A Flirtatious Feathery Find!
On my first day in South Africa I took myself off to a craft fair just on the edge of Cape Town. I always love wondering the stalls, seeing what people make, observing what others purchase and anticipating that one special find! I was kinda hoping for something “Super South African” and what I mean by that is something with a fantastic animal print or African inspired jewelry…
However, what I did find couldn’t honestly be further from it but it’s still awesome! Feathers are very “in” right now but I’ve never been about following trends too much. Yet, I do think there is something quite lovely about feather fashion, it is soft, feminine and makes a real stand-out statement in your hair.
The Little Hattery caught my eye right away! Their stand was brilliantly colourful and their eccentric designer and her bow-tie wearing dog were hard not to notice. I loved so many of her little hats, fascinators and masks that I spent about an hour browsing her collection and trying on various…no make that most of her stock! Every single one is handmade and 100% unique in style. No one will have the same one as you!
I settled on a white and baby pink fasinator that was simple yet has a cute, flirtatious effect. However I also snapped up a very striking black and white one with animal print feathers that satisfied my desire for something that would remind of where I bought it.
I didn’t stop there…I also picked up a delightful little hat with fuchsia pink flowers and pearl detail. I couldn’t resist! As their website says, “Life Should Always Be Fun!” and these hats certainly add a fun, playful touch to any outfit! I going to team mine with my favorite Little Black Dress for a party this Christmas…photos to follow I promise!
Check out their website for your own one of a kind signature accessory! www.thelittlehattery.com
Top Ten Party Tips…
It is party season once more and many of us have several events to juggle which means we also have several outfits to plan. It can be expensive to keep getting new hot, on trend dresses to dazzle the crowd in so I’ve come up with a few tips to help make an old outfit look fresh, to make the same outfit look different and to generally just rock the party season like a pro!
1. Switch up your Shoes! To give your outfit the edge, team it with some really bright heels. That simple change can make the most casual of ensembles a little more glam. Wearing the same Little Black Dress you wore last year? Bright red heels or cute detailed shoes like these from Kurt Geiger will really make you stand out!
2. Accessorize, Accessorize, Accessorize! Bright, bold, over-sized jewelry can dress up a simple dress and give it some added flare. However, you might rather just accessorize with an embellished bag as it gives the same results.
3. Don’t Crash Diet! Instead make it all about the outfit and find a dress that flatters your body. Crash dieting only makes your first drink go straight to your head and you feel low on energy all day.
4. Dressing for your Body! It is probably the most important factor of them all. If you have legs to die for or a cleavage to make Christina Hentricks envious, make sure you find a dress that shows off your very best feature. This will give you a confidence you’ll radiate all night and you’ll turn heads wherever you go.
6. Remember Facebook! A dress can be see-through or underwear shows through and you don’t notice until it is too late. Snap a picture of yourself before you go out to prevent any regrets later!
7. Always have a Back-up! You can never be too careful. A zip might break, you might feel bloated or a sequin could come loose. Having a plan B is always a good idea and saves a big panic on the day.
8. Pick a drink and stick to it! There is nothing worse than feeling like you made a fool of yourself the night before. Pick a drink at the beginning of the night and keep drinking it. Mixing just gets you more drunk quicker and makes you feel like hell the next day!
9. Hot Hair! There is a saying that your hair is your biggest accessory so make the most of it. Practice before the event so you don’t stress out on the night and play around with different styles. Also pick a hair-do that will best show off your dress. For instance, a strapless number often works best with a chic up-do.
10. Most importantly, have fun! Mingle with friends and strangers alike. Keep conversation light and relaxed. If you look and feel fantastic, your confidence will run through to every aspect of the night!
Do you have any hot tips?? Let me know!
Disney does Couture – did you know?!
I’m massively excited about this weeks blog post because I get to talk to you about accessories I really love, that you can never have too much of and that make a real statement too. I have always been a Disney Princess fanatic. I was lucky enough to be a child when The Little Mermaid and Beauty and The Beast were out for the first time with their magical songs and iconic animation so I’ll always have happy memories conjured up whenever I think of it. However, as I got older, it was more difficult to carry this love through to my style. A Snow White tee-shirt suddenly didn’t look quite so cool! Yet that is when I discovered that Disney had solved this problem the way they solved many of my childhood ones…Say hello to Disney Couture.
