Style | The Tropics

I have been lusting after a cute two piece for ages, so when I saw the amazing pieces by by Sarah from Sewn by Sarah Lou I jumped at the chance to feature them on my blog.

Two pieces have been a key statement in the fashion world this spring/summer, and Sarah's sets are absolutely perfect for buying into the trend. She offers beautiful fabrics and a range of style so that each two piece set is custom-made and individual to you.

Sometimes, handmade items can lack the professional quality of shop bought clothes. But this is not the case here. When I received my two piece and tried it on, I was completely happy with the quality and fit. They came just as described, and were exactly what I had ordered. The tropical pink print Emily crop and white shorts. I fell in love with them and couldnt wait to blog them!

The shorts are really great, they are a stretchy fabric and have an elasticated waist band which is always good! The top itself came in a lovely bold print, I am usually quite boring with my patterns but I couldn't resist this amazing print. Sewn by Sarah Lou has amazing fabric to choose from, but this was by far my favourite!

I paired my two piece with a simple white clutch as I felt that the top should be the feature of this outfit. I loved the pattern so much and wanted to frame it in all its beauty!

I also paired this with some white wedges with wooden detailing, I love wedges and white so they were the perfect combination! I was tempted to wear my black strappy heels, but for some reason I just couldn't replace the white wedges.

While the outfit is a perfect summers day piece, it can also be easily layered with a blazer or jacket and worn out in the evenings.

I can not wait to wear this out and see peoples reaction to the bold print and contrasting white shorts. The pieces on Sewn by Sarah Lou  are just so incredibly priced, and fantastic! I am so happy to now be the proud owner of one.

All my love,

CJ.

Top | Sewn by Sarah Lou 

Shorts | Sewn by Sarah Lou 

Wedges | New Look

Clutch | New Look

Style | Clean Cut Electric

I have been promising myself two things recently. 

1) I will buy myself a white jacket/blazer.

2) I will add colour to my wardrobe.

And today's post has achieved both of those things!

I was a girl on a mission, a mission to find the best white blazer I could at a reasonable price. I found myself in the trusty H&M, queuing up with a simple white blazer, when this little jacket caught my eye. I just couldn't resist the black piping detail, and the black and white contrasting lapels. Both blazer and jacket were £29.99 and so a made a quick and hefty swap and bought this little number home!

I really love how smart jackets can really transform an outfit. I have always loved monochrome ( as you can probably tell) and so I just had to have this little jacket. It's a bit more formal then i'd usually wear, and the jacket itself has feminine qualities but on the whole is quite a masculine looking thing. But, alas, I am in love with it.

As for adding colour, I picked up some bright coloured t-shirts for the bargain price of £7.99 in Zara. This electric blue is super bright, and I love the colour. I don't really have anything else this colour in my wardrobe so it was a welcome addition.

I also bought a lime green/neon yellow top in the same style which I will feature in an upcoming post. These tees were just a great way to add a bold pop of colour, into what is a dominant black and white wardrobe.

I am a huge fan of ankle boots and heels, so heeled ankle boots are always a winner! These ones were from Zara (zara's pieces are incredible at the moment). They have a really clumpy wooden heel and platform, they can feel quite hard to walk in as the sole doesn't cushion your step. BUT, I love the suede taupe colour and I can last a good few hours in them, so all is not lost.

The weather was really nice and sunny today and i'm hoping it will continue as I really need one more beach days!

All my love,

CJ. 

Jacket | H&M

Top | Zara

Leggings | Topshop

Boots | Zara

Sunglasses | Outfit

Friday Inspo : Co-ord Everything

Doina Ciobanu

Annabelle Fleur

One of the biggest trends this spring/summer is definitely cute co-ordinates. Crops and shorts, blazers and suit trousers, skirts and shirts. Co-ord everything. The trend is super easy to pull off and most highstreet brands and couture brands alike are stocking up on co-ordinated goodies for all us who are fashion concious.

Most fashion bloggers at the moment can be found promoting their cute co-ord pieces. The style looks so put together and sleek. You can forget about clashing colours, contrasting prints and odd cuts, because the co-ord is a simple ready made outfit perfect for those days where you can't decide what to wear!

Fashion Coolture

Laura Allard-Fleischl

Vi Nguyen

I have seen so many co-ords about and have fallen in love, i'm especially loving suit-styled pieces, although they tend to cost a lot more $$$! 

This is definitely a trend that flatters most people, and one that i'm loving! It's huge on the catwalk, huge with celebrities and now it's made it big on the highstreet...

Will you be getting your hands on some co-ords this summer?

All my love,

CJ.

Nails | Chanel Inspired Black Glitter Mani

I've always absolutely loved doing my nails, I'm a complete polish addict and even has a filing system due to the amount of polishes I own! I'm always on the lookout for new brands, colours, textures - anything. Recently, I've been seeing some fantastic nail inspiration around on tumblr and instagram and decided to do a little inspired post of my own.

