Trend Report: Dots & Dashes

  Spring Trend Report:

Dots & Dashes

After a hectic week, full of birthday celebrations and drinking one too many Berry Blush cocktails and American Beauty shots (dear god, they're strong) at the cocktail bar in Mansion House, I thought I would ease back into posting for Vita di Moda with a little trend report segment for Spring 2012.
One trend that I've picked up on is Dots & Dashes. Polka dots and stripes are generally the trend that will be seen in stores and online during that little period of time where the winter chill is starting to thaw and spring is starting to make a much needed appearance. They're just so versatile and go with almost everything, so really, it's no wonder that they're featuring heavily over at TOAST. There are some pretty nice pieces, but I thought I would pick some to show you that I'm taking a little shine to at the moment:

Polka wide leg trousers £125.00

Polka tunic dress - £99.00

Mono coat - £275.00

Stripe jersey tee - £59.00

How amazing are the Polka wide leg trousers? Try styling them with a silk vest, over-sized sunnies and some colour block pumps for a chic day look. Have another way to style any of the above pieces? Let me know in the comments below!

Oh, it's lovely being home!

What I Did Last Weekend

Outfit change.
Dress: Missguided, Blazer: H&M
Scarf, Shoes & Bag: Primark
Bracelet: Italian market, Sorrento

A snap of The Eiffel Tower

So, as you all know, for my 21st birthday (which is tomorrow: 10th April) my fiance and I took a long weekend off in Paris, France and as promised, I am now going to give you a little post on some of the things that we got up to!
To start of with, we stayed at The Hotel Derby Eiffel which is just a short 5 minute walk from The Eiffel Tower and The Seine river, which was obviously a plus. When we arrived in CDG airport on Thursday morning at 11:30am, we were driven to our hotel via shuttle transfer which only took around 20 or so minutes. Once we had checked into the hotel, settled in a little bit, and I made a quick outfit change (much to the apparent inconvenience of my fiance - I don't take that long getting changed: he just tends to over-exaggerate!) we then headed out to make the most of the day. We decided that we would see the Eiffel Tower first of all, so we headed in that direction, down the the park and arrived at the foot of the tower within minutes. Of course there were a few photos taken along the way - seeing the tower in person is so surreal when you're used to seeing it in photographs! It's quite overwhelming actually. So, yeah, we then saw that the lines for tickets to the top of the tower were so long it was estimated to be a 3 hour wait, so we decided against waiting (and wasting 3 hours) and crossed over the to Seine river side where we bought two day passes for the boat. It worked out pretty good actually, because you could hop on and off at 8 stops along the river for the two days. The stops included: The Eiffel Tower, Musee D'Orsay, Saint-Germain-Des-Pres, The Notre Dame, Jardin de Plantes, Hotel DeVille, The Louvre and The Champs-Elysees. It only cost 18 euro for the two days, but if you had a student card (and had it with you, rather than leave it in your other bag like I did) you get it for 12 euro which is a pretty good deal. The boat comes every twenty minutes, with the last boat leaving at 9:45pm, so you don't need to worry about planning your activities around transport and getting back to the hotel. Once on the boat we decided that for the first day we should just take the boat all the way round the circuit, just to get the grips with it all, plus, a little boat ride is always nice! Later on in the evening, as we were walking back to the hotel we passed a little vendor selling crepes and decided that we would get one seeing as we hadn't really eaten since landing that morning. We ordered two with nutella and oh. my. god - absolutely amazing. I don't know if it was just because we were hungry or what, but they really were delicious - albeit a little messy to be eating in public. It was one of those foods that you need to eat in the comfort of your own home so that you're not constantly paranoid at having nutella all over your face.  

Heading out for Day Two
Leather Jacket: Muubaa, Jeans + Tee: H&M
Shoes: Primark with DIY studs

Moving on to day two and we got up a little early so that we could fit in all of the different stops. First up was Saint-Germain-Des-Pres. Saint Germain is known for it's galleries, street artists and cafes, so I immediately loved it there being quite creative myself. As soon as you get off the boat, there is a bridge up ahead covered in padlocks. The superstition is that if you attach a padlock with your name and anothers close to you (a boy/girlfriend, best friend, husband, wife etc), lock it, reach up high and throw the key into the river, then that relationship can never be broken and you will always have one another. A lovely, sentimental thought until you find out that every month the government hires someone to come along with a pair of pliers and cuts the padlocks off so that other tourists can attach theirs! - With that piece of knowledge now known to us, my fiance and I didn't bother putting our own padlock on the bridge and instead decided to leave the future of our relationship squarely in the hands of fate. 

