The Grammys: Best Dressed

The Grammys: Best Dressed

I look forward to this event ever year not just for the awards but of course the anticipation to see what this years grammy guests outfit of the night will be.

I always have high hopes for Taylor Swifts appearance at these kind of events as I love her sweet but sexy style, and she did not fail to impress in this gorgeous Gucci gown. Along with a memorable Grammy performance and a number of nominees, it was evident that she shone both on and off stage.

Model , Chrissy Teigen also stood out in what I would best describe as a disco ball turned dress. This stunning strapless Johanna Johnson design complimented her best assets (so jealous of those legs) and its gorgeous train could not have been more appropriate for the red carpet. Extreme dress envy.  

Another that impressed was Anna Kendrick in Azarro. I love the colour of this dress, I never usually think of grey as an evening wear kind of colour but Anna certainly changed my views as she graced the carpet in this gown; and the embellished bodice really added to it to make it a show stopping number.   

I don’t know about you, but I would give anything to look as good as the lovely Ciara when I am pregnant! I didn’t even recognise her in this b-e-a-utiful long sleeved beaded dress by Pucci because in all honesty the last time I heard of Ciara she was still dressing like this...

Thumbs up for her gorgeous new style...

Stylist Louise Roe surprised me in this dress, in my opinion I think it was pretty daring to wear this because it seems a bit casual for the Grammys, but it is gorgeous and she rocked this shimmering black mini!

If someone had told me prior to the event that Rita Ora was going to turn up to the Grammys in a metallic green dress I have would instantly predicted she’d be on my worst dressed list! However I can eat my words because she looked fab! This fabric and cut was so flattering on her I just wish I could afford Lanvin prices!

In terms of the males, I just had to include Macklemore and Ryan Lewis! I think he pulls of teal velvet better than I ever could! And I have a slight obsession with hounds tooth at the moment so I immediately swooned over Ryan Lewis’ suit, you scrub up well boys!

I know what you're thinking, she cant of forgotten the most showstopping dress of the night! Of course not. Who else to run the Grammy world other than my idol, all hail Beyonce Knowles. Lets be honest she could of turned up in a bin bag and we wouldn't have complained! But she certainly turned a few heads in a stunningly seductive white floral lace number that flattered her beautifully, credit to Michael Costello for this design.  We were also lucky enough to see Queen B gracing the stage in a next to nothing sheer bodysuit, but lets be honest, we couldn't have asked for much more. As always, hands down to you, Beyonce, you once again have us all wishing we were you!

Did you watch the Grammys?

What did you think of the celebs outfits?

   Ellie

Being A Fashion Intern: Week 1

After a consecutive number of early starts (which I am still yet to acclimatise to) my first week on placement is already over. I am still getting used to the fact that I am a working girl now and not attending university for a whole year, professional Ellie, your time is now. I have two placements lined up, one locally and one in London over summer; for now, the company that I am pleased to currently call my place of work is a brand called Louietex, a design house and supplier of mens, womens and childrens wear based in Newcastle.

So what have I been up to?

It has been an exciting week and I already feel like I have covered so much, from fabric sourcing to trend forecasting for Spring/Summer 2015, it is safe to say I have been keeping busy. Rumour has it I'm meant to be going shopping some time soon to find inspiration for next seasons range, shopping on the job, could it get better?! However most excitingly, my biggest task so far has been developing pairs of boys and mens jeans and chinos, one of which has just been sent off for manufacture! I cannot wait to see the finished sample come back.

A Sneak Preview Of My Menswear Trend Forecasting Boards

Who am I working with?

My mentor at Louietex is called Gemma Williamson who's role at the company is head Designer. She is lovely and great to work with, therefore I think she will help me learn a lot over the duration of my placement. We also have in common that she went to the same uni that I currently go to where she specialised in womenswear, furthermore attending Graduate Fashion Week in London  2010 to showcase her incredible final collection; she is a great inspiration.

Some of Gemma's collection featuring an amazing stain glass inspired digital print

So life as a fashion intern has been so far so good, fingers crossed I soon become accustomed to the early mornings and I look forward to the weeks ahead! 

Have you ever been on a internship?

Are any of you fashion students?

   Ellie

Do I go for the chop?

