ASOS sale roaming

There are still another eight hours until Santa does the rounds but the Christmas sales are already toying with my holiday savings. 

ASOS is today's perpetrator. With a hefty choice of up to 50% off over 3000 dresses and 2000 tops, browsing through this reduced labyrinth is remedial to hours of essay evasion and exam dissent.

Top finds: from the exquisitely cheap and attainable to the not so cheap and attainable *points to 17th century jigsaw like Antipodium dress in centre below.

(From left to right) 1. People Tree Gathered Waist Tunic, £32.50 2.Antipodium Hail Mary Guilty Pleasures Print Dress, £253.50 3.Boutikee Embellished Bust Full Skirt Dress, £47.50

(From left to right) 1. Sugarhill Boutique Button Front Polka Playsuit, £30 2. ASOS BLACK Silk Mix Asymmetric Pleat & Ruffle Dress, £50 3. Dune Desert Boots, £59.99 4. ASOS Hinged Metal Armour Ring,£10 5. Rare Tassel Fringe Cardigan, £25 6.Whistles Mini Dress With Lightening Bolt, £150 7.ASOS Rich Velvet Shorts, £19 8. Flirt Plain Over the Knee Sock ,£4

To facilitate navigation around the imminent sales, the ever valuable ELLE magazine have compiled a daily sale guide for us bargain aficionados. 

Merry Christmas and happy sale shopping. 

Miss Jagger does Vogue 2011

It has been an explosive year for Georgia May Jagger. Having graced the cover of Vogue for the second time in November, replacing Kate Moss as the face of Rimmel and now starring in a prolific 11-page editorial in January 2011 UK Vogue. 

Photographed by Alasdai McLellan and styled by Kate Phelan with male model Henry Hopper, the editorial is titled “All This And Heaven Too.”

With these 60’s inspired magical garments-ahem, forgive the pun- but I cannot resist drawing on the theme's stark resemblance to, an albeit friskier, Samantha Stephens.

J'adore TBA Spring '11

I've been utterly fed up with the frozen white stuff falling from the sky since November. I'm no scrooge, honest. 

The cold-snap leaves me in wardrobe disarray, made ever more frustrating as, for the majority of Britons, our interchangeable weather allows them to layer impeccably but not I, no.

Thank the heavens for our home grown To Be Adored designer Binbin McNiven, a Brighton university graduate who has defied nature and brought spring early via this sneeky peek at her new creations- three hurrays for this profoundly dapper lady.  

The collection is reminiscent of an Edwardian tea party held during the 60's on a late May afternoon. The pastel colours echo meek decadence with a vulnerable edge, creating a wistfully unpolished tone.

McNiven's quintessentially British designs have made waves across the borders, with America and New Zealand taking an acute penchant to her lavish feminine designs.

 TBA is available at Urban Outfitters, ASOS and once Spring arrives, will be sitting firmly in my beach wardrobe.

Notion Magazine

My favoured Notion covers. From birth in December 2007 (bottom right) to June 2010 (top left)

I should probably tame my excitement at some point today...ah heck-I'm allowed to sustain it until after the X-factor final tomorrow. 

Graduating *touches wood* from Sheffield Uni next June is something I was already lamenting. The freedom, the opportunities, the parties, the discounted food and clothes, the lifestyle- all of which would slip through my debt-ridden fingertips, lost in the abyss of graduated gloom. 

After writing to 67 prospective work placements this summer, I soon learnt it was a rarity that the big cheeses at high-profile magazines reply to internship requests, let alone offer one.

But yesterday I received a tangible twinkle of optimism, in the form of electronic mail. 

Splendidly, come summer 2011, I shall be spending my days interning at the profoundly super slick monthly music, fashion and culture magazine Notion, hurrays.

You can even nab it up from WHSmiths and HMV-fancy eh? Go have a gander...

Or visit the site to read the latest issue here.

August 2010

‘To Lee, With Love, Nick’

Premiered at the British Fashion Awards on Tuesday, this captivating tribute film for Alexander McQueen, ‘To Lee, With Love, Nick’, was styled by Edward Enninful and features trenchant vocals from Björk.

