Song of the Week

Hey Guys,

The song I've chosen this week is 'Say it, Just Say it' by The Mowgli's. The Mowgli's are an American alternative rock band from southern California. Thanks to Spotify I've really been loving 'older' songs, so the next few weeks won't consist of newly released songs - however I have been loving 'Blank Space' by Taylor Swift.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRn8Sl6-sRo

Love Daisy x

C - Collars

Hey Guys,

I love clothing with collars, and have done ever since I read Alexa Chung's book, 'It', which introduced me to the style icon, that is Wednesday Addams (a character in 'The Addams Family') . I will forever adore her peter pan collar and plaits combination, which looks stunning, especially with her monochrome wardrobe. I think collared clothing suits just about anyone and is a style that perfect for winter, allowing you to still look smart whilst covering a lot of your skin, keeping it from the cold.

Two examples of collared tops available at the moment are...

Embroidered Collar Tee - £48.00 Topshop

Beaded Blouse - £19.99 H&M

Two examples of collared dresses available at the moment are ...

Short Sleeve Mesh Peak Collar Dress - £14.63 (reduced in sale) Sheinside

Pixie Floral Shirt Dress -  £27.99 Missguided

These are just a few examples to show the versatility of the collared garment, there are thousands of other tops, dresses, coats and jackets available in both high end and high street shops.

Asos have a range of detatchable collars (see link below), this ranges from furry to embellished. So if you have a dress or top you already like but feel is a bit plain, you could add one of these wonderful collars to it, giving it a new lease of life.

www.asos.com/Women/Accessories/Collars

Celebrities often turn to collars for a smart, casual fun look. Here we see them on Alexa Chung, Kiera Knightly, Hailee Steinfield and Emma Watson. The top two favourite celebrity collars appear to be peter pan and embellished. (above photo from www.abbzzw.com)

If you are on a tight budget and don't want to buy a collar, or simply want something more unique, on Pinterest I came across a board about making your own collars (and scarves). Many of these DIYs look easy and great fun and I can't wait to try some of them out!

http://www.pinterest.com/taniamattei/diy-collar-scarf/

I hope you have enjoyed my third post inspired by the alphabet and I hope to complete the next one by late this week, early next week. 

Love Holly x

Song Of The Week

Hey Guys,

'Islands' by The XX is one of my favourite songs and recently I have been listening to it a lot. It is from their debut self titled studio album, it was released in 2009 and is a song about faithfulness in love. The lyrics are clever and I think without music it reads like a poem, it is angelic.

'Islands'   The XX

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PElhV8z7I60

Love Holly x

16 things I wish I knew at 16

Hey Guys,

As a lot of my friends are turning 17, I've been thinking of all the things I would love to have known when I turned 16 so I could enjoy the next year of my life more.

Credit to Polly Vadaz and Signedalice.wordpress.com who gave me inspiration to do this post.

1. First and most important - DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY! There is always going to be those people who judge you, but who cares. School is meant to test you. All those people who take the mic out of the things you like aren't your friends and after year 11/Sixth form you never have to see them again, and you don't necessarily have to talk to them while you're still at school.
2. You'll lose friends - and that's absolutely fine. You'll change and your friends will change and sometimes you won't be able to make each other happy anymore. It's not the end of the world, you'll make new friends who will obviously be better for you; but it's important to remember your friendship didn't fail, it was successful, it just had to stop - which leads nicely onto number 3.
3. Make friends! For God sake stop hanging around with the same people and meet new amazing people. It's obviously nice to have a group of friends that'll always be there for you, but while you're young and while you're surrounded by all these weird and wonderful people you might as well take advantage of them - you'll meet people with different hobbies and passions and you can learn from them, they'll learn things from you and you'll be shaped into a more well rounded person who can appreciate other people's views. 
4. Party. Go outside. While you can, go out, drink and dance. You'll have more fun going out to party's than watching a film. In 20 years you might not have the time to go as often or be able to climb onto a table and dance, but in 20 years time you can still sit on a sofa and watch a film. 
5. Forget about love. At 16 you don't need to be in a relationship, you just need to surround yourself with the people you love. And I don't want to sound too cynical but at 16 you have no idea what it means to be 'in love' - I doubt 30 year olds really know what it means - so stop trying to find your 'true' love, you'll just be disappointed.
6. Just do your work. We all know homework, tests and exams suck but tough, everybody has to do them, it's a part of life. In the long run you'll be grateful that you missed one of your favourite tv shows to get 90% in an exam.
7. You don't know everything. Yes you're smart, yes you do know somethings, but not everything, so learn to shut up.
8. Accept help. No matter how independent you are everybody needs help, so just be grateful there's somebody who cares enough to help you.
9. Relax. You don't need to be busy 24/7. Take a Sunday off, forget about seeing your friends and have some 'me time'.
10. Don't try and please everybody. Don't do something for somebody if it doesn't make you happy, don't let people use you, you're stronger than you think. 
11. Don't let your parents decide for you. It's much easier than you think. They don't always know what is best for you, so if they're forcing you to do something you don't want to do put your foot down. They're not in control of you, no matter how many times they say "you live under my roof, so you follow my rules". 
12. Do something! If there's something you don't like about your body do something about it. If you've fancied somebody for a while do something about it. Don't sit there and feel sorry for yourself.
13. Be spontaneous! Whether that means kissing somebody or running into the sea, if you don't do it then and there you'll probably never do it.
14. Don't regret anything. Every silly, stupid and bad thing you do makes you into a better person. Make mistakes. You'll look back the next day or in a year, and you'll be so happy you did it.
15. Bad things happen. Whether you have to move school, or there's a family crisis you'll have to go through bad things, but they can be made easier if you confide in friends.
16. Everything will change. It's just something you're going to have to deal with, don't try and stop it from happening. 

