That Fashion Eye: August 2013

Tuesday 13 August 2013

There's no place like home

Topshop are selling shoes that would give Dorothy shoe envy.

KRASH Heavy Monk Strap Shoes
£68.00

These faux pony haired shoes are perfect for winter. They have a tread which will keep you from slipping on the ice and your toes dry from rain. The lustre of the shoe gives that expensive touch, with the woven leather exposing any quirky socks.

KESTRAL Razor Sole Shoes
£70.00

Topshop have revived the classic school boy brogue with the iridescent trend.

KOFFEE2 Cleated 2-Part Shoes
£50.00

Plod along to school in these ultra comfy flats for the next year. If your school has a dress code then these hard wearing ankle straps should be on your back to school wish list.

Monday 12 August 2013

Back To School: Bags (Under £30)

20 days, 22 hours, 10 minutes and 5 seconds till the start of school. We're just under half way till the start of school and I have no idea where my summer has gone. I planned on working on my portfolio and getting a head start this year, but don't we always! I did manage to do a couple of sketches but really, I've done absolutely nothing. As I write this it's really starting to sink in that I've got a mere 20 days to do all my summer homework. Not enough! Holy shit...after this post I'm really going to have to get cracking. It's fine. Fashionista's can do anything.

Anyways, I thought I'd save you the time and find the best bags to kick start the year, that way at least one of us has time to get any work done.

Dorothy Perkins £28.00

Next: £30.00

If you make an effort to shop in less popular stores, you'll avoid the faux pas of turning up to school with the same bag as the person to your left and right. These two bags are perfect if you take textbook subjects and sadly don't have a nerdy admirer to carry your pile of folders to school. Space is a must if you're lazy and don't use your locker like me. I prefer to keep all my books in my bag to save being bombarded during changeover or before lunch when getting books, so strong handles are also vital. The unusual shade of blackcurrant and the soft lambskin replicating Alexander Wang's classic Rocco bag will definitely gain more than a few compliments. You would not be able to tell it was just £30. The celine-esuqe trapeze will add chicness to your oh so hectic day of school and college with it's matte finish.

Dorothy Perkins £25.00

Dorothy Perkins: £25.00

If you're still feeling that bucket bag trend then make your way to Dorothy Perkins. The pop of red is complemented by the equally badass studs around the seam. The injection of colour is sure to get you through a dreary start of autumn and winter. They have a similar style in a tame hue if you're more practical, there's a zip at the front to put your stationary, if like me, you're too cool for pencil cases.

Topshop: £30

Dorothy Perkins: £15.00

For those who aren't bag ladies, stick to a classic black and you wont go wrong. A textured fabric and embellished trim gives a bag that subtle fashion nod.

Next: £28.00

There aren't many satchels that are big enough to fit your 2 inch thick textiles book and folder and sketchbook but I found this. I'm not sure whether the pleather looks cheap or if, over time the fabric will wear into an authentic vintage look. It has an adjustable hole bit at the top ( haha great description ) so you can loosen it up to fill your bag. Again, this backpack has a front zip for all your stationary.

River Island: £28.00

This piece is one of those that you need a few minute to decide whether you like it or not. I couldn't quite work out if I thought this was totes an Essex girl's Ibiza bag or a tribal wonder. I decided it was the latter. But, I think only the right person can pull it off. If fashion's your thing then wow your year with this daring combination of prints, neon, and tassels.

River Island: £30

The muted mink may be understated, but the luxe suede could pass for a Chloe bag.

And finally the sac a dos. We always say that fashion isn't about practicality, so I love finding when both fashion and practicality meet. The rucksacks are sooo inexpensive as well.

River Island: £22.00

River Island: £25.00

Buckle Up

Buckle up because you're not going to believe what we're about to tell you. These babies are from Primark. That's right. For just £18 you can have all eyes on you as you bound across to your new locker. Start the new school year with these gorgeous pleathered booties. Skip the classic ballet pump and be brave. Don't be scared of the heel, they're ultra small and chunky so are totally day wear appropriate. I guarantee they'll last longer than £8 Primark pumps that reek of quavers after an oh so unexpected shower of rain. So invest that extra tenner to not only get more wears out of a shoe but look better. You'll save yourself from needing to match your shoes in the morning because this design is so versatile. (Yes...5 more minutes in bed!) It's buckled, has gold hardwear, edgy cut-outs and a sassy heel. Wear these with tartan balloon pants to add that extra punk feel, a surprise cream tailored jumpsuit, a lace shift or just some skinny jeans.

You're probably thinking, but what about the peep toe? Peep toes don't work in winter. SOCKS DARLING. When wearing a dress, throw on some 15 denier tights. But if you're wearing trousers, pop on any socks, the less thought and co ordination, the more fresh and young ( in a cool way ) the final ensemble will be.