Prominent director and photographer Nick Night’s stirring production majestically captures McQueen's inexplicable aesthetic and unparalleled talent.

Icelandic singer Bjork exclusively wrote the acute soundtrack for Night’s 3-minute kaleidoscopic vision of McQueen’s designs. 

The stunning homage stars some of his iconic creations, culminating in a tumultuous finale that epitomises the maverick's cutting edge imagination.

'Homogenic', cover designed by McQueen

The much celebrated and missed London-born fashion designer was crowned British Designer of the year a stellar four times. 

His notable fashion repertoire stretched to working with numerous esteemed musicians, having designed Bjork's 1997 album cover ‘Homogenic’, as well as the Union Jack coat donned by David Bowie on the ‘Earthling’ cover. 

The iconic coat for 'Earthling'

Styling Forge Lifestyle winter catalogue

Unabashedly, waking up at 7am on a glacial November day in Sheffield is a scarcity. But when the earliest lecture I have is 10am, this is totally tolerable as life in a student bubble.

But November 23 was an exception for the seldom opportunity of styling Forge Press’s winter fashion shoot - a ‘secret party’ in the gothic 100-year-old red-bricked Firth Court.

Clockwise from left, Katie: dress, £15, Freshmans, coat, charity shop, James: jacket, £25, Freshmans, Becki: dress, £24, Cow, Vicky: dress, Freshmans, £15, Rhys: shirt, £8, Cow, Dawn: blouse, £12 and culottes, £18, both cow, tights ASOS, Sam: check shirt, £15, Cow, Ina: dress, £15, jacket £30, both Freshmans

The previous day, Forge Lifestyle editors and I exhausted hours in Cow rifling through racks of vintage garments-the dapper and the dowdy- as the delegated theme ‘Skins meets Great Gatsby’ resonated with me.

We left with swollen carrier bags stuffed to capacity of second-hand articles on loan, thanks to the splendidly generous guys at Cow and Freshmans.

From left, Ina: lace leotard, £8, Cow, Dawn: lace leotard, £8 and skirt, £14, both cow, Vicky: fur coat, Freshmans £25, Bekki: dress, £24, Cow

Navy animal print, beaded flapper and backless floral dresses, with red baseball striped, cream laced and pussy-bow blouses, ripped jean shorts, camel culottes and fur coats-a fraction of my favourites for the girls. 

Forge’s make up artists donned a fruitful use of sequins, gems and deep shaded eyes and lips, coinciding with the eclectic tones of our plentiful vintage garbs for a contemporary edge. 

From left, Sam: aran jumper, £20, sleeveless jacket, £1o, both Freshmans, James: check shirt, £10, Freshmans, Rhys: jumper, Cow, £17, charity shop, chinos, American Apparel

And for the guys: camel trousers and shirts, Adidas nylon and military jackets, African elephant and Harley Davidson tees, rich blue jumpers and obligatory plaid and denim shirts- fashioned with the helpful eye of co-stylist Elliot. 

There were rainbow steamers, ice-cream conned bubble blowers, party poppers, balloons and confetti- reminiscent of bygone prepubescent parties, where the closest to drunk that party-goers could get would be on sugary caterpillar cake from M&S. 

 

Dawn: (as before)

Picture: Ed Miller
   James: Military jacket, Freshmans, £18, Vicky: Dress, Freshmans, £15

Accessorised with a bear hat, Mini Mouse ears and an Indian head dress- the latter worn with impeccable flair by Mr Samuel Moir, the 10am ‘party’ came to life through the hands of photographer Ed Miller.

An aberrant Tuesday morning, laudable of my thus far earliest uni wake-up call that I would repeat in a camera flash- a 100 times over, maybe even getting up earlier….maybe.