Well that's that. There are still loads of things I don't know about life and how to grow up but I guess I'll just have to figure things out for myself. 

Love Daisy x

Song of the Week

Hey Guys,

The song I have chosen this week is 'You Always Make Me Smile' by Kyle Andrews from his EP 'Kangaroo'. Kyle Andrews, 32, is an American songwriter and performer. I love this song purely for its upbeat tune, which is the reason for many of the songs I've previously posted about, and just in general the really cute lyrics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grnkCPxdTdU

Love Daisy x

B - Black & White

Hey Guys,

Welcome to the second of my Inspiration from the Alphabet posts, we are onto B and I have chosen Black & White.



I have long been a fan Black & White clothing as it looks simple but effortlessly well put together. Monochrome style, whether it be full of pattern or block colours, makes for a timeless look that has been loved for a long time, really beginning with the first 'Little Black Dress' by Coco Chanel.

This dress changed how the world saw black clothing, it was no longer only for mourning. The dress was published in a 1926 edition of Vogue and it was stated that it would become 'a sort of uniform for all women of taste'.

Monochrome had a revival in the 60s, taking over the fashion industry. It was minimalist and very 'mod', perfect for the bold look that the 60s craved. It was in the 60s that Twiggy arose as one of the first international supermodels and Audrey Hepburn filmed Breakfast at Tiffany's in the black Givenchy dress.

Nowadays monochrome is still in and for SS14 was fully revived. I dug out my Vogue SS14 guide and found this double spread on monochrome clothing. It outlines the versatility of the monochrome style, with subtitles such as 'Intelligent Design' and 'Pattern Play'.
The SS14 catwalks were certainly full of black & white, from tailoring to tassels, it was time to brave wearing black in the summer (something I have been known to do anyway).

*click pictures to enlarge*

Kirsten Dunst's printed Dress by Rodarte (featured in the above Vogue article) proves monchrome can be fun by adding a sheer mid-section and asymmetric gridded frills. It is a geometric and stripe patterned quirky design, which she pulls off amazingly well, ruffles certainly don't suit everyone! 

Taylor Swift works this simple monochrome two-piece by J.Mendel beautifully, pairing it with red lips for an elegant red-carpet worthy look. This two-piece uses cut-outs on the shoulders, and a slash up the side of the skirt to enhance what would otherwise be a rather dull outfit. (pictures from Glamour's website)

Monochrome is a style that transcends time, as Karl Lagerfeld once said...
'Black and white always looks modern, whatever that word means'

Love Holly x

Song of the Week

Hey Guys,

'Daffodils' by Charlene Soria is my Song of the Week. This is from Charlene's debut album, 'Moonchild, which was released in 2011; this album featured a bonus track, a cover of The Calling's 'Wherever You Will Go' that was used in Twining's 2011 advert. 'Daffodils' is an enchanting song and I often listen to it when I want to relax after a busy day at school.

'Daffodils'    Charlene Soria

www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7QdPJngCOg

Love Holly x