Think Pink

"Pink. It's my new obsession", Steve Tyler once sang. That may be true in his case, but for me the colour pink has been a favourite for some time. And when combined with black (or, more recently, teal) it makes up most of my favourite ensembles. And it's not just me and Steve - whether on high end or high street looks, hubba-bubba hues of pink are set to be huge this summer. Here are a few of my pink picks for those looking to rock the look...

You can still wear pink and be a tough chick. Fact. Just look at the Pink Ladies. If wearing pink seems like a good idea but you don't want to lose your rocker credentials, no sweat - these baby pink panelled creepers by Underground (£89) are sure to tick all the right boxes:

Pink Underground Wulfrun creepers, £89 at ASOS

As I said before, pink and black is my most-worn colour combo and one of my favourite ways to do so  is by layering a pretty pink dress under a black jacket (blazer or biker style) or cardigan. Bertie Bassett, eat your heart out. This dress (£20) by Sodamix at House of Fraser even comes with a contrasting black belt:

Sodamix Structured Monroe dress, now £20 (was £28)  at House of Fraser

A designer that always caters for my passion for pink and black is Sonia Rykiel. Her previous H&M collaboration truly left me spoiled for choice when picking between pink and black striped pieces. One of my favourites was this crop-sleeved bow cardigan:

Cropped bow cardigan by Sonia Rykiel for H&M

Released back in 2010, this remains my favourite H&M collaboration to date. It crept up on the Glasgow store, with no wristband organisation system required as about a dozen of us turned up to quietly shop. If the frenzies of Jimmy Choo, Lanvin and most recently, Marni are anything to go by - those fuss-free release collaboration dates are long gone!

With Summer fast approaching (fingers crossed), I have noticed many stores defying the miserable weather and urging shoppers to snap up their colourful collections in anticipation of the sunny weather that is to come. Topshop's Hot Pink Hot Pants campaign has been the feature of shop windows and magazine ads, and it can't be denied that the high street giants offer quite a selection of pink denim shorts - from high waisted, to candy striped, to tie-dyed, to metallic. An insider tells me that these neon pink denim hotpants (£22) are set to be a best seller. Wear them if you dare!

Although I am a red lipstick girl at heart, recently I have been known to try some pink shades, particularly for during the day at work. My top picks for pink lipstick are are Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in Cupcake (£7.99), MAC  lipsticks in Lovelorn & Saint Germain (£13.60 each) and Dior Addict Extreme lipstick in Plaza (£24). The new 'stick on the block (and my wishlist) is MAC's Viva Glam Nicki lipstick (£13.60 with proceeds going to the MAC AIDS Fund), a shade inspired by Nicki Minaj, who is herself no stranger to pink. MAC also released Pink Friday last year, a lipstick named after Minaj's album and a best-selling shade (with some going on eBay for as much as £50). Viva Glam Nicki's colour is described as a bright pink with yellow undertones. I'm looking forward to trying it!

MAC's latest Viva Glam advertising Campaign, featuring Nicki Minaj, Ricki Martin and a whole lot of lipstick 

Will you be feeling pretty in pink this Summer?

Come Sale Away

After the excitement of Christmas and all it's festivities I often feel a little sad that it's all over. Luckily, to pep me and so many others up, the January sales arrive and promise enough reductions to tempt most people out of their cosy pyjamas and into the shops.

Lupe Go Lightly on Great Western Road announce their Mega Winter Sale in their own ever eye-catching way.

This year I was ill and could not muster enough energy to have a day of SSS (that's Serious Sales Shopping), I guess my bank card has avoided a beating (this time) with only one item purchased.

The trouble with sales - especially January sales - is that they can often bring out a bad side in people that are normally quite calm and rational shoppers. Take it from someone that has worked in one of Glasgow's busiest stores on Boxing Day (and beyond), and been to a good few January sales herself - it can get ugly. It's important not to get caught up in the frenzy of it all, otherwise you could end up buying things you don't even want, never mind need. It might be the last one, but when are you going to wear a neon green boob tube? Yes, it may be 50% off but it is three sizes too small (there's wishful thinking and then there's really wishful thinking) and you made fun of it when you first seen it four months ago at full price. I rest my case.

