Posts Tagged ‘affordable fashion’
Accessories, Affordable Fashions, Designer Fashions, Features, Gallery, Handbags, Opinion
By Lauren Bravo on April 25th, 2013
I’m currently suffering from something I like to term ‘Fash bag fatigue’.
Barely a day goes buy where I don’t open a magazine or click through a style site to be told, in no uncertain terms, that unless I’m saving up my council tax and muesli money for a tote I can carry a baby around in, I am missing a crucial fashion gene. It’s not that I can’t appreciate the quilty aesthetics of a Chanel 2.55, or a Mulberry tote, or even those satchels off the Google advert, but I’ve never managed to grasp the dreamy possibility behind the massive great throbbing price tag. Some see design and timeless craftsmanship – I just see a holiday or a Ford Focus swinging from the arms of the elite.
The Sunday supplements, bless their affluent hearts, have made it as far as realising that bags upward of a grand probably aren’t at the top of many women’s shopping lists, so they’ve started giving us bags for £500 instead. Which is marvellous if you’re one of those terrifying 23 year old hedge fund managers you occasionally read about in Vogue, or if your landlord has lapsed into a coma conveniently excusing you from paying any rent, but for the rest of us who don’t have a spare monkey in the bank yet still have to carry our stuff around, it’s not especially helpful.
So here, to prove they do still exist, are some seriously nice bags for under £100. Most are under £50. Some are under £30. Which, unless you plan to take inspiration from the late, great Nora Ephron, who announced that her perfect bag was a bright yellow and blue plastic MetroCard shopper from the Transit Museum in New York’s Grand Central Station (I Feel Bad About My Neck – And Other Thoughts About Being A Woman, 2007 – read it, it’s wonderful), is probably about the best we’re going to be able to do. But at least we can still afford muesli.
Note: I have included nothing from Urban Outfitters, because every bag I or my friends have ever bought from Urban Outfitters has always broken dramatically within three months. If you’ve got an UO bag that you’ve been lugging around unscathed for over a year, please do let me know.
Hardback doctor bag, £26.99 A-Shu.co.uk
Doctors can’t claim many professional style victories (word on the wards is they’re still wearing Crocs) but they do have some pretty tasty bag heritage. This cheap and cheerful take on the classic Gladstone from A-Shu.co.uk comes in a range of tasteful colours and will ensure that should you ever go to Gloucester in a shower of rain, you’ll be able to cart your brolly around in something stylish. NB: does not guarantee medical knowledge.
Tags: affordable fashion, affordable handbags, ASOS, chanel, designer bags, Handbags, high street, high street style, it bags, John Lewis, Lauren Bravo, Mulberry, Ollie & Nic, River Island, Studded bag, TopShop
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Celebrity gossip, Celebrity Style, Fashion Tips, Gossip
By emilyborrett on August 16th, 2011
Patricia is most famous for her work styling Sex and The City
The notoriously fabulous Sex and the City stylist Patricia Field advises aspiring fashionistas that good style doesn’t necessarily equal huge amounts of money.
Field says that anyone can have style on a budget; they just need to find the right style to suit them. “Style is not the equivalent of money. Some people have lots of money and no style – some people have no money and lots of style. Style comes from a different choice – it comes from your philosophy and your job patterns and how you feel. I mean my life is very heavily around people much younger than myself. Young people, they don’t have a lot of money but the young people are the ones with the style. Young people have energy, and old people do not – and that energy translates into interests and getting information – and from all of that you can work out your style.”
The stylist says that the key secret to a stylish wardrobe is having a few classic, staple pieces – the pieces depending on the wearer. She said: “In anyone’s wardrobe there are those key pieces for them that they can’t live without. I could talk about myself, or somebody specific, but in general I would say that the more variation that you offer yourself in your wardrobe – the more combinations you will be able to create because you have more options.”
More variety you say? Well in that case, Patricia, I’ll go and max out my Topshop card right now..
Tags: affordable fashion, Carrie Bradshaw, Fashion Tips, key pieces, patricia field, SATC, sex and the city, style, Stylist
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Designers, Fashion News, First Looks, Gallery, Gossip
By emilyborrett on August 2nd, 2011
Leopard Bubble Sleeve Belted Coat
How gorgeous is this leopard-printed dress coat? We love the clear vintage and sixties inspirations.
