High Street does Catwalk (Dupes)

Hi Fashionista's, 

I hope you have all had a lovely week? I am all over the place with the days, because of the Bank Holiday, so it was a welcome surprise this morning when I remembered it was Friday! 

I am in full AW12 shopping mood now, this week I have been very naughty (or very good if you think like me!) and have been doing a lot of shopping! I will be going through lots of these in outfit posts really soon, as I really feel a new sense of excitement for styling and putting looks together! Whenever the new season comes  along I always need to buy my first few pieces and it kick starts my creative juices, is this just me? 

Anyway in the midst of all my shopping this week I have found some great dupes on the High Street of some of the key looks for AW12. 

     Dupe- Topshop £ 36

   Original- Isabel Marant 

I absolutely loved the entire Isabel Marant AW12 collection, the cowgirl edge mixed with fab maroons and fringing. So I have been on the look out for similar pieces and this shirt is perfect! And it will look good with skirts, leather trousers, jeans, basically everything!  

               Dupe- Esther Boutique 55 euros

   Original- Christoper Kane

Without doubt Esther Boutique is one of my new favourite fashion finds. They have have most wonderful selection of pieces that you literally can not narrow down, you just want it all! It was introduced to them my by the fab Audrey Leighton from Frassy and I am hooked! This purple jumper will be a must for the cold winter months and if it looks like a Christopher Kane piece then sign me up! 

       Dupe- Topshop £40

 Original- Erdem 

I am big fan of neon, I am quite sad to be putting it away for the winter months, so when I saw Erdem's collection back in February I was very excited to see that it was still going to be making an appearance this Autumn. This skirt is amazing and I love the lace finish too, it will be fab for all the parties coming up over the next few months and for £40 it is a steal!

I love seeing what designs the High Street create for the new season, it is one of the reasons I love fashion so much as it allows everyone to be involved and pick out what trends and styles from the catwalk they want to wear. These are just a few, there are loads more of really good dupes out there, so get your eyes and cash cards on the look out! 

Hope you all have great weekends planned? I am heading out for drinks tonight with some friends, so that will be good and probably drunken! Then, it's head down as I have got a busy weekend of blog stuff ahead! 

Happy Weekend!

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The link to Esther Boutique is here...

http://www.esther.com.au/

Northern Quarter Takeover- Pimms and Leather!

                      Jacket- Miss Rebel, Dress- Forever 21, Hat- H&M
        Bracets- Topshop, Bag- New Look, Ring- New Look
       Sandals- Primark, Nails- Barry M (Magnetic Metallics)

Here are some pics of my outfit from Sunday, I went to the Northern Quarter Takeover in Manchester. It was one big street party for everyone to join and all the local bars and restaurant's had BBQ's, Bands and DJ's all outside and the atmosphere was fab. it was like a little mini festival in the middle of the city! 

I was really torn with what to wear as the weather has been so all over the place lately, but it was such a gorgeous day on Sunday that I decided to get my legs out for may be the last time this summer!

As you have already heard me mention, leather is going to be a big deal this season so I road tested my new jacket (which I love) and I teamed it with my denim dress from Forever 21. I really liked the girly feminine dress against the more edgy jacket. Sometimes it is fun to clash styles together don't you think? And the dress is a great shape as it comes in just under the bust to give definition without being to restrictive, which was just as well with all the Pimms and Red Stripe we were drinking! 

Here are a few photo's of the day itself.

              A delicious Almost Famous Burger!!

Getting into the Party!

It really was a fantastic event, the Northern Quarter of Manchester is the Soho or Greenwich Village of the city. It is the  part of town that have a wonderful selection of independent bars and restaurants and is the go to place for new cocktails and food!

Therefore there is always a really eclectic mix of people, music and fashion. 

It was packed out on Sunday and we had a great time, if you are not from Manchester then I would definitely recommend a visit to this part of town!

If you would like to know more about the event or see more pics then here is the link to the site

http://northernquartermanchester.com/northern-quarter-street-party-its-the-northern-quarter-takeover/

I hope you all had fab Bank Holiday weekends and have not got the post weekend blues too much! I am busy busy this week, lots of blog stuff going on and getting very excited for New York Fashion Week!!

Happy Tuesday!

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Purple Reign, Purple Reign

Alberta Ferretti, Prada, Gucci, Erdem, 

   Fendi, Christopher Kane

I love purple, it is one of my favourite colours, so you can imagine my excitement when it started popping up all over the catwalk at the AW12 collections. 

It is a perfect colour for winter, rich and deep but still really vibrant. It will be welcome tonic to all the black and leather we will no doubt we wearing. And as you can see from my picks above you can wear it loads of different styles, dress it up, wool it up or even coat it up. I mean how amazing is that Alberta Ferretti coat in the center? 

What I really liked was the way Prada and Christopher Kane used the colour with prints and textures, creating beautiful pattens that are so wearable but decadent at the same time. 

I think this could a perfect Christmas party dress colour, it would really stand out from the crowd. We just need to hope the high street and online retailers come up with some fab pieces for us to get our hands on! I will be getting my fashion feelers out and will hopefully find some real treats, which I will share with you. 

