DIY Embellished Shirt Collar

If you follow me on Twitter, or live within a 5 mile radius, you may have borne witness to my outrage and despair on discovering that my dentist's orange putty had permanently damaged the collar of my beloved stripy shirt. Yes, it was from Primark, but it had the most perfect tailback boyfriend-style cut I'd ever encountered, and you know how attached I am to my monochrome stripes! Copious quantities of stain remover and much time spent scrubbing eventually succeeded in removing most of the errant orange pigments, but also began to fade the stripes themselves! OK, the final result wasn't that bad, but, since I still seethed with anger every time I looked at it (I did reclaim the cost, plus a little extra to compensate for my extreme distress, but, since the shirts were sold out, I couldn't buy a replacement), there was only one thing for it - DIY!

Yep, for the first time in nearly 2 years, I got out an actual needle and thread! I used the same eBay pearls and floral buttons as I did for my embellished sunglasses, but as they were actually intended to be used this time! I decided to go for an irregular cluster effect, polished off by 2 of the roses acting as "collar tips", and am rather pleased with the outcome... even if I did have to do some damage control on finding that I'd accidentally sewn the collar to the shirt on one side!! It adds an interesting feminine touch to the androgynous style, no?

Shirt and Jeans: Both Primark, Shoes: Boohoo

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SS13 Monochrome Must-Haves

OK, so if you checked out my last post you'll know that I may have sported quite a few monochrome looks recently (in fact, I've discovered that a quarter of my posts feature black teamed with white in some shape or form!) but there'll always be room for more two-tonal loveliness in my wardrobe (even if the effort required to jam it in nullifies the need for an upper body workout). These beauties are top of my current fantasy wish list... What's on yours?

1. Prom Dress - £40, Boohoo (Available Here)
2. Polka Dot Pinafore Playsuit - £39, Miss Selfridge (Available Here)
3. Striped Bodycon Midi - £26, Miss Selfridge (Available Here)
4. Striped Pinafore - £18, She Likes (Available Here)
5. Striped Peplum Blazer - £25, Boohoo (Available Here)
6. T-Bar Court Shoes - £79, Dune (Available Here)
7. Monochrome Colour Block Peep Toe Heels - £29.99, New Look (Available Here)
8. Striped Ankle Strap Court Shoes - £19.99, New Look (Available Here)
9. Striped Peep Toe Heels - £27.99, New Look (Available Here)

10. Striped Jeans - £25, Boohoo (Available Here)
11. Tailored Dungarees - £30, Boohoo (Available Here)
12. Mesh Racer Back Dress - £24.99, Missguided (Available Here)
13. Studded Bodycon Dress - £12, Boohoo (Available Here)
14. Polka Dot Jumpsuit - £30, Boohoo (Available Here)
15. Harlequin Skinny Jeans - £15, Boohoo (Available Here)

3D Floral Sweatshirt - £25, Boohoo (Available Here)

3D Floral Skirt - £30, Boohoo (Available Here)

Rocking Baroque Into 2013: 5 More Ways to Wear Metallics

Metallics will be shimmering on into Spring/Summer again this year, so I thought I'd show you how I'm wearing them post-party season...

The Baroque Jeans

The Michaela jeans were the first thing into my basket when my Boohoo shopathon began - it was love at first sight. Although I love disco pants and velvet leggings (close enough to the "trouser" threshold to be flaunted without concern for top length), I've never really been a printed leggings girl, so I was ecstatic to find this now-iconic motif on something a bit more substantial!

As I warned in my original How to Wear Metallics post, shiny, light-coloured surfaces can make the wearer appear larger than actual size, so, unless you're seriously snake-hipped, balancing this effect out with a bit of added volume on your top half is a good idea, whether it's with a peplum or a slouchy tee or sweater. I've been sticking to a black and gold colour palette with these patterned lovelies, to avoid the 5-year-old-in-the-fancy-dress-box look, but chocolate box neutrals and rich berry tones also look great with plain gold varieties.

Lace and Leather

Jeans*: Boohoo (Current), Top: New Look (Current), Shoes and Belt: Primark (Past Seasons)

A black peplum top and killer heels work perfectly with metallic jeans for a high-octane glam look which still lets your legs do the talking (or, er, walking). A waist cinching belt emphasises curves - leather and buckles add a hit of tough girl (I did try a pretty-pretty version but decided it rendered the overall look a bit pedestrian).

