leopard

I went to Sankeys in Manchester last night now that I am officially back in the North for my final year at University. It was borderline tropical in Manchester last night and Sankeys is always a bit of a sweaty mess but the t-shirt I bought from Urban Outfitters is so lightweight and floaty that I survived the night without feeling like I was clubbing on the sun.

Urban Outfitters t-shirt, Topshop Skirt, H&M cuff, Urban Outiftters shoes.

on the red carpet: crystal renn

Formly 'plus sized' model, Crystal Renn, looked ravishing last night at the opening night of opera season at the Metropolitan Opera in NYC. This is one the first real displays of Crystal's weight loss in a public arena and boy oh boy what a dress to do it in. Her figure is undeniably enviable! I think the dress is by Zac Posen (TBC) but the entire look is flawless. There have been some controversies over Crystal losing all this weight after championing the fuller figure for so long, but I just think if this is what makes her happy then good for her. It would be just as bad for her to force herself to stay big  in order to maintain her image just as other models force themselves to stay thin, at least now she is at a happy medium and looking all the more stunning for it.

chain reaction

Beware...another post about 21st birthday related items.

My brother and I have never really given each other gifts since we were around the age of 17, mainly because we spend our allowance (and now student loans) on other things. However, upon turning 21 I felt I deserved a present. To minimise how annoying this reality might be to my little bro I chose my gift, ordered my gift and then simply informed him of the bill.

This beauty is what I ended up with-

It is another item I came across whilst working in the fashion cupboard at Glamour. It is by a designer called Florence b and basically you order the bracelet online and everything is bespoke, you get to choose the colours of the silk that is woven in to the chunky gold plated chain and you also get to choose a charm to be put on the clasp so every bracelet is unique and sooooo pretty!

the september issue

One of my gifts from my parents for my 21st birthday was the issue of Vogue from the year and month I was born. The cover features a nineteen year old Jade Jagger on the cover and some very questionable fashion inside. It was amazing to look at some of the old adverts and shoots featuring the familiar faces of Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer. Obviously my favourite shoot was of a spectaular floor length black dress with gold chainmail detail by my true love, Chanel...even when it comes to nineties fashion I am horrifyingly predictable.

twenty one

Happy Birthday to me.

head to toe in lion king

age 16 at my prom

the ripe old age of 21 wearing Topshop boutique and Christian Louboutin

unique

Today I had the privilege of working alongside the PR team at the Tosphop Unique SS12 show at London Fashion Week. Sure enough, it was the best day of my life! A full summary will be up soon but in the meantime check out some highlights of the show here and here.

chanel une promenade

Walking in to the Chanel exhibit at Harrods carrying my very own Chanel handbag I felt like a hobo who had found a hotel room key and stumbled in to The Ritz, well out of my depth. The exhibit is beyond incredible and even though I am lucky enough to own a little piece of Chanel, I was not prepared for the awe inspiring Une Promenade. It was truly fantastic and only made my love for the fashion house even more intense. Upon arrival I was greeted by an army of gays and girls head to toe in black with various types of Chanel pins stuck to them and I was handed both a booklet guide to the exhibit as well as an actual man to guide me and a few other Chanel lovers throughout the various rooms. It is truly astonishing. Every room is a treat for the eyes and three rooms in particular engage the other senses; the tweed room allows you to touch massive panels of Chanel tweed covered in sketches by Karl Lagerfeld, the No.5 room offers more than a whiff of the famous perfume, and the 2.55 room takes you inside the classic 2.55 handbag. But the most beautiful room of all was the 31 rue Cambon room which was full of vintage Chanel pieces as well as items from various couture collections that are so beautiful they nearly bought a tear to my eye. I genuinely had to catch my breath when I walked in. Now you may be thinking that I am just a Chanel obsessive, which I am, but honestly, this exhibition is something not to be missed (just see the video a above to wet your appetite). It is open until September 24th so if you are in or around London it is well worth a trip. it has exclusive never before seen pieces and the tour guides know as much, if not more, about Mademoiselle Chanel as I do.

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” - Coco Chanel 

linked

Although I do not turn 21 for another nine days, I celebrated in style with my friends last night. My lovely chums bought me a beautiful silver Links of London bracelet. The interlocking circles are meant to symbolise the link of friendship but I really love the fact that it kind of looks like hand cuffs (a la Louis Vuitton). I was also given this incredible fashion book called Stylelikeu which is full of shots of incredible personal style shots, tattoos, shoes and everything else under the sun. It is really amazing to flick through and I'm sure I will be taking some inspiration from it in the future.

i hope i never own a credit card

Michael Kors double breasted wool coat £1450, Oscar de la Renta printed dress £1650, See by Chloe feather textured shoulder bag £430, Zadig & Voltaire leather mini skirt £360. http://www.net-a-porter.com/

twinkle toes

These bad boys crossed my path during my internship at Glamour magazine when they were called in for a party dressing without the dresses shoot. I adored them as soon as I saw them. I had been a massive fan of the Guiseppe Zanotti sandals that these ones are obviously a high street copy of, the difference is that the River Island verisons that I ordered are a million times cheaper at only £55 (even if they aren't as spectacular as the originals).

They are nude suede with crystals all over them so they are super sparkly but still quite subtle. River Island are also selling these in black suede with dark blue crystals, similar to the shoes that Olivia Palermo wore recently, however I don't think the shoes look expensive enough to carry off those colours.

I took this photo in my bathroom to try and capture the sparkles in the bright lights

pantone no. 18-1663

Yes, that's right, I am now the proud owner of a pair of beautiful red soled shoes.

even the box is beautiful

an early birthday message from net-a-porter

possibly the most exciting moment in my sad little life



in all their glory

 So there they are. Christian Louboutin satin pumps courtesy of net-a-porter and my lovely Aunt. They arrived today, just in time for my 21st birthday party this weekend. Photos of them on my feet (where from now on they will be firmly glued) will be up soon!

Smug.

talk to the hand

I was in Manchester earlier this week and bought this beautiful Hamsa necklace from Azendi. I love Azendi because all the jewelery is such great quality and still not too expensive. This sterling silver necklace was only £25. Hamsa's are supposed to bring good luck and they are part of the So Lucky range that also includes a wish bone, four leaf clover and horseshoe and more.