Tell Someone You Love Them

Hello,

A few of my friends have been asking me about dresses lately - what to buy and from where. So here are what I see as some of the top dress trends. All you need to do is find a lovely boy who is willing to take you out in one! Enjoy.

THE PEPLUM DRESS:


Ted Baker £159

Peplums are SO flattering. As I have said before, they hide lumps and bumps if you have any, but also create an hourglass shape if you don't have one... Kate Middleton was just spotted wearing one to the African Cats premier she attended with Prince William. Endorsed by the most beautiful woman in Britain... hanging in every single one of our wardrobes.


THE TIE DYE DRESS:



French Connection £160


Tie Dye is a HUGE trend at the moment, but I know it can leave you wondering whether or not you will look like a hippy. If that is the fear buy something subtle and beautiful like this French Connection dress - being 100% silk, dip dye, floaty and stunning, the last thing people will expect you to do is braid your hair and stop shaving. Although...


THE LACE DRESS:



Matalan £25

The lace dress has been in for a while and will continue for another season. Perhaps because it is feminine and flattering, perhaps just because we all have a weird desire to wear things that our nan tells us she could make. Either way, they are the thing of the moment. I love colourful lace, such as this coral number from Matalan, but I am also all about the ones with contrasting fabric underneath. Play around with what you can find. If you are a skilled seamstress, or just happen to like a bit of Gok Wan, remove the under layer of your lace dress and wear with long colourful vest tops/dresses in contrasting colours. That will show your Nan...bless her.


THE FLAPPER DRESS:



Gucci




River Island £100

The flapper dress is all about flamboyance, luxury and extravagance. Its about hearing the beads click together when you twirl, its about having a boyish figure and its about dancing like you were in 20s Paris. I have shown you here that this is a HOT designer trend at the moment as well...and if like me you can't afford the oh so lovely Gucci version, well River Island will work just as perfectly. Would I like to dance? Merci Monsieur.

THE BRODERIE ANGLAISE/LASER CUT DRESS:

The Kooples 175 Euros

Basically you need to get yourself a dress with tiny holes in it.... If you are a pretty girl next door type, broderie anglaise is perfect for you as it is small dainty patterns made out of holes that have been cut and sewn in fabric. If you are a little more daring try laser cut pieces which can see any shape, size or pattern being cut into most materials. Either way wear something contrasting  underneath if there is the option for such. Dazzle in this trend...it will be a HOLE lot of fun. Oh, stop. I also chose a The Kooples dress because they are a fabulous brand that I have been in love with for a good while now. They are all about gorgeous his and her's tailoring...and my life dream is to become a part of a Kooples Couple. There, I said it. ALSO, BIG NEWS!!! They are opening a new store in Cheltenham where Crabtree and Evelyn used to be. Thank you Kooples, it is like Christmas but with less drunk relatives.... oh wait Pete Doherty is their newest spokesman...


THE HANKY HEM DRESS:



Firetrap £95 (House of Fraser)

Dresses with uneven hems all the way round or cascading hems from front to back are fabulous. If you have shorter thicker legs get the dresses with longer backs and shorter fronts because this will create the longer leg illusion. So chic, I might cry....a cascade of tears. (PS - I heart the print on this Firetrap dress also).


THE FULL SKIRTED DRESS:

Anthropologie £128

The full skirt look works for your retro Americana as seen at Prada and the likes, but also for my all time fav...the 50s housewife; as per this gorge creature above. Feel pretty, girly and feminine in this creation, but dont go all creepy housewife from The Help. Cat-eye sunglasses, some cute retro hair and a wee Chanel quilted bag is all you really need for that guy you've had your eye on to tell you that you are just swell. (PS - I have just been informed that Lauren Conrad has put this dress on her blog as well today - thought I should come back and tell you that I am pretty much the bees knees.)

Dresses that are always in for this season and perhaps forever....floral, maxi, one shoulder, pastel, neon (SUBTLE dont dress like a highlighter) and as always the LBD.


I just want to say that yesterday was a sad day for many in Gloucester as a local rugby player died aged only in his early twenties. I did not know this person, but I know some of his team-mates and a few of his friends. Due to this I just want to say to you all that life is hard, painful and at times you may think it is not worth what you put in, but remember you only get one chance. You may be lucky and live to 100 or, like Dominic fate may have other plans for you. Either way just remember the argument you had with your boyfriend/girlfriend/parents/sibling and understand it was pointless. Tell each person in your life that you love them, everyday if possible, because life is a gift and it is one we all are too quick to take for granted. I appreciate every single one of you taking time to read my blog and for those of you who are family or friends, I love you dearly. For those of you who have just stopped by for a quick read, thank you, I appreciate your kindness and hope there is someone sitting next to you who will tell you they love you too.

