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 | Wedding Outfit Post Breaking With Tradition

Hi Gals, hope your having a fun weekend! I was inspired to feature a wedding outfit post on My Passport to Style today, after visiting the talented Pocket Stylist and this gorgeous bridal shoot she styled, do take a peek I love her work.

I decided to break with tradition for my nieces wedding and forgo the usual dress or two piece suit won at weddings when I fell hook line a sinker for this this elegant indigo linen jump suit (Skye Jumpsuit) in the Great Plains sale, firstly as most of you know by now navy is my neutral colour of choice, if you don't check my profile picture! I love navy, it's such a flattering colour against olive skin tones like my own.

To elevate navy to wedding status you need to team it with strong colours like fushia, yellow, ruby red and black. So I opted for these dramatic black suede wedges from Clarks (Ski Lift) I love the lattice detailing and the front opening really slims the ankle. Rather than a blazer which would mask the great cut of this jumpsuit I'm thinking I will wear a black sheer shrug like this one from Matalan which has a sweet vintage feel.

 I will be wearing my hair up and a pair of giant cream pearl earrings and my lola rose bracelet, as I think matching all your accesorise can be a bit boring. I found these lush velvet purses from the perfect handbag company  but which colour do I opt for? Do I go for a classic look with the ruby clutch or a more edgy feel with the gold.What do you gals think? Which would you pick?

    

    

My Passport to Style | Enlisting The Help Of Jon Richard

Anne Hathaway looked stunning and exuded poise in her MCqueen gown and her delicate barely visible to the naked eye swaroski bracelet,at the New York premier of One Day. I'm all for good good taste but I can't help but wish that she would be a little more generous with her bling at these events, after all diamonds are supposed to a girls best friend and that beautiful swan like neck just cries out to see the swish of long glittering earrings, instead of being shrouded in hair!

Jon Richard offer some stunning red carpet worthy styles in diamante this Season that are great value, I love this set of theirs below.What do you think, is bling your thing? Now might be a good time to bookmark their site or follow them on FB as come mid September when they relaunch their new site, you will have the pefect opportunity to emulate screen goddess Liz Tailor as Jon Richard are offering the first 300 customers on their newly launched site www.jonrichard.com a free pair of cubic zirconia stud earrings!

My Passport to Style | Just Another Blogging Competition??

Hi lovely that you popped over to see me, it's because of you readers and followers of my blog that I'm writing this post today. I recently found out about Look magazine's blogger competition, I'm sure you have come across a blogger competition of some sort by now on the blogosphere, it's no secret that the world of fashion journalism is evolving and recognising the value of fashion bloggers.



The Lovely Jedward



Style Over Substance?

There is a lot of focus on bloggers and journalists who write about fashion to look cool and edgy, but whilst I find great style and fashion and the creativity of styling up a new look thrilling and love researching new fashion designers and their labels. It's really nice when you come across a competition run by a magazine or brand such as Look magazine that recognises that the way a blogger writes and reports on fashion is equally important also.

Maybe I'm slightly biased about the need to write good fashion content as I get really excited about the planning and writing of a post that will put a fresh spin on the latest fashion story. Writing about the latest fashion trends in a fresh and immediate way and making them come alive by selecting the right images to accompany the piece is always a thrill for me as is reviewing a new fashion label or line.

Bring On The Competition!!

Winning this competition would offer me a great opportunity to use my hard earned skills in creative writing and as a stylist to report on clothing labels on behalf of Look magazine at their LFW catwalk. But more importantly, and I know you should never start a sentence with but, BUT, I have recently discovered something new about myself - I need competition because it keeps me motivated and helps me push my writing skills and come up with new exciting informative fashion posts that hopefully you all enjoy and even find useful.

The BOUNCE Factor

So my take is I won't just be entering the blogging competitions with the biggest and most exciting prizes and then sulk for days because I didn't get selected. I will hone the art of bouncing gracefully back and move onto the next opportunity out there for us fashion bloggers. The life blood of a great fashion blog is interesting original content, let's face it after seeing thirty pretty floral dresses we fashion bloggers need something to make us sit up and take notice. More importantly above everything else a blog needs a strong focus and that's where entering blogging competitions comes in, they encourage you to evaluate your skills set regularly, check that your happy with how your projecting your blog and up your game. If you're the one sitting on the fence when a blogger competition comes up, I hope I have convinced you not to!

Look magazine blogger competition ends August 15th 2011 if you want to check it out.

credits for images go to 

   www.tights-stockings-pantyhose.blogspot.com/

                                             www.thesavingsprincess.blogspot.com/

                                             blogscoventerytelegraph.net 

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!   

