How Very Stylish!

Spotted. Hannah Kay in Wartime Wear.

Hannah stuck out from the crowds of lecture-going students like an exquisite silk evening dress would amongst a pile of old knitted jumpers. I felt like I had hopped into my time machine and travelled to London in the 1940's. The three words that came to mind when I first spotted her were,

ELEGANT

SOPHISTICATED

QUIRKY

and World War II

Pink top from Topshop

Silk Trousers from Urban Outfitters. Something Else. Natalie Wood

She looked cooly chic in her midnight blue, silk, high waisted trousers, rose pink, loose fitting top and brown, snakeskin leather bag. The icing on the cake, for me, were her perfectly worn-down, brown leather brogues.

Brown Mock-leather Brogues. Primark

Drawing. World War II Fashion

Hannah's high-waisted trousers epitomise World War II fashion. Throughout which women increasingly wore pinched in trousers rather than skirts and dresses. At the time this break was radical and came as a result of increased labour jobs for women. The introduction of trousers into women's fashion had a lot to do with the increased opportunitites for women who, during the war, had to take on laborous jobs previously held by men. Trousers were first publicised in Vogue magazine in 1939 and were soon worn by stars such as Katherine Hepburn which set them off aa a new and accepted trend. The 1940's was renowned for it's more masculine yet still elegant wear of often high-wasited, clinched in at the waist and upturned trousers as pictured in the image above.

Women took on a more masculine appearance, though fabrics such a silk and satin ensured items exhorted an elegant and feminine feel. The button detail and pleated waistline ensure Hannah's trousers maintain a feminine feel and are also extremely flattering to her waistline. The high waist acts to elongate her legs. The loose fitting top juxtoposes perfectly with the tailored waitline of her trousers in a graceful, comlimentary manner.

Hannah adds a tipple of quirkiness and fun to her smart outfit by accessorising with a hair piece which also acts to feminise her outfit and make it more casual.

Hannah's Style Credentials

Where do you shop the most?

I love to shop at vintage stores as I enjoy collecting classic items of clothing which will stay in fashion year after year. Spittalfields market is great for picking up some great bargains as well as unique pieces. The idea of reviving past trends appeals to me and vintage shops always have some brilliant items from different fashion decades. Having said this I think it is important to mix vintage pieces with new, high street trends. My favourite High Street shops include Zara, Topshop and Urban Outfitters where there are a number of individual designers showcasing their work like, Natalie Wood who designed my trousers.

How would you describe your style?

I guess, experimental. I couldn't really generalise as I have a lot of different styles that I like. I'd say quirky and versatile. I love finding pieces that you can wear over and over again to create different looks. I like accessorising-head scarfs are my latets craze.

What is your favourite item of clothing?

I have quite a big collection of waistcoats from embroidered to sequined etc... They make any outfit fun. Most of them I have picked up in markets or vintage fairs.

Any Style secrets?

I think accessorising is key to making an outfit interesting and different. I love buying unique brooches from vintage shops. Most of my jewellry I buy from charity shops or vintage fairs. The idea of them being authentic makes them more interesting and special. I also love layering clothes.

How would you describe the fashion in Leeds?

Very ecclectic which means you can be as experimental as you like and wear some crazy things. Inspiring, as everyday you see people wearing items that you wouldn't usually consider but then really want.

If you like Hannah's style or any items she has worn then read our 'Get the Look' to find out where you can buy similar items. Big thanks to Hannah!

Emma

A Note from Be Inspired basement HQ

This week we are going to start producing weekly blog features. We want our blog to act as an easily accessible and FREE mini student fashion magazine (of sort) that you can read on a daily basis just by typing in our web address

www.beinspiredfashionblog.blogspot.com

We are going to start with the following key features.

'How Stylish!'

Walking around uni we are constantly looking out for interesting styles and surveying what everyone wears. Each week we are going to take a photo of someone who we have soptted as having their own innovative and individual style and interrogate them about their style and where they like to shop etc. We will then publish their fashion profile on our blog. With over 30 000 students in Leeds there are thousands of different styles to be seen and we want to snap some of the most edgy, individual and creative for you to see.

