Style Bandit

Fashion Lives in Birmingham Hooray!

2009-05-11T19:42:00.003+01:00

Considering that Birmingham is the second biggest city in the UK on second to the mighty LDN there isn't as much of a happening fashion scene as there could be.

While Birmingham is seen as some sort of shopping mecca with the Mailbox and the Bullring where is there to go for someone who doesn't want to walk around in the latest Primark or Topshop rails.

If vintage is your thing then Birmingham isn't doing too badly but it's no Brick Lane. Cow (the yellow warehouse), Top Banana in Kings Head and the Custard Factory market held every Saturday are great places to source the finest vintage attire.

There are a few events that are trying to challenge the notion of Birmingham being an unstylish city. Ebony & Ivory promotions www.ebonyandivorypromotions.co.uk/ offer exclusive fashion parties at the cities hottest club scenes combining every girls love of music, clubbing and fashion. What better reason to get dolled up and drink away on a weekday?

As well as great parties, Birmingham is home to the Midlands Young Fashion Designer Awards (MYFDA) http://www.myfashiondesigners.co.uk/ which celebrates emerging talent who hope to grace the future catwalks of Milan, Paris and New York. This celebration of fashion gives young and established designers a chance to showcase their home grown talents. We need to show our appreciation of these talents so they don't fly the nest and leave for the Big Smoke.

Give us the emerging fashion, Birmingham is ready for it!

Must Have Make Up

2009-04-02T11:59:00.009+01:00

I’ve discovered a couple of make up gems that I thought I should share with you…and that you should have in your make up bags!

i-blossom by new ID

This silky powder blusher stamp with mirror and simple-to-use sponge applicator adds an instant, healthy flush of colour to the cheeks. It’s a pretty hefty price tag at £16.50 but well worth it as it fits perfectly in your handbag on a night out and I just love the ‘stamp’.
http://www.newcidcosmetics.com/

Plush Lush by Mac
This mascara is amazing in every way. It has a big fat want which is great for creating thick lashes and doesn’t smudge. I’ve been searching for mascara like this for a long time and at £10.77 it’s quite reasonable.
http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/

Dark Nail Polishes by e.l.f.
These bargain nail polishes are said to be just as good as Chanel by beauty editors and at the fraction of the price (£1.50!!) then you should fill your make up bag for this coming season. The polish is lovely and thick and doesn’t chip unlike a lot of other cheaper products.
http://www.eyelipsface.co.uk/

By the way, this is not a paid editorial these are products that I’ve genuinely recently discovered and could not live without now. I thought it was only my duty to let you know about them…

If you have any must-have products secrets please let me know so I can get them!

My Model Crush

2009-03-28T17:45:00.000Z

While most people may go for a classic Kate Moss or fiery Naomi Campbell I have a model crush on Anja Rubik. You may not know the name but you will definitely know the face, she’s everywhere.

The Polish model has modelled for anyone who is anyone including amazing names such as Chloe, Dior, Prada and every girls dream - Channel. The queen of the catwalk has also graced the covers of countless fashion magazines including Vogue, Elle and Nylon. The (depressingly) 23 year old model attended high school in Paris (is there anything about this girl we don’t envy?) and officially started modelling when she finished school.

Anja really came into her own when she had THE haircut that made her model of the moment. She went from being another skinny beautiful model to a fashion goddess in one fail swoop of the scissors when she got the crop. Her new look made her fabulous cheek bones stick out like an anorexics collar bone and drew more attention to her piercing blue eyes.

Anja’s off duty style is just as amazing as on the runway. She goes for casual, effortless chic only the way a model could. The striking model likes to wear classic designer pieces to make the most of her elfin look.

A Great Love Affair

2009-01-22T13:58:00.001Z

I’ve finally had to accept that I’m having an affair behind my boyfriend’s back…a great love affair with fashion magazines.

I discovered how immense my love affair was on a recent trip to Asia for two months where I proceeded to spend copious amounts of money on magazines trying to convince my boyfriend that £10 on Elle wasn’t that bad. It was more of an investment into fashion than a stupid amount of money on some pieces of paper. But they’re not just pieces of paper, their like bibles to me. I couldn’t live without them on my travels.

I remember from a young age I’ve been obsessed with magazines persuading my mum to subscribe to both Sugar and Bliss when I was about 11 or 12. The sound of the magazine hitting the mat as the post arrived made me burst with excitement and I would get engrossed for hours with my magazines. They helped mould me into who I am today and further my passion with fashion and beauty.

It got worse as I grew up. My mum and I would have continuous arguments about throwing my magazines out. I would like to file them away categorised by magazine in case I needed to ‘refer back to them’. She never understood and would sneak them out when she thought I wasn’t looking.

