[HOW TO] dress in Ibiza

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Shopgirl

This month the opening parties in Ibiza for the summer season will be in full swing and, last year I was a part of the fun! After my trip I wrote about what to pack and wear in Ibiza. This year I’m doing it again, this time, with shopping guides for those on a budget and for those for whom money is no object!

On a budget: Warehouse floral bandeau bikini; Warehouse denim shorts; Kurt Geiger pink aviator sunglasses; Kurt Geiger star friendship bracelets; French Connection jelly sandals; H&M feather headband; Warehouse palm print maxi dress; Warehouse aviator sunglasses; Warehouse thong leather sandals.

Money is no object: Tom Ford sunglasses; Zimmermann zebra print frill bikini; MiH scallop shorts; Antik Batik Aztec beaded mini dress; UGG raffia wedges; Diane von Furstenberg zebra print long kaftan; Kenneth Jay Lane gold coin necklace; Michael Kors flat sandals.

Beachwear is a must. During the day you’ll likely spend much of your time by the pool or on the beach or somewhere in between the two – mainly sleeping off the previous night’s party!
For daytime cover-up, choose either a pair of denim hot pants or a maxi dress/kaftan/cover-up which can also be dressed up for early evening drinks to watch the sunset.
For club and bar openings pretty much anything goes in Ibiza! The boho look was born in 1960s’ Ibiza and this season’s tribal print trend is ideal for a holiday to the party island.
For footwear at night, I’d advise flat embellished sandals for dancing the night away until the wee hours – but if that’s not your bag, why not choose a pair of wedges instead?
As for accessories? Big sunglasses are the ultimate Ibiza accessory.
Pile the bracelets high on your arms and the gold chains around your neck – this is the place – if ever there was one – for the arm party!!

Arm party: Lucy Folk friendship bracelet; Daisy Jewellery double heart bracelet; Lola Rose charm bracelet; Daisy Jewellery limited edition bracelet for the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign.

Last month, I recommended H&M’s Fashion Against Aids collection for anyone heading to the party isle – and that still stands.

Where are you heading on your holidays this summer? If you need help with your packing, drop me an email and I’ll see what I can do to help!

*Image via The Man Repeller

[HOW TO] Define your style?

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Shopgirl

“Create your own visual style, let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others.” (Orson Welles)

The other day IFB* posted the quote above on Twitter and asked, How do you define your style?

It got me to thinking about my own style and how I, and others, define it. I wondered, would others agree with my definition of my own style or is our perception and those of the people who view us, different?

I would define my style as, casual, classic and simple, with a twist. Is that right, do you think? Or am I being wildly optimistic in wishing that is what my style is when in reality it is something entirely different?

In an age of fashion blogging, fashion magazines, a new style icon named each week, fast fashion and even faster changing trends and fads, it can be difficult, nay impossible, to take a moment or two to create your own visual style. And as we all shop in the exact same high street shops, whether they be just in a different town, city, country, or even continent, allowing your style to be unique for yourself, is something of a tall order. Over the past couple of years I’d like to think that I’ve cultivated a style of my own which, not only is identifiable for others, but also makes shopping and dressing a little easier too. So I’ve put together my top tips on how to define your style:

My first tip to defining your style is to create a Style Inspiration Pinboard, whether on Pinterest, or a folder on your computer, or even a scrapbook of magazine cuttings (something I am a huge fan of doing!).
When you’ve created a good collection of inspiration images – which might take a day, a week, or even a month to really get a good collection – make sure to look back over what you have collated. It will likely be that there is a general theme running through many of the images.
Take a really good look inside of your wardrobe. A really good look. There is likely a theme here too. Even if there are a few left-of-field choices, you probably already shop for your style on a regular basis.
Of course, a lot of your wardrobe will depend on your lifestyle too but this will also reflect your unique style. I describe my style as casual, classic and simple. Despite being relatively casual, I have a job which demands that I dress in business attire at least two or three times a week, therefore, in my work wear I choose simple silhouettes which do not follow the trends and will last from season to season. For weekend wear, I tend to opt for a simple uniform of plain tees and skinny jeans. And the twist, I hear you ask? Nothing too “out there”!! Maybe a pair of animal print pumps, a neon necklace or a spot scarf.

“Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.” (Gore Vidal)

How do you define your style?

[HOW TO] Keep your feet dry in the rain

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Shopgirl

After much talk of draughts and water shortages and hose-pipe bans here in the UK, we have been treated to a few solid days of rain – and if I’m honest, I’d rather be trying to conserve water!

So, when all you want to do is curl up on the sofa and watch old movies but you have no choice but to leave the house – maybe for work? Or the school run? Or to go to the corner shop for milk for your hot chocolate? What do you do? Well, I pull on my brand new Hunter wellies and go jump in puddles!

If you don’t fancy ruining your favourite shoes as you walk through the rain, check out these wellington boots I’ve picked out just for you:

Havaianas recently released their own collection of brightly coloured rain boots – and you can even pretend you’re somewhere hot with their printed pair! If you’re after something a little more traditional, the Hunter wellies are for you!

How do you keep your feet dry when you have to venture out in the rain?

*Images via: top, bottom

[HOW TO] Shop for a Baby Shower

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Shopgirl

It seems everywhere I turn at the moment, friends are having babies! It must be an age thing as it’s only really happened in the past few years and suddenly they’re everywhere! Of course, it is lovely and, being the shopaholic I am, my favourite part is often shopping for the inevitable baby showers. Having had to do this a few times now, I decided it was time to share some of my top tips – and top buys – for these occasions.

Make sure you know if they know what sex the baby is – nothing like giving a bright pink baby dress to someone expecting a little boy!
I love the sets that a lot of stores do these days that include a few things that a new mum will need for her new baby, from a sleepsuit or two and a bib to a hat and socks: John Lewis do one, as do Marks and Spencer. Thoughtful without the hassle!
Many new mums and inundated with baby clothes that their little one will quickly grow out of, instead, why not choose some baby-appropriate toiletries which will surely come in handy. Try the Burt’s Bees Baby Bee collection, particularly the Baby Bee Getting Started Kit.
And if you do want to buy clothes, why not consider buying a size up? I.e. 3-6 months? For when the baby’s grown out of all of the clothes that were originally bought!
Don’t forget the mum too. Often at this time, it can feel like everyone is so focussed on the baby that the new mum/soon-to-be mum is ignored. Why not grab her something from Burt’s Bees Mama Bee collection, particularly the Belly Balm? Or a bottle of Neal’s Yards relaxing Bath Oil? Or even a box of their relaxing chamomile tea – they might be needing it pretty soon!
When buying baby toys or teddys for a shower, make sure to read the label and check that it is suitable from newborn – often, they’re not. This rabbit from John Lewis is suitable from birth.

Do you have any tips to add?

[HOW TO] Tweet For Money Without Getting Into Trouble

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Shopgirl

As London 2012 quickly approaches, so British athletes competing in the games have been warned by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to ensure they disclose tweets about sponsors or gifted products. This past week I got to thinking about what we, bloggers, can learn from these warnings.

In the US, the Federal Trade Commission insists that any Twitter endorsements must contain the words “ad” or “spon” to show the reference has been paid for. As yet there are no firm requirements from the OFT for celebrities or bloggers to follow, however these recent developments indicate that they may not be too far off. Indeed the US has been one step ahead of the UK in regards to social media and the monitoring of advertising, in whatever form it might take online: In 2009, IFB reported the US Government’s Federal Trade Commission’s Final Guides Governing Endorsements, Testimonials, which dictates that:

“The post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service.”

A year ago, the UK’s Advertising Standards Agency stepped in with its New Online Remit which now monitors social media platforms, like Twitter and Facebook for misleading advertising. However this did not require anyone to make any declarations regarding payment for any comments, only that comments be honest. However six months prior to this new remit, the OFT took steps to receive undertakings from Handpicked Media requiring them to clearly identify when promotional comments have been paid for on Twitter and it would seem that guidance on the issue of paid-for advertising on social media platforms may not be too far off.

Given the immediacy of Twitter and its inevitable reach, via followers and re-tweets, etc, as bloggers we need to know how best to use our influence and to do so in the most ethical and honest way possible. There is much debate over the authenticity of writing sponsored posts and of reviewing gifted products and the need to declare such payment, in cash or otherwise. But how often has the same been discussed about Twitter?

