Style crush: Demi Lovato on the X Factor USA

The new season of the X Factor USA bought new judges, new categories and a new style star. I think Demi Lovato’s fashion choices for the show have been spot on so far. During the auditions she mixed smart and sophisticated looks together with casual cool outfits. With most ensembles coming from Topshop it's no surprise that her style is in the spotlight. Here is a selection of my favourite looks so far.

Live Shows 2

Demi wore this jacquard blazer for the second live show which she teamed with a plain black shirt dress from the Topshop Unique collection. The Skyscraper singer made her outfit pop by teaming her ruby red jacket with a scarlet lipstick. 

Get Demi's look:

Demi on the X Factor USA by bee2010 featuring black wedge sandals

Silk dress, £105 / Topshop metallic blazer, £88 / River Island black wedge sandals, £55

Auditions

Demi wears this dip dye-style jacket with a simple LDB. I like clothes with different textures that make the eyes dance. This is a fun and flirty look that is perfect for a night out.

Get Demi's look:

Demi Lovato X Factor USA by bee2010 featuring Dorothy Perkins

Oasis bandage dress / Faux fur coat, £110 / Steve Madden platform heels / Dorothy Perkins , £8.79 / Lip makeup, £11 / NARS Cosmetics

Finalists party

Demi wore this red skater-style skirt and leather jacket to party to celebrate the X Factor Finalist. I never used to be a fan of the colour red but it's actually a great shade that suits all skin shades. Demi made the dress the centre of attention here by keeping accessories to a minimum.

Get Demi's look: 

Demi Lovato X Factor USA 2 by bee2010 featuring a ponte dress

Glamorous ponte dress / Blonde + Blonde leather jacket / NYX white lipstick

What do you think of Demi's X Factor USA style? 

Bianca x

Trending: Studded ankle boots

Keep your feet toastie this season with some ankle studded boots. This style is all over the high street and online, here I have picked five styles that I like.

1. F&F Star Studded Ankle Boots
2. Mid Heel Studded Ankle Boot
3. Chloé Leather Susanna Studded Ankle Boots in Black
4. STEVE Steve Madden Studded Strap Ankle Boot
5. Black Bessie Mid Heel Studded Ankle Boots

Bianca x

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My top three autumn winter shades

Girls and guys it's the season for coats, cardigans, jumpers and boots - autumn has arrived.

While shopping for my new season wardrobe there are three shades that I have gravitated towards.

Red burgundy, deep purple and dark khaki.

I'll be mixing my neutral base colours made up of black, white and beige with these three colours to make my outfits.

So far I have bought a military style coat from ASOS...

Had my nails done in Shellac in a deep purple shade...

And bought a pair of mid-rise skinny trousers from River Island...

What are you buying for the new season?

Bianca x

Best of Fashion Week SS13

Fashion Week is all about new collections and trends but what happens at the events can be equally as exciting. This season involved wacky designs, FROW fights and Twitter spats. So I have rounded up my pick of the best gossip, trends and styles from fashion month spring/summer 2013.

New York Fashion Week

Image: Style.com

Zac Posen – Oh dear! It was only amount of time before the claws came out on the FROW. The most surprising thing about this cat fight is that it was between a guest and Posen’s PR. The scrabble for seats got real when Jalouse stylist Jennifer Eymere slapped the PR across the face to humiliate her because she had embarrassed them. The best part of the whole thing was Jennifer’s quote: “Now you know you don't fuck with French people.” – Nice!

London Fashion Week

Image: Style.com

Burberry Prorsum – Christopher Bailey’s metallic trench coat finale was one of the most talked about moments of London Fashion Week.  While at my desk I managed to catch the last few minutes of the show on livestream. A rainbow of Burberry trenches from fuchsia to teal made a strong statement and highlighted the versatility of the Burberry staple. 

Nasir Mazhar – Designers and artists like Nasir are the reason why London Fashion Week has such cool credentials. For his first foray into clothing and accessories, he transformed the Topshop show space into hairdressers/barbers, a super enhanced one. The setting was all about the blend of music and fashion in East London and that’s what I loved about it. The aesthetics were very 90s, tracksuits, mesh tops and mini-skirts made up the collection, models had long decorated talons and grime MC's rapped throughout.