However, if you think head to toe purple is a step to far, then use accessories to wear the trend, bags, shoes and earrings will bring a pop of colour to any look. What do you think, are you joining me in the purple love in?

Are you loving this bank holiday weekend? It is so nice to have that extra day just to chill. I will be hitting the shops this weekend, I want to go and check out the Louise Gray collection for Topshop, it looks fab. And I want to start building up my AW wardrobe, so will be picking out a few key pieces, starting with my winter jacket, the staple. (well living in rained filled Manchester anyway) 

Tomorrow we are heading down to Manchester's Northern Quarter, as they are having a big street party with DJ's and food so will be posting on that too. 

Hope you all have lovely plans! 

Happy Bank Holiday!

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Channelling my inner Chanel!

                Shirt- Helmut Lang, Shorts- Boutique shop in Cannes
                Pearls- Selection from various places
          Rings- Bought in Portugal, Bag- Dorothy Perkins
                       Shoes- New Look  

This post is dedicated to Coco Chanel. To me is she one of the all time fashion icons, and her influence in the industry can never be understated. Her style was elegant, Chic and timeless.

So, I knew that for this look I would have wear my stunning white Helmut Lang shirt, that I won in a Motilo and Glasswork styling competition. It is classic and simple, but the dip hem at the back just gives it a edge and takes it away from just being a normal shirt. I love it, the cut is perfect and it will be a wardrobe staple for years, I mean every girl needs a fab white shirt, right?

But the star piece of this look are the pearls. Pearls are not a fashion statement, they are not a trend, they just never go out of style. When I was putting this outfit together I just kept layering them up and adding more and I love the overall look. Chanel will always be associated with Pearls, and I really wanted   them to be the focus, and more is always better for me! 

I normally style my outfits in quite a methodical manner, so it was really fun to put something together with another designer/fashion house in mind. I would definitely give it a go if you feel like spicing up your looks. 

And to quote the Lady herself..

"A girl should always be two things: classy and fabulous"

Coco Chanel

I hope you like my look, and I would love to know who are your fashion icons too. 

I hope your weeks are going ok? I am really looking forward to the long bank holiday weekend, as I don't have loads of plans, so it will be nice and relaxing. 

I will also be writing my Purple trend post, very excited to be wearing one of my fav colours this winter!

Happy Wednesday!

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Vintage Shops, Boutiques and Sun- A week in Norfolk!

Hi Guys, 

This is not purely a fashion post, it is the round up of my holiday in North Norfolk- one of the most beautiful areas of the country!

However before I get on to the East Anglia love in I wanted to share with you some of the fab Shops I discovered on my travels. I always get drawn into shopping on holiday, I just can't go a week without some form of fashion fix! I love having time to really mooch around shops instead of running around and grabbing things like I normally do. And this also normally leads me to different shops and styles than my usual haunts, this time it was Vintage shops and Boutiques. 

                     Me, Mum and Katie loving the Vintage!!

Now,I know fab vintage shops are all over the UK, but the 2 I found in North Norfolk were real gems. I will confess to not being a full on vintage shopper, I do have some very special items that I have had for years and will never leave me and I do love going every few months for a vintage fix, but most of my clothes are high street, so when I find really amazing vintage shops I get really excited. 

Past Caring in Holt is tiny, literally one 2-3 people can fit in there at one time, but it is packed with stunning pieces dating back from 1800 to the 1950's. There is the most beautiful collection of brooches and pins that would transform any outfit and stunning lace dresses and linen table cloths whisking you back to Gosford Park or Downton Abbey. 

Vintage Deli in Burnham Market is another star find with a real range of high end and high street pieces that will suit all budgets. I was in love with a white and gold shift dress from the 1960's, but to be honest the selection of jackets was also just as fab! 

If you are in the area and you love your Vintage clothing then these are a must to visit. But if you want to find them on line here are the links to the sites

http://pastcaring.net/

http://www.vintagedeli.co.uk/default.asp

I also rediscovered Anna's, a beautiful boutique shop featuring luxury designer dresses, accessories and denims. The selection of designers is too hard to resist, Matthew Williamson, ACNE, Issa London, J Brand, Alice by Temperley and Halston to name a few. I picked up a gorgeous teal green Selected Femme dress that will be appearing in an outfit post very soon!

Anna's is a shopping heaven, located across Norfolk, Suffolk and London and if you would like to check out more details here is the website

http://www.shopatanna.com/

And now, for my photos of some of my favourite places along the North Norfolk coast- Burnham Market, Blakney, Cley and Sheringham

I  hope you have all had nice starts to the week? It is always hard coming back after a holiday but I am throwing myself into the blog and keeping as busy as I can. I have got lots of posts coming up this week so be sure the check in for those. Also let me know your top Vintage shops in your area as I really want to discover more hidden treasures for my closet! 

Happy Monday! 

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Leather and Wine!

Hi Guys!

