Valentine's Giveaway with W7 Make Up

It's January everyone is a bit strapped for cash, what better than a giveaway? I have teamed up with W7 Make up to launch my first ever beauty giveaway just in time for Valentine's Day. It's simple all you have to do is follow the instructions below, and one lucky winner will be announced on the 13th of February. So if you don't have a date planned for Valentine's Day-don't worry you may have some lovely make up on it's way to you. The W7 Make Up Goody Bag includes:

-3 x nail varnishes

-2 x lipsticks

-1 x mascara

-1 x liquid eye liner

-1 x bronzer (not in picture)

Good Luck x

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Juergen Teller-Woo

For those of you feeling a little glum because Tim Walker's 'storyteller' exhibition has now ended, don't worry Juergen Teller's exhibition at Institute of Contemporary Arts is now open! The artist and photographer is best known for his portraits of Vivienne Westwood, Lily Cole and Kurt Cobain, as well as shooting most of the advertising for Marc Jacobs, Helmut Lang and Celine. 

Juergen Teller-Woo

23 January 2013-17 March 2013

Institute of Contemporary Arts

The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH

Free Admission

Closest Tube: Charring Cross

The exhibition opens with a very open view of Dame Vivienne Westwood herself. It's not exactly how every 71 year old would like to be portrayed but it looked and felt so right. Vivienne Westwood was very much a part of the punk genre and has a typical 'I don't care' attitude. I think it's brilliant that at her age she has the confidence to bare all in from of the huge amount of people who will visit the exhibition. 

 What is brilliant about Juergen Teller's work is that it is so versatile but always fascinating. Whether he is photographing Kate Moss or a cute kitten there each image is as brilliant as the next. As well as exhibition space Juergen Teller's work took up 'The Fox Reading Room' at ICA. It was a room with top to bottom Juergen Teller tear out's from some of his most well known photography and advertising campaigns. The only grime I had about the exhibition was this room was far too small, apart from that it is a brilliant day out and it is FREE!

I would definitely recommend visiting the Juergen Teller exhibition on a week day as it will be a lot quieter. It is a brilliant exhibition for anyone interested in fashion or photography and shows some of Juergen Teller's best work. Be warned there is ALOT of nudity!! Also you are not actually allowed to take pictures, so you have to get your iphone out and take them on the sly. A girl there had a disposable camera and I thought this was a brilliant way to get some pictures that will actually look half decent. I will definitely keep this in mind in the future! Let me know if you go to the exhibition and what you think.

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High Street to Catwalk

2013 kicked off with London Collections:Men and ever since everyone has been talking about London Fashion Week which kicks off next month. This time round it seems everyone on the high street wants to be a part of the event, following Topshop who debuted their Topshop Unique collection back in 2005 and has now become a staple part of the LFW schedule. 

Last week Whistles announced they will showcase a Limited Edition collection on the 17th of February as part of London Fashion Week. Chief Executive of Whistles, Jane Shepherdson who has organised the event, was working as brand director at Topshop when they showcased on the catwalk. People have been very opinionated about this but Melanie Rickey (Fashion Editor at Large) thinks it is a good idea. "It's very valid for Whistles to have a runway show, " she tole MyDaily.

As well as Whistles taking part in LFW, high street brand River Island also wants a piece of the action. They are debuted Rihanna's first ever collection with the brand at London Fashion Week. River Island have described the collaboration with pop artist, Rihanna as 'the most anticipated collaboration of 2013'. Would the brand be showcasing at London Fashion Week without Rihanna's name tag? I for one don't think they would, but I am definitely looking forward to seeing the collection. 

H&M is another high street brand that is getting involved in all the fashion week fun. H&M announced earlier this week that they are to debut their Autumn/Winter 2013 collection on the 27th of February at Paris Fashion Week. H&M is known for their collaborations with designers and it isn't their first time on the catwalk so I think they have been welcomed with open arms.

A lot of people are questioning whether there is enough room for high street brands at fashion weeks or if it is ruining the exclusivity that fashion weeks hold. In my opinion brands such as Topshop, H&M, Whistles and River Island all have a huge influence on our wardrobes so should have some input. As long as brands such as Primark and Dorothy Perkins don't get a space on the catwalk then I'm fine with it.

H&M for Paris Fashion Week, Whistles for London Fashion Week and Rihanna for River Island-What's next?

H&M x Versace 

FROW at H&M x Versace

Rihanna x River Island 

Topshop Unique. September 2005

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Blanco

Harper's Bazaar 2013. Photography by: Paola Kudacki. Styling by: Tony Irvine

Candy Magazine. A/W 2012. Photography by: Leon Mark. Styling by Sheila Single.

V Magazine-Spain. Photography by: Oskar Gyllensward. Styling by: Darren Knight

Harper's Bazaar Spain-December 2012. Photography by: Nagi Sakai

Garage Magazine. Autumn/Winter 2012. Photography by Thomas Giddings. Styling by Chloe Kerman

White is making a huge comeback this season with an all white look being a huge trend for 2013. As you would expect this is echoed in many fashion editorials and  I wanted to share with you some of my favourite. I chose Blanco as the name of this post simply because Spain has fully embraced the all white trend(White=Blanco in Spanish). In the above editorials the all white look has been beautifully styled and looks easy to pull off but I'm not sure how easily this will translate onto the streets. Possibly it is more of an spring/summer trend after we have all been off on our holidays. Take a look below at my pick of the best white pieces on the high street right now.

