trendzilla

Again, I’m behind with my blogs.  Although in my defence I’ve been monumentally busy selling almost everything I own on Ebay.  Well, that’s a slight exaggeration, but I have been selling lots of stuff.   Anyway, I’ve raised enough money to fund some of my new S/S wardrobe.   Which is no bad thing.  I’m not dead excited about this season’s trends, but there are a couple of looks out there that I’m drooling over.

So, the biggest trend by far is 70s - Flares, flares and more flares, lots of Biba inspired maxi dresses, wedges, wide leg trousers and big hats.  I really like this sort of look and it’s something that you could quite conceivably wear on the school run.  It also looks set to be around for A/W too, so it’s worth investing in.  On the downside, flares can be a tad tricky for the vertically challenged amongst us (I’m 5” 4 1/2 - and yes, whilst it’s childish to mention the 1/2 it all adds up if you are short).  I ordered a Twenty8Twelve pair from Outnet but they totally wrong for me, so I ordered a pair from Gap, which arrived about an hour ago and I’m going to try on in a mo.

I love the big hat thing too, although I can only see myself wearing one on holiday, which raises the problem of do you either a) put it in your suitcase and pray it doesn’t get crushed b) carry it on the plane, which totally messes with my dream that one day I will achieve effortless travelling, instead of being the red faced woman at the airport with the largest handbag ever.

Erm, what else.  Oh, yeh, Block colours, as in whole outfits in acid brights, but in simple cut dresses etc.  I am on board with this too, and Topshop are doing some lovely dresses that are rip offs of those ace designs by Goat.

Mismatched Florals, tricky and potentially something I could get disastrously wrong, so I may give this one a miss.  Although I am liking the floral wide leg trousers at Bhs (weird, but true) and Next.  

Big Tropical Prints, a bit Carmen Miranda for me. Pineapple earrings, banana print skirts etc.   Potential to date pretty damn quick too, but if you love the tropical print look, New Look do have a couple of skirts that nail the trend at less than £25, so from a fashion maths point of view, you could still do it without much outlay.

Quirky Librarian Look - I’m loving this by the way.  Brogues, camel colours (handy if you bought into this last season), structured bags, chunky shoes (and maybe glasses?).  Have already ordered myself some more clogs to wear with some thick tights, but need a few other bits to achieve full on quirkiness.

The thing that I loved the most though, that almost had me licking my magazine with lust, were the striped sandals at Prada.  Got to get me some of these.  Maybe I will have to sell everything else that I own on Ebay?  Still, probably worth it.

There are a few other things as well, but it’s the usual sporty/futuristic thing and the new take on the safari theme, that is around every S/S.

Off to try on my flares… will keep you posted.  

January - the Monday of the Months

Firstly, apologies for my complete lack of blogging lately. Before Christmas, things were just mental in our house, what with general Christmas preparations, then the kids got sick so I was running round administering calpol for a while, and I just lost track of the whole blogging thing.

It’s even a bit late to talk about the sales really too. My only piece of advice on that one is and always has been “If you didn’t want it before it went in the sale, it’s not a bargain now it’s in the sale”.  I repeat that mantra constantly when walking round the shops.  Magazines always bang on about what to look for in the sales, like classic pieces for you wardrobe.  But how many times do you see classic pieces in the sale ?  Well, I don’t anyway.  I only ever see overly crammed rails of half hung up stuff.  

It’s all a bit January at the moment, really.  I haven’t even seen any school run chic worthy of note recently either.

Look magazine are having another Fashion Show on Feb 18th and I’ve applied for tickets for that.  Cos I’d really love to go again.  Fingers crossed.

That’s all for now really.  Will blog again soon, when I’ve got something more interesting to say.

The Hat Issue

This post is for KT, who is unsure how to keep her ears warm on the school run, now that the weather is all frosty.  As I’m prone to a bit of millinery myself, and I’ve also made several disastrous hat purchases, I thought I’d pass on my top tips.

Right, so there are several ways you can go if you want to keep your ears warm and remain fashionable this season.  