Saint-Germain-Des-Pres: In photos

After another two or so hours walking around, gaping at designer shop windows and turning green with envy after seeing some women walk into work at the Louis Vuitton HQ, we decided to head back to the boat and go see The Notre Dame. All I can say about the cathedral is that it's simply awe-inspiring. Seriously, the architecture alone is breath-taking. Gorgeous, purple stained glass windows, every inch of the building having some sort of carved image, statue or word - the whole thing is just so interesting that even if you aren't at all religious, you would want to go in just to see what the interiors had to offer. The admission is free and there are queues to stand in until you can get inside, but surprisingly we only had to stand in line for about 5 - 10 minutes until we were inside. You can take photos, but flashes are strictly prohibited (which was a shame because it was quite dark and shadowy inside), as is speaking in tones louder than a whisper, seeing as there was a service on it's generally disrespectful to speak when the priest is saying mass. I managed to get some half decent photos without a flash, but they're only so good as an LG mobile phone camera will allow really, so I won't put them up here. 

(left) Me infront of The Notre Dame (right) The front of The Notre Dame

The Louvre - Pyramid Main Entrance

By the time we got back outside, time was getting on a bit so after a bloody great plate of spaghetti bolognese and mango ice cream we got back on the boat and headed to The Louvre - seeing as it was getting later and later, we cut out some stops and chose The Louvre as the one place that we both wanted to visit the most. When we got there, I managed to get only a couple of photos before my camera decided to cut off - it was only later that I realised that it didn't actually run out of charge, it just hit an error and switched off when I was viewing the playback. Silly me. So, unfortunately I didn't get to take any photos inside the museum. This fact was only made worse when I saw the Mona Lisa painting - a painting in which I set out wanting to take a photo of in the beginning! Anyway, tickets for the museum were 10 euro which was pretty decent considering how big the museum really is and how much of it you get to see. The court yard that the museum sits in is actually a really nice place to just sit with a croissant and coffee and watch the world go by. Perhaps if it weren't so chilly and I had another day to just sit and relax, I would have probably gone back and done just that. After a couple of hours walking around, admiring the amazing painting, sculptures and artifacts, we headed back to our hotel. Just as we got off the boat, an artist approached us and did a caricature of us both - All I can say is, thank god they didn't give me a huge forehead, chin or other enlarged body part!

Day 3 and 4 (4 being the day we came home) were spent in the hotel room due to unfortunate weather: It was dull, cold and kept raining sporadically throughout the day, so we didn't risk going outside without any proper jackets or an umbrella. Plus, from 8+ hours of sightseeing the day before, my feet felt close to falling off. Overall, the trip was good and I'm glad that I can cross it off my bucket list, but simultaneously I can't help but feel that I could have spent the money in a much better way. It's like I had a set of expectations for what the trip was going to be like and it just didn't meet any of them at all, which is quite sad. Never mind though, I'm still happy that I can say I've "done it and bought the t-shirt". 

As Inspired by...Celine SS'12

Celine SS'12

As you may have noticed, I have kinda of went AWOL since Thursday and that is due to the fact that I am taking a long weekend off in Paris to celebrate my 21st. However, seeing as I had been pretty much posting every day since last weekend, I felt I was neglecting the blog with a lack of posts, or information to keep you guys updated - so I apologise for that! When I arrive home on Sunday evening, I will be sure to upload some photos from my trip and do a little post to let you all know what I've been getting up to: Until then, I thought I would slip in a post on a particular trend that I am thinking about delving deeper into this Spring/Summer - Sharp Whites.

Celine SS'12
Image via Vogue

I was inspired to try out/write a post on this trend on Thursday when my May issue of Vogue arrived in the post. As part of the issue, there was a mini 48 page spread on current trends for the season, in association with H&M. One of said trends happened to be Sharp Whites - a trend which was inspired by Celine's SS'12 collection. Usually, I tend to find all white outfits intimidating and risky. Purely because I look at the crisp, clean fabrics and think, "oh god, everything that leaves a mark is just going to gravitate towards me if I wear that!". However, after having another look at Celine's collection and the items chosen for the feature in Vogue, I'm starting to think that maybe I want to give it another chance - especially seeing as I'll be going to Sorrento, Italy in the Summer and the weather tends to get particularly warm and humid. So, having said that, I decided to put together a little set on Polyvore to show you some of my picks for the Sharp White's trend: Enjoy!

