My Passport To Styles | Christmas Tree Makover

A Christmas Tree With A Difference | That Can Be Used All Year Round!

I love the idea of transforming useful pretty home ware over the festive season. If you're getting a bit bored with the idea of a traditional Christmas tree and are a bit of a fashionista, you might like my favourite Christmas makeover over yet, transforming my vintage wire mannequin from my bedroom, by weaving some Christmas magic into it, using last year's Christmas decorations and some florist wires to attach them.

Enjoy The Satisfaction Of Customizing Your Manni Tree

 Last year I went for a fun multi coloured theme, using pink, purple and gold tinsel woven through and scattered with brightly wrapped sweets. You could use a mix of emerald green decorations and fabric trimmings to create a stuning textured look, weave sparkly green ribbon and tinsel through the wires of your mannequin, fix emerald pompom ribbon using a little wire around the petticoat edge of your wired mannequin for a chic feel, then continue up the bodice and perhaps finish off the top with a dramatic pop of red, like this fuchsia hair clip or why not reuse one of your old fascinators like a miniature scarlet top hat or an old pair of your daughters/nieces glittery tap shoes that you can fix to the top of the mannequin using garden wire again. A gold dove would also look really opulent, against these emerald city trimmings.

Function And Form

The beauty of this unusual tree is there's no mud to worry about, the feet are pretty enough to remain bare until the pitter pat of newly wrapped presents arrives and better still once Christmas is over simply remove the decorations and use your mannequin to display your favourite jewellery or keep tomorrows outfit crease free and ready to slip on. You then have a whole new year to dream up a new look for your mannequin tree!

The Tale Of DIY Christmas Fashion Makeovers Using The Humble Zipper !

 I got very excited when I stumbled across unique blog outsapop.com which was showcasing these fabulous zipper cuffs!! Heres why, I love the way the humble gold zipper stacked in this way creates such a high glamour feel, I could wear a stack of these with a flapper girl dress for this party season, to complete the opulent off the wall glamour of the roaring 20's.

However I thought to myself why not buy a whole set and use them as contempory napkin rings for your Christmas table, then I thought, hang on after using to add contempory zing to red, white or purple napkins (this adorable napkin set is from dawnmcvey.typepad.com) Why not wear them over the ankles of a black harem style trouser suit, to add a little quirk of style to your New Years Eve party look? Wear these versatile zipper cuffs,  with plain linen or silk stiletos to trick the eye into thinking your wearing designer style shoes with a sophisticated fastening!

 What do you think gals, are these ideas a little too eccentric for a Christmas Style fest?? Or do you have some better uses for them? I would love to know x 

                             

My Passport To Style | Heritage Happens!!

Susie On The Ralph Lauren tweed run

I was thrilled to find this post by top UK blog Style Bubble, which made me feel less alone in my obsession for finding fabrics with heritage. To be honest with you, my non fashion blogging friends don't really get why a smelly piece of tartan in a vintage shop can send me into raptures and have started to make their excuses early if they think I might be about to go on the hunt for a new piece to add to my ever increasing musty pile! I do think though, there is something really special about wearing clothing made from cloth that has been woven by hand for years in the same way, it's not about snobbery it's about knowing that fabric connects you to the people who wove it and story behind it. I am am the proud owner of a poncho that I made from a treasured piece of Harris Tweed I found on one of my heritage fabric hunts.  

Susie On The Isle Of Lewis wearing Harris Tweed hightops

My Passport To Style | The Queen Of Bhutan Sets The World Of Fashion Alight!

For those of you who read my announcement of the royal marriage in Bhutan here  you must read this latest fashion post in the guardian it made feel very proud to be part of this rich culture and I have to say, I'm not surprised this wedding and the beautiful bride has taken the fashion world by storm! 

My Passport To Style | Dragon King Of Bhutan Weds Bride

My love of bright colour and pattern comes from the Nepalese side of my family. Just had to share this happy wedding snap of the dragon King of Bhutan marrying his commoner wife Pema in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains. 

My Passport to Style | Edinburgh Hosts Jungle City Event

Sabine Roemer and her encrusted hornbill in Edinburgh

JUNGLE CREATURES UNLEASHED ACROSS EDINBURGH

Edinburgh is one of my favorite cities in the world and I am very fond of elephants, perhaps because they are a large part of my dads culture in Nepal, I love their solemn aura and the fact that they look so old like mature oaks trees, I met my first elephant on the streets of Kathmandu aged just three, my mum says I was completely transfixed. So when I discovered that talented jewellery designer Sabine Roemer was taking part in a new and very flamboyant exhibition in Edinburgh to help save them, I had to share the exciting news here on My Passport to Style!