So now, I’ve finally had to admit that this addiction has gotten the better of me as I continue to buy magazines on a weekly and monthly basis with my favourite being Look, Company, Glamour and Elle.

The addiction isn’t cheap, but what one is? I’m now considering the thought of subscriptions to these magazines in order to save some money in this current climate. It won’t be the same though, the thought of rushing to the shops to buy the latest magazine that may have a special feature on ‘shoes’ or ‘spring/summer trends’.

I’ll get by though, safe in the knowledge that when I get home my magazines will be on the mat like they were when I was young and I can get engrossed in them no matter what.

'I do' Fashion

2008-08-05T13:29:00.000+01:00

The wedding season is upon us and picking an appropriate yet chic outfit can be a nightmare for everyone apart from the damn smug bride.

There are three main rules when deciding on your wedding guest ensemble. Follow these and you shall stay safe and stylish…

1. Never, ever wear white, ivory or anything remotely that could have you confused with the Bride It’s her big day and all the attention should be on her.

2. Find out what colour the bridesmaids are wearing. With so many people buying bridesmaids outfits from high street stores you could face disaster of all disasters, not just one person wearing the same outfit as you but maybe two, three or even four!

3. Dress length can play a big part in choosing your outfit. You want to look stylish, not skanky. Anything way above the knee can be discounted straight away no matter how in fashion they are.

Making your outfit stand out in the right way is down to superior accessorising. While aunties and mothers of the bride and bridegroom will stick to the good old fashioned wedding hat us young ‘uns know how to do it better! Fascinators are girls best wedding friend, second to diamonds because they’re always a girls best friend. They can range anything from £2 in Primark to the earth in Selfridges. H&M do this trend brilliantly with affordable fascinators that look beautiful for under £10.

And now a tip for the fashion forward, next year will be the year for feathers. Go over the top and wear a fascinator with feathers like SJP did for the London premiere of SATC. Philip Tracy may not be banging your door down to create you such a magnificent creation but you can find something similar on the high street and customise it yourself with a visit to the haberdashery.

Festival Focus

2008-07-10T22:16:00.000+01:00

It’s hard enough putting outfits together for sunny holidays let alone 6 days in a field and unforgiving British weather. Every year fashionistas and music lovers flock to fields from the boutique festivals like Secret Garden to good old Glastonbury. Check out the Style Bandit guide to festival fashion for 2008.

This year there are some clear winners in festival fashion stakes from the stunning Ray Ban rip offs to gorgeous Stella McCartney circa 2007 headwear. So what’s hot this year because it certainly isn’t the weather!

The Muso must-have

Sunglasses are a must for any festival goer. Not only can they make an outfit instantly chic but they can hide a multitude of sins. Sins of which you will not want people to see, especially when you have to prepare your beautiful self in a miniscule tent with a hand mirror and dry shampoo. This year many different styles can be found in the mosh pit and hanging around Shangri La. The Ray Ban lookalikes seem to have made a big impression on young fashion tribes in particular the neon brights that the nu-rave revolution brought back. These are the perfect accessory for a fashionista as they instantly update your wardrobe and may even help you sneak back stage. Check out asos.com for some great cheaper alternatives to the Ray Ban with prices from £4.

Wild girls on tour

Festival hair is the one thing girls dread once those tickets come through in the post. How could anyone have great hair at the end of a week with no hot water, straighteners and luscious hair products? The answer is to go natural. Leave your hair go wild a la Amy Winehouse minus the Marge Simpson beehive. Wild hair was everywhere to be seen in Glastonbury 08, who needs backcombing when you have to sleep in a static sleeping bag. Hairspray can be a great product for this look, try L’Oreal Elnett available at any great supermarket for an affordable price. If you want to add some glam and grunge to your outfit add a headband for extra groupie status.

Triby or not to be?

If untamed tresses aren’t your thing then you can rely on the much-loved trilby for bad hair days. The Trilby or Fedora as it’s known in the US has been a big fan with celebrities with everyone from Sienna Miller one in Ibiza to Alexa Chung this year in Glastonbury donning one. This is an ideal hideaway from the prying wasted eyes at a festival and works great as a fan when you’re dancing away!

Don’t dapen your mood

While wellies can be a fundamental element to a festival goer the weather has been fairly good to us this so far this year with Glasto being almost mud and welly free. Ideal footwear includes the beloved cowboy boots which will stick with you through thick and thin (check out the bandit boots from a previous post) however, the daps aka the passé trainers you had to wear for P.E in school have made a massive comeback for the right reasons. These daps can be so comfortable and more than affordable with Primark selling simple yet chic white ones for an amazing £2! Get your pair today you and you will be wearing them all summer.