As always, you can view the set over at my profile where you will also be able to see which stores stock the items featured.

"The boundaries between clothing and accessories become blurred whilst retaining a contemporary functionality" - Maria Francesca Pepe

Maria Francesca Pepe

A/W'12 Look Book
Image via Maria Francesca Pepe 

As I was casually browsing the web for some inspiration, I happened to stumbled upon some images from an A/W'12 Look Book campaign. These images showed a young girl with lilac, yellow and pink roses in her hair/bustier/everywhere really, and covered in lots of jewellery (crucifixes, hearts and chains). After some more research, I found the images to be part of the new collection by Maria Francesca Pepe - a "jewellery-wear" designer, inspired by pure London avant-garde, who oversees all of her collections being produced entirely by Italian artisans and small factories. She takes traditional jewellery and pop symbols, distorts and then reinterprets them in their forms and meanings for them to be conceived as amulets that convey inner strength and beauty.

MFP is a designer who is fairly knew to me personally, however she is very well known to celebrities and fashion magazines alike, incuding: Rihanna, Lady GaGa, Elle, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Dazed & Confused, Cosmopolitan, In Style, Jessie J, various XFactor contestants, Jennifer Lopez, Florence & the Machine, Sienna Miller, Sarah Jessica Parker and Cheryl Cole to name but a few. Maria has also won various awards such as: the British Fashion Award, New Gen & Topshop, White Club & Fashion East Sponsorships, Argos Hippium Award (Italy), Tannan Fashion Award (Japan) & was nominated for the Swarovski Emerging Talent In Accessories award in 2009.

It is no wonder that MFP has won so many awards and been featured in many magazine editorials once you look at the products on offer. They are edgy, contemporary and slightly gothic, (right up my street!) and along with the styling in the A/W'12 campaign shoots, it's safe to say that I am a new fan!

A/W'12 Look Book - Images via Maria Francesca Pepe

For more images from the Look Book, click here. As for the website (where you can also buy some of the collection), click here!

What do you all think? Would you wear these pieces?

Spring Dresses @ A/wear

Spring/Summer'12

Go over to A/wear and you will be struck with a wash of colour and pattern. It's safe to say that the buyers over there have fully embraced the pastel, bright colour blocking and floral trends this season. I have surprised myself these last couple of months actually, with a constant need to fill my wardrobe with colour and florals - two things which have seemed alien to me for the past few years - so when I received a newsletter containing the best of their Spring/Summer dresses, I instantly fell in love.

Image put together via Polyvore

As you can see from the image I've put together above, I decided on four dresses to feature alongside some printed sunnies, nude platform heels and a very cute mint purse with bow detailing. Clock wise from the top: Water Colour Floral Print Shift Dress - £40, True Decadence Floral Panel Dress - £50, True Decadence Floral Panel Dress - £50, True Decadence Floral Slash Neck Dress - £45, Stitch Detail Popper Purse - £12, Purple Print Detail Sunglasses - £7, Nude Laura Dolly Peep Platform Heel - £45

Personally, I want to buy the entire website. If only I guess, eh?

The Biggest Blogging Movement & Community in 2012

Blogger's, listen up: Here we have one of thee best things to ever come out of the world wide web since blogger, twitter and facebook - Blogger's Wardrobe. An online clothing store unlike any other. Why is that you ask? Well, for starters: the clothes are free. The catch? You have to be part of the community. The elite, if you will. Once you're taken under their wing and accepted as one of their own, you then have access and free reign to choose from a range of brands that they to offer. Finsk, Gudrun & Gudrun, Gestuz and Arelalizza are just some of the brands on offer that spark some keen interest from myself.

Although there are a few brands which make me feel all warm inside whenever I look at their collections, my favourite brand on offer at BW would have to be Finsk. A london based shoe brand which was launched in 2004 by Finnish born Julia Lundsten. She has been dubbed the Eames of footwear and has established herself as a designer with a strong vision and unique, directional style. It's not hard to see why she is considered so stylish when you look at the range of shoes she has on offer. Sharp and angular with chunks cut out here and there, gives the shoes a very contemporary and modern feel, with a slight 'Lady Gaga-esque' twist in my opinion. I would probably wear a pair of Finsk wedge heels with a leather biker jacket and pair of skinny jeans. Looking at some of my favourites that I have so lovingly put together for you guys in a set below, it's obvious to see why I love them, no?

Finsk Footwear
Images put together in set via Polyvore.

