the usual clashing prints

Hey, it's me again.

So my ginger monobrow and I are back once again. Thanks to the recent bout of sunshine that London has been enjoying (which seems to have disappeared as rapidly as it appeared), these babies have been permanently glued to my face. I guess that comes as no surprise though, as my magpie status has been well documented within this blog. And so, has my love of clashing prints. Something that I have been avoiding during most of the colder months. There's something about winter that makes me pack up any sartorial notions and abandon ship in favour of cosy knits and layer upon layer upon layer. But alas, the sun has got his hat on, and so I have got my prints on.

Now, I'm not going to be untruthful here interwebz, I hit the DvF sample sale hard. I'm inclined to blame my partner in crime Miss Elle Yeah, when in fact I should just blame my giddiness towards Miss von Fürstenburg. A former princess appealing to a future one...? Yeah, in my dreams. As iconic as she is for her wrap dress, she is also a lover of prints. Her collections always conveys a colourful confidence that I wish I could rock 24/7. So in I dove, with prices at a ridiculous mark down, it would be rude to say no, right? The coat is probably my favourite piece I picked up, yes it's about two sizes too big, but I'm trying to portray that oversized, devil may care attitude that other girls pull off so easily. There was no way I was leaving without it, it's the perfect lightweight fabric, perfect for this in-between British weather. And with my sudden proclivity towards outwear, what's another one to the mix. Just six coats and counting...

Coat - DvF • Shirt - DvF • Jeans - George at Asda • Shoes - Gucci • Bag - Mulberry • Sunglasses - Prada • Ring - DKNY • Watch - Michael Kors

The rest of the outfit, well it was my usual thrown together style. As ever, always trying to achieve that effortlessly cool 'I just threw this together' look which always ends up more 'did she get dressed in the dark?' For now, I'll continue to do my thing, after all judging from the muddles of prints on the SS13 catwalks, print clashing is still 'in' for now. I guess that's a win for my Eddy Monsoon like fashion tastes for now.

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vogue festival: donatella versace, a woman of our time

The name Versace is one renowned not only in the fashion world, but the whole world over. And the woman behind the brand is perhaps even more so. Versace, a brand synonymous for controversial, bold and, shall we say, minimal (fabric wise) designs. So when VoucherCodes.co.uk invited me along to the final talk at this year's Vogue Festival with the one and only Donatella Versace, I knew it wouldn't be an opportunity to miss. We were ushered in to the lecture theatre, cue flashbacks to University times, thank god that's over; where Alexandra Shulman greeted our special guest to the stage. In her usual uniform of skintight, black leather, Donatella joined Vogue contributing editor Lisa Armstrong for an intimate insight in to her life.

Donatella and her brothers grew up in small Italian town, with strict parents who lead both herself and Gianni to rebel. She recounted her numerous club nights with Gianni, 8 years her senior, who helped to create her unique and scandalous outfits. One particular outfit, a bright yellow leather mini skirt was perhaps the beginnings of the house Versace. Just a few years later, Donatella followed Gianna to Florence to pursue his knitwear design. Originally, she intended to act as PR for her big brother, but he preferred to have her around as his muse and constant critic. I think Donatella's style and influence in the look of the brand, was evident even from the start.

Who said Gaga's look was original? 

From the early days, it was all about the duo of Gianna and Donatella but that all changed in 1997 when Gianni was tragically murdered. It was heartbreaking to hear Donatella depict the pain of losing Gianni, something she was forced to deal with so publicly. All whilst struggling to take control of the company she had built with him. 

It was incredible to hear about Donatella's drive and determination through this time. Where she had been used to a backseat role, she soon became the full embodiment of the brand. Something, she stated, she felt immense pressure to live up to. But, she succeeded in to making the brand her own, whilst remaining true to her brother's vision. After all, Donatella had had quite the creative influence over the brand for a number of years. As Lisa took us through some of Versace's most prominent adverts, Donatella revealed that she had been the one of style all of the looks. There were no stylists in her day.

The matriarch of the Versace dynasty is instantly recognisable by her long platinum hair and kohl rimmed eyes, when talking about her style claims that it's "not that big, I wear heels, tight pants and I wear diamonds" she drawls in her thick Italian accent.

