Happy New Year?

Seeing as the 'January' sales start on the 26^th Decemeber, come January I cant help but be a little bored by what the shops have to offer. The last few pieces of the sale are hanging onto the rails, tattered and dusty, desperate for someone to buy them, taking up all the space for those luxurious new season items we all long for, especially being a student with a loan that goes in early January.

Unfortunatly for us, we are left with the scraggly items that nobody wants to buy and a few mix and match items from an unsure looking batch of new stock.

If I had it my way, the sales would last no more that a few days and the brand spanking new spring/summer collections would hit the shelves on January 1^st, giving us something to look forward to in the new year. 

You've Been Framed

You would have had to have been living in a box for the last few months not to have realised that the ‘geeks’ have taken over our streets with everything from bow ties to backpacks. If like me you have been admiring the trend from afar, now is the perfect time to crack out those glasses from your fancy dress collection and get those heads turning in your direction. First stop is Topshop with their fantastic range of clothes and accessories, guaranteed to take you back your school days, without the embarrassing haircut. A nice checked shirt, seen below, teamed with braces, easily found at a bargain price on ebay, adds a bit of colour to any outfit and is sure to keep you from looking like a 12 year old girl on the playground. The backpack and brogue shoes are a must for those confident enough to go all out, although I do recommend not wearing the shoes in the rain for obvious reasons.

As we all know, there is no geek chic without the perfect pair of thick frames, a great accessory to add character and shape to even the dullest of faces. For these, we turn to ASOS.com who have every shape and style to ease you into your new look. 

The last accessory that many of you will have noticed is trending with the 'geeks' is the dickie bow, worn to smarten up a plain shirt or to add that extra something to an evening outfit, the dickie bow should never go a miss. The best place to look, along with the braces, is Ebay as they have a huge variety of colours, sizes and materials to keep your look interesting, up to date and unique. Just because we're taking fashion tips from others, doesn't mean the outfit has to be exactly the same, after all, we all hate a copycat!

Black with white stripes?

It seems that as of late, there has been no shortage of stripes on the highstreet. Its almost guaranteed that you will not find a shop that isnt sporting at least one stripey t-shirt, dress or shirt and River Island certainly aren’t one to be shying away from this trend, especially in black and white. The range of monochrome striped clothing, shoes and handbags is fantastic, perfect for anybody craving a piece of this recent craze. Here are a few items I found on Riverisland.com that, worn with some statement shoes, are great for an up to date look.

If you are looking to add a bit of excitement to a plain outfit, team up this jacket and clutch bag to get those heads turning.

And for those who are simply looking for that easy everyday outfit, they haven't forgotten about you either, River Island have this fantastic 'Chelsea Girl' bag that will look good alongside almost any outfit. ASOS have also jumped on the monochrome bandwagon, taking on a different style with these leggings, as seen worn with a plain white tee, they give your everyday look that bit extra. 

Just be sure not to over-do it with this zebra style - the last thing you need is to be strutting down the street looking like you've just stepped out of the zoo.

The Ostrich Is In

Aimee Teegarden is known for her 'off-duty' style and it seems a film premiere isn't going to change that. At the Beneath the Darkness premiere on Wednesday night, Aimee turned up looking as beautiful as ever in a simple shirt and jeans ensemble. 

She is slowly becoming an icon to us all as her laid back look is so easy to resemble. This outfit for example, can be found online costing no more than £100. The shirt is available in many stores, if you shop around there is no doubt that the high street stores will have a cheap alternative such as this wonderfully simple yet elegant shirt from Oasis and another from Next, similar to Aimee's: 

It's widely known that nobody does jeans like Topshop's Jamie and Baxter jeans. The fit is perfect and they last forever and luckily for you, they have just the pair of Baxter's to match the above outfit and as always, are reasonably priced.

We all know that no outfit is truly complete without a handbag and what better way to accessorize this simple yet classic outfit than with the latest fashion phase, ostrich leather. It seems that over the last few months, we cannot get enough of ostrich leather. We’ve ditched the cattle skin and moved on to something a little classier. The expensive production of the leather means that every person wealthy enough to own a leather handbag or jacket has to show it off, including our favourite style icons Fearne Cotton and Sienna Miller.

But why fork out a fortune when you can get a cheap alternative that looks and feels exactly the same? I recently stumbled across these beautiful ostrich leather bags on the BagSoBeautiful website for the amazing price of £36.99, and the best thing is that it comes in both brown and black, either of which suit the outfit perfectly, brown for when you are going for the more casual look and black for a day at the office. 

The outfit alternatives are available from the following websites so hurry across and get yours before they go.

http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=2285700&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208527&parent_categoryId=203984&pageSize=20

http://www.oasis-stores.com/Simplicity-Silk-Shirt/Tops-&-Blouses/oasis/fcp-product/4410026427

http://bagsobeautiful.com/Cat/Leather-Bags/Black-Ostrich-Leather-Bag-2.aspx

http://bagsobeautiful.com/Cat/Leather-Bags/Brown-Ostrich-Leather-Bag-2.aspx

Sexy Silk Or The All In One?

 When it comes to pyjamas, there is no right or wrong. However, the recent ‘trends’ in nightwear do create the debate comfort or sex appeal?

Now for the single working girl, a mixture of both is essential. Comfortable pyjamas will enhance a good nights sleep, ready for a day at the office and are only likely to be seen by the postman. If your postman happens to be extremely handsome however, maybe have the sexy silk slip on hand for a quick early morning change. When it comes to those weekends out on the town, it also wouldn’t hurt to have a few silk numbers in the drawer, as I can only imagine if some man is lucky enough to be waking up next to you, those Mickey Mouse PJ’s will soon be making him wish he hadn't. These La Senza pieces suit both:

For the girl still in the honeymoon period, its all about skimpy, silk and satin nightwear to keep her man interested. But men don't be fooled, it wont last! This little La Senza number is perfect:

For those more settled in their relationships, the night shirts, all in ones and button up sets tend to find their way to the top of the pyjama drawer. This Topshop shirt is a great way to keep it cute.

Now I know I said there is no right or wrong when it comes to picking the perfect pyjamas, but I stumbled across this not-so spectacular set (I strongly advise no one to wear these, for my sake at least):

Getting in the spirit (obviously before Christmas, not today)