7 Things To Do This Weekend: The Spring Lipstick and Punk Edition

April 19, 2013

What do you have planned this weekend? I’m going to be working for most of it (a blogger never stops), but I’m hoping to catch a break at some point so I can make fruit popsicles. Don’t they look absolutely delicious? Here are 7 more fun and fashionable ideas for the weekend. Whatever you’re doing have a fabulous time…

7 Things To Do Weekend Spring Lipstick

1. Create a weekend playlist… Remember the innocent and seriously un-tech days of mix tapes and summer playlists? I really miss then. Setting iTunes to Shuffle just isn’t the same. So this weekend I plan to make a couple of playlists – one for the weekend, a couple for work and workouts and another for relaxing. Any song suggestions?

2. Make fruit popsicles… Spring has finally arrived and I fancy celebrating with a fruit popsicle! Even the most useless cooks can master this recipe, which requires minimal skill and effort. They’re so simple but look so pretty!

3. Fragrance your home… Jo Malone London has just launched a new fragrance collection for the home. English Pear & Freesia comes in six options: a candle, a diffuser, a room spray, a pair of luxurious clothes hangers, a fabric sachet set and scented drawer liners. Starting at £30 the collection is a little pricey, but perfect if you’re looking to treat yourself or a friend. The fragrance itself is clean, refreshing and totally irresistible!

4. Search for a new spring lipstick… If you haven’t already invested in a new lip colour for spring now is the perfect time to shop for one! I’ll be wearing coral shades this season, as they seem to be universally flattering. If you feel like splashing out try Chanel’s Rouge Coco collection or Lipstick Queen, but for less than £10 you can’t go wrong with a Revlon shade. Their colours are long-lasting and moisturising.

5. Get creative… Ever since I was given the Ryan Gosling colouring book for Christmas I’ve got really into colouring in.   Ryan may be hot, but he’s not that interesting to colour (how many plaid shirts can one man wear?), so I’ve branched out into the world of fashion colouring books. Colour Me Good Fashion [pictured above] and My Wonderful World of Fashion are both worth checking out.

6. Order some J.Crew jewellery… Fashion insiders are absolutely obsessed with J.Crew, and this season everyone is going mad for their jewellery. The latest collection has just gone live on JCrew.com (which now offers flat-rate shipping to the UK) and it’s so gorgeous I’m tempted to add everything to my shopping cart. See if you can resist…

7. Pre-Order… If you love being the first amongst your friends to discover the hottest new reads make sure you get pre-ordering on Amazon, this weekend. Leandra Medine’s book of essays, Man Repeller: Seeking Love. Finding Overalls., isn’t out until September, but it’s already making headlines. And you can also pre-order Punk: Chaos to Couture, which accompanies the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s upcoming costume exhibition of the same name.

Posted by Filed Under: Beauty, Fashion Books, J.Crew, Jo Malone

Five Fabulous Coffee Table Books to Brighten Up Your Winter

January 22, 2013

fashion coffee table books los angeles grace coddington kate moss

I don’t know about you, but with the freezing temperatures and dark, gloomy evenings I’m spending most of my free time tucked up indoors. And, with nothing much on TV, my coffee table books have been receiving extra attention lately. I love a well edited selection of coffee table books – they’re great to flick through on rainy days and always add a splash of personality to boring IKEA furniture. Here are five of the books currently on my wishlist (for both reading an decorating purposes)…

From top left: Kate Moss by Fabien Baron // Los Angeles Portrait of a City // Celebrating WASP Style: A Privileged Life // Brazilian Style // Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington

Posted by Filed Under: Fashion, Fashion Books, Shopping

Dior and Rizzoli Launch New Book "Stars in Dior"

March 27, 2012

Over the last year we’ve seen a dramatic drop in the number of celebrities wearing Dior on the red carpet. After the Galliano drama I’m sure a lot of stars (or publicists) were put off by the brand, but slowly we’re starting to see more Dior in Hollywood again. This is merely a rough patch for the iconic French fashion house, though, as the new book Stars in Dior shows.