The celebrity culture was just on it's rise, when Donatella, who insists she was just employing her friends, worked with artists like Prince and Madonna to create new and innovative images. Until that point it had been all about the supermodels, who Versace had worked with on iconic images, but I think Donatella was one of the first to recognise the power of celebrity and the impact it can have on a brand. After all, one of Versace's most famous creations is that pin dress worn by Liz Hurley - look it even has it's own Wikipedia page!

Donatella has also been instrumental at nurturing young talent, working with Christopher Kane and J.W. Anderson, who were both in the crowd to cheer her along. Both relationships are quite different from the working one she had with her brother, with whom, she asserts, she used to have passionate screaming fights with. They are Italian, after all. The most dramatic change she notes with her work with the young designers, "Christopher got me to do flats".

All in all, a true woman of our time. A true powerhouse and symbol to show women if they want it, they can have it. Keeping her family and business afloat through immeasurable pain and sadness, whilst remaining true to herself, her style and, of course, her heels.

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westfield london: styling me, styling you

Now I'm no Georgio Armani, I'm Alan Partridge.

It's not very often that you get asked to go to one of your favourite places, with one of your favourite people, to do one of your favourite things. So when my beloved Westfield London tasked Michelle and I with a little styling challenge, I was more than up for it. The mission, to take £75 and using the Westfield fashion hub for inspiration, incorporate one of the latest SS13 trends in to each other's wardrobes. Mish and I have been plotting for some time about styling each other so it's as if the blogging gods were listening. 

I think we'd all like to have a go at styling our friends, as once you get to know someone you see things that will suit them pop up whenever you shop. It also helps when your friend happens to document their outfits on a regular basis! I think any readers of Michelle's will now her style as well as I do, so I couldn't wait to inject a big bit of Moschino-esque neon in to her wardrobe. Whilst in keeping with her usual cutesy style of course. And hey, I even got her in a crop top. But if you want to read more about the outfit I picked for Michelle, head over to her blog!

I happen to be quite a regular at ol' Westfield, it has a close proximity to my flat, sue me. So I've gotten quite good at navigating my way around. Michelle and I made a quick round of all our favourite shops so we could get an idea of what in store and get outfit inspiration. Unfortunately £75 doesn't actually go that far on the high street any more (Topshop why so 'pensive?!) so a lot of pieces that we would have loved to pick were sadly out of budget. After a cheeky Wagamama's break, we were refuelled and refreshed and ready to take one last dive in to the shops. We also took the time to discuss any 'hell to the no' options that we wouldn't want to be put in. Although we were both confident that we wouldn't pick anything disastrous for each other! Food seemed to do the trick as we were far more motivated after and had a pretty good idea of the sort of pieces we wanted to get.

And so, to the finished outfit. With a few of my own pieces, that Michelle thought would go perfectly with the pieces she chose. 

"I chose to style Aisling in the monochrome trend. Despite it being a trend that she has already tapped into and worked on the blog, Aisling favours a statement top, a tailored yet loose patterned trouser and an amazing flat shoe. To channel something a little different, I found these amazing two tone legging trousers in River Island, teamed it with some textural cream leather from Zara and completed everything with her Isabel Marant boots and a scarf inspired jacket from H&M."

Jacket - H&M • Top - Zara • Jeggings - River Island • All c/o Westfield London

• Sunglasses - Prada • Boots - Isabel Marant • Watch - Michael Kors •

To say I love the outfit Michelle chose for me is probably a bit of an understatement. I think it works well together but can also work with the rest of my wardrobe. I would usually shy away from pale bottoms, especially white (chunky leg problemz) but I think the balance of the black and the white are really flattering, as well as super cool. 

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seven for all mankind

All hail the denim gods.

In case you hadn't heard, I'm a massive fan of a printed jean. Anything to add a bit of pizzazz to my leg region and I am all over it. So when my main gal pal Michelle invited my along to a little soiree at the swish Covent Garden 7 For All Mankind boutique, I sure as hell wasn't going to say no.

Celebrating the launch of their latest 'Black and White' capsule collection, we were treated to yummy cocktails whilst the DJs were on hand to make sure we danced our way around the store. In between pursuing the collection, watching all the nail art going ons, I played photog for Michelle and Kavita; who were both rocking their own 7FAM jeans. Trying to do a bit of street styley snapping on the busy streets of London, let alone the extra crowed cobbles of Covent Garden is no mean feat, trust me, but thankfully we managed to get a few shots and didn't get run over. Always a win in my opinion.

