Topshop Haul

So I decided to have a little break from uni work the other day & bought a couple of items from Topshop online & in store before I went to work the other day.  As I work for Arcadia, I take advantage of the staff card I have, which gives 25% off all the "seven nation" brands.  However if you are over 18 you are given a "store" card then get a monthly statement, which means you can easily loose track of your spending!

Anyway, the first items I bought were 3 nail paints, in "Delusion" (dusky purple), "World's End" (pale blue) & "No Love Lost" (coral).  All 3 colours are really popular for spring/summer especially my favourite "no love lost", which is in the shops a lot right now.  (in this photo it actually looks quite pink, but it is more a coral colour!)

Nail Polish - £5 each

I have already got "Gone Fishing" (pale green), "The Big Easy" (blue) and "Bee's Knee's" (yellow), which I really love as well.  I find the nail paints really easy to apply & you only need one coat, but it does chip after a couple of days so a top coat is defiantly recommend.

When TopShop first brought out a make-up, I was actually really excited.  As I love all their clothes & accessories already I thought their make-up would be really good but after trying some products I was quite disappointed, especially with their skin tint.  I felt that it supplied quite a thin layer as well as quite sticky & wet.  However, I felt the waterproof mascara & nail polishes are the same quality as any other brand.

I have mentioned before that I am going to Spain in month so I bought a new bikini, which is coral & white stripes with black straps.  Coral is in the shops a lot at the moment so this bikini is a great way to stay on trend on the beach this summer.

Bikini - £26

Also, Topshop at the moment have lots of t-shirts & vest tops in with "burnt-out" detailing & a loose pocket.  After buying the dusky purple t-shirt & cream vest, I was really excited to see they had brought out a floral one.  The colours on this top are gorgeous & are definitely suitable for spring/summer.  They are pastel colours & look really fresh.  As it is still quite cold at the moment, I will probably be wearing it tucked into jeans, but it will also look good with shorts or a skirt in the summer or on holiday.

Floral Pocket Top - £25

Back knot detail

Finally, I got 2 pairs of dolly shoes & a pair of tan sandals, with an average price of £18, I thought they were all great value for money & as the weather warms up it will be nice to get out boots!

Tan Sandals - £18

Nude Ballet Pumps - £16

Satin Embroidered Pumps - £18

Tans & nudes will be big again this spring/summer with shoes & bags being the easiest way to wear this trend.  They look good with most colours as well, as they neutral colours & are a must buy for a summer wardrobe.

I am off to Nottingham next weekend to see my sister so will be doing some more holiday shopping, so expect another haul soon!

Thanks for reading :)

(All items can be found at http://www.topshop.com)

Week 7 - Fabric & Market Research

So today I took a trip to Shepherds Bush with some friends to visit the fabric shops.  It was the first time I have been and I found so many good quality fabrics at really good prices.  As I was in the area I could not resist taking a trip to the lovely Westfields of course!

I decided to take a look at the new Abercrombie & Fitch "sister" store, Gilly Hicks.  I have never really been that interested in A&F or Hollister, but after seeing a review on youtube of GH (& the cute carrier bags!) I have found that I really like the clothing and underwear.  I bought a pair of navy shorts which we £18 & I thought was a reasonable price.  Since I arrived home I have looked on the website & found lots more gorgeous stuff. 

Also, I looked in Pull & Bear for the first time & fell in love with the printed tees.  I was told it is a Spanish company, so after looking online found out there are quite a few stores in Barcelona & the north of Spain, which is where I am going in 4 weeks so will definitely be saving room in my suitcase!

The main reason for going to Westfields, was to look at branding and promotion already used in the retail industry, which now I will document for my marketing research before making my own logo.

As well as looking in London for fabrics, I have actually found my main fabric on ebay, a khaki nylon, for £1 per metre!  Another online site I have been buying fabric is Eternal Maker, which supplies really cute printed cotton such as ditsy, polka dot & gingham.  The fabrics are not cheap & is sold in 25cm quantities.  I also bought a Paris map fabric, which is not for my collection, but I really liked it so might make a cushion cover out of it instead.

Thanks for reading :)

Week 6

Spent all day drawing working drawings for all 6 outfits and will now have to put into illustrator.  I have also slightly changed a couple of design features on my line-up again.


This week I have mainly been sorting out my journal boards for my portfolio.  This is the second time I have re-done them.


Concept Board:

Colour & Fabric Board:

Analysis Board:

Final Collection Line-Up - Week 5

Been a long time since my first post as I have been very busy!  I have now change my final line up twice, which has meant a lot of re-drawing and also alterations to my already made toiles.

It is now the end of Week 5 and I am just completing my fourth toile, which is a jersey bodysuit and drawstring trousers, with a waterproof zip off jacket.  (Outfit 6 below!)

 1        2         3        4         5           6

To date I have sewn 3, 3 and 5 in toile form, which I will take pictures of and post.  This week I am concentrating on outfit 6 as well as fabric and knit samples, which I also hope to post pictures of very soon!!

Last week I went to London Fashion Weekend with some friends from uni. I bought a gorgeous bag from a company called Papa Razzi and it basically looks like a rolled up magazine, I love it!  I also managed to see the fashion show, which included a couple of well know designers, Mark Fast and Bora Aksu, their collections were amazing.  Also, I really enjoyed the first "look", which was based on the film Black Swan and included sugary pink ballet themed clothing.

Thanks for reading :)