Lily Aldridge

Hi guys!

This post features American model and mother to a cute baby girl... it's Lily Aldridge. We mainly know her as one of the Victoria's Secret models of course. By the way, imagine your mum as a part time Victoria Secret model. How surreal would that be!? It was the 2012 Victoria's Secret fashion show in New York recently and she looked amazing with her American flag wings. So wonderwoman!

Source: Dailymail 

If you guys haven't seen the show and would like to you can catch it all on youtube :) it will definitely make you dislike yourself for a good while...

She has a very elegant style. She always look sexy and glamorous in a glamour model way. I love her dip dye hair; I think is more subtle in a good way. This is a shot of her on a casual day out a few days ago wearing a simple yet chic yellow blouse and leather pants.

Source: Vogue.co.uk

Yellow is my favourite colour of all time, I don't know why! Not many people like yellow but I love when I find a yellow top that will look good on me and I certainly would love to buy myself a yellow sports car if I have the chance ;) I'll have a yellow lamborghini thanks. Lily definitely suits the yellow and as yellow is the colour of the SS13 season it's definitely a good idea to start looking into what yellow items you're going to purchase! For an idea, here is some sexy yellow blouses that I found on Asos that are similar to what Lily has on here. They're on sale too. (all images taken from Asos.com)

Pair with some leather and you're good to go. I hope you like it! You can find the items here:
Blouse with pintucks
Vero Moda silk blouse 

MLx

Kate Bosworth for Topshop

Hey guys!

How are you all doing? I've been having a bit of a hectic week with uni but i'm back with another post and this week it features another beautiful lady... she's just been announced to be the new face and voice of Topshop's first ever Christmas campaign... it's Kate Bosworth! How exciting! Topshop's first ever Christmas campaign.

Over the last few days Topshop has been creating a stir over social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by teasing the public with silhouettes and obscured shots around London of who the face of the campaign will be. The infamous hashtag #whosthatgirl has got people around the world trying to guess the lady in the shots and it has finally been released today that it is 29 year old beautiful actress Kate Bosworth. I have to admit I was guessing for quite a long time while looking at the shots on Instagram and I could not figure out who it was at all! Here is a video of her in Topshop's first ever Christmas film entitled Winter Wonderland. 

The video is inspired by the famous piano scene from the film The Famous Baker Boys starring Michelle Pfeiffer. She's got such a stunning voice, I never knew she could sing! Anyway, visit Topshop's website to see more of Kate Bosworth and the campaign :)

So, as you can see because of all this I have been very Kate Bosworth inspired this week. This is a picture of her outside a Burberry show this year. I LOVE how she's styled the jumper with the chic pencil skirt. The owl jumper is from Burberry's AW12 collection. For those who are looking for a high street version I have found an alternative below :) 

Source: Kate-book

The outfit can pretty much be fully found from French Connection :) I think it's a very good alternative!

Follow these links to the items:
Jumper, French Connection
Wool pencil skirt, French Connection
Bow belt, French Connection
Booties, New Look

You're welcome ;)
MLx

Miranda Kerr

Hey everyone!

The celebrity featuring in my post this week is none other than the pure beauty Australian model and Victoria Secret Angel, Miranda Kerr.

You always manage to see Miranda topping any of the top 100 sexy lists just because she is so beautiful! Esquire UK even gave her the "Sexist Woman Alive 2012" award. I think many models and especially the VS Angels, have their own trademark when it comes to their look and modelling style. For Miranda Kerr, it is definitely her dimples. Famous celebrity photographer (who has worked with many celebrities and fashion models such as Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, Heidi Klum, Gisele Bundchen) said in regarding to Miranda: "The US have fallen in love with her. We love her because she has the most incredible girl-next-door look and she's also insanely beautiful. It means women are not intimidated by her looks and guys think they might be able to talk to her. It's a fantastic combination... people want to be around her; she's fun on a shoot... and she's not stupid, which can be a very annoying trait among some models."