The book is filled with over 250 glossy film stills (Dior have costumed actresses in Hollywood films since 1942), location shots and celebrity portraits. J’Adore Dior model Charlize Theron appears on the cover, photographed by Alexi Lubomirski in a John Galliano design, and Natalie Portman, Marilyn Monroe and Marion Cotillard are also featured in the book.

Natalie Portman, photographed by Alexi Lubomirski in Christian Dior Couture A/W 2009
Marlene Dietrich in Alfred Hitchcock’s Stage Fright © Rue des Archives/BCA
Stars in Dior is available from May in France and gets its US release in September. There’s no word yet on whether it will also get a UK release, but we can cross our fingers, right? It looks like a beautiful book! Are you excited about Stars in Dior? Will you buy a copy?
all images courtesy of Dior

Currently Reading: "Mary Quant: My Autobiography"

March 5, 2012
We all know that Mary Quant invented the mini skirt in the 1960′s and helped revolutionise the way women dress. But there’s so much more to her story than the mini skirt. Quant’s influence is still widely felt today, in the peter pan collars and sixties shapes that hang in every high street store. In fact, where would style icon Alexa Chung be without Mary Quant? 
The newly released memoir Mary Quant: My Autobiography is currently sitting on my bedside table, and I’m enjoying dipping into Mary Quant’s world whenever I have a spare moment. Written in her friendly and witty style Quant recalls her fashion adventures in post-war London, sharing fond memories of her King’s Road boutique, Bazaar (which she opened with her late husband Alexander Plunket Greene), and bringing 1960′s London to life in brilliant detail.
Currently I’ve only managed to get a third of the way through Quant’s autobiography, despite it being an easy and fun read. But with a long haul flight to Toronto coming up – plus a 24 hour trip to Madrid with Hoss Intropia this week – I’m sure it will come in handy for much needed airport entertainment. Are you a big fan of Mary Quant? Will you be reading her autobiography?
Mary Quant:My Autobiography RRP £25, although it’s currently available on Amazon for £14.99
Posted by Filed Under: Fashion Books

Jimmy Choo XV: The 15th Anniversary Book

December 5, 2011

Last month we heard that Tamara Mellon is leaving Jimmy Choo, the company she founded, after fifteen years. Tamara is obviously very aware that a dramatic exit is just as important as a dramatic entrance, so she’s going out with a bang, leaving just as Jimmy Choo XV – an uber-chic book that celebrates fifteen years of Jimmy Choo – lands on our coffee tables.

The limited edition book is available exclusively at Jimmy Choo boutiques and will later be sold at a select number of book stores. Recapturing everything from red carpet moments, famous ad campaigns through to Carrie Bradshaw’s infamous “I’ve lost my Choo!” line it really is a fabulous celebration of the brand. I was kindly sent a copy to flick through so here’s a little taster of Jimmy Choo XV:

The zip-detail sandals that every high street store copied
One of Carrie’s best moments
The way to travel in style
Jimmy Choo XV is available at jimmychoo.com for £60 and 100% of the revenues from the sale will be donated to the Jimmy Choo Foundation. 
Are you a big Jimmy Choo fan? What do you think of the latest book? 

How to Make Jewellery With Tatty Devine

October 13, 2011

In my early teens I experimented with making jewellery (with varying levels or success) quite a lot. Back then I was always attempting to recreate the Tatty Devine look, with cutesy charms, layers of chains and bits of chunky bright plastic. British designers Rosie Wolfenden and Harriet Vine still design every Tatty Devine piece, and make almost everything by hand in their London and Kent studios.

This month sees the release of their book How to Make Jewellery With Tatty Devine which is a beginners guide to making jewellery. I was intrigued to see what the book was like and was kindly sent a press copy to flick through. Covering everything from making basic chain necklaces through to statement-making keyboard necklaces it captures to essence of the Tatty Devine brand brilliantly.

The press release does state that it’s for “teenagers and women of all ages” but I would argue that is a slightly ambitious statement. The instructions are all incredibly simple and much of it is just about gluing things together. It is great for generating ideas though and if I had a fashion-obsessed little sister I would definitely buy her a copy for Christmas. It’s available now at Amazon.
Are you a Tatty Devine fan? See inside the book after the jump…

Posted by Filed Under: Books, Fashion Books, Jewellery
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