Wednesday 31 July 2013

Stealing Her Style: Kourtney Kardashian's Chanel Gladiator Sandals (for £23)

Finally bored of the mini-glads and wedges which have shod me through all my adulthood summers thus far, I'd decided that, this year, a sandal with a touch more personality was in order (and, according to at least one trusted glossy source, trussed up to the knee was the place to be). An exhaustive Google Shopping search, however, threw up naught but ugly, overpriced and/or ill-fitting exemplars from the usual high street suspects... Turning to eBay to sate my craving, I was drawn to these gold lace-up beauties as a moth to a flame, but couldn't help but worry whether they would work outside a fancy dress party... 

Well, who should come to my assistance in my hour of sartorial need but Kourtney Kardashian, in the fitting form of a Roman deity? Despite being a kard-karrying dash doll, I'd somehow failed to notice the repeated airings of her Chanel Resort 2011 knee-high gold gladiators over recent weeks, months and years, proving that (a) yes, they do work minus the toga, and (b) £23.24 (with free international delivery) for a near-indistinguishable pair from eBay was a flippin' steal!

Kourtney Kardashian, Chanel, Resort 2011, Sam Muses, eBay, UK Fashion Blog, London Blogger, Floral Dress, Playsuit, Gold, Knee-High Gladiator Sandals, Long, High-Leg

Kourtney Kardashian, Chanel, Resort 2011, Sam Muses, eBay, UK Fashion Blog, London Blogger, Floral Dress, Playsuit, Gold, Knee-High Gladiator Sandals, Long, High-Leg

Kourtney Kardashian, Chanel, Resort 2011, Sam Muses, eBay, UK Fashion Blog, London Blogger, Floral Dress, Playsuit, Gold, Knee-High Gladiator Sandals, Long, High-Leg, Get The Look, Steal Her Style


Sam Muses, eBay, UK Fashion Blog, London Blogger, Gold, Knee-High Gladiator Sandals, Long, High-Leg, Metallic

Sam Muses, eBay, UK Fashion Blog, London Blogger, Gold, Knee-High Gladiator Sandals, Long, High-Leg, Metallic

Sam Muses, eBay, UK Fashion Blog, London Blogger, Gold, Knee-High Gladiator Sandals, Long, High-Leg, Metallic
Gladiator Sandals: eBay (Available Here), Playsuit and Feather Necklace: Both Primark (Past Season), Long Necklace: Peacocks (Past Season)

By the time I'd feverishly tracked their cross-continental journey all the way to my door (they arrived 9 days after I submitted payment, which isn't too shabby since they hail from Beijing!), a Kourtney-inspired floaty floral combo was right at the top of my to-try list, topped off with some tribal-esque jewellery to draw out my inner warrior and contrast with the ditzy print. Having sniffed out the original Chanel runway shots, I'm definitely feeling inspired to put together a few more glad-centric ensembles, though - watch this space! 

What do you think of Kourtney's style? Will you be going high-rise this summer?



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Sunday 28 July 2013

How to Wear Neon - the 2013 Update!

Last year, I took my first tentative steps into the world of fluorescence, publishing my original How to Wear Neon post (complete with "experimental" poses!). This summer, thanks to some actual sunshine, brights have tightened their grip on my wardrobe even further, with zingy new finds jostling against old favourites for precedence... Neon may even be giving monochrome a run for its money!

How to Wear, '90s, Sam Muses, Neon, Fluoro, Fluorescent, Colour Blocking, Primark, River Island, New Look, Peplum, Mini Skirt, Maxi Skirt, Pinafore, Denim Shirt, Beanie, DIY Clutch, Sheer, Crop Top, Fishnet
How to Wear, Sam Muses, Neon, Fluoro, Fluorescent, UK Fashion Blog, London Blogger, Monochrome, Lace, Midi Dress, Maxi Dress, Mini Dress, Tammy, Primark, Boohoo, Crop Top

The Tops

Oranges and Lemons

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark, Peplum, Fluoro, Fluorescent, Mini Skirt, River Island, Yellow, Orange, Aztec, Collar Necklace, Wedges

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark, Peplum, Fluoro, Fluorescent, Yellow, Aztec, Collar Necklace, Wedges, New Look, Earrings
Top and Necklace: Both Primark, Earrings: New Look, Skirt: River Island (Past Season), Shoes: Peacocks (Past Season)

Brights on brights... on brights! Summer is the perfect time to go wild with colour, but a common tonal theme running through the accessories pulls this look together for an off-beat ladylike feel (and trust me, if you buy one thing this summer, a multi-tonal neon necklace will be your hardest working piece for pulling together, polishing, or just adding a zest injection to more subdued ensembles).

Denim Dabble

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark, Peplum, Fluoro, Fluorescent, Mini Skirt, River Island, Yellow, Orange, Aztec, Collar Necklace, Beanie, New Look, Lita Dupes, Denim Shirt

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark, Peplum, Fluoro, Fluorescent, Yellow, Aztec, Collar Necklace, Beanie, New Look, Denim Shirt
Top, Skirt and Necklace: As Above, Beanie c/o New Look, Boots: Primark (Past Season), Shirt: Tammy (Past Season)

Swapping belt for beanie, wedges for ankle boots and bare shoulders for denim to toughen up the look with a '90s grunge twist.