Heavy Metal Princess

Jeans* and Boots*: Boohoo (Current), T-Shirt: Forever 21 (Past Season), Body Chain: Topshop

Who says you can't rock head-to-toe metallics in February? For an edgier evening look, Lita-likes and a loose tee are perfect partners... this look really wouldn't be cool if the tones matched exactly, but I think the carefree clash just saves it! I piled on a gold body chain for a final dash of rock star chic.

Blackout

Jeans*: As Above, Jumper and Trainers: Primark (Current)

*Part of my Boohoo #PartyPose People's Choice Winner's Haul

Adding some mid-winter cheer to your standard jean-jumper-trainer combo - sticking to black separates keeps it daylight-appropriate.

The Pleated Skater Skirt

Although my wardrobe seems to have experienced a great gold rush over the last few seasons, I had to have this pewter skirt... But, perhaps due to the aforementioned gilt addiction, it's been a little neglected... You might just have spotted it with my £2 bralet wonder-buy in my How To Wear Sequins post, but I was determined it would see the light of day again before next Christmas!

Slouch and Creep

Skirt: Forever 21, Jumper: Marks & Spencer (Past Season), Creepers: New Look

How to dress anything down 101 - the relaxed sweater. If I've done it once I've done it a thousand times, but it's always a winner! Grey tones in effortlessly with silver shades - I slipped on some contrasting creepers to tone the look down a little more.

Mixed Metals

Skirt and T-Shirt: Forever 21, Shoes and Pony Holder: Primark (Current), Necklace: Peacocks (Past Season)

A little DIY-alloying - I think it works well with these slightly muted metallics - the bronze-gold tee and pewter-silver skirt combination isn't too loud. I added a black and gold statement necklace to dress the look up with a bit of a Baroque vibe, whilst my new £6 Primark wonder-brogues and pony-holder keep it cute and quirky.

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How to Clash Prints

And so to the final part of my mini sub-series on prints - today I'm going to touch on clashing prints from different families.

Whilst I have the utmost respect for people whose style is to clash without censure, I tend to stick to the same principles I apply when mixing floral or animal prints - retaining some unit(s) of similarity between prints, whether in size, style or tone - to tie the look together.

Monochrome Madness

Clashing two classic prints - spots and stripes - on two classically vintage-shaped pieces - a full-skirted midi dress and a cropped tie-up blouse - puts a cute, unusual spin on a classic-feeling look. Sticking to a monochrome palette keeps it elegant. The cropped cut of the blouse keeps the focus on the waistline.

Dress: eBay (originally Primark)
Blouse: Primark (SS12)
Shoes: Office (Past Season)

Graphic Aztec

Their common geometric structure allows graphic and Aztec patterns to combine ancient and modern influences to stunning effect. A classic fifties-style peplum-pencil silhouette adds a further level to the look. I added platform stiletto ankle boots to draw on the black tones present throughout the look and the sharpness inherent in the prints, and red lips to bring out the tones of the skirt and the outfit's glamorous cut.

Top: Primark (SS12)
Skirt: Primark (SS12)
Boots: Peacocks (Past Season)

Scarf Print

Here, I decided to pair a printed scarf with scarf-print jeans. Similar tones ensure the contrast between scarf-print and leopard print doesn't jar. To keep focus on the prints, I teamed them with a neutral-coloured top drawing on one of the primary base tones. A printed scarf plaited into hair is also great for embellishing neutral outfits.

Jeans: Primark (SS12)
Top: Primark (SS12)
Scarf: Accessorize (Past Season)
Shoes: New Look (Past Season)

Do take a look at my tips on colour blocking and print mixing (here and here) if you're struggling to decide which combinations will work best for you, but, above all, have fun and enjoy creating your own combinations :)

Tomorrow: How to Wear Metallics

See more posts featuring print clashes here

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How to Wear... Animal Print

Throughout my teens, I held firmly to the belief that animal print shouldn't be seen outside soap pubs, and certainly never on blondes. But, as zoological patterns crept onto chic buttoned-up shirts and skinny jeans, slowly replacing the hideous lycra boulder holders etched on my mind's eye, I tentatively began to experiment. It's not unusual to find me clad H2T in the stuff these days, but that childhood memory of Bet Lynch burned forever on my memory serves as an eternal warning.

Animal Accents: Easing Yourself In...
Head to Toe: Unleashing Your Inner Leopard/Snake
Making Animal Print Work For You: Final Tips and Tricks

Animal Accents
I'm not really one for coloured animal prints (yet) - I prefer to stick to slightly more realistic tones, which can be paired with neutral co-ordinates for a chic pared-down look, or block brights for maximum impact.

