My Passport To Style | Tights Please Review And Limited Edition House Of Holland Giveaway!

When tightsplease recently invited me to try some of their designer tights on for size, I decided to use the opportunity to not only check out the quality and the fit, but to also create some new looks to share here, using my existing wardrobe. As well as checking out my latest style inspiration using tights from tightsplease in this post, you can win the pair of limited edition Henry Holland tights featured. Just leave a comment or tweet about the competition and let me know here, be sure to leave your email address too, the winner will be announced here on Monday evening and contacted.Good luck! 

THIS GIVEAWAY IS OPEN TO UK AND OVERSEAS READERS

Win These Today!

Ask For The Moon At Tights Please And They Probably Stock It! 

I'm a big of British designer Henry Holland and his quirky designs, so I had to choose a pair of House of Holland crochet print tights, I also chose a pair of Ingie tights by Red or Dead in red, which to me is more a lovely raspberry pink, I love the naive Scandinavian style print. My third, very grow up choice was the Cette Oslo tights in grey, these are grey on the front with teeny tiny black polka dots and black on the back with grey polka dots, creating a two tone effect along the length of the outer and inner leg, which is sliming to the calf and thigh. Both the Cette Oslo and the Ingie tights come in an opaque finish and are very comfy to wear. They do cost a little more than some tights on the high street, but personally I would rather have one pair of tights that fit my style DNA perfectly and don't ladder within

ten minuite of wear, than five pairs of bland tights.

Four Fresh Looks I Created For My Winter Wardrobe Using Tights From Tights Please



Red Ingie Tights worn with maroon, gold & lilac tones



Mixing berry tones is a look I love right now, so for look 1 I teamed my maroon sweater with my biscuit A-line skirt, the raspberry ingie tights and a lilac flat bobble cap, I think the gold tone looks really pretty with pink.

red Ingie tights worn with blackcurrant and gold tones

 For look 2 I switched my 1940's inspired blackcurrant boiled wool short jacket with my maroon sweater and teamed it with my biscuit short A-line and ingie tights. The key to both looks is using natural fibres which reflect  the homespun look of these tights to create a luxe palette.

House Of Holland Crochet Tights Worn With Egg Yolk Yellow & Blackcurrant tones

 Look 3 is really casual and the House of Holland crochet pattern tights I chose, worked beautifully with my egg yolk yellow 60's tunic and the deep blackcurrant of my boiled wool jacket, the orange and grey tones in the tights work well with yellow and I love playing with the lines from a mix of eras, why not mix 40s and 60s together.

Cette Oslo Grey Polka Dot Tight,Worn With Emerald Green, Ivory & Black Texturing

 Look 4 was a Biba inspired Christmas party look and utilised my latest thrift shop gem, a George wrap dress with bold emerald green swirls on a black background worn with a Ivory and gold necklace from Top Shop, black suede Clarks wedges, a small angular black clutch bag from Coast and of course the grey Cette Oslo tights, I could have gone for black, but grey is softer and more interesting. I love all the strong deco lines in this look and the fun mix of smaller patterns and angular shapes created using these accessories , like the grosgrain ribbons spouting from my Coast clutch, the square perforations in my black suede shoes and of course the tiny polka dots on the Cette Oslo tights. Visit tightsplease to check out the other colours in this range or more designs.

 

Biba Inspired Christmas Party Look

*please note I was compensated for this review with tights from Tightsplease

Elevate Your Look This Jannary In Under 5 Minuites Flat!

Hi there everyone, my fashion love affair, this Jannuary is with the cloche, here are a few of my favourites interpretations, with the last three, handmade by talented hat maker clarabows! They may not be cheap at around £120.00 each but they are made with loving care and equisite attention to detail. The cloche has grown in popularity following the film the changling, but also due to the fact that it flatters and frames even the most stubborn of face shapes.

Before you even think it, yes you can wear a hat! The cloche might just be a great place to start! Sxx

Style Dispensary - Featuring Carols Style Dilemma

 Hi there, welcome back to another exciting Style Dispensary.This weeks Style Dilemma comes from the lovely Carol, a uk My Passport to Style follower. Carol had been struggling with how to adapt her Wardrobe due to recently gaining a stone in weight following illness, she emailed asking me for Style Advice around her Winter Wardrobe in particular she wanted Style guidance on how to find a winter coat that would take her from day to evening.Her brief was berry and olive colours,she wanted a hood if possible, she is keen on 1940s styles with a nipped in waist and UK companies Fat Face and White Stuff that showcase classic Styles, featuring retro prints.She also mentioned that she felt her chest was quite heavy, so obviously wanted to minimise this. Quite a tall order!

  It can be quite a challange to find a coat with a hood that can allows you to make the transisition from day to evening effortlesly and still look stylish wearing a dress or skirt!The 1940s Styles Carol loves, don't generally feature hoods.So here are some of the Styles I chose for Carol that fulfil her desire for berry colours. A hooded option that is sooo chic, coat styles that slim the bust and tummy and a few other picks to give her a head start on her winter wardrobe this season. I think perhaps though it would be great for her to invest in a Stylish  hat, to extend her range of options when choosing a coat, as I know she hates brollys and British winters are generally wet and windy !

 I adore this  berry raincoat from Redoute, simple Styling great colour and a subtle but pretty pattern take the stress out of dressing up or down.Carol could team with these miltary chocolate boots from Ruche, jeans and a olive scarf for a casual look or switch the belt for an Obi belt such as these sophisticated quilted ones featured here for full on glamour for the evening and a dress or even introduce some black leather, which would look amazing with the berry!