First up, is the trapper hat.  There were loads of these at the Look fashion show. They are on trend and would definitely keep your ears warm, but I think I might be too old.  See below (New Look £9.99)

Then there is the head band, this is literally just a band of material that covers your ears.  Primark is doing a great knitted headband this season for all of £1.50. Which I have purchased in grey, although it also comes in beige.  However, on wearing it, I’ve found that it sort of rides up, leaving my ears protruding from the bottom, thereby defeating the object.  Plus I’m not altogether sure that this look isn’t best left for the ski slopes.  

Then you have the beret. These don’t suit everyone though,  plus if the beret is too small you end up with two cold ears anyway, or one, if you wear it at a jaunty angle.  Tesco are selling some sequined ones at the minute for a fiver, and I bought one last year and I really love it.  However, I do get stopped in the street by 7 year old girls asking me where I got it from.  Here is a pic, which I loaded from the Tesco website.  It comes in black too, which is the colour I bought.

Then there are caps and what I call proper hats (trilbys etc).  Again with the cold ears and the risk of looking as though you have been clay pigeon shooting.   

Finally to the trusty beanie, and with the exception of the trapper hat, it’s the only thing that is going to keep your ears properly warm.  However, beware, this too is a bit of a fashion minefield.  They do not suit everyone either.  Him Indoors says that I look like the blonde one from Abba when I wear mine, and proceeds to hum Abba tunes for the duration of our outing. Which is a tad annoying.  I can see where he is coming from though.  However, as he wears something akin to a tea cosy on his bonce, I don’t feel he is in a position to comment.  Everywhere is selling beanies this season, so the choice is vast, but be careful not to buy a loose knit one, cos the wind just blows right through it anyway.

So, the bottom line is hats can be a minefield, I personally have a box of them in the loft to prove it, but if you get the right one, not only will it keep your ears warm, you’ll look good too.  My advice would be to take someone you trust with you when shopping for a hat, and if they start laughing, or humming Abba tunes, then put it back on the shelf.

The pick of the parkas

I love autumn; it’s definitely my favourite season.  Although, when I was standing at the touch line in the rain, watching my oldest child play rugby on Sunday morning, I was a lot less enamoured with the whole autumnal leaf falling thing.  It’s because of my coat really, I was freezing and damp and my ears were hurting from the cold.  I know I shouldn’t say this out loud, cos it’s as far from on-trend as you can get, but I need a practical coat.  More specifically, it needs to be a warm, waterproof (none of this shower proof nonsense) knee length and with a hood, and it must not make me look like my mum. 

I have been looking for years.  And I know I’m not the only one, there are thousands of us out there, discussing it in the playground.  I don’t see why practical clothes can’t be stylish too.  But if somebody has mastered the art of pushing a pram and holding an umbrella at the same time, can they please let me know. 

However, I think I may have found an answer. The parka.  Uber on-trend this season, but to be honest, they never truly go out of style.  But still, very few fit the bill properly, they are either too short, not waterproof, or don’t have a hood.  So, I have trawled the websites, and here is my pick of the best of what is out there at the minute (all photos lifted from the shops websites respectively)

From top left:

Topshop £95,  Mango for Asos £119, French Connection for Asos £160, La Redoute £119.

The only one of the above that is waterproof is the one from Topshop, luckily it iss also the one I like the most, so I think that is the one I will be going for. 

I guess ideally, I need a practical coat (is it ok to say practical?) for the school run/touch line/shopping sort of stuff, and then a smart one for doing glam stuff in, like stepping out of taxis and into bars.  Ideally, this season my glam coat would be military, so I guess I better start looking for one of those too.  Watch this space….

The Big Blog Off

Big congratulations to Lily on winning the best blogger award, it was totally deserved.  And thanks from me to the people at Look magazine for picking my entry at all, I was totally chuffed and amazed to get as far as I did.

I’d been talking about writing a fashion blog for a while, so when the competition came up I decided to go for it.  I never even told anyone I had entered, cos it didn’t even enter my head that I would actually win, but much to my complete and utter amazement, I did.  I’d never even blogged before entering the competition and I only set up trendzilla a few days before the fashion show (does it show?)

I’ve had a look at the other finalists websites today, and they are all really great and totally professional.  Which has inspired me to make my blog a lot more slick.

