Q - Queen Bee

Hey Guys,

I thought I would do something a bit different for this alphabet post and base it around a person. Partly because I find summer fashion posts hard to do because I naturally sway towards wearing dark colours which are not readily available in the summer and partly because it is nice to have a change. So without further ado let's explore Lorde's Style.

Born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1996 with a passion for singing and song writing, Lorde finally burst onto the music scene in 2013 with her debut EP 'The Love Club'. She sealed her fame with her album 'Pure Heroine', which reached the UK top ten. In particular her song 'Royals', from the album, which was an instant hit, reaching number one almost immediately. 'Royals' also gave Lorde two Grammys in 2014.

1. This is an outfit Lorde wore in 2013 and I love it. It is a modern twist on the cute ("kawaii") schoolgirl look.  I like how she doesn't let her height (5'5") get in the way of her wearing midi skirts, something that magazines often advertise as being for the taller amongst us. The stripey sock and black shoe combo is great and further proves that a simple colour scheme of black and white really works. 

2. Here Lorde rocks a fishnet top and a pleather skirt. This outfit is simple but effective, drawing attention to her on the stage. She wore a similar top in her video for 'Tennis Court', with it working equally as well there. She manages to make the top look youthful instead of like a halloween costume and I don't know many people who could get away with this. Overall it is a brilliant outfit.

3&4. I have included these suits because Lorde has a definite style when on her own stage, generally wearing long flowing dresses with lots of material or funky tailoring like this. I like how she teams her suits with a bralet each time because it brings depth to her outfit. Every piece of tailoring she wears, and trust me there is a lot, is immaculate and perfect for her. Here she looks fabulous in both pink and white, rocking the 'hands in the pockets look' like nobody else can.

Want to see more of Lorde's style picks? Check out Vanity Fair's 'Queen of Darkness: A Journey Through Lorde's Style Evolution' here.

Love Holly x

(photos from cosmopolitan.com, blackeyepeach.co.nz and lordesstyle.tumblr.com)

Song of the Week

Hey Guys,

The song I've chosen this week is 'Home' by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zero. This song was released in 2009 so I'm certain you would have heard it before as it's also played on quite a lot of adverts.
There are two reasons why I have chosen this song. The first being I recently rewatched 'Stuck in Love' while on holiday and this song is played at the beginning and end of the film (it sort of symbolises a whole year that's passed, I won't go on but if you've seen the film you'll understand) and I forgot how much I enjoyed the song. The second reason is since watching that film I had to do my Gold DofE - which consists of 4 days camping - and throughout those challenging days I constantly had this song in my head reminding me that I was soon going to be home, which was a lovely comforting thought when trudging through water logged fields.

I hope that this song cheers you up as much as it does me, click here to listen to it.

Love Daisy x

Important Video: Chummy Chatter

Hey Guys,

I thought today I would draw to your attention this YouTube collaboration video between Zoella and Sprinkle of Glitter. To me this is a really important video that covers a serious topic of people voicing their opinions about other peoples bodies. Something that in my opinion, which has been reinforced by this video, is never acceptable.

'You don't need to ask people why their body is the way it is, it just is the way it is.'

As Zoe and Louise point out, it is so rude to comment on people's body sizes in a scrutinising way. There is a fine line between trying to compliment someone and just being plain rude, so the easiest thing seems to be not to attempt to compliment on body size but instead compliment someones outfit, for example, or one of their other great features!

'I don't agree that anyone else should comment on anyone else's size.'

Asking someone why they are fat/skinny is rude whoever says it. You never know what situation that person may be in and if they do have an eating disorder asking this is not going to help at all. It is important to remember....

'There should never need to be a justification as to why you are the way you are.'

I didn't realise how rude calling someone skinny was until it happened to me, and it is a really hurtful thing to say. I think, as mentioned, it is the word skinny (or thin) that is rude. Zoe and Louise do not hesitate to point out that it is just as offensive as calling someone fat. You wouldn't go up to someone and call them fat, so don't go up to someone and call them skinny. It goes on the basis that if you don't have something good to say don't say it.

If this is happening/ has happened to you, I think Louise gives the best advice in the video, which is...

'If you're happy and you're healthy then screw what everyone else thinks'

Watch Zoe and Louise's video here.

Love Holly x

Song of the Week

Hey Guys,

I am doing this post in advance of when you are going to see it, as I am off to Uganda tomorrow, so really it will be a Song of a few Weeks ago, but that doesn't quite have the same ring to it!

I have chosen 'Electric Love' by BØRNS as my Song of the Week. I found this song whilst browsing through playlists on 8tracks, 'an internet radio created by people not algorithms'. A while ago I did a post about 8tracks, so to find out more click here to see this post.

BØRNS is an American singer-songwriter, with his real name being Garrett Borns. He is a relatively new artist who, in 2014, released his debut single '10,000 Emerald Pools' and has hair that I am super jealous of to be honest. My favourite song has to be 'Electric Love' because it is so catchy and for once in summer I am actually listening to songs that fit the season, this being one of them!

Click here to listen to 'Electric Love' and here to read Teen Vogue's article and interview with the man himself. (photo from laweekly.com)

Love Holly x

Song of the week

Hey Guys,

As I think i've mentioned before I have become a fan of Taylor Swifts newer work, I'm sure a lot of you have heard her new song 'Bad Blood' as there was a lot of hype surrounding the music video. Anyway, while scrolling through tumblr I came across a remix combing 'Bad Blood' and "Never Getting Back Together" - naturally this had to be my song for the week.

Click here to listen. 

Love Daisy x

P- Pastel

Hey Guys,

For P we are continuing on the colour theme, with my last alphabet post being all about the colour orange, and are moving on to pastels. I love pastel colours. I think they are cute and super summery, although I am never actually sure if they suit me. I think they best suit pale people with light blonde hair, it just works.

Here are just a few examples of the many pastel clothes on the market at the moment. Spring is the best time to buy pastels and that is when shops seem to stock the largest amount. Maybe it has something to do with the colour palette of Easter? However most shops continue this trend into summer and it is a trend that never really seems to disappear.

Petites Blue Skort £35.00 - Miss Selfridge
Bell Sleeve Coat £59.99 - Zara
Short Sleeve Knit Sweater £17.99 - Zara
Trapeze Midi Dress £45.50 - The WhitePepper

I recently discovered The WhitePepper through Asos and it is such a unique online clothes and accessories shop. It has a lovely range of pastel goodies, as well as much more. I have my eye on their Graphic Print Leggings (black) as well as a few of their sale items, so these may be appearing in a haul soon.

There are also some great pastel accessories floating around at the moment. If you are not quite ready to jump into full on pastel mode, maybe you could accessorise with some of these goodies...

Herschel Supply Co. Settlement Backpack in Lilac £40.00 - Urban Outfitters
Mint Sliders £10.00 - Dorothy Perkins
Urban Eccentric Pastel 5 pack Socks £7.50 - Asos
Casio Baby G Pink Digital Watch £65.00 - Asos

I would say that the go to place for accessories, pastel or not, is Asos. They have such a huge range that purely cannot be beaten and products for every price range. They also do free returns which many online shops don't do, meaning you can send off for loads of stuff, try it on and any of it that you don't want you can send back to them for free.

For more pastel inspiration visit...
Irregular Choice
Tumblr (tag pastel)
Etsy (market pastel)
Pep Club
Inu Inu 

Love Holly x