Fashion and Talcum Powder

Hello Peeps,

Ok, lets say your going on a big shopping trip to Oxford Street with  good friend of yours, and you want to look your best but your favourite dress/ jeans/ t-shirt smells dirty! "but I only wore it  yesterday to the library! How did that happen?" So what do you do? Drench it in perfume and hope if overpowers the smell? Dab it with water? Air it out on the washing line? No! Talcum powder!

Now, I dislike the traditional use of talcum powder as I dont understand why we would want to dry out our skin when we are spending £1000s per year on moisturising it. But I have recently discovered a much better use for it- cleaning clothes.

I don't know if you know this but the more you wash clothes the less it will last, the chemicals don't only eat away at body odour and last nights ketchup stains, they eat away your clothes. And when clothes just have a little smell to them just because they were worn a for several hours before doesn't mean you need sling it in the wash. I discovered this method while watching an interview on Vivienne Westwood when she was talking about recycling fashion and clothes.

Before I start I would just like to say that this will not thoroughly wash your clothes but make them fresh and clean-smelling; when something has been over-worn, washing will be morally the right thing. Also I can't guarantee this will be 100% safe with all fabrics, all I can say is I've used it loads of times and I haven't had a single problem, so I would say 93% certain.

Anyway, lets not dilly dally and get on with things shall we?



Step 1: Lay the garment on a flat wide surface (i.e. bed or table)


Step 2: Sparingly sprinkle the talcum powder over the crotch, inner thighs, underarms, low back area,  and/or any places where odours may linger (you may want to do the same on the inside.)


Step 3: Vigorously pat, rub, and shake the powder into the applied areas until white smears have disappeared (note: for black clothes it is often harder to rub the powder into the fabric, just keep going, and if unsuccessful just spray with a small amount of water.)


So there you have it, three simple, quick, and easy steps to you clean-feeling clothes. Hope you've learnt something from this and I will see you later,

Bye for now

7 Reasons to Shop in Primark

Hiya peeps,

Ok, so today I will be talking about Primark. I don't know if you know, but I'm kind of a Primark freak.
I always shop in Primark, I think their quality is so much better than people think. People think the only quality they are going to get is a £60 hoodie from Hollister or a £35 t-shirt from Jack Wills, but to be honest you can get the same stuff in Primark for 80% less. So today I have decided to do a '7 reasons to...' post.
So without further adieu I welcome...

7 Reasons to Shop in Primark

 

1) Cheap n' Cheerful

I am kind of stating the obvious here but reason 1 is that it is the highest value high street probably in the world; the United States envies us for this, they are desperate to get their hands on this amazingly cheap stuff; I'm actually suprised they don't have it there.

2) More Ethical than you Think


You may associate primark with child labour, and horrific working condidtions and 12p an hour, but that is wrong, Primark work hard for their clothes to be the best value possible but still provide fair pay for their workers. Don't believe me? See for yourself: http://www.primark-ethicaltrading.co.uk/
Another reason they are so cheap is becuase they don't advertise (they rely on customers to rave about them,) they also don't have an online store, and lastly they rarely use models.

3) 'In Style' Fashion


People say about how Topshop and H&M etc. have all the latest trends from the catwalk and they are inspired by designer brands- which is very true; However Primark seem to have all the same stuff, but just unnoticed. For Example, the other week I was thinking about how I really wanted to buy an 80s fair isle jumper to wear at Christmas time or in the snow, but I really didn't want to spend £44 in River Island, so days later I'm in Primark and BAM! I see it on the hanger, right there in my face (I nearly fainted.) This has happended to me several times before as well (I'm anticipating some red skinny jeans soon...)

4) Chop n' Changing all the time

I only found this out recently from a Primark staff member, but apparently they change their stuff almost weekly, you are almost always seeing new stuff, which is probably one of the reasons they don't have an online shop where it would be hard to keep track. One week I'm seeing fluffy scarves, and the next i'm seeing gorgeous leather driving gloves.

