Sartorial Spotlight

Spotlight on: The 70s

Via Just The Design
A revival has been bubbling quietly under the surface for quite a while; the rise of the charity shop lurkers, the wide legged trousers, the meteoric rise of the Canadian Tuxedo as an acceptable sartorial choice and of course the omnipresence of the funky ear worm that is 'Uptown Funk'

All of these have culminated in the full blown return of the decade of funk (in a good way) and it has been seen ALL OVER the catwalks of late. 

I am in awe of this revival; it is so far removed from my comfort zone. This is an era, where my own mother (and countless other women) spent an inordinate amount of time blow drying curls and preening for all their worth. This is not a carefree look. This is a really, really hard look to pull off and look good in.

I take pride in my appearance, but I do not take that much pride.

So I thought I would explore this in a little more detail, and maybe try to incorporate it into my wardrobe/uniform with as much ease as I possibly could.

I thought I would start with an item I am already enamoured with, wide legged trousers.
I do love a good skinny flare, within moderation (When it's not raining). They are, on the whole universally flattering, especially if they are paired with platform wedge, a slouchy oversized jumper and a pair of Jackie O sunglasses.
Wide legged trousers are an easy gateway into the 70s revival and easy to incorporate into an everyday wardrobe.

This entire look from ASOS encapsulates my love of this look.
These are perfect for a transitional work day; business during the day, chuck on some statement jewellery and you are ready to dance the night away as soon as Five O'clock hits.

Like this look, I would pair my wide legged trousers with an oversized button down and a contrast belt for work. For the evening I would wear a large, loose scooped vest with a lot, and I mean a lot of bangles to really top it off.

Black, Navy are Brown are the best colours for this type of trouser; patterns and brights are best for your top half or if you are feeling a little cheeky for your shoes.




Here are my best of the rest:
(From L-R) Armani Collezioni, Edun & Stella McCartney

If you aren't too sure or want to really go for a 70s vibe culottes are definitely the way forward for spring, go for a culotte below the knee with a bright heeled sandal and a chunky cardigan for an absolute winner!

Via Man Repller & l'Officiel
Another 70s trend, perfect for today is a suitable co-ord. Don a suit like Bianca Jagger; Go with muted colours, beige, navy & brown work best for your homage to the Studio 54 set.



This 70s inspired floral co-ord from Topshop is a perfect way to channel your funkiest vibe for the summer months.
I would tuck the shirt into the skirt and pair with a thick brown belt to really go all out this one is perfect.
The most easily recognisable way to adopt the disco diva within us all is to add a pair of platform shoes into your rotation. Platform shoes have come a long way from the genuine garish and outré designs of 40 years ago. Today's platforms are sleek, fun and 100% easier to wear (believe me I have tried!)
The perfect pairs for the upcoming months are of course the platform wedge. these can be suitable paired with a pleated midi length skirt a plain vest. Just like that you're bang on trend.
(From L-R) Giuseppe Zanotti, Kurt Geiger, Robert Clergerie
Platforms also suit co-ords exceedingly well. Pair them with a brown cami and matching high waisted trouser and you'll look and feel a million dollars.

All of these looks aren't as terrifying as I first thought. They are modern, with a strong view to the past, easy to wear and are flattering for most body types. The 70s was the era of  funk, disco and hedonism, so why should our parents have all the fun?!

I am heading out right now, I have co-ords and platforms to buy!


Spotlight on: Workwear
I have come to realise (with pretending to be a grown up and all) that how you dress for work is important. 

I have always tried to dressed appropriately for work and have found that having a uniformed (lazy) approach to workwear has helped me a great deal in navigating the murky waters of a corporate dress code. 

I was recently put into a tailspin about this when I started my job and was informed during my induction that a dress code did not apply. This is of course a ludicrous suggestion because it obviously does and those who fail to comply are often snickered at in the lifts, walking by desks & in the café; unaware that they have failed the test with the 'no dress code dress code' so I started thinking about what is appropriate for work and what isn't. 

So if like me you want to show your personality and style through your choice of work outfits I have spent a great deal of time pondering, wondering and collaging my ideas for the best types of chic, timeless work looks suitable for every occasion & every office. 