If you ever feel the need to invest in a good pair of statement jeans, I would definitely recommend 7 For All Mankind. A celeb favourite, with good reason, the jeans are super soft and have a great wear to them. I loved pretty much every piece the new Black & White collection, as only a girl with an affinity for prints could. Yes they do come with a hefty price tag, but they're worth every penny in my opinion.

To see Michelle (who kindly let me steal some photos for the post) rocking her 7FAM jeans click here, and for Kavita click here!

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the girl that came back

Hello, is it me you're looking for?

It's been 100 days since I last blogged. That's 3 months and 10 days to some or 144,000 minutes to another. Either way, it's been a freaking long time. I've been more than an absentee blogger for quite some time now, who knows why, because I certainly don't. I'd like to blame my quarter life crisis as the shadow of my 25th birthday is looming ever closer. That's right people, less than 2 weeks to the big 2-5. To say I've been having a freak out is an understatement. 

Don't worry, all limbs and mental faculties are still in tact (just about). But the fact that my somewhat monumental birthday has been racing closer has had me seriously reconsidering my life. As one does when the weather is terrible and not a lot else has been going on. I've had a really busy few months, another reason why my poor little internet diary has gone unloved. Yes, I've been near my laptop but apart from numerous episodes of Ab Fab and chats with my favourite gals, I haven't wanted to do anything too strenuous. 

I've just finished an amazing 3 month internship where I learnt a lot, worked a lot and questioned whether I'm actually cut out for the industry we call fashion... A lot. The past year has been a long old slog, and I couldn't be more grateful for my two biggest cheerleaders - M&D. That's Mum and Dad to you outside the Megan fold. But despite it all, I really couldn't imagine doing anything else with my life. I've considered on many occasions getting one of those grown up jobs that people keep talking about. With the suits and smart shoes, in an office. Because a permanent job and a steady pay check is certainly a necessity as soon as possible really. But whilst the security is a huge factor, the thought of 'giving up' after everything I've already done is really not ideal. So here we are a few months later. I'm dusting off my interwebz (see what I did there...) and sitting down for a catch up.

I'm sure I'll eventually catch you up on all my goings on from the past few months, but firstly I want to thank those of you who have messaged me about my disappearance from the blogosphere. It really is quite amazing to me that so many people care enough to read my little blog, let alone message me to ask me when I'm back. So here I am, hopefully you'll still care enough to read, even after all this time! It was in no way a planned occurrence. I just managed to say 'oh I'll blog tomorrow' for over 3 months straight. A little part of me wants to be typically British and blame the weather. But honestly, who wants to go outside and take pictures when it's freezing cold and raining. So with the sunshine, comes me. Whether you like it or not. Fingers crossed I keep it up this time eh?

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In essence, not a lot has changed round these parts. I still have a propensity towards crazy sunglasses, printed trousers and many many lipsticks. So here is my lasted addition to the sunglasses collection. Or my 'ginger monobrow' as my dear friend lovingly referred to them. But hey, who doesn't want a bejewelled monobrow upon their face. After all if Chanel tells me encrusted eyebrows are in, then you sure as hell know I'm going to sit up and listen. But eventually I may have to admit that I have a sunglass problem. As I'm already eyeing up my next pair. I'm well on my way to quite the collection.

In terms of the clothing on my back. This is my attempt at the oh-so-popular monochrome trend. As someone actually surrounded by clothes and trends all day, it's quite hard not to get suckered in by them. There's something very easy about monochrome dressing though. Apart from the constant fear of staining the white portion of my top, I like the ease of the outfit. And also the fact that it's now ok to wear black in summer. Simply because I like black. I said it, don't shoot me. Of course, I wouldn't be me without a little bit of colour of course. I love the small pops of colour, and people couldn't get enough of my new favourite necklace from Next. A nice statement piece is always a winner in my book, and then fact that everyone thinks it's more expensive is a double win in my eyes.

Top - Zara・Jeans - River Island・Coat - Jaeger・Shoes - Gucci ・Necklace c/o Next・Bag - Celine・Sunglasses - Prada・Watch - Michael Kors

So there we go. Hopefully I'll see you around soon, I've got lots of things to post about after all!

To read more of my ramblings about monochrome head over to Aesthetic for my high street edit! (Thanks to my girl Sophie for being my photographer for the day.)

P.S. Well done if you read all that crap up there.

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