Sunday Speciasl: 31/10/2010

Hi everyone!
Happy Halloween; hope you all have a spooky day. Let me know what you're dressed up as so that I can live vicariously through you all!

Now as you know, I am a bit of a heel freak. The higher the better, I always say. And I know I'm not the only one like that. But just how much can YOU do in heels? Well, this is the chance to prove yourself and your heel skills. Sarenza's annual High Heel Race's grand finale is taking place in Paris, and you could be there. Register online and you could win a weekend in Paris and £2,500 worth in shoes! Registration is open until the 14th November, and the final takes place on the 3rd December. Twelve teams will be picked at random, with them also getting travel and accomodation to the competition. So go on: register now: what are you waiting for?

Shoe shop (mmmmm shoes), French Sole, are doing an amazing Back to 1989 Initiative. As a celebration of their 21 years in business, they will be selling everything at their Marylebone Lane store at what the price of that item in 1989 was!! From 1 November 2010 to 31 December 2010, everything in that store will be priced according to 1989 prices, and will be from just £25-£45 only! Errrm, I don't know about you...but I am definitely going to take advantage of this (especially since I work 10 minutes away!)

Now that Halloween and Thanksgiving are behind us, it could only mean that the next holiday is Christmas!!! I am awful at buying Christmas presents for everyone, but I've discovered SoCharming Jewellery and they're also offering all of HiFashion's readers 10% of any order for the next 3 months. Just use the code *coupon = "charm10"

Sherin xx

Halloween Costume Ideas

This is probably the first time in years, that I don't have Halloween plans. As I'm not worrying about costumes, I have a fellow blogger giving her top tips. I've had Bee guest post for me before, so I've got her again, discussing her favourite ideas.

In all of my days leading up to the day I bought my Halloween costume (I’m so excited to take pictures of it!) I had been going through a list of great ideas. Most of them had to do with movie characters and the fun I (or you) could have putting them together.
In that sense, they're pretty easy to accomplish if you have a few things lying around (or are easily purchased) and you don't mind making a teensy bit of an effort.
So for your viewing pleasure I give you (in my opinion) the Top  Movie Character Costumes (and their counter parts).
 


1. Morticia Addams. 

RIGHT? How could I not put one of my favourite characters of all time? Morticia is one of the most iconic Halloween features (along with her crazy clan of course). All you need for this costume is a skin tight black dress, long, straight black wig, alabaster skin and blood red lips. Spend your night delighting in torturing others and delivering half your conversations in french.
Bonus Points: Carry a bouquet of roses with the buds cut off and comment to how beautiful they are OR only dance the tango all night.
Partners In Crime: Friends dressed as the rest of the family; Wednesday, Pugsley, Grandma and special points for Thing.
Costumed Counterpart: Gomez Addams
Put your significant other in a well tailored suit, slicked back hair and a pencil-thin mustache and you’ll be the hottest (undead or otherwise) couple at the party.
 

2. Batgirl/Supergirl

Superhero costumes are always fun because it comes with a cape (which are SO in right now). Chose your favourite feminine hero and do it up right along with the knee high boots, mask (if required) and all American hands-on-hips pose all night long.
Bonus Points: Don't respond to your name all night. Go by your superhero name and if someone calls you differently tell them to not reveal your true identity.
Partners In Crime: Getting all your girls to dress as other superheroes obviously! Supergirl, Spidergirl, Mrs. Incredible....the list goes on.
Costumed Counterpart: Batman/Superman
How can he resist dressing up as his childhood hero? While he may be adverse to donning the requisite tights, his costume can be modified. Think regular clothes with a button up shirt that’s ripped open to display the chest monogram of his superhero.




3. Princess Leia

Okay, so we don't all have the guts to parade around in that iconic gold bikini but if you do and you have enough hair to pull off the cinnamon buns on either side, I say do it! Make it your own by wearing a gold lame bikini and tie a purple sash around your waist.
Bonus Points: Carry around a pair of handcuffs and tell people that you've been taken as a slave.
Partners In Crime: The good thing about the Star Wars movies is that there's no end to all the character possibilities, the guys in white, the golden guy, Darth Vader....the choices are endless.
Costumes Counterpart: Luke Skywalker
This will be a little risque to pull off if you and your counterpart insist on canoodaling all night (seeing as these two are brother and sister). But all your guy has to do is dress all in white, carry a lightsaber and claim that he's going to rescue you. Bonus points to him if he spends the end of the night with one of his hands hidden in his sleeve.

4. Cruella DeVille

Undoubtably my favourite Disney villian, this costume is a no-brainer to put together. Skin tight dress, cigarette holder, (faux) fur jacket and a black and white wig. Not to mention a supreme hatred of all things cute and cuddly.
Bonus Points: Find a black and white spotted furry jacket OR gore it up with some fake blood on you and say you just skinned your newest coat.
Partners In Crime:
Costumed Counterpart: A Dalmation
Trust me, Le Boyfriend was not amused when I proposed this costume. But since boys are always willing to go for the gross factor, tempt him into with with a 'Dead Dalmation' twist. Sure he's bespeckled with spots, but his neck is slashed and there's blood dripping from where Horace and Jasper clubbed him. On second thought, if he's so opposed to it, dress him in black as one of the two dog snatchers.