It’s time to get your emergency credit card out, girls, because today British design genius Matthew Williamson has finally unveiled his first diffusion line, MW, on My-Wardrobe.com today. When we say affordable it’s still really quite expensive, but sshhh, it’s still very exciting and I’m quite tempted to go without food for a month to get my mitts onto one of the collection’s pieces.
So far there are only three pieces available on the site but we’ve heard tell that more will be added soon, as there will also be jewellery as part of the collection with prices starting at £98. We’re already impressed and excited with what we’ve seen – I’m completely obsessed with the MW leopard-printed bubble coat, which reminds me of sixties It girls such as Edie Sedgwick.
If you feel like blowing a load of money on something really special today I’d recommend checking it out, and keep looking back to check for more pieces being added. Want to shop the collection? Find it here.
Tags: affordable fashion, designer, diffusion line, Matthew Williamson, mw, my-wardrobe
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Accessories, Affordable Fashions, Gallery
By emilyborrett on August 1st, 2011
I’m always excited to find about new up-and-coming affordable fashion stores, so it was a pleasure to learn about Fashion Union, an online fashion retailer who’s speciality is exciting, fashion-forward clothes at extremely reasonable prices. There are about a million different things on the site that I liked (the dress section is especially large – shopping heaven for me) but I eventually managed to whittle down my favourite buys for you lovely people and put them in the gallery above.
Simple shapes and bright jewel colours are hot at the moment and will be throughout Autumn/Winter, something that Fashion Union caters for extremely well with an assortment of full skirted dresses, chinos and city shorts that will lend an exciting burst of colour to any wardrobe.
There’s also a clear love for vintage in Fashion Union’s designs, with 50s-esque sun dresses and brightly coloured blouses that tie at the waist. I’ve already earmarked their adorable blue and white striped sundress for payday.
Even more exciting is their shoe section, which is completely in tune with the upcoming Autumn/Winter trends. I’m obsessing slightly over their loafer heels which come in either patent black or cream – check them out in the gallery, then click through to the site and check out the price. Amazing.
Like what you’re hearing? Have a look at ShinyStyle’s top picks from Fashion Union above.
Tags: affordable fashion, block colour, dress, Fashion Union, high street, online store
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Accessories, Affordable Fashions, Gallery, shoes
By emilyborrett on June 28th, 2011
Cream Bow Print Sundress
Make like trendsetters Chloe Sevigny or Kirsten Dunst this summer and wear your sweet folksy-print sundress with chunky sandals and a pair of vintage sunglasses. You can find this dress here.
May I just start off by saying, HOW HAVE I GONE THIS LONG WITHOUT KNOWING ABOUT DESIRE CLOTHING? I bet you’re all sitting at home reading this thinking “Geez Emily, we all know Desire sell great stuff, keep up with the times grandma”, but I have genuinely never got around to checking out their online store before. I wish I had – they could have solved so many of my “what shall I do with my last thirty pounds?” dilemmas.
This was initially supposed to be a piece about their awesome new shoe designs for summer, but I was so won over by their clothes that this has turned into a general free-for-all which just features all of my favourite stuff from the site crammed together. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first checked out the site – I’m afraid I’m a terrible snob and am always wary of labels that promise bargain-basement prices – but I was more than pleasantly surprised by what I found.
There’s an array of summer fashion as veritable as any available on the likes of Topshop or Urban Outfitters, from aztec-printed maxis to caped cocktail dresses and sexy gypsy tops. I’m a massive fan of their long-sleeved floaty sundresses (see the first image in the gallery) which I can totally imagine being seen on some cool New York actress like Chloe Sevigny on a summer’s day.
My absolute favourite design on the Desire Clothing site is their off-the-shoulder gypsy top, which you can buy in a variety of different florals on the website. I want one in every print.. better do a few stomach crunches first though.
If you’re not looking for a whole new wardrobe but just want to revamp things a little, invest in a pair of their S/S shoes, which combine chunky platform styles with crisp whites and sizzling colour for a style that is completely on-trend this season.