'Get the look'

This post will be a follow on from 'How very stylish' as we both know how annoying it is when you see someone wearing, say, a coat that you absolute love yet have no way of finding out where it is from LE creepy!). We will take the place of the middle fashionista and hunt every shop on the high street for items similar to those featured in the 'How very stylish' post so that you can then go and make a purchase if you want.

'Vintage Find'

As we have already announced, we live just around the corner from two brilliant vintage stores, 'Best Vintage' and 'Retro Vintage,' so we thought it would be a great idea to photograph our favourite Vintage find each week. We go in and scour around basically every day so we won't miss any new items that come in-we hope!

Vintage shops are gold mines for finding classical, key pieces that will remain timeless in your wardrobe and, everything is affordable, which is good news for students. On top of this, the feeling you get when you DO find something is unchallengeable!Being ecclectic is key to being stylish, so we want to find vintage pieces which will look great teemed with both high street and designer items. We will try to trace back the items we photograph and give you an insight into the history of different trends, such as houndstooth. If you are lucky, the items will hopefully still be in the shop for you to buy!

'On the Mannequin'

We have a new member in the basement! Our recently purchased MANNEQUIN!

Each week we will shop (such hard work) until we find an outfit that relates either to our 'How very stylish' feature or our 'Latest trend feature.' The outfit we chose will be styled by yours truly and modelled by our mannequin.

We will also post up fashion news and details on different, 'must-have' trends that hit the fashion scene.

Please comment on any post that particularly interest you or that you enjoyed reading! We really want to know what you think!

Sophie and Emma

Power Dressing

With the strain of the current economic climate pulling everyone down, fashion designers have proposed a new trend that is guaranteed to make every woman feel in control and utterly magnificent. It's time to delve into your attic and reintroduce your mum's endless boxes of shoulder padded items back into the world. Shoulder pads are, would you believe it, back in fashion and bringing a lot of attitude with them. Between the 1930's and 1980's any item of clothing not fitted with shoulder pads was deemed 'unfashionable' which, I have to announce is, once again, the case today. Shoulder pads were classed by John. T. Molloy in his 1975 edition of 'Dress for Success' as the defining fashion trend for power dressing. The padded shoulder look masculinises, in an elegant way, any item of clothing and asserts an immediate sense of power and control. The craze of 'power dressing' was first popularised in the 1980's by women seeking status and power. I'm sure you won't be surprised to find out that the tren soon became a universal craze.

Joan Collins wearing a shoulder padded jacket in the 1985 hit television show, Dynasty.

Shoulder pads have been relaunched, most successfully, by Balmain and its collection of pointed, high shouldered jackets that pay tribute to the infamous 'King of Pop'-Michael Jackson. The pointed bone shoulder pads create an interesting, sharp silhouette. Balmain jackets have been seen on numerous celebrities, including Madonna and Beyonce but, unfortunately for students, they come with a triple figure price tag. Luckily, the trend has hit the high street despite the doubts of fashion critics and an ecclectic mix of pad integrated items are available.

Collection of Balmain Jackets. Spring Collection.

Black Shoulder Pad Jacket. £95. Topshop Boutique. ,

Shoulder Pad Jacket. £95. Topshop Boutique

At asos.com the shoulder pad trend has taken on a futuristic appearance with this metallic dress,

Metallic Shoulder Pad Dress. £28. Asos.com

Other high street stores such as Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins and Warehouse have pulled out the pads with a variety of jackets and long sleeved dresses. Simple, plain black designs, like the one below, create fantastic, sharp, edgy silhouettes.

Black Velvet Power Dress. £30. Dorothy Perkins

If you aren't keen on going for the full-on padded effect but still like the idea of focusing on the shoulde area then look out for items with shoulder detail like the Topshop dress below with its one-shoulder structure and jewel embellished detail,

Embellished One Shoulder Dress. (£40). Topshop

Vintage shops this season will be goldmines if your on the hunt for shoulder padded items!

