Designer vs High-Street?

I have never been the type to just splash out on designer, there has to be a "good" reason if I do. For a start, I don't do designer sprees (that would be painful), and I'm pretty well-controlled if I come face-to-face with Mulberry's latest collection.

To me, buying designer is like alcohol; only on special occasions! Of course the price tag helps; £1000 on one item, that could give me a week in the Maldives, ahh...the Maldives.

What do I think about receiving designer as a gift? Well, I wouldn't exactly decline if a hunk decides to give me a Chanel! Having said that, it's a lot better buying it myself. Even though initially it is painful, it's nice to feel like I have worked hard for it so I deserve it.

When it comes to designer, it's all about bags & accessories. Personally, I would splash out on a handbag but not so much on clothes, it's all about high-street for me on clothes.

Currently on my shopping list...

Chanel 2.55 Large Flap Bag; £1200

A real classic, I very much doubt Chanel will have a home in my wardrobe any time soon. I still can't stop thinking...Maldives Maldives!

Louis Vuitton Damier Azur Neverfull MM; £480

I'll probably take Louis home soon, but can't decide between tote and shoulder bag?Hmm...

Mulberry Polly Push Lock; £850

Polly is so cute, and it adds a vintage touch to any outfit.

The latest addition to my designer family, welcome...Ray-Ban sunglasses. This one here is one of their new releases..

Ray-Ban RB4159 601/32; Mister Spex €130

These are from Mister Spex, the lovely sponsors of my giveaway a few months ago. They have a great range of designer eyewear to choose from.
I only received these on Monday evening so I've only just worn it today thanks to a thunderstorm yesterday! But it looks like it'll be getting a lot more vitamin D if the weatherman is correct.

So, are you a designer or high-street girl?

Fab Friday: Summer Trends

This week's Fab Friday will feature a current love of mine; loose comfy skirts. Soft, flowing fabrics are always a winner in the summer, it also adds a feminine touch to your outfit.

It's all about air and comfort when the temperature rises, which apparently will happen this weekend (predicted to be 30C in London!).

The pleated skirt is currently having their moment, it adds a touch of vintage glamour to any outfit. Pleats were all over the SS11 catwalks at Chloé, but it looks like it's a trend here to stay. For summer it's all about colour and floral, mix your colours and have fun.

The midi skirt has also become a hit this season, chose one that is below the knee but above the ankles to be bang on trend. I picked up this cute skirt last week...

To keep everything in proportions, all I need is to add a simple top and heels!

Ballet Midi Skirt; New Look £24.99

Check out some of these pleated styles from ASOS, look at some of the prices too! Great designer sales...

Colour Block Dress with Pleated Skirt; £35

A gorgeous electric blue colour, plus it already comes with a top!

Floral Pleated Mini; £35 NOW £17

Pleated Midi Skirt; Curve Collection £40

A-line shape skirts are perfect for curvy girls. This orange number gets extra points for the bang on trend colour too!

Shakuhachi Pleated High-Waisted Skirt; £230 NOW £115

Pleated Trapeze Cami; £30 NOW £18

Trapeze tops are so handy for hiding the after-dinner look!

Pleated Blouse; £30 NOW £19

A blouse is a staple item every girl should have.

Pleated Frill Blouse; See by Chloé £150 NOW £105

Now it's your turn, you have loads to chose from on the high-street or even designer if you have spare cash to splash!

Exciting note: It's nearly time for another designer giveaway on Fashions Beauty! It will only be open to followers of Fashions Beauty via Google Friend Connect, so if you want a chance to win start following now before it's too late. You will also need Twitter, so sign up now if you haven't got one yet!

To all my followers/readers: I don't say this often enough but thank you! The lovely comments and emails I receive from you guys makes my day xoxo

Guilty Pleasures

How do girls wear heels every single day? I wonder how much pain is behind that smile, and how many blisters they'd be faced with at the end of the day?

Don't get me wrong, I love heels. Every time I see a gorgeous pair I have the urge to buy, because there will always be an occasion where I'll need it right? Wrong!

I have got so many sitting there accumulating dust, literally. Most of which I've worn only once or twice.

What's more annoying is, when you try them on in-store they're comfy, but all hell is let loose after you've taken them out for a walk!

Having said that, I like the fact that I can still be 5"9 if I really wanted to. So, here is my latest addition...I'm probably borderline 5"10 in these!

Coloured straps plus a wooden chunky heel seen on the catwalks make these a winner!

Wooden platform shoes; Barratts

I've grown an addiction for handbags too lately, I bought two last week! The red bowling-style bag from Mango in previous post and this Topshop number...

The latest must-have handbag...a mini satchel.

Patent Mini Satchel; Topshop

What are you like when shopping?

Fab Friday: Summer sale starts!