Even though we are halfway through the month there are still plenty of sales going on for anyone hoping to bag a bargain. Here's a quick roundup. In town, House of Fraser, Urban Outfitters and Fred Perry (to name a few) are still going strong. In particular the Amy Winehouse for Fred Perry collection (which I had my eye on when it was originally released in all its black and pink rockabilly glory) is now 50% off, making it all the more appealing.

Sketches from the Amy Winehouse for Fred Perry Collaboration, now in Fred Perry's winter sale.

There's bargains-a-plenty going on in the West End local boutiques for those less willing to venture as far as town, or looking for something a little more unique. Felix and Oscar (Great Western Road) are having a fantastic little sale, featuring 30% off all clothing (excluding pieces by Get Cutie and F&O) and 20% off No Added Sugar. A quick stroll further up the street and you will find Lupe Go Lightly (pictured below) having their 'Mega Winter Sale'.

A selection from Lupe Go Lightly's stylish window display (various prices).

I love this store, it is difficult on a normal day to come out empty handed so when there is a sale to be had it's even more tempting. Finally, vintage clothing stores have January sales too dontcha know? Retro on Otago street are offering 20% off the full price on all stock.

For people that aren't even willing to leave the house, there are a good few online sales to keep you occupied. In particular, Temporary Secretary are having their winter sale, with up to 50% off their collection of cute and quirky jewellery. Prices start at a mere £3.00 and my top picks are this vintage style brass telephone necklace (£14.40):

Telephone necklace (photo used with thanks from Temporary Secretary)

And I love these bright pink cupcake earrings, cute as a button and priced at only £3.75 - making them literally cheap and very cheerful:

Cupcake earrings (photo used with thanks from Temporary Secretary)

To get the best out of January sales, sometimes it's worth making a list of what you are ideally hoping to get and trying to stick to it. Sometimes its more fun to set yourself a budget and see what happens. Even though I love a good sale, I'm also looking forward to the year ahead and seeing all the new collections hit the shops and online stores.

Have you been hitting the January sales?

Collab-o-rama

2010 has no doubt been a year for major designer/ high street collaborations. So far we have seen (to name a few) Sonia Rykiel for H&M, Jimmy Choo for UGG Australia, ongoing seasons by Giles Deacon for New Look, Henry Holland for Debenhams and Kate Moss has recently unveiled her last regular collection for Topshop. Across the pond, Target have continued to feature limited-edition joint efforts thus year with an impressive alumni that includes Jean-Paul Gaultier, Zac Posen, Liberty of London and most recently, Mulberry.

Designer/ high street collaborations prove to be very popular for many reasons. Fans of the designers in question are given the opportunity to shop a new collection, the ranges tend to be limited-edition which attracts dedicated fashionistas and eBay sellers alike, and finally in these frugal economic times, they present a chance to buy a high-end label at a purse-friendly price. Whatever the reason, the collections tend to sell out quickly most of the time.

This month another 3 key collaborations are due to hit stores. The first, due at the end of this week will be Biba designer Barbara Hulanicki's hotly anticipated collection for George at Asda. Hulanicki has designed an affordable range for George at Asda, which makes buying designer fashion literally as easy as buying a pint of milk.

Photo: Pieces from the Barbara Hulanicki for George at Asda collection

Said to be the first of a possible 4 collections, the range of women's clothing and accessories comprises of around 14 pieces and is said to be priced between £8 and "no more than £30" (I have been reliably informed but cannot reveal my source at this time. Lets call him George Asdaman). Earlier this year, House of Fraser relaunched the popular sixties Biba brand and introduced it to the newer generations with some new designs. Hulanicki (who was not involved in the House of Fraser relaunch of Biba, having left the brand some time ago) aims for this new venture to be more economically accessible and with a sold-out collection for Topshop earlier this year under her belt, the George at Asda range will surely be just as popular. The Barbara Hulanicki for George at Asda collection will hit stores on 14th November.

