Get Creative With Your Fringe

   

 

 

After an extended blogging break, I’m feeling frisky and ready to tell it how it is. This post is dedicated to all of you out there with naturally curly hair who would love to try out a straight slinky fringe of Claudia Winkleman proportions. You may have fought bravely with a pair of hair straighteners and either lost or felt that naturally curly hair is better than crimped and fried hair.

Tartan

 

 

 

 I'm not sure if it's because I'm half Scottish that I get so sentimental about tartan, but I like that this fabric always manages to be edgy but reassuring homespun at the same time, and as long as you have plenty of black in your wardrobe, you can never go wrong with tartan pants or a skirt.

My Passport to Style | Reviews Moroccan Bazaar

 

 

 

Visiting Morocco features on my very long bucket list, so when I was invited to step into the pages of a souk by Moroccan Bazaar. I dived straight in. My own home is mish-mash of bright colours, and eclectic pieces add in a good measure of geometrical design, and the ritual of mint tea sipped in a walled court yard garden and that pretty much sums up Moroccan style. If you’re looking for a dose of mystery and excitement in your home, THIS online Bazaar has taken all the best elements of Moroccan decor and design and woven them into a sweet carpet ride that transports you to the narrow streets of artisan crafts men busy making things in the baking heat that you never knew you wanted, but now you do.

Boring Beauty Routines Versus Beautiful Obsessions

 

When it comes to maintaining high standards of grooming aka our French cousins, I can be a bit slack as we head into autumn and start to show less skin. My slightly ambitious summer head to toe body care regime (don’t snigger) goes down the plug hole to use a favourite northern expression.

 I prefer to indulge in a long fuss free wallow in the bath instead or hit the snooze button rather than jump out of bed and reach for a hard bristle brush equivalent to a broom in texture to whisk away my dead skin cells.

2013 Vintage By The Sea Event - Celebrates 80 Years Of The Midland Hotel

 

 

 

What did you get up to yesterday? I spent three hours, deciding which vintage-inspired look I should wear, (based on our very unpredictable British weather) for my invitation to Wayne Hemingway's event, Vintage By The Sea. I finally decided on a Ben de Lisi 50s inspired, linen wiggle dress, a bright blue linen coat with chunky black buttons and ruffles on the front and a small black patent, boxy, grab bag.

 

 

 

 Outfit sorted, camera and brolly packed, I wiggled my way down to the train station. Ten minutes later I was enjoying lovely views of Morecambe bay, whilst I tottered along the prom to the Midland. I love visiting the Midland hotel and taking in all its creamy art-deco curves and lines. It was nice to see it overflowing with people and all thing's vintage, from Punch and Judy shows; classic cars and ice-cream vans to glam gals wearing red lipstick and seamed stockings.

 

 

 I managed to pick up a vintage bargain inside at one of the vintage clothing stores a malteeser coloured mock croc clutch. I was very tempted to have a full retro hair and make over at Guys, and Dolls pop up salon seeing some of the starlets emerging from a mist of Elnett hair spray, but I decided to save my money for a visit to the Routunda bar and a date with Elvis (well his music really) a chip butty made with smoke butter and a butterscotch Daiquiri which was every bit as dreamy as it sounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Sadly, I didn't get to chat to Wayne about his American Indian wrestling father Billy Two Rivers, or the many crazy outfits he got to model as a child on Morecambe prom created by his mum and his nan, or to ask how he felt about moving out of fashion and into design on a much bigger scale, but if I had of done, I would have wanted to thank him for throwing such a great 80th birthday party for the Midland Hotel and Morecambe his hometown.       

 

 

 

Wayne Hemingway Hosts Vintage By The Sea In Morecambe

 

If you have heard of British designer Wayne Hemingway MBE you will probably know he is viewed a little like the Godfather of vintage in the UK and set up his fashion label Red or Dead in London in 1982 with his wife Geraldine.

 A custard tart or butter pie might be more his cup of tea than a bowl of Italian spaghetti and meatballs as he was born in the small seaside town of Morecambe, famous for its sunsets and art deco hotel, which luckily for me is just up the road.