Milan Fashion Week

Image: Style.com

Prada – Umm, I’m not sure about Miuccia's toe socks but they are interesting to look at. However it’s the socks and sandals combo that I just can’t get over. Everything else, bravo!

Paris Fashion Week 

Image: Style.com

Kenzo – Back on the radar of ‘cool’ fashion the Kenzo show was highly anticipated for SS13. Unfortunately for the logo lovers there was no sight of the label’s letters splashed across jumpers and tees. For next season I am a fan of the safari/jungle collection that featured tropical prints (in neon), utility gear and interesting silhouettes.  

Image: Style.com

Chanel – I don’t always find the Chanel collections to be as exciting as the spectacular event that it has become. However one thing that was impossible to miss from SS13 was the giant quilted Chanel beach bag – LOL. I can’t wait for some celeb or crazy lady with a lot of £££ to walk out on a beach with this huge tote, it’s totally over-the-top and silly but it’s refreshing to know that Karl Lagerfeld doesn’t take himself too seriously.

Image: Style.com

Saint Laurent – Hedi Slimane’s collection for the re-branded Saint Laurent was pretty cool but even better was the twitter/letter spat between fashion’s elite editors and journalists. It seems Heidi and his PR team had been upsetting the press with their new regulations and it all came out during the last week of fashion month. I don't think you should bad mouth people through the internet but this made for a funny story.

Images: PA/Rex

What was your favourite fashion week moment?

Bianca x

Style crush: A$AP Rocky

Ever since I read the GQ interview with A$AP Rocky I could’t help but notice become his good eye for fashionable threads.

In the interview he named dropped a few of his favourite designers (Rick Owens, Givenchy etc) and I was thinking OK this dude knows his stuff.

The Givenchy graphic birds of paradise print popular with Jay-Z, Kanye West, Pusha T, Swizz Beats and Rocky. 

Now I see A$AP Rocky is making waves all over New York Fashion Week and features in a promo for Alexander Wang’s fall collection.

Rocky has a good presence in the fashion industry right now and he is injecting his twist of high fashion and streetwear without trying too hard – I like and it appears other designers do too.

“The reason why I like to blend in streetwear with high-end fashion is because I have a sense of both. Most people who are just  into high fashion can’t do streetwear and most streetwear people can’t do high fashion. 
And I’m not saying all can’t, but most. It’s not like I’m the only person who does it, but I’m known for doing it.” – A$AP talking to MTV Style

Watch A$AP, Diplo and Penn Badgley talk about what fuels their creativity while showing off Alexander Wang's new collection.

Who is your style crush right now?

Bianca x

DIY shellac nail removal

Shellac nails are a great alternative to acrylics and leave your nails in a better condition after removal. My shellac nails lasted for four weeks and around about that time I decided it was time to take them off.

The recommended way to remove shellac involves soaking a cotton pad in nail varnish remover, wrapping the nail in the pad with aluminium on top for a few minutes and then wiping until clear. However this didn't work for me so I would suggest this method.

Step 1 - Wash your hands and prepare your supplies

I bought a 100% acetone nail remover, a pack of dual ended birchwood sticks and used a bowl to dip my fingers in.

Step 2 - Soak nails

Pour some of the acetone into a bowl and place your finger tips in for 8-10 minutes. The shellac should peel off in the water.

Step 3 - Remove remaining gel

After 10 minutes most of the shellac will have peeled off but won't be completely gone. So to clear the nail use the birchwood sticks to scrape the residue off using the acetone to help.

Step 4 - Wash hands

Once the entire residue is clear your nails will probably sticky so wash your hands to smoothen.

Bianca x

Trending: Skinny ankle strap heels

Ankle strap heels have become wardrobe staple. Here are a few that I've spotted online for the new season. I'd say ankle strap heels are best suit the sports luxe trend, and can be worn both during the day and in the evening. An ideal outfit would be skinny jersey track bottoms, a brightly coloured jersey tee and a bomber jacket.

1. Cara Leopard Strap Slim Heels

2. Carrie Ankle Strap Metallic Heel Sandals

3. Truffle Stiletto Shoes

4. Everyday Collection Ankle Strap Heels

5. ASOS Head Turner Heeled Sandals

What type of footwear are you fond of this season?

Bianca x

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It’s not just a label it’s a lifestyle

     

Just can’t get enough of – the thigh-high split

Over the past couple of weeks the red carpet has been blessed with a new silhouette. Gone are the super short frocks as spring's lengthier look takes centre stage. 