5) All-Year-Round Sale


Despite the traditional January and Summer sales that all shops do, Primark have reduced garments virtually all year round. Ever noticed that little metal rack in the corner of the store, bursting with clothes? or that red marker writing on the label? That = Bargain! Although many high streets may have several reduced things Primark seem to have loads plonked around the store.

6) Glamorous Layout

Unfortunately we can't control the crazy crowds or the idiots throwing clothes on the floor, but at least we can admire the simple and clean layout of the store. Primark recently had a bit of a renovation from this:





to this:





And along with their logos come the stores: clear glass, mannequins,clean (yet attractive) layout all make up the new Primark stores.


*note: not all stores have been fully renovated  (my local one still hasn't) just yet. 


7) Expanding by the Minute


In case you haven't noticed, Primark are beginning to sell many new and unexpected items- i.e. retro sweets, face wipes, hand cream, watches, lip balms, wrapping paper, candles, hangers... (the list goes on.)
This kind of expansion means more stores will be built (more jobs) and we as customers will be happier.

So, I do hope you've enjoyed learning all the reasons to shop in Primark. Next time I will briefly talk about the few things I got second-hand within the month.

Bye for now.

Good Old Retro

Hello Peeps,
-I'm back, like I said!

Before I start I just want to briefly talk about rough ideas for future posts, firstly I will very soon be writing a post dedicated to women's fashion, I realise I haven't been very specific with my advice and pictures, and catering for both sex in one post can often end up a bit head-spinning for the reader. Secondly I plan on posting about what clothes I purchased from the boot sales and charity shops (mentioned in an earlier post.)

Today I thought I might talk about that little thing we all miss dearly- Retro. I am a huge retro fan, things were just so timeless back then, now however it changes every minute. In my opinion retro consists of timeless pieces of clothing, sweets, furniture, toys etc. which are within the 70s to late 90 era. Before the 70s I class it as vintage.

From what I can gather from research, and various magazines Retro isn't exactly 'in' at the moment, but sometimes you just can't obey the current fashion laws, as a Fashionista it's good to add your own spin on things. don't you agree?
So throughout the following pictures and annotations you will be seeing my little collection of retro things, (from giant fluffy jumpers to the classic digital watch.) Enjoy.


So, I start off my retro list with this little beauty, digital watches were invented in the 70s and has changed the way we look at time forever. Originally they were a black colour with red numbers, but I love how this one has a modern twist to it.

Primark, £2.50

This grey biker jacket may not look like the most retro of all things, but I just wanted to point out the stud detail, this is greatly associated to late 70s- early 80s punk, I attached the studs myself, using ones from a broken belt, but you can still find them on ebay-they are incredibly easy to attach.

Primark, £21.00

I sadly named him Gregg, I love this necklace pendant so, so much. I added him to this collection because I relise the 80s was full of interesting kitsch jewellery like Gregg here.

New Look mens, £8.00

Again I'm talking about punk, this jewellery piece gives a hard industrial look, which is amazing with the punk look.

New Look mens, £6.00

Ahhhhhhhhh! I cannot tell you how much I love this jacket, I'm really getting into the american retro stuff right now. Originally released in the 50s, this absolutely timeless piece was HUGE in the 80s and was the same several months ago, until they came out of fashion, I don't care though, I love mine too much not to wear it every day!

Primark, £15.00

I mentioned in an earlier post that fair isle was 'in' at the moment, and was very much so in the 80s. To be worn with grey skinny jeans for a retro look, or with skinny fit chinos to look 'in the now.'

Primark, £12.00

(This is embarrassing!) I decided to show you these hipsters because when I saw them I immediety thought, "80s Marvel, geek chic, retro!" I'm not much of a colour lover (I'm more earthy colours) but I love the 80s too much to turn these down!

Primark £3.00

One word, Timeless. Never out of fashion, goes with everything, ultra stylish. what more can I say?