Best Wishes,
Becky xxx

I dreamed a dream in time gone by, that hope was high and I carried a fish

Hello,

Today has been one of those exhausting days. The kind of day when you wake up in the morning and know you will be one step behind because you didn't sleep well. Why did I not sleep well you ask? Well I have a lot on my mind with the move to London being imminent - but the finding of a place to stay being not so.... Because of this I have been finding myself tossing and turning until I settle into a dream riddled sleep at about 4am. It cannot just be me who finds dreaming the oddest thing ever. I remember from uni psych classes that in some cases you dream about things you want to happen but know can never - wish fulfilment if you will. This makes perfect sense in some instances. We all have the dream where the love of our life finally tells us he loves us too. We are usually dressed in a ridiculous Oscar de la Renta gown and are a size 0, but nonetheless the important part is the Juliet moment when you find out your lifelong love tells you he digs you too. But then, and often may I say in the same night, you also dream that you no longer want to carry round a bag and so start holding a fish...or you decide to open a microbrewery in Vegas with your highschool history teacher - none of these things are really on my wish list. The brain, she works in mysterious ways. After the restoring one hour of full sleep I have spent the day in B&Q (no one wants to see that much orange when they havent slept), spoken to cockney geezaaaas from London about renting apartments that range from those looking like they used to be a prison, to those you wish were as nice as one (who knew nothing under £1,500 pcm wouldn't get you hospitable living) to finally being left without electricity for a good part of the day whilst my father tries to fix some stuff. This is all well and good except my hair has not been blow dried or straightened and appears to have a family of magpies living in it - they are after my gold earrings no doubt - well the joke is on them because they are from Topshop. Oh and I found a mysterious goo on my top earlier which may or may not have been crushed Skips (the crisps, not something you dump rubbish in) I was feeding to one of my favourite people earlier - a baby, i'm not indulging in another's food fetish.

So without further ado....or mysterious goo, we move onto

G

Gucci S/S12 Collection
http://www.gucci.com/uk/category/f/women
_s_ready_to_wear#look2771

Fashion Trend: Gold - everyone from Gucci to DKNY sent glittering gold down the runway this season. It is unusual to see so much metallic in the S/S months as they are more a Christmas/winter essential, but to tell you the truth, i'm loving it! Gucci teamed it with green and black, which they have done before, but have still come up with a host of new ideas. Everyone is trying to get hold of the bags from the new collection because they are just so delicious. The outfit I have shown here is well over £5,000 for the entire thing and is therefore literally worth its weight in gold, but has got to be one of my favourites. I love when people are brave enough to wear every piece in the same colour - which I may add is very in with coloured jeans and matching shirts this S/S. Gucci have tried to add a gold accessory to every one of their outfits though, whether it be a gold corsage to a skinny belt; try it yourself. If you can't afford Gucci then pop to New Look, Forever 21 or H&M who will have something to suit everyone. Remember EVERYTHING that glitters is gold!!

Two Tone Chronograph
Gunmetal - Michael Kors
Approx £200

Fashion Item: Gunmetal jewellery. Pick up anything gunmetal from anywhere and it will be lusted after by everyone else! Gunmetal is the jewellery material of choice at the moment and would look so great juxtaposed against a shiny gold outfit. I am thinking chunky man watch and we all know the only places to buy watches from are Rolex and Michael Kors and seeing as we are just shy of the £10,000 we need for that Rolly lets get the Michael Kors one - it has rose gold in it as well - killing two metal bird trends with one stone!! http://www.michaelkors.com/search.jhtml?No=0&Ntt=Michael+Kors+Crystal+Bezel +Chronograph+Watch+&_requestid=22220&N=0&va=t




Gio Diev
http://giodiev.com/index.html

Store or Label: Giodiev.com. I have followed this designer for a while through his career because he has popped up in fashion weeks and has worked with everyone from Chanel and beyond. His shoes are TO DIE FOR. You can't buy directly from his website, but take a look. He has stores all over the world not England yet unfortunately, but America, Russia, China etc. If we could dream in shoes Gio would definitely be the guy opening the Microbrewery with us. Sigh.

