Tuesday 30 April 2013

Roll up

Within fashion, consistency is often a rarity. Going between the deep red velvets of last season into the bright, almost sheer whites of this is proof enough that clothes on the catwalk are ever changing. There are but a few fabrics and cuts that make constant appearances through the years. The style staples that can not only grace the catwalks, but also the streets. Perhaps the most blindingly obvious of these is the humble denim jean.

This season has witnessed the rise of denim like never before (perhaps except during the 90s B*witched phase). Balmain did deep blue doubles and triples, whilst Cavalli went for light wash armless jackets. Patchwork had its moment alongside frayed edges and bleaching at Atsuro Tayama. Miu Miu kept lines clean with sweeping shin length jackets and Paul and Joe lead us into the realms of candy stripes and slouchy tailoring. As far as the humble denim jean is concerned though, perhaps the most prominent among the stylish this season is the boyfriend cut with rolled hem. It's prevalence on the fashionable streets of London is huge with people pairing them with basic Celine tees and two strap stilettos

Whether ripped, bleached or perfectly in tact the boyfriend jean just seems to be calling out to me. Apart from the undeniable amount of comfort (also a fashion rarity) that the style provides, the cuffed bottoms allow shoes to be showcased on a spectacular level. Never a bad thing, wouldn't you agree? 

Inspiration: 



Ashish s/s 2013


Levis




Thanks for reading, 
Bethany Paige X

Monday 22 April 2013

Curing the Monday blues


After a day at school before coming home to revision (and lots of it) there's but two ways of cheering myself up - searching through my favourite online clothes shops and blogging. Put the two activities and what do you get? A Paige of Fashion wishlist post, obviously! There's truly nothing quite like scouring my way through the Topshop website to cure a spot of the Monday blues, so today's lustings are completely made up of some of what I think are their best pieces at the moment. 


FLORAL EMBROIDERED KIMONO £75.00



I didn't really fall for the kimono last summer when it first seemed to emerge, but for some reasons now I need one in my wardrobe! This beautiful fringed one is basically perfect. I would probably keep it all rather casual with a simple pair of shorts or boyfriend jeans and some two strap heel. 


BLEACH ZIP CROP JEANS BY BOUTIQUE £50.00


Are these the perfect summer jeans? I think so. The loose fit and short cut no doubt makes them beautifully comfortable, but these jeans are also exactly the style of I'm looking to don as the weather improves a little. I adore the simple zip detailing and turned up hem that keeps them interesting but simple enough to work with anything. 

WILLS 2-PART FLATFORMS £35.00


The flatform: the ultimate man repeller but a fashion favourite of mine. These crisp white ones are brilliant for S/S 2013, despite the rather high risk of dirtying them, that is! With skirts and shorts these would look great and I think they could easily become a summery staple. 



STRAPPY LACE PROM DRESS £65.00

I can't quite decide whether this is bordering on pretty night wear... Either way, I love it! I for one would have to grunge it up a little with chunky black boots and probably a few dozen gold chains. It's the perfect piece to collide with something a little tougher to give the whole outfit real edge. 



SUKI SWEATER BY THE RAGGED PRIEST Was £50.00, Now £35.00

My obsession with neon is growing and this jumper is only feeding it! With all whites I think this jumper would look divine. Plus it's on sale so it's basically like getting free clothes, right?


Where do your clothing admirations currently lie? 

Thanks for reading, 
Bethany Paige X

Saturday 20 April 2013

I wish I was a punk rocker

The punk fashion movement emerged in the mid 70s, an era clad in baggy tie dye and covered in vast amounts of free flowing hair. A small group of 200 young people pioneered the bizarre and safety pin covered clothing now archetypally associated with punks and managed to fight against the the hippy uniformity that seemed to be growing. Rather fittingly with the high levels of unemployment at the time, the majority of the "punk" image could be created on a shoe string budget, with people buying thrift shop clothing to deconstruct. Perhaps the only high maintenance factor of the image was the Mohawk hair that often made an appearance! The whole look had a simple message - To be unsatisfied with the normal and to create a form of unique expression for one's self whilst maintaining a working class ethic.

With a sound track mainly consisting of bands like The Sex Pistol, the movement thrived even further as Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren co-opened the legendary punk shop "Sex" on Kings Road, London. It became more, although never entirely, normal to see padlocked chains around necks, purposely ripped trousers and Dr martens on self confessed punks. 

It's rather ironic to think that the movement first described as the "anti-fashion urban youth street culture" was the inspiration behind many outfits on the S/S 2013 catwalks. Anti fashion is becoming high fashion. The original idea of self expression and clothes that differ from the normal still resonates loudly among the modern take on punk, but it's blindingly obvious that the pieces aren't for those working with a small budget! Never the less, the collision of 70s individuality and designer quality pieces has left many a fashion lover drooling, me included. Thanks to the likes Christopher Kane, Celine and Balmain this year's Spring time punk has become wearable for the modern day woman


Rodarte:

Balmain: 

Sister by Sibling:

 

McQueen:
 

Celine:



Christopher Kane:


Which designer do you think encapsulated 70s punk the best?

Thanks for reading, 
Bethany Paige X

Monday 15 April 2013

Snakeskin and smooth skin

There's nothing quite like rediscovering a lost shopping voucher. Even more so, there's nothing quite like rediscovering that voucher and it being from one of your favourite shops, in this case H&M. That beautiful moment alone calls for a shopping trip with the girls, wouldn't you say? I certainly think so and that's why last Wednesday I headed over for a mini shopping spree in H&M. Eventually the smell of Lush also managed to draw me in and I ended up leaving with a few bits from there to. I have zero will power when it comes to beautiful smells, they're just irresistible to my nose and I!

Snakeskin H&M hightops: 



The first thing I picked up were these amazing white and grey snakeskin high tops, I fell head over heels for them (excuse the pun)! It was quite a convenient love at first sight moment considering the fact that I don't think I've bought a pair of flats since December 2011. It was about time to invest in a pair of comfortably stylish shoes I think and these certainly fit the bill. Snakeskin is going to be huge this spring/summer and white is going to be right up there with it so these really are the perfect trainer. 


Neon green H&M rope and diamond bracelet:




Bethany loving something neon green?! Well isn't that a shock to the system?... 
Obviously, it's not a shock to the system at all and in fact is perhaps a rather predictable pick after my recent obsession with all things bright at the moment. I can see this looking amazing with my River island sports luxe white skirt in summer.

Gold beetle and blue jewel H&M necklace:


I'm not usually one for bugs and such but when they're covered in gold instead of mud, well that's another story! I adore this necklace, it's so decadent and has the ability to make anything look luxurious. And the price? A total bargain at just £1 in the sale!

Lush tea tree toner tab:


I didn't want to open up the wrapper so unfortunately you only have a picture of the packet and the label to check out today. To give you an idea of what it looks like, it's basically a strong mint! I wanted this to freshen up my skin a little as it's been feeling somewhat lousy of late, I haven't used it yet but hopefully it will do the trick. 

Lush cosmetic warrior fresh face mask:



This stuff is absolutely spectacular for teenage or oil skin. It contains garlic and tea tree (odd I know) which made my skin feel just divine and it didn't smell bad I promise. In fact, the smell is quite relaxing. After about 15 minutes the tone of my skin had evened out and the number of spots I had severely decreased by the next day. Overall a brilliant product. 

Is it possible to be addicted to Lush products? 

Thanks for reading, 
Bethany Paige x

Friday 12 April 2013

OOTD: Lovely bubbly

I realised yesterday just how long it's been since I last posted an outfit of the day. How this happened I'm not quite sure because everyday after getting dressed I say to myself "I like this look. I'll take some pictures of it later and put them on Paige of Fashion!" Somehow though it hasn't happened in an extortionately long time. Never the less, I have finally got an OOTD to show you all that I wore out shopping with the girls yesterday.

As seems to be the case most of the time, I once again stepped out of the house looking somewhat like a 90s reject. The main reason for this was the piece of this outfit that I'm unbelievably in love with at the moment - my turquoise bubble bag. Even more amazingly, I didn't have to pay a single penny for it because I won it in a Facebook giveaway by the wonderful people at Holy Smokes Vintage! It's literally the first thing I've ever won (I'm not usually this lucky trust me) and I couldn't ask for something better. All of their pieces are gorgeous, especially for 90s clothes enthusiasts like myself, so go and check them out here

I thought I'd keep the rest of my outfit fairly simple because, let's face it, nothing would outshine my backpack! I wore my high waisted "mom jeans" and rolled up the bottoms to give them a little more of a spring feel about them, with my chunky black H&M heeled boots. The t-shirt was just a basic, grey, oversized one which I managed to sneak out of my brother's wardrobe and tucked into the jeans. To finish my bygone era ensemble I added a gold chain and purple velvet scrunchie.







Boots - H&M, jeans - charity shop, t-shirt - the wardrobe of my brother, gold chain - H&M, scrunchie - unknown, bag - Holy Smokes Vintage

Happy Friday to each and every one of you, I hope you all have wonderful weekends to look forward to, whether you plan on going out or staying in! 

Thanks for reading, 
Bethany Paige X

Thursday 11 April 2013

Fashion bookworm

I have three weaknesses when it comes to spending money - Clothes, magazines and books. More precisely, clothes I don't truly need but seriously want, fashion magazines that stack up to quite a hefty monthly cost, and beautiful looking fashion books. In total the three lead me towards the same destination by the end of each month: being utterly broke! 

Perhaps the most expensive habit of all is my unpenetrable addiction to heading over to Amazon and typing "fashion books" into the search bar. I just can't resist the allure of a shiny cover, beautifully written chapters and the opportunity to sit and stare in awe at amazing fashion photography. It's too much. Considering the fact that I'm constantly walking you through my wardrobe and favourite pieces within it, I thought perhaps it was time to show you around my book shelf and some of my favourite fashion based books. 