I am currently suffering a very severe case of hair envy since coming across Victoria Justice the other day and have since had the urge to chop all my hair short! I know some people out there are extremely experimental with their hair and I wish I was but, to those of you who know me will know I have never so much as died my hair, never mind have half of it cut off so you will probably be convinced this is just a phase; well I don't blame you seeing as I have more or less had the same hair style since I was what 12?!! (A few fringe adjustents is all I can give myself credit for) As a result I do have the crazy fear that what if I chop it off and it never ever grows back?! But I think that's just me being silly and making up excuses for not doing it. So I just wanted to ask you on the blogosphere your thoughts!

Do you think I should stop beating around the bush and go for it?
Scroll down to my Christmas eve OOTN post to see the length of my hair at the moment!

   Ellie

January Sales: My Top Picks

I don't know about you but I cannot cope with the hustle and bustle of boxing day sales, I like to have my own space and take my time when shopping without having someones elbow in my ribs. So I like to leave it a week or two so till things have quietened down, and often things get reduced even further by then so its a win win really! But the best sale I have visited this year has to be at French Connection, I didn't even realise there was a sale when I walked in because the store was so immaculate, the perfect shopping atmosphere. I instantly had my eye on a number of gorgeous things that had been marked down, there was such a good range to chose from, if you have not been yet I recommend you get there asap! Take a look at my tops picks...

1. My fave out of the bunch by far is this black and pink floral shift dress, was £110, now in store for £33, bargain!
2. This delicate gold skull pendant is a really nice accessory, and a great saving as it was £45 and is now just £22!
3. These stunning boots were unfortunately out of stock in my size but I had to share them with you! These beauties were £145 and are now just £54!
4. This gorgeous cream parka is fully fur lined inside, stay cosy and look fab! And a massive saving as it was £220 and is now £154 still quite pricey but I imagine worth it if you have the money (which unfortunately I don't)
5. I loved this checked top with a cute collar and buttons down the back, I couldn't believe it when it was in the sale. Previously it was £42 but is now just £21 and it's also available in more colours!
6. I thought this leather and chain bracelet was really nice, also available in purple and orange this piece of jewellery was £25 and is now from £7.50-£12.50 depending on colour choice
7. Leather look shorts look great with the checked top, were £50 now £25
Some of the items are no longer in stock online so if they are not available on the website it's always wise to try ASOS or go in store.

Have you been to the French Connection sale?
What bargains have you managed to get hold of in this years sales?

   Ellie

Hello 2014

Until today I haven't had the time to properly introduce myself to the New Year, how quick did that come around?! I hope you've all had a wonderful time celebrating the year so far, for me it's been almost as hectic as Christmas making sure I spent as much times as possible with the people I love before heading back to uni. I keep saying uni to myself but as part of my degree this year I go on an industrial placement so as of Monday I am officially a full time working girl until January 2015! Most excitingly, in a few months time I will be taking a big step to LONDON to carry out some work experience and with some incredible designers. I feel very lucky but at the same time petrified to have this experience so fingers crossed all goes well!

And I know we all give up on them after a few weeks but this year I have picked a very realistic New Years resolution so I have no excuses if I fail! It was in January last year that my Granddad past away and when he did we found all these diaries he had kept since way back when, writing something down everyday, even if it was just the weather. It was lovely to read his entries and it is such a nice memory to have of him so as a result I am taking a leaf out of his book and have bought a gorgeous new Paperchase diary and started one myself!

Day to a page diary, Paperchase £12.00
Do you have any exciting plans for the new year?

What is your new years resolution?

  Ellie

#TheWinterProject : Favourite Winter Make Up

After a bit of catching up I am now up to date with #TheWinterProject topics! So for this weeks post I will be showing you my favourite winter makeup, we all know everyone loves to get dolled up at Christmas time with all the parties and events, and these following products are what I like to use most to create that festively glamorous look...

Firstly, when applying a full face of makeup I always like to apply highlighter to my cupids bow, cheekbones and brow bone. In particular I have grown very fond of seventeens newest WOW highlighter, it adds a really nice shimmery effect to the areas you apply it to, particularly when the light shines on it.

