BEWITCHED: A DARK ROMANCE

Woohoo, it's Friday lovelies! It's still summer here and extremely hot, but that didn't deter me from my current obsession over all things bewitching. As we near the winter months, I love nothing more than  to indulge but all black. It's my safe & comfortable colour that can often hide a multitude of sins but is also deeply sexy when you're playing with textures or accessorizing to the nines after hours... Think Lace & leather, sheer silk chiffon & jewel embellished tulle or ornate beadwork... Darkly romantic, no?

I fell instantly in love with Gucci's AW 12 collection, especially the hypnotic black gowns, one of which Emma Stone totally rocked earlier this year (above). There were countless hero pieces that pack a mighty punch. Other favourite designers coveting all-black include YSL, Lanvin, Emilio Pucci, Ann Demeulemeester, Belstaff, Etro, Dolce & Gabbana, Mulberry, Bottega Veneta, Versace... Elie Saab however continues to create the most amazing black gowns ever - Daisy Lowe looks ridiculously striking & I suppose I ought to mention Monique L'Huilliers black gown from SS09 , which still takes my breath away today.

Other beautiful examples of Falls beautiful love affair with things evoking Gothic are these Dark Princesses - Charlize Theron at the Snow White & the Huntsman Premier & Natasha Poly at the amFar event 2012 - images via Just Jared and Zimbio.
Below, just a few to die for gowns... via style.com

 So black, so dramatic.... bring on the long gloves, faux fur and leather trim details.

 Alabaster skin, dark lips (bordeaux, currant & plums) & dark glossy locks. Alternatively, dark smoky eyes and nude lips are my thing too. via Vogue Nippon & below via Vogue Italia

Going shopping?

I swear everywhere I have looked recently has exploded with peplums... Wonder if the designers called each other up last season and asked if they were going to do peplums for fall!

1. Lace Dip Hem sleeveless top - River Island £30    2. Sara Berman Leather Tee - Outnet £180
3. Lace insert Maxi (Back view shown above) - River Island £40    4. Pu super skinny jeans - River Island £45   
5. Premium Spider Jewel Spike Necklace - Asos £50    6. Dominic Jones 23karat black gold spike ring - Outnet £132   
7. Wild thing bumper pack set of rings - Topshop £15   8. Ciate Caviar manicure set in Black Pearl - Asos £18    
9. Bobbi Brown Rich Lip colour in Crimson $24    10. Alaia Leather wedge sandals - Outnet on sale £427.50

Hope you enjoyed! Did I manage to entice you over to the Dark Side? 

The weekend is nearly upon us, have a brilliant time! What are you all upto?

Runway images via style.com,  the unknown one next to the Zara dress & studded glove shot are via Pinterest

Positively Palazzo-fied & Some IFB tips about Blogging

Hey guys, how's your week going?
My glands have gone Ka-Poww over night and the only thing that's making me feel just a little bit better is ice-cream, for breakfast, lunch and I'm contemplating dinner. I realise that I'm posting this way after supper time, but I so needed a mini snooze and a spoonful of Night Nurse.
Moving on...
Earlier this year there was a bit of a craze for Palazzo style trousers and you know what, this super cool 70's style is still huge!

Charlize Theron at the GQ Awards, Tess Daly & Anna-Lynne Mccord perfecting the Palazzo pants look
via here & here

If you're fed up of skinnies, maybe this trend for billowy wide leg trousers is for you. I have my eye on these fun metallic jacquard pair from asos.com (page 82 of the magazine) and there are plenty of high-street names doing the 70's trend proud.

Boohoo.com has an amazing selection of Palazzo style trousers at bank manager friendly prices

From left: Cora pleated Palazzo trouser -£25
Ash Button trim Wide leg chiffon trouser - £18
Poppy Crinkled Georgette Swirl print trouser - £15

The golden rule when wearing these pants is tuck the top in or belt up. Highlighting your waist is the way to go. Wear with a plain top if wearing printed palazzo's, or a simple tank (in a solid colour). For a more sophisticated look, wear with pussy-bow blouses, sharp white shirts (tucked in) or pretty camisoles.

I'm in love with the asos wide leg ruffle jumpsuit below, in both colours!

The golden rule when wearing these pants is tuck the top in or belt up. Highlighting your waist is the way to go. Wear with a plain top if wearing printed palazzo's, or a simple tank (in a solid colour). For a more sophisticated look, wear with pussy-bow blouses, crisp white shirts (tucked in), feminine camisoles.

I did laugh when I read this How-to from the Daily Mail:
" If you are under 5ft 7in, you will merely resemble a giant moving square. Or a flag. Or an enormous pair of curtains."
Hmmm, I beg to differ, my mum managed to rock a cool printed pair decades ago and she's only 5ft 1in, but she's very petite.

By the way did anyone watch/go to the IFB conference?
I managed to catch some of it and learnt a thing or two about Blogging, particularly if you want to take your blog to another level. One of the panelists that stood out for me and was obviously a crowd pleaser was the media savvy Ari Goldberg, founding partner & CEO of StyleCaster Media Group. He totally rocked the panel and shared some useful info if you're looking to turn your blog into a business or rather a full-time career, here's what he had to say:

• We are all our own brand. Understand who you are as a brand. What is your mission statement? What do you stand for? Who do you want it to reach? He also Tweeted a fave brand building book of his- Zag: The number One strategy of High-Performance Brands by Marty Neumeier.
  
• "Find a brand that you love, study the brand, understand how it works. Nike is a brand for athletes by athletes (as is Under Armour) and will reign". I loved when he talked about Nike, this man really know his stuff!
• "Use your blog as your resume. Why don't people do this? All resumes look the same, make yours stand out."
• On working with brands which you may not necessarily want to review or work with: “Don’t sell out, when you sell out you lose your readers.”
• "Understand the economics and business behind having a blog".
• Have a media kit ready for peeps who are interesting in partnering up with you/your blog, he shared the Style Caster Media Kit for you to use as a guideline. Love that he said "everything in this industry should be high gloss & pretty (including your medi kit)"!
  

Last of all, I was totally distracted by the Live Stream chat of female fans wanting to marry Ari Goldberg, totally LOL!

Right lovelies, I'm sorry if I haven't swung by your blogs yet, but i'll see you on the weekend for some blissful, inspiring reads! Now, I need to have another hit of Night Nurse and get some shut eye, if that's at all possible.