Fashion: Top 5

24 February 2014

L-R clockwise: jumpsuit £55 Topshop, lace pencil skirt £24.99 New Look, art fest top £4 Primark, cats eyes sunglasses £10 River Island, scallop bag £30 Asos

The high street's fashion sense has come up trumps this season - I took a little shopping trip with my mum around my Somerset home town last weekend and found some hidden treasures in amongst the,  lets face it, 'not so' treasures. Taking note of designers such as Prada, Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior you will find art fest, floral and pretty pastel trends - among so many others - every way you look. 

The shop I was most taken aback with was New Look as I normally find it quite behind the seasons and trends - but not this year. Full of pale pastel dresses and colour blocking tops my summer wish list became a lot longer once I had visited my not-even-that-big high street store. This lace pencil skirt was just one of countless garments I could have picked, it's simple, feminine and oh so flexible - very similar to the one we saw at Burberry Prorsum. Dressed up or down it'll see you straight through the spring and summer months.

A clever spin on the (popular every year) floral trend is art fest, Celine and Chanel made us weep with envy as their own take on the trend graced the catwalk but never fear we have the always affordable Primark around our corner. This absolute bargain (£4 is borderline insane) is bold, colourful and will look great with white short shorts and a denim shirt for when the summer nights hit.

Accessories are also huge in the summer months, the perfect sunglasses are essential  - finding the right pair for your face shape and size often seems like a hugely exhausting task. But this pair from River Island will suit most face shapes, the cats eye frame was seen on a lot of catwalks for summer and will add a touch of femininity to your outfit. The bag and jumpsuit I would pair together, this gorgeous print from Topshop completely encourages the floral trend and brings it right up to date, as for the bag who can go wrong with an Asos beauty and the colour is perfect.

Fashion

19 February 2014

Anya Hindmarch

at London Fashion Week

A plain crisp white dress and patterned silk scarf were the perfect two components to have to really wow onlookers at the Anya Hindmarch catwalk show at London Fashion Week yesterday. With a barcode backdrop it was clear we were in for a supermarket chic shopping treat from the bespoke designer. Statement bags are obviously what Hindmarch wants to see us in come this Autumn/ Winter and we're not complaining. Keep the clothing as simple as you like and say everything you want to with this most adored accessory.

The shopping theme was apparent from the start and it was a continuous theme throughout, with the models even walking with a miniature shopping trolley. Big bags and small clutches were adorned with  iconic food packaging. Kelloggs 'grrrrreat' frosites and Mcvities digestives to Ariel washing detergent and custard cream biscuits were all there and it gave a sort of nostalgia and extreme Britishness to the collection.

The colours were bright and bold telling us to not shy away from colour next season like we normally do when the dreary winter months descend on us. The models were also added into the simplicity of the design aesthetic, sleek hair, easy make up adding a bold lip for some life in the face and a colour pop of bright colour with the footwear. Hindmarch is a favourite among the greats, she was even given an MBE for her contribution to the British fashion industry, counting Kate Middleton as a valued customer. Bravo!

all images from londonfashionweek.co.uk

Music: Album Review

Temples 
Sun Structures

Reincarnating the psychedelia, glam punk funk with the likes of Toy, Foxygen and Tame Impala in their creative company British boys Temples showcase their debut 12 track LP. It's pretty clear where their inspiration for the album came from - lead singer James Bagshaw doesn't hide his love for The Beatles and their 'clever writing' - and was actually recorded and produced in Bagshaw's house. While they have taken note of what The Beatles did they are in no way a copycat of the iconic Liverpudlians, it is only the first track 'Shelter Song' that gives you that link - hello 'Love Me Do', the rest is completely different and now pure Temples.

You can imagine these guys coming out from Bagshaws' self made studio with all these tracks under their belt. 'Shelter Song' shows the raw and unmediated sounds the band were looking for,  echoing space harmonies and vintage equipment being gently played. Cue you being absorbed into a psychedelic kaleidoscope of colour and sound. Second track 'Sun Structures' starts with a slightly gutsier sound - hey drums! - but the ooooohs and ahhhhhs from background singers Thomas Warmsley, Adam Smith and Samuel Toms are still very evident and are becoming something of a signature sound for the band.

'Keep in the Dark' sends you back to what you imagine the sixties would be like or (if you're old enough) how you remember it. Story telling lyrics will have you sweeping across your bedroom - Sleep won't save you from the night/ Drink up darling dressed in white - believing you are that same darling dressed in white. 'Test of Time' placed near the end of the album is a welcome burst of sound, more fast paced and upbeat with the heavy beat of the drums in the background it is one of the stand out tracks.

