An Artistic Approach

This girl seems to have it all. Not only is she one of the most desired models of the moment, walking the catwalk for Chanel, Givenchy, Balenciaga to name but a few, Naomi Preizler is now being recognised for her artistic sketches. These inspiring drawings give a sneak peak into the wonderful world of fashion from a models perspective. During castings or even behind-the-scenes at the shows, Naomi will be found putting pen to paper to create some truly fascinating images of her surroundings or even of her fellow famous models. These bold and beautiful images will certainly brighten up a subdued snowy sunday morning for all you fashion lovers out there.

Self-portrait in the mirror

A Calvin Klein Casting

Beth Ditto and Jean Paul Gaultier

A Palette Of Pastels

Although there is still a very bitter chill in the air and a forecast for a dust of snow this afternoon, I can't help but gaze over the new in pieces at some of my favourite retailers. My wish list for this week is all about items from the pretty pastel trend that has all females, including myself, in a flutter. This trend oozes soft, sugary sherbet tones in very simple and classic cuts. Loose fitting blouses, pleated skirts and floaty silk trousers are all must-have products I'll be filling my wardrobe with. For now, I've got my eye on these 3 picks that will be easy to wear now and will carry me through to the spring season.

1) This pretty in peach fluid blazer from Topshop, £60

2) This mint green studio shirt from Zara, £59.99

3) This lavender blue scalloped shell top from Topshop, £28

A Little Trip To Cambridge

Last weekend, I took a little trip to Cambridge to explore the delights of this city. The city centre itself is beautiful with the historic University taking pride of place, a quaint market in the town square and the little intertwining cobbled streets filled with surprises. From fashion boutiques to old-fashioned carts selling Falafel, Cambridge hosts a variety of fantastic stores and restaurants all with a quintessential twist.

From adorable interior stores filled with sweet little gifts to make your home a home

To quirky fashion boutiques with rails of fabulous finds

From favourite high-street brands located in gorgeous historic buildings (making it that little bit more enticing!)

To witty window displays

From really great little cafes crammed with books and nostalgic bits & bobs

To retro sweet shops Willy Wonka style!

Cambridge is a host to a fantastic array of under stated retailers and restaurants hidden down the side streets and around little corners. A place well worth exploring. Best of all...you can top it off with one of the best hot chocolates around. Topped with cream and tons more chocolate of course. 

Kate Moss For Mango

This week it was announced that our favourite British icon, Kate Moss, is the new face of Mango's SS 12 campaign. Not only do we get to see her in some stunning still images but she also stars in a fashion in motion TV ad called 'Spy Game.' Here's a sneak peak of the lady herself in action. The new collection consists of contemporary, timeless pieces in a soft palette of pastels and a touch of glitzy sequins and Kate just adds that extra touch of chic classic style. She's done it again.  

Scarf Print Trend

Love Love Love this scarf print shirt, £30 from Next. Working this trend has never been easier with a simple cut collarless shirt with a pop up colour at a fabulous price. Thanks Next.

Transactional Story-Telling

The retail industry is ever-changing and recently there have been some emerging stores and retail concepts that are really pushing the boundaries and making shopping that little bit more exciting. HOORAH! Shoppers these days want an experience, something innovative and inspiring to stand out to them when they hit the high-street and encourage them to part with their hard-earned pennies. So it's great to see a fresh, new take on shopping with the 'start-up store' idea that is sweeping the streets of New York City.
Retail consultant, Rachel Shechtman discreetly set up a start-up store on 1 December 2011 because she wanted to create transactional story-telling. The store is like a gallery showcasing brands yet like a store selling these products. The store will be completely re-invented every four to six weeks with a different theme at the center. The theme behind the first one was 'Beta' and featured a selection of fabulous products from five NYC start-ups:
1) Birchbox- a subscription retailer of beauty products

2) Quirky- an online community that selects products to invent based on user votes

3) BaubleBar- a jewelery range of original neckwear

4) Joor- an online professional matchmaker for designers and retailers

5) Artspace- an online marketplace for affordable pieces from contemporary artists.