These nails were inspired by Chanel packaging. Chanel has a very sleek black design, everything is very clean and simple, yet the brand itself stands for luxury which can be symbolised by a gorgeous glittery polish! 

I tend to find that black polish looks to harsh on me, as I'm necessarily olive toned when it comes to my skin. However, adding this bit of sparkle has really helped to soften the polish and I love the glamour that it gives to the simple black.

Although I used a Matte Black polish, I didn't really like the effect of the matte and glitter combination. But that was nothing that a glossy OPI topcoat couldn't sort out!

I actually added a glitter stripe to the plain black nail a little later as I thought it looked too bare!

Let me know if you like my nail posts, I am quite keen to do some more!

All my love,

CJ.

Friday Inspo | Summer Whites

Micha Gianneli

Alex's Closet

Anouska Proetta Brandon

Dominique N.

One of the hottest and biggest trends for this summer is white, absolutely everything white! White on white. White over white. White paired with white.

With the sun shining (hopefully) there is nothing more attractive than a white ensemble. What's more is the white clothes will bring out any tan you have. I absolutely love anything that enhances a tan, I personally think that a bit of a bronze glow makes me looks slimmer and healthier. I would be tanned all year round if I could be bothered to fake tan or jet off to hot countries, but alas I can no and so summer is my opportunity to bare my bronzed skin and wearing white definitely makes the most of this!

Jessica Stein

Fortunately, with white on white you can't really go wrong. You avoid colours clashes and patter clashes and get to experiment with shapes and textures. The most important thing about colour blocking is to replace the contrasting colours with contrasting textures so you keep your outfit interesting despite the lack of colour. 

One of the most exciting things about having a mono-coloured outfit is that it enhances any of the shapes and cuts that you have incorporated in to the outfit. Everything appears sleeker, sharper and classier. 

Henar Vicente

There are so many white items for your wardrobe, most of the famous highstreet brands have pages and lookbooks filled with the "White Out" trend.

We have seen this white trend before, recently in 2012 in starred in high fashion catwalks as the summer trend, and here it is again! This means that many of us have white pieces that we can recycle and bring forward from the back of our wardrobes. 

My only problem with the all white trend is my own messiness! I am so clumsy and I can guarantee that whatever I eat/drink will end up being spilt down myself. But this is something I will have to master if I want to jump on this trend.

Cottds

I already have a few all white outfits planned, although I am in need of some more white shoes and a bag! ( Always an excuse to shop, oops ) 

Let me know what you think of this summer trend!

All my love,

CJ.

Wishlist #1

Look at all these amazing whites and pastels, I just love spring/summer trends! 

1. White Chunky Platform Heels | River Island

2. Crystal Necklace | Zara

3. Pink Skaters | Topshop

4. White Ripped Jeans | Topshop

5. Pastel Print Shirt | Zara

6. Strappy Black Sandals | Zara

7. Clustered Flower Necklace | River Island

8. Lilac Lace Crop | Topshop

9. Striped Mesh Jumper | Zara

10. Jacquard Wrap Skirt | Asos

11. Pastel Pink Bag | Topshop

12. Models Own Polish | Models Own

13. Shimmer Tee | Topshop

Friday Inspo | Summer Fringe

Credit | A Go-Go Fashion

Credit | Art in Our Blood.

With summer fast approaching one of the most exciting trends that seems to be making its comeback is the almighty FRINGE! The fringe has been a staple fashion statement at many festivals in years gone by and it isn't going anywhere yet!

Kate Moss for Topshop saw some bold fringed dresses and tops, while Topshops new lines are also catering to the fringe trend. Fashion bloggers have already snapped pics with their best fringed pieces including bags, dresses and kimonos!

* HOT TIP * Big floppy summer hats complete any fringed outfit. They go together to create a perfect festival/boho chic look. They are also fab for keeping the sun off you, creating your own shade and cooling yourself down (they are so flappy!!)

Credit | Jessica Christ Photography

This is one of the most public friendly trends of 2014 so far, if you're one of those people (like me) who sometimes finds it a little bit scary to wear the latest trends in the public realm and likes to stick to the 'not-so-fierce' looks then this trend is perfect! There are so many easy and subtle ways to incorporate the fringe look into your outfits.

Big designers off of the New York fashion runways to highstreet shops such as Topshop and Zara have now fully stocked up on fringed goodies. From hats, scarfs and bags and even shoes, there are different fringes for everyone this Spring/Summer!

Credit | Fake-Leather

I absolutely love this pop of yellow in the outfit, it takes the statement black fringe back and pushes into the background. Im not really a fan of highlighter yellow, and i'm definitely not brave enough to try and pull it off! However, this look is just right and really makes me want to throw on some bright colours and walk out into the world!

I have a fringed top that I bought last year for the festival season that i'm going to happily recycle into this years wardrobe! I'm really keen to pick up a fringe-crazy boho bag and kimono just because I think they look so fun and love the movement they hold! 

Will you be joining in with the fringe look? Are you headed to any festivals this summer? Let me know!

All my love,

CJ.