I think it is so true, she has a very soft and delicate face which is enhanced by her dimples. Basically, I am jealous and always wish I had dimples. I sometimes manage to convince myself that I have dimples by smiling a certain way... but people just tell me I look weird instead. Annnnyyywaaaaaay...

Apart from being a natural beauty she's also a naturally able fashionista. She's another one of those effortlessly stylish women! Here is a photo of her shot a few days ago that I found on Vogue.co.uk :)

SO CUTE! I love girly, cute looks like this. For her day out in New York she wears a denim jacket over a white shirt and a skater skirt. She wears brown ankle boots and tops it off with a felt hat and ponyskin shopper.

If this outfit inspires you, here are some alternatives that I've found available on the High Street currently!

The bag is my favourite part of this outfit :) I hope you like it.
You can find the items here:
Wedge ankle boots, New Look £24.99
Skater skirt, Topshop  £16
Shirt, H&M    £12.99
Fedora hat, River Island  £15
Denim jacket, H&M   £14.99
Faux fur shopper, Whistles (available on Asos)  £175

MLx

Rihanna

Hey guys!

One thing that I can't live without (yes this will be very cliché) is my music! (It might surprise you but I love to sing and perform... even though sadly I don't really do any of that anymore). There have been so many good albums come out recently that I've been loving and Rihanna's Unapologetic is definitely one of my favourites so far. She is the definition of bad ass. This week Rihanna has been on her 777 tour promoting her new album and has been dominating online media this week.

So, my chosen celebrity/music artist for this week is Rihanna. Not only has she practically gained world domination with her music since the start of her career in 2005, but she's gained a name for herself in the fashion industry due to her FIERCE and PROVOCATIVE style. No other celeb sells Sex and Glam like she does! When I feel like entering up my inner ghetto-ness, she's the one I turn to ;)

She loves her black and leather but she's so experimental with prints, patterns and colours and is not afraid to wear whatever she wants and however she wants it! She's one of those 'style icons' that you could honestly say that she truly has her own fashion identity and is not dictated by any style icon of the past or present. But anyway, enough of that, I'm sure you know all this already!

The picture I've chosen and found an alternative outfit for is a recent snap of Rihanna in New York.

Source: Vogue.co.uk

She looks so fierce I love it. She wears a burgundy shearling coat (Acne) and a camouflage jacket over a plain black tank top and skinny jeans. She tops it off with a pair of Timberlands <3 br="br">

Here are some alternatives that you may be interested in. The coat I've found is of similar style but in black. I think it's a good investment for winter... it can be dressed down as Rihanna does here or dressed up.

The coat is Warehouse from Asos and the camo jacket is from New Look, although you can find many other alternative camo jackets from River Island and Topshop.

I hope you like it!
MLx

NERF GUNS AND BUBBLEGUM? WOWEE

Hey guys :)

If you remember me mentioning the fashion photoshoot I organised with two of my lovely pals a few weeks ago... well we received the photos last week and I am excited to be able to finally show you guys what we got up to!

The photoshoot surrounded a military theme however we wanted to have fun with it and add personality so a lot of the shots were quite natural and playful. We wanted to capture the models playing around and having fun! This is why we added some fun 'props' to the set ;). We also wanted to capture some of the style of famous photographer, Terry Richardson, who is known for doing crazy portrait studio shots with character.

 
Check out the Nerf gun and bubblegum :D The amount of shots it took to try and get those perfect bubblegum shots... but it was a laugh the whole time! The models were so amazing and excellent sports! We got them to cat fight, do push-ups, do army workouts, blow bubblegum until their jaws fell off, shoot Nerf guns at each other... no i'm only kidding about that last part, we're not that mean. Oh and there is plenty more shots including army paint and mohawk hair too! Our photographer Daniel McAvoy did a fantastic job. I'll have to edit these and produce a fashion spread for a magazine out of them so I'll be sure to keep you posted when I finish the spread.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed looking at these shots! I will have another post up in a few days about my next celebrity and where you can find her outfit for less ££ :)

MLx

Olivia Palermo

Hey all!

