Stella & Dot Trunk Show

My Friday night was spent slightly differently to my usual routine of slogging it on the couch, armed with my pyjamas and a Disney film. Instead, we (my housemates and I) decided to invite a stylist from growing jewellery company, Stella & Dot, to join us for the evening to host a trunk show. 

Stella & Dot were originally established as a US brand that brought you timeless and on trend jewellery pieces that even celebrities like, Katy Perry and Selena Gomez couldn't resist and now, since launching in the UK 18 months ago, we Brits can now own a piece of this fabulous jewellery for ourselves! 

But before you go thinking that there's no possible way you could afford jewellery that Elle Macpherson owns, (literally) think again! Stella & Dot sell a host of pieces that range anywhere from £15 to £220 (not to mention, they also sell scarves and handbags, hurray!).

Stella & Dot describe their trunk shows as an opportunity to "get your girlfriends together for a fun style session." Liz, an independent stylist for Stella & Dot arrived with a tonne of jewellery in tow for us to feast our eyes and bank balances on. The service is completely free and gives you the opportunity to 'try before you buy'. 

We decided to make a real night out of it and invited friends round for food, wine, good company and fabulous jewellery.

Liz instantly made us all feel at ease and told us about how Stella & Dot have grown as a company, how they are becoming established in the UK and what their key pieces are. The nicest element of the evening (besides getting to try on lots of beautiful jewellery, girl heaven anyone?) was that we didn't feel pressurised to purchase anything. Everything was organised professionally and Liz was on hand with brochures to show us a range of different colours and styles that could be easily ordered to arrive within three working days. (Free P+P for any orders over £50)

She also brought staple wardrobe pieces to demonstrate how statement necklaces (see above) can transform a very simple outfit into something which can be worn time and time again.

My favourite pieces of the night were definitely the stackable, wrap around bracelets which are a key piece for S/S '13 and they're oh-so-easy to style. Prices for the bracelets start at around the £32 mark, which for an investment piece, is cheap as chips!

If you want to host an evening that's a little bit different with the added bonus of lots of beautiful jewellery, then don't hesitate to look at Stella & Dot's website where you can find all the details to host your very own trunk show. This is an experience I would recommend, especially in time for Mother's Day!

Fi x

These boots were made for walking.

And that's just what they'll do! (Well, when the snow eventually clears).


Can I also just make a point that I hate, hate, HATE velvet. To me, it is the most luxurious and beautiful fabric to look at from far far away. Just one touch and velvet has the hairs on my arms joining in together in a standing ovation. I shudder at work when I see a customer approaching with those velvet hot pants that have been selling oh-so-well over the holiday period. 

Alas, when I clapped eyes on these velvet style cowbow boots, something attracted me to them. I also wanted to touch them. Yes. Touch them. With a BARE hand. I wanted to feel the velvet beneath my fingers. What was happening to me?!

Personally, I think these boots are so beautiful that they erased all my previous velvet nightmares (that, and the sale price. £95 reduced to £30!) Thank you, Topshop.

I plan to debut them in a warmer climate, with gray skinny denim and an oversized faux fur gilet. Bliss.

 
Oh, and here's an oversized photo of my cat, Tilly, for all those interested and crazy cat people, like myself!

Until next time!

Me, Myself and Anxiety.

So, I debated for quite some time whether or not I should choose to share this information over my blog, but the more I got to thinking, the more I got to realising, that simply talking (or in my case, writing) about something like this, can only be beneficial to myself and others, so, here I am. Writing. Heaven forbid.

Anxiety. I have it. You most likely have it. A lot of people have it. It's that horrible feeling of dread that creeps up on us the moment we're confronted with something unknown, uncomfortable or alien to us. It can sweep over us like a thick patch of fog and linger for what, in my case, feels like years. It can inhabit many forms, mostly mentally and physically and it seems to like to feed off every little worry or concern that your brain may produce.

For months I've quite frankly felt like I'm a crazed looney bin who deserves to be locked up and for the key to be thrown very far away. Anxiety has corrupted my mind and made me feel guilty for getting so wound up about small and trivial things. Countless crying to my boyfriend (poor guy) helped to aleviate the problem for a few days, before it snuck back up on me again. Consistent worrying gave me physical problems, such as severe chest pain and panic attacks, which consequently tired my body out to such an extent that I would spend a large portion of my days off just sleeping.

A few months ago, I accidentally reversed my car into a parked black cab which consequently scraped some of the paintwork off. A very, and I stress (how ironic?) minor accident that for the past six months has left me with a sense of dread everytime I get into my car to go somewhere.If I'm driving to say, work, my journey goes something like this..