Smart Casual

Snake print has a classy, ladylike feel - maybe it's the relatively subtle tonal variations, or maybe it's the associations with posh handbags. Eiher way, neutral-toned snake print skinny jeans can be dressed up in a flash with a chiffon blouse, chocolate heeled loafers and a tweed blazer drawing from the same colour palette.

Jeans: Primark (SS12)
Blouse: Primark (Past Season)
Blazer: Primark (Past Season)
Shoes: Primark (Past Season)

Shiny Shiny

The warm tones of leopard print also render it a perfect partner for gold (cooler toned prints work well with silver and pewter tones). With flat leopard loafers and a skinny colour pop belt to break up the look, a metallic tee and printed skirt make for a casually glamorous go-anywhere ensemble. Swapping the accessories for gold skyscraper heels and a wide metallic or black waist cincher would turn up the volume for evening.

Skirt: Primark (SS12)
Top: Forever 21 (AW12)
Shoes: Primark (AW12)

For a more casual, boho feel, I like to echo the diaphanous fall of this skirt in draping neutral separates (see the look here).

For AW, leopard print separates also look great with rich autumnal and berry tones - see how I style my lantern-style leopard mini for summer and winter here, and my leopard print shirt with a colour pop pencil skirt here.

Head to Toe
Despite making a bold statement, all-over animal print can be surprisingly wearable, and even sophisticated. Vintage-inspired glamour, casual cool and East London hipster style are all within reach.

Casual Cool

Printed skinny jeans look great with a loose buttoned-up printed shirt for a chic but easy to throw together casual look - I've mixed a leopard print shirt with snaky skinnies, but the unified colour palette stops the clash from jarring and keeps the look long and lean - a colour-pop printed shirt or jeans would add impact but could shorten you. The larger print and greater contrast on the shirt draw the eye upwards - keeping the smaller, denser print on the lower half minimises hips and thighs, but you can try the opposite if conscious of a chunky waistline.

Jeans: Primark (SS12)
Shirt: Primark (SS12)
Shoes: Primark (SS12)

Leopard in the City

I see this look as a kind of mash-up of ghetto girl and East London hipster chic style. As ever, I've stuck to a neutral colour palette, but blocked varying tones of leopard print together to add interest and avoid the Tarzan fancy dress factor. I stopped short of leopard print footwear in favour of wedged desert boots, but I have to admit it may have been a different story if I'd already invested in my Primark leopard sloafers or Chelsea boots at the time the photo was taken! Darker-toned tights are flattering on the pins, and keep the roar of such an outfit down to an acceptable level.

Jacket: Primark (SS12)
Top: Primark (Past Season)
Skirt: H&M (Past Season)
Tights: Accessorize (Past Season)
Boots: Marks & Spencer (Past Season)

The Drop-Dead Drop-Hem

A buttoned-to-the-throat leopard print shirt looks insanely chic tucked into a high-waisted leopard midi, or, even better, mixi skirt, matching tone to tone for maximum impact and a cute shirt-dress feel. Red lips and waist belt instantly inject a glamorous vintage feel, whilst matching leopard courts ramp it up even further (red would also work, as would black, if your shoe collection is more...classic).

I'd add black opaques and cute ankle boots for AW. I think this is also a look that could handle a coloured animal print accessory, like a red leopard clutch, or even a coloured skirt.

Shirt: Primark (SS12)
Skirt: Primark (SS12)
Shoes: Dune (Past Season)

Making Animal Print Work For You

The same principles that apply to other prints, such as florals, also apply to animal print, e.g. larger, lighter prints maximise whilst smaller, darker prints minimise; matching tones tend to slim and lengthen; and some element or elements (sizes and/or tones) should remain constant when mixing prints if you wish to retain a sense of unification.

If you want to play it safe, stick to classic, demure cuts and neutral tones, for an elegant look with impact. Take it up a notch by mixing in block colours.

And if you're feeling brave and are after a really funky, modern take, try out coloured animal prints - just be aware of how your cuts, proportions and tonal mix affect your overall appearance, as this look is easier to get wrong than right! A clashing accessory or two can work well. If you're going bodycon, make sure the cut isn't trashy.

Tomorrow: How to Clash Prints

(P.S. How to Wear Faux Fur: Coming Soon...)

See more posts featuring animal print here

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