 Whether you have heard of Mr Hemingway’s label Red or Dead or not, you might be interested to know he will be hosting one of his famous yearly vintage bashes not in London, but in Morecambe to celebrate the Midland Hotels eightieth birthday this year.

 I’m going to be hopping on a fast train to Morecambe tomorrow (Saturday14th September) to sample a pick and mix of the best vintage has to offer at the Vintage by the Sea one day festival.        

 

 

*images courtesy of vintagefestival.com*

 

#Destination Denim

So today I want to talk plain old denim minus any fancy pants prints, you probably already know that I’m slightly denim phobic, seeing as I’m on a good day I’ll just say I have a curvaceous Beyonce type lower half and I have struggled in the past to find jeans that I can honestly say work better than a pair of trousers or a dress, my wardrobe/floor, cough, is over flowing with my alternatives simple jumpsuits, track pants, pj and Capri trousers.

My Passport To Style | Why I Don't Do Denim



Believe it or not saying you don't do jeans is a taboo subject in Britain it's like saying you don't put salt and vinegar on your chips. How do I know this because I am one of a growing minority or women that realise that as much as they love denim jeans, they don't do much for their hourglass figure, the sometimes thick stiff fabric bunches up in the wrong places. I think perhaps Europeans have a slightly different attitude they don't feel that their sense of style and youth are so deeply imbedded in the denim culture, they enjoy tailored clothing. British women wear more denim than any other country and whilst I have no wish to outlaw denim in the UK, it has become a bit of a uniform, to the point that if I wear a simple A-line dress, my friends think  I have dressed up! Hooray for camel flares and A-line pinafore dresses! 

Why I Like Being Fashionably Late

 

 

 

 

I have been sucked into a bit of a non fashion vortex recently, which is not really the type of thing you admit to if you’re a Fashion blogger, but as my official title is Fashion and Lifestyle blogger, I think I can allow myself the occasional slip up. So how did I find my way out of it? Simple really, a chance encounter with a lilac leather slipper with an elegant studded toe after a bit of a lame search for some sensible, go with everything type of flats on eBay. My heart started to beat a little faster and my palms got slightly sweaty when a pair of lovely lilac leather slippers by a designer I had never heard of, Olivia Rubin ( I did say vortex!) popped up, one click later, they were sold to the lady in the fluffy dressing gown and Harry Potter mug, it was Sunday!

 

 I hear that apart from many other colours pale pink is big this winter 2013. Last winter I bought an A-line skirt in sugar almond pink, but struggled to find some shoes that worked with it, I personally like to toughen up pastel shades with navy, black and slate grey but nothing seemed to quite work, until I found the perfect compromise in these pretty flats the black toe caps have been generously sprinkled with tiny gold baubles and a few larger gold studs for good measure.

 

 

 Metallic toe caps seem to be popping up a lot lately and these feel luxe but still casual enough to wear with my pink skirt during the day, even better, through my chance shopping encounter on eBay I discovered the rest of Olivia Rubin’s collection of wacky and fun S/S13 architectural prints in the Asos sales. I guess being the last to know about a designer label does have its perks! I heart the dress with the eye wateringly pretty pansy design, Olivia Rubin’s big gutsy pastel leopard print with a sporty zipper and her purple slightly slouchy long sleeved brick T, the last time I felt this pleased to discover a new designer range was after discovering Henry Holland’s granny inspired winter prints and Tatty Devine’s fish bone necklace.         

 

 

 *images courtesy of asos *

What Things I Bought In Venice

 

 

 

Before I went on my recent trip to Venice, I read post after slightly bitter post about how impossible it is to find a bargain souvenir or gift in Venice, so I was determined to use my stealth and blogger cunning to help me seek some out and I think I succeeded. I came home with an elegant bottle of Limoni di Sicilia, which is basically a really nice lemon licqueur similar to Limoncello, that can be used to make cocktails or to pour over ice-cream and yes I know its typical to Italy not Venice, but as pretty much over half the things we buy in the UK are made in China, I'm happy to not be too picky and think out of the box a little.

 

 

The local Venetian Co-op may not be oozing style, but it's a good place to find some well priced goodies that the locals consume. Using my highly tuned blogger stealth I bypassed the bland looking cereals section, dodged some very dangerous shopping trolley manoeuvres and landed slap bang in the middle of the drinks section right next to glowing yellow bottles of Limoni di Sicilia priced at just 8, score!