1. Cotton Shirt Dress. J.W Anderson for Topshop

2. White Acne Waffled Knit Jumper

3. All White The Satchel Company. *Exclusive to ASOS* 

4. Faux Pearl collar by KARL at Net-a-porter

5. Skinny white belt at ASOS

6. Smart taloired white trousers-River Island

7. White Midi Dress-Aqua by Aqua *SALE*

8. Arable cut out boots in white-Topshop

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An online portfolio

As a Graduate looking for a career in fashion STANDING OUT is so important. I've been applying for so many jobs recently and eagerly waiting replies , but quite frankly I want to be in a job that I enjoy ASAP! I have a First Class Honours degree and am so passionate about doing well, that I started to think to myself "How can I stand out from the rest?". Most jobs simply only ask for a CV and Covering Letter, and although I apply for jobs I know I can succeed in I think employers need an extra reason to invite me in for an interview. 

I decided that as I am going into a creative industry to think outside the box and create an online portfolio that can be attached to any job application. For anyone in the same position to me it is though extra little things that will make you stand out in amongst those hundreds of applications.

1. My first advice would be to note where your strengths lay and plan 1-2 pages on each one. If you are a stylist then keep your portfolio mainly styling and add a couple of pages of any other interests you may have, eg: writing or photography. My strengths lie in photography, styling, fashion writing and PR so I plan to create a couple of pages on each. I think it is best to put your main interest at the front as this will be the type of jobs you will be applying for most regularly. 

2. Keep it simple, screen shots, images but not a lot of writing. I have included one page at the front that act's as a kind of CV or biography but apart from that it is mostly images. This is designed to make you stand out and not to send your future employer to sleep. 

3. Include a contents page so that if you are applying for a writing role they can go straight to your writing work. This saves time and trust me these people viewing your applications are very busy-they will love this!

4. Be yourself, be honest and show off what you can do. If you have done photography in the past but don't want to do it in the future then don't include this in your portfolio. Otherwise trust me they will see you are an all rounder and plan you do EVERYTHING in your power to benefit them. 

5. Finally save as a PDF so that you can add pages when you get more experience and then send it out to as many people as possible! Remember you can't intern forever. 

I still haven't finished my online portfolio as I only started it last night but I wanted to share with you a bit about what I'm up to. It would be great to see what you think.

Living-in-a-fashion-world

Ooh Oxblood!

1. Oxblood leather skirt from ASOS

2. Classic casio watch with oxblood face

3. Deep purple skater skirt from Topshop

4. Oxblood clutch bag from Russell & Bromley 

5. Deep oxblood bag from 'The Cambridge Satchel Company'. 

6. Polo neck oxblood crop tee

7. Oxblood contrast heel from ASOS

8. Oxblood midi dress from Topshop

Everything on my wish list at the moment seems to have one thing in common-the COLOUR! Oxblood uses a mix of burgundy and maroon tones and I absolutely love it. Whether you have a staple dress such as the Midi dress from Topshop or the leather skirt from ASOS, the colour has the versatility to find a way into everyone's wardrobe. 

The item at the top of my wish list has to be the Russell & Bromley clutch bag perfect for a night out or a date to the cinema. If you need a bit more room for a trip to work then why not try the deep red bag from The Cambridge Satchel company. 

The oxblood look is vampish and elegant and is perfect for an every day look. I would most likely mix Oxblood with a lot of black and some deep cherry lips. What do you think of the Oxblood look?

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Emerging Trend: Meggings

Although I regularly write for menswear magazine, Pause, most of the time my blog posts are photography related or clothes that I would like to wear myself. However whilst at London Collections: Men, I really enjoyed writing about menswear even more and considered starting a separate menswear blog. Then I thought why not start writing a bit more about menswear on my current blog-who know's it might even attract some more male followers. 

Anyway enough about me-this post is about the emerging trend: Meggings (Male leggings)!I know it is hard to think of a time where women's leggings weren't in fashion but trust me there was a time. I remember when leggings started filling our shops and people weren't too sure, but soon enough the streets and catwalks embraced leggings and they have been a wardrobe staple ever since. Meggings, on the other hand are trying to find a way into the male wardrobe, I think the best way to describe them is Marmite. I don't ever think they are going to be as popular as leggings are with women, as quite frankly they are unflattering and very feminine.

The Meggins on the left hand side look very similar to black skinny jeans, I'm just guessing they are a whole lot more comfortable. The pair on the right are a lot more out there and I'm sure will find themselves on the streets of Shoreditch and Dalston in the coming weeks. Thinking back to J.W Anderon's A/W 13 show at London Collections:Men where he had both dresses and very short shorts on display it all of a sudden makes Meggings seem very manly indeed. If you are male, would you wear them? And for the females out there-would you date someone wearing Meggings?

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