Yet Another Impulse Buy...

While being in London my shopping addiction has hit its all time peak, so much so, that it's at that "I want to buy everything and anything" stage. My bank balance is beginning to sweat, but hey, it's worth it right? The main culprit is definitely those sneaky impulse purchases that are calling out to you until you just can't resist the temptation (especially when it's 50% off at Urban Outfitters). 

Duster Coat//Crusade Clothing on Depop
Dress//Urban Outfitters
Shirt//New Look
Boots//H&M
Bag//River Island

This gorgeous velvet dress from Urban Outfitters has quickly become one of my favourite items in my wardrobe. It's perfect for throwing on with a shirt for work or wearing on it's own, toughened up with a leather jacket at night. Sometimes those rash decisions turn out to be good decisions! 

Benefit Pop-Up Shop

From St. Patrick's Day parades to Where's Wally Fun Run's and even beard exhibitions (yes, really!), there's always something interesting to do in London. Last week our random weekday discovery was the Benefit Pop-Up shop in Soho, which turned out to be a rather pleasant surprise. Spread over three floors, the pop-up shop featured everything from freebies and photo booths to cocktails and makeovers, providing the perfect girly night out.  

Upon entrance, you are transported into a 50's salon complete with baby pink retro decor where you can sit back and relax trying out their new roller lash mascara, which is actually pretty good!

The first floor is home to the beauty parlor where I had my make-up done for free, using their Benefit products of course. First, she applied the famous roller lash mascara where, surprisingly, she suggested wearing another mascara beforehand to achieve the best results. Personally, I'm not a fan of applying multiple coats of mascara as I feel it creates that 'spider leg' look, but I must admit, it did create that false lashes look without them falling off half way through a night out... She also applied a touch of What's Up highlighter and the Rockateur bronzer to give me a healthy glow. 

The top floor was transformed into the 'Noir Bar' serving classy cocktails and about a million bowls of free popcorn - I just couldn't stop eating it! I also managed to snag a cheeky cupcake which was a good end to an overall fun night. I would definitely recommend booking a time slot if you're in London anytime soon! 

Clashing Textures

Whoever said you appreciate the weekends more when working full time - yes, you were right. I try to make the most of every weekend I have in London since I'm only here for three months and this weekend was no different. After a trip to Choccywoccydoodah, and an embarrassing fall down the stairs landing in one of their cakes (don't ask), we stopped for some quick photos in this cute cobbled street.

Dungarees//Missguided
Shirt//New Look
Bomber Jacket//Mango
Boots//Primark
Necklace//New Look

Cords may remind you of an old-fashioned fabric mainly worn by the older generation - sorry Grandad - but I love how these cord dungarees from Missguided take a fresh spin on the fabric, paired with a floral quilted bomber jacket to create the perfect clash of textures and balanced by a crisp white shirt. 

LFW: Street Style

During my internship here in  London, I was given the opportunity to visit Somerset House during London Fashion Week and take some street style photos. At first this was very daunting as I'm not the most experienced photographer and after years of catching up with London Fashion Week through online sources, it was surreal actually being able to be there in real life. 

However, I managed, even with my camera playing up, to capture some of my favourite moments straight from the cobbles of Somerset House. And so, I would encourage anyone who is wary about capturing street style to go for it, as I had no experience whatsoever and even when my camera couldn't achieve the classic blurred background effect, with a little bit of Photoshop tutorials I think I might have just pulled it off! 

Culottes are back with a vengeance and have quickly become a must-have silhouette! Accessorise classic black culottes with studded accessories and fringing details to keep the look on trend for this season. 

Teaming less structured culottes with heels helps to elongate the legs while adding a tailored blazer balances out the look. The casual graphic print sweatshirt paired with a crisp white shirt creates a chic day to night look!

Forget '50 Shades of Grey', we're talking multiple shades of blue! On the streets of London Fashion Week we saw the classic black and white couple being replaced by a younger, fresher look - blue and white. 

I love the combination of colours and textures worn by Phoebe Lettice (former Made In Chelsea character) with harsh metallic balanced by soft, faux fur. 

This bold combination of primary hues reflects the colour trends for Spring, with colour-blocking and brave clashing combo's taking over this season. 

Model Charlotte De Carle, goes for an adrogynous look contrasting a feminine blouse with a boxy dress and tailored blazer. The striped monochrome socks and casual snapback achieve that on-trend sporty feel. 

Tailored layers and minimalist grey hues complete with a structured hat creates a cool, edgy look. This is one of my favourite looks - I've developed a love for minimalism and a classic black, white and grey colour palette! 

Seventies vibes were lingering at LFW, with bold patterns and a touch of suede creating the perfect retro look!

As a major Made In Chelsea fan (not even embarrassed to admit it), I was excited to capture Rosie in a beautiful Ralph Lauren embroidered dress. I love how she's paired it with knee-high boots and a clashing textured bag!

A Trip to London

As you probably all know  over the last two weeks it has been pretty busy in the fashion world with London Fashion Week and London Fashion Weekend, which as Fashion Management students at Robert Gordon University we were lucky enough to attend! After getting up at 3am for the flight, mastering the tube and locating the hotel, we got to experience everything London had to offer including the night life a bit of sightseeing and a fashion show at Somerset House. It was definitely a worth while trip! 

For anyone who is not familiar with London Fashion Weekend it's basically a massive fashion showcase featuring designer shopping, pop-up shops, hair and beauty, expert advice sessions and a fashion show which focused on upcoming trends (see below), all within the beautiful setting of Somerset House. This was a great opportunity for us to experience the atmosphere of a catwalk show (and a free goodie bag is always a plus!). 

Trends Featured in the Catwalk

To the catwalk show I decided to wear some of my new purchases from back in Aberdeen which can be seen below. 

Jacket - Marks & Spencer
Shorts - Miss Selfridge
Boots - Internationale
*I actually wore a shirt on the day which
you can see in the previous photo
which is from Asos...if anyone is interested.

After a random trip through Marks & Spencer I spotted this jacket, even though I hardly ever buy things from here I loved the pattern, the tailored fit and the asymmetric zip detailing. I also loved these shorts from Miss Selfridge that I think add a nice pop of colour as we move towards Spring. 

Overall, our trip to London was a success and I will definitely be looking into plans to go back in the Summer. Check out my next post for some of my purchases from London!

Julia

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