 

 

 I pounced on a few boxes of the local hot chocolate, which I have tasted before, it's like drinking a thick chocolate soup and at a couple of euro's a box it was a no brainer, but my ultimate super ninja gift seeking stroke, was spotting some beautiful triple distilled genuine Venetian rose water in apothecary style, deep blue bottles, made from plastic they were nice and light for packing in my suitcase and at just 3.50 euros a bottle I greedily took the last 4 of the shelf, rose water makes a lovely natural toner and is great to soothe any sunburn too.

 

 

 

Next I picked up a  black lace fan for 7 euros to help me waft myself elegantly, if your going to buy one, get one from Torcello, a serene little island which is supposedly where Venice first began and worth visiting, then it was off to my favourite place the glass blowing island of Murano, after swooning over a zillion glass chandeliers I finally treated myself to a beautiful soft aqua rose shaped glass ring, with silver leaf inside, it cost me 14 euros, but I would happily have paid much more for it.

 

 

 

 Back in Venice and down town, towards Cannaregio I found a glass seconds shop if you know Italy or Venice you will know that Murano glass is very expensive as well as stunning, for about another 12 euros I picked up a small red glass love bird and a handbag holder inlaid with a pretty glass mosaic tree, in the same area I forced myself into a t-shirt shop expecting very expensive and tacky and was chuffed to discover some cool contemporary interpretations of the symbol of Venice the lion and some kitsch Venetian t-shirt designs for about 12 euros each.

 

Don't forget to pack your hotel toiletries, after lovingly capturing them on film, mine are still at our hotel! We also accidentally left with one souvenir to many our very heavy brass hotel key fob. The MR was not super happy to cover the £8.00 p&p for 2nd class return postage! Do you have a favourite thing you picked up on your travels? I had fun taking photographs of my Venetian haul after my stealth shopping trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evocha Make Buying Luxury British Fashion Easy

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was recently sent a cashmere scarf to review from newly launched online company Evocha, so this is probably going to be the quickest review ever featured here. It’s black so goes with every conceivable outfit I own, check, it’s very soft and breathable so won’t irritate my sensitive skin, check, it barely creases so no iron necessary, check! It was made in Britain, check, shall I rewind just in case you fell into a puddle while reading that on your iphone and walking down the street, yep it's actually made in Britain I was impressed too.

This little black number comes in two other very wearable shades a soft blush tone and a deep red and the goats that went into it, well their silky soft hairs to be exact, come from Scotland where the cashmere scarf was made, absolutely no animals or people were harmed along the way I promise.

Evocha are part of a brave new movement to encourage us to buy British, major on style, help support industry and create more jobs in the UK and the best bit is they are cutting out the middle man and hand picking timeless luxury pieces that can be bought at much lower prices than you would expect. Don’t expect a heaving online boutique overflowing with the latest trends; in fact they currently offer just two classic pieces for men and women. I like this daring new minimalistic approach, it makes shopping for forever pieces feel easy, very couture and guilt free.

 Evocha is all about luxury classics that you can really make your own such as a simple but beautifully cut black dress or white shirt. Oh one more thing for all those without a pet, Evocha cashmere scarves were made to be stroked, mines called Lossie. You can find them here and if you use the code MY - PASSPORT-TO - STYLE before October 1st you can get a 20% discount.           

 



 

 

 

To Venice With Love

 I'm back from my short (five day's) but very sweet trip to Venice, it's my second visit to the city of luurve and being a non car driver, it's actually nice not to feel in the minority for once, as all of life pretty much happens on the water. Being a bit of dreamy person its very easy for me to get lost in the pages of Venice's fairy tale setting, twinkling blue water, bobbing boats and many palaces. If you read my previous post here, you might know I was fortunate enough to book a stay in a small but perfectly formed boutique hotel that is actually an old palace, the Palazzetto Pisani.

It was an amazing experience, I'm a bit geeky when it comes to loving opulent historical buildings and there have been more than a few moments in my life when I have wondered what it must be like to sleep in a four poster bed or to strum the harp in the music room of some VIPs stately home and now I found I really had chance to eat, sleep, bathe and dress in the rooms previously lived in by the seventeenth century 'royalty' of Venice. If I'm honest  I was a little dubious if the hotel would live up to what I had read on the website, happily for us it did.

