Style Swap with Nadia (We Were Damsels)

This time we were lucky to interview, Nadia, one half of 'We Were Damsels'. If you haven't already, check out their blog. Both Nadia, and her blogging partner, Laritza, are very stylish and have some great outfit posts.

1)Where do you live and what do you do?
I live in NY, i'm a full time student but I like to spend some of my time as a youth counselor and organizer. I never know how to explain what i do exactly but i work to help out the community.

2) How did the two of you meet and become friends?
We met in High School. I'm not so easy to talk to but for some reason I took to laritza rather quickly. Our freshman year we were merely friendly, but by sophomore year we were like siamese twins. People would even get annoyed with how similar we were.

3) Why did you decide to start a blog?
We both had been thinking about doing a blog but we hadn't voiced it until one day I mentioned it and I found out that she had been thinking the same thing. (surprise surprise).

4)What are your favourite places to shop?

My favorite place to shop are thrift stores right now .. I have an obsession. I also like H&M, DSW, target. I don't discriminate any place is good as long as i can afford it ;)

5)How would you both define your personal style?

I'll answer for me and her since she wasnt able to participate this time...

I would describe my style as eclectic and a bit off. I like bright and quirky pieces.

Laritza's style is more polished. She pays attention to small details and accessories and is almost always wearing some thing in a brown or earth tone color.

6)What's your favourite thing about your blogging partner?
Favorite thing about her is that she is the sweetest girl on earth. She really knows how to take care of people.

7)Tell us something unique to you

...hmm tough question .. I would say my musical taste , my style and my film taste is what defines my personality and therefore is unique to me.

Also i'm a lefty.



8)What are your hobbies/how do you relax?

Well blogging is of course one of them but also reading is big for me. Collecting all sorts of magazine subscriptions, I just love to read anything. I love to go to indie music shows, is that a type of hobby?

9)Who are your biggest role models/inspirations?

Biggest role model right now is Miranda July, she is an artist, writer, director who has the talent to do anything. That makes her a huge inspiration. She is fearless when it comes to expressing herself.

All photos from We Were Damsels.

P.S. Don't forget to enter our Giveaway

Coco Rose

I recently wrote about a company called Coco Rose and explained how much I loved what they do. CocoRose makes foldable shoes that are perfect for when those heels are getting the better of you.
I met up with Janan, the founder, recently and I was really lucky to get a pair of these shoes:


I absolutely love them. The colour is gorgeous and so different from any of the other shoes that I have.





















After walking around in them, they really are comfortable and so stylish to wear. They fold up perfectly, and take next to no room in your bag. They came with a small pouch, which you put them in and the pouch can open up and turn into a bag. And you see that stawberry in the first picture, well that turns into a really cute sholder bag, thats perfect for shopping.






















All in all, I love these shoes. Seriously, I did not want to wear switch to my heels when I had these on. I think these are a great investment to have and also something that every woman should own! The shoes are light and don't take up that much room so can fit into most bags, and they look great when you wear them.

Now that you know how great these shoes are, you'll love this next bit: we're giving away one pair to one of you guys!!! This competition is open to absolutely everyone worldwide, and all you have to do is answer this simple question: 'Where would you wear your CocoRose Shoes?'
Janan from CocoRose would also like anyone who wishes to enter to email their answers to her at: janan@cocoroselondon.com so she can check out all your answers.

The competition runs for one week.
Good Luck!

Sherin xx

P.S. I was honoured to be featured by one of my favourite bloggers. Check out my post on Over The Knee boots for Tasha at The Hot Spot.

Nina Ricci

I fell in love with Nina Ricci on my 18th Birthday, when I got a Nina Ricci Watch. It was the first time in my life that I saw a watch as an investment, rather than someting to just tell the time with. I still have this watch and it's a perfect timepiece. I love how elegant it is and how, despite being very expensive, it's not at all showy. It's definitely a classic and I know it's somthing I will have for the rest of my life. And that is how I first discovered Nina Ricci.

Nina Ricci was founded by Maria Nielli and her son Robert in 1932. Maria discovered her love of fashion at age 13, when she began an apprenticeship at a dressmakers.

In 1948, Nina Ricci launced its 'L'Air du Temps' perfume. The bottle is iconic: It has doves on it. I've actually grown up with this fragrance. It's my mum's favourite and I can't remember her dressing table without it. I think she discovered this fragrance in the '80's and has always had a bottle of it.

I love everything that the brand stands for: it is romantic and very feminine. Everything from their collection is so elegant, classic and sophisticated.

