Dragons, Snakes & Wall to Wall Kitsch- Gucci’s Autumn Winter 2018 Ready to Wear Collection

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Severed heads, dragons and snakes on the catwalk along with Alessandro Michele’s gloriously quirkily campy and kitsch designs for Gucci as they showcased their Autumn / Winter 2018 Ready to Wear Collection in Milan this week.

I love it as there’s a real 70s and 80s feel to a lot of the tailoring. There are designs that remind me of air hostess uniforms of yesteryears, and power suits of the 1980s’.  

You can check out every single look, and there are close to a hundred, on the Vogue website. 

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I can never afford even the Ready to Wear Collection, but I do keep my eyes peeled for accessories that are ‘heavily inspired by’ Gucci designs like this arm band.  

Bees are out, but tigers and snakes seem to still be in, as well as dragons, so those are the beasts to be looking out for when you are searching for bags, jewellery, shoes etc. if you want a Gucci look but not the price tag. Add some red and green and you’re all set! 

Lidl Autumn/Winter Fashion Event- In Stores Starting This Thursday

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Lidl launched their first fashion collection last spring, and it was a great success for them. Classic macs, coloured jeggings and smart striped tops all sold out quickly. I really liked their choice of pieces for that season, so I was excited to attend their autumn/winter fashion launch this morning. 

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The showcase was held in Belfast's Sixty6 cocktail lounge, at the peak of four or five flights of stairs. I think everyone needed a sit down by the time they got up there! But the trek was worth it, to get a sneaky peek at what will be in our local stores in the coming weeks, starting with  these items this Thursday.

The rest of the collection will be released over the coming weeks until November, so if there is a specific item you've set your heart on, you might have to make weekly Lidl trips to catch it. 

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This is the £14.99 leather look jacket I had seen on other blogs from the south and fancied. It's also available in tan which would be my choice. 

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And you know I love my leopard. There are tops, fine knit sweater and jeans in leopard print for this winter. 

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YI love this tshirt. I'm addicted to stripes so I simply HAVE to get this when it hits my local Bangor store. 

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One of my other favourite pieces was the dogtooth wrap. There are wraps coming instore in various colours and designs, and the wool is great quality, it doesn't feel like it would ball up. They'll be £22.99

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I love the women's collection but I find the kids wear a bit hit and miss. The quality is fine and the prices are great, but they just don't appeal to my style. This hooded top obviously did though- but I want one in my size! 

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The men's wear is great too, and complimentary to the women's looks. 

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So here are some of the items that should be instore from this Thursday. The leather look jackets I mentioned and the tan stretch trousers are on my list. 

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The Fine Details of Christmas Fashion

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They say you shouldn’t sweat the small stuff but, when it comes to fashion, I disagree.
As regular readers know, this blog is all about those little details that make a difference to your look.
 
This time, I’d like to pass on some tips for Christmas fashion as you get prepared for all those parties. A bit of thought can make all the difference to an outfit and let you shine like a star come the festive season – and here’s how.

Stunning headwear from Batcakes Couture (search on etsy)

Stunning headwear from Batcakes Couture (search on etsy)

One of Janine Basil's Christmas hair clips

One of Janine Basil's Christmas hair clips

How to wear accessories
 
When deciding on how to accessorise your look, model your outfit in front of the mirror and see where your eye is naturally drawn. Normally this is either towards the neck or the waist.
If it is towards the former, highlight the area with a necklace; if it’s the latter, accessorise with a carefully-chosen belt and select an understated piece of jewellery to wear around your neck.
 
The biggest mistake you can make is to wear a flamboyant necklace and belt as these will compete for attention. Your body frame is also important when it comes to accessories. If you are petite then keep to smaller scale items but if you’re tall then choose bolder designs which you can carry off with ease.
 
Don’t forget the handbag; an inspiring collection of funky and classic designs is available at MCM – the perfect way to accessories this season.