It's all you need to succeed in the world of work (apart from the actual work) so have a look and get shopping! This time It's completely essential and necessary! 

Corporate

If you work in an environment where you need to be formal it is easy to apply a uniformed, creative look that doesn't make you want to cry. 
There are loads of websites the cater for the über corporate workplace, The best I have found are The Workwear Edit a wonderful blog that picks the best on the high street for corporate & Girls Dressing Cute For Work a user submitted chronicle from real women who have taken their own unique approach to corporate wear and shared it with the Tumblr-sphere.
I think the look on the left is perfect for a formal office, without feeling like you are playing dress up.
I always think an easy win can be achieved by adding a pair of eye catching heels. Shoes add interest to any outfit, wear head to toe black and relive your favourite style scenes from Working Girl. 

A fun pair of shoes show that you can be serious and reprimand someone for their lack of attention to detail on the annual budget, but you are able to kick back and relax with the best of them.

Here are my pick of the best shoes on the market.
Gucci

Topshop

Bionda Castana

These are my favourite by far:
The Ready Steady
The Fantastic Dolly

Both by the incredibly talented and ingenious Charlotte Olympia.

Smart Casual

This is the most common type of dress code for a modern office. This look is a little more
relaxed and comfortable for everyday work wear and can easily translate for après work shenanigans.

The look on the right is perfect look for a smart casual office. Bright colours and loose kimonos are perfect addition to a smart casual work wardrobe. The look on the right is perfect for showing off your sartorial credentials, while looking and feeling professional.



The best brands for a smart casual wardrobe is one of my favourites, Cos. Their looks are affordable, cool and modern.
My current favourites are the shirt dress, this casual dress and these trousers (which is now in the sale WIN!!)


Casual

This is the hardest work wardrobe to master.
There is a thin line between casual and slovenly and this for me is always a source of consternation.
Denim works well in these environments it can be dressed up; you can throw on a blazer and lots of junk jewellery and it can still look relaxed.


Creating a simple uniform of trousers, jeans and lots and lots of t-shirts (patterns, stripes and bold colours) are an easy way to avoid the creeping dread of knowing what to wear when the alarm goes off in the morning.

Easy, high street brands are a godsend for refreshing this uniform. Topshop is perfect as their range is ever evolving (I suggest, if you find something you cannot live without, buy a couple - you can thank me later!).

Smart shoes also work well with this look. Leather plimsolls (Converse, Vans, etc.) are perfect for making an everyday outfit a tiny bit smarter for work. Loafers and general flats are a great look too, I am a lover of Russell & Bromley's Chester. During the summer ballet flats are great too.

So I've broken down my picks for every office to help you out. I hope, this helps your navigate the murky waters of the workwear uniform trap in style. I'm off to refresh my wardrobe. Now I am off to do some actual work.


All looks can be found here.


Spotlight On: Fashion Bloggers
Lucie’s Locket is over a year old now, which is both a) terrifying and b) hilarious. Terrifying because I never thought I would be able to ramble on about shoes, handbags and general trinkets for over a year and hilarious for the very same reasons. I have the utmost respect for all of my buddies because I have now realised (rather begrudgingly) that I would chew their ears off incessantly otherwise. For all of you who have stuck by the ramblings… I thank you. It has been a genuine pleasure. 

To reward you for your unwavering support I thought I would reward (or chew your ear off metaphorically) with the blogs that got me writing in the first place.

This blog started everything for me. It is forward thinking, funny and most of all relevant. I am a person who chooses to dress for me and me alone. I like things that make me feel happy and express my personality and I have found more often than not; this is not what the opposite sex find attractive. Man Repeller noticed it, parodied it and brought it to the forefront. A perfect example of her writing is a recent article in defence of bad jeans.
If you have not chuckled at a post by Leandra Medine and her team, you haven’t lived a favourite of mine is The Margiela Diet. You can tell they are having fun while writing; their absurd at times articles are based on the rather absurd fashion and beauty conversations you have with your friends. 
Follow their Instagram here.