Destination Handbags

 

 

 

Since planning to go to Venice this August, I have had a few marketing emails that relate to Venice catch my interest, one of them was from a company called Cutey, sadly my wardrobe lacks anything pink, fluffy or Cute, although I do love me a bit of cartoon kitsch I can be a bit of Tom boy and as sad as it sounds I feel a bit lost without a pair of my ankle boots on. Despite the lack of sweet outfits I seem to gravitate towards hearts and now have a variety of them punctuating my walls at home.

 Cutey have just launched a leather handbag collection, each bag is named after a city from around the globe and they all come with mark of a Cutey bag, a smooth shiny heart shaped lock in silver or gold, another nice thing is the design of their handbags, simple clean designs that are easy to wear and the colour palette includes both neutrals and more sunny tones like the red which is a tomato shade and a yellow that reminds of home made lemon curd.

 

 

 I have been on the look out for a good black handbag for ages and oddly enough I like style of Cuteys small black shoulder bag the Venice, which has a wrist strap also, which I would probably use more. I like to walk and swing my handbag's brief case styley rather than wear them hooked over my arm or on my shoulder.

 So the question is which destination handbag would be next on my list, not sure if this is all becoming about the power of suggestion, since New York is the next city I hope to visit but I do really like the lines of the New York bag which has a sweeping v shaped design that I can imagine Joan from Mad Men reaching in to, to pull out her favourite red lipstick for a quick touch up.

 Oh I nearly forgot to mention that 10% of Cutey profits in their first year will go to Breast Cancer Research, if you want to take a look at their newly launched collection you can find it here.        

  

Step Into A Blue Suede Shoe

Fair Trade dress - Topshop

 

 

Thanks to the birth of the royal baby boy, the colour navy blue is back on our fashion radar for A/W 13, as you know I have a bit of thing for wearing this colour a lick of it changes me from care free to blue blooded siren in minutes and works to whiten up my eye balls and perk up my skin if I OD on pizza the night before or miss out on a few hours sleep and although blue is soon to be in again, as a classic it’s never really out, like some hybrid colours I could mention, like Tango orange, I’m just saying.

 My favourite look I have spotted for winter is wearing a dark slick of petrol tones, using a combo of shiny textures in dark green, navy and black worn with a crisp white shirt. Right now I’m on the lookout for a navy pair of silk shorts and matching PJ top and a blue print Kimono to wear as a dress so if you spot either of these on your travels I would love to know, are you a navy addict like me or is the only blue worth having your denim collection?     

 



Shade Attack | Tame Those Shades

 

 

 



runway-behavior.tumblr.com

 

www.sierrachantal.com

 

whatchathinkaboutthat.tumblr.com

 

  I never thought I would complain about a lack of rain, but man it's hot!! I'm hooked up to a permanent drip of ice cold ginger beer, the backs of my legs are sweating so much that I keep getting suctioned to my chair. My mantle piece is littered with sunglasses of various shades and prints rather than my usual nick nac's which have now been tossed into the nearest draw, they look like shiny over sized exotic beetles some on their backs with their legs splayed out helplessly in all directions, not neatly put away in leather cases like they should be, cleverly resisting scratches and smudges.
 
 Oh well, I do have some thoughts on how to generate that mysterious, expensive aloof style that happens when you bring together the right sunglasses with the right look even if I am pretty careless with my own. Believe it or not, I think even expensive shades/sunglasses can look cheap and usually this happens when you choose a pair that totally over powers your look a bit like a bling ring. Even if you couldn't give flying frog about co-ordination think back to classic looks they become classic for a reason, they work with you. I've fallen happily in love with the classics over at shadestation.co.uk . 
 By now you probably know which shades work for your face shape, I wrote a guide here if not, the most important thing to remember when choosing and wearing sunglasses is the context needs to be right too, take the first image I chose, the models high blonde hair and bleached out features are the perfect back drop for these winged encrusted beauties she's wearing, because if she was minus these shades we all know that she would be wearing huge faux eyelashes to amp up her eyes.