Archive for the ‘Fashion Passion’ Category

Those of you who are regular readers of this blog will know miss Anna Jane here is hardly of the indie sort. My side parting is not exactly of the extreme gravity-defying sort and the peroxide on my head has yet to reach fluorescent proportions. Yet somehow, despite the lack of alternativeness about my person, I managed to rise to the challenge of morphing into an indie kid for a very different sort of night out.
The night involved lots of dubstep and drum & bass, followed by a lovely dose of old school/indie in a bar whose ceiling barely extended beyond the top of my skull.

As for the transformation process? Extreme side parting + slightly tousled hair + lots of eyeliner + blouse + skirt + tights + pointed brogues = sorted! Definitely not my usual style, but there’s no doubt that it’s fun to experiment sometimes. Who knows, I might start dressing like this more often.

And the pictures (apologies for the lack of full outfit pictures, but my camera is actually held together with a lot of cracked plastic and sellotape right now…):

Absolutely love the vintage-inspired heart pattern on this blouse. The blouse itself is cropped short, so I teamed it with a high-waisted black skirt and black tights to balance it out.

The pointed patent Primark brogues! These pictures were taken after my night out, so hence the tragic drink stains and dust marks.

You can’t really see the full extent of my hairstyle here, but I roughed it up quite a bit which is different to my normal style. Of course the look wouldn’t have been complete without a slick of bright lipstick and a gold plaited hairband!

So there you go. How to transform yourself from pretty normal to indie kid in the space of one evening. You likey?

Question time: Do you like to transform your style or do you mainly stick to the same looks? What looks have you experimented with in the past?

P.S. Sorry if you’ve been receiving weird messages from my Twitter. It’s not me, it’s spam, so just ignore it!

P.P.S Thanks everyone who voted for me in the Benetton: It’s My Time competition! It’s still not too late to vote – CLICK HERE TO GET VOTING!

Bit of a boring post today, I’ll admit. Floral top, skinny jeans, bit o’ leather and the good old boots I last posted about but couldn’t take a proper full length image because the Canon Powershot can’t handle it. I need to start a new camera fund. That’s after I get me a Macbook first. Hmm.

Sometimes, just sometimes, it’s good to ignore the eccentricities of high fashion and revert to a more basic, laid-back style. One thing fashion has taught me over the years is that dressing like a leather-clad Prima Donna doesn’t always give you as much credit as you may think. Not that I dress for compliments, mind you! But people are generally more fascinated by what you wear during your chilled out days than your lots-of-effort, LOOK-AT-ME days. (Don’t pretend you don’t have those days…). Think Jennifer Anniston for example. She’s hardly Miss Eccentric herself, but somehow the media still wants to know how she’s kitted out.

When it comes to a bit of casual fash, I’m all about the pretty tops and skinnies. I rarely wear anything else. It’s not exciting, but the pretty top part gives a bit of life and versatility. Ideal. Oh, and if the top is absolutely splattered with floral print, all the better. The floral trend is one trend I could never get sick of and if it ever becomes uncool I will either commit fashion suicide or wear it with a severe untrendy vengeance.

So my little fashion poodles, what do you wear on those ‘blah, I can’t be bothered to be quirky/eccentric/different’ days? Are you a jeans and top kinda person or do you opt for something else? Enlighten me!

P.S. JLS hoodies are so in this season and everyone should get one. Gemma Louise Dadson did not make me write this.

I’m a little late to point this out, I know, but nude definitely seems to be the way to go this season. And the next season too, it appears.
I like nude (the colour, not the naked sort). I like how it’s a refreshing change from the oftentimes too-painful-to-look-at neon brights which dominated the catwalks of the past few seasons. Believe me, looking like my favourite Stabilo Boss Highlighter pen was not a flattering look.

Whilst nude is nice, it does have the rather annoying ability to drain the paler variety of person of all colour and lustre. Basically, if you’re lucky enough to be dark-skinned, then embrace the nudeness, because you can’t go wrong with this shade.
If, like me, you’re more milkmaid than exotic goddess, then you need to be careful with this trend. I recently made the horrific mistake of wearing a so-nude-it-was-almost-white ruffle dress courtesy of H+M without any hint of a fake-tan to balance it out. Essentially, I just looked washed out. Not good.

So how to get this tricky shade just right? You have two choices. The first choice is: get a tan. Preferably out of a spray tan or bottle, because I won’t condone skin cancer on this blog. As long as you’re not frightfully orange, a light glowing tan will help to add contrast between your skin and fleshy-coloured garment(s), a point I didn’t manage to consider whilst wearing that damned ruffle dress.
Now for your second choice: be picky. Believe it or not, nude comes in a variety of shades, from the almost-white to the slightly tangerine varieties. The paler you are, the more tangerine-nude you should go, unless you’re willing to go for the tan option. Also, adding contrasting colours such as black to your outfit will really help to define the difference between the garment(s) and your skin.

