This and That feat Jessie J

This is a rather mixed bag of a blog post today. I bought this bad boy last week - it was reduced from £85 to £45. This was the last one and it was in my size, obviously it was meant to be. It's great for those Autumn days where you don't want to throw on a thick fur. 

These are my nails of choice for the week -  Barry M's Turquoise and Pink shatter polish. I always get compliments on this look whenever I wear these two together. 
 

As you can see from the awesome reflection in my mirror, I have a new camera. I now have a Nikon D40x - just getting to grips with it at the moment. So you should brace yourself for the next few weeks while I practice my photography skills. I thought I'd include my bottle of Tru Blood seen as it is Halloween - I'm having withdrawals from the show. I went to see Charlie Simpson last week at The Cockpit in Leeds which was awesome. He put on a great show - as did his support act Dave McPherson.  Last night I also went to see Jessie J at the O2 Academy. I have to say I already loved her and now I love her even more. The sheer range of her voice was incredible and she put on a show to remember. I got a quick snap of Jessie - it isn't the best but I couldn't take the new camera to the gig! I also went to a Halloween party on Saturday. As you can see I was working the Lady GaGa skeleton look from the Born This Way video - which led me to  win best dressed girl and win the prestigious Halloween lucky bag. 

Happy Halloween! 

Event: Walk This Way

Last Friday night I attend Walk This Way at the O2 Academy in Leeds. The aim of the event was to fuse music and fashion together. We saw the likes of Oceans, Hannah Trigwell and I Call Shotgun. I really enjoyed watching the range of acts and it was interesting to have the catwalk show running along with the them. I sat myself down along side the lovely Lauren and Elly. 

In theory this would be an amazing event for Leeds as it has both a thriving music and fashion scene. I think that it will get bigger year on year if they continue the event. There were some great individual pieces but I think that the styling could of been a bit more adventurous. There is only so many models in their underwear you can stomach. There were some amazing hair dos from the brilliant Toni & Guy. 

We saw some great dresses that just spoke for themselves. The picture below shows the great detail on the back of one of the dresses. The Walk This Way event was such a good idea but I think  they should of started with a smaller venue as the O2 was a big venue to fill. It would be great to see the event come back next year and continue to help put Leeds fashion on the map. 

If you want to read more about the Leeds fashion scene you need to read this and also this.

What I Wore: Creepin'

Not anything particularly exciting but my creepers are finally making a debut on the blog. I literally can pair them with anything - and they are so comfortable. The shirt is from New Look, I really like the leather look sleeves and the cuffs, it just adds something extra to a plain old sheer shirt. 

The shorts from from Pop Boutique, I envy people that can get the dirt cheap Levi shorts. The ones I try on in other stores never seem to fit me. I added some silver studs to the pocket of these ones. 

The small opal ring on my right hand is from a little shop on the King's Road - I bought it last summer when I went down to visit a friend. The skull ring (it has a dagger hanging from it's eye which you can't really see) was purchased in Lanzarote and the big turquoise stone ring is from Boots.
It is a really nice sunny day in Leeds (which makes a change) so excuse my squinty face - I always have an excuse for my terrible facial expressions don't I?! 

Street Style: O2 Academy

I saw these two lovely ladies in the O2 Academy on a night out last weekend. They were kind enough to stop for a picture. It is quite evident I am loving the 90's look at the moment - I spend numerous hours pouring over ebay for 90's pieces, although they are not quite vintage yet, 90's pieces seem to be highly sort after.  These two were working all my favourite things: velvet, flannel and lots of jewellery. A flannel shirt is perfect for layering just like the lady on the right has done here, when you get too hot you can simply tie it around your waist. 

I've actually had my eye on a velvet dress for a while and after seeing this one my mind is made up. A little velvet number would make the perfect party season dress - it is equally easy to dress down too. 

If the two lovely girls happen to see this (I did tell them the name of my blog but there was alcohol involved so it could have come out more like a mumble) - thanks so much for stopping for the picture! 

Label Focus: Gogo Philip

You all know how much I love costume jewellery, so when the lovely people from Gogo Philip offered to send me a couple of pieces I jumped at the chance. I actually heard of the brand from the lovely Barbara over at The Persianbabe, so couldn't wait to see the jewellery up close. 

I really love how simple the pieces are, they are the kind of things you could wear daily and match with any outfit. The bracelet has watch like links connecting it together which is something I haven't seen before and makes it a unique piece. The necklace has a masculine quality about it which I think is really classic. 

If you are in London you can pop down to Westfield Stratford or Westfield Shepherds Bush to one of their Island stores. Topshop Oxford Street also stock the range and ASOS.com. 

Here are some of the other pieces I have been lusting after: 

In the Spotlight: Michelle from Kingdom of Style.

