The Intern Diaries: Week Two, Day Two

(image taken from weheartit.com - I don't claim credit for this image)

I debated about whether or not to post this entry in such a format, because it doesn’t really follow any of the other entry styles that I have written in. But then again, my blog = my way, and I am very much a crazy combination of things, so here we are! Week 2, Day 2 of the Intern Diaries! :)

8:39am – Missed my train by mere seconds. So frustrated, but luckily the 8:39 took me straight to London King’s Cross, and I managed to rush around the Underground so that I made it to work on time. Someone who sat in the carriage I ended up in left the windows open, and I couldn’t reach to shut them! And so a cold and windswept me arrived in London…

9:22am – Got to the office! The people at Reception recognise me now, and find it funny that I have to sign in and out every morning… I don’t, however!

9:23am – Retouch my Revlon Nude Attitude matte lipstick before going into the office.

10:35am – Cannot believe the amount of returns that have to be made! 10 suitcases full, to be precise. Shani also asked us to clean up the fashion closet, which we surprised her with, because an OCD team of myself and Callie meant that it spick and span already!

11:53am – Callie and I are speeding through returns and OCD maintenance on storage. Realise we need food. Of any kind. Absolutely anything. Start motivating ourselves by amusing each other with stories about Uni (Callie studied the same course as me at Southampton Solent!). Also motivate ourselves with a promise of buying stashes of sweets during lunch!

1:00pm – LUNCH! Rush to Covent Garden tube station to meet my brother and his girlfriend for lunch. Cue amusing conversations about everything from my blog(!) to the shop down Neal Street full of teapots in the window. God I love that shop…

1:55pm – Am forced to walk past MAC once again…

2:00pm – Back in the office. Rewarded with Percy Pigs and coffee, and more suitcases to unpack. In a really geeky way, making returns to PR companies and press offices relaxes me haha. Callie decides that at regular 5 minute intervals, we can have Pig O’Clock.

4:35pm – Zoe (the fashion intern) asks me to go to the Topshop flagship store to pick up a bag of new collection shoes! This is probably my favourite errand haha. Got annoyed by many tourists who enjoy stopping at corners/escalators/exits to chat loudly, point and stand with their suitcases. Pft.

5:05pm – Back in the office again. Finishing up on returns and cleaning up the entire office is such a good feeling, if not slightly boring. Spied lots of pretty shorts from F+F at Tesco, and maxi dresses from Missguided.com and Boohoo.com. You heard it here first ;)

6:00pm – End of work!

Did this style of intern diary entertain you more than the other one? Apologies for lack of outfit post, I was so rushed today what with missing my train, and I forgot to snap one!

M x.

Style Notes: Topshop A/W 2010

Topshop A/W 2010 is all about looking as cosy as you should feel during the cold winter months. I think the collection is nicely influenced by quintessentially British elements from Burberry (see my Burberry A/W 2010 Catwalk Report here) and strong, earthy colours inspired by Chloe and Zara.

I absolutely love this first look (top left) with its’ preppy Blair Waldorf-esque outfit, patterned tights, paired with a gorgeous cape jacket and finished off with a floppy hat. I am definitely adding this coat to my wishlist, even though I am quite positive that it’ll drown little 5ft me! The second look (top middle) stood out to me because I just love the clashing textures and colours; leather taupe shorts and grey knitted socks? Yes please! The third look (top right) is purely included because the coat is heaven. I think most of my wardrobe next season will be determined by my coat! Very tempted by this piece…

The fourth look (bottom left) serves to show that layering is hawttt next season – again. Layering is always good for the autumn and winter because it keeps you snug and warm of course, and means you can create so many looks out of just a few key pieces. I heart accessorising in the winter! The fifth look is so reminiscent of Chloe (bottom middle), but still with lots of clear Topshop elements. I absolutely love the heeled lace-up shoes, taupe blazer and layered scarves. Such a winning look. And finally (I’d like to think I saved the best til last!) how adorable is this mouse-eared hat?! It is definitely a cuter and more upmarket version of that panda hat from River Island, but I much prefer Topshop’s version.

Oh Topshop… how you continue to tease me…

M x.