Ending the album with 'Fragment's Light' was a stroke of genius. Quiet, gentle and almost like a softening lullaby it eases you toward the finish line and at just under two minutes it'll be a quick but not abrupt finish. The band have bagged themselves a UK tour throughout February and March including the NME Awards tour and a slot at Field Day festival in June with End of the Road just announced for August. This album is going to be one of the most listened to come the summer months and hopefully the band with a BBC6 Lauren Laverne live lounge and interview maybe some of the bigger festivals will take note.

Want tickets? Click here to be taken to Ents24 website.

Fashion

18 February 2014

Burberry

at London Fashion Week

It was always going to be one of the biggest shows at London Fashion Week but I don't think anyone knew just how much Burberry's Autumn/ Winter 2014 collection was going to wow us. With an ethereal and bohemian theme throughout, the hand-painted bags and bright print of their staple garment the trench coat and gladiator heels screamed change for the brand.

With Christopher Bailey still very much at the Burberry helm the designs were intricate, loud and designed with all these different prints cleverly thought out. Models such as Suki Waterhouse and Cara Delevingne walked for the brand while Anna Wintour, Harry Styles and Waterhouse's current squeeze Bradley Cooper watched from the frow. Delevingne even ended the show with a personalised scarf emblazoned with her initials, CJL.

Top trends from the show include: 
Tucking that scarf in - every single look had a gorgeous flowing extra long scarf flowing down and tucked neatly into a Burberry belt, cinching that waist even more.
Toe Show - It may be designed for autumn/ winter but that doesn't mean the shoe boot has to make an appearance, gladiator heels were there in every look, more peep less boot.
Big, bold prints - Don't shy away from colour or prints this year, winter normal holds simple patterns but not for this brand. Embrace it, the bigger the better.
Long Locks - Not even the tiniest bit of hair was swept up, letting the hair do what it wants is the big thing for this season and snuggled in a gorgeous long scarf you'll be super snug.

images all from londonfashionweek.co.uk

Fashion

17 February 2014

Grunge Princess

A photo shoot I created in year two of university. The theme was grunge princess - I wanted to keep the make up dark and tempting and the clothing very feminine. Going to the New Forest in Hampshire was the best location I could have possibly envisaged and the trees ended up being the perfect setting for a still life jewellery shot.

Creator/ Stylist/ Photographer - Me

Model - Danielle Mees

Hair and Make up artists - Leanne Major and Joanna Mylne
Clothing provided by Larissa Hirst

Music: Album Review

10 February 2014

Foxygen

We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic

Multi-instrumentalists Sam France and Jonathon Rado first formed Foxygen in 2005 as 15-year- old high school freshman. After attending different universities and attempting to form their own bands separate from each other they felt unfulfilled. This triggered France to pay a visit to Rado and so began their work on creating their first studio album ‘Take the Kids off Broadway.’ 

After signing to the super indie label Jagjaguwar in 2012 they have now released their second full length album, ‘We are the Ambassadors of Peace & Magic.’ Listening to this American rock duo’s sound, it is clear they have been influenced by 1960s psychedelia. It boasts similarities to The Beatles and Rolling Stones when they were in their most rocky, drug-fuelled, psychedelic stage of music. The album is the success of producer Richard Swift, recorded at his Freedom Studio last year it is a triumph for all involved.

This majestic pair have taken about 100+ songs and compiled them into a nine track album full of whimsical, mysterious and at times completely baffling lyrical genius. The ridiculously titled album begins with In the Darkness, the on-going comparison to older musicians can be made with this track. Featuring a heavy drum beat, soft vocals and an audience applause playing in the background, it brings back that 1960s nostalgia. 

The melancholic start is something the band continues with throughout the record. Taking different instruments like flutes and xylophones means they have a different sound to most musicians right now. And a different attitude, taking the hippy, free-loving and 60s influence to the absolute extreme, their music is made to be played in a grunge club or festival for people to sway hallucinogenically to.

On Blue Mountain holds similarities of Elvis’ ‘Suspicious minds. We can live on without her/ like living in the sunset resembles We can’t go on together/ with suspicious minds. Taking away this comparison at the end when they evolve into a rocky outburst of electric guitar and haunting vocals. San Francisco is placed perfectly in the middle of the track list, the lyrics are written as a conversation between the singer and a woman,  I left my love in San Francisco/ that’s ok I was born in LA.

The Avante garde band ends the album with Oh No, a slow and pretty track once again involving another person’s voice. This time a deep man’s voice can be heard, speaking as though he were doing a television cast the whole song feels like it is sucking you into a deep hole but not in a bad way. It’s mesmerising but creepy, terrifying and intelligent, everything the album is throughout. It ends with only the piano and a high-pitched voice making a poignant end to a brilliant album.

Music: Album Review

Bombay Bicycle Club 

So Long See You Tomorrow

When English indie-rock band Bombay Bicycle Club promised their fans a totally new sound with fourth album So Long See You Tomorrow they weren't lying. Currently riding high at number one in the UK album chart it is the first record from the band actually defining them. Their discography holds three very different albums, their debut I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose was full of generic drums and guitar but held poetic blasts of genius. Flaws took the band a little deeper into their natural sound, doing away with the heavy beat they created melancholic genius and with third album A Different Kind Of Fix this only grew.

