The Clothes Show Live: Vintage Fashion

With many of the High Street stores taking inspiration from vintage fashion for new collections, it was refreshing to see a great mix of vintage and charity shop stalls at The Clothes Show Live. Within the main arena there was Anita’s Vintage Fashion Fair, a market style collection of the best of London’s vintage stores. With the prices being just as reasonable as the Hight Street for a one-off piece of history, it was easy to see why this area was so popular. I myself managed to bag a bargain of a 1960’s vintage vanity case, complete with the original mirror and containers, all for just £22.

However it wasn’t just the Vintage Fashion Fair causing waves at Clothes Show Live. As the recession hits further, a great deal of us have come out in support of charity shop fashion, so it was refreshing to see a promisingly busy Oxfam stall. A stalwart on the fashion scene, with the Oxfam Originals collection and collaborations with designers such as Henry Holland and Christopher Kane, it has always been a place of inspiration to me. This boom in popularity may make it harder for you to find that amazing piece, but I lucked out again with a vintage nautical print neck scarf for only £3, very similar to one that was in Topshop last season for £22.

This just goes to show that no matter where you look there are bargains to be had, and you never know what you could find amongst the clutter in your nearest Oxfam or British Heart Foundation Shop, so all that’s left for me to do is to urge you to get scouring now!

Alternative Style Icons

It seems that nowadays people have even lost the ability to be individual not only with their style, but with the people they regard to be stylish too. We all know the typical ones - Audrey Hepburn, Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham to name but a few - but what about those super stylish women who look great but remain under the radar? Here Emily Solan gives them the credit they deserve.

Anna Karina:

This Danish film actress from the 60’s had the fashion world at her feet. Her professional name ‘Anna Karina’ was devised by Coco Chanel herself, she had a the typical 60’s look - heavily lined eyes, blunt fringe and when mixed with her effortless every day chic, one beautiful woman was created. She was even stylish enough to carry off a beret!

Kate Jackson:

Lead singer of the now defunct indie band The Long Blondes, Kate’s style provided us a with a much missed link to the past. This vintage vixen was nominated for Sexiest Female at the NME awards 3 years in a row, and managed to place at 7 in the annual NME Cool List. Adding a touch of glam to a scene full of drab indie boys, she was never seen out of vintage outfits, this former librarian echoed the former glamour of such bands like Pulp, Blondie and shone heads and tails above the skinny jeaned masses.

Edie Sedgewick:

Now she may be far better known than the above two, but how many of those people who cite her as a style icon could actually describe her style? She is known for her androgynous look, which was very on trend in the 60s, but she placed far too much femininity to create an a totally androgynous look. The influence of Edie can be seen today with the strong emphasis on a heavy lined eye with a paler lip to add drama to the face, and the pixie crop is still a massive look for hair this season.

Florence Welch:

She is officially making being ginger cool again. Her mismatch, crazy stage outfits have hit the fashion world by storm, and more people are getting the courage to copy her looks. My easiest suggestion would be to copy some of her downtime looks - brogues and lace dresses, rather than attempting her rather full on ‘disco bat’ look!

Karen O:

On face value her outfits seem a bit out there, but to add an extra dimension to your outfit follow Karen O’s lead. She ’s not afraid to use bold colours and accessories to stand out, which is something that anyone can do. While her outfits can be a tad over the the top, it’s this unique take on style that sets her high above many others in the fashion stakes. Karen O’s influence has increased greatly ove the last few years, and her personal designer Chrisitan Joy was commissioned to create a range for Topshop, making Karen O’s look more accesible.

Lush: A Step Back In Time

To celebrate all things retro, Lush have relaunched many of their cult products under the bracket of ‘Retro Lush’. The customers have had a massive impact on the products that were included in the launch, through their online community ‘The Lush Forum’.

The new range includes products from the entire Lush spectrum, including their patented shampoo bars and massage bars. This collection also includes Lush Perfums, an area which the company tends to avoid, with the recent launch of sister company B Never Too Busy Too Be Beautiful which specialises in make-up and fragrance, following a similar ethical promise to Lush.

So here are my highlights:

• Playdoze Bubble Bar, £2.80 - A flourescent green bar that creates the most amazing bubbles in your bath, with soothing essentail oils to send you off to sleep.
• The Strokes Hair Mask, £8.10 - Rather expensive but gives the softest, smoothest hair ever. Named after the effect it has, you won’t be able to leave your hair alone.
• Sonic Death Monkey Shower Gel, £17.50/500g - Another pricey one, but the chocc0-mocca and lime flavoured shower gel leaves you feeling perky and smelling amazing. And as the bottle says: Dig that crazy gravy!
• Ginger Hand and Body Lotion, £11.95 - Named after film icon Ginger Rogers, this mixes floral scents with spice, to give that air of adventure, with the added benefit of making your skin super smooth.
• 17 Cherry Tree Lane Soap, £2.95 - Inspired by Mary Poppins, this jasmine, lemon and cherry blossom soap leaves skin feeling soft and moisturised, with a striking floral scent.

These products are only available for a limited time, from www.lush.co.uk and in a special edition gift box filled with a selection of the retro products, available in most stores.

