Shoe Fetish

So basically summer is over. ‘Experts’ predicted yesterday that the rest of our summer is going to be grey and rainy. So we fashionistas are never ones to be downhearted, have figured out a way to beat the drizzle by getting excited by our next season’s stock.

Following on with A/W trends, I’ve started thinking about what I will need this autumn to keep me warm and of course impeccably dressed. Coat wise, I cant make my mind up, so now I’m concentrating on something else, the one thing I can’t get out of my mind right now... lace up boots. I have loved them long time but now 09 has added a new twist to the 08 trend, making it all the more desirable. No longer do we have the ‘shoe boot effect’ which was everywhere in A/W 08, we now have lace ups that go all the way past the ankle resting on your shins. Super sexy, super cool. So obviously this trend has been brewing for a while (Pixie Geldof, Agness Deyn and Alexa Chung are rarely seen without their DM’s) and I’ve seen a few styles on the streets of London, but can’t decide which look I like best. I am finding it hard to decide between DM style shoes (which are obviously very trendy right now, but still kind of ugly... in a cute sort of way??) or the dominatrix heeled sexy heeled numbers which are currently all over the catwalk.

But anyways after much thought, I’m still stumped. I love the DM style boots, especially mixed up with a cutesy dress or a floral number. Then there is the glam heeled versions. I would never even usually consider these, because I am awful with heels, but my friend Jess brought these Topshop beauties and can often be seen rocking them with an angelic white All Saints dress.


And the combo looks absolutely perfect. I now officially have foot envy. So as I’m on the hunt I’m currently deciding between these two pairs, these gorgeous urban outfitter shoes http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/Lace-Up-Heavy-Ankle-Boot/invt/5310455940004&bklist=icat,5,shop,womens,shoes,allshoes

or the more edgy H by Hudson Lang flat versions available here http://www.asos.com/H-By-Hudson/H-By-Hudson-Lang-Washed-Flat-Laced-Boots/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=634885&cid=4172&Rf-100=Boots&sh=0&pge=1&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Black.



Either way I plan to get to get ahead of the pack by nabbing a pair now. I see it as an investment, something to take me through late summer to Autumn, Winter and maybe even Spring... giving them a fantastic CPW (cost per wear dahhling) rating. So please help me decide on which pair please, before I buy both. Gulp.

Autumn/ Winter 09 – Shoulder Pads

So, for those of you who are sick of this in-between weather (drizzle sunshine drizzle sunshine storms = outfit crisis a plenty) I am pleased to say I have been researching Autumn /Winter 09 and am so far I am uber excited. But to start off the new seasons looks I am focusing here on one key trend, which I am slightly apprehensive about. Shoulder pads. Unfortunately for those who avoided this spring’s shoulder pad trend I’m sorry to tell you, it’s not going away anytime soon. A/W 09 is ALL about the shoulder pad.
Now personally I still haven’t mustered up the courage to conquer all things padded, so I decided to check out at various ways to wear this tricky trend, in the hopes of convincing myself as well as others it is wearable. And from what I can make out, the idea is to avoid all things dynastyesque (sorry Joan, it was never a good look), thinking more Kate Moss in Balmain.

The shoulder pad is all about highlighting our forgotten assets, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be in a overstated 80’s style sense, but can be done subtly for those of you quite petrified of the trend like moi. Although I love Kate’s Balmain statement, there’s something quite futuristic and spacey about the look I’m not utterly convinced I could personally pull off. So I researched the trend and found a long blazer by Top Shop with slight shoulder pads. Subtle yet stylish, perfect for easing you into the trend.


Yet if you are keen to push the boundaries I’m delighted to tell you those folk at Primark have spotted the trend and got straight to work on some great autumn treats, take note this feminine flowery tea dress with serious statement shoulder pads is set to be bang on trend this autumn. I can’t help but LOVE this.



So it seems whether or not we are willing to accept it we will be wearing shoulder pads this autumn, from flirty feminine tea dresses to boyish blazers, shoulder pads will play a massive part in the mix..