This Week's Purchases!

Treated myself to a selection of pretty goodies this week to relieve stress from commuting in and out of London during rush hour every day. I think it's safe to say that if and when I land myself a fashion writing jobby, I will do my best to rent a flat in London! Anyway, some of my buys this week include:

Barry M Lip Paint in 136 - Golden Bronze

£4.25

I've used this lip paint a silly amount of times already! :3 Absolutely love its' creamy consistency and pigmented colour. It lasts for quite a while too, although is a shimmery kind of lipstick, which isn't always popular with everyone!

Barry M Lip Paint in 003 - Touch of Magic

£4.25

I'm surprised I actually bit the bullet and purchased this! This had always been on my list of Barry M products that seemed slightly too wacky for my collection, but I swatched about 6 different lip paints, and this was the only thing that I was intrigued to buy! Swatches included below.

MAC Lipstick in Plink! Lustre

£12.50

This is it - my first ever MAC purchase! I'd never felt the need to spend much on make-up, even though I love playing around with different products, but on one of my many walks down Neal St in Covent Garden, temptation got the better of me, and I ended up swinging a little MAC bag down the cobbled street back to work feeling very chipper with myself! I am in fact going to select a blush or bronzer of some sort next week! And so the MAC-affair begins...

These are some swatches of the above lip colours:

Onto my dress purchases then! I feel like my style has changed again, and I'm being drawn away from jeans and even leggings, and have taken to wearing shorts, skirts, cropped trousers and dresses recently.

I spied this little floral number in Primark for £6! Unbelievable! I will be getting a lot of wears of this over the summer!

And finally: I did it! I bought a maxi dress! I'd been debating this trend for a while, and I never hop on the bandwagon of a trend if it doesn't immediately appeal to me. However, I spent Wednesday packing and returning many a maxi dress, and just so happened to find this gorgeous coral maxi in Miss Selfridge for £22 (student discount blagged me this for £19.80!) Thank you to the Twitter lovelies who helped me make my decision ;)

What has everyone been buying this week?

M x.

more! Magazine Fashion Dept. - Week One

Hi lovelies! Remember me? I’ve been a little bit absent from the blogging world and even a bit absent from Twitter (a crime, I know) this past week, because if you remember, I was offered a 2-week work experience placement with more! Magazine. I know there has been a little bad publicity about more! around Blogger at the moment – Twitter drama? I don’t know - but I have absolutely loved working at more! so far, and could really see myself working there or similar in the future. This is going to be a nice long post about my first week, I have another to go although I wish it was more, so grab your favourite mug, make coffee or tea of your choice and some biccies!

Nothing can express how nervous I was on the morning of my first day. I had no idea what the office would be like, whether the girls would be super-bitchy like on The Devil Wears Prada, whether I’d be underdressed… As it turns out, the girls are all really lovely to work with and so friendly! Everyone dresses casual but stylish and on-trend, as expected, with a huge abundance of maxi dresses and clogs worn this week ;) This is a selection of the outfits I sported, as promised:

1- Angel Wing Top, Urban Outfitters; Jeggings, Miss Selfridge.
2- Dusky pink sundress, Topshop; Waterfall waistcoat, Hong Kong boutique; Tan belt, Primark.
3- Top, Topshop; Shorts, DIY; Heart print tights, Primark.

Anyway, my week consisted mainly of making returns of all the garments that had been used for various photoshoots last week. This is usually the main duty of fashion interns, and although sometimes repetitive and slightly mind-numbing, there were some really lovely pieces on the rail that perked me up a bit!

My little desk!

In between packing things up for returns and organising the main fashion cupboard (also absolutely amazing), I was also asked to rush around to some press offices in London and collect garments. That was certainly an experience reminiscent of Little J on Season 2 of Gossip Girl!

MUA's area! A huge box full of MAC, YSL and Chanel make-ups! And look at all those brushes :O

The shoot taking place!

