Party season is nearly upon us....so its time to start working out which fabulous pieces will be making it home with you.
I'll regularly post pics and links of pieces of fabulosity that need a home in your wardrobe.
Starting with this fab dress. No way anyone can invade your personal space in this adorable and sexy futuristic lingerie inspired dress from asos!
Hey people,
Its been a busy time so this is a re-post....but a very timely one!
“It’s a night when even a nice girl can dress like a dominatrix and still hold her head up the next morning,” Linda M. Scott, a professor of marketing at the University of Oxford in England, says in an article.
Well, seeing as that give you the free rein on letting your foxy bad girl out…who’s holding you back?
I’m feeling very inspired this Halloween and here are my top picks for who or what to dress up as.
To put you all in the festive spirit, here are some great pics of celebs all dressed up for Halloween
Not for the faint of heart or the thicker set body, but going as Catwoman is one hell of a way to make sure you're the life and soul of the party! Miaow!
P poppa Diddy Pop does his bit as a Centurion.
Audrina dresses up as a very 80s Madonna and Christina Milian makes a sexy little Marie Antoinette.
Christina Aguilera and her husband Jordan Bratman make a fabulous corpse bride and groom.
And clearly they're a couple that likes to dress up as here they are making a star turn as a sexy doctor and nurse. No end to the number of jokes there.
Teri hatcher and her daughter Emerson as Mary, Queen of Hearts and Alice In Wonderland.
Petra Nemcova makes a badass Cleopatra.
Liv Tyler brings some Marilyn magic to the party.
Ahoy there captain...John Legend looks a little too comfortable in his pirate get up. Booty jokes all night I'm sure.
And there's nothing like a good excuse to dress up to bring on a little gender bending. Jason Biggs makes a supercute Dorothy.
And now for some really really good costumes ideas...and remember...don't hold back! 
This is my absolute favourite one for a couple. Bunny and Hef. So easy and so much fun. And anyone who's tried to convince their Mr to dress up knows how damn near impossible a task that is, but the beauty of Hef is the ease of the costume.
Betty Boop, cute, fun, sexy. Love it. 
Blair Waldorf or Chuck Bass? Very easy to have fun with these outfits, this picture shoes you how to inject a little more naughty school girl into Blair's outfit to keep things on the humourous side. 
Ugly Betty isn't a cute outfit but it is fun and its pretty easy too. Go all out with buck teeth and the biggest speccy four eyes you can get your hands on.
Dream Girls bring a little old school sexy to the party. Those dresses are so damn tight its a wonder they can walk and get yourself one of those retro 'set' hair styles and you're good to go. And 110% all woman.
Hallo my name is Inga, from Oktoberfest. Can I interest you in my jugs? Of beer.
She take my money....when I'm in need! I absolutely love this one. A true hardcore, unabashed gold digger. Make sure your hard hat has a functional torch on it to keep it fun and entertaining for you and help you dig out all those dollar dollar bills.
Or go as the ultimate Geisha Girl in this sexy get up. Sexy in that more covered up way.
In the words of Apache (remember him?), I need a gangsta, a gangsta bitch. Yeah, rock on wit yo bad mamma jamma self.
Officer Fisticuffs and Inmate Ben Dover. No end to the fun times to be had with this.
Heaven or Hell? Take your pick and make it rain on your party.
Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker....another relatively easy couple outfit.
Plug and Socket...a brilliant idea for a couple outfit!
Make like Flava Flav (why anyone would want to....) and be the p.i.m.p. of l.o.v.e.
Another fun couple outfit, you get to be a little sexy and all dark and gothic. So much fun to be had with hair and make up on this one. And you could probably make the outfit work with clothes you already have.
If you've already decided...make sure you share with the rest of us who you're going to dress up as.
Have a fun one!
Fake it till you make it.
Or just fake it.
If you want to give your chest area, get a push up bra.....and now its damn near impossible to get non-push up bras.
If you want longer, flowing locks, buy them!
Nails don't quite cut the mustard? Get acrylics.
Want to be able to flutter your lashes like you 'were born with it'? Go to Jinny Lash.
If you want to change your eye colour, get coloured contacts!
Take care of your silhouette with some suffocating Spanx!
You can never be good enough, you need to be the better photoshopped version of you. All the time!