This month in general I've been doing some serious shopping. Yesterday was the special day, lets not mention how old! So far, I've bought 2 skirts, 2 handbags, a pair of shoes, 2 blouse, trousers, jeans, and I don't know how many tops! The summer sales have started and I felt like a kid at a chocolate factory. Mango is giving 50% off EVERYTHING, that's right everything!

Check out some of these gorgeous items from the high-street...

High-waist wrap skirt £59.90  NOW £29.95; Mango

The prices are just irresistible, get your credit cards at the ready!

Red trousers £39.90 NOW £19.95; Mango

I love these red trousers, I snapped up the last pair in my size!

Bowling style handbag £39.90 NOW £19.95; Mango

It was my lucky day, I also grabbed the last one of this handbag!

Chino shorts £28 NOW £15; Miss Selfridge

Pleated floral skirt £29.90 NOW £14.95; Mango

Pleated and floral; rocking two trends at once. This Skirt is so flattering too.

Wide-Legged trousers £55 NOW£25; Urban Outfitters

Wide-legged pants were all over the catwalks, team them with a pair of wedge for forever lasting pins.

There were just too many to chose from, get down to the shops this weekend before they're gone. Luckily I was able to avoid the weekend mayhem and shop during the week, phew!

Fashion Fringe Finalists 2011

Summer may have only just started but I'm looking forward to September already. The finalists for Fashion Fringe 2011 was announced on 25th May, and I'm really looking forward to viewing their collections in September at London Fashion Week.

If you haven't been keeping note, the finalists are Heidi Leung, Fyodor Golan and Nabil El-Nayal. Being the only female finalist, I'm rooting for Heidi! But of course, I'm looking forward to seeing all of their capsule collections in September.

Who will be the overall winner?

The judges and the finalists

Left to right: Bel jacobs, Fyodor Golan (duo), Claudia Schiffer, Nabil El-Nayal, Heidi
Leung, Roland Mouret, Roy Peach

Above: by Heidi Leung

Heidi studied at the famous Central Saint Martins. She had previously worked for McQueen and Christopher Kane.

Above: by Fyodor Golan

Duo designers Fyodor Podgorny and Golan Frydman are the brains behind this brand. Their resume includes a stint at Issey Myake and McQueen.

Above: by Nabil El-Nayal

Nabil graduated from the Royal College of Art. He won the British Fashion Council MA scholarship in 2008.

Fab Friday: Gorgeous Sandals for under £30!

I love June! It is not only my birthday month, it's also officially summer! I've been on the look out for a versatile pair of sandals to welcome this season, but to no avail. Mainly because I'm very picky, I don't want ALL my toes on show, preferably a bit of coverage and no straight ankle straps (I'm not 5"8)!

Finally, I think I've found it! I've got my eye on the first one below from ASOS, it's not too 'open', hasn't got a straight ankle strap, and the colour is perfect. I haven't got any black sandals. I will snap it up before it goes. I've learnt my lesson, buy it before it dies!

I've also got a selection of pretty gorgeous ones to share, all for under £30!

Leather Gladiator; FOXY via ASOS £20

Leather Plaited Sandals; FOUND via ASOS £15

 A classic, simple sandal, with a twist (literally).

Feathered Sandals; LUTHE via Aldo £25

 The feathers not only gives you a bit of coverage, it's bang on trend too.

Here are some for those of you who are 5"8, and can afford to lose some height (not jealous honestly)!

Orange is the new fav colour this season, seen on lips, nails and now feet.

Metal Chain Gladiators; Topshop £30 NOW £20

Leather Sandals with feathers; LAMPE via Aldo £45  NOW £29.98

Leather Thong-style Sandals; Forever 21 £17.75

Editor's note: I'm so bad, I've neglected my blog recently, only been able to do Fab Friday features! But I love my readers and followers for visiting, I do read all of your comments and visit your blogs...eventually I promise! So keep them coming. xoxo

Fab Friday: Get on board with the Nautical Trend

I'm pretty glad that the nautical trend is here to stay. This season, I'd like to take a fresher approach to it by using different colours or even textures. My wardrobe is mostly full of stripy tops in black/white or blue/white. There is a huge selection on the high-street I couldn't feature all of them, but here are just a few I picked out.

50's Style Summer Dress; Topshop £3

The 50's dress has made a comeback! This one adds a playful twist.

Maxi Dress; Topshop £30

Minidress; Mango £39.90

Stripes on a black background are more flattering if you're the self-conscious type.

Two-tone Dress; Zara £22.99

Horizontal stripes add inches, this two-tone dress is great for pear-shape girls. It gives the illusion of smaller hips to balance out your figure.

ASOS Poison Platforms £65

Go on, join in on the sailor fun! Just try not to go over board with the stripes (get it? over board, ha!). A nautical dress is a statement in itself, keep it clean and modern. So, what is your take?