Shopping in the menswear department.

 

My husband hates shopping with a passion, so I mostly do it for him. As I'm looking through the men's sections, i have noticed that men's fashion is actually becoming quite feminine. The blazers, tshirts and trousers are alot more tailored and fashionable these days to the point where your man's clothes will go missing from their wardrobes and return smelling of your perfume. I admit i am often caught in my husband's hoodie. They are just so warm and cosy.

 

Looking at the girls walking through the high street i have realised I'm not the only one who likes the menswear-for-women thing. I guess it is officially becoming a trend now. However, I only like certain casual men's pieces and not completely dressing like a man. What I love to do is to take one or two men's pieces such as a blazer or jumper that are normally very masculine looking and make them part of a really girly outfit. However, i wouldn't be seen in my husbands baggy jeans. Not a flattering look. The outfit below is an example of how i would make a men's blazer more feminine. The blazer is £100 from Topman.com, the shirt is by Dorothyperkins.co.uk and costs £22 and the leather hot pants are £30 from Topshop.co.uk.

 

 

I really love this outfit, because even though the blazer is pretty masculine, I feel like the whole outfit together basically screams, I'm a girl!",  especially with the gorgeous hot pants.

Females wearing masculine suits have also been quite popular lately, with some celebrities choosing to wear one on the red carpet.

 

If you try this look be sure to add feminine touches like a cute handbag ,killer shoes or a bright lipstick colour.

 

Get the look

 



T By Alexander Wang / AllSaints wool jacket, £185 / McQ by Alexander McQueen jean jacket / Gérard Darel wide pants / Chloé elastic waist shorts / kangol black hat / Woolrich Men's Halifax Plaid Shirt, £37 / Massimo Dutti Plain Wool Tie, £43

"Some people talk about ya, like they know all about ya"

My Dream Pandora Bracelet.

John Greed jewellers are holding an amazing Christmas competition for bloggers, giving you the chance to win your dream Pandora bracelet! All you have to do is create your dream Pandora bracelet from the John Greed website with a maximum spend of £250. I'm getting really into these competitions as you can see from my previous blog posts. As it that amazing time of year, I had to go with a winter wonderland/ Christmas theme.

 

Here is my Pandora dream bracelet for exactly £250.  

 

The top selling bracelet is this Silver number. It is classed as a starter bracelet at £55.  I chose this so i could maximise my number of charms.

 

My favourite charm is the gingerbread man. This one cost £30. Gingerbread is my favourite baked goods at Christmas and thought this little man was so cute.

 

Next up is the polar bear. Again this costs £30.  I've always loved all things polar bear  related. Used to have a few bear toys when i was little.  Also I was keeping with the Winter/ Christmas theme so the bear was an obvious choice for me.

 

Who can have Christmas without a Christmas tree? This charm is quite expensive at £65. The star is 14ct Gold which is probably why. Very pretty charm though.

 

The Pandora Christmas stocking is the cheaper one at £25. It is very cute and love the little bear poking out of the top.

 

Finally, I added a little snow flake. I was attracted like a magpie to the ice blue gem. Very winter wonderland. This one costs £45.

 

Hope you like my bracelet. Fancy a go? Go to the John Greed website here.

 

 

 

*Enter my Christmas Giveaway here*

 

 

Kate Hudson starts a new trend: Pyjamas.

Kate Hudson, who is the Almay Global Brand Ambassador, attended the Launch of the new Almay Intense i-Color Bold Nudes and Smart Shade Mousse Makeup in New York wearing this Slouchy striped blouse with matching trousers, her long blonde hair worn in tousled waves completed her look.

The outfit is by Philip Lim from his 3.1 label. On the website, the outfit is described as:  Eclectic—yet rigorously focused—look which brings combined chic urban striping, and tropical florals on a sleek, minimalist silhouette. Named "flutility" by Phillip Lim, this fusion of flowers and utilitarian tailoring produces a uniquely covetable aesthetic. As for the pumps, they are not that special. They're Casadei, not exactly slippers. :)

 

 If you fancy following this comfy trend, the blouse will set you back £325 and the trousers are £391. If that kind of wallet damage doesn't keep you up at night, I am jealous of you.

 

 

I absolutely love the outfit but can't help but think it will be too high maintenance. I wouldn't be able to sit down in fear of creases and stains. On Kate though, It’s so chic and minimalist, allowing her natural beauty to shine though. This is a perfect, simple, clean look to be promoting makeup.