Far from the age old question "Does my ass look big in this?" Sir Mix-A-Lot and the prominence of porn star/Barbie Doll looking people on every single TV show, music video and a few years later the question is "Does my ass look big enough?"
Bring on the Booty Pop!
Oh my golly gosh. If you'd told me, I would have disagreed but I actually LIKE Cheryl Cole's debut solo song. Yes its very pop, with an easy melody, catchy synthesised dance beat, sounds a bit Victoria Beckham-ish but with better production.
And don't get me started on the outfits! No love to be lost with the baggy leopard print harem pants. But I'm so loving the chav-but-it-works stripy hoody with stunnas, the sequinned tiger hoody, and especially the red military look.
I might just dress up as Cheryl Cole for Halloween. No I'm not being cheeky, but ruth be told I might find it a bit tricky to pull of a military hat, red military jacket and leather trousers on a regular day/night out. Its an easy look to emulate and at least you know you'll look HOT. Which is half the point of dressing up on Halloween isn't it?
And don't forget to check out my music blog here.
Enjoy.
Next up on the kinky boot theme, over the knee boots. As fashion keeps pushing the boundaries to make the street walker look the norm, we all continue to trot out in ever more devastatingly sexy outfits. I wonder what the men make of all this?
There's nothing shy and retiring about over-the-knee boots. Something about that extra inch or two of leather over your knee is just drop dead sexy.
So without further ado...here are my favourite picks.
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I love grey leather as a stylish alternative to black and I love the easy style of these Pelle Moda Venn grey boots. $296 from ShopBop.
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I always prefer black suede boots to black leather and these flat over the knee boots from Bertie are an easy way to work the trend. £110 Bertie.
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People seem a bit divided on whether they prefer their OTK boots flat or with a superhigh heel. These Brittany2 boots from Topshop are definitely a sexy choice. What's your preference?
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So far, for me, these Faith Maseave boots are my hands down favourites. And they're a bargaintastic £95.
Which are your favourites?
This season its all about ankle boots or over-the-knee boots.
Today we're taking a closer look at some sexy ankle boots.
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These Sabom boots by Faith almost had me fooled too. That slick of red underneath is an undeniably Louboutin touch...but at £115, there are far more fashionistas who can afford these!
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And look at the cutout details on these. Looking far more fabulous than their £35 price tag would make you think. From New Look.
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How about these for a subtle touch of colour? Love the shape, style and colour. Fabulous $145 from Yoox.
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If vampy vixen is more your kind of thing....how about these bright red, shredded look boots? £65 from Dune. Love them.
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I love a sexy bit of detail and these grey suede boots from Newport News are such a find for only $45!!!
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There's something about the laidback style of these boots. The grey and navy are a welcome break from black and that heels looks very comfortable indeed! $106 from Endless.
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Elvis was onto the Blue Suede shoes a long time ago....and we're still loving them. These studded wonders are from Dorothy Perkins for a bargaintastic £45.
And I just had to save the best for last. How fantabulous are these snakeskin boots with the gold mirror heel??? They look a milion dollars but an affordable £95 from Dune.
Enjoy.
If your last name has 13 letters or more, this one is for you.
Especially all the Nigerians out there, I defy you to not LOVE this!
I missed the Emmys. I'm not much of a TV watcher so I don't know most of the shows anyway.
But I definitely didn't miss the best bit...who wore what!
Here's my pick of my fave looks on the red carpet.
Leighton Meester is really doing her thing on the red carpet these days. Loving the grecian goddess look. Bottega dress, Bottega clutch and Cathy Waterman bling.
Kim Kardashian is one sexy chick....perhaps something to do with that serious hourglass bod. But somehow, in this Ina Soltani gown, while she looks good, I can't help but think she looks like a poor man's J-Lo.
Kate Walsh is wearing the hell out of this J Mendel dress. Simple, understated style always wins in my books, and paired with some lovely Louboutins and Stephen Russell bling...do, do, do, do. do....I'm lovin' it.
Jennifer Carpernter in Zuhair Murad. No idea who she is, love the dress...but somehow this doesn't quite work for me. Your thoughts?
Oh Sandra Oh. Looking like a tall column of golden fabulousness in this Marchesa gown, Jimmy Choo shoes, David Yurman ring and Tacori earrings. I love the way that rope belt makes her bod look so damn sexy. Need to try that sometime.
