If you checked out our gallery of party tops last week and decided to splash out on one, you might now be stuck for something to wear with it. Trousers have been on the rise in the last couple of years, with a load of new styles (harem, peg, boyfriend) being thrust upon us as the latest must-have. We wouldn’t blame you if you’ve stuck with your trusty skinny jeans, but trust us when we say that trying a new trouser style for a night out can really set you apart from the other party-goers.
We’ve picked out a few of our favourites that are available right now. Remember that trousers are one of the best ways to make that transition from the office to a party, just by adding some heels and a clutch bag. But not all of the looser trouser styles need a heel – flats can look just as good.
Don’t forget too that the humble short can also look amazing for a party taking the place of a skirt. Remember to dress them down though – think like Alexa Chung and wear them with flats and a blouse. Heels and shorts aren’t very often a good combination.
We’re liking Pixie Lott, alot (sorry) at the moment. Her tunes are sassy and she’s leant her talents to a range of charitable clothing, which looks absolutely amazing.
So it’s no surprise that she’s been snapped for the cover of UK InStyle magazine. Pixie wears a range of this years hottest styles pulling off sequins, lace and military effortlessly
And it seems she’s also a true fashionista. During an interview with the magazine she said: “I’ve always been into fashion. My sister is exactly the same. We get it from our mum. She used to dress us in designer stuff when we were little.”
Click on the picture below to view more snaps of Pixie.
We don’t know about you, but when we think about Christmas parties the third thing that comes into our mind after drink and dancing is the pain we’ve got from wearing our high heels.
We know heels are an essential part of the Christmas outfit, and we’ve even done a gallery with the best skyscraper heels out there. Yes we know, were glutton’s for punishment.
Although we included a pair of flat shoes in there for after the copious amounts of champagne, there are some girls, who would rather just be comfortable all night. We’ve therefore put together a gallery of the best flat shoes out there, which will ensure you look stylish as well as keeping you comfortable.
Ever feel eco-guilt over marching out of Primark, arms weighed down by thirty quid’s worth of tops and dresses you might only wear a few times? Us too. But there is a way to feel better: if we all cut down on disposable fashion and chose eco-friendly clothes every now and again, the world would probably heave a little sigh of relief (and so would we).
Not that we’re trying to guilt-trip you. Ethical shopping can be just as enjoyable as a trip down the high street – the only difference is you’ll have to do most of the shopping online instead. Everyone’s aware that there’s loads of choice on offer these days, but you might not know where to look, so we’ve compiled a gallery of some of our favourite ethical clothes on sale now, to suit most budgets. Some are fair trade, while others use sustainable or organic fabrics, and all of our picks make a lesser impact on the planet.
It’s a good idea to go for more classic designs when picking eco-friendly fashion, since the point of it is to invest rather than buy something you won’t wear in a year’s time. Our picks are the sort of items of clothing that have timeless cool.
Hopefully it will inspire you to look slightly more further afield for your next fashion fix. Make sure you check out the online stores we’ve featured. (And don’t forget second hand is just as good, so hit up the charity or vintage shops too this winter.)
Click the picture below to start the gallery.
A Christmas outfit, shoes and make-up are all essential for that great party look, but many of us forget is that sometimes it’s whats inside that counts too.
No, we haven’t turned into a self help website, we’re talking about your underwear.
Not only does wearing a matching pair of undies help you feel sexy on the inside, but according to the Daily Star many of us are buying these items as a cheeky Christmas present for our other halves, with high street stores reporting a 16% rise in luxury lingerie sales this year.
“Sexy lingerie is definitely a way of making your cash go further,” the Daily Star quoted an expert as saying.
“It really is the gift that keeps on giving over and over again.”
So there you have it, two great options for the price of one.
However, we have to warn you, those Bridget Jones pants won’t have the desired effect, and, wearing your knickers as outerwear a la Lady Gaga also won’t get you those Christmas party brownie points.
You’ve got your Christmas party outfit ready, along with the shoes (we hope some of that is down to us) but there’s still something still missing and that’s the make-up.
Although some of us will stick to our basic make-up regime this year many will want to get the all out party look.
We’ve therefore put together a range of this year’s Christmas glittering make-up must haves so you can sparkle underneath that mistletoe.
But just make sure you don’t over do it, afterall, you don’t want to be the replacement for the Christmas decoration do you.
The top is the unsung hero of the party outfit. While dresses and shoes get all the attention, tops are working just as hard to make you look good this Christmas, so we’ve put together this gallery of party-ready tops.
Buying one party top means you can rewear it in loads of different ways without losing the impact. They’re also a good and usually cheap way to update your wardrobe, without having to buy a whole new outfit. As always, sequins, lace and classic (but dramatic) black are things to look out for, and try pairing these tops with miniskirts, leggings or jeans – the possibilities are almost endless.
We want to wish Manolo Blahnik a very happy birthday and we know we’re not alone in rejoicing the day that designer was born, well at least when he was old enough to hold a pencil.
Manolo, who is 67 today has done wonders for people’s shoe collections and is creations have been a favourite of the Sex and the City girls with his fabulous footwear appearing on a range of episodes.
One example that sticks in our minds is Season 3, Episode 17 when Carrie got mugged in an alley and the guy took her favourite pair of Manolo strappy sandals. Not the most cheerful but definitely the most poignant.
We remember her words to this day: “Please sir,” she pleaded. “You can take my Fendi baguette, you can take my ring and my watch, but don’t take my Manolo Blahniks.”