Whether it’s mid-calf or floor-grazing, thigh-high split dresses are a great option for the evening, they are classy maxi dresses with added sex appeal. 

 

Photos: The Telegraph/Fashion

This style oozes just the right amount of skin without looking tacky; however there are some general rules to bear in mind: 

• If you’re showing a lot of leg be sure to cover up on top 

• Avoid double splits, it’s too OTT 

• Keep hair and makeup simple, you’re dress is the main attraction 

Take your cues from these leading ladies who have been playing peek-a-boo on the red carpet and dazzle ‘em with a fabulous thigh-high split gown. 

What do you think of the thigh-high split dress trend? Who do you think wore it best?

thigh-high split dresses by bee2010 featuring a stripe maxi dress

Mango stripe maxi dress, £35
Cut out dress, $118
ASOS body conscious dress, $31
Monsoon cutout dress, $245
Gestuz jersey dress, £120
Miss Selfridge longsleeve dress, $114
Tall dress, £61
Arden B dolman sleeve dress, $69
James Perse scoop neck dress, $113
Bardot one shoulder cocktail dress, $90

Bianca x

Wearing neon - style blogger inspiration

Neon is the one summer trend that looks hard to pull off well. Browsing some images tumblr I found some style bloggers who were rocking the trend the way it should be done.

Images from Tumblr.

Neon SS12 by bee2010 featuring a lace t shirt

Bodycon dress, £20
Vanessa Bruno Athé lace t shirt, $231
Jason Wu printed shirt, $995
J brand jeans, £124
Jeffrey Campbell strappy sandals, £80
Stella McCartney clutch handbag, £1,075
Marc by marc jacobs handbag, £435
Bracelet, $22
ASOS plastic jewelry, $36

Online shopping at Forever 21

Torrential rain, dark, dull and windy the weather is soooooo bad outside. Weather like this makes it so hard to decide what to wear.

It's not exactly mild enough to bust out the spring wardrobe, yet it isn't exactly freezing so winter garments are out of the question.

Browsing the Forever 21 site I did some online shopping and purchased some items that I hope will help to bridge the gap between the seasons.

 

One favourite items was this baseball jacket that found its way into my basket without hesistation. I love this style of jacket, it's similar to a varisty bomber and looks light and warm enough to wear right now with a hoodie layered underneath.

I can't wait for my other items to arrive!!

More bombers...

bomber jackets by bee2010 featuring college varsity jackets

What clothes are you wearing to cope with the transitional season? Leave your comments...

Bianca x

Please keep pyjamas for bedtime

I don’t know about you but I just can’t adjust to the pyjama hype this season. Some trends are best left on the catwalk and for the glossy editorial spreads, for me this is one of them. Whether it is high fashion or not no one should wear pyjamas out in public.

Pucci, D&G and Stella McCartney went for sleepwear on the catwalk for SS12 and now Rihanna, Florence Welch, Kirsten Dunst and many more are being papped out and about in their ‘stylish’ pyjama daywear.

Salma Hayek, Rihanna and Rachel Roy just rolled outta bed

I am all for super comfy clothing but this is taking it too far. Loose fitting, no shape and crazy ass prints - celebs flocking to wear unflattering clothes is giving the passive fashion public the wrong idea.

I don’t care how many people are wearing it this is a tricky trend to master - choose one too loose and your swamping your frame, one too silky and you may as well become Hugh Hefner.

During a fashion segment on This Morning (this morning) a stylist struggled to showcase the pyjama trend from the high street and explained the pieces picked were supposed to be pyjama ‘inspired’ – what?

Technically he showed off a collection of paisley and chain mail outfits that are a trend within themselves as Patrick Kielty rightly pointed out.

Instead of trying to make this trend work for you I say steer clear and just keep pyjamas for when you sleep alone in the bed and for lounging about the house.

Cross-over body bags: My pick

You know you’ve rinsed an item out when it brakes. My favourite bag gave way after buckling under the pressure of being full of things I didn’t necessarily need but carried with me anyway.

All is not lost because there isn’t anything that a needle and thread can’t solve (we're in a recession).

Cross-over body bags or messenger bags are ideal because they are hands-free and without mine it’s a nuisance.