Pastel Power

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark Crop Top, New Look Pinafore Dress, Tokyo Doll, Pastels, Trainers, Wedge High Tops, Studs, Studded

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark Crop Top, New Look Pinafore Dress, Tokyo Doll, Pastels, Trainers, Wedge High Tops, Studs, Studded, DIY Embellished Envelope Clutch

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark Crop Top, New Look Pinafore Dress, Tokyo Doll, Pastels,
Top and Trainers: Both Primark, Pinafore: Tokyo Doll at New Look, Clutch: DIY (See This Post)

No need to stick to all-bright combos... try adding some lime zest to sweet-as-candy pastels...

Caught Up

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark, Crop Top,Fishnet, Lime, Green, Maxi Skirt, Sheer, Trainers, Wedge High Tops, Sports Luxe

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark, Crop Top,Fishnet, Lime, Green, Maxi Skirt, Sheer, Trainers, Wedge High Tops, Sports Luxe

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark, Crop Top,Fishnet, Lime, Green, Sports Luxe

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark, Crop Top,Fishnet, Lime, Green,
Whole Outfit: Primark

A single neon piece also makes a stunning accent to an otherwise all-black (or white/grey) ensemble, and the perfect base for a statement sheer look. This is one of my favourite summer outfits so far this year, giving the classic maxi a sports luxe-meets-nu rave spin...


The Dresses

Natty Neutrals

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark, Tammy, Lace Dress, Pink, Monochrome, White Brogues, Envelope Clutch, Stripes, Striped Blazer

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark, Tammy, Lace Dress, Pink, Monochrome, Envelope Clutch

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark, Tammy, Lace Dress, Pink, Monochrome, Envelope Clutch,

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark, Tammy, Lace Dress, Pink, Monochrome, Stripes, Striped Blazer
Dress: Tammy, Blazer and Shoes: Both Primark, Belt: River Island (from skirt, past season)

Why stop at one neutral? If you can't decide whether to go mono or fluoro, do both! And no need to stick to accessories if you're feeling brave - try teaming a neon top with a printed pinafore or shorts/skirt/trousers...

Glo With It

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark, Tammy, Lace Dress, Pink, Crop Top, Boyfriend Tee, T-Shirt, Wedge High Tops, Hi-Tops, Trainers

Neon, Sam Muses, Primark, Tammy, Lace Dress, Pink, Crop Top, Boyfriend Tee, T-Shirt,
Dress: As Above, Top: Primark, Trainers: River Island

Yup, the old "turning a dress into a skirt" trick - made even more exciting by neon's "glo-thru" effect... 

P.S. You may have already seen the layer-tastic 1-for-2 dress trick featured in the introductory montage in my How to Wear a Sheer Lace Dress post, but I was so proud of it I decided it bore repeating!

And don't forget, a neon bra is also your secret weapon for turning a plain white tee into a nu-rave statement (as in this post).

Instructions for a Heatwave

Neon, Sam Muses, Boohoo, Maxi Dress, Primark, Collar Necklace

Neon, Sam Muses, Boohoo, Maxi Dress, Primark, Collar Necklace

Neon, Sam Muses, Boohoo, Maxi Dress, Primark, Collar Necklace
Dress: Boohoo, Necklace: Primark, Shoes: Peacocks (Past Season)

Neon, Sam Muses, Missguided, Maxi Dress, Cut Out, Coral, Waist, Primark, Collar Necklace, Beehive Ponytail, Pony
Dress: Missguided (Past Season), Shoes: Freemans (Past Season), Necklace: Primark

When it's too hot for structured waist-cinching frocks, coloured maxis remain the quintessence of summer... the perfect no-thought-required ready-made outfit (accompanied by sandals and trusty neon necklace, obvs).


Are you embracing brights?


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Wednesday 24 July 2013

Stealing Her Style: Beyoncé's Pick 'n' Mix Aztec

I've spent much of the past month or so scouring the streets and highways of the web in search of the perfect aztec two-piece, only to find that none of the pieces I really loved seem to have a matching counterpart... So, inspired by Beyoncé's Topshop print mash-up, I decided to go mix 'n' match, teaming Primark's cold-shoulder monochrome crop top (now reduced to £3) with last year's red tribal print pencil skirt. Happily, the prints' similar styles and size, along with their shared black elements, pulled them together in a rather pleasing manner... Dare I say it, I actually prefer my cobbled-together Primark ensemble to Bey's £30+ Topshop look, but I had to take my hat off (or, er, put it on) to her fabulous accessorising!

Beyoncé Knowles, Sam Muses, Aztec Print, Chevron, Topshop, Primark, Crop Top, Midi, Pencil Skirt, Cold Shoulder, Cut-Out, UK Fashion Blog, London Personal Style Blogger

Sam Muses, Aztec Print, Primark, Crop Top, Midi, Pencil Skirt, Cold Shoulder, Cut-Out, UK Fashion Blog, London Personal Style Blogger, Bowler Hat

Sam Muses, Aztec Print, Primark, Crop Top, High Neck, Midi, Pencil Skirt, Cold Shoulder, Cut-Out, UK Fashion Blog, London Personal Style Blogger, Bowler Hat
Top: Primark (Current); Skirt, Shoes and Hat: All Primark (Past Season)


If you're still on the Inca Trail, New Look, BoohooDaisy Street and Jane Norman have some gorgeous separates and accessories in... Have you gone tribal yet? Are you mixing or matching?



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