Get The Look: Cheryl Cole

In the past couple of years Cheryl has gone from a girl group wannabe to a national treasure. Currently reigning as fashion queen on X Factor,  here Emily Solan tells you how to get her look.

Here are the key elements to Cheryl’s look:

• Polish - No matter what Mrs Cole is always preened to perfection. Ensure that your handbag is plenty big enough to hold the bare essentials - lipgloss and brush need easy access, but don’t forget all your make-up essentials.
• Mini-skirts - Cheryl knows that her legs are one of her best assets, so we see her in an amazing array of mini-skirts and dresses. Team with tights and heels to get the best from your legs, as these are leg lengthening wonders.
• Quirkiness - Showcasing some Gaga-esque looks on X Factor recently, her outfit on Saturday night was by David Koma, a recent graduate from Central Saint Martins, upping the audience to new talent. Look out for similar pieces when ASOS collaborate with CSM for their LTD100 collection.

So here are the pieces to watch out for:

• Flannel Bow Skirt, £32, Topshop - This versatile skirt can be dressed up with a dressy top or shirt, but it’s also a casual wonder. Team with tights and black court shoes to get a look Mrs Cole would be proud of.
• Shiny Court Shoe, £20, New Look - These back heels can be teamed with absolutely anything to give them a dressier edge. And for only £20 too, they’re a complete bargain.
• Bubblegum Pink Duffle Coat, £52, Dorothy Perkins - Cheryl was spotted in a very similar Mulberry duffle coat earlier in the year. She teamed it with PVC leggings and boots, but this bubblegum pink coat can be used to liven up any outfit. To top that it’s been reduced from £65 to £52, so there’s no excuse not to buy.
• Maisy Patent Large Shoulder bag, £55, Pauls Boutique (available from ASOS) - bang on trend with the patent leather and similar in structure to the Mulberry bags Cheryl tends to tote, this offers all the space needed without having to compromise on the look or price. The distinctive Pauls Boutique charms add a final colourful touch to any outfit.

Get The Look - Pete Doherty

This week’s for the boys. A stalwart on both the best and worst dressed lists, you can’t deny that Pete’s style has something. Here Emily Solan is going to show you how you too can get his scruffy sex appeal.

• Accessories - Pete is rarely seen without some form of accessory, with his favourites appearing to be his Rosary Beads (as seen on a few other celebs recently), some form of headwear, usually his trusty trilby, a festival favourite spotted every summer, and occasionally some knatty scarf or a skinny tie.
• Tailored suit - Doherty often uses these to shows his more respectable side to your mum. When teamed with a skinny tie and your shirt not quite tucked in, you get his “just got offstage after being ravaged by fans” look with none of the effort of learning to play an instrument and forming a band.
• Polo Shirt - For the more casual moments, the polo shirt and skinny jeans are your best friend. Pete’s look harks back to the 60’s mods, 80’s indie and 90’s Britpop, this is a tried and trusted look. For the best polo shirts try Fred Perry, but nowadays most high streets stock a wide selection, just pick the colours to suit your style.
• Leather Jacket - It’s all about the battered, the better with Pete’s look. For one of these a vintage shop is your best friend, highly recommended is Rare Ape on Holmeside in Sunderland. 

So here are my top tips for stealing Pete’s look:

• Polo Shirt - As I said before, you’re best off looking at Fred Perry to nail Pete’s look. The original slim-fit polo cost £45 and comes in a variety of different colour ways, so you can pick and mix to get just the look you’re after.
• Skinny Ties - Available from £10 www.topman.com. Stick to just plain black like Pete, or they offer a wide variety of colours and prints to suit your mood.
• Trilby - You can find these anywhere, but you’re best bet for Pete’s signature summer straw trilby is to check out that little stall on the market that looks like your grandad should shop there, thye usually have the best hats.

The key to Pete’s look is pretty much look like you fell in the bin at the back of Oxfam, but with a little flair. So go out have fun and work the rock star look with none of the effort.

Boots No7 Stay Perfect Eyeliner

This looked so promising, especially being part of the renowned Boots No7 concession, but sadly this eyeliner was not for me.

I tried the turquoise eyeliner, which I found incredibly difficult to use, I felt that the applicator was not the products strong point. However once I’d managed to create some semblance of a line, the product looked really good. The strong blue colour lasted well into the night, and managed to make my grey-blue eyes look bluer than ever.

There then came the inevitable removal of the eyeliner, and I must say that the product is aptly named. Even after scrubbing my face for a good half an hour the offending eyeliner was still there. The situation was remedied the next morning as it became slightly easier to remove after a nights sleep, but thats not such a beneficial idea in a beauty blog. It was a shame really, since the colour was striking, and a bit of a break from my usual black.

Whilst the product looked good on, and managed to stay put a lot longer than a great deal of other eyeliners, the difficulty that is entailed in applicating and removing made the product an overall thumbs down from me. Not even the on trend, turquoise metallic colour won me over in the end, better luck next time Boots!

Get The Look - Alexa Chung

Loved by everyone and providing inspiration for the latest Mulberry ‘It Bag’, Emily Solan explains why Alexa Chung is high up in the style stakes and how ‘you’ too can look ‘geek chic’. Read more