Due to the huge success, Shechtman now plans to give the store a permanent name and logo, alongside launching a complimentary online shop so there will be a permanent identity for the start-up store. The store will next launch in February as a "Love" story and the story-telling will continue. Check it out at http://astartupstore.com/
I have to admit, I think this is a pretty great idea to put it simply. Making shopping more exciting as well as promoting and supporting independent brands is what the high-street needs in this gloomy economic climate. Lets see if the start-up store concept sweeps the UK.

#4 Tropical Blossom

Get ready for the spring by adding a touch of paradise to your wardrobe with vivid tropical-inspired pieces. Exotic flowers, wild birds and Amazonian prints will grace the front of must-have tunics, pyjama trousers and structured blazers. On the catwalks, designers took inspiration from across the globe. Joseph Altuzarra made a statement by pairing a fruit-puch blazer over a simple black top and trousers, Mary Katranzou opted for abstract colourful florals whilst Givenchy created a combination of orchid and bird of paradise patterns.This trend is all about adding a pop of colour to your wardrobe to make you stand out from the crowd. I'll be purchasing this luminescent floral print shirt from Warehouse, £55 to work the trend now. I'll opt for some brighter hues come Spring!

#3 Out of Africa

Say goodbye to the cool crisp winter months and hello to the bliss summer sunshine as fashion takes you on a safari with the Out of Africa trend. This season its all about prints from the wilderness from geometric-tribal patterns to vivid animal combinations. Models hit the runway in leopard swim suits layered with utilitarian jackets at Michael Kors, Donna Karen opted for Haiti inspired body con dresses whilst Oscar de la Renta chose soft tribal print pieces. This season its all about warm, earthy colours that will add a slight glow to your wardrobe. I'll begin the trend with this Animal Dip Dye Maxi Dress from Topshop, £65. I'll simply team it with a leather biker jacket and boots to carry me through to the spring!

#1 Sports-Luxe

Make way for sportswear to become a wardrobe staple this S/S as the country get set for the upcoming 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London. As all of great Britain eagerly await the iconic event, the trend has already begun to sweep the nation. I'm not talking about faded baggy t-shirts and the dreaded trackie-bottoms that make up your gym gear. This is a whole new take on sportswear combining active clothing with a taste of luxury. Tailored pieces made out of light-weight fabric will form sleek silhouettes including track-style trousers worn with sky-scraper heels, luxurious hooded sweaters and racer vests. All made out of oh-so-chic fabrics, mixing silk and cotton to form a sophisticated take on sportswear. Details will definitely be key from zip fronts to aertex. I'll be heading to Asos to find a few key pieces for this trend, including a pair of canvas lace-up wedge trainers, £48, perfect for being on-the-go all day.

The Onesie

The winter months have set in and all I want to do is kick back in front of the roaring fire, tune in to some cheesy chick-flicks and dig in to some warm home-made brownies (yum yum!) all whilst sporting my brand new 'Onesie.' Yep, thats right, I said Onesie. Now before you judge, I must make it clear that I am not normally one for partaking in some crazy trend that everyones talking about, I'm one of those that would rather do something a little different. For instance, during the New York 2007 school trip all the girls flocked to the shoe stores to grab a pair of cheaper-priced Uggs as they were all the rage, whilst I went on the hunt for some sturdy leather black riding boots to last me the winter months. Or there's the time at University in 2010 when everyone seemed to be rocking a funky leather brown back-pack to lectures, whilst I stuck with my trusty black studded River Island bag (courtesy of Ebay). Obviously I adore fashion so I am forever following trends but I'm talking about those kind of trends that spiral out of control, feature on the news and grace the walls of Facebook, all because people find them, well, a little silly! So when the Onesie trend caught on, I thought nope this one is definitely not for me. Not a cat in hells chance you will catch me wearing one of them! But during an early Christmas with my family, due to them celebrating the season in a sunnier climate, I was more than surprised when I teared open another one of my presents like a 5 year old child to find a little package with 'Snowflake Onesie' printed across the front. Oh no. Not the dreaded Onesie. After my mum explained that she thought it was really funny and couldn't help buying it just to see me in it- that's what you get for being the joker of the family, I whipped upstairs and came down sporting the blue snowflake-printed giant baby grow ready to be the centre of all jokes. I was well aware that all I needed was a dummy in one hand and my milk bottle in the other, but as a giant baby I opted for a bottle of champagne and a handful of Thorntons chocolates.Thats the way I roll. Anyway, within 10 minutes of wearing it, I have to admit it was ridiculously snug, which is great for me since I'm one of those people that can never get warm and I was surprisingly growing rather fond of it. Two weeks down the line and I must have worn it at least 8 times. I simply cannot help it. Its comfy and cosy, perfect for chilling out in, the only issue I must point out is that it is prone to giving slight sharp electric shocks, either when taking it off or when the dog rubs past me. Nevertheless, it is clear that I am a converted Onesie fan. Who would have thought it? This is the first time I have succumbed to such a trend and I have to say...I kinda like it!

