The Elephant and Me

A slightly strange picture with a stupid grin but I was in a massive rush when taking these pictures. The aim of todays outfit was to wear something that was suitable for showcasing my new elephant necklace that I recently got from Etsy. This outfit made me feel suprisingly calm and tranquil, even though life is as hectic as ever if not more so. I am not sure if this is anything to do with the calm colour combination, the eastern style jacket or the elephant, reminding me to slow down and keep plodding!

Do you have any clothes, favourite colour combiantions or jewellery that makes you feel calmer?

Necklace - Etsy

White top - a present

Jacket - Charity Shop (originally by East)

Cropped trousers - Dorothy Perkins

I'm backing Kate Eary

I posted a while back about Catwalk Genius which gives you the chance to invest or buy shares in a collection created by an up and coming designer. I loved the idea back then but was even more excited when I recieved an email from Catwalk Genius asking if I would like to make history. Once enough shares have been bought for a particular designers collection, then they can begin to produce it. Well over half of the shares for Kate Eary have been sold making it very possible that it will be the first ever fan funded collection.

Kate already has a menswear line and is making a bit of a name for herself amongst the online fashion communities with mentions on Trendhunter, Fashion 156, Dazed Digital, Business of Fashion, the Guardian and now Style Eyes Fashion Blog. Most that have admired her menswear collection, can't wait to get a piece of the Catwalk Genius women's diffusion range. Her amazing graphic prints on streetwear shapes have also been featured in Vogue and have been worn by many of the celebs including Lady Gaga, Kate Moss, Courtney Love, Roisin Murphy, Sienna Miller.

I love what she has done with menswear and can't wait to see her womenswear which is bound to generate huge interest. That is why I have decided to back this collection by buying some shares. At only £11 each, it is a great way of supporting a designer that is going places and getting a piece of the action. There are also some added perks which make it even better.

If you fancy getting yourself some shares you can do so here. But hurry as there aren't many left.

Expect to hear lots more about the collection when it arrives.

Stripey and Floral Men's Shirts

I managed to get Mr Style Eyes to model for the blog again, this time no funny dances though! He is wearing the Blue Inc Bar striped shirt, which is great for daytime or a night out. He really like the pink stitching detail and the flattering black and white stripes. The shirt was great quality and 100% cotton and he could even wear his own cufflinks instead of the buttons provided if he wanted to look extra stylish.

I have also noticed some great men's shirts for the more adventurous dressers on Blue Inc.

Perforated Summer Boots

Beige Intrus Ankle Boots by Lolipops Paris

Grey Rococo Lind by Neosens

Perfeclub by Le Temps de Cerises

Cream Garufa by Marithe Francois Girbaud

Wearing boots in the summer seems to me like a bit of a strange thing to do, if only because in the hot weather they might be a bit warm. There are however quite often occasions when I just can't find the right pair of shoes to wear with my summer skirts and dresses. I am finding myself quite drawn to some of the styles of summer boot that I have seen lately on Spartoo.co.uk. Apart from the obvious high heeled boots which just aren't that practical for everyday wear, I have seen quite a lot of boots with a punched leather effect which I love.

The flat open toe boots have a boho feel about them and I think they would well with all manner of maxi skirt and summer dresses. The cream boots have much more of an urban feel and would work better with slightly smarter clothes including minimalist dresses and city shorts. I also love the cowboy boots (a great new twist on a classic style) for wearing with all sorts of summer skirts and shorts including the summers big trend for denim.

The punched holes or perforations and open toes on these boots give them a light and airy feel and avoid feeling like your feet are too enclosed, making them perfect for summer. I assume that they will also have a bit of airflow to keep your feel cooler.

Links à la Mode: Fashion’s Bold Step Forward

Edited by Ashe/Mischief Dramatis Personae

To be honest, I’ve been really excited about the content on the web lately…. because each week, it seems that fashion & style bloggers are making a bold step forward. In a niche that was once dominated by runway photographs and personal style posts, we’re evolving to include daring, thoughtful, provocative posts as well. I am continually shocked and amazed by the range of posts… from wearabout’s post on androgynous Indian men and Style Amor’s post on Arab women in fashion to posts about fashion blogging as a career at Style Eyes fashion blog

Images via The Curvy Fashionista, The Coveted, Hello Beauty, and Wearabout

Links à la Mode : May 20th

• Awakened Aesthetic – Giveaway! Enter to win a hand-embellished floral top by independent designer Eliza + Axel and take the floral trend in a different direction.