I also got to go along to a photoshoot with the Senior Stylist on Thursday! This was probably the highlight of my time at more! so far, it was so busy and fun to work at. The shoot was at Holborn Studios, in London, and my gaaad, it was literally just like something out of The Hills :) Basically at the shoot, I unpacked the clothing, styled the accessories and dressed Katy (the model), who was so lovely and pretty! I also wrote the credits, and pinned the outfits to fit the model. SO much work, but definitely worth it! We also got free sushi :D

At the Fashion Assistant desk, feeling more important than I was!

On Friday, the entire more! Fashion department went along to work the Clotheshow London, and put on some fashion shows, leaving myself and two other fashion interns to man the department! I was slightly worried and overwhelmed by the amount of work but managed to cope, and realised that organisation is everything in the fashion world. No matter how hectic things are, there is always some form of organisation in order. I finished returns, compiled credits for the main fashion spread, got voxpopped about Twilight and tidied the fashion closet.

1. Tip #1: Rings and bracelets are risky. I lost my favourite ring! And I kept getting caught on pieces of clothing because of my bracelets!
2. Tip #2: Flat shoes are an essential, or even a low wedge. Heels may look professional, but when interning, you’re probably better off wearing something that looks good and feels comfortable.
3. Tip #3: Organisation is everything. It’s quite hectic in the fashion cupboard, and there are hundreds of returns bags, hangers, clothing and other bits and bobs lying around, so being organised will get you off to a flying start.
4. Tip #4: Be friendly and smiley!
5. Tip #5: The courier room people will probably become your best friends, given the amount of time you’ll probably spend collecting garment packages and other ‘special deliveries’. One of the parcels I took up to the girls included personalised cupcakes and Lush goodies! :O I can hear jaws dropping in amazement already!
6. Tip #6: Interning at a fashion magazine isn’t glamorous, I’m not going to lie. It is a lot of blood, sweat and tears, and by the middle of your second day, you’ll most probably want to pack it in (I know the interns I worked with were close to leaving on Tuesday!) but keep smiling, power through and the fashion editors WILL eventually notice.

So there you have it! My first week interning at a magazine and I love it, I can't wait until this is what my life is about :)

M x.

Catwalk Notes: Marc Jacobs Resort 2011

(click for better quality!)

Resort collections still continue to baffle me. I have long been convinced that Resort collections are for the in-between stage of seasons, when the rich and famous are travelling to their various holiday homes. For me, even the word ‘Resort’ conjures up images of beautiful people, exquisitely dressed and lounging about in huge, airy buildings and sun kissed locations. Overall, the term ‘Resort Collection’ evokes images of French Riviera chic – an upmarket nautical style, and Marc Jacobs did not fail me in again bringing a beautiful collection, perfectly befitting my above initial thoughts of such a collection.

In true Marc Jacobs style, the Resort 2011 collection is girly, whimsical, simple and luxurious all at the same time. Featuring a delectable range of dresses, elegant two-piece suits, and even an admirable range of hats, I am instantly led to see what a Resort collection is all about: elegance and simplicity on holiday – tacky as that word now appears among such prettiness – and looking chic while relaxing. Although not pictured, Jacobs also included an adorable mac in this range, practical and pretty! Look how amazing the outfit in the bottom left corner is! Oh Marc Jacobs, you’ve outdone yourself once again, if that were ever possible.

M x.

OOTD: Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry tee, Bubbi Clothing; Camisole top, Uniqlo; Black bodycon skirt, H&M; Bow tights, Topshop.

I am 99.9% sure that you know of Bubzbeauty, who is a YouTube beauty guru and one of my favourites at that. This off-shoulder tee was designed by Lindi (Bubbi at Bubzbeauty) and is available at her online store for £14.99. Go and have a browse here.

M x.

Style Notes: Tights

Hello my honey bundles! As you may have noticed from my outfit posts, which I am doing my best to make daily, I have a little bit of an obsession with patterned tights. I'm one of those people who are constantly bruised in some shape or form, I am just ridiculously accident-prone. So to begin with, my affair with tights was merely for practical purposes to cover up said bruises. In the past couple of months though, I've fallen in love with patterned tights.

Patterned tights spruce up an outfit in a way not many accessories can. By swapping a pair of safe opaque black tights for something adorned with hearts, bows, lace or even a simple DIY laddered pair, you can really change the whole tone of an outfit.