Wednesday 7 August 2013

EOS Lip Balm

EOS is a 95% organic, lip soothing balm which comes in an array of flavours. With this celebrity pandemic these balms have turned into a sort of accessory. LAX jet setter's like Miley Cyrus and reality tv stars like The Situation have been seen posing with these balms. They may be organic and lightly scented, but watching Youtube review's, they don't seem to be anything special. Rolling these balms are more for daily uses than a heavy duty lip cure.

Sunday 4 August 2013

Kick back and relax

Buses are so unreliable; it was a Friday night and only 7 o'clock and buses were arriving once every hour. So, during our wait, we decided to take some quick outfit piccies...

We both chose simple shades with a pop of bright pink colour; Magz kept quite a simple outfit summery by adding a fuchsia shirt and I chose my new Topshop velvet shoes to introduce a new colour and texture to my outfit.
We both chose T bar shoes to keep a girlish element (and also because we're telepathic!)

It's always good to revive old clothing, especially when you have no idea what to wear!

I rooted through my mum's old clothes and found an old Faith No More band t shirt, which is perfect for the 90s grunge trend.

Magz decided to revamp her old beach dress that she bought on a trip to Malaysia years ago by adding lots of accessories and classic shirt.

Sunglasses- Ebay

Shoes- New Look

Necklace- Topshop

Overshirt- H&M

Belt- Primark

White Dress- Malaysian market

Sunglasses- Rayban

Hat- Topshop

T Shirt- Mum's old

Overshirt- Charity shop

PU shorts- Next

Belt- Blitz London

Shoes- Topshop

The key to these looks is layering; although it's hot, a flowy overshirt can keep the sun off your back and still look trendy.

Magz chose a slightly sheer fuchsia shirt to give the simple white dress an extra element, rolling up the sleeves and keeping the shirt open to reveal a statement rusted gold necklace.

I opted for a light yellow and blue shirt that I thrifted, which is decorated in all sorts of weird patterns (including little cherubs haha!) and this gave a kimono-feel to my outfit.

Oversized items can hide your figure in a bad way, therefore cinching clothing at the small parts of your body, e.g your waist or elbows, can flatter your figure as well as still keeping an oversized look.

Magz chose a skinny black belt with cross detailing to prevent the dress and shirt from looking like a sack, and I tied my t-shirt slightly to the side as it is large and covers my shorts and I might look a bit naked if I had kept it long haha.

The overshirts kept us warm as the day merged into night and the party really got going. We all danced, had a jam session and a sing along and overall a really good night hanging out with friends (someone always whips out a guitar don't they?)

Friday 2 August 2013

Here comes the sun!

Who can resist an ice cream in weather like this?

Today was so hot I even considered going commando! But fashion.

I know what you're thinking, typical English weather talk, but it was about 28 degrees...nonetheless we managed to combat the weather and pull off summer styling.

Unintentionally matching tanned belts.

Belts are a great investment, they're one of the rare things that are practical and fashion, helping you lose inches off the waist and keep your bottoms from revealing your actual bottom.

Ebony is leading the Papa Pants trend with a DIY cheerleader crop to match. You can see (as mentioned before) the gathered effect that these type of shorts create. If you wanna avoid looking very crotchy, then gather the excess around the back. These are a 28w mens which is huge, they're perfect in the scorching sun because they're so loose around the waist and thigh, much more comfortable and way less sticky sweat (I'm sorry but it had to be mentioned).

I wore something more free and flowy because I get very agitated in the heat. I wanted to make sure that I could prevent getting snappy and knew a light outfit would keep me content.

I don't own many summer skirts so I turned an ancient Topshop bandeau into a cute skirt, plus I love the print and refuse to wear the top as it is so it'd be a shame to let something go to waste.

Tip: Be sustainable and rework an old item of clothing to increase it's life cycle and reduce landfills.

I rummaged everywhere to find a top that didn't break me out into a monsoon of perspiration and finally found something. This knitted vest is super light weight and breathable, the porous fabric is great in keeping you cool throughout the day. It's also a better alternative to some hideous plain white spaghetti strap. Don't think I wasn't tempted though.

A crop will stop you from overheating in dark shades.
The elasticated waist is flattering on the bust as it tightens the fabric against it.

The thick tanned belt hides to elastic smocking of the bandeau, but also separates the cream and the patterned bottom.

Open toed sandals will let your toes breathe, avoiding any rank smells or bacteria build up (GROSS lol). The shade of white will also brighten up a tan.

Espadrilles are fairly cheap and go with literal all outfits. You can even wear them at night, though I'd go for a black pair. They're the best for the beach because you can get them dirty, and if they get ruined they're not too expensive to replace, you can put them in the wash too.

Buy a bag that you can throw anything it and carry where ever you want. You don't want to bring your new Prada ( swoon, who am I kidding!!) to the beach and get it ruined.