• CMYKaboom!: – New York Fashion Week Coverage: IFB “Evolving Influence” Conference


• fete a fete: – Clarins Instant Sun Light summer makeup


• Guacamole & Toast: – What makes a good fashion blog? How can we avoid turning into one of the minority of superficial fashion bloggers that everyone stereotypes us to be?


• hello beauty!: – we have a new makeup lesson video with Guerlain’s top makeup artist and a review of the Guerlain Summer 2010 Collection.


• Holier Than Now: – How to fall in love with last year’s summer essential, all over again.


• Independent Fashion Bloggers – Skills Bloggers Can Use to Get Hired


• Jewelry Whore: – Designer You Should Know: Elsa Schiaparelli


• kaKofonie Of si(gh)lenS: – An exclusive interview with Amanda deLeon, a fabulous avant garde designer from North Carolina, and personal favorite of Kat Von D!


• M.I.S.S.: – TV: Follow the Leader: A New Style Series Promo! M.I.S.S.


• Pretty Shiny Sparkly: – Exploring the trend of resin-coated black denim, with a best of the best roundup!


• Shoe-a-Day: – How to Shop for Shoes when you’re living ohsofaraway from civilization.


• Style Amor: – Celebrating the Beauty of Arab Women & Our Diverse Culture


• Style Eyes Fashion Blog: – A career as a fashion blogger – have you considered a career as a fashion blogger? Here are my experiences.


• Stylish Thought: – The Dressing Dilemma: Who do women really dress for?


• The Coveted – Anica boutique is the place to experiment with avant garde


• The Curvy Fashionista: – Curves in the USA? A Question… The Elite of fashion magazines across the pond are fashioning the most fabulous spreads of full figured fashionista, bloggers, and models, will the US follow suit?


• The Recessionista: – Jeans: We’re Spending More and Shopping Longer Does anyone recall the moment when jeans became a luxury item?


• The Thrifty Poet: – “Why Should I Be Ashamed of My Shape” — why I think classifying women into only 4 different body shapes (two of them fruit) isn’t right


• wearabout: – The luxury of not caring – a look inside an androgynous indian male’s wardrobe.


• What 2 Wear Where: – After the fab opportunity to preview the Met’s exhibit “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity”, we looked at each of the perfectly portrayed eras and paired them with contemporary looks.

Make like a fifties starlet

In my quest to choose style over fashion (It makes sense but I just can't help indulging in fashion now and then as it is in my face all the time), I have become more interested retro and vintage clothes and styles. In particular fifites clothing intrigues me, I love the way that it celebrates a womanly figure. I have never yet got round to trying it out - perhaps a little scared that it won't suit me.

Today whilst trying to tidy up my pit of an office, I came across a postcard/ flyer that I picked up somewhere for Tara Starlet. I love the pin up girl style clothes and even better, they fit in well with my new eco buying policy by not only being timeless so they won't go out of fashion but also made in Great Britain with recycled and reclaimed fabrics. I am particularly tempted by the polka dot playsuit and full circle dress and petticoat. I am not sure I really need them but the playsuit would be great for my hols and the dress and petticoat for a day at the races that I am planning. Hmm.

Weekly Shopping and Goodies - Jimmy Choo Special

This week on Shopping and Goodies, we have some great posts on Jimmy Choo's and some equally stylish alternatives. Enjoy!

A Few Goody Gumdrops is obsessed with the latest Jimmy Choo Elapheskin and Eelskin Sandal!
Couture In The City ultimate fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker's SJP NYC frangrance Enter to win!
Fashion Cents gives you tips for choosing the right shoes for you. Then you decide if want to choose a Choo or something more "cents"ible.
Fashion Fille is giving you the chance to win $100 for Elizabeth and James from Shopbop. It's an amazing opportunity to save some cash on a gorgeous line!
Fashion Hippo finds Angelina Jolie and Jessica Alba's Tom Ford Miranda Sunglasses
Ladybrillemag.com says Tinu's Shoeholic Facebook page with Jimmy Choos and Manolos a hit!
Shopping and Info loves the nude Jimmy Choo sandals that Blake Lively of Gossip Girl wore in the black on the show.
Simply Sample Sales Loves The Way Jimmy Choo Does Grey!
Style Eyes gives her weary feet a break with Po-Zu Ethical and Eco Friendly Shoes. a really comfy alternative to Jimmy Choos.
StyleMaven is inspired by the Duchess of Windsor's classic style and the perfect pair of Jimmy Choo Quiet Lizard-Embossed Patent Leather Pumps fit for a Duchess.
The Curvy Fashionista highlights the latest Animal Skins Jimmy Choo fashions for you.
The Well-Heeled Society shows you how to be a well-heeled cowgirl in your Choos.
TheFind thinks every woman should own a pair of "Classic Little Black Pumps" such as Jimmy Choo's classic black Gilbert style.