Obviously if you have been directly contracted or paid to tweet about a certain product or event, then, in my opinion – and according to the OFT, it is essential that you declare that this is the case. Indeed, the OFT has confirmed that tweets that do not disclose they include paid-for promotions are deceptive under fair trading laws. I would suggest that #ad or #spon – as required in the US – is adequate.
It is ethical to either explicitly declare a “sponsored post” or to include in a post that we have been “kindly gifted” a certain product but when you then tweet about how much you like your new shoes (for example!) should you also be explicit in 140 characters?

I don’t have the answer to this but I feel like this is a subject that needs to be discussed in order for clarity and some sort of uniformity. What are your thoughts on Twitter endorsements? Have you been paid yourself to tweet? Or have you found yourself tweeting about a gift without thinking about it? Should it even matter?

*Check out the full OFT recommendations here. And add your thoughts and views below.

[HOW TO] Get Your Fashion Questions and Conundrums Answered

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Shopgirl

Something driving you mad? Not sure how to wash a treasure piece in your wardrobe? Want to solve your beauty dilemmas? Got a special event coming up and not sure what to wear?

I’m opening up the “How to” section to you! Send me your fashion questions and conundrums and I’ll see if I can answer them for you – and if I can’t I’ll try to find someone who can! Just fill out the form below:

*Image via

[HOW TO] Dress for work in the summer

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Shopgirl

When the weather heats up, dressing for the office can feel like a real drag. Summer clothes don’t really lend themselves to formal business situations and womens’ suits are often, in my opinion, a little dowdy and unimaginative. So allow me to give you my top five tips for chic summer office attire.

Choose a suit in a bright colour, like the coral suit above. A slightly less usual colour will help to make getting dressed a little less dull and will help to lift your spirits.
You don’t have to choose a suit necessarily. Why not find one or two sleeveless, or short-sleeved, shift dresses that you love and team them with a black suit jacket? This will keep you looking smart without having to go all out with an entire suit.
What about a short suit? If you can get away with it in your office, choose a short suit to really be ahead of the crowd. Short suits were hot on the catwalks for SS12 and they can be dressed to give a little more of an edge to a regular trouser or skirt suit.
For summer, choose lighter colours for your office attire – this will keep you cooler in the sun when you pop out in your lunchbreak.
If you can get away with sandals in your office – great! But if your office is a little more conservative, then why not wear your sandals to and from work and out on your lunchbreak and pack some lighter court shoes for when you’re at your desk?

How do you dress for the office when it’s warmer?

[HOW TO] Blog when life happens

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Shopgirl

So you might have noticed that whilst there have still been quite a few blog post updates in the past few weeks there haven’t been many lengthy posts, well allow me to let you in on the secret: we bought our very first home. Which, it turns out, is hard work. the past few weeks have taught me a few things:

1. Two 10 minute viewings of a house – whilst on your lunch-break from work – is not nearly enough to actually see a house for how it really is. I mean really see it.
2. No matter how long you think works will take – add another few weeks – at least!
3. Once you start – you’ll find even more things to do.
4. Learn how to say no and to live with some things that maybe aren’t perfect.

When we viewed our new house we had spent over six months looking and had seen so many in – and way out – of our price bracket that I think we were both completely overwhelmed and completely exhausted with looking and realised that at some point we had to take the plunge. So here are the reasons we offered on – and bought – this house:

1. The room sizes are by far the biggest we saw in our price range.
2. It has an upstairs bathroom that isn’t the size of a box.
3. The kitchen might be small but there is a utility room added on which houses all of the white goods.
4. The garden is simple and a decent size (for a terrace).
5. There is additional loft storage space.

But here are the things that are not so great – some we knew before and some we discovered after we got the keys:

1. The bathroom floor slopes so much into one corner that we need to have it re-leveled before we can have the rest of the bathroom retiled and a new loo and basin (the old one was the smallest basin I’ve ever seen and as mentioned before the bathroom is a decent size!).
2. The living room and dining room (which are knocked through) have – or rather, had – anaglita paper on the walls which we have now removed but the walls then needed to be re-skimmed with plaster. Oh and the carpet needs replacing as we realised the gas fire in the dining room was defunct.
3. The whole house is yellow. Intentionally. Sure, I realise that yellow was hot on the catwalks for SS12 but when every room has a yellow tinge, it is too too much! Painting is pretty dull after the third or fourth coat on the third or fourth room!!
4. The utility room is a great asset but has such thin walls that it is going to be freezing!!
5. The entire hallway and landing has anagliptor on the walls.
6. The master bedroom had a lovely (ahem) artex ceiling which we have now covered!

