Men’s Discount Shoes!

Okay so after my post on sneakers and the best place to find cheap but quality shoes for women I have been asked by a few guys to find some good sites for men. I know first-hand that men’s shoes can be expensive as many of you will! So I have been on the hunt so if you fancy treating yourself boys or ladies if you have any birthdays coming up or just fancy treating the men in your life here goes…

First I hit one of my favourite discount shoe sites http://www.shoeaholics.com/men/ these range from £19 and under to £70+ so yes some are expensive but they are all designer!! If I get designer shoes for under £40 I’m over the moon. Firstly I looked at the £19 and under section, there weren't many styles already proving this was to be a difficult task, but I kept looking through the pricier sections below show some that I took a fancy too.

From top left clockwise; Chakka KG Kurt Geiger £19, Fuse KG Kurt Geiger £19, Ashley KG Kurt Geiger £9, Kenndall KG Kurt Geiger £19.

From top right down; Dory KG Kurt Geiger £39, Spectrum 2 Tone Hi G Star £45, Ledger KG Kurt Geiger £35, Surrey KG Kurt Geiger £29.

Images taken from http://www.shoeaholics.com/

The next site I hit is http://www.shakk.co.uk/ this is a site I have come across fairly recently when looking for quirky clothes, I haven’t ever ordered anything delivery is only £2.50 and they have a 30day returns policy which is great!! The clothes on the site are fab too, it’s very street with a hip-hop look so excellent if you’re into that kind of thing, but the shoes on here are a bargain! Below shows a snippet of what they offer all under £30!

From top right down; Townz-Norton Canvas Shoe £21.67, Tz Shoe Old School White £18.68, Townz Hi Top Wayan Grey Plain Sneakers £14.95, Esccobar Hi Way Classic Timber Sneaker £17.94

From top right down; Townz Hi Sneaker £26.17, Escobar Hi Boot £22.14, Townz Hi Sneaker Superhero £26.17, Townz Justin High Black £22.43

Images taken from http://www.shakk.co.uk/

Finally shown below is a great store Deichmann, they also have a site. http://www.deichmann.com/  I find these great for both women’s and men’s shoes! I have picked out 8 of my favourites from there site but they also have different shoes in store so may also be worth heading down to one to have a look, especially if they have a sale on! I have had a few fab pairs of boots and trainers from here for myself so I would recommend this!

From top down; Lace Up Formal £19.99, Strap Casual £17.99, Mid Cut Casual £19.99, Lace Up Casual £17.99

From top down; Lace Up Casual £19.99, Mid Cut Boot £24.99, Mid Cut Boot £49.99, Desert Boot £29.99

Images taken from http://www.deichmann.com/

Some other sites I would recommend are;

http://premiersport.co.uk/ (Great for reduced RRP)

http://www.soletrader.co.uk/ (Hit the sale section for a good bargain!)

http://www.tkmaxx.com/ (In store is worth a look too)

Holly Fulton

Portrait photographer: Willem Jaspert

Okay so after I have calmed over the past couple of days from the LFW hype, I decided to do a bit of research into the designer Holly Fulton whose collection I saw whilst down in London. Holly, who was born in Edinburgh, studied at Edinburgh college of Art and the Royal College of Art is best known for her bold prints and exquisite embellishments on her garments, which produced a phenomenal range at LFW for her AW14 collection. She launched her label back in 2009 and has had success ever since. She was rewarded for her talent in 2010 when she was the winner of the Elle Style Award for new designer. She was also honoured with the Young Designer of the Year Award at the Scottish fashion awards.

The collection I saw for AW14 had many of her signature statements which reflect her Art Deco, Bauhaus style and geometry shapes that flow through a lot of her collections. In particular I loved the sleek shimmer of the silvers, greys and pale blue tones that took over the collection with neutral tones of beige spotted in and the occasional bold red flicker that passed by. My favourite pieces from Saturdays show were the grey calf length patterned coat and the silver metallic dress with the straps hanging down which glided along as the model walked.

                        

Whilst I was researching this particular designer I came across her SS14 collection which played host to her usual chic style but with bright tones of blue, red and orange, with a reflection of the 70’s style. It literally warmed me thinking of summer nights just looking at it.

SS14 collection images from http://www.hollyfulton.com/collection/ss14

My last bit of research was into handbags, as I am a handbag lover! I came across her collection of bags which she had designed for Radley; these also reflected her bold, Aztec-Art Deco prints that run through her collections. These range from £129-£249 and can be found at http://www.radley.co.uk/handbags/holly-fulton/ I am in love with these gorgeous clutches and they are definitely going on my spring wish list! 

Clutch bag images: http://www.radley.co.uk/handbags/holly-fulton/

London Fashion Week Baby!

