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Tuesday

Dorothy Perkins Promo!

Hello Peeps.

If you are thinking about buying something from Dorothy Perkins, shop online. When you sign up to their news letter you get 10% off your first order. Click the link below to take you straight there.

http://www.dorothyperkins.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StaticPageDisplay?catalogId=33053&storeId=12552&brdcrmb_trail=&identifier=dp2%20newsletter&cmpid=awin&_$ja=tsid:19886%7Cprd:105618

Every little helps! x

BlackDot World Archive


I went to White Chapel to interview Bettina MclLwraith. For those of you who are unfamiliar with her work familiarise yourself with it! www.blackdotworldarchive.com

 Bettina’s archive is a true treasure chest. Think of a collection lovingly and passionately put together over a 20 year career, mix that with vintage clothing, plus vintage pieces redesigned by Bettina into new items, chuck in some AMAZING household pieces such as, her hand made cushions and you have the Black dot world archive. It has an endless array of unique and inspiring clothing that truly sends you green with envy.

Bettina herself, is a relaxed free spirited creative all the way from Australia and her free spirited attitude and nature, filters through into how she dresses, what she stands for and how kind and approachable she is.

Bettina believes that people need to be more educated about fashion and where it comes from. Her new ‘Feed the mind’ range is there to inspire people to understand more about where things come from.  Like her work, Bettina is inspirational and her passion and style oozes out of every piece she has in her archive.

“Don’t let money stop you, nothing is everything”

BlackDot world archive.

What made you want to start your own business?

I had been in the industry for 20 years, and I thought, it’s now or never. Over my years as a Buyer I collected lots of Garments, textiles etc. I also feel that having my own business allows me to have the lifestyle that I want. For example if I want to go to Yoga or get a coffee with a friend I can. Likewise, if I feel I want to work into the early hours of the morning I can also do that.

What is the hardest part about running your own company?

Keeping it in order because everything is constant. I do the buying, designing, press etc. It is like a juggling act, it just doesn’t stop. You need to be good at juggling.

What is different about your brand?

Well, It’s a different taste and style. I would say my taste is strict, bold and optimistic. I am definitely inspired by other cultures and the way that their dress is often meaningful and celebratory. I have been very inspired by my travels.

What advice can you offer anybody who is hoping to start out in fashion?

You have to get experience. Knuckle down and work hard. Have inspiration and people you admire. Mine was Anita Roddick (the lady who owned the Body Shop) it was the fact that her beliefs were ethical and she was supporting natural things. Look at people who really do stuff differently like Vivienne Westwood, have a role model.


How do you promote your business?

I have a website, I blog, word of mouth, I have a Facebook page, I work with bloggers and stylists use my stuff as well.


How do you keep up to date with trends and how does this effect your collection?

A lot of my designs and collections are my own taste, however, sometimes I have to stop and try and get things that clients will want. I always keep designers who buy from me in mind, I look at catwalks, but I always go back to my own taste and style. That’s what makes my stuff different. I often look to be inspired by fabrics, prints, the meaning of colour as I believe sometimes you need certain colours, you kind of seek them out.

Want to see more? perhaps you need to treat yourself? Well click on this link and you will find amazingly tempting pieces








Some images to show you Bettina's world










Wednesday

Bumped into Natalia Vodianova At the Pavilion of Art&design! I recommend for anyone interested in Art & Design to go and see this. Amazing pieces. (we managed to get free passes!) Top tip dress smart and hang around outside asking questions this is sure to get you in. If not you can go and buy the Art newspaper. There's a free ticket inside, tickets cost £20! Def worth it though!

Thursday

How to make a statement Accessory

This style tip will put a smile on your face every time you get a ladder in your new or favourite tights. 

What you will need: 

-Some old tights ( I used about 4 pairs). 

-A pair of Scissors.

-And an old belt (preferably a skinny width one). 




Firstly get your belt double it over and do it up. like the photo below. 


Then Simply cut your tights at the toes and at the top of the leg. (we shall now call these fabric strips)


Following this, it is time to start tying the ends of your 'fabric strips' into individual knots. This covers any frayed pieces of fabric and conceals the fact that you are using tights. 

