wonderland teapots, cups & saucers, flowers & birds.

Underwear Is Outerwear

For all of those that love one of the latest trends from lace bodies to silky nightie style dresses, here are the latest underwear collections by Topshop. However, I don't recommend that you wear these out. It may just be stepping over the line.









The four most stunning underwear sets from floral patterns and polka dots to lace and silk.

An array of miscellaneous bras, thongs & pants.

COME ON ENGLAND

COME ON ENGLAND!

What A Game

Although I'm really not one into football, I have to say I really enjoyed watching the game. No I don't understand the off side rule and yes I had to ask what colour our team was but the atmosphere was exhilarating. I loved how everyone came together to support our country's team, sitting down with nibbles, beers & cider and painted faces. In support of football season, here is Topshop's latest collection High Performance.








Maybe not the best time to post this but this collection is inspired by the American collegiate look. With sports enthused pieces from 'sweat pants' baseball jackets & high top trainers. It's not my favourite trend by far but certainly a comfy, care-free feel is always welcome with open arms.

All's Hair In Love & War

Yeah, it's a pretty lame name but right now I'm too obsessed with hair accessories to care. I've never wanted to parade around with giant bows, flowers & beads upon my head more. Here are a selection of cute clips, stunning headbands & beautiful bandos...



This ginormous neon flower is a summer sensation











These floral bow kirbie grips add a splash of summer to a quiff

I adore this tropical washer-woman-style headband












Beautifully embroidered with tiny pearls & intricate lace











Look like Alice in Wonderland with this oversized baby blue bow (also in baby bink)









Cute floral clip










Vintage stlye headband with leaf print

Time To Play Dress Up

A month or so ago I was a blogging virgin, I am still a little rough around the edges but I think I'm ready to move forward from cutting and pasting pictures of clothes that I would recommend for this season from Topshop's website, commenting on Vogue's latest issues and creating a few creative one liners along side (Shoes Glorious Shoes, Handbags and the Gladrags, Who wears THE trousers, As Good As Gold, just to name a few.) I want to move on and talk about how the economy, politics etc affects each season in the fashion industry, show this season's trends through other media such as photography & branch out to other brands other than Topshop (I know, what a shocker!)

See, I enjoy progressing which is why I left my relatively well paid job as a waitress to become a sales adviser at Topshop. Why? Because my other job had no future, no training, no career development. It may not be much but for the first time in years, I enjoy my job. I love looking at the new lines coming in every week, the new trends, dressing the mannequins & helping people put together outfits. It may not sound much but I think it's a great base for my future career. To become an editor, you need many qualities, qualifications and experience. I'm passionate about the fashion industry & magazines, very career driven and optimistic; I always aim high. You may have a degree & experience but what makes you stand out from the crowd is passion for what you do, drive & ambition. Let's see, I may make it, one day.

But, for now I'm going to show you a few must-have dresses. And don't worry, I'll be moving on soon.



The most beautiful, lace embroidered one shoulder dress; wearing it makes you feel like a fairy princess. Can be dressed up or down in a denim jacket & wedges.









Plain & simple but comfy & summery. Comes in many different colours; black, white, red, grey, yellow, beige...you name it we've got it.










Delicate floral sundress. OK, so I may be biased to the past three seeing as I own every one of them but you have to agree, they are certainly must-haves.








What I call an Ariel dress. OK, so it's not exactly the same but the shape reminds me of the little mermaid's shipwreck dress with the overlapping top half & belt around the waist. These style dresses are very popular this season.



And there you have it. I'm going to cover a tinsie-winsie more must-haves such as hair accessories, tees, cardis and we'll see how it goes from there.