IM BACK!

Hello ladies and Merry Christmas!! so sorry its been a while, this xmas hols has been mad busy and im starting to get back into the swing of things ready for NEW YEARS!! im so excited for 2011 to begin and cant wait for the new trends!
Im hoping to acomplish a website over the next few months - with more insight into my world :) but for now I must share with you my recent thoughts:
- SALES! ...now, usualy Im up at the crack of dawn ready to hit the shops and run for the rails but this year I decided 'enough is enough' im 21, a lady! I must go into this with more elegance. so....Chloe and I decided to wait 3days into the sales before our credit cards overdosed on chip and pin.
FACT: I will NEVER do sales again!...Westfields was crammed! the whole event was dissaster, all my fave shops had last years stock up!...who wants last year?! and the sale ,as always, was a mess. Not only that but the que was endless. I would much rather pay more for a nicer experience and Chloe agreed.
- Lesson learnt here is to do sale shopping ONLINE! no queing, no over-heating, no pushing or barging and NO MESS! as long as returns are easy then its a lot less hastle.
- Ladies check out asos! they have 70% off at the moment and some great stuff. But remember it is important NOT to buy something just because its a lot cheaper, if it wont suite your figure or the colours arnt right then DONT BUY IT!

Bday Dress!!!

I just baught my birthday dress for my 21st! It took me forever to find one and I dragged Chloe round the shops with me for hours. We finaly found 'the one' in Miss Selfridge @ £48!! but remember to use your student card!! every little helps :) Im going to wear it out on Tues so will post it up then! so excited hope you like! X

Madison's Fave styles of the week !

Here are a few of my fave looks from this week. I styled myself in these photos with some of the purchases I’ve recently bought, and a few other pieces I had before. Each item is priced and labelled for you to see. Maybe you can email me with a photo of your fave style and I’ll try and copy it!! Remember quality over quantity, you might have to fork out a bit more for a pair of jeans or a warm jumper but if it lasts longer then you can mix and match it throughout the trends and make it last! X

Dazzling Party Dresses

Hey ladies, I have some great buys for you today! I’ve been  very busy researching and shopping for you all! This one has been great fun and I can’t tell you how hard it was to not go spending all of my earnings. The subject is ‘party dresses!’ I thought seeing as it’s nearly my 21^st birthday and almost Christmas, we should get all glammed up for those festive nights out.

I won’t bore you all with the story of how I found these beauties, it became a very long and over excited day; mixed with emotions of ‘ahhh I WANT that dress’ to ‘oh god, why did I just spend £35 on that bandeau when I have NO MONEY left!’, So i’ll leave it up to your imagination and post up my fave finds! Hope you like! X

£34.99 @ River Island

£39 by motel @ Tosphop

£39.99 @ American Apparel

£42 @ American Apparel

£38 @ Asos

£55 @ Asos

£150 @ Asos

£38 @ Asos

£50 @ Miss Selfridges

£29.99 @ River Island

£19.99 @ H&M

£135 @ Karen Millen

£60 @ Lipsy

£32.99 @ Republic

Interview with Hannah Lance

Today I met up with a good friend to discuss Fashion! And I don’t mean shopping or the new Primark in town, this was business! Hannah Lance an up and coming fashion designer is hoping to make her way into the fashion industry as a womenswear designer. We sat comfortably in cafe Nero for a quick catch up and interview, whilst warming our hands over our hot chocolates and waiting patiently for our slices of cake I started with these intriguing questions:

Tell me a bit about yourself?

I am currently in my 3^rd and final year at The Arts University College at Bournemouth studying fashion. I am focusing on the construction side and working towards my final collection for Graduate Fashion week. I’m finding it really stressful but so exciting at the same time!

What is it about Fashion that you love?

I would have to say everything!! I love shopping, looking at the new trends and visiting other fashion shows and events.  Ever since the start of this course, I have become so much more interested in how the garments are constructed and whether or not I could produce them myself.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Ummm I get my inspiration from anywhere and everywhere, whether it be something ive seen on the television or walking down the street. I normally look at things I like at that specific time and how it relates back to me or my work.  

Interesting, so is there a philosophy or concept behind your designs?

(giggles) I normally research into the way I am and what I wear, and from that my concept is built. I like to have clothes that offer me security, comfort and confidence. I try to portray this through my designs to give people who wear my clothes the same feeling. Yea, I think it’s really important to have a concept that I believe in, in order to make a more powerful collection that will be desired by other young women of my age.

So tell me, what are you working on at the moment?

Well the main inspiration behind my collection is the Northern Lights. I just love them because I feel they represent me due to the fact I wear a lot of black and splashes of colour. I have spent the last few weeks experimenting with inks and various dyes to re-create the shapes and colours formed by the Northern Lights on garments. I have created 3 different basic T-shirt shapes as part of the collection. I have dyed them black, then used a discharge jell to bleach certain areas white again in order for colour to be added. I have also recently taught myself to hand knit! I’m in the process of knitting over-sized scarfs. I was so slow at first and felt like a granny but I’m really enjoying it now, it’s very therapeutic.