I like this blog because it is a realistic interpretation of modern fashion and life. It is for the everyday, from a good cheap eat to the best picks on the high street. Alexandra Steadman is a stylish and modern fashion blogger with frugal approach; hence her name. She is the essence of (my favourite) nomcore approach to life and style, while making it look, very, very cool. She is the go to person for discount and high street shopping too. How can you not love someone who can save you a few pennies?
In addition to the great savings and style ideas; Steadman as a freelancer gives you an insight into the world of fashion publishing and styling for the uninitiated. It is a perfect lifestyle blog for those of you wanting to break into fashion publishing and want to get style tips while doing it.
Follow her Instagram here.

This girl is everywhere at the moment and for good reason.
Not only was she featured as a model for the Lena Dunham Stylist takeover she is also a regular contributor to Rodeo Magazine. She is my go to blog for all things modern, urban street style. She makes it look effortless and I envy her greatly for that because I am fully aware I could not get away with some of the clothes she excels in wearing.

I love her because she embraces her natural and normal shape and rocks it better than most people half her size. As a lady of normal proportions, she is an inspiration for everyone of all shapes and sizes.
Follow her awesome Instagram here.




The Everygirl

This is a lifestyle blog like no other. The Everygirl provides tips, interviews and guides for you, your home, your social life and even insights and job prospects (mainly for the US). It takes a varied approach to life & style gives you insights and tips for different aesthetics without bias. 
It became an invaluable tool when decorating my home. The varied types of abode are perfect to find inspiration, to aspire to own and how and where to find them.
The interviews are also insightful, often speaking with varied artisans and experts who divulge secrets, give tips and generally make you aspire to be something more.  
You can follow their Instagram here.

These are a few of the blogs and websites that occupy my many, many hours. There are of course, hundreds of others that I am obsessed and in awe of and I am sure you will have no trouble in reminding me... Once again I wanted to thank you all for reading and following.
Until the next time! x

Spotlight on:Internships
I am a former intern. To some a badge of honour, to others a damning mark of shame. Why does this arouse such vitriol?
Having pondered this for a while I decided to open up the debate on this divisive subject once and for all. Does being a intern make you different? Does it make you more employable? Does Fashion Intern Problems hit the nail EXACTLY on the head?
This has taken me a while to write. I began to think about it when reports surfaced of the death of Moritz Erhardt. I thought about it prior to that when Condé Nast discontinued their internship program after increased criticism for its practices. Reading these articles and hearing these stories made me think that the plight of an intern is only often called into question when something goes horrifically wrong.

I asked many of my friends this; a lot of us are lucky enough (or unlucky, depending on your viewpoint) to be in creative industries and have been or have come across intern culture in their working lives. 

The internal ranter in me often thinks of this when a work day is particularity trying. Our generation were told growing up, that qualifications are important. Make sure you've passed your exams, do well in your degree; you will be rewarded with the wonderful career you aspire to have. We were told later on, once we had gained the qualifications that we needed experience, we needed to 'pay our dues' (I digress, I can't not) and we will then reach Nirvana, or a steady 9-5. For some, this is yet to happen. 

Stories of internships are of course varied and others have been better than average. My stories of internships are no different.

I have done everything from unpick labels from scarves and sewing them back on the other side (a shipping error that needed correcting that second, obvious fashion week dramas) to attending fashion week shows watching garments saunter down the catwalk that I had a hand in making as well as the obligatory coffee runs, schlepping garment bags and steaming all manor of garments. All of my internships, positive or less so are presented proudly on my CV in an attempt to make me more employable than the next person in an already flooded job market, an idea that is superbly illustrated in this Guardian article. I have often found that sometimes simply being in a notable fashion house can become superfluous to experience.

It is this need to stand out in a tiny job market, made even worse by niche specifications of intern dominated industries that often brings out resentment in the wider public. To a lot of people internships:


"...keeps creative positions [for the] majority of affluent middle class people"

Countless tales of long-term internships with no progression is a sad and realistic fact of life for many in the creative industry. Alec Dudson, editor of Intern Magazine told me that he started his magazine "initially as a means of me staying involved in the industry I had grown to love" and to showcase the talent of those working with little to no recognition or reward; financial or otherwise.