Peter Copping is the current head of the brand and the website has a perfect description of the Nina Ricci Woman: 'His Nina Ricci woman feels ageless and possesses an instinctive sense of elegance. Summing up the coquettish Parisian, she‘s playful but sophisticated',

'The Nina Ricci woman will be at ease with her age and femininity. She is both sensual and playful, always looks modern, and is armed with a sharp eye for cut, fabric and detailing'.

A/W 09:

Designed by Olivier Theyskens and I absolutely loved it! It was so hard narrowing down the pieces that I liked. Its very magical and dark, and really is perfect for the Autumn. I really like the all black and almost futuristic styles to it.

S/S 10: I loved the catwalk for this season. The colours are really nice and pastely and I'm loving all the neutral colours as well. It was the first catwalk done by Peter Copping and I really liked it. I'm particularly liking all the ruffles!

And here are a few of my favourites from the brand:

All catwalk pictures are from style.com

Sherin xx

Over the Knee Boots

Just a quick post to introduce you to my new shoes. I've wanted a pair of Over The Knee Boots for a while know, so I'm really happy with this purchase!


I've always been wary of buying a pair because they usually cost a lot of money, but then I saw these in New Look for £35!!! I saw them, tried them on and walked around in them for a bit and love how comfortable they looked and how great they looked, so I had to buy them. I'll definitely be wearing them all winter!


It is actually a really exciting story of why I was trying them on in the first place! I was lucky enough to take part in 'New Look's Style Wars' earlier this week. It where two people are given 5 minutes to have to run around the store to find an outfit. My opponent was the lovely and very stylish Hannah from London--Rose. She was such a fun opponent to have and we had a great day. New Look TV should have the video up in a few weeks. I'll post it so that you guys can see what we got up to.

Sherin xx

My favorite bracelet

Ages ago, Leia wrote a post about her favourite pieces of jewellery, and since then, I've been meaning to post about some of my more beloved jewellery as well.

I thought I'd tell the story of my favourite bracelet and why it means so much to me.

Yes, I know it's missing a stone, but in its defence, it's been through some tough times. The pendant on it has a brilliant story behind it.

The pendant originally came with a gold chain and 4 gold button-like things (there is no other way I can describe them). They belonged to my great grandmother, and when she passed away, the whole collection was passed along to her 4 daughters and 2 daughter in laws. About 30 years ago, my gran decided to take the whole collection (she lived far away from the rest of her family), telling everyone that she'd have them valued and then bring them back. No one saw them again.

I grew up with the 'Legend of the Missing Buttons'. I'd have relatives describing them to me, and how they 'mysteriously vanished' when my gran decided to have them valued. About 15 years ago, my gran claimed that she had sold them and she then gave all her sisters and sister in laws their share in cash, so we all thought that they were gone forever.

Then on my 17th birthday, my gran presented the whole collection to me as a present (which left my mum absoltely wide mouthed because even she thought they'd been sold). I am actually not allowed to tell people outside my immediate family that I have them. So only my brother, parents and gran know that I have them.

Anyway, I kept them locked up until I turned 20, which is when I decided that I really wanted to wear that pendent. I had a really thin gold chain, so I decided to attach the 2 and voila: a classic piece of jewellery. Although I'm banned from wearing it to any family occassions because everyone still remembers what it looks like.

I love the history behind this bracelet, and when I wear it, it does make me feel special. Dozens of people say that they had a claim over the collection and so it feels so good to know that that I have it in my room.

Do you have a piece of jewellery with a story behind it? I'd love to read about it.

Sherin xx

Dsquared Fall 2009

I usually find that clothes on the catwalk, despite being unbelieveably gorgeous and interesting, are completely not wearable for everyday life. That is until I came across Dsquared. Their Fall 2009 (yes, I know I'm a bit behind on this one) was very very cool.

Dsquared was launched by Dean and Dan Caten (identical twins) in the 1990's. They premiered their first mens collection in 1994, and their frst womens collection in 2003, and their fashion shows are always full of atmosphere that blends fashion with art.

The fall 2009 collection had the models on the catwalk with Starbucks in their hands, along with large bags.
A lot of the pieces are wearable everyday and I wish I discovered before, when I actually had somewhere to go!!

I thought I'd copy some of my favourite looks, with high street things that I have in my closet, and I tell you: it was fun, although, I am shocked at the amount of H&M clothes I own!!!

Hat, Cardi, T-shirt and Trousers: H&M (see what I mean by owning to much H&M), Shoes: Priceless, Sunglasses:?

