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OOTD: Countryside Chic

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Mac* – Red or Dead | Top – Topshop | Jeans – Topshop | Boots – Topshop | Bag – Primark

How do you dress for a rainy, cold weekend in Wales? Well! Thankfully, after visiting Wales more than a handful of times, I have honed my skills in this department. First off I make sure I’m wearing a decent coat that will keep me dry and warm, but not too big as I don’t want to be travelling with anything too heavy. Next up, a pair of decent boots and trainers because the Welsh countryside is certainly not the place for stilettos (when you walk as much as I do anyway). A good pair of jeans always comes in handy because they can easily be dressed up in the evening. Finally, a selection of cute tops that allow me to show off my personality, without losing any comfort or warmth.

Yes, it may not be very glamorous but sometimes you really do have to combine fashion and function.
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Travel Diary: Countryside Escape

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I love London, but sometimes travelling outside of the big smoke is just what the doctor ordered. This time we headed off into the Welsh countryside for a long weekend. I only discovered Wales about 5 years ago when I met my fiancé, yet it has quickly become a second (third?) home for me. The scenery is beautiful and the people are welcoming, what more could you ask for?

Whilst I’m in Wales I enjoy taking long walks in the hills, making friends with sheep as I go by. Sampling the amazing local food at home (and in restaurants) is always a must, as is having a good catch-up over a glass of wine. Unfortunately the rain may have got in the way a little this past weekend, but we still managed to fit in: a 15 mile bike ride, a trip to a manor house and a stroll around the local castle ruins. Relaxation success!

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Wish List: Joules

Joules is a brand I associate with countryside chic. A lot of my friends who live in the country wear it and so by osmosis I have slowly become a fan of the brand myself, even though I’m a city girl. After donning one of their waterproof jackets this weekend (thanks for the rain Wales) I decided to browse their online store. Consequently I ended up falling for several of their new arrivals I decided to pick out a few of the items from their latest collections that caught my eye, and share them with you all.

Stripes! Did you expect anything else from me? In fact I scaled back on here and have even more striped goodies from Joules in my own personal wish list (in my head). Their selection of lovely Summer dresses this year really caught my eye too, and have left me quite sad that I don’t have any weddings to attend. Unfortunately the British weather also seems to have other ideas and I think my selection of items reflects my eagerness to plan ahead. Still, with gorgeous items like these on offer you can’t really be too upset about Autumn coming sooner than planned. My plan for A/W this year? Colourful jumpers, comfy brogues, warm dresses and accessories galore.

Create your own wish list at Joules.

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This post is in collaboration with Joules but all views and words are my own.

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Beauty at Hyper Japan 2014

I’ve been a fan of Japanese beauty trends and products ever since my blog started so when I visited Hyper Japan last month I knew that I had to scout out the stalls showcasing my obsession.

I was in luck as there were several brands and shops at the exhibition specifically selling Japanese beauty products. Gyaru favourite Diamond Beauty (more widely known as Diamond Lash) were placed at the front of the ‘Hyper Kawaii’ section and were there to showcase their false lashes and eyeliner. More false lashes were available from Dreamy Bows who also had an array of false nails (including some intricate 3D designs) on offer. In fact ‘false’ was the name of the game with a lot of the beauty stalls offering up lashes, nails and hair dye. Though Pastel Doll ultimately won the award for their adorable selection of wigs, which I was incredibly tempted by…even though I know I’d only ever wear it inside the house (that’s good enough, right?). Of course it’s been a while since I’ve worn false lashes and nails etc. so I was pleased to see other items on offer too. Fans of a more natural look (or just those with a penchant for beauty) beelined for P2Bus – the ultimate UK based Japanese beauty store. With make-up, skincare and beauty accessories on offer from brands such as Dolly Wink, Biore and Kose they were certainly my favourite stall, if only for the selection of brands and products.