Richly painted ‘Jungle City’ sculptures have launched themselves onto the streets, parks and neighborhoods' of Edinburgh and are currently making a Great 'Spectacle' of themselves in a bid to raise funds and awareness for their endangered relatives in Asia.

One of the pieces expected to fetch a significant sum for the Elephant Family charity is a hornbill decorated with feathers, pearls and a 383 carat ruby from Tanzania, which is set in a hand crafted sterling silver mask. The exotic creature has been created by German born goldsmith and jewelry designer, Sabine Roemer.

“I created this beautiful paradise bird with the intention to escape into an amazing tropical and colorful world through his eyes: set with beautiful crafted 383,09 carat Rubies from Tanzania”

“I have been enormously inspired by the people and work of Elephant Family and am happy to again be a big part of this year’s Jungle City. I hope through these beautiful art pieces we can build awareness for these endangered animals and make a change” (Sabine Roemer)

Sabine’s hornbill can be found in the Harvey Nichols store in St Andrew’s Square where shoppers will also discover a hot rod inspired tiger encrusted with more than 200,000 Swarovski elements by artist Johnny Rocket and a gold leaf ‘crocodile’.

Edinburgh is the first city in the world to host a ‘Jungle City’, event which is 100% charitable and has been organized to benefit the work of lead charity Elephant Family and six other conservation NGOs. Throughout September tourists and city dwellers alike can expect to spot 130 hand painted sculptures of some of the planets most endangered and extraordinary wildlife.

The sculptures will be sold at a glittering auction event on the 29th September at the National Museum of Scotland.

To visit the Harvey Nichols site for more details of the exibition click here   

My Passport to Styles | The Taming Of The Shoe

Hate!

Love!

Hi Gals,

do you ever wrestle with yourself about posting a burning opinion on something fashion related, just encase you offend? Well that was how it was for me when deciding whether or not to publish this post to share here on My Passport to Style . You see as much as I adore the world of fashion and am thrilled by the way fashion designers encourage women to reinvent themselves and inspire our daily lives with their creations. There is one particular trend in the kingdom of shoe wear that leaves me cold, the trend for what I term crooked heels, I just don't understand how this trend so beloved of Alexandra McQueen fans is in anyway aesthetically pleasing, maybe I am missing a particular gene that would help me appreciate the beauty of these shoes??! Incidentally I love much of McQueens clothing and I am fairly flamboyant in my sense of dress and love quirky designs that push the boundaries of fashion and style. Like most stylists I love to reinvent a look, putting my own unique spin on it, but to me a shoe is supposed to flatter the limbs of the wearer as well as make a fashion statement, the design of the heel and the front of the shoe play a crucial part in that role.

confused?!?

 Whilst I appreciate the role of attention grabbing shoes in boosting confidence and making women feel invincible do we really need the equivalent of a dinosaur on the end of our feet to do that? Surely this over engineering of heels which has I admit become hugely popular lately is just attention grabbing for its own sake or perhaps we are all so smitten but the greatness of the late Alexandra McQueen and his collection that we just can't see it. So for now I'm sticking to my classic wedge, stiletto and block heels this A/W, whilst still feeling that perhaps I am missing out on something to do with the greatness of fashion and design but I'm not sure what. I guess that's the beauty of fashion today, like freedom of speech, it's allows us the freedom to enjoy fashion in all its many forms for ourselves.What's your view on the trend for crooked heels? I would love to know your opinion am I missing out? 

dislike

mixed

My Passport to Style Visits Blackwell | Stunning Inspiration For Budding Designers

I recently visited this breathtakingly beautiful house at Blackwell in Cumbria, I'm surprised Viviene Westwood with her love of heritage design as inspiration for her clothing label has not been all over it like a rash with her sketch pad and pen!Firstly there are the drain pipes yes you heard me correctly, the drain pipes are literally works of art! See this beauty below.

Blackwell house, interiors and furnishings down to the piano, were designed by Baillie Scott in 1900 as a holiday retreat for wealthy Manchester brewer Edward Holt at the turn of the centuary; when the Arts and Craft movement had taken hold in Britain in reaction to the need to return to the simplicty and harmony of handcrafted design and turn away from the grind of the industrial. It seems really relevant to serve up this sumptious slice of British heritage today as I believe fashion and design has come full circle and we are back to both needing and wanting better crafted clothing, forever pieces and furnishings in our home that we can really connect with, enjoy and cherish.

