BooHoo - An Outfit For Under £50.00.

As the economy continues to ail and our bank accounts continue to plunge towards the red a decent outfit for a reasonable sum of money is a little like the holy grail to us fashion addicts.

Gone are the days when pay day meant a weekend spent in Selfridges and the like, and don't we know it? As a result I am always interested in brands that can deliver that high-fashion feel without leaving you dreading next month's bills.

So I was thrilled to be invited to enter the blogger competition on Fashionvouchers.com to mark BooHoo making it into their  Top 10 Fashion Money Saving Websites.

The challenge was to find an outfit on their site for under £50.
When I first saw that I almost disregarded the whole thing as impossible; but upon closer inspection it would seem BooHoo is a veritable Aladdin's cave of fantastic low-price, high fashion pieces.

I wanted to create an outfit that not only kept to the competition guidelines but also actually represented my taste in fashion and would be something I would genuinely wear.

With all that in mind, and my calculator in hand to make sure I wasn't a penny over, this is what I put together:

This is an outfit that I think any fashion focused girl would feel comfortable wearing in a number of situations. From anything from work to a bar I think this is a great look for a 20 something girl who wants to stay abreast of the trends but save her pennies.

I'm a big fan of highlighting a colour throughout an outfit and the small clutch mirrors the tone of the brogue sole perfectly.

I actually already have those brogues and I love them - the next day delivery was great and they've been really hard wearing. Which surprised me considering they're from a more economy conscious website. But in my experience you certainly get your money's worth from BooHoo.

Here are the component parts in closer detail:

This basic jersey is only £15.00 and has featured in Look so you know it's a winner. I love plain dresses like this as they're so easy to use throughout a number of seasons - update the accessories and you've got a whole new look. Buy yours here.

Like I said, I have these and they look great with anything from a dress to jeans and a plain t-shirt. Most recently, in fact, I had them on with black leather trousers and a pink/purple floral chiffon shirt and it's certainly a look I'll put together again very soon. Buy yours here. (P.S. If you're a size 3 you're in luck they're in the sale for just £12.00!)

This is simply brilliant. Collars with this detailing can sell for as much as £100 thanks to Karl Lagerfeld's influence on us but BooHoo have really come to the rescue with this beauty at only £10.00. I can't tell you the number of hours I have spent trawling eBay for the perfect collar at a good price and all the while it was right under my nose. (No pun intended.) Buy yours here.

No outfit is complete without a bit of bling and finger consuming metals are all the rage at the moment. At just £8.00 and in two colours this is a great find. Buy yours here.

Finally a little clutch finishes off the look perfectly. Complementing the tone of the shoes really gives the outfit an over all polished look and this is only £5.00. Buy yours here.

And that's it - an entire, very cool, very fashionable outfit for bang on £50.00. And with accessories included; this site looks set to go right to the top of my 'favourites' list for bank-account-friendly purchasing.

So while you feel the government may not have your back financially, BooHoo certainly have. Happy shopping!

Under The Influence.

As I told you all a few days ago I'm having a somewhat troublesome time with my threads and working out what to wear each day is becoming increasingly frustrating.

I'm a big believer in dressing for your mood and not for a trend in particular but just recently even that's seemed a challenge so I've been relying heavily on celebrity/street style influence.

Today I decided to escape the city and venture back into the 'burbs to see my family and spend a good few hours just sitting - does anyone else need that sometimes? Just a few hours with a cold orange juice and a sun lounger? Well I do and today was that kind of day.

As alerted by the kind weatherman last night I knew today was set to be a bit warm so I wanted to dress in a way that allowed for public transport use without fear of passing out due to heat exhaustion.

I sleep beneath a huge framed image of Audrey Hepburn so today's outfit was put together with her heavily in mind.

Some cats eye sunglasses, a dress my mum bought me years ago that I still love, some basic sandals and a lace Toki&Nabi cropped jacket in case the temperate were to drop.

Makeup was minimal so there's no real face shots but here's the details:

 

 

(Oh, look how comfortable I am in front of the camera! Note: the frozen smile and awkwardly curled toes. Nice!)

That's all for today guys but more soon. Hope you've had a lovely, sunny Sunday wherever you've been.

Jacket ¦ Toki&Nabi

Dress ¦ Mango
Shoes ¦ Primark
Sunglasses ¦ H&M for Wateraid

Watch ¦ Michael Kors

Lim Lust.