I little too much ra in the rara skirt but Drew Barrymore does look fab in this Monique LHuillier dress., Raven Kaufmann clutch, Anna Hu Joallerie bling and Casadei shoes. Casadei are a lesser written about superstar of the shoe world. Trust me.
Loving Jennifer Love Hewitt's look! Yellow can be a tricky colour but this soft buttery shade really warms up her skin and I love the adorable hair!
Debra Messing brings the hotness in this Swarovski encrusted Michael Kors dress and Lorraine Schwartz bling. Love the makeup too. In fact, lets get a close up....
Fierce.
Blake Lively is positively busting out of this va-va-Versace dress. The whole tits falling out thing is too tired and less is more in my books (I think she looks much better HERE) . She looks great but overexposed. But I'm sure the point is to set the paparazzi on fire and no doubt she did.
Your thoughts readers?
This was the other....when Janet comes on anyway.
Such an important tribute and Janet was WAY better than all the professional dancers on stage. I guess that just goes to show HOW amazing MJ's moves were.
Often imitated, never duplicated. RIP.
For better quality clips, UK viewers click HERE.
US viewers, click HERE
And while we're on the topic of weddings, this has GOT to be the cutest first dance I've ever seen. Made all the more timely now with the choice of song.
I've Had The Time Of My Life from Dirty Dancing is one of those classic songs (and dance routines) that defined a generation.
Patrick Swayze RIP.
I loved the series and love my box set (still hands down one of my best Xmas pressies EVER..so thank you for that).
I loved the Movie and own the DVD.
I think I can safely say I'm a HUGE SATC fan.
And I'm really happy to hear not only is the sequel to the movie out next Spring, but filming began this week, which means a steady stream of paparazzi shots of of the actresses in all their fabulosity for the next couple of months.
Here's an old post on the outfits during the show...click here.
And here's an old post of outfits during the film...click here.
And after that quick look at the past, lets take a look at the future.
Cynthia Nixon and Kim Catrall looking fabulous as they arrive on set.
Loving those super-sparkly Louboutins.
And this MUST be a flashback to the 80s moment!
I might sound like I'm a little TopShop obsessed...but I'm not! They're just marketing geniuses with their fingers firmly on the fashion pulse.
And today I just got this fabulous image in my inbox. Inspired by the sexy, easy, laidback cool of Marianne Faithful, mix your textures, grab a gilet, most definietly rock some fur, add some sparkles, lashings of dark make-up, tight, stretchy and shiny....and my word, do you look like a sexy little minx!
Last weekend we hit the town to celebrate a birthday and she picked a club with a strict dress code. GLAM: No effort = No entry. Well, you can't expect to say that to a magpie like me and expect me not to wear all my sparkly tight clothes at once right? It definitely made the night a lot more fun ;-).
So when my BFF was saying how much she loved my ridiculously sparkly cardigan and how much it reminded her of Davina McCall's Big Brother finale outfit, I had to check it out. and my oh my, that's an aspirational level of sparkle!
Davina is one of the Uk's TV sweethearts and I love her even more after discovering this fantabulous jacket is from the High Street! Yaaay!
Its from River Island which has been undergoing one of the most successful makeover's on the High Street since Topshop. And even better, this sequin blazer is a bargaintastic £69.99, what's not love?
And here are some more jacket options around now.
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I love the subtle colour of this Iisli Tiffany Jacket from The Outnet. Reduced from $498 to $199.
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Keep it simple and sleek with this black blazer, £90 from Oasis.
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I love the relaxed Chanel inspired tweed version of this very affordable cropped jacket. £49 from Promod.
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Or how about a navy sequin jacket? Bit more interesting than black but still subtle in its sparkly qualities. I LOVE it. £50 from New Look.
And my oh my, those leggings. I know Les Chiffoniers did them first a while ago....but like a true magpie, I'm hotfooting it out to grab myself a pair of these babies NOW. Davina's are from Warehouse...(gotta love a high street honey) and they've already sold out, but here are some more fab picks..
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These black sequin leggings are £40 from Dorothy Perkins, and they also come in silver for the disco divas out there.
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And then we have these, for $65 from Romeo & Juliet Couture, available on Bluefly.
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I'm guessing most people would pick black for their leg lengthening slimming properties, but for the bolder and slim of thigh, why not try these from Topshop (£80)
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But she kicked it up a notch with these silver strappy Jimmy Choos £495 from Net-A-Porter.