Clothes Show Live 2011

For the last 8 years me and my mum have hit the Clothes Show Live at the NEC Birmingham every December. It's a fantastic day out for all fashion-followers who want to have a fabulous girls trip and grab a bargain. From clothing stalls to beauty, there is a little something for everyone. My favourites are the Benefit stall where they offer free gifts with your purchases, Tigi where they offer multi-buy promotions and the designer stalls where there are some great quirky finds for affordable prices. Above is a few of my great clothing purchases from the day, all of which I am very proud of! Once we had literally shopped until we dropped all morning, we headed to the fashion theatre where the show took place. Each year, the show has a different theme and this year was the year of The Department Store. It certainly lived up to my expectations with glamorous dancing mannequins, stunning male underwear models (wink wink!) and an added touch of celeb appearances- Kimberley Wyatt came out with a big bang singing her new song and looking fantastic during the middle of the show. What-a-day. See you next year Clothes Show!

Oasis Finds

So here they are.. my two favourite finds from the Oasis website. The first one is an Oasis jumper, £35. I needed a new knit for the winter months that was stylish, sophisticated and classy for work. The material is super-soft and the fit is great. Admittedly, this is a sophisticated top that definitely looks a lot pricier than it actually is. Bonus!

The second find is a heart print pussy-bow blouse by Max C, £28. I'm a little in love with these sweet shirts at the moment and this one has an added touch of sweetness with black hearts and gold buttons. Once again, the added detail also makes this top look a little more expensive so I'm extremely pleased with both purchases. With a 25% discount at the checkout the overall cost was extremely affordable, great news for my bank account! Ker-ching. The service was efficient and speedy, arriving with 5 working days and best of all, the products were fabulous finds that will be worn again and again over the next few months. Thanks Oasis.

Welcome Back Oasis

Over the last few months, I've been searching for new places on the high-street to shop. I've always been a faithful shopper with Topshop, Zara, Warehouse and many more and although I still adore these stores, I've been on the hunt for a store offering something a little new, diverse and exciting. During a little browse on the internet for some new bits and bobs to jazz up my wardrobe I came across Oasis and was VERY pleasantly surprised. The brand appears to have had a magical make-over and a very glamorous one at that. Head to the website (http://www.oasis-stores.com) and you will now find a fresh site with great fashion imagery and a fabulous selection of products. But its not just online that there has been a transformation. The stores have been undergoing a little something special over the last few months too and technology is now at the heart of the store experience with Ipads available for transactions and for consumers to browse the site and look books. For me, as a fashion consumer, I think this is a very exciting direction the high-street is heading in and it's great to see Oasis at the fore-front of this. The new flagship store in London's West End has been re-designed and will act as a showcase for the brand so its all systems go with Oasis and there new look. I'm about to crack out the card and purchase a few things from their website to see how great their products and new service really is. Watch this space.