LINKS A LA MODE: September 29th

I'm very happy to say I was featured once again in IFB's Links a la Mode this week for my "Wear the runway trend now - Purple Hues at Prabal Gurung" post. Thanks to the lovely team at IFB for the choosing my post!

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Spring Forward, Fall Back

Edited by: Collette Osuna of Statements in Fashion

I’m not sure about you, but just as men look forward to Fall for sporting events that keep them on the couch, I look forward to Fall for my own selfish reasons......adding to my closet collection!

If you enjoy sipping a cup of coffee while you browse your favorite online shopping sites, or if you prefer to rise with the sun to open the doors of your favorite Mall, Fall shopping is the time for you.

Thanks to Fashion Week, we have all had a chance to peek at the newest clothing, boots and accessories that will be filling up retail stores everywhere this season.

This weeks links focus on hot Fall runway trends, Collection debuts, DIY’s, makeup & hair tips, and even how to manage deadlines. Fall is back bloggers, and with a vengeance!

THE IFB WEEKLY ROUNDUP: LINKS À LA MODE: SEPTEMBER 29TH

• ChiCquero: Mongolian Style Makeup Editorial
• Mahlia Calloway: This Seasons Must Haves
• Girl Loves Color: Color on the Runway: Mary Katrantzou
• The Loudmouth: On Detours & Deadlines
• Angela Osborn: Dear White Shirt, I love you very much!
• This is a Yes: My Clothing Picks - Still for the Summer and Already for the Fall
• Leia's Delights: Shopping Philosophy - knowing when to spend or splurge
• Wishing for Chanel: Wear the runway trend now - Purple hues at Prabal Gurung S/S12
• Fashion Dynamite: How I wore my favorite fall trend - the cape
• Kirstin Marie: A small collection of my most coveted Fashion Inspiration DIY blogs.
• Dress Code: High Fashion: Jean Paul Gaultier F/W 11/12
• Bang byLo: How to salvage a pair of shoes with glitter
• V is for Olive: Discovering the hidden gems of the California desert
• Juliets Lace: Autumn tips, accessories and cover ups.
• The Chic Sheet: Three Spring Trends To Try Now
• WanderLost: My top 10 favorites for Fall
• The Style Confessions: One way to style your Missoni for Target find
• Believe in Faery Tales: Eden Park or 'The Why to Paris' - An intern's tale
• Style Sizzle: 5 Barbie Style Lessons
• Oh to be a Muse: Keeping it Real, Natural Hair Care

PLEASE READ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE
If you would like to submit your link for next week’s Links à la Mode, please register first, then post your links HERE. The HTML code for this week will be found in the Links a la Mode group will be published later today. ~Jennine

SPONSOR:
Women's Sweaters at Shopbop: Vince, Chinti & Parker, Theory Sweater, Milly, Preen, Joie, James Perse, Sonia Rykiel, Cardigans, Splendid, Elie Tahari, Pencey, & Sweater Dresses.

Wear the runway trend now...Rock n Roll style at Just Cavalli S/S12

Images via Style.com

I'm currently in the middle of a very hectic first week back at University so I've only just managed to catch up fully on the Milan Fashion Week collections for Spring/Summer 2012.
One collection which certainly caught my eye was the Just Cavalli presentation. Encompassing the everything sexy about the label the collection had a retro Rock n Roll feel with an added boho twist. From leather to both leopard and snake prints to flowing dresses and shirts, though a S/S collection I could definitely spot pieces that would easily work into an Autumn/Winter wardrobe.
Below I've picked a few of my favourite pieces from around the web to help inspired you to re-create this look now before it becomes big in the Summer.

TopShop top, TopShop faux leather shorts, New Look skater dress, Black Maxi Shirt, Zara Ankle Boots, ASOS snake ring, H&M white blouse, Dorothy Perkins Metallic Snake Belt, AllSaints Fringe Bag, Monsoon Feather Necklace

This is probably the easiest collection of pieces to incorporate into an Autumn Wardrobe with all the darker colours and leather. But once it hits Summer will look great during festival season!

Wear the runway trend now...Metallics at Giles S/S12

Images via Style.com

With all my fangirling over the Burberry Prorsum and Mulberry runway shows I very nearly missed the Giles S/S12 collection. As always it was wonderfully eccentric and full of beautiful Gaga-worthy gowns and tailored pieces with a simple colour palette of primarily reds, white, nudes, black and the main trend I want to showcase...metallic silver.
This particular trend is very hard to pull off, but I've picked out some items you can buy now to incorporate into your Autumn/Winter wardrobe without looks like a Christmas ornament. 

Mango Shirt, Modcloth Silver Shoes, TopShop Skinny Jeans, ASOS T-shirt, Metallic Zara Dress, Chunky Bangle Set, TopShop court shoes, Bank Heaven Sent Clutch, ASOS Bolt rings

The trick to making the look more "Giles" is to go for simple designs and classic shapes. And as great as the full on silver suit above looks on the runway, translating it into real life may be pretty hard to pull off. So go for one statement silver item at a time or accessories using shoes or jewellery.

This Week...

1.What I wore: Striped top, leggings [New Look], Cardigan [thrifted TopShop], Vest top, Necklace [Primark], you can also see it here on my LookBook page.

2.Had a pizza/DVD day with my friend D.

3.What I wore that day: Denim shirt [H&M], Vest top [New Look], Necklace [Dorothy Perkins]

4.Had my first commute to Uni of the year for 2nd Year Induction Day.

5.My student loan's come in =) so got this cardigan [H&M]

6.Also bought Paper Towns by John Green (high fives to any Nerdfighters that follow me!)

7.Got an overnight bag for when I stay at friend's houses and to shuttle stacks of books to and from Uni [£18 from ASOS]

8.A few New Look Purchases, all practical bits.   

