A little street-style fascination with shoes...

While browsing through the street style photos from fashion weeks on various websites/blogs, I noticed how much I actually have a love for obscure shoes. I loved the bright colours, as well as the styling of them with socks/tights etc. The variation of colour, shapes and texture were so vast amongst the different fashion weeks...

From: Style.com. NY Fashion Week 2011.
Possibly my favourites! I love how random the shape of them is, yet how they still look wearable and comfortable at the same time, yet still stand out with the contrast of the yellow with the black.

From: Style.com. NY Fashion Week 2011. 

The heels on these shoes are so quirky and different - I love it. And the colour of the shoes with the matching blue socks looks really cute and fun!

Balenciaga. Paris Fashion Week 2011. 

I think that these colour block shoes look gorgeous. They're so different and I love how bright the colours are and how they go together. They would definitely bring any outfit to life!

From: Style.com. NY Fashion Week 2011.

I don't really know what to say to express my love for these! They're incredibly different, and so odd! I can imagine how interesting it must look when the feathers move with your feet as you walk. Genius :) 

From: Style.com. NY Fashion Week 2011.

I just loved these because of the colour and pattern that both pairs of shoes have. The fluorescent green shoes on the left stand out so much, and I think the black pattern on the back of the shoe, going down the heel makes them look cute and feminine, taking away some of the harshness of the colour. And I am slightly in love with the shoes on the right, simply because they look like they're decorated with some sort of mini bunting. For me it just seems to resemble a party! 

NY Fashion Week 2011.

One word - Fierce. 

From: Keep the Beat. Paris Fashion Week 2011.

I love the different colours that surprisingly match to make up these shoes. I quite simply think they're adorable. 

London Fashion Week 2011

I must say, even though these shoes look so interesting, I'm not a massive fan. I think they look too chunky and remind me very much of Noah's Ark, or some other kind of large, wooden boat..

London Fashion Week 2011. 

These shoes are incredibly pretty, but, how do you walk on them? Apparently, it is like walking on stilts, and once the girl stopped, she kept nearly falling over. Heel-less shoes.. Not quite sure it's worth it. 

Anne Hathaway's Many Outifts at the 2011 Oscars

I could have chosen to feature photos of all of the different celebrities and their amazing gowns that were paraded up the red carpet to the 2011 Oscar's ceremony. However, Anne Hathaway caught my attention, as she wore eight different outfits on the night. Her and James Franco presented the awards, therefore her giving reason for her excessive change of attire.

NUMBER 1

Here she is wearing a tux by Lanvin. I think it looks good thanks to the crystalled shoes by Brian Atwoods, as it adds a pretty, sparkling effect to the masculinity that the tuxedo typically represents. 

NUMBER 2

Wearing a ruffled Vivienne Westwood dress, Anne Hathaway looks much more feminine and attractive than in the tuxedo by Lanvin. I think this dress really shows off her small waist and the black ruffles on the under part of the dress is an edgy yet glamorous effect. 

NUMBER 3

I'm usually a HUGE fan of Oscar de la Renta gowns, however I am not overly wowed by this 'flapper-style' fringe dress. I like the colour and the detail, but I don't think that the fringe effect brings out her best features or complements her figure. 

NUMBER 4

This is definitely one of my favourite dresses of hers that evening. She looks absolutely beautiful in this maroon silk gown by Atelier Versace, and I think that the detail on the upper body of the dress flatters her figure perfectly. I also love how the flowing detail below adds a really feminine, classic look to the gown. LOVE this. 

NUMBER 5

Another huge favourite of mine is this dress by Armani Prive. Wearing this metalic blue column dress, I think Anne Hathaway looks strikingly elegant. I think that although the dress is quite out there and unique, it is very flattering and shows off a more interesting side to her personality. I love the off the shoulder sleeves on this dress too.

NUMBER 6

I'm really undecided about how I feel about this grey, sequinned dress by Tom Ford. I like the sequinned pattern, and the sparkle effect that it gives off all the way down the dress. However I don't like the high-neck style, combined with the long sleeves and the full floor length to the dress, as I think she seems too covered up and it doesn't flatter her figure. 

NUMBER 7

Another absolutely beautiful number Anne Hathaway wore that night was this gorgeous white beaded gown by Givenchy. I can't find any fault in this dress - the beaded pattern on the bodice is absolutely gorgeous, and hugs her small waist. The soft, flowing white of the rest of the gown oozes elegance - I love this. 

NUMBER 8

Saving the best until last, I have to admit that this is my ultimate favourite. This amazing red vintage dress by Valentino hugs her in all the right places, and the detail at the bottom/back of the dress creates a quirky, edgy feel to it, while still in-keep with the classic look to it. LOVE LOVE LOVE. 

Tsunami in Japan

I went into my lecture bright and early this morning, only to find out about the awful disaster going on in Japan. The country was about 200 miles away from the epicentre, which measured 8.9 on the richter scale, yet was still hit with a 10metre high wave which devastated the Japanese coast, affecting Sendai and even Tokyo. The water rushed onto mainland roughly 3miles in!

Apparently it is said not to be as devastating as the 2004 Tsunami which hit Indonesia, however hundreds have already been found dead :( A warning has even been given out to all countries in the Pacific Basin, as the aftershocks of the quake are still continuing. 

Looking through the pictures of what is going on over there is so sad. It looks like something you would see in a film about the end of the world - huge tidal waves, whirlpools, colossal earthquakes and explosions of chemical plants. So much destruction. Hopefully the worst is over...