It is often this feeling of helplessness that fuels the fire for others who have not, or refuse to undertake an internship and wholeheartedly condemn the practise. From many standpoints it is seen as an elitist way into employment. A lot of people who aspire to work in a creative industry simply cannot because it is not financially possible to work as an intern.
They are often more demanding than an a 9-5 (I once regularly worked at an internship on a 8:30-10:30 shift) which means 'extra curricular' work is not physically possible; or turns you into a fully fledged zombie; like another of my friends has made about internships:

"interns plug the gaps and cause more harm then good in the long run"

If this is true, where is this harm actually placed? In an ideal scenario the interns benefit from some knowledge of an industry they want to be in; at a grass roots level. At worst you can gain experience by candidly learning through osmosis; you are surrounded by professionals working in your chosen industry. If you are eager you will listen to their conversations, you'd sit in and take notes during meetings. This is experience, which cannot be found in the classroom or lecture hall and this is the experience that in theory should give you an advantage over others.

It also prepares you for the gruelling and often thankless tasks that you are given when you eventually find yourself employed in your chosen industry. Because once you do find work, the similarities in your new found position can and will become scarily akin to the tasks picked up 'earning your dues'. Leandra Medine, of Man Repeller fame explains this:



"The work wasn't easy   mindless, sometimes, but never easy  and I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to stab someone. Instead, however, I grinned and beared (sic) it. Eventually I was recommended for my first “real” job. Once hired, the long hours didn't shock me and the low pay didn't dissuade me I knew how fashion worked because I had already experienced it and knew I could – and wanted to – handle it." 


Creatives and Designers also benefit from internships, but not in the way you would normally expect. The Fashion industry, in the UK alone contributes £26bn to the economy, however this is not distributed evenly. New labels and designers often take several years to break even, let alone make a profit and often rely on grants and sponsorship deals like Topshop NewGen or Fashion East to move forward and with an estimated 95% of new labels failing in their five years (according to the Business of Fashion) it is easy to see why new and even some slightly established labels need the help from interns to help them grow to profit and fully establish themselves in the wider market; in my personal experience it is often these newer and smaller labels that provide the best learning experience. Another friend of mine told me about their positive experience:

‘My best experience was getting to go to Paris for fashion week. I'd worked really hard and cared about my work and it was noticed. So the designers saved up and paid for my Eurostar ticket. It was a great way to end the internship and I learnt so much from it’

There are of course, companies who take advantage of the symbiotic relationship an internship originally set up to create. The are always Devil Wears Prada horror stories, but these have appeared with less frequency in the last few years with more success stories taking their place. The most recent example of negative press was the lawsuit brought against Alexander McQueen. An intern is suing for unpaid wages and exploitation for spending several weeks drawing artwork for embroidery, repairing embellished clothing, and dyeing large quantities of fabric for nothing but lunch & travel expenses. That is simply unacceptable for a company (albeit a conglomerate) who made €1.61 billion in profits in 2012. 

It's these horror stories that fuel Blogs like Fashion Intern Problems & allows Buzzfeed posts gems like this. But modern internships do not always involve spending hours at Starbucks or picking up dry cleaning for your boss....right?!

So where do we go from here?

It is my belief that internships are beneficial to a persons' career development. You gain skills that are invaluable and are not offered in the traditional education system and it is this system that needs to change. More emphasis needs to be placed on thriving in the work environment. By doing so you eliminate scenarios like this becoming a recruitment norm:   

"Sorting through the stack of resumes we kept on file, I soon developed a system. If they had ever been published anywhere, they went in the A pile. If they had never been published before, they went in the B pile. I always meant to get to the B pile but, well, you know... sometimes the only way to break out of that infernal cycle — to jump from the B pile to the A pile — is just to get your hands on some experience, job or no job." Andrew Coyne

Internships should evolve to accommodate those who are willing to put the work in and they should be awarded a deserved wage for this, by many this is seen as an updated and much talked about (by government) apprenticeship.
Preparing students for the world of work is invaluable; education is a wonderful thing and will obviously help you in your chosen career. This is not often thought of and this is something that needs to be addressed.

Fashion and Creative industries are a big deal. They generate more money for the UK than the Car Industry and it's growing. Education is important in these areas and like science and maths needs to be addressed by the government. They should get involved and make sure people on both sides of an internship benefit and can contribute more to our economy; to me, that makes the most sense.
This lifts the fog on what is, right now a huge grey area. Once the fog clears you can see if for what it is.

