Just for you

Don't you hate it when you just have nothing to wear, when everything you try on either doesn't fit, isn't right for the occasion or isn't 'you'- well now look no further! One of my best kept and favourite secrets is now yours.

Take a look at Style Shake http://www.styleshake.com/user/

You design the dress, they make it and in 10 working days, a brand new dress designed exclusively by and for you arrives!

Theres a whole range of fabrics from wardrobe staples like cotton to linen (a summer essential) to silk and metallic silk in a range of colours from the ever classic black, forest green, electric blue, orchid and poppy red. Once you've chosen your fabric, next up is the fun part- designing the dress. You can chose the upper body (empire, yoke, hips, waist to name a few), neckline (the newly added off the shoulder and off the shoulder gathered is so now it hurts!), sleeves, waist, lower part of the dress, as well as add trimmings and detailing like pleats and embellishment.

My newest creation is this Bottega Veneta inspired dress with bandeau neckline with stone embellishment, a fitted box pleat detailed waist with a full flared knee length skirt, all in a very wearable, very understated black cotton- all for £99! What more could I want?

http://www.styleshake.com/user/Dress.aspx?name=Dress&ID=42211

And to make it even better they even do tops!

Purses at the ready!

If you haven't been to your local Matalan store, then now is the time! The newly added Et Vous range has arrived and my oh my is it good! The prices are fantastic for clothing that wouldn't look out of place at designers stores (and are much cheaper than Topshop and you get far superior quality!). My favourites and the things I bought:

- the brown wide leg turn up sailor pants- these delicious chocolate brown wide leg pants have sailor style button pockets and fit like a dream- all for £18! I wore them the evening I bought them and got so many compliments- I plan to wear them this summer with an orange tank top, flat brown gladiator sandals and a smile!
- the black sateen pleat front trousers- these again fit really well, are very long (anyone who usually needs longer length will be able to fit in them- mine need to be altered they're that long!) and the pleat front detailing creates a gorgeous wide leg yet flattering style- £22 and is the classic wardrobe essential
- the taupe ruffle neck tank- this taupe sleeveless tank is fantastic and has origami style pleated neck with ruffles around the front and back of the top and buttons up with 3 button detailing at the back- it goes from an average top to a high end piece and is comfy and stylish
- midnight blue satin pleated top- this midnight blue satin top has an elasticated hem and pleated neckline to create a voluminous shape- the colour is divine and looks amazing with jeans and the fit is just spot on. Its also available in sunshine yellow which is the perfect summer top
- black v neck tank with pleated neckline- this throw on black tank is gorgeous, the V neck shows off a great cleavage and the pleated detailing adds interest- this one looks great dressed up and down but i'll be wearing mine with full skirts and flat sandals!

These are just a few of the fantastic buys I got (all for a measy £77) but other mentions go to the navy blue gold button shift dress (so on trend it hurts), fuchsia pink ruffle blouse and denim sailor pants- if you can get to a matalan near you, i urge you to go and see if the Et Vous range is there- you won't be disappointed!

New In!

After being rudely awoken by an early morning phone call and without anything to do for a few hours I decided to hit the net and look at pretty things and as always Topshop was on my port of call (I don't often buy from there but every now and again they have some great pieces- just ignore the tween stuff!)

This sequin mini skirt is very Elle MacPherson (goddess of minis and flat sandals- she wears them even in Winter!) and would look fantastic with bronzed skin, flat sandals (something simply) and a basic white t-shirt





Because I adore all things ruffley, this dress is pure indulgence for me- its red, ruffly and just looks like fun to wear! It would look amazing with thick black tights and mary janes and a black trench coat






Speaking of coats, I love this waterfall frill front belted coat- the mustard colour is very on trend and adds interest to an otherwise neutral outfit, the full skirt is just adorable especially with dress and mary janes or t bar shoes for a retro vibe. the puff sleeves are gorgeous and the frill front makes it look very designer (but alot cheaper!)







And finally are these light grey t bar heels- the light grey colour is a fantastic year round shade and the ruffle front detailing is gorgeous and will add interest to any outfit (they'd look fabulous with a black tea dress and tights- let the shoes do the talking!)

Boden

Now my love of Boden is no secret- not only did they produce my gorgeous leopard print ballet pumps but also my favourite floral coat, skirt AND dress as featured in my floral post and the latest catalogue has no shortage of divine pieces to tantalise and tickle your fashion taste buds. Now I wholeheartedly urge everyone to get the catalogue/go online and browse the whole collection for yourselves, but I thought I'd give you alittle taster of what on my current wish list!

