Urban Village Stylist Takeover: Part 2

24 May

This seems like such a long time ago now but before I jetted off on my holidays, I was also invited by Urban Village to take part in a vintage shoot just like the one Bhav did. Although it was quite short notice (as was my holiday!) I had already decided what my theme was going to be.

I’ll be honest, even though I go along with the other Wardrobe girls to all these vintage shops up and down the country, I never buy anything. Mainly because I’m a little OCD  about cleanliness (weirdo) but also because I find vintage shops quite overwhelming.

So I was a little bit worried I wouldn’t be able to find things for the shoot but I had nothing to fear.

Urban Village is a vintage shop that I’ve been to before with the other girls. It was my first port of call when I was looking for a Harrington jacket as it has such a mod feel. (I did find Harrington jackets but they were waaaaaay to big for me boo!)

The shop is situated in The Custard Factory, Digbeth, Birmingham. It takes about 10 minutes to walk to the shop from Birmingham New Street and if you love your vintage then this is the area to go shopping in.

As the shop specialises in 60′s and 70′s vintage fashion, I decided to pick a theme from those eras. I knew straightaway that I was going to pick a theme that probably none of the other stylists taking over would pick- and so far I don’t think anybody has!

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you…Pretty Vacant!

Pretty Vacant

Yep I couldn’t resist going all Punk for the shoot. I just love the whole Punk era and attitude which I’ve explained on the Urban Village Blog.

You can also see my video on there too. With the Jubilee coming up it was only right to stick ‘God Save The Queen’ over it haha.

Over-sized shirt tied at the bottom…

All the items I’m wearing I picked out from the shop (apart from my tights obvs). God that was fun. The staff were dead nice as was Rachael from Tiger Bam Productions who invited me down for the shoot.

So for the shoot I picked out an oversize Wrangler tartan sleeveless shirt, a pair of Levis cut offs, some black lace up shoes, red sunglasses, a bad ass leather jacket and a black side bag. I also accessorised my shirt with a ‘class of 1977′ badge which I found on the board and some safety pins which I borrowed from behind the till.

I was happy with my look as it was more or less what I had in mind when I was choosing my theme. Now I’m aware I’m not a model so my facial expressions do seem quite awkward BUT oh lord was it freezing!! I think my nose was running at one point and I didn’t have a tissue- narsty. But I soldiered on during those extreme conditions and did the best I could. I think the pics haven’t come out THAT bad considering?

It was a cold and windy day!

I really enjoyed the shoot and felt at ease all day. I also really liked my outfit…so much so I bought the shirt and shorts! Naughty me. My very first vintage buys though. I’ve been converted!

Do check out the video on their blog and also the other ‘stylist takeover‘ videos which feature blogging friends of ours. Everyone has picked out different themes from Hollywood glamour to Mad Men. It also shows how versatile Urban Village is as a vintage shop.

The filth and the fury! Sorry mum…

I’m really glad I chose the Punk theme. Although bringing out my inner punk always means I end up getting lairy and showing everyone my finger. *sad face* I like to get into character you see!

I can’t wait to go back and have a rummage. I may even have to dig out the outfit (and my attitude) for the Jubilee…

What do you think of my Punk theme? What theme would you have picked?

Images courtesy of the Urban Village blog

Sunny

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Reppin’ the old skool with Fydelity

2 Apr

As many of you know, I have the awesome role of being Truffleshuffle’s guest blogger. I’ve got a lotta love for them and of course EVERYTHING they sell from t-shirts to retro accessories.

When they asked me to review their new range of bum bags… I was a little surprised. Bum bags?! When did they come back into fashion? Were they even in fashion? I know we all used to have one back in the day, whether people admit it or not.

It was when I saw a photo of Rihanna rocking one, I thought hey if she can rock it so can I. But even Rihanna’s bum bag wasn’t as cool as the one Truffleshuffle sent me. See I knew there would be something more to it than just being a bum bag. This is Truffleshuffle afterall. Retro and cool…

As cool as her bum bag is I bet it doesn’t play music…ah yeah!

The bum bag that they sent me is from the brand ‘Fydelity‘ which Truffleshuffle.co.uk stock. Like I said these aren’t just any bum bags- with built in amplified speakers so you can connect your mp3/iPod/smartphone to it. It’s a boombox in a bag!

It is literally too cool. There are quite a few colours to choose from including a leopard print one (!) but I resisted and went for a grey one.