This boiled wool coatigan in taupe again Redoute, might not be in the berry or olive colours that Carol loves, but its classic styling (chocolate piping, shawl collar) fabric and colour make it not only flattering, BUT SO EASY to transition  from casual to evening. Wear with an Obi belt for evening and a  skinny wrap around belt for day time like the leather version featured here, quality matters, buy the best you can afford, or go vintage!  

Option three for Carol was this apple green wool coat from her favourite company The White Stuff, chosen again for its classic flattering line, single buttons are by far the best option for bigger busts, as they don't draw attention to where its not welcome! I couldn't resist picking out a few smart casual pieces that would work well with this range of looks.The key here is simple cuts and layering longer light weight pieces over one another, which will elongate the figure and slim, whilst keeping the cold out! Sxxx

P.S follow me? email or post me your Style Dilemma/Questions to sharonstyle@fsmail.net and if your lucky it could get chosen and feature here! xx

You Need Your Greens Too!

Hi there gals, I decided to try and balance our Style diet with a few delicous green and ethical picks today, its a really great feeling buying clothes that don't compromise on Style, but enable the people who make them to live dignified lives, or keep our precious planet healthy, to pass on to future generations.My Dad is Nepalese and lives in his home country of Nepal (I was born in the UK), some of you may have heard of, home to the Himalayan mountains and one of the poorest countries in the world. Gradually things are improving in Nepal as more and more co-operatives are set up which ensure men and woman receive a fair days pay for making their beautiful handmade garments.Giving us all somthing to smile about.

I just had share some of these beautiful bags from ethical clothing company Hug, I think their silver wrapper bag is pure genuis (made from crisp packets) and metalics are set to stay. Next up is this sweet organic cotton dot bag, I love its mosaic like quality, followed by this stunning Peacock purse in shimmering turquoise which, would you believe it is under £6.00! I have a feeling Koralee might quite like this!Their felt Emily bag is so clever, it combines the structure of a leather bag with the softness of felt, it comes in chocolate also. Moving onto Autumn /Winter wear, hopefully by now, there is not a sniff of a candy/chocolate bar in sight, as you are feverishly fixated on my hot and healthy Style picks. Just think the extra pounds/dollars spent on chocolate/candy could mean that you could start to build up some juicy ethical buys.Ok starting with sweaters we have a hand knitted designer led, ink black tank and sweater with pretty embroidered detailing on the front of the tank and as a necklace feature on the sweater, made in Nepal, all by People Tree. Next I have a whole host of lip smacking lovelies for you, how about this hand woven dogtooth dress with contempory silk paneling on the shoulder or this handwoven rich magenta and orange totem dress ( one of my personal favourites). I was inspired by People Trees flamboyant beautifully made Kimono Style pieces, both the Kimono top and dress are made from organic cotton.The Kimono dress showcases, sections of striking red, black and white striped paneling and could be worn for either day or evening with the right accessories and the blouse is feminine but strong and as you can see works really well with black.  Im sure this will delight you gals who love black, Angela Henrie springs to mind! My finale pick is this stunning reycycled teardrop sari dress, in red black and grey.If all else fails and you simply couldn't resist the chocolate/candy, why not go for a Divine chocolate/Candy bar its fairtrade! Visit People Tree at http://www.peopletree.co.uk/ or Hug at http://www.hug.co.uk/

Just wanted to say a big thank-you to all of you who take the the time to read my Style posts and for following me, I really appreciate it and I enjoy reading all your comments, you are one Stylish bunch!  Sx   

Patterned Princesses Unite!

   

Hi everyone great to see you again! Summer may be leaving us, but this Autumn/Winter, patterns more than make up for gloomier days! A candy store full of colour, extravagant patterns and a playful approache to wearing this seasons hottest patterned pieces like these Missoni inspired high tops, are what makes Winter 2009 the best season of all to be experimenting with your Style. 

I have picked out my hot favourites for you, some of these patterns are old friends we have seen before that have been reworked to create a more contempory feel, like this sweet skinny lepard print dress from Warehouse or their grey lepard pencil skirt. Red and fuschia are both strong colours this A/W and I love the way red pattern has been used in this pillar box red two piece above, vintage with a modern and strident feel to it.

Gallianos three pieces are decadent, mysterious and romantic at the same time, a paricularly masterful and sophisticated look to achieve, his textured and patterned Russian inspired couture sent sparks flying of the runway! 

Warehouse are real genuises in my opinion when it comes to high street accessories that make you feel really special, but without the sting of a high price tag. I adore their red jaquard tights, which would rescue the plainest dress or skirt and their paisley tights if you wanting to create a romantic look. This gorgeous Aztec sequined belt in black and red will I predict fly off their shelves, its not hard to see why its so Art Deco and oozes opulance!Then there is their take on this years popular tartan jacket in maroon and grey  with a bib style collar and nipped in waist, soft but Stylish.I looove tartan, its huge this A/W as punk gets a revival and the flattering ever popular 50s lady like chic makes a return but tartan is not an easy pattern to work with or wear, if you get the colour combinations wrong or the balance in putting an outfit together, it can easily look brash and trashy. 

Finally we started with a pop of colour so we are ending with a pop of colour and pattern in this fleur de lys yellow and black dress and matching shoes, so sharp you could cut your finger and this gorgeous off the shoulder candy stripe evening dress! I love the elegance and the boldness of the designer in using  yellow and contrasting it with black.Bumblee chic!Sx 

In need of some expert Style Advice? If you follow My Passport to Style and subscribe to my posts, then you are welcome to post me in your latest Style dilemmas and the first one to be selected at random will feature here, you will be left a message to say you have been selected! Good luck and start posting in those burning Style dilemmas/questions!