Summer nails!

Today the sun decided to peek out from behind those pesky dark grey clouds and put a smile on everyone's faces! For once it actually felt like May and not mid-winter. With summer well and truly on it's way, I'm in the middle of decluttering my wardrobe and eBaying gilets, heavy jackets and generally anything that I haven't worn in the last six months. Part of this summer overhaul includes my nails, and I'm keen to start wearing brighter and bolder colours to brighten up my days!

& Other Stories Twill Blue is a gorgeous royal blue shade, not dissimilar to Nails Inc Baker Street. Despite the formula not being amazing (we're talking chips on the second day), the colour is enough to make me love it and for £5 who's complaining? On the other hand, I have always found Jack Wills nail polishes to be amazing quality, and Butter Yellow is a beautiful bright and summery colour. I love how the two clash but "go" so well together, what do you think?

ONE COAT

TWO COATS

xxx

Head over heels for Aperlai Shoes

They say that a dog is a man's best friend. Well, in my opinion, shoes are a woman's best friend.

I work as an Assistant Buyer within the footwear industry so luckily lusting over gorgeous heels or edgy loafers is an everyday activity for me.

Aperlai shoes epitomise sophistication and Avenue 32's current range is beautiful and very on trend for SS13, featuring exotic snakeskin prints, colour popping neons and eyecatching androgynous loafers. The brainchild of Parisian born Alessandra Lanvin, Aperlai are a bold brand based on structure, asymmetry and contrast, and have adorned the feet of Blake Lively, Keira Knightley and Kate Bosworth no less. I was impressed and it was love at first sight to say the least. I've picked three of my favourite styles from this seasons collection, and in true Here's One I Made Earlier style, made some moodboards with outfit ideas to go with them.

The Fluoro Annie Slingbacks are a signature piece from the SS13 collection, bang on trend and oozing sophistication with the almond clash against tangerine piping. I kept my outfit ideas similar to the colourscheme of the heel, neutral throughout with a pop of colourful nails or a clashing Blue silk cami.

These beautiful Snakeskin heels are my favourite pair of shoes from Aperlai. The gold hardware on the back of the heel adds instant fashion points whilst the shocking forest green colour and sharp lines keep it edgy. I would wear these heels with a crisp white lace blouse and nude leather jacket, patent black nails and a statement necklace for added cool this season.

Last but not least I have picked out these 125mm White / Nude cut out heels. Another signature piece, the colour palette of this pair make them wearable with almost outfit, statement or everyday. Royal blue and navy happen to be my favourite colours so I always take advantage of any oppurtunity to match them with a pair of shoes, so I've picked out a few pieces which would suit perfectly along with some statement accessories.

What do you think of Aperlai shoes?

xxx

SS13 TREND #5 - Embellishments and Foil

That was a fast five days! We have reached the end of my SS13 trend guide, but don't worry, I've saved the best 'till last.

Embellishments and foil are one of the classiest SS13 trends, and can instantly make your outfit look more expensive. Think small detailing, studs, shimmer and a variety of rose gold, silver and gold.

As with every trend I have featured this week, this trend works best by limiting yourself to one or two pieces per outfit. For example, I would wear the cami with the bracelet set, the blazer with the green gunmetal nail polish or the blazer on it's own with a plain cami, statement necklace and black skinny trousers.

What do you think of embellishments and foil pieces?

I hope you have all enjoyed this collection of posts as much as I have enjoyed researching and putting the looks together. I would love to know which has been your favourite looks, so please feel free to leave a comment below or tweet me @hannahxcampbell !

xxx

SS13 TREND #4 - Printed Trousers

Despite everyone's thoughts, there's no denying that printed trousers are everywhere right now, and I think at one point all of us bloggers will be rocking a pair. So, let's embrace them, and find pieces which are most suited to us.

Printed trousers can be hard to pull off, depending on body shape, the print and the colour. However, as long as you find the right pair for you, they will be one of the most flattering and on trend items in your wardrobe to date.

I myself would favour the skinnier, tregging style trousers over the baggier ones, due my wide hips but long legs. If you have skinnier legs, then the cigarette style trousers look great on you, and you can really explore with the brighter, more crazy prints. If you have short legs, go for a daintier print in a slimmer style fit, as it will draw less attention and elongate the legs.

What are your views on printed trousers? Will you be giving it a go for Spring / Summer '13?

Tomorrow's post will feature the final look of my SS13 trend guide: Embellishments and Foil.

xxx

SS13 TREND #3 - Dainty Pastels

The dainty pastel look is by far my favourite of the Spring Summer '13 trends. However, it is also one of the most difficult to pull off, and wearing one too many items can leave you looking like you've been dragged through a chalk factory backwards.

The high street and online marketplace has become completely saturated with pastel pieces, some which are beautiful and some which do not deserve to have ever been designed. My top picks are pictured above, ranging from Ash wedge trainers to frilly socks, a Cambridge Satchel to patent colourblocked brogues.

As with the neon trend, pastels look best when paired with simple, staple items, and in my opinion the best way to wear this trend is by limiting yourself to three (possibly even two) pastel pieces per outfit. 

What do you think about the pieces I have picked? 

Tomorrow's look will be printed trousers.

xxx

SS13 TREND #2 - Monochromatic

Possibly the easiest of the Spring / Summer trends to wear is Monochrome. In direct contrast to yesterday's neons, the monochromatic trend is all about simple Blacks and White, with a few Grey hues chucked in here and there for good measure.

