High Five

Five reasons to go out pronto and bag yourself a new, old, retro or gold pair of high top trainers. Is it that obvious that last week's purchase of grey and white Nike high tops were my first? Well they were, and I just LOVE them.

Numero Uno: Oh so comfortable! Not only do they complete our jeans and tee combination, but they are like pulling on slippers carefree and so darn comfy.

Two: They come in every shape and size, so you can quite literally fashion a pair whatever your age or colour/ print preference. There are a pair of these babies to wear at any and every occasion, there are no limits so go all out.

Three is the magic number: They just look COOL! Now, either I look completely ridiculous in mine and the double takes that I have been receiving are down to lacing them up the wrong way or they are the approving acknowledgments of my new footwear. Hmmm is this dude opposite me on the train thinking my, clearly very new, high tops to be well chosen? Well suited? Well sported?

Are there rules to this look I wonder? Do you stick with high or mid tops? Puma or Nike? One colour, any colour, all colours? Is there a time frame, I mean is it strictly Saturdays and week days from 6pm or can we push boundaries and wear them all day every day?

I say MIX and MEASURE, mix it up and choose a pair that you instantly love, wear from the moment of purchase and cant bear to live a day without. When I say measure I mean wear the loud outrageous hot pink pair with a low key outfit to do them justice. My Muma always taught me that subtlety is KEY.

Four: You can get yourself a pair almost anywhere! If you can't quite bear JD Sports, no problem as you can source them online, off line, in Offspring, Topshop, Ebay, and many a high street store. Prices will vary but you can get yourself a pair easily without breaking the bank, mine were about sixty quid but you can buy from twenty upwards!

And my number five: You can work them out! Trawling the town or training up you feel top of your game. Mine make me want to sky punch and hollar Adriiiiiiienne.

9/11 Ten years on...

I can't believe that today is the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on America. Unbelievably I still feel that there is so much I do not know, understand or can even begin to comprehend about 9/11. What is clear is that this event will haunt, and even hinder, us for many many years to come.

Highstreet Fashion Week Vs Two for a paaaaund!

Oh I can haggle alright, perhaps not with the assistant in topshop although it has been known, but I can definitely give it my all. I was born and raised to sniff out a bargain, a diamond in the rough, a total steal. And there lies my love for charity shops, vintage markets, bric-a-brack and quirky little boutiques.

Yes this love affair has brought me some little treasures that I hoard and fashion at every possible occasion. I am certainly not trashing our beloved highstreet stores, everyone needs a touch of Primark and a dash of H&M especially on a student budget. But you can find some amazing gear in second hand shops you just have to have the heart and the holding power to riffle through.

Plus everything comes back around; fashion is a carousel of trends, textures and tailoring. So Nan pass me over that corduroy dress and cameo, yes the chunky knit too, yo Grand-dad nice flat cap! Another thing too, once you've paid next to nothing and washed/ Febreezed, fumigated (JOKE) your purchase, you have something to sport that will be different to what every other Stella, Donna, Zara are wearing.

I swear I have contemplated volunteering to work Saturdays in my local Fara (Richmond) to delve into and ensure first pick of the designer drop offs, what better way to do my bit...AND they have a weekly SALE where the hefty prices are slashed OMG!

I am not ruled by the runway but, like most, I like to know that I can collage together an outfit that's all me. What I wear and the way I present myself is very important, it’s my suit of armour that some days can make all the difference. There are endless styles and looks to 'rock' but I think it’s much more about wearing what YOU feel good in and being a bit individual in the process. My best pieces are vintage hand-me-downs whether it’s my fur coat or my olive green leather belt.

Here are some of my best bargain buys: the mentioned belt, a gold sequinned fcuk dress and a peter pan collar blouse.

There are so many quirky places to find ‘gold’ as I call it; I work in Camden so often stumble upon some great vintage/ retro locations. Here are a few that are definitely worth locating:
1. Episode, a Dutch founded company who have several second-hand shops across Europe. The Chalk Farm branch is an Aladdin’s cave of wonders and I ALWAYS fall for something here.

2. Mero Retro, Camden Market. A lovely little boutique of handpicked vintage garments where I am a familiar face and big spender...fab dresses, head scarves, handbags and much more!

3. Trade, now trade are obviously an AMAZING charity who resells second hand clothes in attempt to ‘wear poverty out’. You can find stores nation wide!

4. Fara charity shops, another brilliant charity who source second hand everything to raise money for disadvantaged children. What’s more is that they have RETROMANIA in Victoria which specialises in ‘vintage, avant garde and retro clothing as well as designer pieces and memorabilia’…sold? Me too!

Ross caaaaaaan!

