Tart up Tartan

This season the Tartan print has come back for an ultra-cosy yet chic look that can easily be worn for that formal and casual basis.  I love tartan coats (or known also as 'checked'); they look very fashionable and can be worn easily making an instant style statement – think chunky oversized coats that can add instant colour and a class whilst keeping you snug.  The tartan print can be safely worn by all ages, a versatile and timeless print that is somewhat evergreen...

1. Checked Coat £129 from Zara | 2. Navy Coat and Red Tartan Check Boyfriend Coat £64.99 from New Look| 3. Black Checked Biker Sleeve 2 in 1 Coat £85 from River Island | 4. Per Una Checked Belted Coat with Wool £99 from Marks and Spencer | 5. Collarless Check Wool Jacket £85 from Topshop | 6. Checked Coat £149 from Zara


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Pastel Princess

I have been talking a lot about pastels lately, it is a revival trend that always comes back every spring and summer from far back as I can remember, and it is by far my favourite trend! It is always a safe bet to wear and is guaranteed to make you look uber girly and princess-like. I love the fact that it incorporates all my favourite colours into one season. In terms of pastel colours think about those clique light candy colours (or old-fashioned ice-cream colours) that are so vintage and timeless – from minty greens, creamy beige to light hues of lavender, a touch of dusty pinks and light corals and even lighter powder blues; this very fun and easy to wear colour palette compliments every skin tone and is perfect to wear this time of year. Think of teaming these pastels with acid skinny jeans, perfect to get that sharp colour contrast and looks effortlessly very now.

A very easy and affordable way to get some pastels in your wardrobe is by investing in a good fitted pastel spring blazer, think of the more “safer” pastel colours for this, such as a dusty pink that you can easily work with every spring.  There are various blazer styles around, depending on how you prefer to wear them, or how you like your blazer fitted. Opt for a more fitted cropped style which is very spring or if you prefer to layer your look then opt for the classic boyfriend style blazer that can easily be adapted to fit around the weather changes.

Take a look at my favourite high street pastel pieces...

Bags / Clutches:

1. Boxy Leather Messenger Bag £60 from Topshop | 2. Shell Pink Cut Out Clutch £12.99 from New Look

1. This beautiful very light and faint mint leather bag is absolutely gorgeous, so simple yet so girly – its double gold fastening and zip details makes it perfect to stash away those bits and bobs that always leaves you rummaging around!

 2. A pastel pink clutch that has an intricate cut out detail in the shape of flowers at the top part of the clutch and gold detailing around the edge making it appear more expensive that £12.99, a great clutch for those spring/summer Friday evenings!

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Blazers:

3. Satin Laples Double-Breasted Blazer in Beige £34.99 from Mango | 4. Lace Studded Biker £75 from Warehouse

3.I absolutely LOVE this blazer since seeing it on the Mango Summer 2013 campaign. It looks very vogue-uesque with padded shoulders and gold button detailing on the cuffs and main body, it would go so perfectly with a fitted shirt. It is also available in other colours, but for me my favourite has to be the beige which fits into the pastel colour palette well.

4. Another stunning high street gem, (that I again absolutely LOVE) this beautiful biker jacket from Warehouse is so understated yet certainly makes a statement with its lined floral lace detailing; the three quarter length is perfect for spring and oozes elegance and is so feminine - yet it still has a dollop of edge making it very current (with my favourite stud detailing) on the lapel. I cannot make up my mind whether I love this jacket or the Mango Double-Breasted Blazer (no 3) more.

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Jewellery:

5. White Spring Pearl Necklace £8.99 from New Look | 6. Jewel Chandelier Earring £15 from Asos

5. It is in the name, this bib style beaded necklace is delicate with dots of light coral/peach and pretty pearls and shimmers of grey/silver crystals that will look stunning on pastel dress or shirt.

6. These pretty chandelier earrings have the perfect nudey-peachy-coral pastel hint that would look perfect on a summer evening with beach inspired waves in your hair. Being Indian I can tell that these earrings are very Indian inspired as I have  similar pairs in my collection;  Asos’ new jewellery arrivals have a lot of Indian inspired pieces that seem to be making a new trend (see here, here and here).

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Shoes:

7. Studded Sandal £39.99 from Zara | 8. Converse All Star Seasonal Mint Ox Trainers £45 from Asos

7. Another great high street example of a Valentino inspired shoe, these studded nudey/cream sandals are guaranteed to add a bit of edge and glam to any spring outfit.

8. For those relaxed days or mile-high fuelled shopping trips these comfy Converse’s are guaranteed to leave your feet feeling comfortable all day when walking in heels feels like chore. These iconic trainers have a quirky twist with its coloured spring pastel mint green which will leave you still feeling every inch of pretty and girly!  