Internships were never meant to generate a culture of nepotism in creative industries, they were meant to help you develop and nurture the skills needed for a particular industry.
I learnt a great deal from mine; it has helped me gain experience and enriched my knowledge of an industry I am infinitely passionate about, this is something that should be for everyone.

Intern Magazine, Issue 2 available now.
Find out more about Alec & Intern Magazine here

Spotlight on: Nuptial Separates
I am OBSESSED with weddings. I have known of my affliction for a long time. My dream wedding has been planned, quoted on, dismissed and planned again too many times to count. 
(I am also in between partners, making this even more embarrassing)

I knew I was a confirmed obsessive long before I covered my third year homework diary from secondary school in a variety of mood boards for cakes, dresses, venues and colour schemes. I even managed (quite successfully, I might add) to convince my art teacher that my textile project could be on nothing else but Vera Wang and her use of contrasting belts and bows on her dresses. HEAVEN.
So you could say I have more than a  passing interest in a good old fashioned celebrity wedding; even more so when the celebrity in question is a Bona Fide fashion muse.
Enter Olivia Palermo, 'The Hills' breakout star, fashion blogger & and general New York girl about town. 






I am not a great fan of Palermo, but I often admire her sartorial choices. Her wedding dress is no exception. I loved her bold decision go for the emerging trend of wedding separates. I loved each and every one of the Carolina Herrera Nuptial pieces. They were ethereal and young; without cliché this could so easily have been ruined by others with a flower crown and bare feet. It was a modern and brave step into a martial bliss. 

Today more and more weddings are taking place in non traditional locations and I am of the opinion that the typical strapless/sweetheart neckline ball-gown is becoming less and less appropriate for today's new and ever expanding wedding locations.

I am always; weddings aside a fan of a contrast heel, regardless if it were for the big day or if it were for a
trip to the shops. 




It is more than likely that Palermo's choice of Royal Blue Manolo's grabbed my attention and has held it ever since, they are for want of a better word, show stopping


Bravo to Mrs Huebl (née Palermo)! It was a bold, successful choice. I am in awe and I am about to start the ever embarrassing cycle of planning my future wedding again and I am taking pointers from you. Promise. 




Here are my top choices (for now) of my best looks to say I do. All can be found here










Update: Even Buzzfeed is obsessed!! Have a look here (I think my picks are still just as delectable as ever!)

Spotlight on: The Lazy person's guide to style

I  hate the feeling you get in the morning when you just cannot find anything to wear.
It's heartbreaking, upsetting and will without fail make you late for whatever you were getting dressed for in the first place.

I have come up with (I think anyway) a fool proof way to capitalise on the wardrobe you have, with minimal effort and maximum impact. I
 call it 'Use & Re-Use' or 'The Lazy person's guide to style'. 

I have touched on this before;  I love, live and breathe fashion, but when it comes to my 9-5, running between floors and in meetings all day; I'm lazy, I'm stylish but lazy.

I can afford to be lazy because I have one simple rule. All of my clothes coordinate with each other, so 95% of the time when I pull clothes out of my wardrobe (half asleep, never looking) they look like they belong together. (I can be allowed that 5% right? We all have been there) my wardrobe doesn't change drastically from work week to weekend, which always helps. But it is as simple as that. Use and Re-use.

Starting with the basics, I have three initial basic colours that I stick to. These can really be of your choosing. My wardrobe consists of these: Navy, Black & Grey (the go to colour palette for lazy chic)

Here are my picks in each colour:
All of these jumpers are American Apparel These are my favourite because the are easy to dress up or down and can be worn all year round. Get them here. 
These 'Treggings' (Trouser Leggings if you will) are all from Uniqlo and a wonderful replacement for denim. I love these because they are hug in the right places, without a belt, can be cuffed (my preference) left alone and will suit heels or my beloved (as you already know) Superga's They are super cheap too, so you can get LOADS! Get them here. 

Topshop Oversized Trousers, Zara Poplin Trousers, Oasis Jacquard Trousers

These trousers are from various high street stores; They are formal, and dressed well with heels or made casual by converse or a ballet pump. 

Denim Smock Dress, Jersey Drop Waist Dress, Fit & Flare Dress

I am also a big fan of a jersey and a smock dress. They can be dressed up with accessories or an elaborate headscarf or dressed down with a jumper or worn on it's own.
Jersey dresses can be found anywhere. Topshop and American Apparel have the best selection of basic dresses.