Ladies Let Me Introduce You To The Very | Stylish Thomas Pink

Valley tweed jacket and Dell tweed skirt

left Fern print silk dress and right Heath jacket and Dales skirt in ruby tweed

This A/W 2011 savvy women everywhere will be returning in their droves to the institution that is the two piece suit. The reasons are a shift in the culture of fashion, a change in what we now identify as high style and a good dose of common sense. We have become slightly jaded by the staggering amount of choice on offer in the world of fashion today. Women are yearning for the simplicity of those school uniform days, where the toughest choice was whether or not to hitch your grey school skirt up a couple of inches without mum noticing, to make it your own. In rather the same way the two piece skirt suit from heritage label Thomas Pink offers the same instantly accessible charm of effortless grownup smart. You could be forgiven for being more than a little smug about the fact that by buying into a great classic tweed suit from British label Thomas Pink (limited in number) for work, you will stand out in a sea of cardboard black trouser suits your colleagues are wearing to the office and then later on in the week step into the same skirt teaming it with your favourite super pointy heels, shirt and leather biker jacket for a trip to your local pub for an instant shot of cool.

My Passport to Syle | Celebrates The Talent Of Designer Stella McCartney

Stella

Stella and Paul

 

Steely Stella as she has been sometimes called is soon to celebrate her 40th birthday, so it seems perfect timing to celebrate Stella McCartney one of the nations favourite designers here on My Passport to Style. Stella is a fearless designer who pushes herself, but beneath her exceptional skill for putting a fresh slant on the current silhouette of the season and working with tweed one minute and lycra the next, she has a talent that was honed whilst working under the guidance of Savills Row tailors and it shows. She credits her inner strength and determination to her mother Linda who was never in any doubt about her daughters ability to achieve her goals.

Stella and Linda

 

 Stella McCartney understands what lines work to flatter a woman's body and at the same time she empathises with women who want to look feminine and timeless, I believe her consistently close relationship with the stage and the world of performance and music is reflected in her work as a designer her clothes are meant to empower women and give them confidence.

Cutting Edge Design At Adidas



Autumn 2011



Sportswear and tailoring do not fit neatly together, yet they give Stella's brand a timeless edge that few designers can match, both tailoring and sportswear design require a rigorous understanding of body shape and fabric, however sportswear design demands the designer know how a garment moves when it is being worn, so comfort is not compromised for style, Stellas signature is effortless confident style.

Spring 2011

My favourite pieces from McCartney's women's wear collections are usually her jackets, coats and trousers, to me this is where her greatest strength as a designer lies, she designed her first jacket aged just 13, 3 years later she was interning for Christian Lacroix at 16, after studying at St Martins in London, she was then appointed creative director of Chloe in Paris a major coup. She followed this up by collaborations with Adidas, H & M to bring her label to the mass market and is constantly evolving, expect the unexpected from Stella McCartney and you will never be disappointed!

Winter 2011

Happy Birthday Stella, you're a true champion of the fashion world!

My Passport To Style | Korean Vogue Yummy

Really thrilling inspiration in Korean Vogue, hybrid victorian England dress and eastern warrior woman collide. The silk bomber jacket, with statement matador style shoulder detailing, helps to create the cuvy s shape many woman hanker after, I love her hair. 

Sublime colours and texturing

Love the many layered skirt, cut high beneath the bust and the shirts collars lines are stunning.

credits Korean Vogue

Proenza Shouler Worn By Stylist Maria Munoz

Loving the styling of stylist Maria Munoz who is wearing this stunning Poenza Shouler blanket dress in blue and grey block stripes on the left and the apricot blanket skirt on the right with an angular fold, in the July 2011 issue of Vogue. This label knows how to design clothes that really showcase beautful fabrics!

P.S granny said, thick blanket fabric disguises cellulite beautifully, saving you a fortune in thigh and bottom firming creams.  

My Passport To Style | Smile Clinic

Hi Gals, if your not already smiling because the weekends here, maybe I can help change that with my round up of some of the sweetest stylish accessories starting with these peachy Chanel shoes with black accents and stylish crimped bows.

These are not lollypops but nailpops the latest in nail art, I'm loving the blue and red checks great for aspiring modettes every where!

Why have one stylish clutch, when you can enjoy a whole collection of these Japanese inspired beauties on a necklace!

Style up your weekend breakfast eggs with these natty egg cosies, found at the lovely

 Coco Rose Diaries 

Happy weekend everyone! x