So, there you have it. How to embrace one of this season’s (and next season!) hottest trends, without washing yourself out. And now, for some show off pictures of my most recent nude buys… (yes, I’m turning into a nude-hoarding whore, I should really stop it now). Look out for these item in future outfit posts! :-

(Clockwise from top left: top: Topshop, ruffled waistcoat: Topshop, necklace: Primark, bracelet: Primark)

Question time: what’s your view on going nude this season?

So it’s not quite Christmas yet, but I can justify myself.

Number one – these glasses are Gucci. And nothing Gucci is going to stay under my tree for long.

Number two – before these babies, I was quite literally blind. So technically, it’s as if Santa bought me some new eyes for Christmas. Yeah!

Yup... all that money for a miniscule logo. So worth it.

Glasses tin from Octopus which I couldn't resist. If you don't think this is cute, you obviously have no heart.

Ta-da! I won't ever take these off. Ever.

Cute, no? What do you think?

As human beings, we are all blessed with a sense of individuality. We have individual appearances, individual mindsets, and, consequently, this leads us to make individual decisions. Furthermore, this individuality is reflected in our sense of style, right from the way we dress up our dresses to the way we tie our own ties. This is, ladies and gentlemen, fashion.

Fashion is often interpreted as a “world of dictatorship” in which a string of designers and other snobby fashion elitists decide the fate of our wardrobes. Granted, fashion is, at large, all about trends and copying and stealing one another’s style. But this doesn’t make it a bad thing. And it certainly shouldn’t remove us from our individuality – not at any cost.

Through several years of careful observation I’ve discovered that some of the world’s best dressed are those not afraid to reject the idea of fashion as a world of vast dictatorship. (I’m well aware that I’m making the likes of Karl Lagerfeld sound like Hitler here with all this talk of dictatorship… but oh well).

First, let’s take Kate Moss: an international icon who’s dress sense has been rattling the rules of the catwalk for many a year. Her style is cool, effortless, and oozes attitude. There is little wonder, then, that so many of us want to be just like her.
The thing about Kate Moss is that whilst she oozes that “I don’t care” attitude which we all so lovingly admire, there is an underlying sense that she does care, which saves her from the disasters of looking too casually thrown together. And this is exactly where individuality and fashion work hand in hand.
If asymmetric dresses are in, no doubt Kate Moss will have worn one several months beforehand. Burberry, Balmain, Stella McCartney…. the clothes are handed to her on a plate, ready for her to add her own unique twists and turns.

Then there’s the more up-and-coming fashionistas of the 21st Century. Take Alexa Chung: slightly rock-chic, slightly girlie-girl. Once again, Alexa Chung is not afraid to add her own twists and turns to an outfit. Brogues, shorts, tights and chain bags – I say if we have anyone to thank for that look, it’s Alexa.

Lastly, let’s examine the look of someone much more far-removed from the likes of festival-chic. What about Dita Von Teese? Forgetting the poles and the underwear and the giant cocktail glasses for just a second… has anyone seen her typical outfit choices? Here is a woman who enjoys sophistication to excess – think 40’s dresses, simple courts and super-polished hair and make-up. Despite the latest fashionistas stating that hair and make-up should be “effortless-chic”, Dita remains true to her own.

This brings me nicely to the main point of this post. The common ground between these three celebrities is that they are all not afraid to express their individuality through their sense of style. They adopt and reject trends according to their own individual sense of taste, and it is this fact alone which results in feelings of admiration and often envy.

So how can we express our own sense of indivuality through our dress? Read on for inspiration…

1.) KNOW WHAT SUITS YOU
It’s good to know which trends suit you and which trends don’t. For those which do, take advantage and wear them as much as you can whilst they’re still in. This way, you won’t cross the line of looking too individual and furthermore anti-fashion.

2.) SUIT YOUR CLOTHES TO YOUR PERSONALITY
I always like it when an individual’s personality is reflected in their choice of clothing. This shows confidence, which to me is the most beautiful thing you can possess.
If you’re daring and extroverted, it would be a good idea to go for bolder colours and patterns. If you’re on the slightly more introverted side, however, this doesn’t mean you should stick to browns and boring fleshy tones. Wear what you feel personally comfortable with and what makes you feel good. This is how you know if your clothes match who you truly are.

3.) DON’T REJECT YOUR OLD FAVOURITES!
If it’s a staple, and it’s comfortable, and you love it, wear it. Whether it’s a pair of battered military boots, a classic handbag or a beautiful vintage coat, wear it. Just make sure you team it with something bang on trend to ensure you stay on the fashion-wagon.

4.) DON’T BE SCARED TO EXPERIMENT!
All too often it seems young fashionistas get caught up in the exhilaration that is finding their own style, thus forgetting to experiment with different trends. It is still possible to maintain a sense of individuality whilst experimenting, so don’t be afraid to keep ‘em guessing by mixing and matching your classics with other more daring garments.

And so there you have it. An unusually long post regarding individuality and fashion. Remember, appreciate your uniqueness as a person and embrace the beautiful trends which fashion gives unto us!

Question time: What are your thoughts on individuality and style? What do you think makes your style your own?