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Festive make-up
 
Experimenting with make-up is one of the most fun parts of dressing up and Christmas is no exception. This is the perfect time of year to go glam with glitter - powdered glitter looks fantastic on eyelids and eyelashes so why not give it a go?
 
The trend this year is for metallic eyes. You can opt for a dramatic appearance à la Giorgio Armani with darker hues or choose lighter colours with a metallic sheen for an elegant touch.
 
Lips are simple; matte, dark berry colours are this year’s favourites – what are you waiting for?

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This has been a snazzy guest post for Harrods.

a) Clear Out Wardrobe b) Get Cash for Clothes at MusicMagpie.co.uk c) Purchase Tremendous Cat Print Sweatshirt

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Some how, even when I don't buy new clothes, my wardrobe space seems to get more & more bunged. Every six months I do a clear out. I'm pretty ruthless too, and then I'm left with just what I actually wear; which somehow expands itself over another six months until it's time to clear out again.

It's not the worst household chore, I can think of many more tedious ways to spend a morning, plus you often come across a dress or jumper you've totally forgotten buying. Like a summer skirt you've bought in the sales thinking you're the bee's knees and bargain savvy. Then you do a clear out in September & find the floaty skirt, labels still attached and summer fleeting fast. Not so clever. So a clear out is sometimes as good as a mini shopping spree.

Here is another plus point for you. You can get cash for your clothes on Music Magpie. You don't pay postage to send them the items either. And your reward payment? Well, you can spend it on clothes of course.

How do you fancy these insane cat sweatshirts? Tie dye, sea punk, lightning bolts and pastels. I think my cat would run away if she saw me coming in one of these.

Wildlife Spotting at M&S. If You've Ever Lusted After My Fake Plush Fox Scarf, This Post is For You.

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About two years back I bought this comical, fake fox scarf from H&M. It was very cute, even had its little face with black beaded eyes. I blogged about it here at the time, and every so often I will have someone contact me via this site, asking to buy it off me, sometimes for much more than I paid for it. I've never parted with my foxy, so I'm really pleased to have a link to one in the shops right now. 

The M&S fake plush fox scarf is limited edition, I'm pretty sure it will sell out like its counterpart in H&M did, not least because it's only £19.50 Make sure you get one now before they all go.

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Marks and Spencer is home to a forestful of wildlife this autumn. There's lots of deer and fox print clothing for all the family, and regal stag Christmas accessories like this ceramic stag decoration they sent me. 

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This cashmere fox and mittens set has officially gone  on my Christmas list £30

This cashmere fox and mittens set has officially gone  on my Christmas list £30

Tweed Jackets, Flying Duck Print Jumpers, Joules is My New Favourite Clothing Brand

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I'd heard the name Joules.com before, but I had the preconception it was a bit of a Mumsy clothing retailer. They invited me to have a peek at their new, autumn/winter tweed jacket and coat range this week, and while I was impressed, I ended up spending half an hour on the site oooohing and aaaahing at the entire women's collection. It's certainly not Mumsy- check out the Taylor-Swift-a-like in the classic navy striped dress. 

The Joules range would work for anyone in the early twenties who wants a preppy, crisp, smart wardrobe, right up to those in their golden years who don't want to retire into granny smocks just yet. 

I've decided I want to get rid of all my clothes and get one of everything please, Joules. How can I say no to jumpers with flying ducks, foxes and wire fox terriers on them? Here are my absolute favourites, starting with the ladies' tweed jacket collection at Joules.com

 

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Incredibly Important Announcement: There's a Boots Beauty Advent Calendar

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I still buy myself advent calendars, and now there's an actual one that's supposed to be for me. The Boots Advent Calendar is £30, but has over £65 worth of products, both travel size and full size, inside. Brands include Nails Inc, Soap & Glory and Seventeen.  

There is also a deal as part of the package where you earn three times the Advantage Points if you go on to buy the products you've sampled in your calendar. Pretty sweet.