New York, New York.

Seeing as I've just started this blog, I didn't get a chance to talk about our amaaaaaaaaaaazing uni trip to the big apple! It was during NY fashion week, but unfortunately we didn't go to any of the shows or events that were on. Instead, we were total tourists :) But had days out to Soho and Broadway where there were some obscure shops and small boutiques, as well as the designer shops. 

One of the most obscure shops we went into was this shop in Soho. It sold things like replica skulls and real stuffed animals and their skins, even brown bears. They also sold lollipops with real scorpions inside, and jewellery with real insects inside. Slightly creepy but incredibly cool at the same time :) 

Although I must say, this was just weird. A real zebra skin but when we looked closely we could even see the eyelashes still around the eye holes :/ Totally against that sort of thing now, I don't see what the attraction is, especially when you can see details like the nose and eyes still on it. There was a seat in Saks which was zebra skin, and on the underside of it you could see the eyelashes, and it just totally put me off wanting to sit on it! 

On a lighter note, we took trips to all the major department stores, which were, of course, Bloomingdales, Macy's, Bergdorf Goodman, a sneak peak in Barney's, and my absolute favourite, Saks. Even though this was my fourth trip to the city, for some reason I had never been in before. But after looking at all of them, I can definitely say that I love it in there! It's just so elegant and posh in there, and not as pretentious and snobbish as the likes of Bergdorf Goodman. I loved the way the store was set out, it just looked particularly neat and of more class then the other stores. 

I just love the layout and decor of it..

'Welcome to New York', said the guy in the middle, as they all posed on the sidewalk for us! I think the shop name in the background sums up the photo too... 'It's just New York I guess' :) Photo by Dana Banana (aka Dana Ali). 

This is my traitor, Ruthie - salesperson from Saks. Nicest lady ever, or so I thought. We even went back on the last day so that I could buy the new Jimmy Choo perfume specifically from her. She spoke on and on about how it was exclusive to the USA for a whole year before it would be sold anywhere else, so I thought that was quite an incentive to buy it. As soon as we came back to England... my friend Jes saw it in Boots. Great. NICE ONE RUTHIE. 

This was the display window at the Louis Vuitton store on Fifth Av. Loved the whole exterior of the store - they had this window, as well as one with a giraffe in. Weird but wonderful. And the store name and logo seemed to be projected onto the wall above the windows, rather than an actual sign, which was pretty cool :) 

This was the giraffe. And the window next to it I also loved. You can see on the right it looks like a woman crawling to the left of the window.. I just think that looks really cool :) 

I've never felt cold like I did that week in New York. I was wrapped up in 5/6 layers some days and sometimes it was still absolutely unbearable. But I noticed a lot of people wearing big fur Russian hats like Jack's, above. So this is me wearing it, while having a Starbucks to warm up :) There was basically just all kinds of fur around, huge fur coats, boots, hats... obviously a very smart option considering the ridiculously cold temperatures. 

To conclude! 

I had the best ever week... made amazing by Jack, Jes and Dana plus more :) 

Most memorable moments MUST include:

- Nearly meeting Lady Gaga in Chanel, until she snuck out the back door. SNEAKY PETE :( 

- Creating 'Sim' language walking up Fifth Av. 

- Going up the Empire State Building at night. 

- Nearly getting blown away on the boat trip to the Statue of Liberty. Oh and the gross couple making babies opposite us on the way back. 

- Getting put into a room with no heating, no bathroom lights and a tv which turned itself on and off, and making them give us a better room at half 1 in the morning :)

- My immensely huge breakfast that morning, which made me so full I didn't eat until about 9 that night. 

I heart NY :) 

10 Things I'm Loving on the High Street Right Now..

This Tan Buckle Strap Satchel from Topshop. I can’t get enough of satchels right now, I want them all :) 

Heston Jacket from All Saints. Randomly love this as I’m still yet to buy myself a black leather jacket. I really like the neckline on this jacket too.

Light Brown Lace Up Ankle Boots from River Island

I am absolutely loving all the lace up ankle boots with the faux fur lining. I want these. 

Beige Print Turban from River Island

Not that this would suit me (or that I’d be confident enough to wear one), but I love these on people that it suits! So different, but they look amazing.

Black Silk Wing Sleeve Dress by Boutique - Topshop. 

I love this, I really want it for a night out. Love love love the length of the sleeves - reminds me of Batman.. in a good, feminine, LBD sort of way :)

Beige Print Strappy Sandals from River Island

I just want these. End of.

Brown Belted Trousers from River Island

Seen these about a lot recently and I think they look gorgeous, especially with a light coloured blouse tucked in and a satchel.

Oval Stone Double Ring from Topshop

I really like the double rings that seem to be everywhere right now. I’ve always loved big, chunky, oversized rings.. so this is the perfect combination of the two! 

Miso Button & Frill Playsuit from Republic

I will admit that Republic is a big favourite of mine, and I can rarely go in without coming out with something! So I might look out for this really cute button playsuit.. and loving the deep blue colour too.

Pink Beaded Flower Top from Miss Selfridge

I basically just think this is really pretty, and I really like the beaded detail and pattern. Would perhaps go nice with the Brown Belted Trousers I mentioned earlier…

Shiny and New

Okay, soooo I’ve never had a blog before. 

But I’m studying Fashion Communication at Northumbria University and thought that it was a good idea to start one :) 

Figured this will be a way to put down my random thoughts, my loves, my hates and anything that seems to particularly interest me..