Hope you are all having a good week? I am down in North Norfolk with my Family and am having an wonderful time. The weather has been amazing and the cottage we are staying in is really quaint and  we have been spending lots of time walking on the beach, mooching round farm shops and eating a lot of cake! Funny how a normal Tuesday is such a rubbish day, but when you are away it is so different! 

These are the pics of today's outfit that I wore for an afternoon going round the shops in Holt the town we are staying. There are some fab vintage finds here, every shop is like an Aladdin's Cave, so it is far to say my wallet has been taking a bit of a hit! 

I love this new H&M leather top, it is going to be perfect for the winter months, but I could not resist putting it on now. It is sheer at the back which just gives it a edge and I teamed it with my burgendy chino's another Autumn/Winter staple ( which I put in my last video) It was quite a relaxed look, but I decided to give it a bit of a pop with my Forever 21

  Top -H&M, Chino's - Primark, Necklace- Forever 21, Bag- New Look

I will be writing a full post of my week down here when I get back, so stayed tuned for that, and my feature on the hotest colour this season purple! 

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Happy Tuesday!

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"Carry Over" Trends and Key Pieces for AW12

Hi Guys

This is my new video going over the key "carry over" trends for the new Autumn/ Winter season! I always find August and January really awkward months in the fashion calender as you are coming to the end of one season and not quite into the new one, and you generally tend to be floating in a transitional no mans land, which I will be honest really stresses me out!

So, in an attempt to be more organised going into the new season I have gone through my current wardrobe and picked out key items and pieces I have been wearing all summer that will follow me through to the autumn and winter months.

 I hope you like my picks and before you pack any of your spring/summer clothes away watch this video! :-)

Here is an overview of the Key style "keepers"-sorry do not know what is with all the quotation marks!!

1) The Peplum Trend

2) Belts - OBI, chunky, detailed, skinny all kinds!

3) Black Leather Look Leggings/ Trousers/ Skirts

4) Burgundy/ Deep Coloured Jeans/ Trousers

5) The Metallic Dress

6) Metallic Nail Polishes 

I hope you find the video useful and I would love to know what trends and styles you are looking forward to next season! 

I am not sure about you, but I am so excited about the weekend. I am heading down to Norfolk with my Family for a week and I can't wait. I have been going to there for years, it is a beautiful unspoiled part of the UK with gorgeous beaches and lovely little Towns and Villages, restaurants and some wonderful shops! I will be posting while I away, so stay tuned for a full North Norfolk report. 

And just one last plug about the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards, the site is still open to vote for Logans Runway as the Best New Fashion Blog! If you would like to vote I would be very happy and send you lots of cyber hugs! 

Here is the link

http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/blog-awards-2012-vote

Happy Weekend! 

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AW12 Trend-Metallic Magnetic Nails

Hi Guys, 

I hope you weeks are going ok? Mine seems to have been busy busy so  far.

This post I am really excited about as it is introducing the new Barry M Magnetic Metallic nail polishes! 

These magnetic nail effects and cracked top coats have been on the scene for a while now, but it is always fab when new colours come out to match the seasons on trend styles.

After seeing metallic colours appearing in the Fashion shows back in February I was hoping that the beauty products would follow and this range of colours will fit in perfectly with any winter wardrobe and dare I say it so early your Christmas Party look.

 Colours- Sparkle Gold, Sparkle Blue, Sparkle Red

     Multi Sparkle and Green Sparkle

 I am no nail art expert. I have a very shaky hand and designs normally end up looking smudged, so when I was kindly sent this AW12 collection to try I was a bit unsure how I would master the magnetic effect. However, after the first nail I was hooked, it was so easy to use and the effect is instant. 

These are the Steps..

1) Base Coat

2) Allow to dry base coat

3) Apply second coat

4) Instantly take the magnetic lid and hold it over the nail, the little ridge of the lid sitting at the bottom of the nail and hold for about 20-30 secs (don't actually press the lid on to the nail just hover it directly over it)

5) Lift of and allow to dry completely and done!

 Here are the different colours on the nails

                                                                      Sparkle Gold

                                                                      Sparkle Blue

                                                                          Sparkle Red

 

                                                                    Sparkle Green

                                                            Multi Sparkle

I am really happy with all the different looks that were created, if you check the lid of each colour you can see what the design with be. The polishes are easy to apply, dry quick and I have worn mine for over 5 days and there is no signs of chipping, which for me is a miracle! 

The two colours that you will get the most use our of will definitely be the gold and multi as they will tone in with loads of different looks and will look fab with all this seasons strong Gothic blacks.

I hope you like the effects, sorry if my camera does not show the true colours, the red and blue are not really bright, but do look better in person. 

These polishes really are really very easy for creating nail art and for a novice like me that is fab!

 I always say that fashion does not just stop with clothes and if you are not someone who is confident about wearing bright colours or trends then nail varnish is a great way to be vibrant. 

I will do a full post on all my fav nail polished very soon, but stay tuned later this week for my next video on the top pieces in my wardrobe I am taking with my for next season! 

 Happy Tuesday!!

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