Lastly start tying all of your pieces of 'fabric strips' onto your belt (ensuring that you leave the buckle uncovered in order to undo and do up) You can create any shape you want to. I based mine on the shape of a rose.

You have now completed your Accessory challenge! WELL DONE!

Check it out! 



Here I am sporting my new accessory! PERFECT for a night out. You can't see the details very well here due to the lighting but you can when you look at the real thing (bare this in mind and try and keep it neat) 

Enjoy making this, it is very quick easy and best of all it's free! X


How to revamp an old top!

Do you ever say "I have nothing to wear? I need to buy more clothes!"? WELL, take a look at my idea to revamp an old top. 

All you need is: 


Getting started:

-Start by having an idea of the design you want to put onto your top. 

-Then cut the design onto your top. (if you are not so confident, you can draw your design onto the top first and use that as a template)

!WARNING If you DO draw the design first, make sure you don't leave any marks, I recommend using pencil for this. 

-Once you have cut your design out, it is time to get your needle and thread. 

-Thread your needle through to the front of the fabric. Following this bring your needle from the front of the fabric to the underneath, and then through to the front of the fabric.

 -Repeat this process around the edges of all of the wholes. 



You may need to go over all of the wholes again to ensure they are neat and tidy. 


Before


After 



This idea was inspired by Louis Vuitton S/S12. The collection is so elegant, I wanted to try and see if I could take a snippet of the look an incorporate it into an every day plain top. 

Check out how amazing Kate Moss looks below, after closing the LV show. 




Wednesday

Boohoo.com

Cheap, Stylish and did I mention Cheap? 

If you are planning to go out this weekend and don't want to spend a fortune, have a good look on Boohoo.com. 

Check out my Wish List below for a weekend outfit. All pieces look great together, they are also very versatile as individual pieces and can be worn dressed up and dressed down. AND it costs £65 for the whole outfit. Which means...more money to spend on your night out. YAY. 


My Charity shop find

A Calvin Klein blazer for £8! 



The only small issue is that, it is two sizes too big. BUT, I have managed to 'style it up' and have created my new fav jacket as a result! 

BEFORE




AFTER 

Turning up the sleeves is an instant style MUST if something is too big or small. Also unbuttoning the blazer is another simple way to make an item look better and more stylish. 

Tuesday

My Furnishings Wish List


If you haven't got their amazing products yet then get buying! I am literally dying to have the things on my wish list. I will post pics of any new pieces I get from Lush Designs as they are worth talking about.

 SPREAD THE LOVE- LUSH DESIGNS.  

My hand made cushions!


I created my cushion covers out of dish cloths that I brought from http://www.lushlampshades.co.uk I recommend their products to everyone! such unique pieces. 

 As much as I would love to have dried my dishes with such amazing cloths, I could not bring myself to do it. Therefore, I created the above cushions.  

How to make my cushion covers: 

What you need:

Fabric
Sewing machine (you can do it by hand) 
needle and thread
Pins
zip
Cushion stuffing 

* Start by ensuring your fabric is level, inside out and crease free.

* Then tack your fabric together.

 * Sew one of the pieces of fabric to the fabric part of the zip, do the same to the other side of the zip using the second pieces of fabric. 

*Simply sew all of the other sides together and turn the cushion cover the right way out. Then end by stuffing the case with cushion filling. (you can use the fillings of old pillows, that's what I did)

How much did it cost me? well £18 for both cushions.

Treat Street- with Boots


Boots now lets you collect points with 50 other online retailers. For every pound you spend you get 1 point. You HAVE to have a Boot card so what are you waiting for? Go and get one!

Urban Outfitters Promo code! YAY!


For anybody who does not know this, InStyle are offering £10 off when you spend £30 at Urban Outfitters. Offer ends midnight 6th October. Promo code- INSTYLEAW. How I love a good bargain!

My Wish list!


Topshop, NW3 by Hobbs and Newlook! This is an outfit I want in my wardrobe! 

I have already purchased the skirt from Newlook (that I paid full price for!) Next it will be the shirt! I saw a friend wear it a couple of days ago, and I must say it is worth indulging!

This post was created using- My Memories Suite, check it out!


My latest shoot.