 

    

 

 



  

My Passport to Style | Celebrating The Anniversay Of My Wedding

Hi Gals, inspired by my wedding anniversay today! This is Lady like chic with a capital L! From the film W.E directed by Madonna, the costumes alone would make viewing worth while! Dress gloves are a must, as is lavender water and a great corset, but if your struggling to get your hand on these a good tweed pencil skirt is a great place to start, see Thomas Pink.

Now I'm off for fun and frolicks with my lovely husband!

 credits - Vanity Fair

Alphabet Chic With My Passport to Style

M is for Madge and for 'material girl' shot by Dirk Bader, happy birthday Madonna!

How To Survive A Food Fair!

Hi Gals, I'm off to a food fair of epic proportions in Clitheroe for the weekend to celebrate my husband's birthday. Just in case you have never been to a food fare or have one planned, I decided to offer my ultimate survival guide! Clothing can be a dilemma when you are guaranteed to chomp your way through a vast array of scrummy food stuffs!

Here is a Peek of The Location And Some Of The Food On Offer!

Clitheroe Castle

famous sausages

banana cupcakes

Advice On What To Wear

1. Stetch is a must!

2. Draped fabric flatters full tummys.

3. A busy print on a blazer done up over a dress or trousers helps disguise bulk, a print cardigan worn open over a dress landgirl style, creates contrasting panels of pattern, slicing the width of your body into smaller segments thus slimming the tummy and waist area.

4. A maxi dress in block colours is not only flattering because it falls beneath the bust, the bright block colours draw the eye down the body and the focus away from any bulge.

5. Bring a doggy bag, in America this is standard, that way you won't need to regret the cake that got away and you slow down during your 24hr food marathon!

Here's my selection, all Top Shop

My Passport To Style Will Feature In A Book For Teenage Girls!

I had some really exciting news recently, I was contacted by a lovely Lancashire lady now living in Sydney who wants to use one of my fashion posts in a book she is currently writing for teen girls full of lots of great advice and tips on how to survive being a teen girl and lots style inspiration to help enjoy it! I'm honoured that she is using my work in this way and thrilled, as helping young women feel good about their body image is a subject close to my heart. It will be a while till publishing, but I will be sure to share the thrill of seeing my name in print with you my lovely followers.

Speaking of followers and empowerment, coming up soon - I meet some amazing successful ethical buisness women working in the world of fashion and beauty and watch out for the great giveaways that will be part of this post and a thank-you to all you lovely readers for your ongoing support!   

My Passport To Style | Visits Ben And Jerrys Festival At Heaten Park Manchester!

I had a bit of adventure this weekend in Heaten Park Manchester, I would have to say my favourite kind of adventure would generally include free ice-cream and great live music, this ticked both those boxes. Hosted by the very Fair and Lovely Ben and Jerry, they and their team were clearly very serious in their mission for everyone to extract as much fun out of the day as possible! If You want to check out my Dita Von Teese inspired festival outfit go ahead! With free vintage fairground rides and a chance to try all the Ben and Jerrys flavours in exsistence I tried four ice-cream flavours yesterday and I lost count of the previous day, it amazing how you think you just can't eat another mouth full then hit your stride! I watched a giant macadamia nut hitch a ride with a toddler! Exhilarating music by Gary Numan, Sound of Rum, Fun Loving Criminals, Steve Cradock and Ocean Colour Scene and Duke and King. Maximo Park has to win the the prize for most stylish lead singer, with his black bowler.

Fun Loving Weekend With Ben and Jerry

Toe wrestling was on offer and for some reason there were many french men dotted about wearing strings of onions and of course many dairy cows! The chill out tent was complete with bales of straw, deck chairs to lounge on and coconut boules in the sand and the witty option of hand decorating your own cow shaped biscuits to take home.Ben and Jerrys live their values, they deffinately gave back to the UK, with tickets priced and at just £17.00 each and free admission for children under 12 and free ice-cream and activities. It was a great way to share their fairtrade message, I can't wait till next year!

Can you spot the macadamia nut??

Fun Loving Criminals

 Favourite Track Of The Day Ocean Colour Scene click on the link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSeTB-c2jPY&feature=player_embedded

If you want to win a year supply of Ben and Jerrys ice- cream then upload your best Sundae Ice-cream photo to their face book wall. Mmm ............... I think Torie Jayne might be the perfect person for bowl inspiration and to order some colourful sprinkles from!