Power is coming your way!

Emma

Not such a shrinking violet!

You will certainly not be a shrinking violet this winter as purple seems to be making a fashion come back! Only a couple of years ago did we see purple hit the catwalks in autumn 2007. By being a fashion must-have twice within a few years this shows how great purple really is. Purple is a great statement for the winter wardrobe, bold and bright yet has a greater sense of warmth than some other colours that we might see. Purple has long been associated with royalty, dating back to the Romans when the dye to make the colour was more expensive than any other. Since then, purple has been associated with the regal wearers and a symbol of great opulence.

Here is Kate Middleton rocking the purple look in one of the darker shades.

Purple is such a deep colour giving an air of mystery to the wearer, so grab an item today and finally feel like a Princess and become a ‘Mysterious Girl’! The reason I love purple so much is because it has all the same slimming qualities as black but will always allow you to stand out from the crowd. It suits almost any skin tone/hair colour with the pastel colours suiting the blond wearers.

I currently don’t have anything purple in my wardrobe at the moment so these items are on my short- list:

This gorgeous dress is right up to date combining sophistication of the lace and the colour of the season. This can be found on asos.com for £40.00!

Every year, towards Christmas time, I am on the lookout for the perfect party dress. My first port of call is usually Karen Millen, although it can be a little pricey the range of styles and colours are always great. Already they have some beautiful dresses coming in and here is one from their limited collection and guess what...its purple!

Karen Millen, £180.00

A duffle coat with attitude, Dorothy Perkins, £65.00.

Bow, platform shoe, Miss Selfridge, £35.00

For a more casual look, I think this would look great with bare legs and gladiator sandals. French Connection, £60.00.

My favourite purple item, the sweetheart mini dress. French Connection, £75.00.

Sophie. x

Love Leggings

Figure-clinging, lycra workout wear first hit the fasion scene in the 90's and immediately became a must-have trend. I'm sure you all remember the infamous tv show, Saved by the Bell, and have all witnessed your mum bouncing around the living room to fitness videos hosted by women dressed head-to-toe in turquoise and purple lycra. Yes, that was the nineties. The decade that saw the mass production of materials such as lycra, pvc and spandex for the world of fashion. If you are struggling to remember, all you have to do is look back to the time Michelle Pfeiffer starred as Catwoman in Batman Begins and you have the epitiome of the grunge-loving 90's.

Michelle Pfeiffer. Catwoman. Batman Begins

Despite being named the decade of 'anti-fashion,' one trend in particular has made a huge comeback. Yes, you've probably guessed-LYCRA-in the form of leggings. Luckily, for the sake of the 21st Century, designers have revived and improved the trend to produce numerous different forms and styles, all made from a variety of materials such as lace, denim, pvc, sequins and cotton. Leggings are now renowned for their versatility and the good thing is that you are no longer guaranteed to look like a dominatrix, though, the opportunity to is still there. Legging's are a 'must have' item this winter so I have decided to put together a collection of what I rate as the top ten leggings on the high street this season. If the styles I have chosen don't appeal to please don't give up, there is a vast selection out there still to be seen. My top ten styles are:

Domino Print Leggings. £18. Asos.com

Dew Drop Leggings. £40. FCUK

Black Sequin Leggings. Dorothy Perkins. £40

Mexican Print Leggings. £35. FCUK

Printed Legging. £28. Urban Outfitters

Floral Print Leggings. £18. Asos.com

Detail Ribbon Rose Legging. £20. Topshop.

Kate Acid Wash Jeggings. £25. Asos.com

Lace Animal Print Leggings. £20. Topshop.

Black Lace Leggings. £18. Miss Selfridge.

REVIVE THE 1990's

Emma

Our First Vintage Find...

