Georgia Hardinge for River Island

Georgia Hardinge not only shares the same name as me, but we both have a love for innovative textures and designs. She is an emerging designer and since graduating has created 5 seasonal collections from AW11. 

"This innovative young designer’s inspiration for design comes from a passion for architectural shapes and sculpture, which can be seen throughout her work, forming landscape shapes to uniquely accentuate and flatter the female silhouette." - www.georgiahardinge.co.uk

Georgia Hardinge AW 13 Collection

see more of the collection at www.georgiahardinge.co.uk

She is completely unique and has collaborated with River Island, to create a commercial high street collection suitable for the River Island customer. It must have been frightening to follow Rihannas collection, but these pieces are amazing! The prints, shapes and colours used work well to create pieces that are so desirable!

Dress £60, Shoes £60, Dress £45

to see the whole collection, visit the River Island website.

xoxox

Fabric direction for AW 13/14

Quilted

will be seen in cocooning coats, skirts and dresses

DKNY AW 13/14

Metallics

will be seen in dresses, outerwear, knitwear and jersey

Giles AW 13/14

Brocade & Jacquard

will be seen in dresses, tops, jackets and trousers

Aquilano & Rimondi AW 13/14

Velvet

will be seen in dresses and tops

Martin Grant AW 13/14

Lace

will be seen in mostly in dresses

Dolce & Gabbana AW 13/14

Wet Look Patent

will be seen in coats, jackets, pencil skirts and dresses

Richard Nicoll AW 13/14

Ponyskin

will be seen in coats, jackets and coordinating separates 

Victoria Beckham AW 13/14

"A new alternative to leather - which in itself was a strong trend on the runways - with glossy ponyskin adding that essential luxe touch to outerwear and casual sportswear shapes. Colour can work from natural black and tan to fashion mainshades like cobalt blue. Watch for printed pony with skin prints incorporated into the look." Sue Evans, WGSN, 2013

Print direction for AW 13/14

I have done a post for colour direction for AW 13/14 and I thought I would do a post on print direction for the upcoming season! Each season we see a number of prints which come through, whether its geometric, aztec or animal prints. This season will bring us many of my favourite prints including baroque inspired prints and my favourite of all animal prints - leopard print! 

Leopard

will be seen in pencil skirts, knitwear, blouses

Burberry Prorsum AW 13/14

Paola Frani AW 13/14

Baroque

will be seen in dresses, tops, luxe sweats, casual jackets

Emilio Pucci AW 13/14

Jungle

will be seen in dresses, skirts, knitwear and coordinated separates 

Carven AW 13/14

New Camo

will be seen in mostly in outerwear

Michael Kors AW 13/14

The new black and white

will be seen in tops, dresses and outerwear

Emilio Pucci AW 13/14

"Several designers use surface embellishment in place of print and pattern for next winter., as decorative appliqués and embroideries work as 3D engineered placements or borders on everything from knitwear to dresses and even outerwear. We see this trend as indicative of the move towards a more crafted approach to textiles and pattern." Sue Evans, WGSN, 2013

xoxox

Colour direction for AW13

At university, a lot of our projects are based around trend predicting, and our latest Buying & Merchandising project is about interpreting trends for an international market. We look at many different databases for trend direction, however my favourite is WGSN. I thought I would do a quick post on colour direction for AW 

13/14. From looking at WGSN, it is predicted that there will be a few key colours coming through the high street this AW. Monochrome has been particularly big this SS and white is a colour that will continue through to AW, either paired with black for the monochrome look, or pastels. 

Winter whites at Isabel Marant AW 13/14

Grey  is another key colour that is likely to be all over the high street this fall. It will be in a variety of shades from light to dark greys, and will be mostly seen in tailoring and casual pieces. A rich and classic palette of browns will be seen later on this year, from dark to dusty browns along with burgundy emerging as a key colour for the season. 

This season has been all about monochrome and bright colours. Pinks, blues, yellows, oranges and greens in knitwear, tees, jackets, trousers. However, a colour that is predicted to carry through to AW is Mimosa Yellow.

Mimosa Yellow at Rebecca Minkoff

We have seen cobalt blue be a huge colour in AW12, and this continues through to AW13. Inky blue, ultra blue and forget-me-not blue are all over the catwalks and are likely to be in stores this year. Pastels will be huge this AW with also hot pink and fire engine red likely to be present on the high street. 