Image from the Well Heeled Society

Po-Zu Ethical and Eco Friendly Shoes

I am slowly converting to living a more sustainable life and trying to reduce the impact that my fashion and clothing habit has on the environment and the people involved in clothing manufacture. One area that I have not yet really considered properly until now is shoes.

I have only just discovered the huge ethical issues and environmental impacts associated with shoe manufacture. I have always insisted on wearing leather shoes almost exclusively assuming that they were the most natural choice and as a by product of the meat industry leather did not really have too much impact. But leather does have a huge impact on the environment, the people making it and the the people living in the vicinity. The process using very toxic chemicals and causes pollution and illness in those working and living near the tanneries.I never really considered wearing synthetic shoes but these are also bad for the as their manufacture is energy intensive and uses non renewable resources, also they are not easy to dispose of after their useful life is over.

One of the reasons that I have not paid too much attention to ethical and eco friendly shoes is that, I have never really found any that I have liked, until now that is. Po-Zu shoes have just launched a new online shop selling a great range of ecological and ethical shoes that have previously only been available through established Po-Zu stockists.

The shoes are handmade ethically in Portugal using sustainable materials like hemp and cork or vegetable tanned leather. The soles are made from natural latex with a really comfy coconut foot mattress to give your weary feet a break. You can really feel good about shopping for these as 3% of the money goes to your choice of either the Environmental Justice Foundation or World Land Trust and you can even recycle the box and use it as a seed tray.

The summer collection includes some delicate sandals or more chunky pumps in some great colours, perfect for everyday wear. My favourites are the quirky cork pumps (pictured above). I also love the red peep toe shoes (also pictured above).

A Career as a Fashion Blogger

Today I thought I would share a little bit about my 'career' as a fashion blogger. Whilst there are plenty of fashion bloggers out there, fashion blogging as a career is not something that many people might consider. I can however be a real proper job that you make money from. To avoid rambling too much I have broken it down into a series of questions and answers which I hope other budding professional fashion bloggers will find useful.

Can fashion blogging really be classed as a career?
I have had a reasonable amount of difficulty getting people to take my job as a fashion blogger seriously. Many of my friends and family are only just coming around to the fact that this really is my career in that it is my job, I spend a large proportion of my time doing it and it pays the bills etc.

Do you just blog?
No. I run a business Heathcote Communications Ltd which offers a variety of online fashion marketing services which include blogging and writing. Fashion blogging accounts for about 50% of my overall income and I spend about 15 -20 hours a week writing for fashion blogs including my own.

How do you make money from blogging?
I earn money with regular writing for a number of blogs owned by fashion retailers, fashion related social media websites and designers. I also make money through advertising and affiliate marketing on my own blogs and websites.

How many blogs do you write week?
I usually write between 20 and 30 blog posts per week.

How do you find work as a fashion blogger?
It is all about being pro active. My own websites all act as an advert for my writing and marketing services, and I get customers that find me through these. I also keep my eye out for any opportunities or companies that might be looking for my services and contact them directly. I actively market myself online and network both online and offline. The other online marketing services that I offer, often result in writing or blogging work as blogging is part of many companies online marketing strategy and I can also show how blogging can help.

What are the best things about a career in fashion blogging?
Definitely being able to spend all day writing about something that I love. Then there is the flexibility and working from home which fits so well around family life. I also love working with other fashion bloggers as they are also so friendly and supportive. Last but not least I love the clothes that I occasionally get sent to review.

What are the worst bits about a career in fashion blogging?
There are not really any bad bits but as with any hobby that becomes a career, come the deadlines, the client specifications to work to and the finance side of things including raising and chasing invoices and tax returns. Writing for a business is quite different to writing for your own personal blog, you may for example have to write enthusiastically about clothes that are not really your cup of tea. When I spend the whole time writing about clothes, the temptation to go and buy the clothes can be overwhelming. I also find it quite frustrating that I get invited to so many fashion events but due to not having enough time and the distance I live from London, I rarely get to attend any of them.

What are the biggest challenges?
My biggest challenges are managing my time. I have to write to client deadlines as well as regularly posting to my own sites. I provide a continuous writing/ blogging service that is not affected by holiday, weekends away or Christmas. Generally I write every single day of the week often including whilst on holiday. It sometimes takes a some creative planning to ensure that I do find some time to relax. Writers block can sometimes be a bit of a challenge, I try to get together ideas before sitting down to write to avoid wasting time.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to start a career as a fashion blogger?
The first thing you should do is to start your own fashion blog. This is by far the easiest way to get work experience and showcase your writing to prospective clients. Think about a particular niche that might work for you, whilst it is always good to be flexible in what you write about, this will help to differentiate you from all of the other fashion writers and bloggers out there. Offer to write for free to start with, this is a great way to build up your portfolio and C.V.