Okay, so I went to LFW Day 2 yesterday! It was my first fashion week experience and I was like a giddy puppy, even at 5am when I woke up! My friend Charlotte and I won tickets with Vodafone UK on Facebook, and wow, what an experience. We were greeted in the private Vodafone lounge with our invitations, with complimentary champagne and croissants and after around 40 minutes of sipping champers (at a naughty 10am) we were shown through to the catwalk show ‘Holly Fulton’ which was so exciting! The models floated past in a beautifully designed Autumn/Winter collection that I attempted to snap pics of calmly.

After the show we hovered around in Somerset House on The Strand whilst I took some shots of the street style and glamorous outfits’ people wore to get spotted. We also bumped into the cast of Made in Chelsea and got a cheeky pic with Spencer! I then walked down to Trafalgar Square to see how the fashion and Style was around London away from Fashion Week, there were still some great outfits as I chased after people with my camera. By this point I was done and in dire need of a G&T so we headed down to the River Thames where we came across a boat that said ‘bar downstairs’ so we clambered on and G&T in hand sat on the deck taking in the surroundings and reminisced on the time we had had at fashion week.

Then dead on my feet and sleepy we headed back home, I had the biggest smile on my face after having the best day of my fashion career ever!! Hope you like this post as much as I enjoyed my day! x

If you would like to see the videos I cought of the catwalk show follow these links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnDOPuKB6CM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgG9H7RVFSw

From left clockwise: Me in the Vodafone lounge, the bar, two other contestant winners from Paris, me and my friend Charlotte, Me outside in Somerset House and me and Charlotte in the Vodafone lounge.

This, the youngest member of the audience! Lucky little fashionista or what!?

Holly Fulton Catwalk Show AW14

Made in Chelsea Cast in Somerset House

Street Style shots in and around London

I couldn’t resist some tourist shots!

Red or Black, Naughty or Nice

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DIY V Day

Okay so I've always been one of the haters of Valentine’s Day but as I feel society forces it upon you I do feel the need to partake in the giving of gifts. I haven’t always been this way because as a child I used to hand make my ‘daddy’ cards and gifts and he in turn would always get me a card and a small gift. But as you get older and you get a replacement for ‘daddy’ in my case, you learn the value of money when you have to buy a £2.50 card from Clinton's and add that to a box of £10 Thornton’s chocolates and a £10 me to you teddy and the endless list that can continue, it gets a tad expensive and in my opinion unnecessary. You are supposed to show your love not how much money you've got. 

So, this year I have opted for the ‘homemade’ gifts of the past, with a small sentimental bought gift. Below shows my homemade gifts, the first one shows a salt dough tile which I made when two of my young cousins came for a sleepover. I used a square of salt dough (made with two parts flour and one part salt) flattened it out and used a stamp (usually used to print the message into toast) and then microwaved it to harden it. This can also be done in the oven, just keep your eye on it when in the microwave as it can set on fire! 

The second gift was one I came across for like a DIY kit for a friend or colleague for like a jokey hangover kit. This one I have put together though is a bit more ‘soppy’. I have given it the title ‘’A Little Bag of All the Things We Need’’ I think this would also be a nice personal touch for things like a wedding gift adding items such as; ‘A Penny, so you will never be poor. A horse shoe, to always bring you luck.’ Etc. Mine contains all the items shown on the card in the image, these can be switched and changed for all your own personal jokes or sentiments I used things that I found around the house and things that made me laugh, (the screw in particular) Hope this helps for any struggling ideas you may have had! X

SNEAKERS!

Okay, so at the moment I have an obsession with sneakers and online shopping and shopping in general! But sneakers I really love because they can be put with literally everything, casual with leggings or jeans, or dress up with a midi dress and a jazzy pair of treds! So with my online shopping addiction I have two of my favourite bargain sites to share that will help you keep up with what’s on trend without sneaking into that overdraft! My first site is http://www.everything5pounds.com they sell all sorts, I’m not sure how they get the items to sell them this low but I don’t care, I am always on this site looking for new bargains. Though you have to really dig sometimes to find what you like as the stock of sizes isn't great but hey, if you find what you like it’s a fiver, you can’t complain!! Be careful with how carried away you get though as postage depends on the weight of all the items!

I have used the site in the past two weeks for two new pairs of shoes because they sell everything from sneakers to stiletto's with pumps, flip flops, dolly’s and boots in between! My first pair was the Curved Heel Suedette Ankle Boots in Blue (below), I bought these for LFW which I am attending on Saturday 15^th February and what a bargain! They are bright, look well-made and fit perfectly, so we shall see what the LWF critics say if they are spotted!! My second steal of the week was the Faux Leather High Top Trainers shown bottom right in the image below, I also can’t really fault these for £5 with £3.95 delivery I don’t mind if I get a month out of them! They go great with leggings/jeans and I even paired them with a maroon midi dress yesterday for Sunday lunch and they looked fab!

From top left clockwise above, Stud & Skull Mix Lace Up Trainers, Studded Hi-Top Trainers, Faux Leather Hi-Top Trainers, and Sequined Strap Hi-Top Shoes. All £5!!

From top left clockwise above, High Flatform Sequined Trainers, Tiger Logo Quilted Flatform Trainers, Nylon & Faux Leather Tractor Sole Trainer, and Two Tone Velour Trainers. All £5!!

