London Fashion Weekend - Favourite trends

 So I got last Friday off from my day job AND my night job (from spinning a few tunes) and hopped on a train to the big smoke, where I got to soak my retail senses in the world that was London Fashion Weekend.

Layla Frends headphones - £140

I know these aren't very thrifty picks below, and I'm going to have to ask you to forgive me for that in advance, and also point out here that I absolutely love high street, reworked, charity shop, and sustainable pieces. I love a bargain, and I love the individuality.  But a girl does still have to have the occasional dabble in the high end wish list. The exhibition was full of great British brands, and amongst my favourites had to be Emma J Shipley, and the Textile Federation, who are both incorporating some really quirky prints into their collections. Leading on the accessory front for me was Tessa Metcalfe Jewellery, and Jane Carr with her absolutely beautiful scarves, not to mention the genius bag creator that is Lulu Guinness, and Layla, who have some utterly beautiful headphones that are going to have to be mine very soon.

Lulu Guinness, Union Jack Lips Clutch £325

Textile Federation, Stellar Eye Dress - £60

Emma J Shipley - Lemur Scarf, £195

Tessa Metcalfe - Gold Pigeon Claw Necklace £250

Everyone I spoke to kept congratulating me for being there alone, calling me brave, and looking at me like I was some kind of ultimate weirdo. It just feels a bit odd pulling weird faces in photographs in some shades by yourself. With your best mate, funny posing = hilarious, on your own, funny posing = mental. However, I did treat myself to a few products from the label.m hairdressing stand which also meant I got to have my hair done in a style inspired straight from the catwalk. I went for the 'Bardot' :)

I also popped along to a trend catwalk, which meant I could glimpse some great new looks for this season.

A summary: lace is most definitely on trend (yes!) as are neons, flower prints, metallics, and... funky sportswear - which I can't say I'll ever be on board with. Sadly I didn't get any usable pictures as I was seated in a non friendly camera location, but I did meet a new blogger friend, Emily!

 Favourite trend: Lace Embrace - There were some gorgeous outfits paraded on the catwalk from the likes of Christopher Kane, Diane von Furstenberg and Oscar de la Renta.

Good Sport: Designers featured included Alexander Wang, Peter Pilotto and Stella McCartney, with some creative little sporty numbers that have been dominating the catwalk for a while. It's 'sports-luxe' so think basketball mesh bright colours and skirts with folds reminiscent of cheerleader pleats, rather than trainer wedges (shudder) but to me, it is still a wildly exaggerated throwback to the sports days we probably love to bury in our minds (and if you were like me, often had a sick note for). Perhaps that's why I don't really get this one!

Later, I met up with Trig who hotfooted it down to meet me after he finished work, and we rounded off the day by meeting up with some of my friends in Soho.  We ended up in a ladies only bar - needless to say he managed to blag that one very well with a beard. Random nights out are the best!

Alice x


Tagging the lovely Beauty Rae :) 

My top 5 favourite Valentines gifts (to buy for yourself!)

Now, I'm not writing this post because the other half has disappointed this Valentines day. Quite the contrary, I was presented with a lovely bunch of flowers, heartfelt card, and very beautiful heart shaped chocolates from M&S this morning (which I had for breakfast). But I am also not immune to the little devils that encourage you to spend, spend spend that are out in full force around V day, and I have to say, I quite like them, if I'm honest. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, and lets face it, no one buys better gifts for you than yourself. So, in the spirit of doing so, I decided to profile the 5 presents I bought this year, from me, to me. I am quite the romantic.

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1- Sleek True Colour Lipstick in 'Barely There' - I discovered this after watching 'Katie's Beauty Blog' Youtube channel, and I love it! Its a great shade for daytime wear. Thanks, Katie! 
2 - Naked 3 Palette, Urban Decay - Unless you've been living under a rock you might have seen this absolutely everywhere. I saw a good tutorial on how to use this by Katie (you can also find her blog here) and I've also seen lots of other bloggers going crazy about it! It has a really beautiful selections of shades, from shimmery pinks through to dark, warm, taupe shades. The palette also comes with some primer potion which is handy. This retails for around £37 but I bought a new one off ebay for £32. I think its well worth the investment, as you can create a whole range of daytime to night time looks with it.
3 - SASFashion (ebay) Tartan bodycon velvet dress - I bought this for a thrifty £14.99, it ticks so many boxes for me, and I love the shape of it with the cut out neck. I've been really loving seeing tartan everywhere this season, but being a redhead, wasn't too keen on the pilarbox tartan that's dominating the trend right now. This is much more subtle colour, it suits my tones, plus I love the velvet material.
4 -  Follow Me FMUK Gold Shoes, Amazon -  I recently made the promise to myself that the next time I bought a pair of shoes, I would resist the urge to revert to buying 'safe' black heels that go with every outfit. I'll be teaming these with my current fave LBD and some chunky gold jewellery this weekend in order to add a touch of sparkle to my outfit! They're great for me, as being 5ft9, I can never find court shoes that I like unless they are platforms, which make me far too tall. These are a nice compromise. They're also really good value at £16.99.
5 - London Fashion Weekend Silver Tickets -  A bit of a random one, but I've scored next Friday off, both from my day job and DJing at night, so I decided to treat myself and feed the shopaholic within me. I'm looking forward to browsing some great current British designer brands and watching the afternoon catwalk show. I'll have my camera ready to snap any good finds!

Have you treated yourself this Valentines day, or were you spoilt? What have been your favourite February buys?