Get a good understanding of search engine optimisation and online marketing in general and experience of using different blogging tools and platforms as this just adds to services that you can offer. Be reliable and consistent, ensure that your posts are always well written, grammatically correct and free of spelling mistakes. If you are serious about a business in fashion blogging, write yourself a marketing plan. Consider how you will market yourself including a blog and/ or website, social media, newsletters to potential clients and PR opportunities.

The route I have taken to a career in fashion blogging is just one way you can go. There are plenty of others who work as a fashion blogger purely writing for their own blog and making money from the advertising, working for just one fashion retailer as a writer or using their fashion blog to promote another business perhaps as a personal stylist, a fashion retail website or ebay or Etsy store.

I hope I haven't bored you too much, but I really love what I do and wanted to share it with you. If you have any more questions that you would like to ask, please leave them in the comments and I will do my best to answer. Also if you work as a fashion blogger or writer, I would love to hear your thoughts or experiences.

Monday Fashion Round Up 17/05/10

Life just seems to get busier and busier, there are so many great trends and so much fashion out there to blog about. Here are some of the posts from my other blogs for this week.

The Fashion Buzz

This week I have found a great denim biker jacket from no other than M & S. I check out the fashion at the presentation of Karl Lagerfeld's new fashion film. I ramble on a bit about fashion copies and counterfeits and check out some great options for summer boots.

Posh Swaps

Can you believe it Lily Allen is abandoning her music career to launch her new vintage fashion label? read all about it and how it will be launched at Goodwood Vintage in August in the post Lily Allen to launch new fashion range.

If you are looking for some fashion bargains, please check out these offers:

Dorothy Perkins is offering £10 off all dresses until Friday 21st May. Plus with every dress order you get the chance to win a years worth of shoes.
Cocosa, fashion club is offering £10 off your first £50 order when you join Cocosa using invite code newmember.
Also some great sales on the following labels including Edun, the ethical label of Bono and Ali Hewson with the aim of build Africa as a viable source for fashion and raise the awareness of the possibilities of the continent, featuring jeans and dresses, organic cotton and silk. Also Betty Jackson, C & C California, Vera Wang, Thomas Pink and Jantzen Swimwear.
People Tree have 20% off selected summer tops until midnight 20th May. They have some great organic and Fairtrade clothes.
Annie Greenabelle - another great organic label is offering 20% off with discount code 20SS10

Motel Clothing are offering 20% off with discount code CRAZY

Traffic People are offering 20% off all items with discount code TRAFFIC20
Boden are offering 10% off their summer collection plus free delivery.

Yumi (at Uttam Direct) is offering 20% off with discount code YUMI

Have a lovely week everyone and enjoy the sunshine!

Image from the-fashion-buzz.com

All dressed up with no where to go

Today I have reached the height of fedupness. My little girl has developed chicken pox and apart from the worry and feeling bad for her, I have had to miss the fashion blogger's meetup arranged by Leia of Hi Fashion (I hope everyone had a great time and that I get the chance to meet up soon) and a night out in London with my sister and friend to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert and stay in a 5 star hotel in London, both which I have really being looking forward to.

After a quick visit to the gym, I managed to get things in perspective, worst things are happening in the world than me missing my weekend away and my daughter seems quite happy riding around on her motorbike in fairy outfit and wings at the moment. Even though I am stuck around the house, the weather is lovely and we can go in the garden. I decided to wear the outfit that I was going to wear anyway. The navy dress is from People Tree and makes me feel really good not only because it is ethical and eco friendly but also really soft and comfortable. The cut of it is so much better for my age age and hip size than some of the other jersey dresses that I have tried on recently, it skims rather than clings. I picked up the scarf at the fashion market at Alternative Fashion Week.

I was really cheered up when the postie turned up with a parcel from Motel Rocks. Thanks to Motel Rocks for making my day.

The parcel contained a lovely summer dress and lace bodysuit. The dress was the perfect way for me to indulge my love of bright prints and I couldn't resist trying out some outfits straight away.

Blazer - Oasis

Leggings - H & M

Shoes - Spartoo.co.uk
Necklace - Topshop

Leggings - Topshop

Shoe boots - Topshop

Green bolero - Marks and Spencers

Motel Rocks also very kindly sent me this body suit with lace panels, thrusting me into a decision on wearing a trend (underwear as outerwear) that I have been umming and erring over for some time. This is definitely one for a big night out that I am planning as a consolation for missing out this weekend. Now I just need to decide how to wear it. I am thinking perhaps under a tailored jacket or chiffon top or maybe over a long sleeved top. What do you think?

