Like it or not, pastels are back again in a big way. In fact, pale pink is set to be the trend this Autumn/Winter. Pastels have a habit of scaring even the most die-hard fashion fan because: a) it's hop, skip and a jump from chic to cutesy and b) you risk looking like a 5 year olds bedroom.
I've scoured City Chic for 5 lust-have pastel-inspired looks that you can incorporate into your every-day 'drobe and are guaranteed not to make you look fashion-challenged.
1: Lovely Lilac: 'Radiant Orchid' is Pantone's 2014 Colour of the Year. Call it what you like, it's still lavender and this lace sleeved top is tres chic. Pair it with these high-waisted drapey pants for the perfect effortlessly laid-back look.
Top and Pants from City Chic. Sunglasses from Sportsgirl. Ring from Samantha Wills. Shoes, bangles, bag and hat from Forever New.
2. Princess Pink: I love the shit out of this dress. Given that 97% of my wardrobe is comprised of floral dresses (that figure is scarily accurate) it's not surprise that as soon as I laid my eyes on this baby, I just hads to have her. I love the pale pink flowers against the washed-out navy blue and the fit and cut of the dress is seriously swoon-worthy - give me a full skirt and some tulle and I am so there. As for the coat, I've become a huge, huge fan of pink coats ever since I saw Kourtney Kardashian rocking a pale pink Asos coat a few days ago (and I am far cry from a K-dash fan). This one is super feminine and paired with the princess dress, you have yourself a look even Kate Middleton would approve of.
Coat and Dress from City Chic. Shoes and bag from Forever New. Ring from Asos Curve.
3. Mint Madness: Mint green is one of my all time favourite colours. I laaahhhhhve it. As soon as my greedy little eyes saw this cardigan I knew I was going to make it mine. I love throwing it on with a pair of black tailored pants for work or pairing it with jeans and a crisp tee on weekends - it adds such a nice pop of colour to my outfits.
Jeans and cardigan from City Chic. Bag, shoes and sunglasses from Sportsgirl.
4. Fancy Florals: Jumpsuits have officially been a thing again for awhile now and if you aren't on the bandwagon then I think you should try this baby out for size. Though she's not technically pastel, the floral print has pale pink and green flowers and if you pair her with this super-cute pink shrug then you three will be guaranteed a good time. Add some 70's platform heels, a statement Samantha Wills necklace and a gold cuff bracelet for a truly modern take on an old classic.
Jumpsuit and shrug from City Chic. Shoes from Forever New. Cuff from Asos Curve. Necklace from Samantha Wills.
It's official: Summer is ov-ah. March is here and with it comes a whole new season - hello, Autumn, you golden goddess, you. If you're not sure what your wardrobe needs to survive these next three months, don't fear! I've totally got this. Just for you, I scouted Asos and found my best picks for transeasonal fashion to help keep you covered and in-style. You're welcome.
The "Going-Shopping" Outfit
Also known as the "I'm-running-errands" outfit, the 'going-shopping' look is often a hard one to pin down. It has to be cute, but comfortable. Practical but stylish. I'm a huge fan of this dress - partly because anything with a cupid-heart print is a-OK in my book and partly because it just looks comfortable. The sleeves give you a bit of warmth but I reccomend pairing it with a leather jacket and opaque tights for the cooler months. Add ankle boots, blow-dryed hair and some glossy lips for a perfectly presentable but cute-as-a-button look.
The 'Sunday Brunch' Outfit
I was one of those people scratching my head and going "Jumpsuits are a thing, now?!" but damnit, the trend got me and I'm a recent covert to the jumpsuit revival (largely because it's like a onesie you can wear outside. So. Damn. Comfortable). I adore this offering from Asos and the best part? It doesn't even look like a jumpsuit. Pair it with a leather/denim jacket or even a cardigan, a long layered necklace, a bangle or three and you're good to go. Simple chic! Not feeling the floral pants in this offering? Asos also have this one, this one aaaand this one. Do it!
The After Hours Drinks/Dinner/Date Outfit
You know the scenario: you've just gotten home from work on a Friday afternoon and are ready for a glass or seven of wine and an early night when you get a text from your BFF/significant-other/colleague/random inviting you out for drinks and/or dinner. You can't decline and you're brain is screaming "BUT WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR". Never fear, my friend. This little kimono shrug from Asos is going to be your new best bud. Pair her with leather, leggings, skinny-jeans or tights, a (preferably clean) cami or singlet top and BAM! instant glam-ification. Layer your wrists in some metallic bracelets, pull your hair into a cute top-knot bun, apply your best red lipstick, grab some heels or ankle boots and sashay your sweet-ass out that door. I guarantee you, you'll love this baby.
The "It's Cold I Need a Jumper" Outfit
Ok, so this one is less of an outfit and more of an actual wardrobe requirement. Every Autumn/Winter, I start stockpiling my wardrobe (and also my Floor-drobe, Car-drobe and Work-drobe) with woolies that don't look like something my Nana would wear. I seriously heart this studded sweat top. Why? IT GOES WITH ANYTHING. Seriously! Jeans, pants, leggings, shorts, skirts, garden hoses (Ok, maybe not, but you get the idea). It's a sweat so you know it's going to be comfortable and the studs help to glam it up a bit. You can take this beauty to the movies, a date, hell - wear it to work. I know I will be.
The 'Hot Date/Glam Night Out' Outfit
It's a touch cold outside but you want a dress to 'wow' for the special occasion. Be it a wedding, a hot date or a night wining and dining with your five best friends, this pretty frock from Asos is your go-to. If the weather is on the mild side, wear it with bear legs and some sky-high heels. If it's super chilly outside, pair it with opaque tights, boots and a coat to keep you toasty. It comes in three colours (black, cream and wine) but I'm partial to the cream.
