'Prints' Charming and His 'Eggselent' Followers

Hello Over Indulged Friends!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter, spending time with friends and family....and eating everything egg shaped in sight. I partook in the frivolous and ate and drank with friends and I partook in the meaningful, visiting Gloucester Cathedral which held a floral tribute to my late grandfather and many others friends and relatives past. Easter was therefore particularly emotional for me. But my dear friends, I am ashamed to say it was not only the marking of another Easter without my grandfather that made me a little down in the mouth. No, it was also that APPARENTLY, when you hit 22, people stop getting you Easter eggs. Ummmm, this has to be against civil rights??? I am sorry but the excuse that we now know the Easter Bunny isn't real, doesn't really fly with me. I know that half of Glos are carrying faux designer bags but I am not allowed to rip those poorly stitched Lukey Vuittons and Birdberry pieces out of their hands and set them on fire (the bags, not the people...) which to me seems the same sort of situation. My lovely Mother bought me a little selection of eggs from M&S which were delightful, my wonderful Father bought me a large egg, my Nan gave me an egg with a medal (also made of choc) and my other Nana made 2 chocolate cakes over the weekend on the "off chance" I would pop round....I did, three times. So I suppose you cannot compare my lack of chocolate to that of a third world resident, BUT, what happened to the times when your parents gave you 12 Easter eggs (with you managing to keep those bad boys going until mid July), a Steps CD and £20 to boot??? As I get older I find chocolate has become more of a necessity - especially since that study was brought out which says those that eat choc regularly are more likely to lose weight than those that don't - so I am pretty sure more eggs should exchange hands rather than less. I keep hearing the old chestnut that "22 is too old for Easter eggs" which I until today completely disagreed with... With my lack of choc causing a rumbly tumbly I bought some Love Hearts - old school cool - which like in the good old days I read before eating: "Be Mine", "Love You", "Fax Me" - obvi a 90s cast off. I kid you not when I say this though, at least 1/3 of the packet were "Grow Up". A short, sharp, chocolateless shock to the system. I think I'll stick to sweets that don't talk back next time. I hope you all enjoyed whatever sugary delight you got.

Now being in love with prints as I am and the fact there are SO many available at the moment in all different colours and patterns, I thought I would bring you my top ten. At least if you didnt get any choc this Easter you will be able to fit into these beauties...(Blurbs for each piece underneath image)



Matalan Scarf Print Blouse £16
http://www.matalan.co.uk/fcp/product/fashion-to-buy-online//Long-Sleeve-Scarf-Print-Blouse/51662&resultsPerPage=100&attrList=Dept,brand

Scarf Print: So in for S/S - all the celebs are wearing scarf print dresses, skirts and blouses. Team this shirt with denim shorts, a black maxi skirt or another daring print if you are brave enough!! This blouse manages to hit two trends with the scarf print and the fact it's sheer. Matalan has so much great stuff this season so look to them for other trends that wont break the bank!



H&M Striped Blazer £24.99
http://www.hm.com/gb/product/96893?article=96893-D

Stripes: You cant go wrong with a good striped blazer - well actually make sure the stripes aren't two thick, you don't want to look like Beetlejuice... Its a good staple for jeans and a tee but can also be worn over an LBD or even for work. Prints don't have to be terrifying or garish, so if you aren't into bright colours or loud patterns, try something like this from H&M.




River Island Yellow Sunflower Print Playsuit £25
http://www.riverisland.com/Online/women/playsuits--jumpsuits/playsuits/yellow-sunflower-print-playsuit-618259

Floral Print: Big, bright and bold flower prints are the best way to liven up your summer wardrobe. Team this playsuit with some cute sandals in the day before making an easy transition to night with a black blazer and black wedge boots.




American Apparel Polka Dot Leggings £24
http://store.americanapparel.co.uk/8328.html?cid=905-1310&c=Truffle

Polka Dot: I love a good polka dot and I love a good legging, so put the two together and what have you got?!! Fashion gold my friends. If you have got a black dress that needs livening up, are one of those fabulously toned people who can wear leggings as trousers or just want to dress like LMFAO then pick these bad boys up. They are my new Spandex crush.