To our delight and the dismay of our bank balances there is small, but fantastic, vintage shop called ‘Best Vintage’ on the corner of our street. I’m sure those who live in Leeds know it very well as it is always buzzing with people. Walking through the doors of the lilac painted shop this morning the first thing I did was skim along the line of cut-out white leather stilettos that fill the shop window. Fortunately, for my bank balance, they were all size five so I moved sadly on and only to come face to face with the most perfect vintage jacket I have ever seen and, it was houndstooth!

The design screams Chanel with its elegantly cut neckline, shiny gold buttons but, most importantly, its bold and oh-so-stylish houndstooth pattern.

I just can't take my eyes off the gold buttons!

Ever since it rocked the 50’s the bold, black and white broken checks of houndstooth have made endless reappearances on the fashion scene. Every year the pattern seems to make clothes appear even bolder and more sophisticated than the previous year. As Vogue magazine comments, houndstooth breaks up the dark, enigmatic black and charcoal shades that come with most winter wardrobes by giving them a lighter, fresher feeling. Houndstooth has been pacing itself up and down catwalk shows by Alexander McQueen, Chanel and, in a more playful abstract form, Moschino. Such designers show that houndstooth is most striking when used on fitted jackets, pencil skirts and loose high-waisted trousers. The infamous pattern has hit the high street too. Stores like Dorothy Perkins (featured below) are producing abstract watered down versions that would look fantastic with fitted blazers or chunky knitted scarves. M&S have also brought out a hounsdtooth patterned cardigan which will make any outfit edgy.

Alexander McQueen, Autumn/Winter 2009

Dorothy Perkins. Dogtooth Dress. Autumn 2009 (£18.00)

Marks and Spencer's. Houndstooth Cardigan. Autumn 2009 (£29.50)

I’ll be amazed if the houndstooth jacket in the vintage shop is still there tomorrow morning.

I really hope it is!

Emma

I never forget a dress...

Emma and I have a mantra...”you never forget a dress”. I can remember almost any night by what somebody was wearing and I truly believe that every dress has a story.

I think my love of clothes has been inherited from my mum. She is (without being biased) the most glamorous lady I have ever met. One of my first childhood memories is sitting on her bed whilst she was getting ready for a ball. I watched in amazement as she pulled on her satin evening gloves that perfectly matched her beautiful red and pink dress. The dress had a tight bodice and layers and layers of chiffon that spiralled down in tendrils to her ankles...a real princess dress. This dress is still hanging in our attic along with rails and rails of clothes which my mum can’t bear to throw away and I hope to add to this collection over the years!

Being back in Leeds I have not been able to bring my full collection of dresses with me, my dad actually put a stop to that when I’d filled 3 cars full with my things! Here, however are a few of my favourites...(from left to right)

Grey and purple shift dress. Oasis. Summer 2009.
This is one of my favourite dresses in my wardrobe at the moment. The colours compliment each other perfectly, the dress has the essential floral pattern for summer yet the pixalated appearance makes it modern and edgy. I couldn’t think of a better dress for a summer barbecue, comfortable and relaxed yet chic and sexy with the clingy material hugging all the right places.

Black and cream, lace corset dress. Urban Outfitters. Christmas 2008.
Well, what can I say about this one? I don’t think a dress has ever captured my style more. You can imagine my happiness after falling in love with this dress and then realising it was in the sale! The layers of net skirt give the dress a tutu like appearance. The vertical stitching on the bodice elongates the wearer’s figure and the grey, elasticated waistband provides a great contrast from the femininity of the lace. The corset top and the cups certainly make it my Madonna dress!

Pink body-con dress. Reiss.

Myself on the right with my friend Jessie who too is wearing a body con skirt!

I think a body-con dress is an absolute essential in every girl’s wardrobe. The colour is so striking and looks great with a tan. There is no better item to accentuate a girls figure and the thickness of this dress’s material really helps out when things need to be held in! So...next buy, my own Hervé Léger...a girl can only dream!

Cheryl Cole in Hervé Léger.