It’s been around for quite some time now yet still has a fairly small but dedicated following. First off, the quality of the product is, in my opinion, flawless. Often I buy cute accessories like this and bits break off or the clasp breaks because they’ve been made of far cheaper material than I was lead to believe. Yet if you spend £55 on a necklace, you know it will last you. I’ve had this necklace, above, for over a year and it still looks good as new.
However, what really sells it to me is the detail that’s been put into it. When you open up the locket, you see the Alice in Wonderland Melting clock with a rabbit as the hand and it’s cute message to you make you smile. All these little things show there was a lot of thought that went into the design and no corners were cut.
Last Christmas I was also given a sweet Tinkerbell necklace with interchangeable charms which I often wear to make an outfit more playful and youthful.
I personally think there is something for most girls here and these make ideal Christmas gifts (hint hint!). Here are a few of my favorites…let me know yours! Disney Couture also sell rings, bracelets, earrings and charms from a rang of films in a range of styles.
A few online stores sell Disney Couture but I’ve found this place to be the best:
http://www.zentosa.com/designer/disney-couture?limit=all
Keeping things Simple and Chic in Chicago!
I’ve been hanging out in Chicago now for the past week and there is SO much to report! First off, what a city! On one of my first nights here, it was Halloween. The Americans take this “holiday” far more seriously than us Brits which I think is amazing! I’ve always had Halloween themed birthday parties since I was a kid so it was awesome to see it being done so well everywhere I looked! We went off to this Haunted House and paid to get really scared and freaked out! No expense was spared when making this attraction and for the whole hour you wonder through all these different rooms just not knowing what is coming next. It. Was. Awesome!! Chicago is probably somewhere I’d never go to unless there was a reason for the visit but my goodness am I glad I had a reason. The city has a very gothic vibe with a mix of these gorgeous old buildings and massive modern day skyscrapers. It is incredibly spacious and clean for a city and unlike London, you never feel like you’re surrounded by millions of people on the street but instead you have breathing space. There are plenty of attractions that you can wonder in and out of for free and the ones you pay for are well worth it!
The next night we headed out to the Ice Hockey. Here I was sporting a Blackhawks tee-shirt to show my support to my new favorite team and to fit in with the locals! I was actually pleasantly surprised how stylish the tee-shirt was considering it’s a supporters top and usually they are splattered with sponsorship and a bit shapeless. This on the other hand was an awesome top! You can’t really see it in the pictures but the red is a little bit see-through which is a nice detail and makes it kinda sexy, plus it is nicely fitted and works well with jeans and my cherry tomato ugg boots! As for the game, well that was also a pleasant surprise too, the Blackhawks won in extra-time and although I didn’t get to see a fight or anyone lose their teeth, I did get to see an awesome game.
I also had to spend some time this week dedicated to The Magnificent Mile, which is just as it sounds…a magnificent mile of SHOPS! I wasn’t really looking for anything in particular and enjoyed window shopping at the designer stores and stepping into the more mainstream ones. I was a little surprised by the lack of individual boutique stores in Chicago in general but here you did find more of the unusual items you only get in flagship stores.
I bought myself some gorgeous gold leaf earrings and thought I’d purchase some feather ones too to try them out. I also picked up some gloves as I had underestimated how chilly it was in Chicago this time of year. Nothing was super cheap, like it used to be when you shopped in America, but it was good to see what they had on offer. I wasn’t blown away by the clothes inside the shops but that is probably because I like to find something a little unusual. 
I didn’t get many opportunities to lose the coat either as it was absolutely freezing! However, that was cool with me as I love my new Dahlia coat and it pretty much goes with everything. I had fun adding different scarfs and rockin’ knee-high socks with it, plus it did its job of keeping me warm which says a lot about it because, man oh man did I need it!
One unexpected surprise of this week was that I had a casting for a commercial that I was offered after the casting director saw me walking down the street! It was a little random but pretty cool to take part in and I was asked to wear a colour that would compliment my skin tone and hair so I opted for a cool burnt orange number I picked up in a boutique in Hull – but more about that next time!
Must go…the zoo is calling! I’ll let you know how I get on next week!
SPOTLIGHT CV
