THE PRIMARK EXPERIENCE

Everytime I walk in to Primark I do so without NEEDING to buy anything. I don't go in to look for anything specific as I would when shopping in Topshop or Zara. I go in knowing that the probabilty of walking out with at least three items is very high. You can take risks in Primark. You can be open minded and care free. You don't have to be tied down to a shopping list of 'I need items' because everything, as you all know, is SO cheap! The word cheap could, for some people, be a huge turn off; cheap prices = cheap quality. However, I beg to differ, as I have been wearing and wearing and wearing the same denim Primark shirt for over a year now and it is still in pristine condition, as are the bras I live in, the dressing gown I just can't get out of in the morning and the big, wooly cardigan that has seen me through the whole winter.

Mischa Barton-Playsuit and tights.... not just a trend for the summer!

Last week I waltzed into the colossal Primark branch in Leeds with no longing to buy anything specific but with a very strong intention of buying. I was on an impulse buying, spur of the moment mission taking full advantage of the fact that I could try on mounds of clothes because, at the end of the day, I could afford to walk away with 3 items of clothing costing no more that ten punds each! I headed over to the knitted jumpers first only to find that they were all on sale at no more than £4 each-fantastic! This meant I could walk out with 4 items in my brown paper Primark bag. The excitement lead me on to a rack of playsuits. Up until that moment, playsuits were unconquered fashion ground for me. I had always admired them on other people but never before tried one on, let alone bought one.

Vanessa Hudgens-working boho at its best!

The patterns and colours drew me in and before I knew it I had a handful of six different playsuits longing to be tried on. I couldn't wait any longer, to the changing rooms I strode.

Huge dilemma.
I wanted them all.

But rules are rules...you can only shop in Primark if you buy 3 items or less (4 if one is a sale item).

The next half an hour was spent clambering in and out of and buttoning up and down the selection of playsuits I was now having to eliminate, one by one. The beige and spotty design made me feel very 1950's chic-I BLAME THE POLKA DOTS! The floral print made feel extremely summery-too summery so that one went. I then had to choose between the black and white spots and the plain black. Spots made it through.

Finally, my two favourites. They were so similar but perfect in their own ways. One had to go.....goodbye blue checks!

Blake Lively showing us how summer bright playsuits can really have the WOW factor

Playsuits are great, versatile and fun trend to try out if you haven't already. They do wonders to your figure by clinching in your waist and elongating your legs. Those with dropped necklines are incredibly flattering. Many come in pretty silk fabrics and the patterns on the high street are perfect for this spring. Once again, this is a day and night trend that cannot be overlooked!

I walked out of Primark with two playsuits, one woolen cardigan and a pair of bow print tights in a very happy mood because I had only spent £26.

PHOTOS ON TO COME...my battery conveniently died on me...

Long live my spur of the moment, cheap Primark buys! I'll keep you posted....

Emma x

If I could have one S/S collection...

...It would have to be Reiss.

Their SPRING/SUMMER LOOKBOOK is DIVINE....I want it all!

It wasn't until this year that I came across Reiss, I guess in past years I'd overlooked it despite hearing endless people wooing over it.

I would have to describe Reiss asbeing a cross between...Zara and FCUK. It incorporates Zara's sophisticated, fitted collections and its essential, basic items with FCUK's fabric, colours and detail.

I knew the first time I walked into the large, light and airy shop in the Victoria Quarter in Leeds that this would/had in a matter of seconds become my favourite store.

However, I'm a student and Reiss is just (well quite a bit in fact) out of my price range.

The silk blouses, chiffon dresses and light blazers will have to wait a few years before I can afford any of them!

If I could describe or epitomise my style in any way I would relate to Reiss' S/S collection.

I love every single piece from the tailored shorts to the incredibly chic and sophisticated bow, hareem trousers. How can anyone resist the fringe trimmed cardigans and not covet over the silk tops, tiered dresses and over sized jackets, not to mention the studded jersey dresses and beautiful, delicate blush blouses.

This is all coming from my memory...the items are lodged lovingly in my memory...

I am going to make Reiss' S/S collection the main influence of my own spring collection. Reiss' lookbook is abundant with light, fresh, floaty materials and airy, clean colours. My S/S look will be feminine and sophistacted. I am going to try an invest a little more money into buying 5 key items-a spring blazer, a pair of hareem pants, a delicate animal print silk top, a nautical skirt and finally a cropped blazer. Perhaps I'll make this more of a wishlist. When I find my perfect (affordable) Reissesque items I promise to post them on the blog!

I've already tracked down one absolutely brilliant nautical skirt which is almost identical to the one in Reiss' collection! Thank goodness for River Island...

Link to skirt..... £21.99.... RIVER ISLAND SKIRT click to view...I know you are interested!

TO SEARCH THROUGH REISS COMPLETE LOOKBOOK VISIT REISS ONLINE

sexy, sophisticated, feminine and chic...what more can you want from a Spring wardrobe??

DENIM DESTRUCTION ZONE

It's about time this blog stopped cosseting dresses and going jelly-legged over lace. It's time to put hands to scissors, bleach to washing machine and cheese grater to denim. Yes, this is the month to arm yourselves with all the sharp edged objects and corrosive liquids you have in your house (keeping within obvious health and safety precautions of course!).

It's time to get in touch with both your creative and destructive sides.

It's time to come to terms with the fact that those Miss Sixty and Topshop jeans we wore when we were 13, in reality, are never going to fit round our thighs again. No matter how much we despise this fact and try to ignore it we must ACCEPT IT!

Your old jeans will be much more useful this season as patchwork squares and mini shorts.

The fun begins with the cutting and continues with the bleaching and I think you'll find, the high point will undoubtedly be the shredding, tearing and ripping!

Wearing your grunge creations will be pretty fun too. I promise.

If you really aren't ready to come to terms with destroying your old jeans then go out and buy a new pair...denim is EVERYWEAR this spring in all sorts of shades and washes. Go denim mad and buy some denim in every item of clothing...

shirts

dresses

shorts

tops

crops

bralets

and even shoes.

One condition.

Every item must undergo the home finishing grunging process.

You don't want your high high street denim to look the same as everyone else's bought denim!

Topshop has some great washed denim pieces I am longing to get my creative claws on!

My beady eyes are paying particular attention to this cropped bodice.

What fun I could have grunging it up!

Denim Bralet Cami. £18. Topshop

Nothing wants to be washed out with bleach and cheese grated more than thi cropped jacket.

Be as creative and as brutal as possible. Experiment. Take risks. Cut arms off jackets and shred the edges. Grate and scrape through pockets. Bung all your denim into a washing machine with a load of bleach. Cut all your denim into patchwork squares and sew them onto other clothes.

Crop Denim Jacket. £40. Topshop

If savaging denim into grunge creations isn't an appealing prospect to you then simply walk into any shop on the high street as I can guarantee you there will be the perfect 'already worked on' denim piece in there for you. You simply need to take it to the till, carry it home and pop it in your wardorbe. If my Grandma reads this blog post she feel completely bewildered as she just can't understand why anyone would buy a pair of jeans with holes and rips in them, let alone purposefully destroy their clothes on purpose!

I love these washed out denim-torn to shreds jeans!

Lace Ripped Skinny Jeans. £50. Topshop

Johanna Denim Shorts. £50. Abercrombie and Fitch

Vintage shops and charity shops will be fantastic places to wade through racks of previously worn denim pieces and the fantastic thing about second denim is that you won't have to do anything to it!

Emma x

THIS DRESS MADE ME THINK OF....

It ticks every box.

This dress would look fantastic in a particular persons wardrobe.

She LOVES pink.

She often wears stripes

It would perfectly compliment her figure.

It perfectly suits her personality.

And she could wear it all year round

This dress is perfect for somebody special.

It made me think of her.

Tropical Annie Dress. £60. FCUK.

If I had £60 I would definitely buy it for her. But I don't. So I thought I'd tell her instead.

YOU HAVE TO GET THIS DRESS BINS!

Emma x

MY LIFESAVER

Topshop: Angellica Plain Shoe Boots. £70

They may look fairly

safe

standard

simple

and sophisticated

but I just couldn't live without them.

Wear them to work

Wear them to dinner

Wear them whilst you dance for hourse on end

Wear them in winter

Wear them with jeans

Wear them with a dress

Wear them with leggings

Weat them to work

Wear them with tights

Wear them ALL the time!

Black, suede ankle boots...are a must have staple item for EVERY wardrobe!

YOU WILL LOVE THEM FOREVER
WEAR THEM FOREVER

and

NEVER LOOK AT ANOTHER PAIR OF HEELS AGAIN!

Emma

DESIGN YOUR OWN....

....SKI HAT @ Hats for the Hill

My very insightful friend Lauren told me about this GREAT website over dinner which enables you to design your own unique bobble hat!

A lot of my friends are jetting off to various snow-topped mountains this Easter so I thought this would be a fantastic 'take a look at this' post to dedicate to them. I myself have never been a ski fanatic having rather disastrously demonstrated my lack of skill five years ago with several very embarrassing tumbles. Since that dreaded week spent hurtling over mogles (if that is how you spell them) and healing my aching legs after hours of snow plow I pretty much wrote off skiing altogether.

HOWEVER...

These hats are almost enough to persuade me to give it one last go....

I just spent ages flicking through different colours and styles trying to imagine how I'd look elegantly (this was definitely a dream) gliding (is that the word?) down ski runs with my colourful bobble hat on.

I think I overestimate myself on the ski front but my design skills are certainly promising!

I thoroughly recommend everyone visits the site below...even if you aren't zipping of to a cosy ski lodge this Easter!

http://www.hatsforthehill.com

The site is so easy to use, with simple design steps that involve using enough creative skill to make you feel like you have contributed a substantial amount to the design of your hat without sending you into a blur of dizzy indecision.

I'm thinking....pink and white stripe with pink, white and yellow plaits and a white and yellow speckled bobble.....PREFECT!

This post if dedicated predominantly to my hatless housemate Olivia who has a brilliant 'vintage' ski suit yearning for a bobble hat. I would have to recommend purple and red stripes, purple and white and red plaits and a purple and red bobble for you Liv! How VERY stylish!

Emma