'Driving, driving, driving. Oh no. Narrow street. Too narrow for two cars to fit down. What do I do if another car comes my way? Chest tightens. Resolution? Either speed up the street to get out of it as fast as possible or take a different route. Different route it is. Now, ten unnecessary minutes added onto what should have been a short journey. Spotted something up ahead within my eyeline. Is that..? Could it be? NO, IT'S A CYCLIST! The worst kind of road diversion. Do I speed up or follow them at a slow pace before they take a turning and get out of my way?' (No offence intended towards cyclists).

And so on and so forth. I dreamt of a car for years and now I can't bloody reap the rewards of one?! Bullshit (excuse my French).

So, I've decided to tackle my anxiety, head on and start 2013 afresh and try to set realistic goals that I can actually accomplish. I'm also going to try and make light of my anxiety as best I can and share with you, my little annecdotes in the most humorous way possible! Let me know what you think.

Fi x

AWOL

So I've been a little AWOL from the blog recently and frankly, I blame student life. If I'm not running around university like a crazy, headless chicken, then I'm completing assignments, organising interviews and trying to find time for a social life and sleep in between!

As most of you probably know, I'm working towards a degree in Journalism and Broadcasting and I'm now in my third and final year *gulp* This is where things start to get a tad serious!

I've been lucky enough to score a 4 week placement at Key 103, Manchester's biggest radio station. 5:30am starts Monday - Friday are going to kill me but I'm excited to throw myself into work and have an exciting month!

And now I leave you with some shoe lust. These Topshop babies are kind of ugly, but in a good way..

Louise Gray For Topshop

Tomorrow marks a pivotal day in Topshop history. Another designer collaboration is due to hit stores with a bang and personally, this is one occassion I do not care to miss!

Of course I am talking about Topshop's latest work with Louise Gray; an eclectic and wacky fashion designer, born and bred in Scotland and who is now the mama of the fashion pack! Awhoooo (that was a wolf howl, if I didn't make it obvious). 

The release is primarily based on the designer's make-up range which boasts bright pops of colour, from cream blushes to dazzling lipsticks in neon pink. This is a fresh and exuberant introduction to the usual and somewhat ironic trends that we see recycled each season. Move over boring, plum shades because Gray's lipstick in 'Legend' is about to knock you off the shelves.

Of course, I love the introduction of A/W fashions and I can't wait to layer on lashings of wool and get my beanie hat out but there is something about this range that excites me. Although Louise Gray's designs aren't to my taste, I can appreciate her ability to design a range that has heads turning.

The clothing range boasts dresses and jackets that can almost be likened to circus attire and this is the epitome of what Louise Gray stands for. It's fun, and heck, it even looks like something you could wear at Halloween but it's this take on somewhat 'immature' dressing that reminds us not to take fashion so seriously sometimes. For me, there is definitely an appealing factor in just being able to throw on one cherished and classic garment in the morning, without having to worry about what accessory matches or what shoes compliment the colours in my attire and it is this same ideal that is alive in Louise Gray's designs.

If you want to be in with a chance of having these iconic pieces hanging in your wardrobe, get refreshing to the Topshop website shortly after midnight or just get your butt to one of the nearest flagship stores tomorrow AM, because if it's set to be like any other Topshop collaboration, Gray's stocks are about to sky rocket!

Love, Fi x

A Birthday Wish List

A girl can dream, right? Especially on her birthday so without further a do, this is my birthday wish list (you can see I'm liking red and orange).

JC Tardy Boots
Monki Pam Knitted Top
Motel Jet Plunge Neck Playsuit
Zara Messenger Bag
Zara Wedge
Zara Plaited Shopper in Bordeaux
Amazon Kindle.
Urban Outfitters Turn Up Bowler Hat
Chanel Bag (a girl most certainly can dream!)


 Fi x
 

Fresh Ink

Shirt - Topshop
Jeans - Topshop
Sunglasses - Jeepers Creepers for ASOS
Ring - YSL

Apologies for today's compilation of random photos. The weather has been so perfect here in Manchester that I couldn't resist taking some snaps on my walk into university. Media City came alive in the spring sunshine and everyone piled onto the grass to soak up the rays.

I contributed to this bout of good weather by throwing on some mint green, Jamie jeans from Topshop. They are just the perfect pop of colour that I need for spring and I can't wait to style them up in so many ways. I paired them with this old Topshop blouse, some oversized sunglasses and my YSL Arty ring.

Also some exciting news (as I'm sure you've seen from above) but.. I finally got my first tattoo and I absolutely love it! I've always grown up around birds as my dad kept them as pets so it's nice to link the two. I've also nearly been living in Manchester for three years independantly so I thought the design represented this and my freedom.

Now back to assignments!

Love, Fi x