The Lim in question? Phillip, of course!

The item in question? The Pashli bag.

A woman can never have enough bags. (At least that's what we tell ourselves as we weep with a mix of guilt and elation while handing over our credit cards to the robot-like sales folk in Harvey Nics and the like.)

You may or may not agree with the above statement, and that's fine. But what isn't up for discussion is the beauty of this item.

I'm a real sucker for classic items with gold detailing. Brought up in a family of silver-wearers it wasn't until my late teens I discovered I actually prefer and suit gold more. My skin tone has a tendency to lean towards olive at times so I guess it just sits well with it.

Tone aside I really wouldn't care if I was purple - I need this magnificent specimen in my life.

Here's Pashli in action at various fashion weeks.

Almost wept with lust over it then.

One day...

Man Up.

Right, my hiatus is over. I have missed blogging but due to a very intense work schedule and some unfortunate situations in my family life my blogspot has been, necessarily, down-graded somewhat in my priority list.

However, the world keeps turning and we must get on so as my work diary has thinned a little and time has moved on I've managed to shift 2DyeFor up a few rungs.

I've been having what I can only describe as a mild identity crisis of late. You know those mornings when you wake up and you just can't settle on a 'look' for the day? If you don't know what I'm on about then this is probably not the blog for you. I am always writing about 'looks' and the way an outfit can make or break a day.

As a result of this dip I've gone back to basics. We're talking monochrome, maxi dresses, Converse and high black heels. (Not all together, you understand.) To demonstrate the severity of my sartorial slump let me tell you that I went out last Friday and Saturday evenings in the same outfit as I simply couldn't formulate another enjoyable ensemble for myself out of the war zone that is my current wardrobe. To say it needs thinned out would be an understatement.

But until the mass clear out I've settled with using celebrities for inspiration of a morning when I just can't hack it. My most Googled gals are Olivia Palermo, Kourtney Kardashian (really the only cool one) and Blake Lively, amongst others.

This morning I decided to go a little west of my usual search zone and have settled on a Janelle Monae look. She's featured on this blog before so you can hardly be surprised. She's a style icon.

Anyway - he's what I'm sporting today.

And here's the details:

Bow Tie | Topman
Chiffon Shirt | Little Mistress
PU Leather Trousers | H&M
Shoes | Primark
Nail Varnish | GOSH
Watch | Michael Kors
Ring | YSL
Lipstick | Revlon

I'm currently working up to this look...

*Sigh*

I Heart Little Mistress. I.D.S.T.

You'll have noticed that recently I've mentioned the launch of several new brands at my agency in Manchester but I've never really bothered to name them.

I'm not usually one to love pics of myself but this weekend at Pure (fashion trade exhibition) in London one of the girls at one of my newest labels took a shot I actually like so I thought it only fair I give them credit.

The brand is Little Mistress who, incidentally, will be in Drapers tomorrow short listed as Young Fashion Brand Of The Year 2012. Couldn't be happier for them - they're an amazing label who are going from strength to strength.

And here's the shot...

The trousers are my absolute favourite printed pair - they've featured on the blog before; and so have the shoes.

But what you've not seen on here before is the gorgeous top from Little Mistress.

Black chiffon with beautiful gold beading round the neck and cuffs. I wasn't so sure of it on the hanger but as soon as I slipped it on I felt a million bucks. Teamed with my solid gold glitter nails and YSL ring this may be my new favourite outfit.

The top itself will be in stock later this month/early September - I'll try to remember to post a link when it's up. As their agent I have the lovely perk of having the sample to wear. Lucky me!

Special thanks to KK for the great shot.

How To: Wear Peplums; Whoever You Are.

If you follow me on Twitter (@2dyefor_)or Instagram (2dyefor_) you'll have noticed a small addition to my family who has been taking up most of my pictures/tweets. Alfie. A brand new, black, cocker spaniel puppy. I am completely in love with him - he is a lovely little thing with a great nature and a beautiful face.

Because of his sudden presence in my life I have found myself staying at my family home much more, recently (only 45 mins from my apartment on public transport) and it is my most recent stay over the weekend that saw me accepting a delivery from M&S for my Mum.