Celebrity or Designer: Georgia May Jagger. Born to be superstaresque, the child of Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger was always going to catch the public's eye at some point and now she has. A model of the highest proportions she graces the cover of March's Harper's Bazaar in a way that only a rockstar lovechild can! She has the Madonna gap tooth and the wild-eyed look creating a cross between Lara Stone and Kate Moss. She has been in every campaign from H&M through to Hudson jeans and as the youngest of the Jagger daughters I'm sure she isn't through just yet...

So, go to bed early, it is Thursday and the weekend draws near - almost time to move like Jagger!!

Becky xx

Flapper Girls and Floppy Hats!

Hello Friends,

How was your Valentine's Day? Mine was like any other day except I went for dinner with a close friend. Like I said yesterday, Valentine's Day doesn't just have to be about showing your partner you love them. Apparently the Job Centre did not get this message... I have to tell you about this because it was like a Catherine Tate sketch. I decided yesterday to go to the JC and ask if I could claim Job Seeker's from Dec 21st which is when I finished work. I take a close friend with me, for moral support - we are both dressed nicely, but nothing over the top; normal day to day attire. My friend is in gym clothes, I in an autumnal coloured dress from Warehouse. Well, we turn up and it is apparently a meeting of the underage alcoholic parenting club - they are sat on the wall as though waiting for the Trojan Horse to arrive. It was like that moment you walk into a party and everyone stares at you because you look so beautiful....but with more White Lightening and less compliments. We walk in and im served by Henry VIII himself - sweating profusely and generally annoyed at the world. He nods me over and I ask about Job Seeker's, which he (shouting) repeats to the entire world. I tell him my situation and he shakes his head all the way through and then speaks to me VERY slowly in a tone people often think will help foreigners - it wont, for it surely didn't help me and im from here. Then I go to tell him I worked in another country because I was at uni in America and he replies with "ooooooo" as though I think i'm fancy - well I am but that is besides the point. He then told me I will have to take a test to prove i'm English - my passport is not enough apparently and meet with the man who will tell me to sell pans door to door. The internship in March is my saviour as it gives me a valid reason to only use Le Creuset and not sell it!!! All in all one of my better life experiences along with that time a girl stood on me and broke my foot and when I had pneumonia for three weeks.

Anyway, laugh everyone else has....and I will move onto...

F

Gucci RTW Spring 2012
Vogue

Fashion Trend: Flapper Girl - 20s - For those of you, like me, who are SURE you were born in the wrong era, Flapper Dresses are for you. Who didn't want to be dripping in beads, smoking a cigarette longer than the night and partying the Roaring Twenties away? Well now, you can make believe because the flapper is back!! This is especially perfect if you have a boyish figure...or want one...because it is straight up straight down. The more beads to move when you dance, the better! Gucci sent the most stunning black, gold and silver versions down the runway and I am just dying to get my hands on one. Who needs to eat for the rest of the ...gulp....year? One boyish figure here I come I guess! View the entire collection (where this picture is from) at http://www.vogue.com/collections/spring-2012-rtw/gucci/review/#/collection/runway/spring-2012-rtw/gucci/42

Felt Floppy with Grosgrain Band - £28
Accessorize

Fashion Item: Floppy Hat! The DKNY models strutted their stuff on the runway all shielding their eyes' from the glare of the hot lights under these beauties. Think maxi skirt, bright top (or band if you have a skinny tum), big sunnies and floppy felt hat a la Nicole Ricci. This is THE summer festival look. The best thing is everyone from Marks and Sparks to DKNY will be selling them, so you can pick one up to fit your budget. I made one with a friend for a uni project once - it was a replica of something the Duchess of Devonshire - Georgiana - wore; so you know it be fancy. Accessorize do tons and I want them all. http://www.accessorize.com/en/restofworld/felt-floppy-with-grosgrain-band/invt/19111424/?bklist=icat,4,shop,accessoriesshop,accessoriesshophats

Coloured Denim £12.50
Forever 21

Store or Label: Forever 21. My friends in America hate it, my friends in England love it, so you have to make up your own mind. It is a novelty in this country as it is still new, but in America people are aware of the poor quality of clothing and quiet rumblings that they may use sweatshops. Whatever the ethics behind it, they are a fashion forward, quick and dirty way to shop. If you know a trend is going to be in for literally three seconds you are better going to Forever 21 and spending a tenner than popping to Chanel and spending £10,000. It is basically the American H & M, so be prepared to sift through a lot if you are going in. Worth it if you have the time and you know what you want. Coloured and patterned denim are SO in this season and they start at £12.50 here for example - Primark prices, H&M choice. Take a look. http://www.forever21.com/UK/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=Promo_Colored_Denim

