Male influences

Everybody’s heard of the classic “boyfriend blazer”, but not many ladies can pull off actual men’s wear. However, Rihanna is clearly an exception. The style icon proved just why she got such a title this week whilst turning on the Christmas lights at Westfield Shopping Centre in London. Of all the designers in the world that are begging for Rihanna to wear them, she chose Raf Simmons (jacket and shirt) and Acne menswear s/s 2013 (suit).

 

As is to be expected, this caused quite a split in opinions, but I for one adore this look. Somehow I think that the inmate style stripes, royal blue blazer coat and sharp white collar shirt, not forgetting that they're all from menswear collections, work perfectly together. The femininity of the outfit is somehow all bought through the choice of accessories. Perhaps that's what makes RiRi so special, her ability to take an altogether unexpected outfit and make it seem rather natural for her, purely by adding her usual mish mash of gold jewellery and red nails. To finish the look she added a simple pair of grey pointed heels. Perfect.

 Let me know what you think, hot or not?

Thanks for reading guys,
Bethany Paige X

Bussy Bee

Hi guys, I hope you're all doing well. Unfortunately, today's post is an apology. In a matter of weeks I have my GCSE mock exams, which means a lot of revising! I've been spending the majority of my evenings recently studying and doing homework, which, as sad as it makes me to say it, is likely to affect Paige of Fashion over the next few weeks. I'm going to try my very best to keep up with posting. However, it's inevitable that my current, overwhelmingly busy, schedule will have some impact.

I really do apologise for missing the occasional post during this time, but bear with me and I'll be back soon, I promise!

Thanks for understanding,

Bethany Paige X 

Watch it!

In today’s modern world there seems to be square shaped block in everybody’s pockets. As handy as it is to have constant access to our Blackberries and iPhones, it’s a sad truth that having the time in little numbers at the top of a screen has led to the downfall of watches.  Perhaps to most people this doesn’t seem like too big of a problem, but I see it as a huge waste of a fashion opportunity. After all, it seems absurd to never wear a bracelet right? Even if you don’t require a watch for practical reasons, treat it as your new accessory, with the added bonus of not having to squeeze your phone in to the pocket of your skinny jeans for easy access.

Luckily for those of us trying to save the good old watch, the high street  and designers offer some gorgeous ones. Think: style and practicality twisted together in one stylish band.

 

Here are some of my favourites

 Casio face watch - £40, Double face expander watch - £34, May28th floral watch - £35, Globe leather watch - £26, Glitter strap watch - £20, Rainbow face watch - £22   (All Urban Outfitters)

May28th rabbit watch - £25, Vivenne Westwood Neptune watch - £175, Rotary skeleton watch - £169, Casio rose gold watch - £47.50 (all ASOS)

Will the watch make a comeback? Only time will tell!

Thanks for reading guys,
Bethany Paige X

 

 

Let's not skirt around the subject

Every season fashionistas all over the world have their eyes peeled to spot which style of skirt is going to be massive. Last season it was peplum skirt or perhaps the mullet skirt. This season however there's been a shift in styles. A rather drastic shift at that. Hemlines have lowered and silhouettes have widened with the introduction of the full midi skirt this A/W. Whatever the colour or material, if your skirt flares and finished around the knee you'll be wearing one of the biggest styles of the moment.

As well as more expensive brands, the high-street have given birth to a variety of full midis that are perfect as the weather gets even colder. Unlike summer's peplums, this skirt has so many more opportunities in terms of what you can wear it with. No matter what your style is, you will most likely be able to incorporate an A/W skirt in to your wardrobe.

Here are three of my favourite full midis and how I'd wear them:

Military jacket:

Skirt- Urban Outfitters £45, Military coat-Topshop £250 , Chelsea boots- Topshop £120,
White shirt - £26 Burton, Orange jumper - £40

This skirt's a thick black leather making it perfect as part of this season's military trend. I think the addition of a men's shirt untucked and under this orange jumper would look great on its own, however the Topshop military jacket makes this outfit simply perfect. I decided to keep the shoes tough and slightly androgynous with these heeled Chelsea boots.

Tartan grunge:

Tartan skirt  - ASOS £50, Velvet Dr Martens - Urban Outfitters £110,
 Danielle Scutt Oversized Shirt - ASOS £168, Crew socks - Urban Outfitters £12 , Long cross neckalce - £8.50, Cross link necklace - £12.50 Topshop, Cross stack rings - £10 Topshop

I've mentioned my absolute adoration of this skirt previously and think that it's one of my favourites of the moment. I decided to base this outfit on 90s grunge and went for a double tartan look using this twist tartan shirt. I opted for a pair of classic Dr Martens, since they are so very 90s, but in a velvet to contrast with the wool mix skirt. To finish the look I piled on gold jewelry in the form of necklaces and stackable rings.