So I’m not going to do a big blog today, I’m going to concentrate on making my blog look better.  But I will get back to you with more of my housewives favourites soon….

Look Fashion Show DDay + 4

I will have to stop putting titles on my blog of DDay + 3 etc, cos it’s going to look pretty stupid when I’m at DDay + 183.  So this is the last one with a “DDay” title.

I’ve still got a touch of post fashion show blues, which was compounded by the arrival of my Zara skirt yesterday.   It’s lovely.  I wish it had arrived in time to go to the ball.  But nothing I can do about that now.  Also, I’ve been going through all my pics from the day and I haven’t really got many good ones of either the bands or the clothes. But I will post the better ones later today.

Crusty Eye Update - I haven’t done this for a couple of days, but as predicted I really paid the price for putting make up on.  By Saturday night, I had what can only be described as an open wound on my left eyelid, which turned into a huge scab on Sunday morning, and it went nice and puffy too.  I think it maybe it’s time to admit that it needs medical attention.  

Goodie Bag Contents - I forgot to post these, and people have been asking me what was in there, so, there was the bag which is nice in itself, a M&S umbrella, a cream beanie hat from DP, a sample of Jean Paul Gaultiers Classique perfume, a copy of Look magazine, a book of discount vouchers, a benefit lipstick, a Jergens body moisturiser, a toni & guy serum polish stick, a couple of burt bees products, a necklace with a key on, a H&M wallet, a Westwood Rocks hairclip, a bottle of water (long gone) a slab of chocolate, identity unknown  -because it went down my neck in one piece like in a Tom and Jerry cartoon, a cuddly toy and a teas maid. (The last two are fibs).

The fashion show has had quite a profound effect on my getting ready each morning, as I try to master looks that I saw, and I now seem to get changed two and three times before heading off for the school run, almost making us late each day. I’m considering laying out an outfit for myself the night before.  Possibly a tad too far.

Look Fashion Show DDay + 2

I’ve got a post fashion show come down today, and unfortunately I can’t load the pics into my blog right now either.  I’m not sure if its cos my pc is just pants, or if there is something wrong with tumblr this evening, but it’s just not happening. The descriptions will work much better with pictures, but I just wanted to post something about all the collections before I completely forgot. I promise to try posting the pics again tomorrow.

Right so just to recap, there were A/W collections shown by the following stores:

Dorothy Perkins, Monsoon, H&M, Mango, New Look, French Connection, Next, River Island, Oasis, Marks and Spencer and Warehouse.

So first up were Dorothy Perkins – It was all about the maxi at Dotty Ps.  A gold evening one, a grey one with a biker jacket and a maxi skirt, and lots of headbands.  There was a beautiful white lace dress too.

Monsoon – Floaty dresses with belted cardies, lots of fur – hats, scarfs and a great fur  jacket, ankle boots, over the knee socks and some lace.  As well as a military coat and military cardigan.  Oh, and a funky little necklace with clockface pendants on.

H&M – Lots of necklaces worn over blouses and coats, leopard print and polka dots.

Wish List – Polka dot dress worn with a belted cardigan and knee socks.  This was a really achievable look and something I’m definitely going to try out.

Mango - Quite a bit of leather at Mango too, a great tan tulip skirt and trousers, necklaces worn over blouses, tapered trousers, shorts and headscarves.

New Look – Chiffon skirts in both mid and skater length, knitted dresses, shorts and military

Wish List – The military coat and knitted cap

There was also a showcase preview of the “Look Shoe”.  These high heeled lovelies were designed in collaboration with Office.  It was a real highlight of the show, cos the models came out and did a dance routine and I would like them in black.  No gold.  Or maybe both.

French Connection – Sequins, blouses, fur gilets, camel and velvet harem pants.

Wish List – It’s a toss up between the cream maxi dress and the short black sequin dress.  However, due to my magpie tendencies, I think maybe the sequin one just has the edge.

Next – Lots of leather at Next.  The models came down the catwalk in leather trousers, shorts and even a kilt.  They also showed a lot of chunky knits in both jumpers and skirts.  Oh, and a great aviator jacket too.

Wish List – Aran Skirt

River Island – They showed an aviator jacket teamed with a printed tier skirt, fur scarfs, wedge boots and chunky knits.