This semi fitted belted coat in Sulphur is just stunning and the perfect finishing touch to any outfits (especially those neutral palettes!) Its 100% coated PU cotton with contast print lining and is also available in canvas and denim blue and makes damp british weather a pleasure!

This retro style boyleg swimsuit is divine- the polka dot print adds even more retro glamour, while the black just screams pin up. It features removable pads (to boost the bust which I definitely need!!), adjustable halter ties (halterneck to boost the bust and show off good shoulders and decolletage), a gentle scoop back and longer leg length leg shaping- the ultimate in classic, flattering swimsuits! There are also halterneck polka dot bikini tops with matching pants, a selection of ruffle detailied swimwear and a range of contract coloured pieces including bikini tops, tankinis, bikini pants and shorts.

This fitted jersey dress with bust pleating and full inverted pleat below the bust is gorgeous and the red palm leaf print is a fantastic spring/summer piece (follow their lead and pair with red suede peep toes for a fantastic outfit). Its also available in printed blue shell and neutrals of black and brown so theres something to suit everyone! For a classic timeless look, try the black version coupled with Boden's cerise jewelled peep toe slingbacks (shown above, also available in cocoa and jade and this quote from the website says it all 'I believe they call this a statement shoe- the statement being, ‘my God I have good taste in footwear, and am fully prepared to use it’) or the Thistle cork wedges below. Sadly the man doesnt come free with your order.

These cork wedges in suede with leather lining have fully padded soles for extra comfort and the Thistle shade is fantastic with blacks to add colour to your winter wardrobe and gorgeous with spring and summer fashions. They are also available in black and cocoa to compliment your whole wardrobe and a perfect new season investment. (They're also available in sizes 3-9)

Back to coats and this contrast trim coat is pure loveliness- its semi fitted and contrasting collar, front plackets, pockets, cuffs and hem details to add extra interest to an otherwise classic style. The Mole and turquoise combo is right on the money for me (I'm imagining a black full skirt dress just peeking out beneath it with patent ballet pumps), while the ivory and cocoa is the height of sophsication and the black with white detailing is a pure classic.

This ruffle cotton dress with fitted bust and full skirt is the essential timeless classic and is fully lined for modesty. It features pintuck and ruffle detailing and comes in a range of colours from summery coral and aqua to wardrobe staples of white and mole. (sadly again man and ice cream sold seperately!)

This star burst printed top with marbled beading neckline and pleated detailing is a gorgeous summer piece and would look as good now over a long sleeve black tee as it would against bare skin in the summer sun (spf and sun permitting!)

And just because you can never have too many wardrobe staple skirts, theres this button through chino skirt in a gentle a line style available in canvas, dark olive (both perfect to channel this summers safari trend without going OTT) and dark and vintage denim (a perfect alternative to jeans!). Just add a simple t-shirt (boden have a fantastic selection),shoes of your choice and a slouchy bag and off you go!

Now this is just a small selection of the stunning Boden catalogue so instead of taking my word for it, why not pop along yourself and have a gander (and tell them petticoat pirates sent you!)

Freemans

Now shopping through the traditional catalogues, previously huge in the 80s and 90s has fallen out of favour, but I still think there are great buys to be had from them with a little bit of elbow grease and looking past the tacky/over priced/OTT goods. With that in mind I've gone through Freemans catalogue (their sister catalogue Oli is currently very in vogue!) and here are my top picks:

These are both in my shopping basket- the charcoal belted shirt dress is a classic shape updated with puff sleeves and the colour is a fantastic alternative to black (I'll be wearing mine now with black tights and boots and gladiator sandals come summer!). These pleated city shorts are fantastic and the choice of mauve and black is just too much to bear (so I've ordered one of each!) These are a fantastic alternative to jeans (as I no longer own any, I'm looking for as many jeans alternatives as possible!), can be dressed up or down, rain or shine and for any occasion. I'm thinking thick tights, patent ballet pumps and pea coats now- flat sandals and tank tops in summer! You could also add a short belted trench in taupe or olive for a safari lead look!

Next up is this fantastic selection of dresses- the organza shift is a fantastic party dress and a twist on the classic shift, the satin jewelled dress is pure glamour and very Katherine Heigl red carpet, the purple cross fronted dress has sexy secretary written all over it and the japan print dress is a gorgeous shape with a fabulous print! The spotted tea dress with skinny belt is just retro gorgeousness and would look divine with mary janes and is a pure classic!