Here are a selection of my current hosiery favourites:

Chain Link Suspender Tights, £8, Topshop.

All Over Heart Tights, £8, Topshop.

Bow Seam Tights, £8, Topshop.

Printed Lace Floral Tights, £15, Topshop.

Henry Holland 'House' Tights, £15, Topshop.

Nude Heart Suspender Tights, ASOS.

(Dislike how these were styled on the website...)

What are your go-to stores for tights? And, I'm curious, how do you store your tights ladies?

M x.

OOTD: I heart you ;)

Hello ladies! I haven't been blogging much recently because of work (I am absolutely positive you all know about my recent work escapades through Twitter!) and some other commitments I've had. So, what would you know, when I finally sat down and decided to take a break, and blog about my outfit, I open my drawer to retrieve my camera... I look in every bag I possess (no easy feat, I own over 20 bags) and I can only conclude: I'VE LOST MY CAMERA! *sobs* My lovely camera who survived many girly outings and gatherings, my month-long holiday last summer, all of my drunken adventures at Uni... So, apologies in advance for more lack of blogging and for the upcoming webcam photographs.

Denim jacket, River Island; Sundress, Topshop; Cream heart tights, Primark; Pale turquoise low wedge peeptoes, Urban Outfitters.

P.S. I've learnt to purchase tights from Primark wherever possible now, I ladder tights way too often to be forking out £8 a pop for Topshop tights when alternatives are available for a quarter of that price! ;)

I hope you're having enjoyable weeks :)

M x.

OOTD: Miu Miu?!

Cat print blouse, River Island; Jeans, Vintage Chanel; Red belt, Primark.

M x.

Short Fuse?

With the British summer slowly getting into full swing, the ultimate summer trend is also making its slow but steady rise to the top of the high street food chain. Easily one of the more undermined and ‘scary’ trends, especially for the less confident fashion follower, this trend is also one of the most versatile pieces you could have in your wardrobe, especially with this season’s influx of prints, shapes, styles, lengths and forms. Shorts. Most people are divided on shorts; they can be extremely flattering if the right style is picked, but on the other hand, an inch too short will be risqué and scream fashion wannabe.

Selecting the perfect pair of shorts can appear to be a daunting task. How short do you go? Which colour to pick? Will high-waisted shorts be a good idea? Fear not my lovely ladies; I’ve handpicked some of the best on the high street at the moment, with a pair for (almost) every occasion.

First up are my favourites, of course. These are still high on my wishlist, and I am determined to buy them when funds allow for such a purchase! Printed denim is still right on trend, and Topshop currently have a gorgeous selection. A daisy print is quirky, dainty and perfect for the summer. As well as looking beautiful on their own, such a dainty print means that you can easily team these with patterned tights or a floral, chiffon blouse. Pick one or the other, both is a definite no-no. Finish off with a pair of tan gladiators, tan skinny belt and a straw hat, et voila! Perfect summer chic.

Another of my well-loved styles are the loose, bloomer-esque, culotte shorts. I first purchased a pair of these last summer, fully believing that the piece I had tucked away in my Topshop carrier bag was a skirt. (I hadn’t tried them on of course.) It was a pretty strange experience, putting them on and realising they were simply loose-fitting culotte shorts, but I have since fallen in love with this style. Perfect to wear with wedges and a ‘body’ top.

For those who like the idea of wearing shorts but hate their legs being out in public, and are terrified of baring too much, a slightly longer length is perfect for you. Wear with a loose white blouse, a pair of flip flops and a stack of statement bangles to veer attention away from your legs.

Finally, the key to pulling off shorts with style (not literally...) is to accessorise, accessorise, accessorise! This means the focus isn't just centralised on your lovely pins and bum, but on your gorgeous outfit as a whole. You can pair them with sheer patterned tights (available from Primark to Topshop and everywhere in between), a chiffon blouse, tight-fitting bodies, a straw hat, a plain Tee and statement necklace, one-shoulder tops, gladiators, heels, your boyfriend’s T-shirt… The possibilities are endless!