Kate Hudson seems to be well known at the moment for wearing 'the pyjama' trend. She was snapped at Heathrow airport with her son wearing stripey pyjama style trousers paired with heels and a black blazer. I must admitt, I cringed a little when i saw this picture. However, the girl is so pretty that she can wear out a bin bag and still look amazing. Plus, its a very comfy option for a long haul flight.

 

 Kate isn't the only one. Earlier in the year Stella McCartney started showing the trend in her catwalk shows. Celebrities such as Tilda Swinton and Rihanna are massive fans.
 

Would you wear this look outside your house? Do you think it is suitable for an Event?

 

British Fashion Awards, Why Alexa Chung is the best of british.

Last night,  The British Fashion Awards took place in at the Savoy hotel in London. The awards recognise the most influential people in fashion today and celebrate the reputation and development of British fashion. I really wanted to go to it this year but being a mum its difficult to go to such swanky events.  I did however check out the winners this morning through the Fashion awards website.

 

The winners included one of my favourite style icons Alexa Chung who won the British Style Award for the third year running. Very deserved in my opinion. The award is the only one voted by the British public and she beat off competition by Victoria Beckham, Tilda Swinton, Carey Mulligan, Kate Middleton and Kate Moss.

 

Alexa Chung first hit the fashion scene as a model while at sixth form in Wincester when she was approached in the comedy tent at the Reading Festival at age 16. Alexa worked for Storm Model management and had shoots with Teen magazines such as Elle Girl and CosmoGirl. She appeared in music videos for artists including The Streets, Westlife, Delta Goodrem, Reuben and Holly Valance and starred as Jake in a scripted reality show called Shoot me, broadcast on Fashion TV in 2005.

After becoming a TV personality, Alexa made a return to occasional modelling.  From 2008 to the present day she has been the face of campaigns such as the Australian fashion label Antipodium's SS 2008 collection, Oxfam's ethical fashion range, Revamped, Vivienne Westwood's Red label show in 2009,  New Look, and DKNY Jeans. In June 2010, she was announced as the first celebrity face of Lacoste appearing in both the TV and print advertising campaigns for their "Joy of Pink" fragrance. In February 2012, she took part in the London Fashion Week show for designer Stella McCartney, where she acted as a guest assistant to magician Hans Klok in a number of illusions including being levitated and sawed in half.

Alexa Chung has made such an impact on the fashion scene that she has her own own Mulberry bag named in her honour, the ‘Alexa’,  which is the fashion house’s bestseller. We love her style because she wears simple wearable pieces - whether she's top to toe designer in her role as British Fashion Council Young Style Ambassador, or her grungy 'model-off-duty' look - she is constantly inspiring our looks.

 

Here is my top Alexa style moments of this year.

 

Right: Looking sleek in this LBD at London's fashion night out. Left: Paris fashion week 2012 wearing a mod skirt with a cozy sweater.

 

 

Attending the Vogue Fashion Fund Awards

 

Attending the celebration of Chanel fine jewellery's 80th anniversary of the 'Bijoux De Diamants' collection.

 

February 2012 Company magazine's cover girl 

 

 

Her amazing dress from last nights awards.

 

 



Do you agree that Alexa has the best British style?

 

Thanks for reading.

Gem xx

 

 

 

 



I wish my hair looked like this...

Having a bit of a lazy day today as winter Flu has hit me hard. (insert little violin here). Today i thought i would just post some of my favourite pictures.

 

 

Hair

My hair is really long and messy at the moment. I never get time to visit my hairdresser any more but I have decided i must change the style completely before Christmas. These are some of the styles I love at the moment. Which one shall i go for?  I quite like the idea of being a red head at the moment.

Dip dye
 

 

 

Beautiful red

 

 

Glamorous Miley

 

 

Rock Chic Miley ( probably not for me)

 

 

Rapunzel hair

 

 

Elegant Black

 

 

(images weheartit.com)

 

Christmas gift ideas

These are just a few small ideas Ive come up with for Christmas gifts. I've loosely based them on mine and my friends wish list so hopefully you like them too.

 

Starting with the ladies gifts:

 

 

The Nars Edie Gift set is from the Andy Warhol collection and retails at £54.00. The set is presented in an authentic 16mm film canister and includes:

NEW Film Star Pure Matte Lipstick—60s nude pink

Edie Eyeshadow—cream with a little bit of shimmer

Carpates Eyeliner Stylo—black

Mini Blush Duo in Deep Throat and Amour—flirty, sheer peach and peachy pink

16mm film canister

Marc Jacobs Ipad case 'Shorty the boxer'. I found this one for £38.58 at Nordstrom.com. This is must have for people who like quicky but cute things. Also, I find this price to be quite reasonalable for a designer case.