I love prints, patterns and anything fun and quirky when it comes to fashion but I do love a good classic look. It's always good to buy a new variation of the jean or a new crisp shirt or even a leather staple skirt to mix and match with your colourful wardrobe. For me, no one does chic classic style like socialite, actress and style icon, Olivia Palermo. She is excellent at mixing and matching different items of clothing to suit whatever occasion. A lot of people (definitely including me) all have their moments where they look at their wardrobe each morning and angrily huff and puff the words "I don't have anything to wear!!!" Well, I feel like if I had Olivia Palermo's wardrobe, I wouldn't ever have to say these words again because her clothing is simply so versatile. I will never get sick of my clothes EVER!!

She has been snapped wearing the jumper over shirt look quite a few times recently in New York which I've adopted.

Source: Vogue.co.uk

Source: The Olivia Palermo Lookbook

She is so glamourous even when she is dressing casually. She also always brings comfort into her style as well unlike other style icons. And don't you think celebrities in New York etc. always look so fab walking their dogs. It's become sort of an A-list thing hasn't it?? Maybe I'll get a dog.

She is wearing a short sleeved tan poncho by Vince (just under £200) in both the photos with a variation of shirt underneath. I've managed to find an alternative poncho sweater in Zara... not exactly the same texture as it's a different knit but the style is the same and that works well for me :D. River Island also do a selection of shirts which are great for layering.

Here is where you can purchase:
Poncho, Zara
Silk white shirt, River Island
Denim shirt, River Island
Blue shirt, River Island

Have a good rest of the week!
MLx

Blake Lively

Hey everyone!

Just a quick update before I start my outfit post about Blake Lively.

As part of my course I have to carry out a fashion photoshoot around the theme of diversity in fashion. My group and I managed to finish ours successfully yesterday which ended up being a lot of fun! Thinking about it now, I realise how much thought actually goes into a fashion shoot - every small detail either in the pose or look can make a difference to each shot looking right. When we found the right shots though it was very satisfying to see! It will be interesting to see how we can edit them and turn them into an actual fashion spread. Thanks to our photographer, Daniel McAvoy (who is very talented btw, check out his work here), we managed to book out this snazzy studio to do our photoshoot in!

Calum Riddell studios in Aberdeen. Picture by Daniel McAvoy

Without giving too much away, we surrounded our outfits and poses around a military theme... but I guess you will have to wait a few weeks to see the finished photos :)

Now to continue on from my last post about an alternative to one of Taylor Swift's recent outfit, the celebrity I have chosen for this outfit post is Blake Lively. Blake Lively has become such a global style icon and success in the fashion industry as well as an actress – it’s like everything she wears appears so effortlessly stylish. She also carries herself very maturely for a woman of her age which I think makes her more admirable. Just like Taylor Swift, she has a very feminine style.

Source: InStyle.co.uk

The outfit she is wearing above is one she wears in a scene she shoots for Gossip Girl. It’s a very typical Upper East Side Manhattan sort of style - why can’t my wardrobe be like Sienna Van Der Woodsen’s or Blair Wardolf’s! She wears an equestrian-style cape coat over what seems to be a skirt or dress, a print scarf, patterned tights and heeled boots. I love the warm colour palette for winter – even though I know it’s all about a pop of bright colour for the AW’12 season. I’ve managed to find a slightly less expensive alternative to Blake’s outfit here :)

The colour palette is slightly different but I think it still works well for winter. Hope you like it! You can find the items here: 

Cape coat, Romwe

Skirt, Topshop

Scarf, All Of My Heart

Tights, New Look

Shoes, River Island

MLx

Taylor Swift

Hey all!