I feel that Blogger's Wardrobe is one of the best things out there for both online shopping and blogging due to the unique and contemporary brands on offer. In terms of being a plus for blogger's, it's out there with an intent to make brands and blogger's linked and to give us a chance to interact with one another. This fact alone just shows how aware Blogger's Wardrobe is of the current fashion industry: Fashion blogger's alone are being ranked as highly as magazine editors when it comes to bringing the latest trends and news to readers. Look at fashion week for example, who was sitting front row next to Anna Wintour at various shows at New York, London, Milan & Paris this year? Bryanboy & SusieBubble - that's who. Times are changing and for Blogger's Wardrobe to have caught onto that fact, just shows how big they have the potential to be. Blogger's are fast becoming to new way for brands to advertise their products and I don't know about you, but if I were to be accepted into the Blogger's Wardrobe community, I would be delirious. 

(All images have been taken from Polyvore, Finsk.com and BloggersWardrobe - None of which are my own)

"April hath put a spirit of youth in everything" - William Shakespeare

All the pretty things.

After receiving a newsletter containing the new launch of Spring/Summer at Primark this morning, I thought I would put together some of my favourite looks on Polyvore. However, what started as a 'Primark board', soon turned into 'anything-I-like-the-look of board' once a couple of rather stunning Jason Wu dresses caught my attention. So, inspired by my impulsive nature, I decided to see which angle the board would take and it turned out pretty lovely actually - If I do say so myself! It has a sort of 'Underwater Sea World Vs. Jungle Fever' vibe to it.

As with my previous Polyvore board post, just click on my profile here if you want to shop any other items - Enjoy !

Glasgow's Very Own: Chouchou Couture

"The Chouchou woman is no slave to trends and the flamboyant designs are driven instead by lifestyle to be worn with a wink and a grin."

Chouchou's "Hollyhood"
100% Wool Tartan Hood - £39.00

If you haven't already heard of the Glasgow based, Italian fashion designer Silvia Pellegrino then perhaps now is the time to sit up and take notice. Silvia's label Chouchou was set up in Rome in 2008 with each garment produced by hand using both contemporary and vintage textiles. Silvia combines her Italian flair with a love of travelling, free-spirited flamboyant women and unusual beauty to create her designs, resulting in a collection of looks that are unique, feminine and oh so very stylish.

One such design that proves a staple and best seller for Chouchou is the "Hollyhood". Named after their very first customer Holly, they are the perfect accessory to any outfit, whether it be as the hood as styled, or on the shoulders as a scarf. There are a range of designs to choose from, however I decided to feature the tartan hood as it shows my love for Glasgow - as well as the fact that it makes classic tartan look amazing to say the least.

Although the label is only four years old, Silvia has taken huge strides in creating a name for the brand with ASOS Marketplace placing Chouchou on the list of "New Labels We Love". The recognition received from ASOS has subsequently landed Silvia with a phone call from the world famous magazine British Vogue; resulting in a feature in their March edition this year. The editor of Vogue, Alexandra Shulman said that the tartan "Hollyhood" was the item which caught her attention and ultimately lead to her interest in Chouchou.

The current collections are: Marianna SS10, Lola AW11, Amber SS11 and there will be a new SS12 edition to add to the list launching next Thursday (5th April) - Unfortunately I will not be able to attend the launch as I will be in Paris, however I do plan on doing a post on the new collection once I get my hands on some photographs, as it is one that I cannot wait to see!

For the purpose of the post, I have chosen to focus on two of the garments currently available to purchase on the Chouchou store @ ASOS Marketplace. First up is this vintage chiffon pussy bow blouse;

Front View.
Pussy Bow Blouse; £63.50

Back View.

This electric blue, sheer blouse is one of my favourite pieces; the flower detail on front, with the pussy bow and cropped back detail is just gorgeous. Wondering how to style this little number? Silvia's style advice is to pair it with a sleek pencil skirt, high waisted palazzo pants or leggings for maximum impact. Currently envisioning how you would wear this piece? Why not head over to the online store and buy it for yourself!
Lastly we have this light pink vintage cropped jacket:

Pale Pink Vintage Crop Jacket
£56.00

Back View.

I can't look at this jacket without falling head over heels in love with it. It's romantic, contemporary and right now features highly on my current shopping wish list. The raw edges and beaded applique collar and genuine leather front panel are the features which sold it for me personally, as it combines just the right amount of girly and punk-edge to suit my style. Styling tips from Silvia are to wear it over tube dresses, high waisted pencil skirts and any other style combos that you can think of; the possibilities are endless. If you, like myself just have to have this jacket in your wardrobe then you can buy it over at ASOS Marketplace here.