Finally are these wide leg navy trousers- they have a fantastic fit, a great flattering cut, a choice of colours and the navy worn wide legged is pure nautical and so now it hurts! I'll be wearing these instead of jeans with gladiator sandals and a boat neck tee in the summer and with stripey socks, mary janes and a belted cardi now!

These are just a few of the fab pieces on offer now (some are even in the sale even though their from the newly released catalogue!), with free delivery and returns- I'm very impressed!

Up next on my journey of the catalogues is Boden..........

Sailor Girl

As you might already have gathered, I have a love of all things nautical and sailor (did anyone else see the pearl stranded necklace from Topshop with black anchor detailing- divine!) and one of my favourite bits from the recent Sweeny Todd movie was when they were at the seaside (Johnny Deep looked adorable in his all in one striped suit!), so when I spotted this dress today in between essay writing, it was an instant attraction! Not only it is blue and white striped (the ultimate in nautical chic), it has a collar (I have a thing for collared dresses especially black dresses with white peter pan collars a la Wednesday from The Adams Family), large button up front AND a bow in the back! Personally the belt shown does nothing for me, the colour is all wrong and distracts me from the dress, I'd either go unbelted or try something more subtle (maybe pick out the shades of the dress) or go completely nautical and go down the rope belt avenue! I'm imagining my trip to the seaside to eat ice cream in it already (whilst wearing my anchor necklace of course!)

(Dress available from ASOS www.asos.com)

Tis the season to shop like its going out of fashion

After a very successful campaign of eating everything in sight (supervised by my gp of course!) and putting on half a stone in three weeks (a grand stone in all!), my clothes have officially begun to be too tight (so much so i wriggled into a pair of jeans yesterday only to have a 5" gap between the button and the buttonhole- i spent the next hour trying to remove myself from them!) so therefore i now have the perfect excuse to go shopping!

After a short trip the nearest Mall (Cribbs Causeway if anyone is interested), a few hours of shopping and lots of snacking and eating later and I now have 2 new dresses, 2 new tops and a bag to add to my wardrobe (also as i type this im currently buying 4 pairs of jeans online!)

Strangely they're all from H&M- now im not a H&M hater, its just the store is always so cluttered and overfilling with stock that everything gets all messy and stained (or lives on the floor) and its full of 'young adults' and lots of cheap through away fashion or things that are so indecently short that they could be belts (i am allowed to say this given I am 20 and managed to look like mutton dressed as lamb!)

Well today H&M has been REBORN- there was a new layout- no clutter, no mess- everything had a place and you could actually get to the racks and they werent overflowing with stock. There was no blaring music- you could actually hear yourself speak andyou could actually try clothes on because there weren't massive queues and for once the clothes were gorgeous (i admit there were still lots of bonkers 'trend' lead bits but there was also a hell of alot of smart, yummy looking clothing!)

And so without further ado here are my new clothes (with awful photos taken by my own poor photographically skilled hands):

First, we have the wrap over ruched blue and white striped shirt- this I just grabbed on the way to the tills as an after thought- it looked cute, i thought 'why not' and I'm glad I did as I love it. The puff shoulders are adorable, the ruching on the neckline adds oomph to my tiny ta tas and makes me feel just that little but smarter and more grown up (i was wearing it with skinny jeans and black suede pointy ballets and a black top so not quite sure if i looked that grown up!)

Next is the black shirtdress with ruched panel detailing on the waistline to give the waist more emphasise (and a slimmer look) by creating volume at the bust and hips for a curvier figure- i loved this and wanted one in every colour as it just felt good on, fits gorgeously and is so comfy- the perfect sling it on and look fantastic dress!

Staying with dresses, this white and black striped shirt dress has a gathered waist giving in that cinched in tiny waist look and a flared skirt giving you shape in all the right places (which on my boyish frame isnt easy!) and its just a complete winner in my books (the pictures dont do it jsutice at all- it looks fab on- I might even try and get an 'action shot' to prove it!)

Then is a top my mum picked up for me- its a blue and white striped (spot a theme for H&M) top with button down neckline and drawcord empire line style waist that allows for a more fitted style. The sleeves (or lack of) are really interesting too as the cut adds definition to the shoulder area and highlights toned arms (i wish!)

Finally its this delicious turquoise leather bag with pleat detailing- i saw this and instantly had to have it given my wardrobe is made up of mostly blacks, indigos and greys- i just loved the pop of colour especially against something as stark as the outfit i was wearing (all blacks, navys or leaopard print!) and for £9.99 whos complaining!