I am going to start running a regular feature where I speak to people who inspire me - it might be bloggers, friends or people I stalk down on twitter (haha). It will be kept fairly short and there will always be a fashion angle; I think it will be interesting for you guys to read. Without further ado here is the first one:

What is your earliest 'fashion memory'? 
That would be when I was just starting school. I was a titchy 5 year old and my mum was looking out my school uniform the night before. I decided I wasn't too keen on the ugly brown satchel she had lined up for me, so I decided I would take one of my mums handbags instead. It was a white clutch with a thin chain strap.  On my way to my school the next day I thought I was hot shit - what my teacher thought however is anybodies guess!

What is one item in your wardrobe that you can not bring yourself to get rid of? 
I'm pretty ruthless with my wardrobe and regularly purge old clothes. That said, I could never in a million years part with an incredible Jean Pierre Braganza dress I have which no longer fits me. Unless my boobs and ass shrink back to their former size 6, I have zero chance of ever fitting it again, but I could never part with it.

What will be your most worn item this Autumn/Winter? 
Big shaggy faux fur coats! I have a few and I can't wait to wear them every autumn. They add brilliant texture to outfits and make pretty much everything look sexy and edgy.

In contrast what would you not be caught dead in? 
I always say 'never say never'! I do have lists of things I feel I no longer look good in but generally speaking I am up for trying most things. Perhaps, at a push, I would say those big 50's dresses with the circle cut skirts. I friggin' hate those with a raging passion.

Finally to change up the questions - what made you take up ballet? Any advice for beginners

I had wanted to do it since I was little but never got the chance. Then last year I decided I really needed to get some exercise but I'm definitely not the gym sort. I felt ballet suited my body type and I liked how disciplined it is. I actually have a real problem with authority and it was getting a bit out of hand, so the discipline of ballet - the letting yourself be under someone elses control - was what I needed to clip my wings a little.
I had no idea adults could do ballet as I assumed it was just far to late, but after a search online I found that Scottish Ballet ran adult classes so I signed up and was hooked from the very first class. It's incredibly rewarding and has made me aware of my body in a really positive way. I work very hard at being strong, flexible and mentally focused and now take three classes a week. My advice to be beginners is don't listen to people who say it's too late. It's never too late! Keep at it even when it gets tough as the rewards are like nothing else you'll ever experience.

Massive thanks to Michelle for taking the time out to do this - head over to Kingdom of Style to read some of her awesome posts.

Must Have Item: Winter Coat

As the days get colder, I have been thinking about some Winter staples that I will have to invest in. The main focus of a good winter wardrobe is of course the coat. This Winter I am going to be picking up something with leather detailing, this will create an element of interest in your outfit from the offset. Leather and lace will be my textures of choice for Autumn/Winter.  I love the coat from Comptoir des Cotonniers - the long line biker style is exactly the kind of style I'm looking for. The Topshop number reminds of the 'teddy boy' style. I'd wear it with my creepers for the complete look.

I always opt for something that hits the knee - this way you keep most of your legs warm and keep out the elements. Also it is always best to stick for a fairly neutral colour when buying a staple like this. This will ensure that your coat will go with the rest of your wardrobe. Black, navy or khaki are usually the best options. I'm not telling you to stay away from colour though - it is just an excuse to get two!

Have you seen your winter coat of choice yet?

Lust List feat Topshop, Motel Rocks and Ark

  

These are just a few things I'll be hoping to get my hands on these over the coming month. I feel like make endless lists of things I would love at the moment. I love Autumn, there just seems to be so many good pieces to choose from. I always feel fairly limited in Summer. When I saw these trousers from Motel Rocks, I posted a picture straight to Twitter. Love at first sight. I think that they will be so versatile and I might match up my new creepers with them. I love all the different textures and patterns that are around this Autumn/Winter. Velvet is back with a bang and I will be making a beeline for this dress in Topshop. It is something you can dress up or down. This spiked bangle would go perfectly too; you all know my penchant for dangerous jewelry by now.   Lastly the leather look maxi dress will be perfect for the Christmas season and doesn't look like every other cliched party frock.

Get the Look: Goth and Fetish

That's right ladies its time to squeeze into those PVC trousers and dust of your New-Rocks. Well not really but the Fetish and Goth look was big on the Autumn/Winter 2011 Catwalks. It can be difficult to tackle this trend but you can make it look classy not trashy. Numerous designers played around with the trend with beautiful results. 

There are lots of things you can pick up on the high-street which will help you achieve this look without breaking the bank. You don't have to go all out on this look but if your feeling brave you can certainly make an impact. Grab your dark lippy and away you go! You could try black lipstick but if you think that look is too severe you can always opt for a deep purple. I'm going to be teamed my leather shorts with tights and lace vest this Autumn.

Here are a couple of pieces that can help you achieve this look: