LFW || Favourites from 18th February

    Erdem's collection was very dark this season with occasional bursts of colour through plums, lilacs and dark purples. The harsh colours however are romanticized through the use of lace and by feathering sheer materials revealing more skin. The use of fabric gave Erdem's collection heaps of personality with its bold statements.

 

    Antonio Berardi's collection was by far my favourite as many of his pieces could be worn on a night out or a special occasion without being too out-landerish and extreme. The two puffed sleeved dresses in red and white below are a prime example of this. I felt Antonio's collection was simplistic with either print, pattern of texture of the material being the focal point, creating a unique feel to each outfit.

    Lastly another collection that caught my eye was Marios Schwab. Another collection that was inspired by dark, more neutral based colours. Much like Erdem, there is a heavy use-age of sheer material with some lace pieces. Very reflective of the baroque trend from late last year, in its under-layering for skirts accompanied by delicate dress skirts with constructed thicker layer underneath.

*(All images are from Vogue & edited by myself)

LFW || Marc Jacobs || Autumn/Winter 2013-14 || Ready-To-Wear

    I'm going to attempt to keep up with LFW this season and I did that by watching highlights and seeing the outfits from Vogue online. Other designers yet to present their new designs such as Vivienne Westwood and Mary Katrantzou are something to keep your eyes out for. Marc Jacobs presented a wide collection of fur and chunky gold/silver glitter whether it be in dresses, pant suits or skirts. A very modern appearance was kept through the models with their pixie haircuts and smokey eyes. From the end of last year onto this year, glitter appears to be a trend that is going to last longer than one or two seasons. I really enjoyed his collection and thought I would show you some of my favourite pieces. I will try my best to keep up with certain designers during LFW along with any news regarding upcoming trends. (All photo's are from Vogue.co.uk)

THIS WEEK | River Island Picks #1

    The first item from my River Island picks is this lovely graphic t-shirt with a cat on it. Being a big cat lover, anything that has a cat imprinted on it is a winner for me. The sequined mustache, gives the t-shirt some character and will hopefully sparkle when light catches it. Items like this are perfect for a casual look with jeans, patterned leggings or a body-con skirt.

River Island || Sequined Cat T-Shirt || £18

    
    Next is this over the knee midi dress with a black and white checkered print. This dress is perfect for all seasons as it can be the base for layering or can be worn on its own during the spring/summer. The length of this dress makes it a universally pleasing dress, as it flatters all figures and covers enough skin without looking too prudish. Dresses in this style are my absolute favourite and I can't wait for the sun to come out so I can live in them over the course of the summer.

River Island || Black Tube Print Dress || £25

   
    Due to the next item of clothes having a 'washed out' effect the image is not the highest of standard, however it shall do! I have a shirt very similar to this that I picked up in New Look earlier this year! Both shirts are very Chanel-esque with their boxy fit and crochet material. This is another piece I look forward to wearing over summer as the material is very light weight and floaty.

River Island || Boxy Shirt || £32

       
    The final item of clothing is extremely plain and simple, so there's not much I can say about it but it's a grey over-sized t-shirt. Items like this are essential in anybody's wardrobe as they can be incorporated in a everyday, casual outfit. Or if you're wearing a heavily patterned skirt, shorts or trousers. I don't have enough of these shirts and need to stock up while they're so inexpensive.

River Island || Grey T-Shirt || £14

Trend Of The Month #1 || Holographic

    This is a new addition to my blog and it's "Trend Of The Month", whenever I've seen a trend I've always wanted to make a post about it but never knew how to go about it, that's where I came up with this idea. Still being new in my brain, I hope for the addition to develop over time show casing my own pieces from that monthly trend. For now I will present a selection of photos (I claim no rights for these images all are from Google) a paragraph or so as to why I like the trend so much. Feed back on this would be welcomed!

    So after that long winded introduction to the new section, I present you the first trend - holographic. This trend has been around now roughly two months and it's still going strong into SS"13. The iridescent material changes colour when viewed from a variety of angles, I've always been fascinated with this effect from a young age. When I was younger living near a petrol station meant on occasion I would see petrol and water mixed, making this iridescent colour. Holographic pieces such as shoes, necklaces and clutches can set off an outfit and suit your outfit due to the amount of colours presented in one go. I am still awaiting to own something holographic whether it be jewellery or clothes, but I hope to purchase something very soon! Like I mentioned above these 

THIS WEEK | Topshop Wishlist #5

    Being an absolute sucker for the onesie trend that may not be as prominent now than two months or so ago but still floating around, I couldn't help but add this to the wishlist. Personally I already own a crocodile, dinosaur and monkey onesie but why not have another dinosaur one. Compared to the onesies I own, this is quite expensive but the material inside is more fleecy like Topshop's sweatshirts which I would be willing to pay for a warmer onesie because the soul purpose of them is to be warm isn't it. The detailing is limited to the top of the hood with felt 'teeth' and kooky facial details making it more playful.

TOPSHOP || Dinosaur Onesie || £36

    Next is something that was either loved or loathed and its the beanie hat. I'm a big fan of hats and have worn them for 4/5 years now, when the trend first came out I liked the type of hat but because I have jaw length hair I avoided wearing them because I would resemble a boy. Going into autumn last year my hair was at a reasonable length and I've not stopped buying them since. The neon greens against the blacks make it a statement piece that could brighten up a simple all coloured outfit. It also fits into the new trend for SS '13 of sports related clothing items. 

TOPSHOP || Lightening Bolt Beanie || £14

    Continuing with the green theme, this simplistic pencil skirt is the perfect versatile piece for the temperamental weather (especially in the UK). This could be styled however you deem fit, I would personally wear this with on over sized jumper up to my hips I do this already with a fitted slip dress I own which teams up as a pencil skirt as well. Hopefully Topshop might do this in a Tall version as being 5ft 9 I feel sometimes knee-length skirts end up above my knee and can look quite silly.

TOPSHOP || Green Spot Pencil Skirt || £22

    By far these chunky boots are my favourite from the entire selection this week, and their price is quite reasonable. They're also a walk-able height with the heel being only 2.5" which I would consider the average height for a heeled boot. Being brightly white pairing these with black tights or a denim wash would make them stand out from the crowd more than any pair of heeled boots. Because of their price I'm considering on saving up for a pair of these, you could also pair these with frilly socks the give your outfit some texture.

TOPSHOP || ASTRIX Chunky Heeled Boots || £40

    The next piece is something that personally I wouldn't wear as the A-Line shape of this skirt is something that is not flattering to my figure but nevertheless the print is what caught my eye. I have a body-con skirt that is extremely similar to this print, that I had to do a double take when scrolling down Topshop's page. I find this pattern is quite flexible as there's a wide variety of colours, the heavier base of grey also contributes taming it down if you have a louder piece up top.

TOPSHOP || Acid Floral A-Line Skirt || £34

Where Did You Go Melissa?

    There has been quite a gap of absence since my last post, which I do apologize for but past all that I thought I'd justify my lack of presence the past few weeks. Now like others who are in sixth form/college that write blogs you'll know everyone is getting back their assignments to touch up and polish before being sent away. Doing English Language and English Literature as two of my A-Levels both are heavily essay based so concentrating on 5/6 page essays for both of these and writing a worthy blog post is quite the challenge. Another reason that has played quite heavily into my absence is that I'm moving house on Valentines Day, searching stores galore for new home-ware during the weekends and emptying the house I'm currently living in has been rather tiresome and has taken up my free-time.  I managed to take a panorama shot of my bedroom (which is below) as I thought it'd be something of interest. The room is pretty drab at the moment but I hope to jazz it up a.s.a.p with some unique pieces.

    Finally another aspect behind my absence was I took a trip to London a couple of days ago to go watch an acoustic set from my favourite band All Time Low. Living in Manchester it took me roughly 4 hours to get down to Kingston (not including stopping for food). It was a wonderful trip and experience as I also got to meet the band again, I took a few photo's from that as well which are below. I will be writing blog posts all day today so I have at least 3 more up this week to make up for lost time. I hope to be doing outfit posts too due to now owning a tripod. Hope your all well.