A learning curve? You bet!!

So as I spend every waking moment that I’m not in the office, painting or stripping walls, blogging has had to take a backseat. If, like me, you find yourself short on time for a period of time, here are my top five tips for blogging when life gets in the way of you and your computer!

1. Scheduling posts – the scheduling function is a godsend if you can predict in advance that you’ll be short on time and have a little extra time to write a series of posts beforehand.
2. Keep posts short and sweet and to the point. Sure, everyone loves a long post but if you don’t have time, a short post will keep readers coming back, rather than them thinking you’ve abandoned them completely.
3. Don’t beat yourself up about it if you don’t post one day – or two, even! I had to take a weekend off the other week and decided not to worry too much.
4. Keep up with social media on the move and keep readers and followers up-to-date on what’s keeping you busy. It might even be something exciting – like turning your new house into a home – that will translate well into Instagrams.
5. Use the time out to rejuvinate and come back to blogging with a vengeance when the time finally allows.

How do you cope when life happens?

*Photo: 1. Our living room wall – a work-in-progress; 2. Our new front door; 3. Our bathroom – looking slightly worse-for-wear; and 4. Shopping for bathroom tiles.

[HOW TO] Do Your Bit For Climate Week with H&M

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Shopgirl

This week is Climate Week, simply put, it is: Britain’s biggest climate change campaign, inspiring a new wave of action to create a sustainable future.

In its second year, Climate Week offers an annual renewal of our ambition and confidence to combat climate change.

With high street favourite, H&M, supporting Climate Week in 2012, there are a few ways in which we can start to combat climate change at home, in the way we dress and care for our treasured possessions, our clothes!

During Climate Week, 12-18 March 2012, you can recycle your unwanted clothes at H&M in support of the British Red Cross.

Get spring cleaning your wardrobe and take a full large carrier bag of any brand of clothing you no longer want to selected H&M stores* during Climate Week 2012 and you’ll receive a £5 voucher to use on your next purchase at H&M stores before the 30th April (in store only).

One bag of donated clothing could raise £10 for the British Red Cross to help flood prone communities in Bangladesh prepare for disasters caused by climate change. Recycling garments also helps to reduce your carbon footprint and extend the life of your garments.

*The 16 stores participating in the garment recycling initiative are listed below:

234 Regent Street, London • Westfield White City, London • Westfield Stratford, London • 174-176 Oxford Street, London • 213-219 Camden High Street, Camden, London • 181-185 Western Road, Brighton • Midsummer Place, Milton Keynes • Upper Mall West, Bullring, Birmingham • 41-43 High Street, Birmingham • Trafford Centre, Manchester • 9-15 Church Street, Liverpool • Cribbs Causeway, Bristol • Buchanan Galleries, Glasgow • 85 Princess Street, Edinburgh • St Nicolas Centre, Aberdeen • 171 Victoria Square, Belfast

Make sure that when you get down to H&M with your unwanted clothes, why not pick up the limited edition, low carbon, 100% organic cotton t-shirt design by Katharine Hamnett for H&M and Climate Week in support of the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF)?

The t-shirts will be available both for men and women, priced at £9.99. 25% of the sales price of this product will go to EJF’s No Place Like Home campaign for climate refugees.

This t-shirt represents how fashion can be part of the solution to combating climate change.

H&M are also encouraging customers to think carefully about what happens to the clothes they buy after they have left the store.

: Energy distribution during the lifetime of a cotton T-shirt. The “use” phase covers: washing 25 times at 60°C, with tumble drying and ironing. (Source: “Well dressed?” By: University of Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing)

There are a few easy tips that we can all do to help reduce the carbon footprint of our clothes:

- Don’t wash clothes unnecessarily: Don’t wash clothes that are not dirty. Often, airing and brushing clothes is enough.