And there you have it my friends. Five awesome Autumn essentials to keep you wonderfully warm and fabulously chic this season. Happy Shopping, y'all.
xxx
Throwback Thursday - GagaVision Style. My first time wearing the Origami Dress
One of the very, very best exeriences of my life was winning tickets to go and see Lady Gaga at an exclusive concert at Sydney Town Hall (aptly renamed Sydney Monster Hall for the event).
My bestie and I are massive Gaga fans. I became a fan kind of accidently. I had her album for a long time before I'd actually listened to it. My sister took a liking to "Love Game" and wanted to go see her in concert. At the time, Gaga was supporting The Pussycat Dolls tour of Australia. Neither of us were particuarly fond of The PCD so we hesitated to buy tickets. As fate would have it, they announced on the day of the concert that tickets were buy one get free. We pounced and ended up going along, somewhat aprehensively and completely unsure of what to expect. Oh. My. Gaga. It was beyond my wildest expectations. From the opening number, I was hooked. I saw her first solo tour of Australia twice. I gobbled up her albums. I listened to all of her interviews. I loved her.
When they announced the premise for the Gaga Monster Hall concert, my initial reaction was "I'll never win tickets" because seriously, every Monster and her little sister were desperate to win. After discussions with my BFF, we teemed up and decided to kick the competition in the balls. Mediocracy was not acceptable. We spent a small fortune on wigs, costumes and props and spent our weekends dressing up and scouting locations for potential shots. We posed out the front of cathedrals. We went to an old goal (now a major tourist attraction) dressed in coats with Gaga costumes underneath and bags full of props to sneak photos in dipilated gaol cells. We went hard.
Entry # 567
After two weeks, we still hadn't received that fated call. We had one last hurrah, a big weekend full of ambitious photos and designs but it was with empty-hearts. We were despondant, to put it midly. I returned to work on Monday morning feeling resigned to the fact that we just wouldn't be going along. It was still early morning when my phone rang with an unfamiliar Melbourne number. I answered aphrensively - half-hoping, half-too-scared-to-hope.
"Hi, this is Take 40. Have I reached Lauren?"
"Oh my god." (insert 10 minutes of squealing here)
As soon as we knew we were going along, we immidiately swept into action. We knew our costumes had to be bigger and better. We wanted to take things to the next level. We immidiately decided to recreate Gaga's Origami dress. The only hitch in our plan was that neither of us knew how to sew. We eventually tracked down a wonderful Japanese seamstress named Kyoko who didn't immidiately hang up or freak out at the prospect of recreating a Gaga costume on a budget. She was flippin' delightful. The only catch was that she didn't have time to make the dresses AND the origami diamonds, so we were charged with making the diamonds ourselves. Cue 2 weeks of sleepless nights, cardboard, glitter, superglue and scissor cuts. It felt like the origami diamonds WOULD NEVER END. Eventually though, we'd made our designated 100 diamonds and our seamstress was charged with hot-gluing them to our dresses. What could possibly go wrong? Only everything! Luckily, nothing did and we ended up with the costume of our dreams.
We went to Sydney the night before the big day. We checked into our apartment, hung up our dresses and promptly went to the bar across the road to drink cocktails and celebrate. We'd made it, motherfuckers! The day of Gaga dawned bright and early (well, as bright and early as you can get in freezing July weather). We walked up the road to The Hilton Hotel, got our magical tickets, got our coffee and reported back at 11am for a security briefing (I'm not even kidding, it actually happened). In line at the security briefing, we made friends with two INCREDIBLE people - a gorgeous couple named Mitch and Brett. Naturally, I decided we should be Best Friends from this point on.
After the security briefing, we headed off to Napoleon Perdis to get our makeup done. At this point I was so nervously excited I could barely sit still. We had our makeup done and I could see everything start to come together. After a quick last minute shop in Pitt Street Mall with an old friend, we headed back to the apartment to get our Monster buts ready for Mother Monster.
When I put the costume and the wig on, I felt equal parts ridiculous and incredible. I was almost unrecognisable but at the same time, I'd never felt more like myself.
Gaga Oh Lola
We decided to get a taxi to the Town Hall instead of walking (even though it was probably less than 900m) because heels combined with Gaga dresses just ain't made for trekking around a cold and windy Sydney. Getting into the taxi without fucking up 100 origami diamonds was a mission. Getting out of the taxi without fucking up 100 origami diamonds was a nightmare. But we did it.
As soon as we crossed the road to line up for the Monster Hall, two things happened. Firstly, my new Best Friend's Mitch and Brett arrived and told us we looked "fucking amazeballs, girls". Secondly, I got my first (and only) taste of what it's like to be truly famous. Someone yelled out "Oh my God, look at those girls" and (what felt like) 5000 cameras and flash-bulbs started going off. Everyone wanted to talk to us. We did interviews with Channel V, Channel 9, The Fix, Take 40, Austereo, Sydney Morning Herald, Ninemsn just to name a few. We recorded a special video message for Lady Gaga (in which I, drunk on my new-found fame, called Gaga 'babe'. Multiple times.) It was intoxicatingly wonderful. The hardwork, the super-glued fingers, the sleepless nights were all worth it.
The concert was amazing. Seriously, amazing. I cried. Multiple times.
Afterwards, we left and decided to hit Oxford Street with Brett and Mitch. Many, many cocktails were consumed. We were mini-superstars all over again with everyone in the bar wanting to get photos with us. We danced until 3am when we took our tired and tipsy selves back to the apartment (via the 24 hour convinience store to get 2 minute noodles and Powerade). After not-enough sleep, we were up and heading home to a life slightly less-glamarous than the previous 24 hours had held but with 2 new friends and enough memories to last a lifetime.
