Bathe yourself in fashion this spring

London Fashion Week might be over, but now it’s the West Country’s turn to shine in the style stakes,
as Bath in Fashion kicks of a season of fabulous looks

The week-long festival kicks off from 13 – 21 April and showcases the people who make fashion happen – those who put the model in the dress and the dress on the page.

Discover how an artist can freeze a fashion icon forever in time, or how a photograph can capture a fashion moment. In Bath, we don’t just wear fashion – we live it!

This year’s line up includes an exhibition by legendary fashion photographer Norman Parker, curated by designer Roland Mouret (who created the iconic Galaxy dress favoured by Victoria Beckham), as well as talks hosted by Michael Jackson’s costume designers Michael Bush and Sir Roy Strong.

There will also be catwalk shoes produced by London Fashion Week’s John Walford and styled by Rebekah Roy.

If you love fashion, don’t miss Super Shopping Saturday on Saturday 21 April, where you’ll be able to catch a bonanza of in-store promotions and events to update your spring wardrobe.

We can also exclusively reveal that this year will see the launch of the first ever Bath in Fashion Blogger Award, recognizing the best style blogs from Bath and the surrounding areas. The winner be presented with a special prize and crowned Bath in Fashion Blogger of the Year at a catwalk show on Thursday 18 April.

The awards open for entries on Monday 25 February. Get all the details on the awards and other events happening this year on the Bath in Fashion website www.bathinfashion.co.uk.

Spring fresh: Bristol Fashion Week

Step into spring at Bristol Fashion Week from 20 – 24 March at The Mall Cribbs Causeway.

One of my favourite events of the fashion calendar here in Bristol is Bristol Fashion Week- it’s always such a fun show with bubbly presenters, colourful styling and models who look like they’re enjoying themselves. This year’s show is going to be as style-packed as ever with clothing from M&S, Miss Selfridge, Hobbs, John Lewis and many more.

As ever, I’ll be manning the live blog on Friday 22 March when the city’s best bloggers will be in the house tweeting live from the show. Eep! I can’t wait!

For a flavour of what’s to come, check out the video below which was captured by the lovely Grace Kingsley at last year’s live blogging show.

High street style: 48 Hour Fashion Fix

Cabot Circus set the scene for a series of pop up fashion shows this weekend as high street retailers showed off their wares for Spring/Summer 2013. 

House of Fraser brought us a burst of colour, with pastel denims, neon brights and flirty florals. Skinny jeans are here to stay and I was glad to see it – the pastel peach ones pictured above are definitely on my wish list for this year.

At Miss Selfridge, it was all about monochrome and stripes – as it is at most high street stores this season. Leather details like the PU leather skirt pictured above and the little biker jacket added a bit of edge to the looks here.

At Bank, the denims were stonewashed, which isn’t usually my idea of a good time, but when mixed with neons and Aztec prints as they’ve done here it did work quite well. This is quite a festival-friendly look, and it would definitely work if your look is young and fresh, like the models here. It also looked great with cutesy, twisted braids.

After checking out all the looks from the catwalk, I popped down to the Beauty Bus where the lovely ladies from Nails Inc and The Strip at Harvey Nichols were offering mini manicures, waxing and hand massages. Just the thing to perk up weary shoppers!

48 Hour Fashion Fix continues this weekend at Cabot Circus. To catch up on all the action from the day, check out the live blog here: http://cabotcircus.com/blog.

Fore more pics from the shows, and to see what the bloggers wore, check out the South West Bloggers page on Facebook.

 

High end fashion at Harvey Nichols

Last week I popped into the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery to check out the latest collections from Harvey Nichols Bristol, as styled by Grazia’s Fashion Director, Paula Reed.

As regular readers will know, I’m a high street girl so this show to me was very much a hunting exercise to seek out the looks I’ll then try and match for less in stores I can actually afford! To that end, it offered lots of inspiration. The show opened with the models in crisp, cool whites – so far, so predictable for Spring/Summer, but the best was yet to come. Neons, metallics and monochromes all added a bit of 2013 sparkle, but my favourite section was the perfect prints scene which included some fabulous shift dresses from Peter Pilotto (pictured above).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christian Louboutin provided some of the night’s best stiletto pumps (naturally!), but there were also some fabulous metallic heels that caught my eye. I was relieved to see that this season’s bags are more practical than in previous seasons – large leather totes in black and neon cropped up quite a bit, as did Cambridge Satchels in acid yellow and fluro pink. I’m slightly satchel obsessed right now, so this did not help my condition at all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hair on this season’s catwalks was a breath of fresh air, with Heidi-esque braids sashaying past us regularly. Braided ponytails are a really low maintenance way to wear the look and once it’s done,it  needs very little looking after so I’m really looking forward to trying this look. Beauty-wise, I wasn’t bowled over by the looks this time around, although the bright, colour pop lips looked cute and fresh. We were also excited to spot Alisha from America’s Next Top Model: British Invasion, who strutted her stuff down the runway as if she’d been doing it all her life. Go girl!