XOXO

OOTD

This is what I'm wearing today. It's really nothing special, and I had planned to wear shorts but the weather is really not good enough for shorts, and I still have a huge unsightly bruise on my leg where I erm, walked into our coffee table. Which is surprisingly solid and sturdy - good choice there Dad. Layered a couple of tops, something I like to do to mix up my look a little bit. And please excuse the hair, I'm finally going to get it cut next week. *fingers crossed*

Pale mint green crinkle lace top - Topshop - £28

Grey camisole vest (worn underneath lace top) - Topshop - £6

White waistcoat vest-top - Topshop - £16

Black cardigan - Primark - £5

Dark jeggings - Miss Selfridge - £18

Tan skinny belt - Primark - £1

Necklace - Accessorize - £8

XOXO

Editorial: It's A Love Story

Now that the University semester is well and truly over, and all my work is being standardised, I can finally post the final magazine spreads I created for my 'Magazine Design' unit. I know that some people who are looking at going to the same uni as me read my blog, so I thought this would be useful to them. :) I'm also pretty proud that I managed to master QuarkXPress to make these layouts! The article (trend report) is all written by me, all people mentioned in the article were interviewed by me (an embarassing and tedious experience!), all photographs taken by me... You get the idea ;) The final two spreads are the ones I handed in as my final magazine designs. I believe you can click on the spreads to full-screen them, which will allow you to read the articles. Oh and my model is my friend, Selina. Enjoy!

Open publication - Free publishing - More romance

XOXO

Do or Don't: Scented Nail Varnish

I know that many of my fellow bloggers are just as addicted to painting their nails as I am. So what did I think to do when I heard about Rimmel's latest nail varnish collection? Blog about it to inform you all of course!

Rimmel are bringing out a range of fruity scented, summery coloured nail varnishes. These will be available from 7th July in stores nationwide at just £2.99 each.

Additionally, Revlon have hopped on the bandwagon, and will similarly have scented nail varnishes out for the summer :)

What do we think girls? A do or don't?

XOXO

Some Exciting News!

Just a quick post to let you all know that I've just been offered a fashion internship at more! magazine. I'm so excited! I just had to share the news with someone :) I have no idea what it'll be like, what I should wear, what it'll be like commuting into London for two weeks... I'm just SO excited!

edit:/ I will of course post sneaky day-to-day blogposts about the experience, all the glitz and glamour (or perhaps not!) and also my outfits. You'll probably see me tweet endlessly, moaning about public transport in London again >:) And if any of you lovelies are around London during my time at more!, I'd love to meet for a lunch break!

XOXO

OOTD: "Leave the sewing to the women. You go get some trimmin'."

Happy June! How crazy is it that we're already halfway through the year?! In typical British fashion though, the first day of June has also brought with it a lovely smattering of rain; and not just any rain, that annoying barely-there rain that fuzzes your hair up. Perfect.

Not such a special outfit today I'm afraid. I went for a driving lesson this morning, and although I had it in my mind that it was a dress, layered cottons and patterned tights kind of day, in practicality, 1) it was raining and 2) I wanted to be comfortable to drive at 9am. Such an ungodly hour.

I never wear jeans, so why I decided to pick a pair out for today is completely beyond me. I love layering jersey tops over each other, especially because the weather is so unpredictable lately. Taking a layer off to keep cool is easy, and if it gets cold, I can easily layer another top on. The necklace I'm wearing today is also one of my favourites; a delicate Cinderella coach on a chain accompanied by a (fake) pearl and a high heeled shoe! This was a snap at just HK$12, which is about a pound!(!!!) Cinderella is and continues to be one of my all-time favourite films. What's your favourite classic Disney film?

Grey jersey top with pocket - Urban Outfitters - £12

White vest - Topshop £6

Straight leg jeans - Miss Selfridge Petite - £35

Belt - Primark - £1

Pale pink T-bar flats - Topshop - £25

Swan ring - Topshop - £7

Cinderella coach necklace - Korean boutique in Hong Kong - HK$12 (about £1!)

XOXO

P.S. Can you tell that I love wearing skinny tan coloured belts yet?!