Fydelity boombox bum bags @ Truffleshuffle

With its retro design I couldn’t wait to wear it around my waist and blast some tunes. Just the design itself is definitely cooler than the bum bag I had back in the 90′s. I had to wait a few days to test it out as the bum bag takes 3 AAA batteries…and in our house we seemed to have millions of AA batteries but no AAA! Raging.

But when I finally got some batteries, I got my iPod Nano (which never leaves my side) and connected it to it. It was so easy to do. The first song that I played through the bag was “Rapper’s delight” by The Sugarhill Gang. ”I said a hip hop, a hippie, a hippie to the hip hip hop“… I just had to blast something old skool on it!

I had family around on the weekend and as 80′s children I had to show them this. When they saw it was a boombox they were amazed. I took it out in the garden and was still impressed with the quality of the sound. As you can see from the pictures, I was getting too into the old skool zone that I grabbed my Adidas Originals jacket. Not sure if it goes with the leopard print!

I think i'm listening to 'White Lines' on this photo haha! Don't do it!

 

I can’t wait to take it with me on holiday and future trips to the park. Love it. Better stock up on those AAA batteries though!

What do you think of the boombox bum bag? What song would you blast if you had one?

Rihanna image courtesy of yahoo. 

Sunny

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The Bow Tie Is Back

30 Mar

A couple of years ago if you were to mention the words “bow tie” to me, the first image that would have entered my head would be THAT scene with Frank Butcher in Eastenders.

But recently hotter guys than Frank Butcher have been rocking the bow tie (with more clothes on) and you know what- it’s a good look. The likes of Chuck Bass, Pharell Williams, Kanye West, David Beckham and Joseph Gordon-Levitt show that you don’t have to be a nerd to pull off a bow tie.

We’ve noticed that more and more guys are working bow ties into their everyday wardrobe as well as formal occasions.

After our recent collaboration with Menswear Style, we’ve never been more interested in menswear. I guess it’s also a good way to perve on beautifully dressed guys- win!

When online fashion accessories store Moodys contacted Wardrobe about styling a menswear item from their store we thought it would be a great idea. But with our ‘Wardrobe Male Model Matt’ moving to the big smoke it was looking like a challenge we’d have to pass.

But then again, I’m not one to back down so easily. Step forward our new male model (and my neighbour) Luke! As a guy who likes his fashion, I thought I’d let Luke pick his item and style his own outfit. With so many fashion accessories it was going to be interesting to see what Luke picked…and I was chuffed that he picked a bow tie.

Although it wasn’t the colour he had chosen, Luke had the task of styling this pink Moire bow tie that Moodys had so kindly sent.

Hey if Chuck Bass can do it, so can Luke…

Luke chose to style his pink bow tie with a white shirt, light blue Topman blazer and dark grey trousers.

As the other girls would tell you, once I’m behind the camera I get a bit excited so I did ended up taking lots of shots. These are just a handful! Luke was ever the professional and just did whatever was asked of him hehe. Luke’s outfit shows that pink for men doesn’t have to be frightening. It works so well with the light blue shade of the blazer. Still very masculine.

I asked Luke what he thought of the silk bow tie itself. We were both impressed with the quality- and at £40 that’s quite important. They do sell a luxury range after all. Although he found it tricky putting it on at first he wasn’t fazed and would definitely buy another one. The store also sells patterned bow ties for those who are a bit more adventurous.

With the wedding season coming up and various proms/balls, it would do no harm for you fellas to have a Frank Butchers (ha see what I did there?) on Moodys Worldwide.

We’d like to say a massive thank you to Luke for doing this shoot. Here’s a bit more about our ‘new male model’…remember where you saw him first hehe ;)

Name: Luke Sealey
Age: 18
Describe your style: 60s vintage style
Do you have any style icons?: Joey Essex , James Dean & Dean Martin
Favourite item in your wardrobe?: Topman blazer ( as shown in pictures )
If you could raid anybodys wardrobe, whose would you raid? Dean Martin… Suited and Booted!

What do you think of bow ties on men? 

Images courtesy of tumblr. All other images taken & copyrighted by wardrobemag.com

Sunny

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Urban Village Stylist Challenge: Part One

20 Mar

If you look in the right place, you’ll find all manner of independent boutiques and vintage shops in Birmingham.

One such awesome vintage shop is Urban Village in Digbeth.

Wardrobe Mag was invited to take part in a stylist challenge, which meant having free reign over the stock and playing dress up, which is exactly what us girls love!

The idea is to pick a theme from the 60′s and 70′s and style it up as you see fit. So what theme did I pick? Well I’d love to go back to the 60′s. Life seemed a lot simpler in those times and the festivals looked pretty cool.. so I went for a Woodstock theme!