Silk ‘Yuriko’ top. All Saints. June 2009.
All Saints is my favourite high street store and on many occasions I find myself top to toe in everything All Saints! Although this is a top, I wear this garment as a dress. It may be a little on the short side but is such a versatile item, great with bare legs in the summer and with black opaques in the winter. The silk falls beautifully around the bat-wing sleeves and the gathering in the middle gives the dress shape. Again, sequins are a must-have item in any girl’s wardrobe and the pretty pink and blue sequins allow this dress to ooze glamour.

Sophie.

My Confession

I confess.

My wardobe contains far too many dresses. More dresses than I can possibly wear. More dresses than I need. But certainly not enough to stop me buying anymore! I want every dress I see and every dress I feel (and hope) wants me! One of my most unforgettable memories is the day my grandma, when I was about 15 years old, took me upstairs to her enormous wooden wardrobe and pulled back the doors to reveal the most incredible collection of evening gowns and cocktail dresses which she had saved from before I was born. The black velvet, green satin and white lace slid lovingly through my fingers and an overwhelming sense of happiness buzzed through my body. From that day I (definitely as an excuse) blame my grandma for my addiction to dresses. With her collection of dresses in my wardrobe and my own ever-expanding collection rapidly building up I can't help but not reveal a few of my absolute favourites:

From far left:
Black and White striped dress. Warehouse. Summer 2009
The simple black and white striped patterning gives this dress a very chic, striking and tres Parisian appearance. Whenever I wear it I feel as though I will leap any moment onto the catwalk at a Chanel fashion show or even onto the set of My Fair Lady alongside Audrey Hepburn and her fabulous balck and white striped, lace gown.

Black, studded, tutu skirt dress. Topshop. Summer 2009
I have to be feeling brave to wear this dress as the skirt is virtually inexistent, however, when I do I feel extremely fun and, as a result of the studs, a little naughty! Everything about this dress-the studs, its length, the skirt volume and the crossed back scream out 'don't mess with me' and instantly gives whoever wears it A LOT of presence and attitude.

Red, satin, backless dress. Lipsy. Spring 2009.
This dress must be worn with your hair up as the back swoops so elegantly down to your waistline to be met at the bottom by a perfect satin bow. It is shiny, satin and red-what more can you want? There is something fantastic about a red dress which guarantees a whoever wears one a wonderful night! (note to self: I must do a feature on red dresses!)

The lovely Jessie, Sophie (far right) and I

Finally,

Pink and silver sequined dress. Monsoon. Christmas 2008. Because I believe everyone should have some sparkle in their wardrobe. When your clothes shine so do you! Sequins are a must have trend at the moment. See our trend feature coming up this week on embellishments to find out where to by items of clothing covered in everything from sequins to studs!

Emma

Before we begin...

We have just one confession...

Futuristic Prom Dress (£60)

Lipsy, http://www.lipsy.co.uk/

...We have a BIG obsession with dresses.

Where it all begins...

The basement of our new house in Leeds has been converted from a damp, dreary underground into a bright, edgy fashion haven. As two fashion crazy friends we can’t help but be inspired by the endless magazine pages that cover the whitewashed walls. Some people might think we are mad but really we are in love, with everything and anything to do with fashion! As the poet Pedro de la Barca stated, ‘’ love that is not madness is not love!’’

The eclectic array of evening dresses, handbags and jackets which hang neatly in our wardrobes stand as proof of such love, though not proof enough, which is why we have decided, after a summer of planning, to start writing a blog devoted to fashion. In this new and very stylish basement is where our blog writing will begin.

As two English students we will combine our love of fashion with our interest in writing to address our views on a variety of styles and trends. We want to gain an insight into student style so where better to be living than in the fashion capital of the North! Each week we want to produce a magazine style blog post that covers everything from fashion must-haves, to details about fashion houses, designers and publications! We want to know more about fashion and inform you at the same time. The key thing is that we aim not to dictate what to wear but, instead, to inspire you to try different trends and styles!

Please read on, enjoy and, most importantly, BE INSPIRED!