Next up, we have the slickly-campaigned Lanvin for H&M collaboration. H&M are no strangers to successful designer collaborations, a few months back I mentioned some of their most memorable collections while speculating on who would be teaming up with the Swedish fashion brand next. This month sees the launch of Lanvin for H&M which I am sure will be no exception to previous sell-out collections.

Photo: Lanvin for H&M print advertising campaign

Lanvin's Alber Elbaz has come up with an attractive range of clothes, shoes & accessories for men and women, hitting the shops just in time for the Christmas party season. A fairly large collection, it comprises of 48 pieces including party frocks-a-plenty, coats, cute tees, sharp tailoring and statement shoes , this collection will surely have something to please most people. Prices start at £14.99 for sunglasses to £149.99 for some dresses and menswear. This rather chic video showcases the collection very well, displaying the cut and design of each piece in the way of a stylish and atmospheric short film:

Video: Courtesy of hm.com via Youtube

The collection will arrive in stores (including Glasgow's own Buchanan Street store) on 23rd November.

Finally, towards the end of this month, high-end fashion house Valentino will be launching their collaboration with Gap. Based on "iconic fashion essentials", the duo will be putting a luxurious spin on basic wardrobe staples. Gap have had previous successful collaborations that have included Mulberry and Stella McCartney. This collaboration is said to be only available in Europe and will be available to buy from 27th November.

Will you be shopping any of these designer/ high street collaborations?

"Mirror, Mirror on the Wall..."

A few months back, I blogged about MAC Cosmetics and Disney's upcoming collaboration, the aptly named Venomous Villains collection. The products were finally launched today and I managed to hot-foot it down to the newly refurbished MAC counter at Frasers to get a piece of the action. And I certainly was very glad that I did!

The first thing I noticed when approaching the store was the window decor. In honour of the new collection, Frasers have emblazoned their windows with huge tributes to the characters that inspire the collaboration - Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians, Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty and The Evil Queen from Snow White & the Seven Dwarves:


All of these characters are ones that I grew up watching in the films and being the MAC (ahem) addict that I am, I was doubly excited to see the products, especially after reading the press release:

"A potion to poison, an apple to bite, a spell to cast… Bad never looked so good. A crystal ball of colour created from our favourite Disney Venomous Villains, inspired by the three most infamously frosty, fabulous and formidable of Disney’s dark ladies… and one dastardly Dr. Facilier. Don’t you love it?

A MAC and Disney collaboration to celebrate the dark side in every one of us, in a glamorous sort of way. Who’s the fairest one of all? Four separate mini-collections, in haute animated couture...Uniquely designed iconic packaging you will kill for, cunning characters and bedeviled beauties that are so alluring, you can’t help but wonder what it would be like to be one!"

The products themselves are very high quality and the nice packaging is a very welcome bonus. The collection is very extensive, with each character assigned a mini-collection so although it was tempting to buy almost everything I limited myself to five items. That was a struggle! This is my haul:


The nail polishes are by far my favourite items, the colour intensity is incredible - like petrol, the colour changes depending on the lighting. I must not be the only one that likes them - one of the colours has sold out already! I bought two nail polishes, a lipstick, a lipglass and an eyeshadow duo. It was a tough choice because most of the colours in the collection are very wearable.

It was also a pleasure to shop for the new collection in Frasers' shiny new MAC concession area. It's bigger (at least twice its original size), better laid-out and was very well-staffed. I was served almost instantly and a pleasant shopping experience will always get the thumbs-up from me. Bravo!

The collection be be viewed and purchased from the MAC website here, or you can browse in person at Frasers.

Will you be indulging in your dark side?