Hot pinks at Balmain

"There were at least 50 shades of grey on the runways for next winter. This provides a blank canvas to either layer different tones of grey one on top of the other through contrasting fabric textures, or acting as a neutral foil grounding pops of highlight fashion colours." - Sue Evans from WGSN, 2013

xoxox

Primark vanity case

As I travel to and from university, I thought it was time to invest in a vanity case that is small enough to fit into my handbag but big enough to fit all my essentials in. This vanity case is perfect and it was such a bargain! It was £5 in Primark which is a very reasonable price. I love the print, as it reminds me of the Lulu Guinness print (and I do have a slight obsession with her). I bought this a couple of weeks ago, and it has come in so handy to have! It is the perfect size and is so fashionable at the same time. The colour is such a hot pink and the lips, it is just irresistable! I can fit all my moisturisers, fake tan, make up, lashes, wax strips etc in with ease. They have another shape in store aswell, so if you aren't keen on this shape, but I would recommend this to anyone who travels. 

xoxox

Topshop jeans

For me being an hourglass shape, jeans can sometimes make me look a lot bigger than I actually am. They usually add a couple stone onto my hips and thighs, however, I recently found these jeans in Topshop. They are much softer than jeans. They are as thick as jeans but very comfortable to wear. They only cost £38 and since buying them I have worn them to death! They are called the 'Leigh' jeans, and I would definintely recommend buying these if you are bottom heavy. They were quite tight at first, but they have loosened up a lot, so do not go up a size or you will have trouble keeping them up! They also come in a variety of colours. I have seen them in a lighter wash and also black. 

xoxox

High street essentials

These are just a few pieces that I have bought recently that I would consider as essentials. These H&M shoes are the most gorgeous colour, and at such an affordable price, I have ended up with three pairs. If like me you wear a lot of black and white, shoes like this can really brighten up an outfit. The necklace I bought about a month ago and I wear it all the time! It is great for a night out or a casual day. I usually wear it with a tee just to make my outfit a bit more glamorous. These cami's were so cheap from Primark, and they have so many colours. I decided to get black and white because I thought they would nice with a bright coloured jacket and jeans.  

Shoes H&M - Cami's Primark - Necklace H&M

H&M £10

H&M £7.99

Primark £2 each

xoxox

Missguided SS13 range

Missguided have the most amazing clothes on their website at the moment. Their SS13 pieces are so affordable and so desirable! Everytime I look online I have to spend hours talking myself out of purchasing a basket full of tees, leggings, shoes and jumpers!

Tops

£19.99 - £14.99 - £12.99 - £13.99 - £22.99

Knitwear

£25.99 - £16.99 - £22.99 - £13.99 - £16.99

Blazers

£25.99 - £27.99 - £38.99 - £47.99 - £24.99

xoxox

LBD

Every girl on the planet knows what the LBD is. It is a staple piece that you NEED in your wardrobe. Whether you put it on casually, or dress it up for a night out - the LBD is the foundation of your wardrobe! I love the colour black, and I have found the perfect dress in Topshop. At £40, it is a little bit pricey for what it is, but still - its a piece that you can wear year on year, and for any occasion. This dress came out last year in black and also a fuchsia. I didn't manage to get the black one last year so I am so pleased they have brought it back! I wear my pink one for nights out and I would suggest going up a size if you have any kind of bum! That is the only problem with my pink one - it can bunch up at the back because Topshop clearly haven't taken into account that their customers have any kind of shape, however, going up a size will just give you that extra room to make it hang better. 

It is the perfect dress to wear with tights and a biker jacket in the day, or shove some 6 inch heels and go out with the girls. I would suggest if you buy one thing this season - that it be this dress!

xoxox

Could be designer bags

High street retailers are renowned for giving us Designer look-a-likes at a much cheaper price. Everyone loves the Celine 'Paper bag' clutch, but how many of us can afford it? Fashion shouldn't depend on how much money you have, it should depend on how you use the money you have to create something unique. This Celine bag (left) is a basic bag that you could use for pretty much any occasion...However, lucky for us, Zara has jumped on the band-wagon and has brought us this amazing replica at only £19.99 (right) so we can all have the designer look for a much cheaper price! 

Celine seems to be an inspiration for H&M also. Many of H&Ms bags have been inspired by Celine. Below are two bags by Celine (left) and H&M (right). The H&M bag is only £14.99 which is a very affordable bag inspired by a designer. 

This is a more relaxed style bag. The Celine bag (the left) has once again been interpreted into a handbag suitable for the H&M customer. The H&M option (right) is again very affordable at £14.99. These handbags show that you can have the designer look for a small fortune!

xoxox

Maxi Dresses

My favourite thing about the Summer weather is being able to wear maxi dresses. I love waking up knowing I can throw a maxi on and it will look chic without all the stressing of thinking about what to wear. I have a black maxi dress from H&M which is really basic but looks amazing with a jacket and an over-sized handbag. 