So what is it about the designer that makes him stand out?
Well ever since he first started his designing in 1970 Manolo has been solely responsible for the design and prototype of every shoe that bears his name. Working alone without apprentices or assistants, he sketches his shoes, chisels the wooden lasts on which they are moulded and sculpts the heels. He then supervises their production and even sketches the illustrations for his advertising campaigns.
He told his friend Michael Roberts in the 1970s that he achieved all his designs without any formal training as he “didn’t need it.” He said this was because he had “the best taste in the world.”
We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.
Happy Birthday Manolo, we’ll of course be baking you a stilletto shaped cake.
We’ve also put together a mini gallery of some of the designers creations. Click on the picture below to begin the gallery.
We know wearing a cycle or scooter helmet isn’t overly sexy and it can mess up your hair but that’s no excuse to go without, especially when you consider the consequences.
Ok, we’ll stop with the preaching now and tell you instead about a scooter helmet you won’t be making excuses to wear.
Karl Lagerfeld has launched, what we think is every princesses dream. First seen at the designers 2009 catwalk show, this little gem comes laced with pearls and also has iPod hookups.
It’s available now but, as always there’s a downside. Not only are there only 12 in the world but they also cost a whopping $1,805 to $6,837.
We’ve therefore put together a gallery of other fashionable scooter and cycle helmets, which you won’t be complaining about wearing.
We’ve been split on Ugg boots and similar ever since Lauren bought the fashion to light in her column. Looking at the comments we received and the number of you who Twittered, it seems there’s a divide between those of us who define them as trend and those who think they are tragic.
So we want to get to the bottom of this. We’ve put together a gallery of boots for this year which, we think fall into the love them or hate them category. Take a look at the gallery by clicking on the picture below and then let us know your thoughts by voting.
When we think about Christmas, the first thing that comes to our minds is party outfits.
And we’ve noticed this is the same with most of you, with many people asking what outfits are hot this year on Twitter.
We’ve covered many different styles, which are perfect for the Christmas season but one trend that has made a big appearance in the past few months is velvet.
Many highstreet stores have embraced this style adding velvet trims to blazers and pushing out velvet trousers, which look like they’ve come straight out of the 70s.
However we think the best thing about this trend is the gorgeous range of dresses, which are perfect for a smart/casual looking Christmas outfit. Team up with heels and chunky jewellery to really make a statement this season.
Leopard print and fur is once again making it’s style debut this season with a range of celebrities sporting the love it or hate it trend, which manages to worm its way in nearly every other season.
Last week we reported that Pixie Geldof turned up to the Twlilight: New Moon New York premiere wearing a leopard print fake-fur gilet, while Alexa Chung and Lily Donaldson were also spotted in this trend at a fashion awards ceremony last week.
However, there will always be some designers and stars who take this trend that one step further opting for the real thing. This has caused a myriad of controversy over the years, with campaigners strongly protesting against it.
Many moons ago supermodels including Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford leant their support to a PETA campaign stating they would rather go nude than wear fur. However, Naomi Campbell went back on this a few years ago posing in a real fur jacket on the catwalk. Donna Karen has also been criticised for using the real thing in her collections.
And it seems the rage continues with PETA creating a Fur-Free Friday, after Thanksgiving where animal activists are going out of their way to remind holiday sale shoppers not to include fur on their shopping lists. One celebrity backing this campaign is actress Eva Mendes who said: “I didn’t always know how animals were killed for their fur, and I even wore fur once myself.”
However after she learnt that millions of animals are killed every year in the fur industry, she “swore that [she'd] never wear it again.”
She’s therefore advised us to fake it this season. We’ve taken heed and put together a gallery of the best fake fur coats and jackets out there.
However we want to hear from you. Do you agree that real fur is wrong or are protesters making too much of a big deal about it.
We’ve been keeping an eye on Cheryl’s X-Factor look for a while now and we’re sure you’ll agree she’s doing very well at keeping her reputation as a style icon.
She looked stunning in her custom made Giles Deacon pink bodycon dress, which fitted into the WHAM! theme night perfectly and would look great as a Christmas outfit.
She also bought home the Minnie Mouse bow look, sported by many a celeb back in the 80s.
If you want some more of these style ideas then check out our Minnie Mouse inspired looks gallery here.
In the meantime we’ve put together a range of pink dresses similar to Cheryl’s.
Oversized polka dots are a fresh take on the trend this season, and bows, whether undersized worn round your neck, or massive worn atop your head, are a trend that just won’t go away. Red and black can be a great colour combination for a party outfit, especially if you add some cartoon-like accessories. Or you could just wear a top with a picture of Minnie on it, if you can’t be bothered to be subtle about it.
Are you the type of girl who only takes their essentials with them to a party, effortlessly knowing exactly what you’ll need that night? Or are you, like me, someone who can’t work out which bits of makeup to pack, or whether or not you really need to stuff your digital camera into that elegant little clutch bag? Unfortunately, clutches are often the only way to really perfect a special outfit, because there’s something just that little bit more classy about casually tucking your bag under your arm while you sip at a martini.
So, despite their inconvenient size, here are some of the most desirable evening clutches on the high street now. They’re big enough for your phone, keys, credit card, compact and lipstick (which is, by the way, supposedly all you’ll need). These clutches are all party-ready, but most of them will be wearable well after Christmas is over – classic designs and detailing means a few of them are suitable for daywear too.
From:Pictures: 2012 British Soap Awards - Best dressed, Michelle Keegan, Jennifer Metcalf and more