So did you always know you wanted to be in the fashion industry?  

No I didn’t. I have always been interested in clothes and the fashion industry but It wasn’t until my 2^nd year at college when I started to bring fashion elements into my fine art A level that I realised actually I quite like this! So from that I decided to do an Art foundation at UCCA Epsom where I found my love of Fashion. And here I am now, in my 3^rd year, scary how time flies!!

So which Fashion designers inspire you?

I always hate this question; it’s so hard to answer because different fashion designers inspire you at different stages throughout the year depending on their collection. Umm, well I’ve always been a fan of Alexander McQueen, Dior and Channel. It’s funny because my style is very different to theirs but I just adore their work. It’s pretty amazing in my eyes.

What are your future plans after graduation then? I'm sure it’s going to be a big relief when you’ve got your degree!

Yes definitely! although I will miss Uni and having all the support from tutors and peers. As soon as I graduate I hope to get some work experience within the industry in either designing or buying, and then just see where it goes from there. One day I'd love to have my own brand and design womenswear, but obviously I need a lot more practice until I get to that stage.  If I believe in it enough and carry on working hard, it will hopefully happen for me.

If you’d like to find out more about Hannah Lance check out her blog.

www.hannahlovesfashion.blogspot.com

Photo's from Hannah's previous project.

Jeans,Leggings, Treggings & Jeggings!!!

Today I went on the hunt for some good jeans, jeggings and leggings. I love wearing tights under a pair of leggings to keep me warm.  I find shopping for jeans a nightmare! It’s so hard getting the perfect fit; I think we all have that problem though. As long as you know which shops stock a good pair of jeans for you, then your all sorted! I find Topshop jeans sizes always come up smaller so instead of me buying a UK 10 I have to get a 12. But River Island have some nice jeans and sometimes a 10 can be a little too big around the top. It’s a long and stressful shopping experience at times. Jeans I go for are the comfy type, I can’t stand those hard rigid ones which you’re scared to sit down in case they rip or your bum hangs out. They have to have a bit of give and also be the right length. I like mine to be either high-wasted or cover my hips (we don’t want any muffin tops) It used to be fashionable to show your mid drift but no no...Not anymore. I don’t approve of ankle swingers either, that’s a big no no! If you’re in between the lengths go for longer, then you can get them taken up or wear them with heels.  If I wear hip jeans then I wear a body underneath or a long jumper to cover the top. Leggings and jeggings are a different story; these can be hipster and are great for wearing with those long tops that are too long for jeans but to short as a dress.

Treggings are becoming very popular in this season as they are much thicker material and the ‘equestrian’ style is growing. You can also find leggings in suede and velvet! The choices are endless, just don’t get carried away and mix these fabrics together. Sometimes it’s nice to have some interesting jeggings or leggings with a simple top or jumper. Remember it’s good to spend a little bit more on a great pair of jeans that fit you well instead of a cheap pair that don’t do anything for your figure!

Hope these tips have helped & inspired you!! X

£39.95 @ Gap - Jegging stirup.

£80@  Levis - demi curve skinny jeans

  £44.99 @ River Island - black super skinny jeans.

£39.99 @ River Island - blue skinny Jeggings.

£40 @ Topshop - Jamie jeans in Camel.

£12.99 @ New Look - jeggings.

£19.99 @ New Look - skinny jeans.

£34.99 @ River Island - khaki combat skinny jeans.

£25 @ Topshop - suedette leggings.

£36 @ Topshop - vintage jeggings.

£19.99 @ Zara - jeggings.

£25.99 @ Zara - stretch drainpipe jeans.

£39.99 @ Zara - stretch skinnies

£40 @ Topshop - high-waisted jeans.

ps: Find your perfect fit on Levi’s ID questionnaire:  

http://eu.levi.com/en_GB/shop/index.html

Winter Warmers! X

Happy 1^st day of Christmas!! I’m so excited, I just love Christmas, buying all the presents, listening to Christmas carols and eating mince pies! It’s been snowing here all day, making it really hard to leave the flat. It takes forever to get wrapped up before heading out, and I just hate trying on clothes when I have so many layers on. So I decided to look for some cute winter warmers which don’t need any dissembling of clothes, just lots of hat, scarf and gloves to try on!

Enjoy my fave finds!! X

£14 @ Accessorize

£18 @ Accessorize

£20 @ Accessorize

£16 @ Accessorize - Ear mufs

£22 @ Accessorize - Leather studded gloves.

£24 @ Accessorize - shearling mittens.

£16 @ Urban Outfiters - Knitted string mittens.

£26 @ Urban Outfiters - Wilcat fur muff.

£15 @ M&S Per Una - Beanie hat.

£9.99 @ Zara - pompom hat.

£8 @ Topshop - beret.

£8 @ Topshop.