As all of you know, Taylor Swift's music and character is reflected very much in her style in that it is very feminine, youthful and oh so cute. Many girls look up to her for this sort of style and admire what she wears either when she's dressing down or dressing up for A-list events. I personally love her recent fabulous looks from the Teen Choice Awards and Paris Fashion Week!

Paris Fashion Week Source: Idolator

Straight from being spotted in front row shows such as Elie Saab for Paris Fashion Week, she then was spotted in London a few days after wearing her usual cute but chic outfits. I love this one shown below in particular :) it is so wearable and casual for everyday wear.

She looks very ladylike and classy in a short sleeved burgundy knit by French Connection (£67), polka dot jeans by designer AG Adriano Goldschmied (£150+) and a pair of velvet kitty pumps which I absolutely ADORE by Charlotte Olympia (£450+).

So to start off my celebrity style series, here is where you can get similar alternatives for cheaper in terms of High Street prices...

Of course, it is not the exact replica... the jumper is a lighter colour but I think still works well with the outfit and the jeans and kitty Accessorize pumps are very similar to what Taylor Swift is wearing! Click on the links to find the items :)

I hope you like what I have found! 

MLx

A New Series

Hey all!

I know, it has been a while since I have posted again as finding the time and inspiration of what to write proved difficult... especially that summer came along and I spent that time at home in London with friends and family and juggling a full time job at Topman Oxford Circus at the same time.

Oh hey, yes that's me after my first day. Just thought you'd all like to see..

I've now recently come back to Aberdeen for second year of university and all the while thinking how time has flown by. I remember last year and how nervous I was to move up here as if it were yesterday but since then I have met people that I feel I have known my own life. Cliché or what? But it's true.

One of my modules for my Fashion Management course has welcomed the world of blogging into everyone's lives and as my fellow classmates started new blogs or continued on with their own ones for the course it inspired me to think of what I could post about for you all.

As we all know, the use of  celebrity endorsement is a real money maker these days. Even us as the general public can be so inspired and interested in what celebrities are wearing daily. Yet how often can we afford to dress and style ourselves like these celebs? Not often at all. 
Magazines such as GRAZIA and LOOK and even other blogs have sections where they provide High Street alternatives of celebrities outfits either on or off the red carpet - I will start a series of these on here :)

If you have any requests of outfits you've seen on celebs that you love, do let me know!
I hope you enjoy it!

MLx

Selfridges Miniature Designer Shoe Cabinet Launch!

Hey all!

Have any of you been to Selfridges London recently? On my recent trip there, I of course had a look round at their Shoe Gallery to find on display the launch of their Christmas miniature shoe collection. In this limited edition range, you will find perfect miniature replicas by the designers themselves including Christian Louboutin, Vivienne Westwood, Fendi and Maison Martin Margiela. You can buy the shoes seperately as collectables or if have £18,000 at hand you can buy the limited edition Selfridges Mini Shoes Advent Calendar or Cabinet rather!

If I wasn't a student ie. had a disposable income I would think about having this as a collectable. How great of a conversation starter would that be. See the shoes for yourself! These are all available to buy via Selfridges.com and in-store, how cute are they!?

Remember, these are MINI! Maybe even true to size as in this photo...
My favourite is this miniature version of the Melissa - check it out!

What shocked me is that they are selling that for only £5 compared to the others which retail at over £200. Christian Louboutin however, even made a miniature Barbie shoe set exclusively for Selfridges for only £60! I definitely wouldn't mind this for Christmas.

I don't usually collect but I was really drawn to collecting all of these. Especially as a lot of them were quite affordable. What do you guys think? If you have a chance to check this out at their Shoe Gallery definitely do! Especially if you are a shoe lover like me.

Oh and I'm new to bloglovin'
Follow my blog with Bloglovin

MLx

FNO London & Starting University..

Hey everyone,

This post may not be relevant to many of you but I'm sure there will be a few of you who can relate; University starters anyone?