It was great to see so many Japanese beauty products on offer this year and at some decent prices too (I’m looking at you Diamond Lash and Dreamy Bows). I bought several items myself, a few of which I plan to review on the blog. I just wish that the items were more widely available here and I didn’t have to stock up once a year at Hyper Japan.

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Designer Spotlight: Elena Saraceni

I really feel like up-and-coming designers aren’t given enough love, so when I happened upon Elena Saraceni at the Red Vatican press launch I knew I had to dedicate a post to her work. Elena’s designs called out to me personally as I loved the intricacy that had gone into her pieces. Not only are her designs painstakingly hand-embroided but they call out to the woman who prefers something with a bit more attitude. The woman who grew up being called a ‘tomboy’ when really she just felt sexier in an oversized leather vest. Biker jackets, skirts with skulls on, studs and one effortlessly chic clutch bag. Need I say more?

I contacted her and asked if she wouldn’t mind telling me a bit about herself and her designs.

DESIGNER NAME: Elena Saraceni

ORIGIN: Born in Argentina, raised in Venezuela with Italian, French, Argentinian and Venezuelan heritage.

DESIGN BACKGROUND: Graduated from Central Saint Martins, London College of Fashion and Instituto Brivil. Holds a BA, Graduate Diploma and an Masters in Fashion design. She has worked between Paris, London and Caracas with Oscar Carvallo, Consuelo Zoelly, Maria Grachvogel, Alexander McQueen and her own brand and projects.

DESIGN SIGNATURES: It would be more a language than a stamp. Balance between contradictory elements, making sense out of a paradox.

BRAND PHILOSOPHY: Find potential in the ordinary, find beauty in the unexpected.

CULTURAL INFLUENCES:  Music, art, travel, everything. And there’s also cinema, a movie has art, photography, style, philosophy, attitude, music and video all in one.

LATEST COLLECTION: The Amish Outlaw Collection ’14

“An Amish girl gets shunned by her family after she falls in love with a biker that was passing by and runs away with him. Now, she’s trying to figure out how to belong to her new family without letting go of her religious beliefs.”

Inspired by Amish country and outlaw motorcycle clubs, the collection features hand-embroidered themes taken from the artisanal Amish quilts and Biker visual identification and adornment, to create quilting for textured leather and workwear cotton. Mixing textured and flat fabrics, handwork and machine work, leather and quilting and melting them with a concept that joins antagonistic elements together. The magic happened in the in-between as always. Making sense out of the senseless. Looking for similarities in apparently different ideas. Making sense out of a paradox through the alchemy of concepts diluting them in a bricolage of styles and materials.

Browse and shop The Amish Outlaw Collection at Elena Saraceni, and in-store at Red Vatican.

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Turning a Photograph Into a Piece of Art

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When my parent’s told me they planned to redecorate their lounge I knew I had to send them a little gift, and by ‘little gift’ I mean a gigantic canvas print of our family dog. It was the one item I could be confident they would make use of. Thankfully The Print Foundry were on hand to do all the hard work. All I had to do was sit back and choose a fitting photograph.

The one I finally went for is a personal favourite of mine, which was taken on the beach at Walcott, Norfolk. Now I realise that I’m biased, but I do happen to think my dog is pretty darn handsome. This photo of him just seems so majestic and regal that I couldn’t resist having it blown up for all to see. When it arrived I was in half a mind to keep it for myself. The quality of the canvas and printing is superb, it almost looks like an oil painting when the light hits it. As for the size, it was bigger than I had expected, but that certainly wasn’t a bad thing. I had been secretly hoping it would be large enough to take pride of place in my parent’s lounge. In fact my parent’s adore it so much that they have already put it up, even though they haven’t even started decorating yet. They told me that they fell in love with it as soon as they laid eyes on it, which makes for one successful gift if you ask me. Apparently my grandmother has plans to steal it and put it on her staircase…that’s one less Christmas gift to think of anyway.

You can turn your own photographs into works of art at The Print Foundry.