The high street is full of monochrome pieces right now, but above are my top picks for how to wear the trend.

I found those Black heeled boots at Topshop, and quite simply them sum up this trend in one. With a slight banana heel (very in this season) and in Black suede, they will instantly polish off any look, be it a White shirt and Black skinny jeans, a slouchy Black and White striped sweater or a fancy skater dress.

I also love matte black nails, similar to the heels, I think they add instant sophistication to any look and are a very classy way of wearing all Black on your fingertips. To achieve matte Black nails, simply paint two coats of a Black nail polish - I favour Nails Inc in Black Taxi - then paint one coat of Rimmel London Matte Finish  top coat over to finish.

Do you like the Monochrome trend? How will you wear it this Spring / Summer?

Tomorrow I will be showcasing my top pieces for the Dainty Pastels look.

xxx

SS13 TREND #1 - Highlighter Chic

To kick off my week of SS13 trends that YOU can wear, I've picked the neon trend. I've named this 'Highlighter Chic' due to it's resemblance to a pack of Stabilo Boss pens!

Colourblocking is the key here if you want to wear more than one piece at once, it's best not to wear the same colour twice as it will just look like you are trying too hard. So, my advice would be to clash colours together, matching the Orange blouse with the Blue blazer, for example.

If you're not brave enough to colourblock, or simply don't want to blind the people in your office, try wearing one of these pieces with some simple, staple pieces. I'm thinking the Yellow top with Black skinny jeans, the Orange blazer with a simple White cami underneath, or the Yellow bag with a Charcoal pinafore.

What do you think of this look? Will you be rocking 'Highlighter Chic' this Spring / Summer?

Tomorrow's look will feature the best of Monochrome on the high street.

xxx

SS13 in trends YOU can wear

It's very easy to go to a fashion show and watch all of the beautiful new season trends displayed out in front of you. However, most of these catwalk looks are designed purely as inspiration, and to the average twenty something girl, are not a true representation of a wearable look. I'm talking about triple neon, £1000 price tags for the necklace alone or haute couture adaptations of the latest trend. 

I thought it would be cool to make some inspiration boards to sum up the SS13 trends, by using items that are readily available online, and well within an average salary's budget. 

I'm going to be posting one look a day for five days, based on the trends I have picked up from some fashion shows I have been to recently. I have researched the length and breadth of the high street retail market, and picked some of my favourite pieces for each trend. Obviously I am not saying this is how to wear the trend, and by no means would I ever wear eveything in the boards all at once (pastel overload!) but   it will hopefully give you all some ideas of how you can affordably instantly update your wardrobe for Spring / Summer.

The looks I will be posting are:

Highlighter Chic

Monochromatic

Dainty Pastels

Printed Trousers

Embellishments & Foil

xxx

Harvey Nichols Show SS13

Well, well, well.. What a busy week this has been!

I've been in London this week and been grabbing at every last second to ensure my dissertation was ready to hand in yesterday. In between this hectic schedule however, I did manage to squeeze in a teeny tiny fashion show, namely the Harvey Nichols SS13 preview!

Hosted at The Old Post Office, at the back of the Mailbox in Birmingham, the runway showcased the latest trends and looks for Spring Summer '13, featuring pieces from Mary Katrantzou, Marc Jacobs, Victoria Beckham, Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane and many, many more. The hot trends this season were divided into six collections; White Out, Colour Pop, Foil, Mixed Prints, Monochrome and Fantasy Frock.

Here's a few of my favourite looks (It was very hard to whittle all of my photos down!)

And finally, to my favourite look:

xxx

Birmingham International Fashion Week

Today was an unusual Saturday, no lie in, no toast and jam for breakfast and no elongated getting ready session with Made in Chelsea on in the background. Today I attended Birmingham International Fashion Week, so I was up at 9am sharp to get ready and get down there, camera in tow.

I thought you all might like to see what I took with me, so in true blogger style, here's what I had in my bag:

As my camera is playing up a little at the moment and the button to take a picture keeps sticking, I relied on my trusty iPhone for runway photos so apologies for the fuzziness!

Defined Moment

Defined Moment, a haute couture brand from Paris, is based upon not following the traditional rules of conventional beauty, but aiming to define its own rules as long as they serve one goal: an outburst of beauty through unusual combinations of techniques and materials that have never been seen before.

Dawn Sunflower

All the way from the sunny Orange County, Dawn Nguyen studied at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise (FIDM) before dedicating her work to Dawn Sunflower. Known for her unique but classic styles, this AW13 collection is inspired by the contrast between day and night by contrasting fabrics and Black and White in the garments.

Sophia Couture

Sophia Couture was my favourite show from today, showcasing some beautiful and timeless pieces. The idealogy between the Sophia Couture collection is to flatter the female figure, with colour used where possible and intricate details on each garment making them truly unique to the wearer.

I had a brilliant time today, I met Feyi from Uncover the Untold and Chloe from Unwritten Hollywood and we all had a wonder around the stalls and then took a seat in the press area between shows to guzzle down some free Red Bull and munch our way through the popcorn on offer. The best thing about meeting up with other bloggers? You don't feel weird about taking photos of your drinks, your press pass landyard etc, because they're doing it too!

Which is your favourite look?
xxx