- Lower the washing temperature: H&M always labels its garments with the highest permitted temperature. But you can select a lower washing temperature to save energy. Most detergents wash just as well at lower temperatures. Washing at 40°C uses around half as much energy as washing at 60°C. H&M recommends that heavily soiled clothes and underwear are always washed at the highest temperature allowed. But do not wash your garments at hotter temperatures than stated in the washing instructions.

- Fill your washing machine: Sort the clothes by colour and washing temperature. Fill up your washing machine, but don’t stuff too much in. A washing machine is full when you can place a clenched fist on top of the washing without compressing the clothes. Use an energy saving programme – most modern washing machines have one.

- Choose an eco-friendly laundry detergent: Use an environmentally friendly detergent that is free from optical whiteners and phosphates, since these have a negative environmental impact when released into nature. Dose the detergent as stated on the packaging. Overdosing detergent will not make your clothes cleaner. To get the dose right, you need to know whether you have hard or soft water. Avoid fabric conditioners, although H&M recommends that acrylic garments are washed with fabric conditioner to counter static electricity in the garment after washing.

- Avoid dry cleaning: Dry cleaning is a process in which the clothes are cleaned using an organic solvent. Dry cleaning has a negative environmental impact when the solvent is released into nature. A small proportion of H&M’s garments are dry clean only, because they contain details or materials than could change colour or become misshapen by washing at home. Today, there are also greener methods of dry cleaning that clean the clothes using only carbon dioxide reclaimed from industry. This type of dry cleaning therefore does not release chemicals.

- Leave your washing out to dry: It is preferable to leave your washing out to dry since tumble drying and drying cabinets use a lot of energy. To reduce drying time, spin the clothes well before taking them out of the washing machine.

- Give away your clothes! When you no longer have a use for clothes, give them to an organisation that can extend the garment’s life.

Personally I already do a lot of what is suggested above, I dry-clean winter coats once a year (usually after the winter, before I put them away for the summer) and I simply hang them out to air at other times. I tend to wash at 40°C or even 30°C for some things (except for towels and bedlinen and underwear). I rarely use the tumble-drier on our machine (and the new machine in our new house doesn’t even have one – but we do have a garden!) and I very rarely iron anything as I try to hang everything as neatly as possible to avoid ironing – cos I’m too lazy! I think that, however, many people don’t take into consideration the cleaning process when discussing the environmental impact of clothing, I know I hadn’t. Whilst we may be purchasing clothes made from fairtrade cotton or recycled fabrics, how many actually consider the impact of their tumble-drier or their ironing? My mother irons everything, even bedsheets and pillowcases! In today’s world of fast-fashion, which, actually is more environmentally friendly: throwing away an item of clothing after wearing it only once, or washing it at 60°C, tumble-drying it and ironing it?

How do you care for your clothes and for the environment? Or is this not a consideration you take?

[HOW TO] Look Chic When Decorating and DIY-ing

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Shopgirl

When most fashion blogs talk of DIY-ing, they mean making your own catwalk-inspired designs for a snip of the price, when I write about DIY-ing here, I’m talking about the old-fashion kind of DIY that involves a screwdriver, a hammer, some paint and a little electrocution thrown into the mix! Yes, the boyfriend and I are currently turning our new house into a home – creating a jolly good mess in the process!

When the idea of doing-it-ourselves was discussed the first thing that began to concern me wasn’t which screwdriver head I should use to change the plug in our living room or how thick/thin to mix the PolyFiller (things I now know!) but, what do I wear?!

So I decided to go looking for some inspiration:

Here’s my top five tips for looking chic when decorating and DIY-ing:

Wear clothes you are happy to get covered in paint and plaster and dust and anything else and will possibly probably get ripped too.
Choose loose fitting pieces, like boyfriend-fit jeans or chinos and a shirt.
Layer up – add a hoodie - to keep you warm or to allow you to easily remove layers if you get hot. Our house currently isn’t all that warm as we’ve not been putting the heating on so come the evenings it’s a little chilly but you can work up quite a sweat when your painting and sanding etc!
Trainers are key for footwear. This is no time for heels or flimsy pumps!
Finally, accept that you’ll not be looking your best while you’re working on your house but remember that you can save your favourite dress and shoes for your house warming party that you’ll, of course, be throwing once all the hard work has paid off and it looks sparkly and pretty!

What do you wear for decorating? Any top tips you’d add?

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