Convinced it was yet another pair of black linen trousers (they're her version of my chiffon shirts - one for every day of the week) I just thrust the package into her hands and continued about my day. She began to tell me what she'd ordered and I tuned out until the word 'peplum' pierced my daze. "My mum? Cracking out a peplum? Well let's see then, " I thought.

One minute later and she was in front of me looking absolutely great. Which got me thinking; peplums are probably a trend that make a few folks nervous but they look set to stick around right through A/W so I have come up with 5 ways to work them into your wardrobe, whatever your age or the occasion.

This is the most high fashion look - probably a look twenty-somethings like myself would wear. I love a good clashing print but if that's not something that appeals a plain clutch looks great too. This is more a bar/restaurant look that covers a few trends so the wearer would feel great.

Gone for a bit of a sports luxe theme here - with the Olympics just finishing I'm clinging onto everything 'sports' for as long as I can. The Converse and clear plastic panels on the bag give this a great twist and what better than gold nails to represent our nations recent sporting achievements? I think the pencil skirt means anyone from late teens to early 30s can get away with this. If the mesh insert of the top's a little full on try it with a top more like the one below. After all, fashion's about having fun and making styles fit to you.

This is with 40-50 somethings in mind. A more pared down look but still really fashion focused to make the wearer feel comfortable but current. My mum's top is very similar to this one but I know she has more dark jeans in mind than pastel trousers. Still, she rocks a good printed scarf and sack bag so I still think this look is a viable option.

This is for those who want to stay trend based but are in an office environment day to day. We all know how constricting 'office appropriate wear' can be on our wardrobes but this is an easy one to adapt. There are tons of peplum pencil skirts on the high street - Topshop, H&M, River Island, Lipsy etc so that's not a hard one to find. Paired with your trusty white shirt, some cool flats and a nice leather bag and you're set. I also found this amazing Burberry peplum trench - at just over £1000 it's one for the 'wish list' but a girl can dream...*sigh*

Last but not least a more casual look for A/W. Unfortunately so far only Alexander McQueen and Dries Van Noten have shown peplum trousers like these but I'm hoping that the high street will cotton on and get on with producing some budget-friendly options.

If they do I love the idea of pairing them with a chiffon blouse, some pretty pumps and a trusty leather jacket (fur collar optional.) Some fiery talons and lips and you're good to go.

So that's it - peplums 5 ways. All that's left to do is show you my love. Meet Alfie.

Red, White and Blue

Unless you have been under a rock these past couple of weeks you cannot fail to have noticed that small sporting event that is ever so quietly gripping the world(!) Whether or not you like it I'm fairly sure just about every pair of eyes in the UK must have caught sight of at least a few seconds of the amazing London Olympics.

My delight in these sporting Gods and Goddesses quite surprised me - I was prepared to watch maybe a bit of athletics and a few dives but no sooner had Lord Coe said 'Danny Boyle' than I was hooked; and have been since.

A side effect of all these inspiring athletes taking up my television every day and night (I stream it on my BBC app while at work!) is my new found fervent patriotism - and not only to England. After the Jamaican 1, 2 ,3 in the 200m I have found myself wondering if there is any Jamaican blood in my family tree - but alas, I very much doubt it.

Browsing the web this morning I came upon Swarovski's Olympics inspired new Erika and Eliot collection which has somewhat delighted me. A tiny little girl and boy on pendants dressed in nation-representing colours and outfits.

Here are my favourites:

China, GB and South Korea

USA, Spain, France and Switzerland

Russia, Brazil, Netherlands

These remind me so much of the Marc Jacobs characters and I think I may love them a little bit more even. Especially GB - what better icon is there of my country than a Queen's guard - and after that opening ceremony clip the Queen is surely at one of the peaks of her popularity. Brilliant woman.

Out of interest I typed 'London' into the Swarovski search bar and was surprised to be presented with a number of smaller pictures.

Upon closer inspection it turns out they've also gone and created a very chic London charms collection for those who may not be into the characters of Erika and Eliot. Savvy folks in Swarovski.

A tube stop, a very Twiggy-esque girl, a Rolling Stones platform shoe and a rainy umbrella. All in all a pretty accurate representation of my nation. All primed and ready to be attached to a lovely charm bracelet and worn with pride.

I'd be a very happy girl if I received one of these - I do love an alternative way to support things and let's face it, dragging a Team GB flag through the streets on a regular day just doesn't cut it when up against these beauties. All available at Swarovski online take a look and fall in love like I have.