Wish List – There was one outfit that stood out for me. The last one. The model wore a faux fur coat, with a baby doll dress and over the knee argyle socks. 

Oasis – They also showed a lot of leather, fur, blouses (with necklace worn over the collar), camel and some lovely skinny pants.

Wish List – Both the black maxi dress and the short red one.  My wish list work so much better with pictures!

Marks and Spencer – Camel, blouses, shorts, lace and fur.

Wish List – I’m going to treat myself to two outfits from this collection as well. They did a brilliant aviator jacket with skinny khaki pants that I must have, as well as a denim skirt with a floral blouse and fur waist coat.

Warehouse – It was jumpsuit heaven at Warehouse.  As well as fur, a tartan cape (lots of key trends ticked there) aviator jackets and lace.

Wish List – The black jacket with a fur collar and the leather skater skirt, although not worn together.

So, in summary my key trend list was fairly on the money (the stores must have read my blog) and the fashion show was a brilliant way to get ideas on how to put outfits together, and I certainly got some great tips.  For example I now know how wear my new ankle boots – either teamed with skinny pants, or with tights, or just with bare legs. 

I can only hope that Father Christmas starts reading my blog.  And that he is willing to not only pay for all the clothes on my wish list, but also liposuction, so that I look good in over the knee argyle socks as well.

Look Fashion Show DDay + 1

Well, where do I start ?  It was all brilliant.  I’m still buzzing from it all.   I’m not sure I can do the day justice, as I can barely hold a thought in my head, but I’ll give it a go.

9:30 Getting Ready Even this bit was fun.  It was a bit like when you get ready for your wedding day, me and H got ready together and Van came to do our hair, and they helped me when my hands were shaking too much to put my make up on.

12:30 Park Lane Hilton Did I mention that’s where we got to stay ?  Me and H were nearly as excited about going there as going to the show, and we even managed to get an early check-in.  They were also extremely helpful when I lost my handbag later that evening, but I’m getting ahead of myself….

2:00 The Saatchi Gallery I was getting nervous by this point, cos I was in uncharted territory, but the gaggle of fashionistas assembled were of all ages and styles, so I started to relax.  It was obvious that everyone had been planning their outfit for weeks in advance (although I bet their outfits did turn up in the post, unlike mine) and there was a real party atmosphere.  By my calculations there was in excess of a million pounds worth of handbags in the gallery yesterday.

When we got inside there were displays by Office shoes, a photo booth to have pics taken with your pals, personal stylists wandering about, heaps of canapes and lashings of champagne. 

3:00 The Like The event kicked off with a brilliant live performance from the LA band The Like who finished their set with an excellent cover of “Will you still love me tomorrow” and was followed by another great performance by Gabriella Cilmi.  It was on or around this time that I noticed the number of celebs in attendance, Calum Best being the first one I spotted, but Joe McElderry and Martine McCutcheon were there too.  There were loads more celebs than that actually, I will give a more complete list tomorrow.

4:00 The Show I’d primed H that if we did get a goodie bag (I wasn’t sure we would), that it was uncool to rip into it immediately, a tip I’d picked up in a Marian Keyes book once.  Much to our delight we did get a bag, and we managed to keep our eager little mitts off it til we got back to the hotel.  At which point we emptied the contents on the bed, and tried everything out.  I will put up a full list of everything that was in the bag at some point, but suffice to say if they’d have chucked in a fat guy and a tree we could have had Christmas.

Ooh, and the clothes.  Oh the clothes.  I will upload all my pics tonight and devote a whole blog to the clothes tomorrow, but I will say now that it inspired me to try some different looks and gave me some brilliant pointers on how to put all the new trends together (especially my new boots).  All the models were really stunning and looked like they were genuinely enjoying themselves, and it was great to see different shapes and sizes coming down the catwalk (Crystal Renn opened and closed the show), which proved that the collections on show were accessible to real women. 

There was also a preview of the Look collaboration with Office Shoes, which was another real highlight of the show.  More on this tomorrow.

Then it was down to the Back Gallery for more champagne and to watch Diana Vickers perform a great live set.  Then sadly, it was almost time to go. 

