Making a statement..

I thought I would write a blogpost about a new obsession of mine: statement necklaces. I can't walk into a shop now without going to the jewellery section and checking out what they have on offer in the way of big necklaces- the bigger, the bolder, the better. Perfect for adding some 'wow' factor to a simple outfit, day or night, statement necklaces are my new favourite accessory and I am building quite a collection! Here are some of my favourites from the high-street right now...

H'n'M: £10

Zara: 17.99

missguided.co.uk: £8.99

River Island: £12

Zara: £15.99

Primark Summer 2012- My Top Picks

I haven't been to Primark in a while- I live in Shepherd's Bush and when you live down the road from the Westfield shopping centre, you feel a distinct lack of motivation to venture out into any other shopping zone. The Westfield, however, priding itself on being a premium, 'luxury' shopping centre has no Primark and therefore my nearest option is Oxford Street. The thought alone of the Oxford Street Primark on a Saturday afternoon fills me with dread but, although I am not their biggest fan, having seen their latest Summer collection (and the prices!), I may just be tempted. Here are my top picks of what 'Primarni' have to offer this coming Summer....

£5

£10

£12

Outfit post- good girl gone bad

I haven't done an outfit post for a while so I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and write about two outfits which I have worn recently. When I say 'good girl gone bad', I'm not really talking Rihanna style here- I'm referring to when you mix the feminine look with the edgier, more rock-chick style. I personally love doing this and these two outfits demonstrate how I do it in a very subtle non-Rihanna way. Someone who does this look well is Kim Kardashian, who often teams leather with pretty, more feminine pieces. In the first outfit, I have teamed a floral print shirt from Zara with my beloved faux leather h'n'm skirt. The shirt in fact has its own edgey touch with the gold studding detail at the shoulders. The second outfit, I have teamed an overtly girly, bright pink shift dress from Topshop with a thick studded belt from Zara. Both of these looks present subtle ways of doing feminine with an edge.....

shirt: zara

skirt: h'n'm (old)

shoes: Aldo 

necklace: h'n'm

dress: Topshop

belt: Zara

My latest high-street edit

Check out some of my favourite clothes and accessories from the great British high-street right now......

Zara £15.99

Zara £29.99

Topshop £59.00

Topshop £48.00

Topshop £28

Zara £39.99

Topshop £15

My favourite celeb looks for summer

I don't do posts focusing on celebrity fashion often but I thought I would share some of my inspirations; people I feel have that throw it on, effortless look about them. It's a talent being able to put great looks together whilst making it look like you threw it on in a hurry whilst rushing out the door to work (although I doubt some of the people in this post are ever in a rush to get to work, or even have jobs!) Here are some of my top favourite fashion icons to give you some inspiration for your summer wardrobe!

I absolutely love this Zara blazer. Yellow is a massive colour this summer and this blazer has been a sure-fire favourite amongst the celebs and the general public! Everyone has got it! This isn't necessarily a good thing, but at least you'll know people are bound to love it! Millie Mackintosh is becoming a fast favourite of mine when it comes to looking to celebs for fashion inspiration

This was American socialite and fashionista, Olivia Palermo's LFW outfit this year. I'm loving floral trousers this summer and again, we can see the colour of the summer, yellow, making an appearance. A tan bag is also always great in the sunny months! Her style has evolved a lot since the clean-cut New York Princess days in 'The City' and I'm loving it!

One of my all-time favourite fashion icons is Lauren Conrad. Since the days of The Hills I have followed her fashion sense as it is really close to my own. She's diverse in what she wears but I wanted to focus on her love for maxi dresses as I love a good maxi dress in the Summer! A plain maxi dress is great for the day time-grey, black, white. However, a colourful one can be worn later in the day for a great evening party look. Tie-dye is also beautiful in a maxi. 

Feeling inspired for summer in this miserable weather can be hard but June is just around the corner and we need to start thinking about the trends for the sunny months to come! Wedges are a big thing for Spring/Summer 2012 and I'm loving these nude pink and black ones from Topshop. It's always great to go for a 1940's vintage look in the summer and this cherry print dress, also from Topshop, really encapsulates that look. I am also completely in love with this white playsuit, which from the front looks like nothing special- However, when you turn it around, the gorgeous white lace detail gives it a really interesting and pretty edge. A denim jacket is perfect in the summer for when things get a bit chillier in the evening. It goes with practically everything- every colour, every print and keeps your look relaxed and casual. Bit of a Topshop fest in this post but I've had a massive Zara phase recently so it's about time!