Oasis Bird Print Trousers £45
http://www.oasis-stores.com/Bird-Print-Trouser/Trousers-&-Shorts/oasis/fcp-product/4450002868

Bird Print: I have always loved prints which incorporate animals, birds, fish etc. I think they are so eye-catching as from far away they can look more like a generic pattern; it isn't until you get close that you see the detail. Everyone is celebrating with our winged friends at the moment, so pick up a pair of wide legged trousers, harem pants or these loose fitting beauties and rock out with your chicken out...

Urban Outfitters Renewal O&O Maxi Dress £48
http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/renewal-o+o-animal-maxi-dress/invt/5416465084589/&bklist=

Oriental Prints: This particular dress reminds me of oriental prints on kimonos, rice paper paintings and those gorgeous vases (usually in blue and white). This is a stunning maxi that is definitely a piece to wear to drinks, dinner or a special occasion - and such value for money!! This is possibly my favourite piece of the ten items, it is so simple, yet so beautiful. Check out UO for all your print needs, because lets be honest, they don't really do subtle...




Topshop Morphed Tribal Shorts £35
http://www.topshop.com/

Tribal Print: Some of you might be yawning at this because tribal has been around for a while now. What you have to do therefore is find tribal but with a twist, like these shorts! Love the tribal colours, but go for a blurred look, or another pattern to make the trend fresh again. Zigzags are huge at the moment, so try tribal colours in this print for extra va va voom!

Warehouse Snake Print Skirt £40
http://www.warehouse.co.uk/snake-plisse-skirt/Clothing/warehouse/fcp-product/308234

Animal Print: Lets be honest animal print is always going to be around, so we just have to tailor it to the season. This season pleats and snakeskin are in....oh wait! Here is the perfect skirt for pairing with your highest heels and going partying with your friends. You know you want to...


House of Holland Bone Swim Suit £75
http://shop.houseofholland.co.uk/collections/new-arrivals/products/pc12-bone-swimsuit

Crazy Print: At the end of the day be who you want to be and say what you want to say in a print that you love! This says ... look how skinny I've got from lack of Easter eggs....





Cath Kidston Pinny Cardi £38
http://www.cathkidston.co.uk/p-18021-cath-kidston-pinny-flowers-pointelle-cardigan.aspx

Cath Kidston: If all else fails, turn to the queen of prints herself...

So go out and paint the town patterned!
Becky xx

Nigella please may I borrow a cup of organic sexy sugar?

Bonjour!

It has been a lifetime or longer since we last spoke - or I spoke and you listened. But here I am, returned to your arms...or eyes... ever ready to bring you what I see as the most important information available - mostly about me. I have a legitimate excuse for not writing for a few days - I have been busier than Santa at Christmas due to the HUGE move to London!! I moved into a beautiful place on Sunday - I say moved, I actually mean borrowed for a month, but that doesn't sound very romantic. I want you to conjure up images of me cycling down a London Notting Hill style highstreet in the sunshine wearing a 50s housewife floral dress, toting fresh bread and a newspaper in my basket....not me lugging more suitcases than an Easyjet air stewardess does when the passengers revolt due to the fact that they were expecting to go to Ibiza but have been dropped in Aberdeen because thats what you get when you use a cut price airline... Anyway, the first leg of my 3 month adventure seems to be a success!! I really like the place i'm staying....which has nothing to do with the fact Colin Firth lives four streets from me, Nigella lives one and I am living under a FOXY Olympic gold rower. No, I haven't crawled under his bed, I merely mean he is in the flat above me. If you hear drilling it is not me trying to create a peep hole. No, I like it here because the people are fancy and the tube is two minutes away. Also, for my Minnesota friends, the place I am living reminds me of Grand Ave - it is filled with boutiques, cute restaurants and quirky stores. I would love to live here in the future, but the people down the road from me (not Nigella or the Firths) have a red convertible Ferrari as their runaround car....so I think my pockets are going to need to get a LOT deeper - we are talking all the way to my wannabe Jimmy Choos. OR I need to find myself a rich dude - please please do not inundate me with requests, I am unable to reply with everything else going on. Just turn up and propose. Talking of proposals, what happened to the way the builders in London used to talk to you? It used to be all rough and ready "alriiiiiiight luv, looking for a real man?", now an actual London builder today said to me "excuse me but you are absolutely stunning" - umm sir if I wanted false niceties I would join e-Harmony, as it is I would quite like the satisfaction of the entire road hearing you would give your wife up for me, so please go back to being the terrifying lout I expect.