I have already been looking at Summer clothes that I can buy when it gets that little bit hotter! One of my favourite maxi dresses is one that Rachel Zoe wore. I love animal prints and have spent years looking for a printed maxi dress that I could wear all year round. This maxi dress is perfect because the print is bold enough that you could wear it in the Summer, however, paired with a leather biker, this looks very well suited to AW as well. 

Topshop and River Island always have gorgeous maxi dresses, however, they are usually jersey material and not as elegant as the animal print one (above). 

xoxox

High street perfumes

As this is a fashion blog, I don't tend to blog about beauty products however, I came across some perfumes that I thought were amazing value! If I am getting perfume for an occasion, I usually get Prada Candy or Marc Jacobs Daisy. However, whilst being at uni I have learnt to budget and I have learnt to degrade certain things such as my food shopping from Waitrose to Aldi, toiletries from Boots to Bodycare and my make up from Superdrug instead of Boots. 

After discovering cheaper perfumes which smell just as amazing as Prada or Marc Jacobs, at a fraction of the price, I have degraded my perfume! As the cheaper perfumes are eau de toilette, they aren't as strong as eau de parfums and I agree that they don't last as long but they are definitely worth a try! 

This perfume from Zara was £9.99 for 100ml which is incredibly cheap. There were many options of different scents within Zara but this one was one of my favourites. 

Another high street perfume I would recommend is River Island 'Paris'. I worked at my local store over Christmas and managed to sell a load of these! Grandmas would come in asking for a suggestion for what they could get their Granddaughters.. I simply would just show them this perfume. It has the most amazing smell that I think is very similar to Marc Jacobs but is only £12 for 75ml. However, I have noticed is that the smell doesn't last so you have to keep reapplying it. 

Although these perfumes do smell amazing, I may have to ask for a bottle of Prada Candy for my Birthday!  

xoxox

Must have bag of the season

H&M always bring us affordable, on trend, great quality pieces and this season is no different. This bag is a very small price of £14.99 and is an accessory you should not be without. It also comes in black and mole, however this lime yellow is to die for! I will be visiting H&M until I get my hands on this bag!

This is the perfect summer bag to go with jeans and a tee or a maxi dress. This bag can be styled with almost everything!

xoxox

Biker jackets

No one thought that we would still be wearing coats and boots by April, but with this weather - I think it's essential to keep those layers on! Whether its a faux fur coat, a khaki jacket or a biker jacket. My black leather biker jacket is my favourite piece in my entire wardrobe as it is so versatile. It can be worn with jumpers and boots in the winter, casually with leggings or on a night out with a skater dress. It is a must have for every girl.

I was reading Look magazine this week and there was a piece with Sarah Harding and she was wearing a metallic Missguided biker jacket (£37.99). This jacket is particularly on trend and is an update to your plain black biker. 

However, if you are not a fan of metallics and want something more subtle, you could always opt for a contrasting biker jacket. (Missguided, £44.99)

xoxox

Rita & Cara

Rita Ora & Cara Delevingne are the most talked about pair of the moment! Their style, their mcdonalds trips and the parties they go to - I have to admit I am slightly enviable of their lifestyles! Cara walks for pretty much every major designer and Rita Ora is one of the best upcoming artists internationally. The pair also have A list friends such as Harry Styles and Henry Holland.

This pair have such unique styles and are style icons for young girls in the UK and USA.

xoxox

Wardrobe Essential

Disco pants are my favourite trend from last AW. I bought my first pair off Missguided about 8 months ago for £14.99 and I have since then bought another 3 pairs. I have three pairs of black and one navy pair. They are so comfortable, true to size and are now only £9.99 which is such a bargain. They have all been amazing quality and I have worn them to death and they are still going strong. I would recommend you buy a pair if you wear leggings every day! 

These look great with either a shirt and flats for a smart casual look or paired with a jumper for those colder days!

They have a shine to them that makes them look so much more expensive than they are and they are true to size, so you won't have to worry about going up or down a size and with the hassle of returns! They also come in a variety of colours.

xoxox

Shoes to die for...

These are my Easter treat to myself - Another pair of Zara heels. 

If you read my blog regularly you will know that I recently bought these in black. I love them so much and they finally had the pink in my size so I just had to get the pink! They are the most gorgeous colour and they are so comfortable! I wore them last thursday on a night out at home and I managed to make it til half 3 in the morning before my feet were sore - (to be fair, I had been shopping all day - so I blame it on that). 

If you are ever lucky enough to stumble across these in your local Zara in your size - do not think "I will come back and get them next time"... because they won't be there!
. Buy them when you can! Or if not - order them! Heeled sandals are so on trend this season and you will honestly regret not getting your hands on these! 

There will always be an occasion to wear heeled sandals - especially as Summer is approaching. Perfect for a night out, a few drinks at the local bar or even a BBQ - these shoes are a must have! 

xoxox