Celebrity or Designer: Felicity Jones. England's new 'it' girl - I thought she should follow our new 'it' boy Eddie Redmayne. She is about to star in the film 'Like Crazy' about a girl from England and a boy from America who meet in the U.S. and fall in love but are then torn apart. She is 28 but looks about 19 - lucky - and is just beautiful. She has that pretty but breath-taking Bond girl look. Her fashion sense is something to watch too as she dresses classically - Chanel's dream. Knee to calf length dresses in one or two colours are her style - but she never looks boring. Gold suits her complexion and black gives her the French chic look but she is often in cute 50s housewife dresses. She dresses like a love child of Marion Cotillard and Zooey Deschanel - and she stars opposite Ed Westwick in 'Chalet Girl'. There really isn't anything not to love.

Now, go finish off the chocolate you got yesterday - I will not ask if it was bought for you or by you... and enjoy your Wednesday!

Becky xx

Man, I Feel Like A Woman!

Good Afternoon all,

I have spent the morning doing what all should do on a grey sad day - staying in, reading Vogue and eating a Nutella and banana toasted sandwich on ... WHITE BREAD!!!! Shock horror I will never be admitted into the fashion world if I eat such things. To be honest I can think of worse foods to spend a lifetime on my hips than a Nutella and banana toasted sandwich. I can think of worse people to spend time there also...

I have been listening to the new 'IT' girl of music Lana Del Rey all morning after reading about her in March's issue of English Vogue. Lana, a girl with a porcelain face situated in the middle of fox red hair has the air of a model. She is one of the "my parents' sold their souls in exchange for me to be incredibly rich, talented and beautiful" club (along with the likes of Emma Watson and January Jones - come on you cant just be born with a body like that!!) ... jealous, me? Anyway, she will go far in the fashion world because Vogue says so: "I was convinced that she would be a great Vogue cover girl, even though she is probably one of the newest stars in her field that the magazine has ever had on the cover".

Lana Del Rey intrigues me a little bit. She has called her own look "gangster Nancy Sinatra" which I think is pretty hilarious. Her music videos have a certain 'home-made' quality to them, which I am loving. Very 'Etsy' of the music entertainment world. We all like the setting on our camera that makes the background fuzzy like we are in a dream, but it makes Lana look other worldly; this is why she will be snapped up quicker than you can say "have you had lip fillers?" as the face of a top brand. Especially because beautiful girls in normal settings taken by normal cameras seems to be the advertising tool of choice at the moment. Marc Jacobs started it and now everyone from Celine to Moschino are using models in pictures that look a bit like that one you took of your best friend that time you went on a day trip to Barry Island...obviously you need to squint a bit.

How far has the fashion world come now that glossy magazines often dont have a photo taken in a studio anywhere in them? If im going to shell out £600 for a pair of Louboutin's I want to know how they will hold up when I am chasing  my lover down the gravel drive of our London mansion as he drives off with Serephina our cleaner, not how they will look under the powerful lights of a studio with a 90lb girl in an awkward pose wearing them. Luckily the fashion world seems to be sharing my view now and is coming up with the most creative campaigns (often squeamishly funny situations for men) you have ever seen. Those who think women are demeaned by fashion photography, look at last year's Gucci campaign which saw non descript men serving beautiful women wearing power suits and then turn to the Givenchy shoot which sees the women in sinfully tailored cream trousers suits, with the men in the skirts. A cheeky wink wink to the powerful women of the world me thinks.

It has never been a more exciting time to be in fashion! The model in the Lacoste advert is yawning, the men have their faces covered by masks in Lanvin (another little hat tip perhaps) and the Balenciaga image looks like they have taken a poor college student, dragged her out of bed and dressed her in something she could only dream of owning! So unique and original!! Next step: put biker chic in a ballet studio, fairy tale costumes into wearable glamour (im talking luxury red capes a la Little Red Riding Hood, not creepy outfits you would find at Anne Summers....) and panniers under skirts!! Ok the last one is a joke...although Karl Lagerfeld did fabulous things not too dissimilar a few years ago.

So many ideas, so little time. Let's hope this interview goes well for me tomorrow!
Becky xx

PS - Jonathan Saunders has won the Vogue Designer Fashion Fund competition that they run every year awarding the winner £200,000 to make it big (or in most cases bigger). Think of what Erdem (a previous winner) has done for us ladies and then realise that this award showcases major talent...watch this space.