The whole event was great fun and me and H really, really enjoyed it (and H even made the Look Fashion Show video).  Thanks to Look for picking my entry (and to Lara who really put me at ease), and giving me the opportunity to attend a once in a lifetime event.  

Look Fashion Show - DDay !!

 Its here!  Hurrah!  I’m so excited its all I could do to stop myself from skipping all the way to and from school this morning.  It’s my youngest son’s first full day of school today, and I’m having a guilt-fest about not being there to pick him up at 3pm, but to be honest he would rather be going back to his friends house anyway.

The skirt has not arrived.  Which is dampening my mood a little, but I’m fairly confident that I have something I can put on.  Going to play in my wardrobe shortly.

I’m groomed and packed, and in a little while my friend Van is coming round to do my hair.  Cheers Van (she is doing the Great North Run this weekend - break a leg).  And then it’s off to that London.  

So, don’t forget to tune in www.look.co.uk/lookshow

So in lieu of a blog today, I thought I’d leave you with the 250 words that won this amazing prize for me.

Every fashion season brings its own little mission for me.   This summer was all about the Hasbeen clog.   It helped that it was on my ”key trend” list, but to be honest, they had me at hello. My preliminary research uncovered three heart-breaking facts :a) They cost £180 b) SJP wears them in SATC2 c) Everybody else knew this, so they had already sold out.     Undeterred, (well, a mission by definition means things are hardly going to be a stroll round Bluewater) I decided to monitor eBay.  Willing to gamble an entire months housekeeping on my chosen pair, I persuaded my next door neighbour to let me spend a nail biting Saturday night in front of his PC, he was having a dinner party at the time, but his PC is uber-fast, and I didn’t want to be beaten on a technicality.  I almost burst into tears when I was outbid by £2 in the dying seconds. Two teeny-tiny pounds! Fearing I was going to spend the summer in a clogfree wilderness, I had one last search of the world wide web.  And that’s when I found Lotta Clogs.  Exact replicas of the Hasbeen High but at the housewife friendly price of £47.50.    

Look Fashion Show - DDay - 1

Stress levels are high in my house today, as the Zara skirt has not arrived.  And I’m gutted.  It could still come tomorrow mind, and I do have a couple of other options, but like I say I had my hopes pinned on the skirt. I can’t believe that I’ve let myself get into a situation like this, but I can be prone to adding a bit of a crisis to a drama. Let’s just hope it comes first thing tomorrow.

Right, so, tomorrow.  In a change to the original plan, I won’t actually be blogging live from the event.  I will be blogging on Saturday and Sunday though, with all the details and lots of pics.  I am going to attempt to tweet from the front row instead, which will link up to my blog.  (Thanks to Chicken Dan for doing some technical wizardry and sorting this out).  However, you can watch the whole fashion show live at www.look.co.uk/lookshow from 3pm.  So tune in, I will be the one in some old clothes and a crusty eye.

Crusty Eye Update - It’s back with avengence.  In a sadly ironic twist of fate, it turns out that the thing that I’m allergic to is spray tan.  Being too late to fashion a tartan eye patch, I’m just going to have to slap a load of make up on it and suffer the consequences on Saturday.

Despite the outfit setback and the crusty eye situation, I am still massively excited about tomorrow.  Me and H are grinning from ear to ear every time we see each other.  I just hope I manage to get some sleep tonight.

I will post briefly in the morning before I set off, but I am not going to have a lot of spare time, so don’t forget www.look.co.uk/lookshow 3pm!

Look Fashion Show - DDay - 2

I decided to gamble all and go for a spray tan after all.  It’s got to be up there with one of the most humiliating experiences you will ever undertake.  Basically you’re stood there in the nip, well you do wear paper knickers, but they don’t leave much to the imagination and then you have to stand in all weird poses while the beautician sprays you.  Awful.  The only saving grace was that the beautician didn’t actually lift my boobs up and spray under them - which did actually happen to one of my mates. To relieve the tension I chatted to the lady about why I was getting a spray tan.  She said she would tune in to the website on Friday and look out for me.  Although, to be honest there is a good chance that she wouldn’t recognise me with my clothes on.