Futurism:

 

High shine midi - £45 ASOS, Metalic heel sandals - £60 Topshop, Zip coat with quilted sleeves - £89.99 Zara, Roll neck top - £90 Topsho, Silver hair cuff - £2.99 H&M

 

I thought that this skirt was absolutely fabulous and completely different to any other highstreet interpretations of the full midi. The high shine material made it perfect as part of a futuristic look. I stuck with blacks, whites, and greys with silver accents to keep the outfit sleek. I love the simplicity of this Topshop rollneck and it would work perfectly under the zara grey coat with quilted sleeves. The silver hair cuff and heel on these shoes pull the whole look together amazingly.

 

Which of these looks is your favourite?

 

Thanks for reading,

Bethany Paige X

Maison Martin Margiela

Every now and then there comes a high end/high-street collaboration that gets the whole fashion world talking. The Maison Martin Margiela collection for H&M is most definitely one of those situations. The 15th of November is a date I've had highlighted in pink in my diary for a long time now and so, as you can imagine, waking up this morning I was more than a little excited. I was literally counting down the minutes in fact! As annoyed as I made my friends with my constant talking about the collection, my enthusiasm wasn't dampened, even whilst having to repeatedly refresh the website due to the high amount of traffic it was receiving. I suppose that's to be expected with one of the biggest collaborations this year though.

It's almost a given when I say that the collection didn't disappoint. Although I'd previously seen some of the pieces whilst on my musings online and through magazines, the deconstructed shapes and exaggerated silhouettes still remained shocking and absolutely gorgeous. The clothes really do manage to capture the essence of the designer label, with oriental, masculine, and geometric influences throughout. Fabrics included dark leathers, plexi glass heels and even hair, which as crazy as it sounds make the whole collection have a very high end feel.

Here are some of my favourites:

What do you all think of the new Maison Martin Margiela collection for H&M, are you a fan?

Thanks for reading guys,
Bethany Paige X

Dream set

If you read yesterday's post you may remember seeing this piece of beauty on my list of current obsessions:

It's safe to say that this Co-ord quilted sweater and pencil skirt set is number one on my lust list at the moment. I just love it. The simplicity, the oversized shape, the delicate quilting - everything about it is perfect for me. The top costs £45 and the skirt is £40 which, if you ask me, is completely reasonable. Consider for a second how many outfit possibilities this set has. I can count at least 10 just sitting here, and I'm sure there are loads more. When I have a little more money, perhaps after Christmas, I'm definitely going to get my hands on these. Although the idea of waiting that long does dappen my spirits a little.

To pass the time I created a few outfit using the Topshop set.

Sport luxe:

Hiden heel hightops - £40 River Island, Chain and spike cap - £18 River Island, Chunky gold chain - £16 Urban Outfitters.

Futuristic style:

 Silver strap sandals - ££74.99 Mango, Silver necklace - £15 Topshop, Quilted clutch - ASOS £24

Red leather:

Red leather top - ASOS £85, Casio watch - urban outfitters £45, Red Dr Martens - £85.

Laid back tartan:

Leather trousers - Topshop £42, Tartan pumps - £32, Blue satchel - Urban outfitters (Cambridge Satchel Company) - £110

Lilac touch:

Lilac hat - Topshop £10, Chelsea boots - Urban Outfitters £80, Jocasi leather rucksack - £45.

See what I mean? Infinite possibilities!

Thanks for reading guys,
Bethany Paige X

If I was a rich girl

Over the past two months, apart from the occasional charity shop find, I haven't bought any new clothes. For me, that's pretty big deal. Clearly I enjoy torturing myself though because I still spend a lot of my time scrawling through my favourite online shops until I find something that I get completely obsessed with. I don't plan on spending any money on clothes until after Christmas so I'm probably not going to get any of the items I'm lusting over at the moment, or at least not for a long time. Never the less, a girl can still dream and of course post about them on her blog!

Topshop:

Dome sleeve sweat by Boutique in khaki - £30, Co-ord quilted sweater and pencil skirt - £85, Alcatraz Electric heel boots - £78, Digital sweater by illustrated people - £60.

ASOS:

Spiked cap - £18, Maxi skirt in velvet - £45, Checled midi - £50, Short quilted shorts - £20

What's your favourite of these peices?

Thanks for reading guys,
Bethany Paige X