Always have a mix of basic midi and mini skirts in your choice of colours; you might have a day where a mini basic skirt is just not appropriate, or a maxi skirt is just too conservative for your day. 
Above are my picks of the best minis. 


American Apparel have a great selection of midi skirts available in all colours. Get them here.

All of these will coordinate with each other so you have an easy win right there!
(This is also a good go to work 'uniform' collection, it's simple and could be dressed up where appropriate)

Pretty much anything and everything you buy will go with your three block colours. 
I, like my girlcrush Leandra Medine (of Man Reppeller fame) am a fan of of the oversized button down shirt. I have loads (I mean loads, because they go with EVERYTHING!) but I have listed my absolute favourites here: 
Cos Tunic, Ralph Lauren Classic Shirt, Topshop Oversized Shirt Dress


Add all the colours and patterns you can buy to bolster your wardrobe, because they will go with your blocks!

Fancy a brocade pant? Chuck it on with your basic jumper in any colour of your choosing!
Want a bright floral blazer? Chuck it on with your basic dress in... You guessed it, any of your basic dresses!

You can't lose! Easy, Lazy fashion. WIN!

Even though this is as easy as pie, have a look at a few of the options available (one of millions) using only my picks of the best:





It's that simple! This should eliminate the eternal question we ask ourselves (What the HELL am I going to wear today?!)
You can personalise this look by adding your own fun accessories and a decent handbag. I prefer the aforementioned headscarf and loading up on bangles and my favourite
Olivia Burton watch.
I would suggest, replacing some of your dresses and skirts every six months, allowing for seasonal changes. This still gives you a licence to shop, but at least you now know you've definitely got something for it to go with! Yay!

Happy Shopping!


Spotlight on: In Defence of Wide Leg Trousers

I am normal height and curvy; wide leg trousers are not meant to be my friend. But the most certainly are.

In my mind they conjure sleek silhouettes from the 70s
Big, chunky necklaces and bracelets, a seriously large 'fro and large leather clutches
(there was more to the 70s than hippy chic)

Modern incarnations now dictate crop tops and belly chains, floral crowns and bare feet; a look I'm not really okay or familiar with.

For me wide leg trousers are a good day to night transition piece. They can be perfect for work and with minimal adjustments can be amazing at night. Wide leg trousers also beg for another favourite sartorial item, WEDGES!!

I love wedges and I love how they look with wide leg trousers. Mainly because it makes me look tall (I like looking tall) and I am very partial to the way a wedge looks under a wide leg trouser. Immensely chic!

All of these benefits are perfect for the non lithe among us! How can you not be a convert to the wide leg trouser parade?!


All looks can be found here.
Spotlight on: Apps: The Future of Fashion?!

As you've probably guessed, I am more than obsessed and vocal about my sartorial choices. I love fashion and everything that goes along with it. Researching and discovering brands, finding new collections from my established favourites, envying anything I've not yet had the nous to find myself and most importantly buying the things I've discovered and wearing them with pride. 

I have found that this can sometimes make me look like a lunatic. 

I am that person who will come up to you in the street with wondrous (often mistook for rabid) look and ask you where you've bought something and if it was bought recently (you'll never see me again, right?!) and will promptly go out and purchase it, often during a lunch hour or some other 'non essential' errand like meeting a friend for lunch/dinner/brunch (yes I'm apologising here), or being on time for work. 

So it is with great pleasure that the wonderful Internet gods have gone to great lengths to help me curb my need to harass unsuspecting fashionistas in the wild. 

Fashion Apps.

It's by no means a new invention and it has certainly proved to be a successful and profitable business. Fashion staple ASOS started out eons ago creating replicas of celeb outfits (red carpet worthy or not) and selling them to us at an affordable price. They now set trends and have become INDISPENSABLE to nearly everyone. Where else can you find a work party outfit you like, on trend and delivered to your place of work by the next working day, without having to leave your desk? MIRACLES I TELL YOU! 