Radio blogger

Today I appeared on the Dr Phil Hammond Show on BBC Radio Bristol to talk about the Bath in Fashion Blogger Award. Have you entered yet?

As part of the show, I was asked to bring in an item that’s personal to me for a segment called ‘Show and tell’. I brought a pair of purple peep toe Julien Macdonald shoes as I wanted to talk about British designers and why, although we’re just a small island, we have some of the world’s best creative talent. I also waxed lyrical about why blogging talent isn’t just confined to London – the South West is full of stylish bloggers and it’s time we celebrated that.

You’ve only got until midnight tomorrow to enter your blog for the South West’s first blogger award of its kind. We’re looking for the most creative, stylish and fabulous blogers around. If you think that’s you, enter your blog here today.

I have to confess to being really nervous before going on air, but hopefully it didn’t show up in the interview. In case you missed the show, you can listen again here – listen from 2:36 to hear it for yourself.

 

A night of luxe looks

This week I’ll be heading to the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery for an exclusive Harvey Nichols Spring/Summer catwalk show.
Will you be there?

The event will take place on Tuesday 12 March with a drinks reception from 7.30pm. The runway will feature the finest selection of designer collections in the South West including Stella McCartney Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Joseph, Alexander McQueen, Paul Smith, Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin alongside never seen before pieces from Harvey Nichols Knightsbridge.

Tickets for the event cost £15 and are available to order in store or online at www.theticketfactory.com/harveynichols.

VIP exclusives for Bristol Bloggers at 48 hour Fashion Fix

Cabot Circus will bring the new season to Bristol in stunning style with its first ever ‘48-Hour Fashion Fix’ event – including some extra special blogger events for all you lucky South West Bloggers!

Taking place on 16 -17 March, the event will see the streets of Cabot Circus transformed for one weekend as retailers host a series of spectacular choreographed fashion performances around the centre, to showcase the best of the Spring/Summer 2013 collections. With new season must-haves, pop-up fashion, beauty, pampering and discounts, it’s definitely the place to be this March. If you’re a blogger, there are also some extra special treats for you to enjoy.

Bloggers lounge
Throughout the weekend there’ll be a special bloggers lounge where you’ll be able to report live on the action as it happens alongside your fellow bloggers. Bloggers will be allocated one-hour slots in the lounge on both Saturday and Sunday from 12pm – 4pm. If you’d like to book a slot in the bloggers lounge, please email cabotcircus@grayling.com, and tell them what time you’d like to come, as well as your blog URL. Please also mention that you’re a member of South West Bloggers. Spaces are limited and will be awarded on a first come, first served basis – so get in there quickly!

Meet the stylist – VIP party
Bloggers are also invited to an exclusive VIP party at Piccolino in Quakers Friars from 6.30 – 7.30pm on Saturday 16 March, where you’ll get the chance to meet the stylist behind the shows and find out all about the key trends. Spaces for this event are also very limited, so if you’d like to attend please do email cabotcircus@grayling.com ASAP to reserve your space. Please tell them your blog URL and mention that you’re a South West Bloggers member.
Tweet about it!
If you’re tweeting about the event, please use the hashtag #48FashionFix.
Find Cabot Circus on Twitter: @CabotCircus
Find South West Bloggers on Twitter: @swbloggers

Mother’s Day the fashion way

If you’ve got a fabulous mum and you’d like to treat her this weekend, check out my top tips for Mother’s Day.

Pamper package

If you want to make your mummy feel truly yummy this Mother’s Day, treat her to a fabulously indulgent day at Lido in Clifton. Having experienced their day spa myself recently, I can safely say it’s the most relaxed you can possibly get, and it’s a lovely thing you can do together.

The Lido is currently running a Mothers Day Spa package, which costs £60 and is available throughout March. It includes full use of the pool, sauna, steam room and hot rub, plus a one hour spa treatment of your choice. In addition to the day of relaxation, you can also take a little bit of the Lido home with you as the package also includes a bottle of the new Lido Spa hydrating Rose Geranium body wash – which smells absolutely divine!