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Not very wallet friendly but abso-friggin-lutely fabulous, these silver python Alexander McQueens are too much! £325 from Matches.
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If your budget isn't quite Mr Choo friendly, why not try these? Reduced from £70 to £39 at Carvela.
Ladies, Its hard to not bounce of the walls with happiness when you're sparklier than a disco ball.
Enjoy.
xx
I don't really watch TV. I'm not a big fan of all these talent shows. So, rather obviously, I don't watch the X Factor (like American Idol but for a much wider age range).
But then I got sent this link of an AUDITION, and damn, he's so good I can't stop watching it. And the look of joy on his face when he's done, and KNOWS he nailed it? Now that is priceless.
I'm not necessarily a regular TopShop shopper, but damn, those people know what they're doing. From the excellent Kate Moss marketing to the supremely user friendly website to the rapid on trend turnarounds....no wonder its puts so much cash in Sir Philip Green's coffers.
I just discovered a new feature on their website called the Style Advisor which show you easy ways to work the newest trends. You can also book an appointment with a style advisor in-store which is free of charge...(I might just try that to see what they have to say).
Here are a few of my favourite looks.
Enjoy.
Expose.
Fess up. Divulge. Spill The Beans. Reveal. Atone. Come Clean Tell all. Open Up. Honesty. Is honesty the best policy? Or is insanity a better defense? Confess. A confession is admission of guilt. So I guess your views on the Catholic notion of confessions depends on what you determine as a mortal sin. You pay your penance and have you guilt absolved by the Priest. I believe, (please feel free to correct me) the notion was created as a way to help people heal. Rather like the modern day notion of going to see a shrink. And getting ‘closure’ on whatever issues plague you. Are you a believer in seeking help, religious or professional, in times of need? What difference does it make to you? Do you prefer the religious way or the professional way? Does the religious way create too many issues of judgement? Or are we all being judged all the time? Sometimes people just need to feel heard. Does it matter who is listening? I love this clip, yes it’s a light take on a very old traditional notion, but you gotta love it. I’m guessing her real sin can’t possibly be as obvious as it seems….or can it? Watch the clip from Red Chair Confessions and speak on it. Interesting. <
Finally found out who this song is by.
And Ne-Yo's little appearance? LOVE it!
Check out more of my music picks at Tiger Tem's Music Bites.
Vampire Weekend.
Dubiously dark sounding name for a group that's churning out music that is anything but.
I've had Oxford Comma on heavy rotation for about a year but I decided to delve a bit deeper and hands down this is my favourite track.
The 4 guys met while studying at Columbia and the rest, as they say is history.
Listen.
Enjoy
I just found (okay, let me not take undue credit), I was sent a link to this website a couple of weeks ago and I found it fascinating.
Once you get over the slightly spooky name, its a really interesting and inspiring site.
Set up by 4 very regular guys on a mission to complete a list of '100 Things To Do Before You Die'....and to help encourage and inspire others to do the same.
It ranges from the silly, to the 'how are they going to do that?', to the....nice idea.
Some of my favourites are (and the ones that are crossed out are the ones they've done already!!!!)
1. Open The 6 o clock news
6. Be In A Hollywood Movie
15. Get on the cover of Rolling Stone
26. Tell a judge, "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!"
32. Get something named after you
39. Stand under a plane as it lands (HOW!!!!!?????)
42. Host a cooking show
47. get in the Guinness Book of World Records
57. Spend a week in silence
59. Deliver a Baby
66. Camp at The Playboy Mansion
68. Swim with Sharks (no, not dolphins, sharks)
78. Fall in Love
79. Dance with Ellen Degeneres
85. Bring Jay-Z to a House Party
87. Pay off our parents mortgage
95. Play ball with Obama
Pretty clever way to get a lot of the major boxes ticked, finding love, getting your 15 minutes, making money....with a hell of a lot of fun along the way.
Well played boys!
Check out their full list here.
So what would your list look like?
What are some of the things you've always wanted to do?
I'm starting my own list now...check it out HERE.
And more precisely, your wedding.
As you know, never had the whole 'dream wedding' in my head so I went in without any set ideas. Apart from the shoes. I found the shoes last year. Kind of.
We've set the date (I think) and venue (kinda) and I've picked the dress (well its between two, will make the final choice on Tuesday).
I swear I am a very organised person really!
