Thursday 29 May 2014

Hydrangeas and Trendy Sandwiches


Me and my mum decided to do some mother/daughter bonding time as we haven't spent as much time together with me going to uni this year so we took a trip to Durham and had a look around the shops, I didn't see much except this white peter pan collared shirt from Jack Wills which I bought as it is perfect for summer.

We then went for lunch at a cafe that we found last year called 'Flat White' which is tucked down an alley way on the high street you'll notice it from all the uni students outside as it's a hotspot for them. The interior is very make shift vintage which I love with books tucked in corners and church seats with old-fashioned sewing machines with a table top used as tables and chairs. The menu is limited but the food is really good quality and you get a lot I got a San Pellegrino lemonade and tuna, cucumber and sweet chilli open sandwich and my mum got an americano and wensleydale cheese and mango chutney sandwich.









Tuna, cucumber and sweet chilli open sandwich





The meal was lovely and we were both so full although when I saw the one slice of bread with the filling on top I was slightly confused but I figure this is just the trendy new way of having a sandwich, I had a small red pot with the sweet chilli sauce which I poured on top. The place is a really comfortable atmosphere with tasty food full of flavour and the price is friendly for students too!



A picturesque view of Durham bridge and river with the rowing boats below



My mum has bought some Hydrangeas for gardening season so she said she needed to get some special feed for them so we went to a garden centre called 'Horns' which I've been going to since I was little there's a pond with lots of ducks in that you can feed, pheasants that wonder around and lots of beautiful flowers to see.





The ducks are really friendly and were just sat in front of the cars the owner lives in a bungalow just across from it and landscaped his garden so that customers can come and enjoy it walking across the bridge and feeding the ducks.








Some cute but noisy budgies 













How beautiful are all these flowers?!



It made me so sad to leave this cute duck, it just kept drifting to sleep aww!







Just when we were about to leave this cheeky duck went and attacked the one that was peacefully swimming along! 

Wednesday 14 May 2014

Spring Chills









Scarf - F&F at Tesco
Cami - Brandy Melville
Bralet - Gilly Hicks
Jeans - House of Holland
Sunglasses - Asos Marketplace
Shoes - Kurt Geiger
Lips - MAC 'Costa Chic'

While it may look warm in the pictures there's still that chilly breeze lingering over Spring that's reminding us that Summer is not yet here although it provides a challenge to combine your Summer and Spring wardrobe together for that tricky 'in-between seasons' look. I found this Meadham Kirchhoff style scarf tucked away in my mums wardrobe which I'm sure she won't mind me borrowing, the bright coral adds colour to the look while keeping those spring chills away. I decided to go for a quite literal 'Cocktail Hour' look here wearing my beloved cocktail print HOH jeans with 'Cher' from Clueless style courts to create this 'I've spent all day at the beach but made last minute drinks plans'. I always feel that Spring presents an opportunity to inject some colour to my wardrobe I feel as though I'm becoming braver each year who knows next year I might even dare to wear yellow! 

Tuesday 13 May 2014

Hello There Sailor








Sunglasses - River Island
Top - Zara
Trousers - Topshop
Shoes - Topshop
Jacket - Topshop
Bag - Zara

I have a thing for fun sunglasses and these new additions are the latest to add to my collection I saw them on RI's Instagram and immediately went online to purchase them, I teamed them with a stripy top to add to the 'sailor' look then paired them with my classic black trousers and courts. When my mum saw these sunglasses she said well they are hardly necessary personally I find eye protection a summer essential just find an amusing way to work it into your look. I'm now going to enjoy some drinks in the sun with my friends - just because the sun's out doesn't mean you have to give up monochrome.

Monday 12 May 2014

Blue Jeans









Biker Jacket - Topshop
Jeans - Topshop
Sweater - Gilly Hicks
Lace Bralet - Gilly Hicks
Shoes - Topshop
Bag - Urban Outfitters
Sunglasses - Zara

I find that jeans are always such a staple in my wardrobe that it's fun to see how to style them differently and incorporate other wardrobe favourites such as my black biker jacket and a simple white sweater (only £9.50 in the sale!). This sweater is oversized so it's really easy to wear in a slouchy look and is a light knit which is perfect for the warmer weather (when we finally get it in the UK). This look is ideal for day time going to the cinema's, shopping with friends jeans are the ultimate versatile wardrobe piece letting you get creative with how to reinvent them each season.

Sunday 11 May 2014

Dress Up


Working Backstage at a Fashion Show


The Venue



My Dresser Tag



My Rail



The Model I Dressed











After I finished the lights lit up London with a view of the Gherkin 

I worked at my universities Graduate Fashion Show this was the first internal show that the university has organised to showcase all the collections of each Fashion Ba(Hons) graduate as usually there are only about 20 students picked to showcase their collection at Graduate Fashion Week. This was a great opportunity for the student to organise their own fashion show and have control of the venue, participants and who could come to the show I volunteered as a dresser as I felt that it would provide great experience for me in preparation for London Fashion Week. 

The day started with an early afternoon tube ride over to Shoreditch and I explored the Mac store as I am a self confessed beauty product junkie and picked up a 217 brush which should be a staple in every make up bag. The venue was Christ Church in Spitalfields I put a picture of the venue in the above photos it was absolutely beautiful as the chandeliers lit up the room everyone who was working had a go of mimicking a walk down the catwalk.  The crew began to arrive and we helped unload all of the collections into the backstage area then hair and make up team arrived and set up as I lingered over them spotting which products they were using, we all had a debriefing and then organised each dresser a card with the model we'd be dressing and sorted out the outfits to the dressers. I had 10 outfits to dress all from different collections and each with their own specific requirement from the designer on how to style them, next the models arrived to be put in hair and make up. 

We began the practice run of the show which started by quickly organising the shoes and accessories under the outfits and we dressed our model in the first outfit thankfully I had a really professional model who helped undress and dress herself quickly and worked well with me - I found that providing her with a cup of water and a seat for when she had long breaks helped keep her in a good mood. We didn't have enough time to finish the practice run so we had to put the models back into hair and make up then everyone started to arrive and the designers gave the dressers extra notes on what to do for the real run. 

I had a 20 minute break before we had to dress our models in their first outfits and the madness began we were told to keep the noise down as before there was too many people shouting so there was lots of rustling about and hand signals getting the models ready in time to be sent down the catwalk in time. Although the entire day was crazy with lots of rushing about and having to remember lots of important details I loved it and would definitely recommend helping out in a fashion show to anyone who's interested in the fashion industry the end pay off is so good to see all the designers happy and relaxed after months of stress to create these beautiful garments.