My next site is http://www.shoeaholics.com It is operated by Kurt Geiger and the name of the site says it all for me, though I think they should have a sister site for shoeAA! I fell in love when I came across it on the web, the prices vary depending on what you want they have a £19 and under section and go up to £200+. So a bit different to the fiver bargain but you can still get an amazing deal on shoes on here! I have spent hours drooling over Carvela and Lipsy stilettos and dreamed of line dancing coming back into fashion so I can buy all the cowgirl boots! However I have selected some of my favourite sneakers today as there are plenty that I have my eye on! The Michael Kors Glam Studded Hi-Tops in particular as I have grown a slight obsession with his pieces and at £169 I just pray a size 7/8 comes in! Being a discounted site www.shoeaholics.com same as www.everything5pounds.com I recommend selecting which size you want before having a good look through as I don’t want you to be disappointed when you fall in love with an item and it’s out of stock or un-available in your size…apart from that, Happy Shopping!  

From top Right clockwise above, Lincoln by Kurt Geiger £19, Lakeside by Miss KG £12, Lavina by Lipsy £15, and Minky by Miss KG £15.

From top Left clockwise above, Lost by Carvela Kurt Geiger £25, CT Platform High by Converse £29, CT Washed Hi-Tops by Converse £29, and Lexia by Jessica Simpson £19.

From top Right clockwise above, Glam Studded High Top by Michael Kors £169, London Calling by Kurt Geiger London £29, Lumiere Leopard by Kurt Geiger London £39, and 40mm Wedge Sneakers by Marc by Marc Jacobs £245.

The See-Through Dress

So who wore it best…? 

After all the fashion drama from the Grammys a little over a week ago I decided to look back at some of the outfits that have been a popular conversation between some of my friends. The main talk was Beyoncé in the figure hugging white lace dress by Michael Costello. After seeing the dress pop up all over my Facebook and Twitter feed I could have sworn I had seen it before, so I did a bit of digging! I found that I had in fact seen this dress before. Yes, it had been done a little differently but wow, over the past few years I found seven popular names plus Beyoncé that had worn similar items, even Beyoncé­ herself wearing one in 2012 by Givenchy at the MET Ball. Black embroidered lace with a beautiful black and purple layered feather train.

The first main appearance I could find of this style of dress was at the NRJ music awards in January 2010 worn below by Rihanna. Dress designed by Jean Paul Gaultier. Also shown below is the second celeb spotted in September 2010 at the MTV music awards Ciara rocked an almost skeleton placed lace and feather dress by Givenchy.

The next star laced from head to toe was Lebanese singer Najwa Karam at the Cannes film festival in 2012, this dress was designed by Zuhair Murad who tends to favour the feminine chic look through his Haut Couture collections.

Next stop is January 2013’s Golden Globes, here we saw another Zuhair Murad design worn by Jenifer Lopez. Later in the year at the Angel Ball in New York City in October, Model Jessica White wore a delicate design by Michael Costello.

Another 2013 dress with a twist, Kim Kardashian made a return to our screens after the birth of baby North on the Jay Lenno show. She wore a short lace dress by Dolce & Gabbana, pieced with black underwear…to make a statement I am guessing!

Finally another twist on the ever popular lace gown was also at the 2014 Grammys, Paris Hilton gave the Costello dress a run for its money wearing Milani, covered at the front and clear backed with stripes of sequined fabric.

So, who did wear this best? I know a lot of people who feel very uneasy by the style of this dress, it’s not exactly your pull out of the wardrobe, last minute cocktail party attendance dress! However I love the statement that each Celeb has made through the years by rocking the partial nude look!!

Images (All accessed from sites below on 06.02.14)

http://fashionbombdaily.com/2014/01/26/hot-hmm-beyonces-56th-annual-grammy-awards-michael-costello-white-custom-gown/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2141083/Met-Gala-2012-best-dressed-Beyonc-leads-fashion-pack-Met-Ball-purple-feather-train.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2465697/As-Rihanna-hails-Princess-Diana-biggest-style-icon-FEMAIL-documents-popstar-set-channelling-late-Royal-style-stakes.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/shocking-red-carpet-2013-gallery-1.1559888?pmSlide=1.1559857

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Zuhair-Murad-Najwa-Karam-Cannes-Deep-V-Neck-Long-Sleeve-Red-Carpet-Evening-Sexy-Backless-Mermaid/613739_1110440141.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/13/jennifer-lopez-golden-globes-2013-dress-photos_n_2468646.html

http://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity-lifestyle/celebrities/golden-globes-red-carpet-2013-connie-britton#slide-51

http://fashionbombdaily.com/2013/10/29/scene-2013-angel-ball/

http://bymystique.com/2013/10/31/latest-pics-jennifer-lopez-rachel-roy-pharrell-and-helen-more

http://famezine.com/?p=54

http://stylefrizz.com/201401/2014-grammy-awards-dresses-nails/