Peace!

Loved this dress

And these shoes

Everything I’m wearing was found in the shop. The dress was an amazing find and has a very short hemline, as they were in those days. Looked great, but it wasn’t half chilly in Birmingham when these photos were taken!

Over the next few weeks, there are going to be different bloggers taking part in the stylist challenge, including Sunny from Wardrobe, so keep an eye out on their blog. One of the things I realised when I was rummaging around was that there were so many pieces and styles you could choose from. From glam looks to boho chic, I can’t wait to see what the other stylists choose.

Also, if you head over to the blog, there’s a video of me mucking about in my Woodstock get-up.

Do check out the Urban Village website as there are loads of amazing vintage clothes and accessories for men and women available online.

What do you think of my Woodstock theme?

Bhavna

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Menswear Style: Mr Brightside

19 Mar

If you’ve been following us on Twitter and Facebook then you’ll already know about our recent collaboration with the menswear website ‘Menswear Style‘.

We love writing about mens fashion as well as womens so when they got in touch asking us to do a guest post we were chuffed to bits. We definitely think mens fashion has gotten better recently and have seen an influx of stylish men around. Here on Wardrobe we’ve done a few menswear posts in the past and without bigging ourselves too much they’ve been well received. Just like us ladies, the fellas need a helping hand now and then…

Websites such as ‘Menswear Style’ are great as they focus solely on menswear and I think it shows that men like their fashion too.

It was quite a refreshing change browsing the mens section on online stores and you know what there are some NICE items available at the moment. So we decided the best way to go about a guest post was to pick an outfit out each. A womans perspective on how to wear a trend.

This SS12 has seen the high street awash with colour- a trend that most women are keen to rock. But we’ve found with guys we know that they stay away from colour. So we decided to put together some stylish outfits which featured colour…and we called it ‘Mr Brightside’. I know, we’re too cool!

You can read our intro on the trend on the website here. Our guest posts were split into four, and we’ve all focussed on different looks.

If you click on the links (our names) you’ll be re-directed to the original post on the Menswear Style website where you can find out where you can buy the chosen items. What do you think about our outfits?

Steph: How to rock the pastel trend

Sunny: A ‘smarter’ way to wear colour

Bhav: Colour for a casual day

Chloe: Adding colour to your holiday wardrobe

Do check out our guest posts in more detail over on ‘Menswear Style‘. We’ve had great fun focussing on menswear and hope to do more soon. Watch this space!

Sunny

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Sugary Goodness at Wysteria Lane

12 Mar

If you’ve ever ventured inside the Pavilions shopping centre in Birmingham, you may have come across the wonderful Wysteria Lane shop. It’s full of little trinkets and perfect gifts, clothes and the most lovely staff, who once wrapped all of the birthday presents I had bought for someone even though only one gift was from their shop.

I was really excited to find out that the SS12 collection from Sugarhill Boutique is now available from Wysteria Lane. The pieces are all perfect for spring and with the weather hopefully taking a turn for the better, it would probably be a good idea to start investing in a spring/summer wardrobe. The phrase “red sky at night, shepherd’s delight” is a true saying isn’t it? Therefore, by my predictions, the weather should be good today! Hopefully good enough for some of these beauties.

Sugarhill Boutique Swallow Song Dress £52.99

Sugarhill Boutique Swallow Song Dress £52.99

Sugarhill Boutique Sail Away Sweater Dress £45.99

Sail Away Sweater Dress £45.99

Sugarhill Boutique carousel blouse coral Wysteria Lane £33.99

Carousel blouse coral, £33.99

Sugarhill Boutique Jo Jo Dress, £43.99 Wysteria Lane Pavilions

Jo Jo Dress, £43.99

I think I’m going to have to pop in store and check the collection out. You can also check out the Sugarhill Boutique online, although prices may vary from the ones featured on the blog.

Is it that time of year for these prints?

Bhavna

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Marni collaboration with H&M hits stores tomorrow

7 Mar

There have been many designer collections for H&M. Most recently, there has been the Versace collaboration which I found quite disappointing. However the Marni collection caught my eye the minute I saw it online.

Image

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In true Marni fashion, the prints are amazing and I would happily pay a little extra for these designs. The accessories are affordable too, so if you want to own a designer piece for high street prices, then this collection is for you. I can see a lot of these being timeless pieces and a perfect addition to any fashionista’s wardrobe.

For you West Midlander shoppers out there, Marni for H&M will be available from 9am at The Bullring store. The collection is also available across the UK.

What do you think of the collection?

Bhavna

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