Hat, Shirt: H&M, Jacket: Oasis, Jumper around waist; Hollister, Jean: River Island, Shoes: New Look, Bag: Warehouse

Hat, Jeans: H&M, Shoes: Priceless, T-Shirt: Zara, Jacket: Mexx

Coat, T-Shirt: H&M, Top around neck: New Look, Jeans ?, Shoes: Barratts, Bag: ?

Hat: H&M, Shirt: Next, Coat: American Eagle, Bag: Warehouse, Shopping Bag: Bershka, Skirt, Leggings: ?, Shoes: Barratts

Dsquared pics: TheInsider.com

So, what do you guys think of the collection, and my not so glamourous imitations?

Sherin xx

P.S. Check out my guest post for British Style Bloggers about Festival Wear!

New Look

Once again we were given a peek at New Looks new 2009 'Idol' collection. I love the glam nd rock chic feel to it, with all the studs and black/metallic colours. The press release describes this collection as having a 'vibrant vintage rock look' and I couldn't agree more with this. New Look is one of my favourite shops, so I'm glad to see them go in this cool new direction. There are everything from studs to sequins, spikes to chains, making it a very cool collection. Here are a few favourites from the new range:

I love this dress so much. Its such a fun take on the LBD. The studs in the shapre of a heart around the bust are absolutely gorgeous and this would be a great dress for a night out. Just add a leather jacket on top and you have a killer outfit.






I love the girly, yet glamourous feel to this dress. You can't see it properly in the picture, but the straps are made from metallic chain, which looks really cool. I love the feminine look of the frilly hem and how amazing the fitting looks. This is definitely a great dress to wear everyday, for university or an afternoon out shopping.

How gorgeous are these shoes? Yet again, its feminine but slightly edgy, like with the dress above. These peep toe shoes have a suede look and a ruched cuff, as well as a leather bow around it. These are a perfect pair of heels that all girls should have, whether you're going on a date with the guy, or whether you're on a girls night out.

For the last few weeks, I've been looking for the perfect pair of heeled boots and I think I'm may have just found them. The second I saw these shoes, I had them paired up with that first heart studded dress. They look very cool and my wardrobe feels empty without them. The chains around it give a very 'rock chic' feel to them and these would be so much fun to wear.






The Idol collection had some amazing accessories from sequin bags to looped necklaces and all of them look perfect to wear with the rest of the collection, but my favourite had to be these glamourous pair of earrings. They have chained tassles hanging down from the earring, which adds the perfect accessory to the whole collection.

So, take a look at the collection and let us know your opinions. How would you wear all the above items and what are your favourites?

Sherin xx

Style Swap with Little Violet Dress

This Style Swap features a great blogger. Its Jane St Clair from Little Violet Dress. Her blog is fantastic and is full great outfit posts and some really useful DIY! If you haven't already, check out her blog!

1) Tell us a bit about yourself (ie where you live, what you do?)

I'm a 27-year-old third-wave feminist living in North Carolina. I just earned my PhD in Communication Studies. I teach a few college classes and work at a children's clothing store. I'm intensely passionate about and fiercely loyal to the people and things I care about. I'm in love, and I'm getting married in the spring. I love animals so much that sometimes it makes me cry, and kitties, elephants, and rhinos are my favourites.

2)Why did you decide to start a blog?

I started my blog because after being in school for 25 years, I wasn't sure what to do with myself once I finished. I have tried to blog before, but it was more like an online journal that felt way too personal and boring to keep up with. I love fashion and crafting, so I thought I'd try one that focused on those things, and I love it. And you know what's kind of crazy? I had no idea an entire world of fashion blogging existed until after I started my blog.

3) How would you define your personal style?

This question is so hard for me that I almost skipped it. It changes so much, that it's hard for me to really nail it down. Here's are some things like: (1) androgynous looks (e.g. unisex t-shirt and camo shorts), (2) blends of masculine and feminine (which seems so cliche b/c so many people love that, but i still do, nonetheless), (3) super girly flowy things like what the girls in the virgin suicides wore, (4) plaid. I will stop there, but I could go on and on, and my answers would change every single day! Other people describe me as much girlier than I actually feel and think I am, and I think that's because I'm small and blonde.

4) We've seen a bit of your great DIY on your blog; any plans to take this furthur?

I love doing DIY stuff, and I wish I had more time to do it. I learned to sew when I was 8, and I have been doing artsy stuff since I was v. young. In a world that didn't require me to spend time at a job and had unlimited resources, I wouldn't work for someone and would instead do my DIY stuff and I'd sell it on an etsy (or similar) site and at street fairs. Maybe one day that dream will come true.