Sports Direct, £10.00

*note: these aren't official All Star Converses, they are inspired ones by the shoe company Airwalk.

Another punky item, I dont know how paisley artwork is associated with punk but they still wear it! Can be worn on a hot summers day as well as with punk.

Camden Market, 99p








Right, so that's some of my little retro collection. In case you hadn't noticed I rather like Primark, if you are more into the higher end high street, I can guarantee Topman (topshop) and River Island will have very similar items. I hope you were inspired by this and I will see you later,

Bye for now.

Kitten heels to Ballet Heels

Just a quick little post today...

A very interesting picture- not to everyone's taste, but I find it very interesting to see the different levels of heels available (from kitten heels to the more erotic and rare ballet heel.) Its also fascinating to see how the leg reacts to these different levels that its being put through- notice how the calf muscle moves further up as the heel ascends, very useful for sketches and precise artwork when designing or simply drawing a women's figure.

Be back soon,
bye for now.

'New Clothes' Diet

Hiya peeps,

In just under a month it will be my birthday (October 10th) so I have decided  to take on a little self- disciplining and personality-building task of buying second hand clothes. Now, whatever your view is on second hand items, you cannot deny that you can pick up some amazing stuff that you would never find in a shop. 

I am very open minded when it comes to clothes- I will willingly shop at Primark and peacocks and those individual market stalls in Camden. I like that I am not a snob towards cheap fashion, but what I have discovered lately is that I am one towards second hand fashion; none of my clothes are second hand (aside from the odd hand me down from my 22 yr old cousin,) and so, to prove my ignorance wrong  I will be nosing about boot sales and charity shops in the search for unusual vintage items, hand made wool jumpers, beautifully aged jeans, impeccably made jackets etc. Shown below is two items I bought last week from a boot sale: 

Faux alligator leather bag and a Chunky, knitted wool jumper. 

The lady said I could have it for a shocking 50p, but I would have felt like I'd robbed her so I gave her a pound instead. I can't tell if this is vintage or not, what do you think? I swear these kind of bags were popular in the 60s.

This chunky hand-made wool jumper was only a pound, I gave it a warm machine wash to remove that musty smell and it was good as new, tip: wear with a vest- very itchy!

Why not try this sort of thing yourself? You cant go wrong with a good bargain.

See you next week, 

bye for now

Autumn wardrobe staples

Hiya peeps,
before I begin I would just like to say, I apologise for the way you have to read my first post- some of the words have been chopped up to continue on the next line, it didn't look like this when it was a draft, but just turned out like that when it was posted, if this happens with this post, then I apologise again, I will get to the bottom of this annoyance very soon.
Anyway back to blogging.
I mentioned that I was going to be showing you some autumn wardrobe staples that i think are a must-have, or are simply advertised by magazines, By viewing these staples you will also be getting a decent idea of trends this autumn,
enjoy.


Snug Snoods

For both men and women, the snood is all the rage this autumn,  whether your wearing a classic trench coat, or a thick zipper hoodie, or just a simple grey jumper, the snood will trend up whatever you choose to wear.

If you don't mind your neck NOT being warm (or you intend to wear it indoors) go for a sheer and much more drapey  snood like this sandy paisley printed snood.

Be nice n snug this autumn with this chunky (yet fabulous) cable knit snood.













Hats hats hats
Hats are big (maybe not literally) this autumn, in any form you can think of, whether you enjoy wearing the smart trilby hat, or the more urban beanie, or the stunning faux fur trapper hat, fashion is welcoming every type this season.

You just cant go wrong with the ultra urban beanie, looks good on most face shapes, and can give an either cute innocent look, or a tough and slightly grungy look.

The gorgeous and timeless trilby hat, is never unfashionable in my eyes, will look beautiful with a matching business suit, or a tough urban military look (depending on the colour.)with this hat, always remember to put it at some angle on your face, believe me, it just doesn't look right horizontal!

