Getting in the spirit (obviously before Christmas, not today)

Have Yourself A Sparkly Little Christmas

What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than to cover yourself head to toe in glitter (don’t worry, I don’t mean literally)? Sparkly clothes, shoes, makeup and hair accessories are the perfect way to dress for the occasion and to add to this, I thought a nice gold, green or red glitter nail varnish would be the perfect finish, that, was until I saw the price tag of the fabulous OPI range. Now, I’m not a snob or anything but when it comes to glitter, you can’t buy cheap without it looking cheap, so after seeing one of my friends with the OPI gold glitter nail varnish I had to have it.

Walking through Asda, at which point I was still not the proud owner of some glitter nail varnish, I spotted some tubes of glitter for just a pound and in the perfect colours, gold, green and red (and pink for when you’re not feeling as festive). I’m hardly the most creative person but I was soon reminded that I had these exact same colours in normal nail varnish so why not add the glitter myself? I can honestly say it’s the best idea I have ever had and is the greatest way to get a chunky glitter effect without spending a fortune. Just look at the results:

Feeling Festive?

Unlike every other store on the high street, Topman and Urban Outfitters do not need to cover their stores in tinsel and baubles to let everyone know its nearly christmas. Why? Because of their beautiful range of christmas jumpers that greet you as you walk through the door. Of course, the name ‘christmas jumper’ doesn’t necessarily mean a bright red knit with Rudolph on the front, yes I am referring to Colin Firth in Bridget Jones’ Diary. Today, a christmas jumper can come in any shape and form, more commonly being a fairisle knit involving a few reds or greens.

Topman.co.uk have a fantastic selection, the perfect gift for an unwilling boyfriend. Just look at these beauts:

Urban outfitters have also done themselves proud in the festive department, managing to sly the odd reindeer onto the jumper without turning it into something only your nan would buy.

These are even perfect for women, as there doesn’t seem to be much of a choice for us out there in the women’s departments.

So, whether you’re buying for yourself or a loved one, I would definitely recommend Topman and Urban Outfitters to get you in the festive spirit. If you’re buying for yourself and a loved one however, please be sure not to get matching ones. We don’t wanna embarrass them too much do we?

Bargain of the week

I couldn't believe my eyes as I strolled into H&M in Westfield and saw this little beauty staring at me, with a noticable price tag of just £9.99. So it should be no surprise that this my bargain buy of the week, infact it could be the bargain buy of the month as it has now gone down to just £3.99 in the sale, £3.99!!!! (Please ignore the awful lace gloves, I can definitely say this is not how I would advise to wear it)

Lets just hope it fits!

East London's finest

For the first time since it opened earlier this year, I went to Westfield shopping mall in Stratford. While indoors, the cleanliness and beauty of the stores made me forget I was in East London. That was until someone on the top floor decided to spit all the way down to the ground floor, landing roughly 20 centimetres infront of me. 
The stores inside were also a bit of a let-down. Although presented very well, they weren't shops you would expect to find in a high-end shopping mall, with no signs of French Connection or Ted Baker. Instead, there was phone shop after phone shop, followed by Boots and a few cafe's. I couldn't help but wonder where all the clothes were!
As you get upstairs it gets a little better, but that's only due to the fact that Topshop, River Island and Zara are up there. Other than that, it was very disappointing, nice to look at but no substance.

I have to say next time I won't be wasting my time paying for the extra zone on the train. Take me straight to White City.

The most magical place on earth

I don’t doubt that when I mention the name Annie Leibovitz you know who I’m talking about, but for those of you who don’t let me give you a quick insight.

Leibovitz is an incredible American photographer responsible for those fabulously sexy Rolling Stones covers we have all seen plastered over peoples bedrooms walls. Photographing portrait images, usually of ‘A List’ celebrities, she has quite a breath-taking portfolio. But to me, her most fantastic work came about when she collaborated with Vogue for a Disney themed shoot, dressing those loved ‘A Listers’ as our favourite movie characters. In 2007, the Walt Disney Company asked Leibovitz to do a shoot of celebrities in various roles for their “Year of a Million Dreams” campaign which included photographs of David Beckham, Beyonce and Scarlett Johansson. The images were spectacular and gave Leibovitz a quirky, Tim Burton style edge. These are a few examples of her Disney themed images from the last 10 years. I'll leave it up to you to work out which celebs feature.

A university photography project has challenged me to create original fashion images for a specific publication. After looking at these images and others from the Alice in Wonderland shoot Leibovitz did for Vogue, I have chosen to go down a similar route and create Disney themed photo's, also for Vogue, to celebrate the future release of the Disney film 'Magic Kingdom'. This film is to be about a young child who witnesses the Magic Kingdom Park characters and attractions come alive, so for my shoot I will bring in as many relevant props as well as suitable 'fashionable' clothing to fit the style. Obviously, the standards are way higher in Leibovitz's work than I ever could achieve, but I can dream. I'll be sure to post the final images here for you to see.
Wish me luck.

The most beautiful store in the world

For some, the word Biba means nothing. For others it may be a word they simply recognise. For most, it was a way of life.

Biba was once described by the Sunday Times as ‘The most beautiful store in the world’ based in Kensington, West London. Barbara Hulanicki was, along with her husband, the founder, designer and commissioner of everything experienced within the Biba store. Not a single item entered the store without her approval, giving her the title of one the greatest British designers.

People in the 1960’s and 1970’s became infatuated with not just the clothes, but the store too. With an intense interior and everything so carefully thought out, it has to be the one place that given the chance, I would go to extreme lengths to visit. I cannot help feeling a sense of disappointment that the store, to me and many others, will only be witnessed through photographs.

As the store grew, it continued to move to larger stores finally ending up as a seven storey department store on Kensington High Street. The store contained everything Biba, from clothes to washing powder, dog food to stationary, all branded with the famous Biba logo.

Although being recently re-launched in House of Fraser, the original items tend to be found at, at least 3 times the original value, making the collection more of a desire than anything else, completely satisfying the title ‘vintage’ that most women adore. The clothing found in the Biba concessions are not like those that appeared in the original store, sadly ruining the Biba name and the younger generations that may not have heard of this brand, are being fed this false image of such beautiful clothing. The store itself was also a huge part of the Biba image which is not portrayed in House of Fraser.

A current project for university has asked us to come up with an idea and produce a 6 month campaign to make this idea come to life (obviously not literally). My idea is to re-launch Biba as a stand-alone store in its old location of Kensington, taking it out of House of Fraser. The research and planning is all too exciting and I can only pray that one day soon, someone, if not I, will go through with the idea and make it as beautiful and classic as it once was, as I strongly believe everyone with a love of fashion deserves that experience.

“Biba fulfilled the Rock and Roll promise to live fast, die young and leave a beautiful corpse”.