The Fashion Book by Richard Martin 



This is one of my Amazon finds as well as one of my first fashion book purchases.  For anyone that wants to be in the industry, this book is honestly one of the best for knowledge about the people within fashion that I've seen. Each page looks at an influential designer, photographer or model from the past 150 years with a paragraph about them and a photograph that summarizes their work. It includes both well known and less famous names along with information about how they made an impact in fashion. 

The visual dictionary of fashion design by Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris




As opposed to the previous, this book is more focused on textiles and the technical side of creating clothes. It's arranged in alphabetical order and puts a definition to fashion terms from placket to petticoat. It was quite pricey at around £20 new, but again I think it's an essential book to have gracing your desk if you're hoping to work in fashion one day. 

20th century fashion by Ernestine Carter 


This book was an absolute bargain at just £3! I got it last week in a second hand book shop and think it's really wonderful. It focuses on fashion from 1900 to the 1970s (when it was published) and is amazing for anyone who's interested in fashion through time. The whole book is full of beautifully photographed black and white images peppered with paragraphs about individual eras in fashion. It gives a great idea about how clothes became to be those we know today.

World of Fashion by Eleanor Lambert 


Another surprisingly cheap find at the same wonderful second hand book shop as the previous book; again it was only £3. "World of Fashion" is not a book for the feint hearted and is instead focused at those with a true dedication to exploring everything about fashion. The whole thing is pure text with no pictures but gives an unbelievable amount of information about the clothes worn throughout different continents. Each section of the book is dedicated to a particular part of the word with in depth looks at their culture and how it effects what the people wear. It's also written by Eleanor Lambert, someone clearly well qualified to produce such a book. 

50 years of everyday fashion 


This book is a lot less heavy to read and I think that anybody remotely interested in fashion would enjoy it. Instead of looking at couture and high fashion, it's based on the clothes that normal people would wear on a daily basis throughout the past 50 years. It's informative without being overwhelming and it almost feels like reading a magazine due to the pictures placed on every page. I was given this book, but it's available at a really small cost on Amazon at the moment and I would honestly suggest buying it for a detailed and well illustrated look at retro fashion.

Ballgowns: British glamour since 1950 by Oriole Cullen and Sonnet Stanfill for The V&A Museum


This is probably my favourite book ever. I purchased this beautiful piece of work at The Victoria and Albert Museum in London after going to the exhibition that shares the book's title last year and can't express how much it means to me. Firstly the memory it holds is absolutely amazing as the exhibition was such a huge experience for me and secondly, the book is pure elegance. The photography of the ballgowns in the later part of the book is stunning and the writing included in the first section is simply perfect in terms of information and how its crafted. It's not essential to have visited the exhibition to have the book, however I think that the majority of it would have a much deeper meaning to you if you did happen to.

Fashion: The 50 most influential designers of all time by Bonnie English


For expanding your repertoire of knowledge about fashion designers this book is fantastic. I was so happy when I found this wrapped for me under the Christmas tree last year! Each page spread focuses on one  influential designer giving basic information, a more in depth look at their career and the impact they made, as well as a summary picture. All iconic designers that you should know are squeezed into this charming A5 book.

Fifty fashion looks that changed the 1960s by Paula Reed 


My Nan and Granddad bought me this book last Christmas and I love it. The 60s have never been a favourite fashion decade for me personally, but after reading the book I've been able to see other sides of the time's style that I was't aware of previously. It's actually managed to open my eyes on the period a little more. In terms of content the book is very well layed out which is something that I always appreciate. The pictures are excellent and the text linked to each picture is also superb with very detailed paragraphs about each defining look.

Valentino: Master of Couture, a private view



This is another book that I deeply love perhaps mainly due to the memory of the exhibition that I got it at. Apart from the fact that the exhibition was amazing and actually made me emotional, the minimal inside of this book makes it extremely lovable. The whole thing is dedicated to looking at the private life of Valentino through pictures in his photo albums; there's no overcrowded spaces or an abundance of writing throughout the whole book which means looking through it is incredibly easy and enjoyable. If you love Valentino as much as myself I would recommend this book, but at the quite high cost it would be foolish to buy it if you aren't a big fan of his work.

Minxy vintage by Kelly Doust 



I was extremely lucky to get this book for my 16th birthday. It focuses on how to customise vintage clothing found in retro and charity shops as well as markets throughout the UK. For me this is a dream book as I adore both buying vintage clothes and customising my own, as clearly my family know! Each section is amazing and looks at the projects of Kelly Doust as she tries to achieve her perfect wardrobe. It's really inspiring and has fantastic tips for any DIY lovers!

So there you have it, a look at the books within my collection that I have a deep rooted love for. Do you know of any fashion books that you would recommend, please let me know!

Thanks for reading,
Bethany Paige x