6. Tinkerbell

One of Disney's most beloved characters (and possibly its tiniest) Tink is a favourite on Halloween. A tiny green dress, blonde wig (cut in a pixie of course) and wings. Cap it off with green shoes and a handful of sparkles to throw at people and you've got a costume!
Bonus Points: Have a bell tied to your wrist and have that be the only form of communication you do all night.
Partners In Crime: Get your gaggle of girls to dress up as Wendy, the Mermaids or (personal favourite) Princess Tiger Lily.
Costumed Counterpart: Captain Hook
Even though Peter Pan might be the obvious choice here, he's a young boy...your date should be a man. And what's more fun than a guy with a hook for a hand. This costume doesn't have to be terribly over the top but a big pirate hat and a hook is absolutely required.

You can check out all 10 of Bee's costume ideas on her blog!


What's everyone else dressing up as??


Sherin xx

Wear It Pink!

So I mentioned, last week, that ShopGirl challenged fellow bloggers to take part in a Wear It Pink Campaign, in aid of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

ShopGirl has challenged Bloggers, such as Leia of Leia's Delights, Florrie of Intrinsically Florrie, Laura of Political Style, Amanda of Forty Not Out, Maria of Frills 'n' Spills and Zoe of Splodz Blogz to all wear pink and post our pink outfits on our blogs today...after all: that's what Fashion Bloggers do best.

Here's my outfit. Turns out that I don't own much pink...in fact: the cardi, t-shirt, hat and brogues are probably the only pink clothes in my whole wardrobe!!

If you're also taking part and Wearing It Pink, leave a comment below with a link to your post and don't forget to make a donation on the Just Giving page that was set up.

Sherin xx

To The Beach...

On Sunday, we got a few cars and took a family trip to the beach. Living in London means that I very rarly get to see the seaside, so it's always really nice to go there. London's been very cold lately, so we were a bit apprehensive to go, but the weather really cleared up and it ended up being one of the nicest, sunniest days that we've seen in a while.
Although, as usual, there was no sand, but only pebbles on the 'beach', it was nice to sit by the sea and have a nice family picnic. 

 Below are the aunts I often complain about. About half the family was behind us, thinking that they were in the picture as well, but when my aunts see a camera, there's no hope for anyone else, hehe.

And as per usual, there was a lot of rain. Luckily, we managed the whole day with little rain, towards the end, it really chucked it down, which did give way for some pretty cool pictures.

I really was stumped at what to wear! I settled for a beanie hat (which I've been living in so far this season) and jeans, with boots.

 What would you recommend wearing to a cold day at the beach?

Sherin xx

Tesco Press Day (Photo Heavy)

Last Thursday, I made my way to Oxford Circus, after work, for the Clothing at Tesco Press Day. After scoffing my face with cupcakes, I had a look at all the wonderful items in store for us for SS2011. I know I should be fully embracing the Autumn weather, but looking at the SS2011 Collection has made me very excited for next summer now!!

So what's in store, you ask? Well, there are gorgeous florals and really lovely patterns and prints on dresses and bikini's.

I love the print on the first picture below. It's on a Maxi dress and looked wonderful. And how cute are these shorts, with little cupids on them?

I love this cherry dress, below!

The dress below was definitely my favourite piece of the whole event!!

Tesco also had a cocktail event in the evening, which I managed to make it to and, along with amazing drinks, there were gorgeous models strutting their stuff in the new collection.

I know it's very pre-mature, but how excited is everyone for the Spring now?

Sherin xx

Sunday Specials: 24/10/2010

Hope everyone's having a great Sunday. I'm crazy tired these days! But there are few interesting things going on that I'd like to share with you.

As you know, October in Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In aid of this, a very good blogger friend of mine is doing something very special. Shopgirl is hosting a 'Wearing It Pink' day on the 29th. She want's all of us to don pink for the day and upload our pretty in pink photos onto our blogs to encourage Breast Cancer Awareness.
She's also set up a JustGiving Page, for you to donate to the cause (which I've already done). To take part, just wear pink and upload a picture of you doing so and let Shop girl know by giving her an email: sugarandspice.shopgirl@googlemail.com

Also, as we all know, Halloween is just around the corner. If you're as disorganised as me and don't have a costume yet, don't fret! Crazy Dog T-shirts is giving HiFashion Readers $6 off their selection of Halloween Costumes and Accessories. All you have to do is use the code: BLOODYMARY at checkout!

I'm off to the Middle East in a few weeks, so am embracing everything to do with the region. Swarovksi Elements is celebrating the beauty and glamour of Arabian women, with a gorgeous new collection: Jawaher. The pieces have been created by world-class designers, such as Allessanra Ricj and Zaid Anton, and refelect a perfect glamour, while maintaining the Middle Eastern culture and Tradition.