Let me just start by introducing myself properly (this may be the first time in my blog). My full name is Monica Leung, I'm currently 18 years old and I have been a fashion student for the past year at the Fashion Retail Academy. It's finally time for me to go to university and to be honest I'm feeling mixed emotions. As of next week I will be a BA (HONS) Fashion Management student at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen.

Feelings?
I'm excited - Having been born and bred in London I am excited to have a change of routine and atmosphere. I have always been a person who loves interacting and communicating with people from different cultures and seeing different cultures so moving up to Scotland throughout my 4 year course will be a somewhat challenging but exciting experience. I can just imagine the life experience I will gain from moving this far away from home.

On the contrary, I'm only human so
I'm also scared - The distance scares me for one. I've always loved spending time with family and my friends at home so being that far away from them for 4 years will be difficult. I guess this is independence though right? I'm also worried about the language barriers I will face during the first few weeks haha although I'm sure I will pick up on the Scottish lingo in no time...

Is anyone else starting university this year or can relate to my feelings?
Keep checking back for updates though, I move up on the 17th Sept.
****
Lastly,

I couldn't be more excited for Vogue's FNO London this week, I have a map planned out of where I'll be heading with a few of my friends. It will be a night of goodies, partying, drinks and a first view of latest collections and limited editions! One I'd like to see in particular is Moschino's first view of their limited edition bag for the SS12 collection; "The Olivia Spectator"

image via Vogue

Gorgeous right?

I will write about all my Vogue FNO London adventures so keep posted!

MLx

The Versatile Leather Skirt

Hi all,

As you all know, AW'11 is seeing the return of the Leather Skirt which is one of my favourite pieces this year. It's definitely a must due to how versatile a chic leather skirt can be whether you are going for the pleated, a-line or pencil skirt.. one of those wardrobe staples which you can easily throw on and mix and match with other items. I am going for leather in the brown or black simply because it shouts ultra elegance, especially the black.

Some personal designer favourites of mine for the season...

I am loving the cut detail hem in Ksubi's and the cuteness of the Alice + Olivia skirt. The Michael Kors interpretation is definitely something that will catch your eye on the street. Less is more with the clean and elegant A.P.C skirt.

And lets not forget the high street. I'm currently loving River Island's pleated black leather mini skirt.

Emphasis on the word "mini" there as I am quite petite so happy days (even though I will be heartbroken to see £75 go out from my account). Funny how I'm trying to justify the cost of it even after this post of All hail the Leather Skirt!


Please leave your thoughts in the comments! (And convince me to buy this skirt)

Any teeth whitening product lovers? Stay tuned for a review on the Super Boost whitening pen I just ordered from Whitening Lightning!

MLx

H&M at Selfridges, London

Feeling spontaneous! Two posts in one day ;)

Attention all Londoners! H&M is officially coming into Selfridges at 9.30am on the 25th August 2011. It will the stock the very best of H&M with an "edited" selection of the latest key pieces for the season. Bit of a slight steal of Topshop's famous "edited" concept no?

This means that I won't have to filter through all their "cheap" items to get to the ones worth buying! You all know what I mean when I mean cheap, I'm sure. (Don't get me wrong, I <3 H&M).

So HOORAY! 

MLx

Fashion Capitals of the World 2011 - I'M BACK :)

Hey all! It's Monica here I am back (if any of you remember me I'm sure you won't but that is ok! :]) after a long few un-inspiring months. I have been blogging via tumblr (check it out here ) however as far as my actual blog was concerned, I began to have writers block and lost the inspiration. I am officially back to writing so be prepared for fashion/style news and inspirations as I see it. As from this post it is a new leaf so it may be different from my posts in the past.