Who doesn’t love this guy? Come on he is the ultimate funny man loaded with banter, gadgets, gizmos and a wardrobe of plenty! If you don’t know him from his former prime time BBC1 slot Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, then you may well have listened to his Saturday morning shows on Radio 2. Not tuned in here? OMG where have you been, ok in that case you will have gasped at his scandalous antics with Russell Brand better known as the ‘Sachs-gate’ affair. It was this faulty little prank that went a little too far and led to Ross’ suspension from the BBC last year.

In The Guardian Weekend with Simon Hattenstone Ross talks of his return to TV and his deserved £6m salary: ‘We took the Friday night slot, which didn’t exist, and made it upwards of four million people a week’. Then of his radio and film review show success, there’s no denying he had carved himself a niche that sat him, alongside his four man musical entourage, in very good stead.

So the big come back and a new number for Ross in a contract with ITV where he can don the entertainer party hat once more, there’s no one better there’s no one greater! Ever modest he knows that ‘there’s an audience out there for him’, and I agree. What’s more is that we know Ross will drive forward with fiendish demeanour to ensure that he succeeds in this new venture, and I think there is a general sense of wanting him to after being so vilified. In his interview with Hattenstone there is however a contemplation that there will be a time when he becomes disposable and detached from television; and this is the real man talking, the Ross behind the inappropriate, outrageous honesty on screen. Until that time, he is back in business and is he ever The Jonathan Ross Show opening night engrossed an audience of 4.3 million. The line up was impressive too with the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker, Formula One's Lewis Hamilton and the AMAZING Adele who performed another goose bump provoking show stopper, not too shabby!
I was raised with the likes of Parky who, always a gentleman, hosted a show of timeless interviews and Hollywood classics. For me Ross is just as charismatic and also has that lovable quality that translates through our television screens. Personable and absorbing in his way, he presents in an effortless manner unlike his contemporaries Alan Carr and Graham Norton. There is no try-hard awkwardness and the cringe worthy moments that do occur are those of unscripted comedy at its best.

Do it like a Brother!

My Bru turns 21 on the 24th of this month, so what's a big sis to purchase? 'Designer gear' he suggests, ah ha Primarni it is then. Now this fella likes to think he's got swagger working the likes of Hollister and G-star, because looking good gets in the ladies. Whilst he is certainly no gent, because in my eyes that requires wisdom and tailoring, he is a dapper dude in the making. So a few additions to his white-tee wardrobe may make for a good birthday fix.

After having asked the guys at work, those who can dress themselves and have more than one Original Penguin polo pride and joy, I have a few ideas. Namely a pair of Timberlands, leather bag, lumberjack shirt...is there a theme here? I have also come across the following blogs that home in on some top fashion and grooming essentials for guys so check them out and follow their top tips on twitter: First up is The Style King www.thestyleking.com (@TSKThestyleking)

The Urban Gentleman www.theurbangent.co.uk (@TheUrbanGent)

And Styloko who also have a great women's tab www.styloko.com/mens (@styloko) Wowza!

Don't call me baby!

Recent headlines regarding new attempts to correct the laws of abortion have been subject to much debate. Is it not insulting that the government feel an increased counselling service will aid women to make the right choice, and ironically a pro- life one at that?

Nadine Dorries foresees that such will help to prevent the number of abortion cases in the UK each year, despite the fact that abortion has been legal in the UK since 1967?!? Of course there is nothing straightforward or slapdash about abortion but what is imperative is that the choice is OURS. Times writer Viv Groskop is spot on when she reinforces the need to 'offer women choices without moral or religious prejudice'. And there's more, because, 'who condones encouraging a woman to bear an unwanted child?' surely not Mr Cameron? No indeed, yesterday it was revealed that both Cameron and Clegg will vote against Dorries’ amendment. Wise move fellas!

Having a choice does not mean anti-life or anti-children for me it means: Hello, yes I am a person, a woman, and I need to know that I have the right to choose what I put my body through. For me the likes of abortion and child rearing for that matter, are a far off notion and yet are matters that flood my existence. Will I, won't I, would I and could I? Yes there needs to be an education around this and certainly when it comes to abortion, but I need to know that I can make a decision that is right for me without being marginalized. Just as I have the right to tattoo my body, vote in the General Election, wear this season's Bodycon, take a rung on the property ladder, fly to Ibiza on a whim, get married, get drunk and so on.

Whilst this should not be a gender issue nor is it a New Feminist rant, although perhaps a little, women’s rights do seem to be faltering at present. That said the troops are armed and ready to combat this full throttle, be it in the London Slutwalks protesting against the assumption that women should stop dressing like 'sluts' to avoid rape; or challenging the gender pay gap.

Make decisions based on your needs right here and now and if YOU want to, do so in some killer crimson lippy, fashioning something cut way above the knee...Or your pyjamas, your welly boots, your jeans and converse. Just come as you are!