Celeb Style - Gwen Stefani

The only introduction I can give this woman is that of being one of THE most stylish women on the planet.

Since blasting onto the mainstream music scene in 1996 as the lead singer and co-founder of the hugely successful NO DOUBT, with the super catchy Don’t Speak, Gwen Stefani has shown that there is nothing that she can’t do or wear.  Covering a diverse range of music genres with NO DOUBT including ska, rock and electronica, and then going solo to create unexpected, yet critically acclaimed pop albums; Love Angel Music Baby and The Sweet Escape. Stefani also created the clothing line L.A.M.B, stared as Jean Harlow in The Aviator alongside Leonardo Dicaprio, all whilst being a wife to Gavin Rossdale, the lead singer of British band Bush, and a mother of two to Kingston and Zuma.

Gwen Stafani’s clothes have been as eclectic as her career.  The famous check trousers and crop tops, beanie hats, the 'harajuku girls' inspired outfits, grown-up grunge, couture gowns; influencing her own fashion label L.A.M.B, and who could forget THAT wedding dress.  Designed by John Galliano and has since been housed at the V&A museum.  Only Stefani would manage to pull off a wedding dress with a dipped in pink hem and train.

Here are some of my favourite looks.

Check Trousers and Crop Top

Tartan AW 13 Trend

Grown-up Grunge

Glamming up a Beanie Hat

Fishtail Couture

THAT Wedding Dress by John Galliano - WOW

Who is your celeb style crush?

Winter Hats

This is my first requested post and I am truly honored that my opinion on fashion, something that I love so much, is appreciated.  Therefore I dedicate this post to Rosie Bain, the women who once dared to challenge me to a 'hat off'.  Rosie told me that she loved hats more than I did, although I'm still not convinced by her claim!.

I think hats are an all year round accessory but to some they are simply something to keep your head warm in the winter months.  Even if you think this I dare you not to fall in love with this seasons hats.  Beanies, Bobble hats, Floppy hats, Pork Pie hats, Bowler and my old favourite the Fedora are all over the high street, and they can be sure to add a stylish twist to your outfit and some cavity insulation for your brain.

Take a look at my favourites below.

Left to Right, Black Porter Hat £14 Next, Burgundy Mohair Mix Wool Bobble Hat £5.99 New Look, Faux Fur Cossack Hat £12 Next, Grey Bowler Felt Hat £14.99 New Look, M&S Tweed Baker Boy Hat £15 (My favourite), Catazari ASOS Colour Block Clouche Hat £35, Knitted Crown Clouche £29 Accessorize, Kate Belted Fedora Hat £29 Accessorize.

I have to admit I am most excited about the return of the Baker Boy Hat, very Dickensian; see Alexa Chung's most recent Vogue shoot.  It also reminds me of my first days at university where my obsession began.  It was freshers week, my loan had cleared and there really was no stopping me.  Off to Accessorize I ran (with money I am still paying back today) and bought a woollen woven blue, grey and cream baker boy hat.  Unfortunately after a few return stints living at home with my Mam I fear that the hat ended up in a charity shop bag; at least its loss was an accidental good deed.  It does however need replacing, and this is the season to do it.  I can't wait to wear this with high waisted wide-leg trousers, a shirt and braces.

So what will be keeping your head warm this winter?

Autumnal Saviours

It's that time of year again, the awkward summer/autumn transition. Too hot for your winter woolies but too cold for summer straps.  Knowing what to wear when it can be glorious sunshine when you leave the house, but a torrential downpour when you get to work can be a nightmare.  This is why I have put together my summer to autumn saviours and my favourites for this season.

Layering
This has to be the most valuable summer to autumn look.  You are guaranteed to be prepared for any weather eventuality.  Think vests, tees, camis with denim and check shirts, or cardigans.  Jumpers over dresses can transform an already seen dress into a deceiving jumper shirt outfit.

ASOS Fluffy Bomber Cardigan £40

Footwear
Ballet pumps and slippers are living on borrowed time at this point in the fashion calender.  An imminent downpour can give a very damp start to the day with wet feet.  It's now about covered footwear and this season has some great Loafers, Brogues and Chelsea boots on offer; all of which I intend to purchase!

Dark Red Chunky Chelsea Boots £54.00 New Look

Summer Scarves
Summer scarves can add a splash of colour to any outfit and are so stylish, think back to the floral scarf given to Princess Grace of Monaco by Gucci.  Also if you are like me they help keep the tonsilitis at bay; at least there is a stylish way to do this!

Floral Square Dark Scarf £16.00 Topshop

Denim Jackets
I often find this time of year can be too warm for a leather jacket so I find a classic denim jacket or blazer is perfect.  They will go great with summer dresses and Chelsea boots or with camel coloured chino's and a striped tee.

ASOS Denim Jacket in vintage with Boring lining and Collar £55.00

Dress/Smocks
I have mentioned before that I wear dresses more in the winter than the summer, which is a bit bizarre, but I do love to layer.  This year I am loving smocks.  I'm going to pair these with loafers and if I'm feeling daring enough knee high socks; and if the sun makes a rare appearance I can always whip them off.  I couldn't decide on my favourite

ASOS Smock Dress in Patchwork £36.00

ASOS Smock Dress in Check with Colour £36

 What will you be wearing this Autumn?

All Primark Outfit

Firstly I must apologise for the lack of posts recently, but I have been a very busy girl, however normal blogging service will be resumed as of now and I promise more regular posts!

I haven't done many outfits posts, I feel I am better suited to writing about clothes I like and what I would wear them with.  This may have something to do with my hatred of posing, it's just something I feel very uncomfortable doing.  I wish I was one of you many girls out there that felt at ease in front of the camera, but I'm not.