So in between the demise and resurrection of my bag I decided to look at what the shops have to offer and spotted some great substitutes if things don’t work out the second time around.

Leather floral satchel, ASOS £55. Break away from block colour with ASOS's floral messenger. You can't go wrong no matter what the season, florals are always in.

Tumbled messenger bag, Zara £39. Not too big or too small Zara's bleack cross-body bag is the ideal size for everyday wear.

Straw box duffle bag, George at Asda tel: 0800 952 0101. Great size and throwback 90s design Asda's straw style is a standout choice.

Lacrose across body bag, Aldo £24,98. Get fruity with Aldo's messenger bag and inject some juice into your outfit.

Leatherette tassel handbag, Forever21 £24.75. There's plenty of space to fill in this multi-compartment bag.

Bianca x

Topshop nail shades

My ever-expanding nail colour collection could get bigger. Topshop's nail shades have caught my eye.

The fashion store's nail line is one I haven't tried before but according to reviews the polishes are of good quality and produce great results.

The three hues I'm feeling from the left are: Peaches and cream, Domestic Goddess and Windy City.

Peach tones are one of ss12 beauty trends this pale apricot colour could pair well with other pastel shades.

Mauve is classic, chic and a step away from the signature red nail worn out by a lot of us including me.

Dusty blue is an experimental shade for me but I can see it working well for summer.

Now I need to work out which one to buy first.

Bianca x

Jammy dodgers recipe

Yum! Sweet jammy biscuits

Serves: 12
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 20 minutes

You will need
100g unsalted butter, softened
100g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 egg, slightly beaten
215g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
Raspberry jam to fill

Preparation can get messy

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160C/gas mark 3. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and mix in the vanilla. Add the egg and mix in until smooth.

3. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the mixture. Combine gently, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

4. Lightly flour a flat surface and using a rolling pin, roll the dough to half a centimetre thickness. Cut 24 rounds with a five centimeter crinkle cutter, re-rolling the dough until all the scraps are gone. Be careful not to overwork the dough.

5. Place them on the baking tray as you go. Use a small heart cutter to cut out hearts from the centers of half of the biscuit rounds.

6. Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Turn onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

7. Use the jam to sandwich the biscuits together.

Taken from Red Online recipes, Molly Bakes for Ella Valentines Baking Eggs

Bianca x

H&M spring style 2012 picks

H&M released their top picks for spring 2012, so I thought I'd select a couple items that caught my eye.

Their latest Conscious collection will land in store 12 April. Some of these pieces here are made from organic cotton and recycled polyester.

Mix n match prints and fabrics maybe a new trend I hop on this season.

I can never get enough of bold accessories against subtle shades - always a style win.

Casual is always king for me. Laid back jersey tops make up to majority of my wardrobe and will continue to this season.

The credits -Tops and shorts from the 'Exclusive Glamour' range.
Jewellery normal H&M collection.
Prices TBC.

Bianca x

Birthday

Over the weekend I celebrated my 23rd birthday! On saturday I went to Jamie's Italian with a group friends. The food was amazing, sooo filling and good value for money. I didn't get to snap any pics because we were so busy eating and chit chatting but it was all good fun.

Then we moved on to a club in Old St. to continue the antics before rolling in home at 4am and into bed... zzzzzz.

On sunday, my actual birthday, I had family come home for a big feast and I opened some cute gifts and we all tucked into a giant cupcake!

Bianca x

Bienvenido Miami

During a shopping trip last week, I picked up River Island's Spring 2012 Style Insider magazine. It brings the latest collections instore to life through fashion editorials and trend features.

I am in love with the cover shoot, that was photographed by Ellen von Unwerth. It's a Miami-style editorial with tons of vibrant colour, floral print and sex appeal.

The clashing prints are one of my favourite things about this shoot, zebra on leopard, polka dots and floral and paisley with chainmail. It's and fun and lively way to contrast and combine this season's trends.

So I thought I'd create some Miami heat myself and I brought some black tropical shorts from the store.

I team it with a chiffon pink blouse that had floral piping on the buttons. I didn't clash with another print for this outfit but once I've invested in some piercing prints, I'll give you a peak.

The credits - Photographer: Ellen von Unwerth. Stylist: Karl Plewka. Models: Eliza Cummings

Black Tropical shorts, £20 - River Island. Sleeveless floral chiffon shirt, £12 - Select.

Bianca x