Lido, Oakfield Place, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2BJ

Tel: 0117 933 9530

http://www.lidobristol.com/spa/day-packages/

Turkish delight

Live music, fabulously fresh Mediterranean food and a warm welcome make Café Sazz the ideal place to take your mum if you fancy a quiet night out this Mother’s Day. The menu includes exotic treats like calamari, baklava and borek pastries – but if you’re not sure what to go for, a meze platter which contains a mix of all the best bits from the menu is a great taster dish and will set you back only about £12. If you’re really feeling flush, push the boat out for a cocktail or two – they’re delicious and will really add to the holiday atmosphere.

232 North St Bedminster, Bristol BS3 1JD

Tel: 0117 963 3334

www.cafesazz.co.uk

Passion for fashion

Want to give your mum a makeover day she’ll never forget? Why not enter her for a fashion, style and beauty makeover at Bristol Fashion Week? Five lucky people will be selected to receive a personal styling session with TV stylist Mark Heyes, as well as a colour consultation and re-style at a top Bristol hair salon, a cosmetic makeover and consultation at Bobbi Brown at John Lewis. They’ll then get to strut their stuff on the catwalk at Bristol Fashion Week to show on their stylish transformations.

If you think your mum deserves a makeover, email a photograph to bristolfashionweek@mallcribbs.com by midnight on Sunday 3rd March and tell them:

• Your mum’s name and address
• Her dress & shoe size
• A daytime phone number where they can reach you
• Why she deserves a fashion hair and beauty makeover.*

Find out more online here: http://www.mallcribbs.com/bfw_ss13.php

Are you the next superstar south west blogger?

The first ever Bath in Fashion Blogger Award will celebrate blogging talent from across the south west and give you the chance to win some fabulous prizes.

If you fancy yourself as the next Susie Lau or Bip Ling, listen up! I’m working on a fantastic new project with Bath in Fashion to help find the next superstar blogger. The best part? It’s specifically designed for bloggers based in the south west!

The award will recognise the best style blogs from Bath and the surrounding areas, and the winner will be presented with a special prize and crowned Bath in Fashion Blogger of the Year at our catwalk show on Thursday 18 April.

You can find out all about the awards and enter your blog for consideration by completing an entry form, which is now available online here.

A shortlist of ten winners will be selected by a panel of judges, with the final winner being decided by a public vote on the Bath in Fashion website.

Bloggers participating in the awards will be using the hashtag #BIFBloggers on Twitter – do follow @BathinFashion and keep an eye on the hashtag to find out more.

The prize package includes a Twilight package for two at Thermae Bath Spa, Britain’s only natural thermal spa.

If you have any questions about Bath in Fashion Blogger Award, please do email me on bifbloggeraward@gmail.com.

Good luck everyone!

#bbmeet…Blogging brilliant!

Bloggers from across the south west gathered today at Cabot Circus for #bbmeet and a fabulously fashionable time was had by all.

The event was organised by @lil_alessia and @beauty__bird (above left), who did a fine job of making everyone feel welcome and put together the best goodie bag I think I’ve ever received! It was so lovely to see so many talented bloggers in one room and everyone agreed you couldn’t have too many blogger meet ups – we don’t need much of an excuse to have a good time.

Having said that, blogging has certainly stepped up a notch since I last checked; not only did everyone have top of the range cameras, but they came equipped with business cards. As soon as lunch was eaten, some set to work getting everyone’s contact details- now that’s efficient!

It became clear to me today that bloggers don’t see themselves as mere hobbyists anymore – these girls are ambitious and professional, and each seemed to have a entrepreneurial project on the go, whether it was styling for clients and shoots, selling hair accessories online, or even writing their own articles and books. As one of the more ancient ones at the table (I’m 29!), it was heartening for me to see that the next generation of bloggers are smart, creative and unafraid to pursue their goals.

Having said that, if I had one piece of advice to these girls, as their older but probably not wiser counterpart, it would be to pursue fun above all else. That’s what your twenties are for. Your thirties are to learn the lessons. Your forties are to pay for the drinks. (And yes, I did steal that from Carrie Bradshaw).

Enjoy yourselves, ladies. Because tomorrow you’ll be an old lady like me wondering if you can still get away with wearing a glittery hair bow to the office…

P.S. A blog post dedicated to the contents of the wonderful goodie bag is coming soon. As an event organiser myself, I know how important it is to mention these things, so don’t worry ladies – I’m going to report the hell out of this bad boy! x