80s Glamour by Bethanie Lunn

If you can sing the rap to the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, wore biker shorts under your skirts (and felt stylish), and watched Fraggle Rock then you were born in the 80s! A great decade though not usually remembered for its fashion genius. Regardless, the 80s are the inspirational decade of the moment and I have to say, through gritted teeth, I’m liking it.

I’m donning my leggings in the day with an oversized sweater that covers my behind (this is a MUST for anyone in leggings), and my body con dress at night.

Here are a few of my favourites…

Body Con Dresses

I didn’t think I could fit into one without resembling a sausage in too-tight casing but they really do hold you in, in all the right places if they’re made well, though a pair of Spanx won’t go amiss either.

Try the classic Red Ruched Bodycon Dress, £35.00 from Miss Selfridge or to embrace two trends in one hit, choose the Rare Multi Colour Body Con Dress, £40.00  – mini but flattering.

 

 

 

Colour Blocking

Bright colours are a hit every summer, we all know that but this season the way to wear them is in blocks of contrasting colours. 

  Have you noticed how fantastic Dorothy Perkins is at the moment? It’s oozing on-trend styles and covetable accessories and their Black colour block dress, £40.00  is a sure-fire way to make heads turn for all the right reasons.

 

 

Jump suits

Again, not a trend I thought would flatter me but jumpsuits cover a multitude of sins (and heavy suppers!), and if you choose the right one for your height, shape and style – you will look like a super stylish throw back.

Playsuits tend to be all-in-ones of a shorter length, often cropped at the knee or above whereas jumpsuits are often floor length, full trouser suits.

They’re great for work or the beach and both styles are so versatile. The look can change dramatically with accessories. Add a blazer and flats in the day for the office and exchange these for reams of mismatched chunky bangles, draping necklaces and sky-high stilettos for the bar.

For true slinky elegance, my favourite has to be the Karen Millen Jumpsuit, £160.00 (www.asos.com). Made of soft satin with a sash tie belted waist and a mandarin collar. If you check it out on ASOS, it has been reduced to £95.00! (Just don’t blame me if it has sold out by the time you look!)

 

All prices and stockists were accurate at the time of publishing.

Bethanie Lunn is now writing her Girls Guide to Fabulousness for Bookshelf Boyfriend.

My love affair with Primark…

I cannot deny I love a bargain. The ability to return home with an entire outfit for under £20 excites me. However, earlier this year research by War on Want publicised the working conditions in overseas factories of British high street fashion stores. 

Unsurprisingly, fashion giant Primark was the worst offender paying its employees in Pakistan a reported five pence an hour. So will our love for cheap and cheerful fashion be over-ruled by our morals or are we willing to turn a blind eye in order to bag a bargain?

Before 2003, Primark was largely viewed by fashionistas as an uncredible clothing supplier. I myself would shy away from the store, thinking if I stepped foot inside I would be rubbing shoulders with the unemployed and people who wore shell suits.

However, one day a friend managed to drag me in and despite the shell suits I was captivated by a navy military jacket which was on sale for a mere £10. The cotton was scrappy and the stitching was unfinished, but I bought it anyway, thinking even if it falls apart after two washes, the price per wear is still cheaper than a loaf of value bread.

I’m no Kate Moss but the jacket was featured in Vogue’s fashion pages that month. Primark was officially on the fashion map and like the majority of British women; it has since been my first port of call when shopping on the high street.  The love affair began.

Three years later, I still have the jacket, I haven’t worn it for two of those, but as I look at it now, I consider who the real fashion victim in all of this is? Is it me, for returning to Primark every week and giving in to throw away fashion? Or is the real victim the factory worker who cannot even afford my jacket after working for an entire month to produce it

After some thought, I don’t even like the jacket that much, but like everything that is sold in Primark, and many other high street stores, it is shrouded with the ‘throwaway” fashion mentality.  I’m not saying that from now on I’m only going to buy designer – and neither am I saying that I will never shop in Primark again. However, as I keep thinking about it, I think as a Western world we have become so blaze in our buying habits that we have forgotten the real cost of the latest commodities.

Let us not cut Primark from our lives, it is undeniably a wonder (I bought an electric blue woolen coat for £20 last week), but let us merely adapt our attitudes to it. Every relationship changes and develops; from now on my love affair with Primark will take on a whole new stance.

Hannah’s tips for beating the addiction:

 

• Cut down on weekly excursions to Primark thus providing less support for the sub standard working conditions.
• Instead of merely sending my throw away fashion onto a landfill site I will be dropping them into my local charity shop thus helping another cause
• Plan ahead by deciding what you want before you actually go in, how many floral print dresses does one girl need?
• Last but not least…careful of the items around the tills, slipper socks will never be on trend, no matter how cheap they are.

Hannah has more advice on how to look great and maintain an eco-fashion conscience at BookshelfBoyfriend.com.

[HE]

Hit the Sales – go on, its good for you!

It’s that time of year again – post-party and overindulgence has left you feeling bloated – but don’t suffer with the January blues. Treat yourself at the New Year sales and don’t feel so guilty about buying yourself something special.

With up to 60% in stores such as Gap, Debenhams, John Lewis etc, there’s no reason not to bag yourself a bargain. Pace yourself however, to prevent the all-too-likely hangover the morning after a shopping binge. Here are some handy hints to make sure you get the best experience possible:

Stick to classics
A good cashmere jumper, for example, can be bought at Uniqlo for the bargain price of £29.99 (RRP £49.99).

Lilywhites are selling Asics trainers for only £50 – well worth investing in if you enjoy outdoor pursuits.

Thomas Pink have reduced their White Collection ‘Ly’ Women’s Shirt – Button Cuff from £99.00 to £39.00.

Even Harrods are promising 30% off a Luella Bartley handbag and as every woman knows it’s the bag that adds a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ to an outfit.

Make sure the shoe fits
There’s no point blowing cash on size four Manolos if you’re two sizes bigger. They may well be only £100 but will probably spend their lifetime making a show for themselves in your shoe cupboard.

Check out online deals
If the idea of trawling the high street fills you with fear, shop from the comfort of your very own sofa – online. All the major department stores are online and you can even pick up items that have already sold out in the shops.

Amazon are selling DVDs with up to 75% off. Now if that’s not giving it away then what is!

Grab the ultimate pop princess’ Showgirls tour for only £12.99 at play.com

Don’t forget the boring stuff
Yes, electricals etc.. may seem dull compared to a pair of Gucci Sunglasses but with Currys, Argos and most of their competitors slashing prices, it could be well worth making that investment in the half-price washing machine.

And so to bed
Sales are also a great time to stock up on some quality linen and bedroom accessories. Newbie to the high street, Zara home, have some fantastic 100% cotton Satin bed linen which will transform your bedroom into a boudoir.

Look no further than House of Fraser for a set of two duck feather and down pillows for £24 reduced from £30.

And to really spoil yourself, Habitat are selling a silk bedspread for £97.50 – that’s half of the original price.

So there are really no excuses. If you’re shopping savvy, set out your budget and stick to the rules then you’ll save in this New Year’s Sales.

[This was originally posted on BookshelfBoyfriend.com by Rebecca Bryant.]

[ASM]