So Long See You Tomorrow (SLSYT) shows us Bombay's new identity - the identity that was always there, no doubt - but now with their record label giving them more freedom and the time to create (it's been almost three years since their last record) the band are giving us the real them - we think. Taking time to create the LP was partly due to lead vocalist Jack Steadman travelling around India, Turkey and the Netherlands - a lot of the songs were written there and you can certainly hear the cultural influences especially in Feel, one of the later songs on the album. Much like taking a gap year as a student the band now seems to have 'found themselves' and if this is the real Bombay it should stay…forever.

Releasing singles It's Alright Now, Carry Me and Luna late last year and early this year meant the band were already showcasing this totally different sound to their avid fans - but the album still holds many surprises. Opening with Overdone barely a word is spoken for the first minute, concentrating more on their high pitch tune and higher-than-soprano harmonies it then leads into a guitar and drum fuelled abrupt ending - the best way to introduce you to SLSYT. Already known songs It's Alright Now and Carry Me give the album so old familiarity then it's onto the new - Home By Now continues the theme of high octave singing with an undertone of R&B and the bands old school indie thrown in for good measure.

Feel is the odd-one-out of the whole album, as previously mentioned this is where Steadman's earlier Indian travels come into play - more of a Bollywood groove than a song at the beginning of the track you can't help but succumb to it. With random bursts of trumpets and an easy-to-dance-to tune it's a song that has summer festival written all over it - lucky Latitude. The album ends softly with title track So Long See You Tomorrow, it ties it up their fourth record perfectly leaving a lasting sound you'll be humming for weeks. As their first number one album and with very little input from their record label the band should see it as a huge triumph that people have taken so quickly to their risky new sound - albeit their best.

So Long See You Tomorrow is out now and available on iTunes.

Fashion

5 February 2014

Primark S/S 14 collection

The january blues are finally over and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel - sort of, I'm currently confined to my house due to this 'adverse weather' - but the high street stores are giving us a little hope that summer will be here soon. It seems Primark have been seriously scribbling notes at some of the best fashion shows of Spring/ Summer 2014. Their new collection - due in stores from 7th February onwards - is one of the best high street collections I've seen so far this year. Taking inspiration from what Prada did with artsy cartoon prints and the sheer panelling of Louis Vuitton with the ever popular floral prints and pastel colours they have come out triumphant in their own (definitely cheaper) pieces. I've chosen just a few to whet your appetite but trust me when I say picking just these ten items was a tough choice.

l-r clockwise: blue feather crop top £10, mint culottes £10, pink pu biker jacket £25, lemon asymmetric wrap skirt £10, mini satchel £6, palm tree scuba tee £8

One of the best pieces from Primark is the pink pu biker jacket - you can buy it now and it'll see you straight through til April - maybe even further depending on the British weather, it also comes in white so would make a gorgeous summer jacket. The satchel is something every woman is going to have hanging in her wardrobe come summer, this mini one is such a bargain you could get it in a whole array of colours and still have money left to book a summer getaway. Knot a scarf on the handle for an instant splash of colour and it will also make it look that bit more expensive.

Remember culottes? No, me neither, but my mum does and it seems they are making a floaty comeback this season. The mint green colour of these is dreamy and the length will look great on any shape or size, they are also insanely comfy. Is it a skirt is it a trouser? Who cares, I'm so comfortable! Not normally a fan of yellow but I have included this fitted wrap skirt - blondes steer clear, you'll be clashing - but brunettes and redheads will be lusting over this pretty lemon colour. The shape of top for spring/ summer 2014 is cropped so get those stomach crunches going and add these two shortened tees to your wish list. The pink palm tree print tee is top of my summer list.

l-r clockwise: lemon shift dress £13, pink tailored trouser £12,  sequin flowers lip dress £17,  raffia platforms £12

I say I'm not a fan of yellow and here I am featuring two yellow pieces from the collection, but I had to mention this shift dress, perfect to slip on for an evening cocktail (or six) teamed with light scarf and sandals makes it easy to wear - which is always good for lazy me. The vivid pink trousers will bring some light to your office wear, yes we still have to go to work even when it's sunny, the tailored finished means you could go baggy up top with a sheer blouse and chunky necklace combo.

I've seen similar shapes to this sequin flower dress from Topshop a season or so ago but that doesn't mean it's any less of a statement piece for Primark. They have updated the colour and the embellished detailing was something Topshop never did. The wedge is always a good shoe to go for in the summer months, not to mention it gives you more stability when you've had those six cocktails. I love the pattern they have on the wedge of these and don't think they'll be in stores for long. 

Don't worry we won't have to wait for all these perfect pieces for too long - they hit stores from the 7th of February. Woo!