Its a shorts thing...

After a recent trip to Munich in Germany, I had some Euros left over and decided to buy a summer shorts outfit. I really love the style of Mollie King from the Saturdays, her trademark look is tailored shorts and usually a lightweight blazer. I think its really versatile as you could wear it in the daytime with gladiator sandals and a baggy t-shirt, for work with a smart shirt or on a night out with heels and a slouchy shirt.

Mollie King

 image from www.stylebistro.com

I love how Katherine Jenkins has mixed patterns and bold colours - It looks amazing with a tan.

Shorts - River Island - £20

Shirt - River Island - £30

This is what i wore on a recent night out. The shorts are a silky material with a really flattering cut. They are high waisted but have a slightly flared leg which means they don't cling to any lumps or bumps resulting in your legs looking longer. The shirt is a baggy fit with a draped back which I think is really unusual. Although I tucked it into the shorts, as it was too long when untucked, it would look great loose with tight jeans for a smart/casual ensemble. The belt is brown leather, bought for around £3 in Thailand and the shoes are nude platforms from New Look which i think cost around £20. On the night itself, I teamed it with lots of chunky gold bangles, a short gold chain necklace and a brown clutch bag.

Eva so lovely...

Eva Longoria at the Cannes Film Festival 2012

Love this dress!

Gown by Marchesa

itsy bitsy...

With the weather being so hot and sunny for the past few days, I thought i would look into the history of the bikini. For many years celebrities have been the envy of us sat at home wishing we firstly looked like them secondly had their bodies and thirdly could be on a beach like them.

One of the most iconic bikini moments is definately Ursula Andress in the James Bond Film Dr No. She emerged from the sea in a white bikini and became the pin up for men across the world, so much so that more recently Halle Berry channelled this same look in Die Another Day but with an orange bikini.

'And God created Woman' was film produced in the 1950's and is iconic in the fact that it promoted the bikini as an item of sexy clothing. Brigitte Bardot played a ditsy almost tomboy character in the film, she became the icon of women at the time because film stars then were seen as more glamourous and 'made-up' almost unachievable. Bardot however, wore less make up, had messy hair and a more casual approach, women wanted to copy this and so the bikini was more popular.

Sports Illustrated showcases the best celebrity female figures in tiny bikinis.

Bikinis were seen as a very risqué garment to wear. The first bikini, designed by Louis Reard and seen in the top left image was named after Bikini Atoll, a site where nuclear weapons were tested in the South Pacific. He believed that the bikini would explode like a nuclear weapon. The model he used to showcase his designs was a nude french dancer, because no other model at the time thought it to be very respectable. Over the years swimwear has evolved from head to toe outfits to the tiniest two pieces.

Today anything is acceptable from monokinis, thong bathing suits and even back to the vintage style swimsuits of the 1950's.

New Look - £12.99 top £7.99 bottoms

River Island - £15

ASOS.com - £195

This summer I really like the ruffled effect bikinis. The middle bandeau style from River Island i feel would be very flattering as it has quite a lot of coverage whilst stopping any horrible tan lines. The top bikini has good support for the larger bust and the colours would look really nice against a tan. However, top of my wish list is the white bikini at the bottom. I love the scalloped edges and just the shape in general however the fact it is white is a small downside because it does not mix well with suncream although it does always looks good... due to the price i think this will be staying on my wish list for a very long time.


So unfortunately for now I shall be bikini window shopping and enjoying the nice weather in sunny England.

in to the tribe...

I really love all of the tribal prints at the moment. The patterns and colours are really striking and they really draw you in to an outfit. In British Vogue May 2012, Mario Testino shot an amazing editorial which I love. Although based on nomadic prints, fringing and embroideries it feels very tribal.


The images themselves are just stunning, the colours work really well against the dramatic backdrops which are in muted colours so your eyes are always drawn to the model and the clothing. The styling by Lucinda Chambers is incredible. With so much going on within the image it would be easy for the looks to feel overwhelming but they really don't, the model looks like a work of art. 

'High Plains Drifter'

I love these shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti!!

Today I wore a tribal inspired outfit. The shoes are one of my favourite pairs, I had been looking for a pair of moccasins for about a year and found these in River Island in the sale for £15. They were the last pair and they were in my size so it had to be fate. The necklace is from primark and on a leather style cord, I think its quite unusual and sits really nicely. The top is an aztec print from Topshop and the skirt is H'n'M. Overall a bit of a bargain outfit.

River Island

Primark

Overall outfit

all things vintage

Recently I went to a vintage fair in Southampton. I literally just popped along to see what it was all about really and managed to unintentionally spend over £30! A small mooch around in my lunch break turned into a 2 hour shop-a-thon.


Founded in 2005 by Judy Berger, The affordable Vintage fair travels around the country allowing dozens of traders in each town and city to set up shop and sell their vintage wears at an affordable price. Its a combination that really works.


I wasn't really sure what to expect but what ever expectations I had before, it exceeded them. The room was large and airy and was almost laid out like individual boutique shops. I started at the front and just worked my way round in a circle, through the jewellery, clothing, home wear and general bric-a-brac. 


Vintage sizes tend to come up a little snug so trying on is essential and an upstairs room had been turned into a dressing room with a mirror and chairs etc. I did not purchase any clothing on this occasion, I did however splurge on jewellery, a scarf, dove hooks to hang all of my new jewellery from and a gorgeous leather clutch bag. All in all a very successful first trip to a vintage fair and one which I am very keen to repeat next time 'Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair' comes to town.

Scarf - £3 

Jewellery/Keys - 50p-£3

Key on a Chain

Leather Clutch bag - £8

Dove Hooks - £2.50

www.judysvintagefair.co.uk

Journeys...

After a lots of time deliberating over whether or not I thought blogging was a good thing or a bad thing, I have travelled to the dark side and decided to create my own.

I had way too many thoughts and ideas that I wanted to share with people. Whether anyone pays attention or not is another matter and one which I am not entirely bothered about at this stage. I want to document my work, hobbies and interests and see this journey for myself.

So here I embark upon a journey from a cautious writer to hopefully a fully fledged blogger.

Just an Image of mine to start to the blog... 'Brighton Chic'