Still what sort of fashion blogger would I be if I didn't show you my different outfits, so I'm facing my fear and put together my very first outfit of the day post.

This outfit is all from Primark and not surprisingly costs under £50.

I bought this dress last year and it was an impulse purchase.  I wanted something to brighten up my wardrobe in the winter and this dress was guaranteed to do that.  It has a very ladylike vintage feel to it which is why it can be worn anywhere.  I have worn this to work with knee high boots or pumps and out for drinks in heels.

You all know how much I love hats; my floppy burgundy hat is one of my favourites and the 70's vibe of this hat is perfect with this vintage inspired dress.

In keeping with the vintage theme I've accessorised this with a floral fabric clutch.  I get so many compliments on this bag and people really can't believe that this is from Primark; they think that it is genuine vintage.  Others tell me it reminds them of Mary Poppin's.

You might have seen the platform peep toe shoes in a few of my other pictures and this is because they are almost perfect with anything and are so comfortable.

In the winter I often wear this with a fur gillet to top off the vintage look, feeling oh so glamorous but still warm!

Let me know what you think!
 

Stylish In the Rain

The weather in the North East is awful at the moment!  It is overcast, muggy and raining which I'm finding very demotivating for leaving the house, however it has inspired a quick blog post about umbrellas.  A strange choice some might think, but I've decided to take advantage of the weather to come and use my umbrella not just as protection from the rain, but as a fashionable accessory.

I've put together my top 5 on trend umbrellas for you and there are some amazing ones out there, think check, snake print and dark florals.  My favourite is without doubt the clear dome umbrella and has been ever since I  first saw Carrie Bradshaw walking the streets of New York; simple, stylish and goes with anything.

Topshop

Amazon 

 

 

 

 

River Island

Amazon

New Look

I hope these umbrellas will have you singing in the rain. Which is your favourite?

My Favourite Outfits of Summer 2013

Well my lovely readers, I think it is safe to say that we have had our summer.  With temperatures coming in at a real feel of 15 degrees I think autumn may be on it's way, but in celebration of the best summer that we've had for as long as I can remember, I have put together my favourite outfits of the summer and I would love it if you can tell me your favourite.

My top outfit has to be my floral midi dress. I picked this up in the ASOS sale; it has without doubt been my best buy of the year so far and I've received so many compliments on it.  I usually wear this with either black or bright blue heels and keep my accessories to a minimum.  I think the dress is speaks for itself.

I have to admit that this jumpsuit doesn't actually belong to me.  I borrowed this from my good friend Rosie for a night out partying.  She bought this from Primark for a bargain of £8 and it's such a shame that I have to give this back.  Unsurprisingly I added a hat to this outfit which is also from Primark; I love the retro feel it gives to this outfit.  This jumpsuit works great with gladiator sandals but I chose my platform heels from New Look for a more glamorous night out look.

I've had this zebra print maxi dress for a couple of years.  I bought it from New Look for £25 and it is one of my fail safe dresses, more so than the little black dress.  I love how versatile this dress is; I've worn this to a black and white garden party with heels and statement jewellery but I can dress it down with flip flops for a casual picnic at the park.

I bought these shorts from Zara after I spotted them on honeymoon, but unfortunately I wasn't a savvy packer and there was not an inch left in my suitcase, so I had to wait until I got home to buy these.  My blouse is from Ted Baker and I've had this for years and I've worn it so rarely that it almost ended up in the charity shop bag, but I'm so pleased it didn't.  My heels are from Primark and I adore clashing colours so I couldn't resist putting blue and orange together.

I don't just love clashing colours, I also adore clashing prints.  I first spotted this style on The Guardian website and I was instantly inspired.  It was the perfect opportunity to wear my black and white stripped tee from Zara; another piece inspired by my honeymoon.  I immediately fell in love with these floral trousers from Next, they are so bold and instantly add oomph to an outfit.  My Primark blue heels have made another appearance here and they give that extra bit of height that is needed in such loud trousers.

So there you have it, my favourite outfits of the summer, which is yours?

ASOS 50% off 50 Items

How nice are ASOS? Their amazing sale has only just ended and they have already created another one; 50% off 50 items.  I've put together my favourite pieces for you, but get in there quick as a slouchy pander jumper that I had my eye on has already gone!

ASOS have answered my prayers; a floral jumpsuit, two of my favourite things.  I love the crop top worn by the model, but I think this would also look great with a shirt and tie, or a bright pink tee for clashing colours and my black heeled buckle ankle boots.

Was £50 Now £25

I may have just done my first wish list for Autumn/Winter but I haven't left the summer completely behind.  This summer dress could be one of the last summer buys of 2013, but this dress will take you through the winter too.  Either brighten up your wardrobe with the yellow dress, but if like me this is a colour that sadly you can't pull off, the black version would look great with a chunky cardigan, statement tights and boots.

Was £25 Now £12.50

Blouses are a great end of summer investment as they are ideal for when it's too hot for short sleeves but too hot for a jumper.  The lace detail on this blouse is stunning and it gives a feminine edge to a leather skirt, but if you want to go full on feminine I would wear this with a midi skirt.

Was £38 Now £19

This Lipsy embellished collar playsuit is very daring but at least it has followed the fashion rule of showing either chest or legs.  If this playsuit is still a bit too daring for you a black or white blazer would be a great cover up.

Was £60 Now £30

Let's be honest, this wouldn't be my blog if I didn't have more than one floral piece in the post, and here is the final piece, a flower shirt.  Thankfully fashion has not let me down with their Autumn/Winter collections as floral is still huge, but it have taken on a darker edge, so expect floral patterns on dark fabric and this shirt is bang on trend.

Was £22 Now £11

Think I've got myself another shopping list, where's the plastic?