Oh yeh, clothes.  Which is what this is all about after all.  I still don’t have anything to wear.  The poor delivery guy, is an almost permanent fixture at my door.  I’ve been on first name terms with him for a while now, but this week I’ve learnt his kids names, his hopes for the future, the state of his marriage, that kind of thing.  I’ll be on his Christmas card list this year I wouldn’t wonder (he is going to tune in on Friday as well).  However, despite his best efforts I don’t like anything I’ve ordered, and all hopes are pinned on the Zara skirt which still hasn’t arrived. There is a good chance that I will have to raid my freezer and don some steaks.  Woe is me.

I should possibly explain at this point that the reason that I haven’t hit the shops is that I have two small children who aren’t overly fond of traipsing round Bluewater.  Which is why I’m relying on internet shopping.  But loads of high street stores are joining the world wide web every day (Gap, Banana Republic, Zara and H&M to name but a few) so its getting easier all the time. I will endeavour to add more pics of the clothes that I have ordered to date, but I’m galactically busy right now (not just with the fashion show), so don’t hold your breath.

H is popping over tonight for a glass of wine and so that we can whoop each other up into a general excited frenzy.  Its such a great prize.  My excitement levels can only be compared to how I used to feel as a kid about Christmas.  And me and H have started to talk in terms of how many sleeps to go til the big day.

Crusty Eye Update - Luckily my eye survived a night in mascara, and even though I’m still not wearing any make up on it, I know that a tartan eye-patch poses no real threat.  Plus, the spray tan has masked the last of the redness.

Look Fashion Show - DDay - 3

I lay awake staring at the ceiling last night worrying about my outfit.  At the minute I will be going in jeans, t-shirt and Alberta Ferretti jacket.  Which is fine, just not fine enough.  I have a leather skirt that might do a job, but I am still waiting on a mid-length flared skirt I ordered from Zara (£39.99 zara online).

I saw H this morning, who mentioned, with a breezy wave of her hand, that her outfit was sorted.  She has probably already packed for Friday too.  

My orders have started arriving thick and fast now.  It’s just as well that Him Indoors is at work, cos he would have a heart attack if he saw how much stuff I’ve ordered.  He doesn’t understand that half of it will be going back, so I just sneak it in the house, hide the bags, and return them before he is any the wiser.    As a housewife, you are renowned for juggling lots of balls.  Keeping things from your husband is just another ball that you have to keep in the air.  In my personal opinion.

Since typing that H’s outfit was sorted, she has just called with a small shoe debacle.  So, it would appear that she is having a small faffette after all. 

Crusty Eye Update - Almost brand new, however I’m going out tonight and that will require wearing make-up, so who knows what it will be like in the morning.

The tickets have arrived today.  There is a champagne reception from 2:30pm, catwalk at 4pm and then aftershow entertainment from 5pm.  Then some sort of after show party on the King’s Road, at Monsoon I think.  Getting REALLY excited now.

Look Fashion Show - DDay - 4

Neither the skirt or the boots I ordered have arrived yet.  But, I’m not panicking, yet.  Instead, I tried on a couple of things that I already own.  I tried on a a lovely dinner jacket by Alberta Ferretti that I bought years ago, which was so expensive it was almost vomit inducing. However, it still looks brand new, and the nausea passed, when I realised that if I divide the cost of the jacket by the numbers of wears of said jacket, then it actually ends up being a bargain.  At my last calculation the jacket actually cost somewhere in the region of £10.50.  Total bargain.

Also, I need a handbag.  My current one is lined with sand, raisins and receipts (don’t ask).  I was actually thinking about hiring one, and at the risk of looking like I’m sucking up to Look magazine, they ran an article about that this week, which was nice.  So, when I’ve decided on my outfit for Friday, I will have a look at the websites the mag mentions.  I just hope its not too late.  In fact, I better check out the handbags now just to make sure I will have one in time for Friday.

Crusty Eye Update - Almost completely sorted now, although I still haven’t got any mascara on.  I’m confident I won’t need an eye-patch after all.  However I have woken up with a terrible cold this morning, and I’m worried I’m going to have a Rudolph nose instead.

Right, I’m off to do handbag shopping.