 

Lady Gaga Perfum. A 50 ml bottle is currently selling at £29.99 from the perfumshop.com. They also have gift sets for £31.50. This one has to be my favourite perfum of the year. Don't normally like celeb frangrances but this one is a must have.

 

Lauren Conrad Beauty. This is her first guide dedicated exclusively to beauty. The book covers everything you need to know to maximize your own beauty potential. From tips for creating a strong foundation and maintaining healthy skin and hair through diet, exercise, and all-around wellness to everyday makeup techniques and tricks of the trade for special-occasion looks. Lauren's personal anecdotes and illustrated step-by-step lessons for makeup, hair, and nails will have you looking great for day or night. The best price i found was Amazon at £8.24.

 

Micheal Kors Rose gold watch. This has been the top selling watch of this year but at around £185, it is one pricey present to buy. Most shops have sold out but are still available from the watchshop.com.

 

 

For the boys

 

 

 

Lego minecraft. This is one of the top selling toys this christmas with most stores selling out already. It costs a very over priced £75 on Amazon and also going for that on Ebay but have just found it on the Lego website for £35.99. Get it quick!!  I think the joy on your husbands/ boyfriends/ brother/ Dad (if they like their gaming of course) will be priceless.

 

 

Beats by Dr. Dre. These are one of the best headsets on the market and cost around £118 on Amazon. 

 

 

Micheal Kors Mens Watch. The one shown above is £177 from the watch shop.  I love These watches and find them to look so stylish.

 

 

Burberry touch. A 30 ml bottle costs £21.50 from the perfum shop.  You can never go wrong with giving the gift of perfum at christmas. This one is one of my personal favourite men's scents. Its described as evoking feelings of intimacy, sensuality & sophistication, representing many of Burberry's core values.

Edwin Jagger Ribbon Gift Set - Travel Set with Hydrating Pre-Shave Cream & Sandalwood. For some reason, every year all the men i know have talked about always wanting an old fashioned shaving kit. I have never brought them one but this year i might get round to it. This one i have featured is high end luxury at £120. It features:
 

Edwin Jagger - impeccable male grooming accessories

Includes: Mach 3 razor with a Gillette head

Travel badger hair shaving brush

100ml of natural hydrating pre-shave lotion

100ml of shaving cream with gorgeous sandalwood scent

Shaving cream and aftershave lotion sample pots

Genuine leather travel case

I have found cheaper versions like this one from amazon at £19.90



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Hope this gives you a few ideas.

Gem

xx

 

 

 

 

Barratts Christmas Giveaway.

Today, I was excited to receive another email telling me about an exciting giveaway. This time it was from Barrats shoes asking me if I was interested in entering their giveaway that they were holding.

The Prize is in two parts and worth £100.

The first part of a £30 giveaway is over on Kel Loves blog. <go and say hi.

The second part is worth £70 and is open to bloggers only. To enter this giveaway, you have to create an outfit post for a festive occasion. The outfits should be designed to fit one of a range of Christmas situations which can be either:

*A walk in a winter wonderland
* Christmas party
* A shopping Outfit
*Christmas day outfit
* Or anything else festive you can think of.

The clothing can come from any website you choose, but the shoes must come from Barratts. Also, don't forget Barratts have their own range or bags and accessories, so you can also use these in your outfits!

Since i have already created a party outfit, I thought i would do a long day of Christmas shopping outfit:

Christmas sweater, £63 / Black skirt, £48 / Studded handbag, £25 / River Island / Winter photography Snow photography Woodland forest Minimalism..., £25 / Tuxedo Black Artificial Christmas Tree For Sale - Treetopia / Faux Pony Leather Collar, £28 / christmas, £13 / New Arrivals | Hot Topic, £12 / Christmas Tree Pattern Socks

For my Long Shopping Day outfit I wanted to make sure the outfit would be completely comfortable, shoes being the most important ones. I tried wearing heels once on a long shopping trip and had to be helped home by my poor friend. Never again! 

I chose a pair of simple black Creepers that cost a bargain price of £25.00. Feel these look amazing and are so cosy on your feet.

The rest of the outfit comes from the wonderful topshop. I found a stunning Christmas holly jumper for £50, and paired it with a cute leather skirt. I have also added a ox blood collar which costs £22.00 to add a little more style and detail.  I chose a cross body bag which is ideal to free up those hands so you can carry more shopping bags! Finally, I had to add a cute Christmas pudding beanie I found in River Island. It costs £15.99 and found it to be such a cute little find.

Hope you like the outfit.
Gem