From October 20 to November 1, the collection will be on display at the Swarovski Crystallized Lounge, in London, so definitely give it a look if you can.

You can find out more about the collection, as well as seeing pictures, at the Facebook Page.

House of Fraser have launched a new Style Tribe Quiz. You answer a few questions and it determines your personal style and shows you some items that you might want to buy. It's a lot of fun...and by taking part, you can also win £500 House of Fraser Voucers. Check it out here; it's a lot of fun.

Finally, the winner of my DKNY Competitions is......

Tasha from the HotSpot!!! Enjoy the Perfume! It's really divine!

Have a good day. It's freezing in England, and for some reason, we've decided to go down to the beach...

Sherin xx

P.S. I noticed that there are about 3 HiFashion's in Bloglovin. This is the one that's right and works:

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The Rise of Social Media in Fashion

Time for a guestpost. I'm pretty swamped at work, but definitely don''t want to slow down on the blog because I love it so much more than work, so having fellow bloggers guest post is such a relief. This was written by the lovely Ceri Heathcote of Style Eyes Fashion Blog and is definitely a really interesting topic!!

Whilst clothes shopping is one of my favourite activities, I have various frustrations when buying new clothes which include everything being too long and not fitting and not enough natural fabrics and sustainable choices. Wouldn’t it be great if we could buy exactly what we want in the shops, that is assuming we actually know what we want.

Social media is the answer to so many of our fashion and shopping woes. Now we can discover the latest styles and trends, find out what other people like and how they are wearing their clothes and most recently have a direct influence over the clothes that are available for us to buy. We can also let brands and retailers know how we feel about issues like ethical fashion and models that real women can identify with.

The Shopping Forecast is the latest social media initiative which allows us to have our say on the fashions and trends for the season ahead. The site is described as a fashion democracy because the trends are dictated by the public and not just one or two so called experts. But the site isn’t just about giving your opinion for the sake of it; the data from the site will actually be used to help retail buyers make decisions on what will be in the shops for the season ahead. This is a really exciting concept and should have a massive impact on the fashion industry, cutting down on waste in fashion retail and avoiding those rails of garish clothes in shops that no one wants to buy.

There is also plenty of evidence that fashion brands and retailers are taking their customers and what they have to say through social media very seriously. The relatively new plus sized Marc Jacobs collection is a direct result of comments and feedback on Twitter and the brand listening.  Struggling US retailer Ann Taylor changed the models that they use in response to criticism on Facebook about their models being too thin. The 16% rise in sales that they have recently seen has been attributed to their enthusiastic use of social media. ASOS one of the most forward thinking online fashion retailer now have their own community which allows their users to have their say and for them to keep track of what their customers are saying.

As far as I can see the rise of social media in fashion is a win win situation where we, the consumers can be heard and get what we want and retailers can make better decisions which impact their bottom line.
As consumers, we no longer have to just accept things as they are, we can use social media to have our say and help shape the fashions and trends of the future. Even better, what we have to say will be heard.  Here are my top 5 ways to use social media to have your say and influence fashion.

1.    Vote for your favourite items on theshoppingforecast.com. By voting you also get the chance to win your favourite item each month and benefit from lots of other incentives that are planned for users of the site in the near future.
2.    If you are not happy with the clothes in the shops why not design your own? Upload your own fashion sketches to useabrand.com, if your get enough votes, your clothes will be made and you will get 5 Euro for each piece sold.
3.    Design your own t shirt or vote on others on Threadless.
4.    View, comment and help decide which designs will become reality on Beta Fashion
5.    Shop on Sense of Fashion which is a unique market place for Indie designers and retailers. It allows them to poll customers and get direct feedback on the colours and styles that they would like to buy.

How are you having your say and using social media to influence fashion and trends?

xx

Sunday Lunch

I wore this to a family lunch on Sunday, at my aunts house. I usually don't dress up for family lunch's out of pure laziness, but I woke up on Sunday morning with the mission of making an effort.

Although it's a casual outfit, I personally quite liked it, especially since I put it together really quickly. I know it doesn't really go too well together, but I was proud. Not to mention, it was ridiculously comfortable (especially since I had to walk to my aunts house as my brother took my car!)

My hat is Aldo, Jeans are Hollister, Tee is H&M, Cardi is Fat Face and shoes are Vans (you can't see in the pictures, but they're purple).
I've had a side fringe for years, so haven't properly been able to see out of my left eye for years, hehe. I liked the fact that I put it in a hat, so that I could see out of both eyes for one!

Also, I've just realised that EVERY single piece of clothing I'm wearing is actually a sale item. I'm quite happy at that.

And what do you think of my necklace? Cute, isn't it. It was kindly sent over by Eclectic Eccentricity, a long with this lovely hairpiece. The necklace is called the 'Room For One More?' and opens up into 4 places to put photos. The Hair piece is called the 'Persphone Vintage Hair Comb'. I absolutely love both pieces.

What's your Sunday Lunch outfit usually like?

 Sherin xx