One thing that's for certain is that both Chouchou and Silvia have a bright future ahead of them, and looking at how far they've come in such a short space of time is utterly remarkable and inspiring. What makes my love for the brand grow even more is just how sweet and kind Silvia Pellegrino really is. It's easy to say that I will be a fan of her for a very long time that's for sure.
For up-to-date news from Silvia & Chouchou, you can follow on twitter and facebook. Alternatively, you can check out the website here.

Ooh La La!

Petit Plat @ Etsy

If there is one thing that the sun makes me want to do, it's eat ice cream. There's just something so calming about sitting in a park with a cone in hand and the sun reflecting off your over-sized shades. It just feels like your own little piece of heaven. Unfortunately though, the thing with ice cream is the calories. How can something so tasty, simultaneously be oh so bad for you? It's just heart wrenching to say the least. Well, worry no more: Just when I was beginning to think that my love of the cold stuff was going to have to be a thing of the past, I stumbled upon the Etsy store, Petit Plat. 

Petit Plat is a French online store, specialising in miniature desserts. Owned by Stephanie Kilglast, you will find various treats including: rainbow doughnuts, French macaroons, fruit tarts, pastry counters and even a plate of BBQ burgers and kebabs. The best part? All 100% mouth watering to look at but with 0% of the calories. You can wear each miniature in the form of earrings, rings and pendants, however there are specially made little plates which look uber cute in a collectors dolls house.

Ice Cream Earrings @ Petit Plat

With the sun making such a strong appearance in the past week and my love of ice cream, naturally the little ice cream earrings stood out for me. Add to the fact that candy pastel colours are one of the main trends this Spring/Summer and you have a winner. The earrings which are available in yellow, orange, dark rose, pale pink, mint green, blue or your own choice of ice cream, come in at €16 or £13.72 per pair and are made from polymer clay and surgical stainless steel posts (there is the optional upgrade to sterling silver for an additional €3).

If you want to find out more about the shop, then why not check out the blog here! :)

H&M's Exclusive, Glamour Conscious Collection

Glamour Conscious

Image via fashioncollections.org

As you all know, H&M have the very eco-friendly and oh so chic line, Conscious. So if you are a particular fan of this collection, you will be happy to know that a brand new line will be added, and will be available to buy online and in select stores worldwide from April 12th 2012. This new line will be called the Exclusive Glamour Conscious.

The collection will be fabricated using sustainable material, which includes 100% organic cotton, hemp and recycled polyester. The collection has already proved a hit with celebrities on the red carpet such as Amanda Seyfried, however I feel the collection is more suited to the types of events seen in the hit UK reality drama, Made In Chelsea (FYI: Season 3 airs on E4 April 2nd @10pm) rather than say, The Oscars for example - Others may like the look, but that is just my personal opinion.

If I were to choose one look which stood out for me, it would have to be the floaty, lilac and purple dress (seen above) which, styled in the right way, would probably look not too out of place on a red carpet compared to the rest of the collection)

Another dress which stood out for me, but not in a terribly great way, is this floor length, off-white gown (seen below). It looks inspired by designers such as Sarah Burton/Alexander McQueen, however next to the rest of the collection, it just doesn't seem right. While many designers can produce garments like this and be deemed 'artistic' or 'visionary', for H&M to do the same just looks as though they have found sound spare pieces of fabric laying around the studio and decided to hope for the best at creating a finale piece. It looks a little silly, so I can't say I'm impressed - Sorry!

Image via fashioncollections.org

For a look at the full collection, click here. 

SS'12 Influences

The Great British Summer

As of the weekend, we Scots we have been dusting down the shorts and t-shirts that we had almost forgotten about in the back of our wardrobes. Spring/Summer has sprung with temperatures reaching 22 degrees in parts of the UK - we're shocked too! For the past couple of days there has been nothing but clear blue skies, so naturally it has got me thinking about the trends for spring/summer that I want to adopt.
I know you might be thinking, "oh, you're only just thinking about this now?" well let me tell you, Scotland isn't exactly known for having the perfect weather to try out said trends, so I've been caught in the headlights a little if I'm honest.

So here we have a little set that I made up on polyvore for some of the items currently on my wish list! Click on my profile to see where you can buy each item if it tickles your fancy - Enjoy :)