With a suiting face this beauty can look very striking, the faux fur just completes it for me, so warm, so snugly and so gorgeous.


















Military boot- we're back!
I must rate this product for how long it has been around for, last autumn they were all the rage, and same with spring/summer, and now this autumn they are still going strong.


In grey, brown, beige, khaki or the classic black, this boot goes with everything, from a cute peter pan -collar floral dress, to a punky skinny-jeans military look.


















Chunky oversized cable knit
jumpers, scarves, snoods, gloves, hats...
- the list goes on; in my opinion cable knit just never comes out of fashion in autumn/winter, when executed correctly, it will look amazing.

 I dont play cricket, but this i just had to buy, I wouldnt wear it with a t-shirt underneath (my picture contradicts what I just said) only to give it that more laid back, grungy feel, some light blue or grey skinny jeans would look very retro for men. Ladies, if your brave enough, get an XL mens size, and wear as a dress- with a belt of course, or if your not feeling as bold, wear with some skinny jeans or lace leggings, possibly finish off with a sandy coloured snood (like my one), and a kitsch ring or bracelet.

Just another idea of cable knit, could be worn with the jumper above or a cream trench coat/ duffel coat.




















Fair isle (what??)
In case you didn't know, fair isle is a Scottish pattern technique consisting of many lines, zigzags, and colours- for a better description follow this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Isle_(technique)
The fair isle style (that rhymed!) is gradually getting more and more fashionable this season as I notice more and more shops introducing the style to their clothes and accessories.

Its socially agreed, that one should wear fair isle either in autumn/winter and especially nearing the Christmas period, as the pattern detail remind people of the festive time of year.















Like cable knit fair isle is mostly seen in a forms of jumpers, but can be found often as arm warmers, gloves, hats scarves etc.













So these are just some of the many new autumn trends this season, I hope you enjoyed learning about these items. I would like to thank , New Look, Google images,  Topman, and Ebay for some of these images. The remaining ones were worn and taken by me. If you would like to know more about autumn trends follow this link: http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/trends Or for men I highly recommend having a little look at fashionbeans.com
It has so much info and all you need to know about male fashion trends (they even have hair trends!)

See you next week peeps!

Little Intro Before I Begin...

Hello peeps,
My name is Nick, and I have just created a fashion blog (obviously!) I will be publishing on this blog at least once every other week and it will be absolutley anything to do with fashion (i.e. trends, shopping, dressing tips, money saving and my own thoughts on things.) I'm probably one of the only males around that is creating a blog on fashion, so please don't be put off or expect less of me because of my gender.
Now, allow me to explain why i've decided to create a blog:
Firstly, I believe that fashion and clothes are very important in this world- both socially and personally- and I think people really need to know and appreciate that.
And secondly, fashion is always on my mind, it is hardly talked about with my friends or expressed properly to people around me. My thoughts are just stored in my head all day everyday, and blogging is a great way to get an idea across to people and inspire people you don't even know.
I'm not here to tell you what you should and shouldn't wear, I'm here to inspire you and give you ideas to work with. I want to express my 'fashiony' thoughts to you lovely peeps, I want to inspire you, I want you to inspire me, I want to hear your thoughts throughout my blogging years and most of all I want you guys to feel good about yourself!
I very much look forward to posting further updates in the very near future, for now though I will leave you with these pics.

This is my beautiful magazine collection (seems a little sad that i put all my babies together and took a picture but oh well!) It has grown by like 5 since i took this pic.

I am a vogue reader, not because of what they write (to be honest most high-end fashion magazines write in similar style!) but because of how famous it is world wide and because of how much I respect the U.S. editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. In this pic (below) is my first ever vogue issue, I paid £4.10 for it in Sainsburys in late march 2011

In these pics below are my first ever September issues, I decided to buy Elle as well as vogue because of the significant importance of the September issues. I still haven't completely read them, they are huge!

I will shortly be talking about the autumn must haves of 2011 for both men and women.

See you soon