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Dress / Skirt:

9. Pink Applique Waist Dress £60 from River Island | 10. Claudia Skirt £55 from Oasis

9. A very chick and Victorian style sleeveless dress which has an intricate lace/crochet detailing around the waist that nips in, overall very simple yet elegant, this dress can easily be teamed up with an understated blazer.

10. This powder blue/sky blue midi skirt is perfect to compliment any spring wardrobe  conservative and so sheek it would can easily be styled with nude capped heels or some barely there sandals to give it a bit of seasonal glam. I love anything lace, so for me with that alone I had to feature it!

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I simply cannot get enough of pastels!

Happy St. Georges Day!

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Keeping it Clear & Transparent: Bag Trend

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There seems to be a see-through-clear accessories trend running from clear stilettos to our handbags and clutches, the likes of Valentiono  and Burberry  fully embracing this trend in their summer 2013 catwalks.

I must admit I did not immediately fall-head-over-heels in love with it; the idea of a perspex handbag repulsed me slightly; can you imagine showing all passer-by’s your random bits and bobs all on display. It seems to me a bit too far-fetched and not very practical, the trend (or two second "fad") at first for me was like one of those security procedures before jetting off to a far away land.

I am still thinking that these clear bags look slightly a bit cheap and tacky, and are better left back in the 80’s when fashion was more forgiving  (Fresh Prince of Bell Air springs to mind). Nevertheless always being open-minded and experimental with fashion and styling (well I try to be at least) I gave in and went a bit crazy. I thought I would take baby steps and work with the perspex (a phrase I thought I would never say).  I can see it working perhaps on small day clutches when you need to carry minimal pointless garbage essentials, I feel that this is a fair experimental compromise for those of you who are not equally convinced as I with this latest season essential.

New Look have a great range of these transparent style handbags that are very similar to those gracing the Valentino lookbook, the best way to style these clear handbags to make them pop I feel would be with white tailored trousers/denim with a contrast shirt that will really bring out these quirky bags– take a look at some of my findings…

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Check out these three pieces (very Valentino inspired), the White colour I feel lives up to the summer/spring colour palette that you can work with in your wardrobe – chick without being too loud or in your face, with gold detailing making it a perfect contrast piece teamed with sky high stilettos!

White Winged Transparent Bowler Bag from New Look £19.99 | Black Winged Transparent Bowler Bag from New Look £19.99 | Fuchsia Winged Transparent Bowler Bag  from New Look £19.99

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These more futuristic bags are certainly for those of you who want to make a bold statement (also teams well into the neon trend), perhaps a good shopper style for those beach holiday days for storing away those flip-flops/sun creams?

Coolway Pink Thais Clear Vinyl Shopper £19.99 from New Look | Coolway Neon Yellow Thais Clear Vinyl Shopper £19.99 from New Look

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This more conservative take on the clear/transparent trend is better suited for those of us who do not want to show all our valuables in a clear transparent handbag (*cough cough* scaredy-cat-me).     

Pink Perspex Hard Box Clutch £12.99 from New Look

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Is this trend a hit or a miss for you guys? Or are you still unsure a bit like me? 

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POW! Statement Necklaces

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The trend that started last year was wearing a lot of statement necklaces, from spikey edgy numbers to more softer pearl shaped ones sprinkled with a few stone encrusted details here and there. There was gold, rose gold, silver and bronze metallic ones that were dominating the outer shell of our statement necklaces, but more textured cloth material ones (a bit like those collar bibs that were around a few years ago) are also making a strong comeback with quirky and bold colours adding a futuristic modern trend. 

H&M have a great collection (my favourite by far) and are a good example of taking a fun colourful twist at statement necklaces, so shiny and so pretty! If you are on a budget New Look offer a wide range that are very affordable yet still look on trend.

I certainly jumped on the bandwagon last year and layered/mixed and matched a few to create a unique and personalised style which can dress up a plain jumper or add a bit of understated glam to that crisp collared shirt. 

Statement Necklaces I am glad to say are hanging around our necks it seems for some time, the likes of the High Street are filled with them and add a custom touch to those everyday outfits! Take a look at 6 of my favourites…

1.

Flower Layered Collar £20 from Topshop

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2.

Acrylic Mixed Shapes Collar £18.50 from Topshop

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3. 

Necklace £12.99 from H&M 

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4. 

Black Short Statement Necklace £12 from River Island

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5. 

Celebration Skull Statement Necklace £24 from Asos

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6. 

Neon Pink and Orange Spike Necklace £7.99 from New Look

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We all love a bit of bling bling, especially on our statement necklaces. Do you have a favourite?

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