I asked my fantastic Maid of Honour to book a couple of appointments at Bridal Salons and she made superb choices with Harrods (Pronovias) and Browns Bridal.
They are two very different places to look for Bridal gowns so it was great to see such a wide selection in a day.
Harrods first. Yes Harrods of the horrifically extortionate Al Fayed fame (but the prices of Bridal gowns here shocked me in a good way)
For once in my life, I was on time....but then again I had jetlag on my side. It was a relatively early start which is always great as the streets and shops are never as busy. So into harrods we went and I had an absolute angel attending to me! I'd been a bit wary of the whole gown thing, I'd been told so many stories from people who had bad experiences and I'm happy to report for me, it was nothing but love.
Harrods Bridal is actually a Pronovias and they have the bridal gown thing down to a T. Its a Spanish company which made me love them a little bit more. I'm not sure of the exact meaning of Pronovias but Novia means Bride and Pronuba means Bridesmaid.
They have the Pronovias collection which ranges from £1500-3000. Then Manuel Mota ranges from £2000-5000, Elie Saab and Valentino from £5000+. So whatever your budget, they pretty much have you covered. That was an unexpected surprise.
I was attended to by the wonderful Hajer. She gave us a quick run down of what Pronovias does then she walked me round and recommended I pull out anything that vaguely appealed. Alrighty then. Good advice as I did end up trying on a wider range of dresses than i might have done. I figured I didn't want a huge ballgown/princess dress but you never know....so I tried one on.
You never know but sometimes you do. Not for me. For those that don't know me, I'm not as tall as I look (I'm 5'6" without heels) but I've got a small frame. So there were some dresses that were just really good fun to try on....and I could barely walk out the fitting room in them as they were so damn heavy! But I found one very pretty, vintagey, lace number that I LOVED. And again I was happy to call off the search. (No pics of any dresses I tried on in case I change my mind!)
This is a dress from the 2010 collection. Inspired by Michelle Obama no doubt. There does seem to be a shift in Bridal Salons away from the traditional wedding dress to more interesting options like this dress.
Elie Saab clothes tend to come with a few too many bells and whistles for my liking but I love the grecian inspired draping and megawatt bling on this dress.
A lot of the dresses on the website are very 'dressed up' with capes, veils, and other extra bits. In reality they're more striking and delicate and simple!
One of the things liked about Pronovias is they're very flexible with alterations so if you wanted to, you could quite dramatically alter the skirt shape of a dress you find.
In the UK they also have a salon on Bond Street but the details for Harrods are 0207 893 8433.
They have a Flagship in NY and several stores across America. www.pronovias.com.
Next stop was Browns Bridal.
Wow. Browns Bridal excels in the art of the show-stopping dress. They carry some of the best names in the business with exclusive dresses by Carolina Herrera, Oscar De La Renta, Peter Langner (who trained with Emanuel Ungaro, Christian Lacroix and Dior before setting up on his own), Max Choul, Collette Dinnigan, Carlos Miele, Angel Sanchez, Temperley, and after a little research before my appointment I quickly pegged Monique Lhuillier as my favourite.
We were attended to by Lesley who is clearly a true professional. She emphasised the key point (which can be easy to overlook) that you need to choose a dress that makes the most of your assets. And sadly for me, Monique Lhuillier dresses did nada for me!
She also made a brilliant point about my shoes and pointed out much to my dismay why my choice wasn't suitable (more on that later).
(Top two dresses are Monique Lhuiller and the Bridal Ballgown is by Oscar De La Renta)
I'm pleased to report I did fall head over heels with the most unexpected dress at Browns Bridal! Until I went to Dublin.
I'm beginning to realise the problem for me with all this bridal stuff, is I love it all!!!!
Browns Bride. Click here for details on Trunk Shows. Call for an appointment 0207 514 0056.
Oh yes, and its not where the normal Browns is, Browns Bride is on Hinde Street, between Selfridges and Marylebone High Street.
Enjoy!
Daaaaaaaaammmmmn!
Shakira's always had mad moves but this takes it to a whole new level, and I'm loving the song.
Aside from the start of the video that bears an uncanny similarity to Beyonce's Sweet Dreams, I can't stop watching it.
Shakira's moves are not for kids!
Seriously kids, don't try them.
Meanwhile all the limber yoga loving grown ups could learn a trick or two.
Enjoy.
Guilt free Gilt.
Join the best members shopping site on the net.
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