Picture: Ed Miller     
From left, Bekki: dress, £24, Cow, Vicky: leather shorts, £18, Freshmans, Sam: denim shirt, £14, Cow, Dawn: lace leotard, £8, skirt, £14, both Cow, Rhys: t-shirt, £16, Cow, Katie: top, £14, denim cut-off shorts, £12, both Cow, James: check shirt, £10, Freshmans, Ina: lace leotard, £8 Cow

 Head to: www.forgetoday.com/page2064/Winter-Fashion-Shoot for more from the shoot.

Under the Christmas tree

From top left to right:

Camel coat, Madewell, £176 . This perfectly tailored and plaid lined classic coat would get along famously with my wardrobe. The shortened sleeves add an adolescent and vulnerable edge which my arms are crying out for. 

Olympus om10, 35mm 1979, eBay. The classic SLR film camera takes dreamy pictures with glistening accents. 

  

Black Ecru Silk Top, Paul & Joe, £133. This feminine tuxedo style silk blouse with luxurious black accentuated shoulders is a delicate staple. But at a teeth chattering £133, I may make-shift my own to save some coppers. 

60’s shift dress, ASOS, £36. This knitted cotton dress features a contrast peter pan collar and fitted waist. It is so dainty- I would feel compelled to lounge on a cracked wooden bench in Black Park whilst wearing it with….errr-*rifles through drawers to seek brown knee-high socks*...these.

Mad Men DVD, Season one and two, THEHUT.com, £16.45.  It’s the best thing on the small screen at the moment and magazine’s can’t stop gossiping about this sixties-set drama. 

Philosykos Eau De Toilette, Diptyque, £45.00 (50ml). Because I want to smell like a fig.  The freshness of fig leaves, the green fruit, the slightly milky sap, and the white cedar gives it sunny depths.

Luella’s guide to English style, Amazon, £10. Fashion Messiah Luella Bartley celebrates quintessential English style and explains how to acquire it.

Sleeveless Lace Chiffon Dress, American Apparel, £45. Love the sheer effect, love the patterned lace top and love the chiffon skirt. The pastel lilac version would inject much needed vitality into my humdrum wardrobe. Please and thanks santa.  

Rings, Urban Outfitters, £12 each. For when one just isn’t enough. This Gothic cross ring and adjustable chain ring fits over two fingers for extra wow.

Infectious tricks

'A late contender for track of the year'

The sporadic beats meander all over the shop on this radical electronic track-it's so mind perplexing, but isn't it dazzling ?

Dubbed 'celestial club psychedelic', this U.S producer is part of the prolific Night Slugs posse which has been forced amorously down my ears as of late.

Night Slugs is hands down running London at the moment, according to RCRD LBL- it is just a matter of mood boards before these exciting beats escort clothes horses down the catwalk.

Egyptrixx's all-encompassing sets are adorning Paris, Sydney and Barcelona so he'll no doubt wiggle on over to our borders soon.

Some kind of whimsical

My heart floundered the second my mouse tapped onto this dewy-eyed doll-like lady's eBay store last Christmas. 

My moral obligations have been screaming to introduce her to you all for months but my ignorance of wanting to safeguard my Atlanta-based secret blinded me. 

But a year on, after becoming one of my daily reads, I am ready to divulge the aesthetic splendour that is Rhiannon Leifheit. 

Her blog Liebemarlene Vintage features nostalgic 90's inspired collections from her Etsy store, which has replaced her now defunct eBay shop.

She also interviews an array of designers who inspire her, the latest being contributing fashion editor of Milk, Natasha Wray.

Etsy store garments

Her infallible ability to layer adventurous articles renders her vintage collections wearable and adaptable to England's schizophrenic weather.

She documents her sprawlings with such effortless panache, instilling a compulsion to head to Cow in Sheffield even amid our adverse snow storm.

School-girl diffusion

With a palpable jean eschewing style, Rhiannon opts for statement dresses and dainty skirt-jumper-top alternatives I would give my right arm for. 

Any Charles Anastase aficionados will be sure to snap up a garb or five. 

Make sure you head to her store this week as everything has 25% off. That’s everything–new things, sale things, jumpers, dresses and skirts. 

To redeem this offer, all you have to do is enter the coupon code JOANCRAWFORD at the checkout.