5)Whats something unique to you?

This is not at all related to fashion, but I can make my tongue into a flower shape. Also, I can tap dance, was a competitive swimmer, and was in 4-H (like Girl Scouts, but with sewing, cooking, craft, and other projects).

6)What fashion trends are you loving right now?

Chunky wool trousers and jackets, elaborate hair clips, layers

7)What is your dream job?

My dream jobs are doing my DIY things for a living and being a mom and wife. I am pretty simple.

8)Who is your biggest role model/inspiration?

This question is hard for me. My biggest role model is my grandfather. He was loyal, selfless, and hard-working, three characteristics that I value intensely. My fashion inspirations are all over the place. I love Nicole Richie, Rachel Bilson, Ellen Page, Ellen DeGeneres, Michelle Obama, Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashely Olsen, Justin Timberlake, Ed Westwick, Michelle Rodriguez, Halle Berry, Angelina Jolie, Pink ... I could go on and on. I like people who take risks and people who seem at home in their clothing.

9)If you could swap places with one person who would it be and why?

I would probably swap places with Nicole Richie. She has amazing clothes, sweet babies, and an adoring partner (who is also hot!!). Her life seems fun and full of love. She's had a lot of experiences and excitement but also seems really happy with a fairly simple (albeit luxurious) life.

The only bad part about this is that I would not get to be BFF with Nicole Richie, what with me being her and all. My runners up would be Leighton Meester or Ed Westwick. I'm not even all that much of a Gossip Girl fan, but Leighton is so cute and seems to love her life, and Ed seems interesting and smart.

All Pictures of Jane are from her blog at Little Violet Dress.

Picture of Joel and Nicole Richie are from theinsider.com

Guest Post: Beauty Products for the Minimalist Product User

Claire is fabulously fashionable (I would say her style is rock-chick meets preppy), has the most enviable head of red curls, and always looks put-together. Today she's letting us in on her beauty secrets. For her, less is definitely more!

Hey everyone, I'm Claire from The View From Here (hopefully some of you have read my blog!). I primarily write about fashion, I care a lot about what I wear, but I'm not really a beauty products queen. I don't always bother to wear makeup - I've never even applied foundation. But when Leia and Sherin asked me to do a guest post, perhaps involving beauty products, I thought I'd do a top 5 of my essential lazy-girl products.

1) Red lipstick for nights out - I'm a recent convert. I bought a Chanel red lipstick when in Paris recently and it's so useful to have with me for those impromptu nights out, or those days when I know I have to glam up a little in the evening and can't be bothered to carry a whole makeup bag with me. There is a red lipstick out there to suit everyone!! The Chanel one I got, Rouge Allure, has at least 45 different shades of red. I'm a ginger girl with pale skin, if I can find one, you can too!

Red lips add instant glamour

2) Mac liquidlast liner - this is like tattooing your eyelids!! When they asked me at the MAC counter if I wanted their eyemakeup remover, I assumed they just wanted me to buy because of the commission. Hells no. This eyeliner lasts! Once it's on, it's on - no smudging, nothing shifts it. Not a day-to-day use, but ideal for an evening (slick on some of this, swoosh some mascara and a smidge of the red lippy and you're DONE for a 50s style makeup in quick time).

3) Vaseline - incredibly useful!! Not just for chapped lips/dry skin patches/greasing up keys, but also it works as an eye makeup remover, as I discovered when using the MAC eyeliner! Necessity is the mother of invention.

4) Benefit Benetint (or, if you're me, the cheap Me Me Me version) - it's a cheek AND lip tint. It's great for putting on underneath lip balm, for long lasting lip shading. Predominantly though, I use it for blusher. Not enough girls wear blusher!! A hint of pink on cheeks is cute! On the bone itself for a blushing effect, or below the cheek bone to highlight facial structure.

5) Palmer's Cocoa Butter body lotion - it's thick, it smells AMAZING and it works. They also have a marvellous lipbalm, which I don't see as an essential (why, when there's Vaseline??).

6) A good perfume - perfume is something I do wear on most days. It's one of those things which has such an effect on other people and can become a signature trait. For me, nahhh, it's all about switching it up for an exciting olfactory experience. Do I feel like I want to kick a bit of ass? Valentino Rock n Rose it is! How about some sultry times? Armani Code FTW.






Thanks for your excellent tips, Claire! I'm definitely going to try Vaseline as a make-up remover. Readers, do you use any of these products? What are your essential lazy-girl products? 


And finally, do you want to guest post for HiFashion? We'd love to hear from you! Get in touch with your ideas! 


xx