'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

Every Morning I Wake Up, Before I Put On My Pyjamas...

Morning Bloggers,

It has already been a very stressful morning as there was some kind of kitten fight club outside my window that woke me up in the wee hours. If they were wanting to re-enact a film couldnt they have chosen a quieter choice? Perhaps SATC? As my friend once said, the musical, Cats and the SATC gang are not so different; they are all just old moggies eating breakfast together and bitching because one of the group has gotten older.

Anyway. I was upset at being woken so early because I tend to go to bed quite late. Since blogging, it seems the idea for the next day's blog comes to me, fully formed in bed. The only problem is that this process refuses to start until somewhere around midnight. Last night I was thinking I have blogged about unemployment, fashion, movies and, well, chocolate. This made me think of the part in The Social Network where Eduardo asks Mark if they can put advertisements on The Facebook and Mark replies no because "we don't even know what it is yet". This is how I feel about my blog. Im not sure how far it will take me or if people will like it - although I must say I have had some really great comments from those reading it - but I also dont know what it is yet. It may end up being just fashion, because hopefully one day I will be employed....but at the moment I am enjoying writing my musings to you and I hope you are enjoying reading them!

So I thought I would some days put an upcoming trend that I am obsessed with vs one I am not. So first things first: prints have been MASSIVE  for a long time now and everyone from designer to highstreet have jumped on the bandwagon. Birds, fish, tribal and polka dots have all been big and will be going into S/S 12, but the best one I have seen so far is the collection by Prada - dresses, shirts, skirts all in pastel colours with gorgeous car motifs. I. DIE. (http://www.prada.com/en#!/advertising-campaign-ss12/woman-print-campaign) I am especially loving...although still building up my bravery...to try mixing different prints. You have to be VERY careful when you do this otherwise you will end up looking like a cracked out Barbie. Leighton Meester is the QUEEN of mixing prints, so look to her for inspiration.

And the faux pas? The Pyjama Suit. Now, dont get me wrong I am not stifling creativity here. I just think this has gone a bit far. Us normal women - not a size 0, not 5'10" will look like we are late for a meeting and therefore thought clothes were less important than punctuality. Obviously never true...kidding. Probably. The girl in the link next to this statement however looks like we all wish we did when we got up in the morning. I dont think we need another reminder that we look less Heidi Klum and more The Gruffalo when the alarm goes off. http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/spring-summer-2012/ready-to-wear/stella-mccartney/full-length-photos/page/2#/image/20 (for all of you that want to look at this ready-to-sleep-wear). I am in no way saying that Stella McCartney is not the best thing since Alli, im just saying that sometimes even I think things need to be reeled in a little...

Anyway gang, as always it has been a pleasure. My tip today is to email companies even if you dont think they have any vacancies as I did this and have been told to send my CV to one of them. Good luck and happy hunting!

Becky xx