Something to get in a flap about

I love clothes inspired by nature and at the moment there are some great bird prints around. First I spotted the cute little white swallows at Miu Miu, these obviously spawned loads of similar bird prints.

Then there were the Marc Jacobs rainbow coloured birds (Harvey Nichols).

Then there were the hidden birds at Fahri by Nicole Farhi (My Wardrobe). You had to look a little closer to see them.

I have also spotted another great parrot print dress at Motel.

Finally, there were some romantic bird designs seen at Emma Cook (Liberty)

And Dorothy Perkins

I am definitely a prints sort of girl and love all of these bird prints? Do you like bird prints? Which are your favourites?

Trend Fusion

I was delighted to see sunshine when I opened the curtains this morning and couldn't wait to pick out summery outfit (of course it wasn't as warm outside as I was hoping). I have a very short attention span and even though I have hardly had a chance to wear my summer clothes yet, I am starting to get a bit bored of some of the trends for SS10, I suppose I have been looking at them and thinking about them for the past 6 months. Perhaps time to think of new ways of wearing them. Today I decided to mix up some of the trends, so here is my mixture of military (the trousers and jacket)and stripes with a little animal print (the scarf) thrown in. Do you get quickly bored with your clothes, if so, what do you do for a different look?



Jacket - Topshop (many years ago)
Trousers - Mango
Stripey top - Dorothy Perkins
Shoes - No Name
Bag- Monsoon
Scarf - a present

Monday Fashion Round Up

Yet another busy week and I hope you enjoy reading these posts as much as I have enjoyed writing them. Actually I haven't written all of these posts this week, I have had some help and there are also some great guest posts.

The Fashion Buzz

We tell how JC/ DC uses South Park characters in his new fashion collection. Can't wait to see what the leggings are like. We also look at the beautiful dresses at the Costume Institute Met Ball and wish that we could have one. We are loving tie dye for spring and summer but ask what will it be Tie dye - two tone or rainbowtastic? We also give you the news that Osman Yousefzada will exhibit at the V & A's fashion in motion series. We have also found some great examples of the outerwear as underwear trend and finally we chat about ASOS's plans to launch an ethical fashion marketplace.

Posh Swaps

If you are getting married soon then check out our post on Eco Friendly Wedding Dresses. We also give you full details on our birthday competiton to win £200 of shoes and more great prizes.

Online Fashion Marketing

I report on recent calls for tax breaks for the ethical fashion industry - what a great idea! We also have a great post written by Tom Hyde of Ciao UK on driving sales online with user generated content. Lianne Dietrech, Managing Director of Linkshare UK has written a great post on Top Affiliate Tips for Retailers.

There was also an interesting post on Independant Fashion Bloggers about how Chictopia are using Fashion Bloggers pictures. I am pretty sure that they won't use mine but it has made me think twice about using this site.

Red Accents

I seem to have a bit of a thing recently for red accessories. Perhaps something to do with them going so well with neutrals, greys and beige that are around at the moment. Winnie of Diamond Canopy posted on Red Accents recently and this has further fueled my desire for red accessories with her lovely red shoes and lipstick - I definitely must get some.


First there was the little red necklace that I just couldn't resist buying to go with my new beige dress.

Then there was the sparkly hair clips that I got which I picked up from one of the stalls at Alternative Fashion Week.

I like the hair clip with my new chiffon top from the H! Henry Holland range at Debenhams.

I also love my red necklace with this new cardigan (with sparkly bits) by Matthew Williamson collection at Debenhams which I wore last night for a girls night in for food and to watch the Coco Before Chanel film, which I really enjoyed.

I would just like to say thank you to everyone who visits my blog and for all of the lovely comments that you leave. Hope you have a lovely weekend.

Shoe Obsession - House of Harlow 1960

I am having a 'I wish I was a millionaire moment'. Actually I have them quite often. I know money doesn't buy you happiness but it could buy me these. Unfortunately they are quite a bit more expensive than I would usually spend on a pair of shoes (although I once did splurge on a £200 pair of Karen Millen wooden wedges) but I just can't get them out of my head, so perfect and so practical for everyday wear, I would wear them all the time.

Funnily enough I have payed very little attention to House of Harlow in the past. Perhaps something to do with me not having much time for celebs like Nicole Ritchie. I will have to say though, when it comes to shoes, I am impressed and the jewellery isn't bad either.

All of these ankle boots are available from My Wardrobe.