Over the top of this I apply my favourite foundation, Skin Illusion by Clarins. I especially love this product as it has such a lightweight consistency so I never feel caked even when wearing a full face of makeup! And perfectly for the winter season, this foundation has the benefit of not drying out my skin! For best results and a smooth finish, apply with a foundation brush.

In these winter months I always suffer from getting increasingly pale, so this natural bronzer by Rimmel London is one I have used for years to hide that. It has the slightest shimmer but not enough for it to look unnatural. I apply it lightly, dusting my whole face with a large bronzer brush, then once again to my cheeks, brushing from the cheekbone inwards.

At Christmas time I always like to make a bit more effort for parties and events, this shimmery eyeshadow does the job very nicely, adding a nice Christmasy shine to the eyelids. I apply the powder right up to the brow bone so it catches the light really nicely. This shade from The Body Shop is a nice natural bronze like colour with purple pigments, it is quite natural so is also suitable for everyday wear. Visit The Body Shop website for more gorgeous shades.

Now for the final touches, these eyelashes by Ardell from Boots are a lovely natural lash that add that extra pop to your makeup, they have extra length and a slight curl at the edges which is great for enhancing your natural lashes fullness. I love wearing them when dressing up at Christmas! To apply them I use Shu Uemura eyelash glue which is hands down the best I have ever used, it also last ages as I have had it for about a year and its still as good as the first time I used it!

It's rare that I leave the house without a bit of lippy on even if its just a neutral shade. But recently I have not been able to take off this lipstick I purchased from MAC earlier in the season, this shade 'Prepare for Pleasure' is from the limited edition Divine Night collection. I found that everything from this collection had a real Christmasy feel to it and I couldn't leave without buying this gorgeous lipstick which really brings some excitement to winter makeup.

Is there any makeup that you particularly like to wear at winter or Christmas?

Are any of you taking part in #TheWinterProject?
Ellie

                                                                                        

German Christmas Market

Last night me and my lovely boyfriend decided to have a festive evening by going to the German Christmas market at Millennium Square in Leeds or Christkindelmarkt as the Germans would say. We could practically smell the Frankfurt sausages being cooked over the wood stove from a mile off so we couldn't resist getting one as soon as we walked in! I got the cheese sausage which when arrived seemed to have no cheese so I thought I had been given the wrong one until I took a bite and cheese started to ooze from the sausage, it was incredible! My boyfriend on the other hand got a spicy German sausage which was equally as delicious, if you have never had a German hot dog before I strongly suggest you do as me and boyfriend were both in agreement they were the nicest hot dog's we had tasted!

After scoffing down our food by a toasty fire we went for a look around the market. There were over 40 stalls which were all quaint little wooden chalet with lights and festive decoration, each selling something unique from home made treats such as pretzels, chocolates, mini pancakes and candied fruit, to festive hand crafted Christmas decorations, jewellery and candles. It was such a nice atmosphere walking around, we felt like we were on holiday in Germany at Christmas time, it was lovely! As we were walking around the sound of singing voice was getting louder and which we were wondering what direction it was coming from until we approached the beer Keller, as we quite fancied a beer and wanted to join in the sing along we headed on inside to order a Stein of German beer. The room was all lit with lights and had cosy little alcoves for you sit and German style bars all around. It really made you feel as if you were abroad as the windows had painted backgrounds of the German countryside, which was a nice little touch! The Keller was jam packed full of visitors singing along to the band that were playing who were also dressed in Lederhosens, they looked fab! But not only this, there was also a female yodeller, I had never seen someone yodel live before and she was amazing, she did it so effortlessly! She also attempted to teach us how to yodel but as many of the audience had sunk a few beers by the evening you can imagine it sounded just like a whole lot of noise rather than a yodel but it was a good laugh.

Once our voices were strained from belting some good old classic songs, we tootled around for another quick browse before heading home with a German doughnut in one hand and some chocolate coated marshmallows in the other!

Overall it was really nice evening that put us right into the festive mood, unfortunately it was the last day of the market today which is a shame as I would have loved to have gone again with friends. However I know Leeds isn't the only place that hosts a German market so if you manage to find one near by to you I highly recommend you go!

Here are some pics from our visit...

Have you been to any Christmas markets like this?
If so what did you think?

Ellie