I am starting with talking about the new and updated official Top 10 Fashion Capitals of the World as voted by Global Fashion Monitor. Having been born and bred in London I am proud to say that London is THE No.1 fashion capital of the world this year (well deserved I must say). They say it has been heavily influenced by our fabulous style icon Kate Middleton and Alexander McQueen who have both been huge in the media spotlight all over the world for the past year. Who knew the media had THAT much power, pwhoar! Milan has at last come back to the top 4 which is definitely where it should be (how on earth it was below L.A last year is beyond my comprehension).


Barcelona, Singapore and Berlin also made it into the top 10 which is news to me only because I have never really known these capitals to be that huge on fashion culture. Having said that, Berlin is fabulous for their street style; being very edgy and urban. I have been to Singapore many times and there aren't a lot of inspired fashionistas on the streets at all. Even though there are great streets for shopping. P.S. this is not a hit on Singapore I love it there :)


Here is the list along with their rank last year (taken from Fashion Foie Gras):


London (3) HOORAY!
New York (1) 
Paris (4) 
Milano (6) 
Los Angeles (5) 
Hong Kong (2) 
Barcelona (10) 
Singapore (15)
Tokyo (14)
Berlin (18)


What are your thoughts? Surprised? Pleased? Not so pleased? 


MLx

Cheryl Cole Tights Innovator?

Lanvin for H&M, due to come out in November, I cannot wait to see the collection Alber Elbaz comes up with. Here's the first sneak peak...

via High Snobette

Very awkward but classy it seems. Although someone mentioned that they may not be the case in person. Which I agree on. I have a feeling that even though it seems very fabulous now, it is just the photography :) and is probably cheap looking and not flattering at all in person. Obviously I could be wrong! It could be the best collab yet? We'll see.

What do you think from looking at this one picture?
***

Wolford Bondage Tights

Ever since Cheryl Cole wore these bondage tights in her Promise This music video, the sales for these tights have gone up like crazy! Just shows you how far celebrity endorsement can go. They're £32 yet people are still willing to pay because Cheryl Cole looks gorgeous in them :)

Wolford; £32

These are also gorgeous tights by Pretty Polly which I bought recently called the Chain Suspender! Friggin gorgeous :)

River Island; £15

What do you think of both of these? What tights are you loving right now? You rocking suspender tights... woolly tights... let me know in the comment below!

Zara

ZARA

my favourite. this leather pleat is absolutely gorgeous!

lovely cape

silk studio dress

all via Zara

Beautiful Zara pieces if I may say so myself :) so on trend right now. And affordable too.

Gorgeous camels, luxurious capes that are so feminine and classy. Beautiful silk dresses. And I've been looking for that leather pleated skirt and it's sold out nearly everywhere I've been. I am not a happy bunny.

Whoever was the Zara stylist for this photo shoot.. I'd like you to live with me.

Todays How To Wear Your Scarf:

Tie on a gorgeous vintage bag to give it that extra something, makes such a good handle. Tie it as shown in the picture or wrap it all the way round the handle and tie it that way. Hope this will inspire you to try it :)

Monica

✗✗

You Rocking A Scarf?

I am loving scarves this season. Yes, I am aware that I've already done a scarf post :) Have a look if you haven't seen it :).

Even just putting it around your neck can upgrade your outfit and add elegance and grace. These are lovely... especially the starter of all.. the Alexander Mcqueen silk scarves :) they're so classic! Pricey but a great purchase to keep for a long time. And the leopard print scarf by River Island is a great way to be on trend this season :) I love the tone of orange too. For just £14.99 it's a great Yves Saint Laurent dupe which is £650 (general price). Amazing right? :)

I'm also in love with Zara's scarf collection. Such beautiful fabric and so feminine.

Ted Baker too :) so adorable!

Are you obsessed with them as much as I am?
I'll be posting different ways to wear your scarf on each post. I know I did a post on this already but this way I think it will be easier for you to maybe try a new one each week :) what do you think?  Try it with me :)


This weeks:

Hermes

Tie it tight but messy to give yourself an edgy yet elegant look.