Hello Gorgeous

If you’re anything like me then when you get your haircut, you’ll have that innate fear that the hair dresser is going to get scissor happy and cut off the little bit of hair it’s taken 6 months to grow. For me personally, the fear has got so bad I can’t face even look at a Vidal Sassoon salon. (2001 I went for a cut as a ‘model’ in oxford street and asked for a fringe cut into my long locks, instead I got a crop on one side of my head and posh style bob on the other. But it didn’t end there; they also decided to dye the crop side of my hair peroxide blonde and the bob side of it dark, dark brown. Then for the pièce de résistance they left a long piece of rat tail hair round the back of my head just to torment me with how long my hair once was.)
So after years of refusing to ever enter a hair salon again, I decided last year to face my fear and head back to the hairdressers. So rather than go to a branch of Toni and Guy or my dreaded Vidal I decided to head to a small business named Hello Gorgeous, in Battersea Park road. When I walked in, I just wanted to enquire about prices. But when hair dresser and owner Mitzi Collier approached me she announced with a massive grin, “I have a slot right now, so why don’t we get going?”
I look up to a sea of smiling faces offering me tea and slowly removing my coat. So I freeze. But after nearly legging it I decide to stick around and give the salon a whirl, as I have to face my fear sooner or later. So I sit down with a cuppa chai and tried my hardest to relax. I told Mitzi about my fear of haircuts, and she was incredible. Talking me through each snip of hair, I felt relaxed and comfortable and finally surrendered myself to her snippers. By the end, I could honestly say I’ve never had a haircut like it, it really was gorgeous (cheesy I know). And the staff were lovely. So now for me, it’s all about the smaller independent hairdressers, for that ultra personal touch. I watched Mitzi as she cut some other clients barnets and asked them how they had been etc, it was clear she really knew her clients, so therefore they truly relaxed throughout their session. It was clear to me Hello Gorgeous employ a real personal touch impossible to come across in you bog standard chain of salons. So if you find your toloused locks need a chop around the Battersea area (or you’ve just become so convinced by this article you just have to go) then give them a buzz on 0207 924 2318. Or check out weekly offers on http://www.lynku.com/Hello-Gorgeous--pID-3213.htm .

Modern life is rubber.

So on my last weekly visit to the oxford streets branch of Beyond Retro I noticed the strangest thing. Vintage has turned its head to a rather odd trend. Swimming caps.
Now forgive me if I’m mistaken, but I was under the impression that swimming caps were something better left behind in the 1950’s. Yet this doesn’t seem to be the case, in fact according to headcovers.com, the strange accessories has even featured in US Vogue (which obviously makes them the height of fashion). Although I’m not personally sure I can pull of this unique fashion statement, (I wouldn’t usually even bat an eyelid at a head piece made of rubber), I was intrigued by the arrival of the piece in Vintage stores nationwide as it seems to coincide with the return of Blur. Of course, Blur’s debut Album Leisure, featured a fetching young lady sporting nothing other than a swimming cap. And as far as I’m concerned, if Brit Pops best four piece band (sorry Liam) are giving it the thumbs up then so am I. If you, like me are slight bemused, and curious about this craze do check out the collection available on headcaps.com, this is the one featured in the US Vogue http://www.headcovers.com/400/petal-swim-caps/ . With the last few weeks of summer slipping through our fingers, now might be the perfect time to don one with 1950’s style costume for a true piece of retro glamour.

Charity Rocks.

When you’re broke, it’s no use comparing bank balances. The only way to cope is to get creative with the little money you have. For me, picnics, a walk in the park and a spot of budget friendly shopping are the perfect way to beat the financial blues. So I suggested to a friend recently we headed to deepest darkest south London for a fun day out on the cheap in the local charity shops. But, she wasn’t much keen. Her dilemma with the charity sector was that she loved vintage but claimed it was hard to find cute kitsch in today’s charity shops, where as I begged to differ. Preferring online stock, she thinks it’s easier to find quality vintage on online. This may be true, but the charity sector is still cheaper, by a looooong stretch. So in defiance I headed to Mitcham (top tip, Mitcham in itself is hardly picturesque, but with much fewer fashionistas in the borough than say Notting or Primrose Hill it can be great for finding a top notch bargain) to find some key pieces to prove there are still many quality items available in the second hand sector. When I arrived I found one of my fave Charity Shops had been knocked down (broken heart) leaving only three charity stores standing. But I did manage to find a few key pieces, which I had to post online as a couple of the pieces were ultra cute. Amongst today’s spots I found a gorgeous vintage belt for £1.00, A Parisian vintage leather handbag for £2.00, retro tennis rackets for a couple of quid and a crazy but very loveable leotard (one for the bold, but bang on trend with the right accessories)for £2.50. She agreed by the end of the day there were definitely bargains to be had, you just had to bring you eagle vision along for the day. So follow our lead for an added bit of cheap chic to your wardrobe, and get rummaging in a charity store near you.