So that’s it for another festival fashion year. Good luck with your festival and let’s hope the weather and your fashion choices are good to you!

Style Bandit x

Images kindly borrowed from http://www.asos.com/ – Check out the great online fashion store for up to the minute trends

Return of the Blazer, not the Mac

2008-05-16T22:04:00.000+01:00

This is hard to believe but the well loved blazer was once upon a time known as a 'sportscoat' in the 70's for upper class team sports such as rowing and bowling... Cut forward to 2008 and they are back with a vengeance with even Kate Moss pioneering them in her Topshop collection.

Now you know that I don't believe or enjoy buying items that everyone can pick up in a Topshop, Warehouse or Oasis and a blazer is one this items where you can get it cheap and put your own stamp on it.

Take my recent purchase of a black blazer. I bought it from a local charity shop for £2, then got some slightly dodgy 80's looking buttons for £1 to customise it. I'm also a big fan of rolling the sleeves up on a blazer, in a slightly camp you could say Wham circa 88' way a la Alexa in this photo.

It's a classic piece of fashion is the blazer, do with it what you will but don't pull out the shoulder pads, Dynasty is not the way forward.

Work - Oh what to wear tomorrow

2008-05-16T21:47:00.000+01:00

I'm sure everyone gets the same as me and feel like they have a wardrobe full of clothes with nothing to wear, especially to work!

No matter how many times I go through my wardrobe I just don't have anything to wear to work, well nothing I feel confident and comfortable in.

I despise having to wear boring plain black trousers to work as it seems I have no imagination and makes me less creative throughout the day. I am however, a big fan of tea dresses, especially with black tights. One of my absolute favourite combos is a chic tea dress, black tights and cream round toe shoes. All of which I got at a bargain price but look pretty spectacular when put together - take my word for it.

Anyway, I've set myself a challenge for June, to find some beautiful pieces suitable for work and play time. I'll make an update when I've found these unsuspecting items of clothing.

You uniform day to dayers don't know how lucky you've got it!

Classic Purses - Granny knows best!

2008-05-16T21:28:00.000+01:00

I discovered 'Granny Chic' when I started scouring charity shops. Where better to get silk scarf fit for the queen, leather purse or a beautiful vintage looking broach.

My friends and I joke about how granny's fashion is best and we all funnily enough have bought purses from charity shops over the last month. The best thing about this is how every purse is different, unique and has a story.

My purse is a classic tanned leather purse with a granny clasp and marks where the old 2p's used to sit. My friends purse is rather more granny like than mine and is made out of a tweed carpet effect and again, granny clasp - it a one off for sure.

I decided that granny knew best when I decided to treat myself to a very well known designer purse complete with clasp from a department store. I was very excited, got it home and moved all of my cards and cash over. I felt quite smug you could say, you know, the feeling you have when you have a new purse or bag?!

Then disaster struck - I got the purse out of my bag and the clasp and opened thus all my pennies falling out, not a great sign for the amount of cash I'd paid for it! That was when I decided that old purses are the best and I've stuck with it ever since.

I'm sure things were made better in the good old days!

My New Bandit Boots - The eBay way...

2008-05-16T21:07:00.000+01:00

I just cannot contain myself about my latest purchase -

My Style Bandit Boots.

I'm telling you these boots and I will have a long lasting relationship through thick, thin, Glastonbury and many adventures.

Every girl needs a pair of boots they can rely on which will ensure they look good during summer and winter times including the UK weather! I have found my partner in crime for the next couple of years, these beautiful tanned boots.

I decided to get a pair of cowboy boots after a male friend of mine was talking about them, from then on I couldn't stop checking out eBay for the perfect pair. Then I came across these and I knew it was love at first 'watch'. That they were the ones, and a steal at only £10.

I encourage eBaying a lot for Style Bandit wannabes, it's like having a charity/vintage shop on your doorstep. Plus you can shop whenever you want! Now I know that you can't compare web shopping to the real thing where you get to touch and try things on but eBay is one of those sites which can give you exactly what you want, when you want.

Don't delay, eBay today!

Real Inspiration from Real People at Real Prices

2008-04-29T14:04:00.000+01:00

I am the Style Bandit spending my spare time scouring street style and reading fashion magazines for inspiration to find the next thing that will MAKE my wardrobe! Then I steal the look for under half the price.

With fashion developing and my moods changing I cannot afford or bare to part with the cash for my ever changing look at the drop of a hat.

This is where Style Bandit comes in….

I will be introducing you to a new religion for fashion – the Bandit way!