There are a new generation of apps out there, which help us covet more and buy more (not that I need any more convincing); I've picked three of the best that I've found and hope I've found a gem for you rabid eyed fashionista's out there (the secret can stay safely hidden)


This was one of my first trend forecasting websites, along with the staples such as The Sartorialist & WGSN (Back in my fashion school days) and provides a comprehensive oversight of all things street style. This was the site where I discovered the footwear juggernaut that is the Jeffrey Campbell Lita and that cut off denim shorts with visible pockets were the thing to be seen in during the Winter & Summer months.  

Its simple and easy to use website offered a J-17 style (showing my age) breakdown of what the impossibly fashionable wearer had on their person that day, while frolicking in a wheat field with a garland of freshly picked flowers planted firmly (and stylishly) upon their head; generating full on FOMO in me. I have often bought entire outfits off of the back of one of their user-uploaded 'lookbooks' and often consult it when I am having a fashion crisis. 

Here are my favourite profiles (at the moment, I am a fickle follower):
      Levi Nguyen                                        Virgit Canaz                                     Paige Godfrey      
I love this website because is it essentially an almanac of modern day, young fashion. 
The users, perfectly styled and coiffed they may be, are wearing these looks everyday; maybe to work or meeting friends and generating envious 'Hypes' whenever they do so. If you want to be sure a trend has stuck, this is the place you go to. Definitely a favourite of mine!

This site is available as an online platform and as an app for both Apple & Android.
You will get addicted to both, make no mistake!



This is a relative newbie for me. I found this a couple of months ago and it has proved incredibly valuable (well not for my bank account).
Shopcade is a wonderful website that allows you browse thousands of items and pick whichever takes your fancy. You 'heart' your favourites and build collections on your profile for others to covet, favourite themselves or add to the list of things they own. 
It also has a useful profile addition of  'Gifts That I Want' which is useful if you have close friends you want to take notice during the Birthday/Christmas/Anniversary season; because you don't want to be desperate and just ask them.

It is aimed at a slightly younger audience than Lookbook, but that doesn't mean it isn't a worthy app to have. I am a big fan of their 'Trend' tab, which gives you both trend led advice with helpful and sometimes affordable alternatives, Celebrity inspiration (often of a younger ilk, Kendall Jenner, Taylor Swift, etc.) & wonderfully accurate and nostalgic throwbacks using the tags 'Dirty Dancing' or 'Spice Girls' (always a winner in my book!) 

Having been on it a while I have listed a few of my favourites to give you an idea of what to expect:
Opening Ceremony                                 Melissa                                           Topshop
I haven't even told you the best bit!
If you do find something you cannot live without and you favourite it, once a week you get an email notifying you if any deals have been attached to the items in your list.
IT GIVES YOU ALERTS WHEN THINGS GO INTO SALE!
It is simultaneously brilliant and awful, but worth it's weight in gold! 
The majority of the high street on its database so you will not miss a beat when during the sale season, if you have spotted something during your sartorial travels. 

This is indispensable app as it gives you access to more or less the entirety of the high street. you shouldn't go on a shopping trip without consulting this first.

This is only available as an app for Android & Apple users. 

It was this Vogue article that brought me to this app. It promises the dream.
You snap a picture on your phone of a eye-catching piece, it will tell you where it's from. 
As you may have already gathered; I am a rabid devourer of fashion and the idea of this saves me from running up to strangers in near hysteria about where they may have purchased their shoes or handbag or dress. 

It is not as accurate as I would like, but what it does give you is a MILLION other opportunities to find and purchase things in a few easy steps in addition to the item you were looking for

So it is easy to see why this has become so popular so quickly. It is useful for find more than just exact replicas too. ASAP a pattern you like or a colour you feel like wearing for an evening and it will bring it up. 

You can even review pictures and your favourite the looks you like too so you can save them for when you want to shop the looks properly. So if you find an image of a pair of shoes just to intriguing to ignore, it has already done all of the hard work for you!

I have already begun to stalk a few trendsetters and have already spent more than a couple of hours on this app than I would care to admit.The possibilities are endless with this one. My favourites so far are Daniela Cecilio, missgryn & AllBlackOutfits. 

This is only available as an Apple app at the moment... Watch this space Android users!



So here's to the future!
I now have yet another thing to keep me glued firmly to my phone, but at least it stops me from harassing random people in the street I guess?!

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