Wear the runway trend now - Purple hues at Prabal Gurung S/S12

Images via Style.com

Fashion week is a wonderful time to get inspired. One of my favourite collections was Prabal Gurung at New York, where a clear trend in the collection was the colour purple. In lace, sequin, latex and in floral patterns, this lush colour had me thinking...why not get ahead of the crowd and infuse the colour into your Autumn/Winter wardrobe?

So I picked out some of the best items you can buy to get this S/S12 look now...

- TopShop Split Neck Dress, Miss Selfridge DINO Ballerina shoes, ASOS Skinny Jeans, Forever21 3/4 Sleeved Top, Dorothy Perkins Necklace, Rimmel Nail Polish, BooHoo Jersey Mini Skirt, New Look Lace Top, Tie Dye TopShop Tights, Miss Selfridge Pintuck Playsuit, American Apparel Tie Dye Scarf - 

Simply match the colour up with dark neutral tones for or colour block with the hot Autumn berry colours like deep red and mustard for A/W; then once Spring and Summer comes around, swap the dark colours with bright whites to get back on trend

Wishlist Item...

Image from Buberry.com

Burberry Prosum 

Raffia Burberry Whipstitch Bag

£1,495 from Burberry Online [exclusively until 26 Sept]

Because of work I unfortunately missed the Live Stream of the Burberry Prorsum S/S12 collection yesterday. But I did manage to catch up and watch the show online once I got home. 

The collection, as usual, was amazing and as much as I was lusting over the full skirted trench coats and parkas it was the oversized bags that caught my attention. The one above is my favourite [though to be fair I could happily own the whole of this year's bag collection], I love the coloured raffia and it's size would make it extremely practical! 

This Week...

1. What I wore when I caught up with two old musical theatre group friends: Top & Jeans [New Look], Cardigan [Thrifted TopShop], Necklace [DIY-ed]

2. Dug out my old converse sneakers, haven't worn them in about 2 years lol

3.If any of you guys follow me on Twitter you'll know my old 1st Gen iPod Nano died about a month ago, since then my friend sold me her old nano ^_^ 

4.My dad was having a clearout this week. He found my grandpa's old Ray Bans and said I could have them if I wanted :) I'll definitely be digging these out once Summer hits next year!

5&6.My go to websites for the week Style.com & the Official NY Fashion week site, while trying to keep up with fashion week highlights. 

The Best of New York Fashion Week [S/S12]

It's an odd thing to think that though many of us will be donning our knitted cardigans and shopping for Autumn/Winter clothing, designers all over the world will already have or will be showcasing the trends for the next Spring/Summer.
New York Fashion Week has just finished up, so I thought I'd share some of my highlights for the week.
Personal favourites included [click on each name to see the collection]:

Badgley Mischka, Calvin Klein, Lela Rose, Monique Lhulier, Oscar de la Renta, Prabal Gurung (this one's a particular favourite!), Vera Wang and Zac Posen. 

I thought I'd also share some of my favourite images from the shows.

[photos courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week]

Can't wait to see what London has to offer next!

If I went to fashion week...Practicality vs Extravagance

As New York Fashion Week is in full swing, and London Fashion Week around the corner the lowly fashion blogger in me starts to wonder what exactly I'd wear if I was going to these amazing shows [which I'm not *sob*]. 
I think it's a dilemma for those attending the events, whether to wear something that is stylish and practical enough to navigate sweaty catwalk rooms and crowds, or whether to [excuse my language] screw it! And go for and outfit that will turn the heads of Grace Coddington, Anna Wintour and the many street style bloggers that will be in force during the  week.
Here are my picks....

TopShop Jeans, Elizabeth&James Blouse, H&M Blazer, Knee-high Boots, Stag Brooch, Trellis & Stone Ring, Large Stone Ring, River Island Cross-body Bag

So here's my practical outfit. This outfit would accommodate running around, getting really hot and networking. Lots of pockets and a sturdy satchel bag to put cameras, phones, business cards and invitations would be extremely useful, as would the knee high leather boots with a reasonable heel [especially with the erratic weather during London Fashion Week]. 
I chose the Elizabeth & James blouse as it would be thin enough to keep you cool in the heat of a catwalk tent and will still look great under the H&M blazer I've featured too. The rings are there to add a pop of colour to the outfit.  

Lace Pleated Skirt, American Vintage Top, Ralph Lauren Sandals, Statement Necklace, Rebecca Taylor Trench, Leopard Print Belt, Gold Ring, Clutch Bag

The extravagance outfit is all about standing out from the crowd. The main colours are fairly muted but the added details of lace, leopard print, geometric shapes and a colour blocking clutch will help keep the outfit from looking bland. The t-shirt/skirt combo is something I love seeing in street style shots, it's so simple but can add a bit of edge to an outfit. And nothing can beat a classic trench coat!

So which outfit would you go for?

This Week...

1&2.What I wore this week: Denim shirt [H&M], Dress [From the Clothes Show 2011], Belt, ankle boots [New Look]. 

3.My bracelets. From New Look, Accessorize, and the blue one is handmade to show my Ravenclaw house pride after I got sorted on Pottermore ^_^

4.Went out for a night out with some friends' birthday last Tuesday.

5.I had to pick up my sister from her first day at secondary school this week and got an opportunity to do a little bit of shopping. Bought these earrings from Primark, which I wore out on Tuesday. 

6. Also scooped up this dress from Dorothy Perkins in the sale for £7. It doesn't look great on the hanger but it looks awesome on!
7,8&9.Forgot to mention last week that my October copy of Elle magazine arrived, along with a wonderful Style For Less mini magazine. It featured the ever gorgeous Agyness Deyn, in all her androgynous glory.