Topshop playsuit £46

gorgeous lace back

wedges (as featured before) topshop £55

Topshop £40

Topshop £36

Topshop £55

My favourite items of the week

Why is it that whenever your personal funds are running catastrophically low the shops seem to be filled with clothes and accessories that make you want to rob that passing pensioner because you need those shoes in your life that badly?! This is always seems to be the case with me and I've heard many girls alike moan that, when they do have money, rather typically 'there is nothing in the shops!' Well, as a blogger, I can't shy away from the shops when the window shopping becomes almost too torturous to bear and so, I sacrafice my own sanity to bring you my favourite items of the week - which I can't afford!- all because, well... I'm just a selfless fashion junkie..

Topshop LBD £20

Zara £39.99

Zara £59.99

Zara £22.99

What I'm longing for...

Being rather strapped for cash of late, trips to the shops are becoming more and more torturous by the week. There are so many gorgeous items that I have my eye on! Zara seems to have steamed, full pelt ahead onto my favourite shop top spot and I can see it staying there for some time. I think as you get older you need and expect more from your clothes- great tailoring, classic shaping, quality material and, of course, a reasonable price tag and I think Zara is living up to all of these vital requirements. That's why you'll spot that a lot of my desired items in recent posts are from the ultra-successful Spanish store. I've also been pining after this stunning, vintage inspired necklace from h'n'm for weeks but it's obviously far too popular as it's sold out online and in all the stores I've visited so far. I will make it my mission to track it down!

necklace: h'n'm £7.99

I'm loving the gold studded detail on the neckline of this gorgeous turquoise peplum top from Zara. Turquoise is such a great colour for summer too!

Zara £29.99

A great pair of wedges is essential for the summer and these ones are going straight on my 'to buy' list!

Topshop £55

Zara Love...

I'm absolutely loving Zara for Spring/Summer! They've got some gorgeous pieces from clothing to shoes to accessories and have hit the trends bang on the head! Pastel and candy colours are all over the shop whilst bright maxi skirts and boldly coloured jackets are catching our eye and stopping us in our tracks ready to hand over our, far too frequently used, and close to maxed out credit cards! With a great mix of floaty, flirty and sexy and  a perfect palette of colours, Zara is the place to shop this Summer in my opinion and here are some of my favourite items in store at the moment..

Outfit post- Kensington Roof Gardens

Last Friday night I ventured out to the beautiful roof-top gardens in Kensington for a great night out with my best friend and partner in crime, Kasia. I'm writing for a 'luxury lifestyle' website at the moment  http://cdclifestyle.com/ (if any of you want to check it out) and am their new 'girl about town' writing the 'Scene Check' piece each week. Basically, this involves being added to the guest-list at various top private members clubs in London, having a jolly old time (for free) and then writing about the experience!- not a bad job hey? I'd always wanted to experience the roof gardens as a roof top club with surrounding themed Spanish and English woodland gardens is an unusual concept in the grand scheme of your average nightclub experience. It didn't disappoint- the gorgeous gardens, combined with the beautiful weather we have been experiencing since the end of last week made us feel like we had stepped off the pavements of London and into a Spanish villa resort! The drinks were flowing- courtesy of cdc- and the night was kicked off by live performances by four great artists including a lovely and extremely talented guy, Ben who we were lucky enough to meet in person after the show- (check out his music at  http://www.facebook.com/BenWillisMusic?v=app_178091127385&sk=app_178091127385) Our night carried on in the very plush VIP area of the main club and continued to be a great success, well, from what I can remember! I chose to wear this loosely fitted white Topshop shift dress with a skinny gold vintage belt which I got in the vintage section of Topshop, Oxford Street. I paired the dress with my favourite nude ALDO heels and a large gold statement necklace from Portobello Market (of which there are loads so if you like it then get yourself down to Portobello!)

white dress: topshop

necklace: portobello market

gold belt: topshop vintage