The Day I Became a Party Stylist.

 A three course lunch, cocktails, twenty girls, marquee, feminine, classy and glamorous. These words sum up the brief I was given two weeks ago when I was asked by a friend to organise and 'style' her twenty first birthday party.

I have always created the 'look' for family birthdays and christmas dinners but I haven't done anything to this scale before. I was so excited for the challenge!

I made the place cards, champagne glass name tags, chose the colour scheme, sewed the table runner, sourced the vases, arranged the flowers, made the pom poms and set up the whole look. 

Below are some photos of the final outcome. I was really happy with how it all came together and really enjoyed the job. I can't wait for another opportunity to be a party stylist!

Thongs are Not Shoes.

After reading my previous posts, it is obvious that I am not the complaining, whinging. pessimistic type. I am enthusiastic, positive and always find myself talking about my new great love, whether it be a necklace, dress, book or fashion label.

I don't hate many things but I feel it has come time to express my number one pet hate of women's dressing. Thongs. No not the underwear type of thong, (I am a firm believer of the benefit of that type of thong when avoiding a VPL (visable panty line)) the rubber kind. Flip flops, double pluggers, havianas, whatever you want to call them.

One of my most favourite past times is (surprise, surprise) shopping and planning outfits. For a day at work, a night on the town, a music festival or a casual dinner, whatever the occasion, thongs are never my footwear of choice. In an effort to avoid sounding like a ranting idiot I have devised a list (in my opinion) of when I would say thongs are, and are definitely not appropriate.

• At the beach- Yes.
• At the pool- Yes.
• At the shops-....it depends. If it is a super quick run in to the supermarket, and I mean super quick, as in, baking a cake, run out of eggs and have to go to the shops before the cake starts to rise prematurely, or you are just about to have a shower when you realise you used the last of the conditioner last time you washed your hair. In which case, a rubber thong and greasy hair complememnt each other perfectly. (Stop me if i'm being too harsh). In all other shopping situations, I don't understand why people dont take the opportunity to enhance their outfits with a cute pair of loafers or a funky sandal?
• To lunch with friends- Leave those thongs at home! Ladies who lunch are not seen around town in a shoe made of rubber. Anything other than the softest leather would not do justice to the goregous dress or nude shorts and silk top combo you are planning.
• To a music festival- I can see both sides of this argument, (gasp, I might be in favour of the thong?) but only because I have (in the very distant past) on occasion, worn thongs to a festival. (If I remember correctly it was Good Vibes '09 and Parklife '08). Festivals are dirty, you can get sand in your shoes, and most festival outfits are casual. However, festivals are also an opportunity to show off your style, mix patterns, wear headbands, scarves, the shortest of shorts and ......a great opportunity to wear biker boots, sandals with lots of buckles or some little sneakers. The boots and the sneakers will even save your tootsies from the moshpit.
• Out to dinner- Hell no!
• To work- Come on, everyone knows you don't wear thongs to work.

Like I tell my sister 'thongs are not shoes'. I can hardly imagine Alexa Chung or Rachel Zoe strutting around in a pair of flimsy flip flops. Remember this next time you are dressing ladies and we will all be better dressed for it.

What is your Favourite Fashion Trend and Why?

Before I get to the (highly-anticipated, very exciting, near impossible to decide..) answer to this question, let me first outline the difference between a trend and a fad. Yes, as every fashionista knows, there is a big difference! A fad is an item, like the tie dye print, most recently in the form of a maxi dress that made a short, (and in my opinion, not very sweet) resurgence this summer. A trend, however is a craze that lasts more than one season. The blazer and the skinny jean are both popular trends we will be seeing a good deal more of as we move into winter.

I can't fail to mention one of my great loves, the statement accessory. I have been a fan for as long as I can remember (always contradicting the phrase 'less is more'). Whether it be the classic strands of pearls, Audrey Hepburn style, the Rachel Zoe inspired cocktail ring, or one of my many self-made necklaces, (see picture) Statement accessories definitely came a very close second to my favourite fashion trend.

However, I can reveal my favourite fashion trend for the moment is my biker boots. I suffer from what I have coined a 'pretty complex'. While I love ruffles, floral prints, lace, beading and everything pretty I feel, more often than not, when worn with a nude heel, sandal or ballet flat they become daggy. My biker boots are the cure! I can wear a ruffled skirt (as pictured), I can dress down a tule and lace dress, I can add a grunge feeling to a rouched, beige tube skirt and I can successfully contradict the glitz of my oversized black diamonte studs. Yes, my black lace-ups are definitely my most favourite fashion trend.