Check out the gallery above to see our favourite Desire Clothing pieces – you can click the links to buy.
Tags: affordable fashion, cheap fashion, desire clothing, floral, gypsy top, spring/summer
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Affordable Fashions, dresses, Fashion Crush, First Looks, Gallery, vintage
By Andrea Petrou on October 20th, 2010
By Emily Borrett.
Caramel Wiggle Cream Dress
Cast your eye back to the poetry and romance trend that we highlighted on the site recently, and then read on. Inspired by the likes of Valentino, who showed their delightfully girly and fairytale-esque creations at Paris Couture Week earlier this year, it’s not a mode of dress to be sniffed at and you don’t have to look like a model to wear it well.
The River of Romansk store on Etsy.com ticks all the right fashion boxes, using delicate and girly colours such as peach, nude and lemon in the dresses while creating dresses which sport hourglass silhouettes that Mad Men’s Joan herself would be green over. The creators of the store themselves describe their little dresses as recreating “an era of dainty loveliness; of sash and ribbons, satins and laces.. all of which are reminiscence of a time more dreamy and innocent.” They’re beautiful clothes, but one could argue that their teeny-waisted wiggle dresses are more sexy and knowing than innocent; they promise to create curves that you never knew you had and put an extra slinkiness in your step.
Major fashion points go to River of Romansk for their caramel-toned wiggle dress, which features the silhoutte of the season (womanly) and the colour of the season (camel). A modern approach to the fifties, if you will. Meanwhile, any serious shopper worth their salt would realise that the pale-yellow tea lace skater dress with the zip front is an investment worth making – why get one from Topshop that all your friends own when you can get a unique, River of Romansk original? If you don’t feel like wrapping yourself up in shearling and granny jumpers this winter, do Autumn/Winter the pretty way instead and check out the gallery above for some of our favourites from the store.
Tags: 50s, affordable fashion, bombshell, cocktail dresses, hourglass, mad men, vintage
Posted in Affordable Fashions, dresses, Fashion Crush, First Looks, Gallery, vintage | No Comments »
Affordable Fashions, Fashion Crush, First Looks, Gallery
By Andrea Petrou on September 15th, 2010
By Emily Borrett.
Normally when somebody tries to recommend a “fashion on a serious budget” high street store, you think of Primark and its never-ending flow of churned-out fashion for a fiver; cheap, poorly made and never as nice once it’s home as when you saw it on the rail. Nah, we all say, I’ll stick to Topshop and H&M. But perhaps new online fashion store DressRail can teach us to shop out of our comfort zone, and save more than a few pennies too, with their wide range of extremely affordable and actually quite cool clothes.
The beauty of this site is that the clothes don’t look like budget fashion at all – some of the items, like the buttery-tan coloured leather miniskirt and the camel-coloured shorts wouldn’t be out of place on a Celine runway, whilst there was some serious Sarah Jessica Parker, Halston Heritage-loving going on in the designs of some of the party dresses with their fluttering folds of chiffon and batwing sleeves. Scrap your Net-a-porter wishlist and head on over here instead – I’m predicting big things for DressRail.
Tags: affordable fashion, budget, Fashion Crush, first look, high street, retail, shiny style loves
Posted in Affordable Fashions, Fashion Crush, First Looks, Gallery | 2 Comments »
Affordable Fashions, Retail News
By Andrea Thatcher on January 28th, 2008
Looks like Old Navy is looking to shed its image as a fleecy family outfitter. In today’s WWD, Old Navy says it wants to share “big fashion ideas” and target more fashion-forward twenty-somethings.
As a somewhat fashion-forward twenty-something, my interest in piqued, but I’m a little suspicious. Hasn’t Gap Inc., the Old Navy parent company, told us time and time again they were revamping with a more fashionable image?
But according to executives a new marketting campaign with more stylish celebs and models will be just the beginning, ON also plans faster turnover, wardrobe-building pieces, store renovations and a new logo.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: affordable fashion, fleece, GAP, Gap Inc., MTV Music Awards, Old Navy, Old Navy fashions
Posted in Affordable Fashions, Retail News | 1 Comment »
From:Gwen Stefani ranked most appealing female musician/designer