This weekend I am fully prepared to go out and see the local sights (and builders) whilst also catching up with the most wonderful of the people I have previously lost to this wonderful city. Also the internship is going well, thank you for asking. All I can say is that I am in the settling in stage and there is A LOT of soup consumed in the office. And with that cream of tomato tip off, we move onto the highly anticipated...

R

Fashion Trend: Retro America - For some reason stars, stripes and flaming Grease-like heels stormed the runway this season and we kind of love it! I will save you my usual Prada pictures because you have seen the above mentioned heels and the car motif outfits a million times somewhere in my blog, but they are the essence of what the trend is. Remember what Sandy and her friends were wearing on 'ohhh those summmmaaaah niiiiiihhhiiiiiigggghhttttssss'? well add a modern twist and join in. Don't wear as much gel as Danny though, i'm pretty sure that is illegal in most countries. Instead just wear tiny denim shorts with printed boob bands, rocker tees or red leather jackets. Wear fashion sneakers with printed dresses and novelty belts. Wear cute sweaters with star spangled tops! Just get crazy and wave at Uncle Sam while you are doing it. Soul Cal at Republic knows where it is at and understands our bank balance!! All images and items from http://www.republic.co.uk/women/kids-in-america/?q_pageSize=12&viewAll1=true&q_pageNum=1&viewAll1=true


Fashion Item: Raincoat - Cath Kidston. April is speedily approaching and this will bring even more showers than have already been ruining our hair. So it is time to purchase a raincoat! Gone are the days when your mother used to send you in a plain black one because that is all school regulations would allow. Now we are adults and we love prints!! Cath Kidston is the queen of the print, so we look to her for guidance - and she does not fail us. Not only can we buy our raincoat from there, but we remember most of her stuff is waterproof - YAAAAAAAY! We shop til we are poor, but dry. Bliss. Here are my two online favs and at £35 they are a bargain. Both from http://www.cathkidston.co.uk/c-90-jackets.aspx

Spot Raincoat
£35

Victoria Rose Raincoat
£35

Store or Label: Rachel Zoe - as per usual I am cheating and not really going by the guidelines I set, but whatevs. Rachel Zoe, for those of you lovely people who have never heard of her before, is the American Gok Wan and Trinny/Susannah rolled into one tiny bodied, huge sunglass wearing, celebrity eating, fashion monster. She is THE stylist to be dressed by for ANY event. She knows which designers are in this season and which will be lining the shelves at Nordstrom Rack before the runways have been polished and the models have eaten their 'six weeks til showtime' apple. If she tells you to wear it, you wear it. If she hates it and you are wearing it, you are automatically stricken from every fashion event from here to the opening of even the smallest boutique in NYC. If she likes it, her catch phrase "I. Die" is the only thing you need to hear to know you will have zero stock left on net-a-porter. Do what I do, which is hate her for being a big know-it-all queen of fabulousness with a size -2 body and a never a strand out of place hair-do and then cus you can't beat her - join her. The Zoe Report is a daily e-mail sent to you with the must have item in fashion that she has picked out for the day. She does fashion, beauty and accessory e-mails so sign up for all of them. Some days it is high street stuff, some days even Kate Middleton would have trouble finding enough pennies to buy the stuff. Sign up, it's free and you wont regret it! This way I am giving you the opportunity to shop hundreds of stores and not just one beginning with R!!  I. Die!!! http://www.thezoereport.com/

Celebrity or Designer: "Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo?" Depending at your age and knowledge base you will either be giving me intellectual credit for reciting Shakespeare or you will be giving me street cred for knowing one of the members of So Solid Crew - of which I believe there is only 1/100th left. I am in fact on this occasion referring to the well-known romantic of Shakespearian times - and YES we are allowing him to be a celebrity for this section. Because designer giants Topshop have made a faux pas that would cause even the most uneducated to blush.... for they brought out a t-shirt with the above quote on it, cited the genius who wrote it, but alas....spelt his name wrong. The t-shirt went on sale and shoppers were the ones who pointed out the mistakes. Heads will no doubt roll even though they have cut the 'Shakespere' off the t-shirt and now sell it as a short tee. Alas poor Sir Green, we knew him well.

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/892306-topshop-mocked-for-misspelling-shakespeare-on-new-t-shirt

Night!
Becky xx