And the winner is... From Here, With Love! Congratulations!

If you could email amy@britishstylebloggers.org.uk to say "hi" and let us know it's you, we'll send you some badge codes and other excitements!

The new nominations session opens tomorrow - look out!

LoveLoveLove

- BSB -

Hello, everyone!

So, we've been working on ways to improve our fantabulous ebooks for you, and we think we've hit on a fantabulous new formula for them. From next month, they'll be editted by a special new Features Editor (whose bio I will add to the site eventually, I promise!) - but this month's is somewhere close to the new format, featuring specially commissioned pieces just for the ebooks, as well as all your favourite New Beginnings posts from the month.

Have a look; download; read; love! And if you want to get involved in the next ebook, email rachel@britishstylebloggers.org.uk or susie@britishstylebloggers.org.uk (or, better still, both!).

Enjoy!

Or click HERE to see it in full-screen.

Let us know what you think, too; we might start adding your notes and emails to the front of them...

LoveLoveLove

- A -

Post by intern Katie Stephens

Hello everyone, I thought I would just take this opportunity to introduce myself! I'm Katie, and I'll be interning at British Style Bloggers for the next few months! For my first assignment, I went on down to Somerset House during London Fashion Week to check out how the Autumn/Winter trends are taking shape on the streets. My main point of focus to begin with was coats - the pinnacle of the winter wardrobe. Vogue has declared 2010 the year of the statement coat, so naturally I just had to see how the current trends are being interpreted on the streets!

Leopard print has been making appearances on the catwalks for years now, but it has definitely earned its place on top of the hot list for this oncoming season. A great furry leopard print coat such as this is perfect for finishing off an outfit, and not only is it bang on trend right now, it's a sure fire way to add a touch of glamour to any look - and is also cosy enough to keep you warm on the frostiest of mornings! Not a bad investment, right? I really like this version from Lipsy! Worn with a simple LBD and opaque tights, it makes for the perfect holiday season party outfit!

One of my favourite trends at the moment is the cape. Effortlessly elegant, the cape is extremely ladylike and flattering on all shapes and sizes. They have a great selection over at Zara, in fabulous camel tones, tweed and a classic black style - all of which are super covetable and extremely chic! Why not take a cue from this lovely lady's eclectic ensemble and try yours with knee high socks and a pair of patent loafers?

Any Fashionista worth her weight in Louboutains will already know that the shearling trend is huge this season. Since Christopher Bailey sent a plethora of aviator style jackets down the Burberry Prorsum runway back in February, the fashion world has embraced, and rather fallen in love with his genius creations. Worry not though; to get your hands on one of these fleecy beauties, you need not pay a premium price tag to to make a shearling statement yourself this Autumn - there are plenty of alternatives to suit every budget from high street stores such as Oasis, Topshop, River Island and www.boohoo.com/coats-and-jackets/ami-aviator-jacket/invt/azz85706? _lm_esp=14-89- 641&awc=2319_1285351818_cc35ccc184ea0978ddf3c4b6fa9ddc59" target="new">Boohoo.

Whilst a new coat can be a fabulous investment piece, it isn't always possible to update your wardrobe in such ways if, like me, you are trying to keep to a budget. This is why accessories are so great! Why not jazz up one of your current outfits with the addition of a fur draped over your shoulders? Faux or real, there are some great collars to be found both on the high street and in vintage stores along Brick Lane and other such areas - a financially friendly way to update your wardrobe and bring your outfits into 2010, what could be better? And what's more, fur is a fail safe trend every winter, so you're likely to get some good wear out of something like this - very cost effective, don't you think?

Accessories are there to have fun with! Like this great leopard print clutch bag, it just goes to show that buying into trends doesn't have to be a big commitment, or strain on your bank account - strong accessories can make just as much of a statement about who you are and what trends you are channeling this season! However you dress this season, whether you embrace fur, capes or shearling (or any other style) - have fun, because that's what fashion is all about, and as long as you love what you wear, others will too!

As you may be aware, mine and Danni’s blog, Frills ‘n’ Spills will soon be a year old. Personally I can’t help but think that that year went far too quickly for my liking but also how much I have changed in this past year. I will be turning 21 in about a month and this has made me step back and really assess what I have achieved with my life. I have had a really fab summer working in London and confirming my dream career *fingers crossed* and met some amazing people along the way. I will be moving into a new house with some lovely people for my final year of university. I have an amazing group of friends and a lovely boyfriend. You might say that I am truly living the dream! This past year though has ensured that my confidence has come on in leaps and bounds whilst laying the foundation blocks for my future. I may not be the most intelligent person or the prettiest but I’m not doing too badly for myself!

STYLE:

In terms of my personal style, I have become more aware of what suits me and whilst I am still having fun with what I wear, I feel that I can slip into a professional environment fairly easily without having to rush out and buy a wardrobe full of clothes –that's not to say that I won’t though ! ;) I know what I like to wear and what is practical for me to wear, no sky high heels for me... I have started wearing trousers again but have not yet succumbed to jeans- maybe I should take my style cues from Amy and Rachel this Autumn/Winter and shake it up a bit more? Failing that, I am looking forward to wearing my lovely comfy boots and crunching through those crisp autumn leaves with my new hat on my head- isn’t it adorable?!

FRIENDS:

I am an exceedingly shy person and until I get to know someone, I am often completely silent. (Those of you who have actually met me may scoff at this point but it IS true! :P) The internship I did this summer ensured that I was well and truly dragged, kicking and screaming, out of my comfort zone. I had to go to meetings and contribute and prepare presentations for my manager, tasks which leave little or no room for shyness. I appointed myself unofficial official social secretary for the interns and managed to arrange weekly events for people to network and socialise. As a result of this, I have made some amazing new friends (all of whom are scarily intelligent/efficient) and I really cannot recommend it enough! If you are starting uni/ a new job, just talk to people! They will be thanking their lucky stars that someone was brave enough to break the conversational ice (although I would advice leaving your ice-pick at home...) In addition to this, do stay in touch with all of your old friends. These people have known you a lot longer and help in the difficult adjustment period when term first starts. I am lucky that my group of friends has managed to stay intact throughout the transition from school, all the way up to uni! J

UNIVERSITY:

Although I am in a nuclear meltdown phase slight panic about my dissertation, I also know that I have (supposedly) got through the most difficult year of uni. I have learnt from my mistakes of my first two years (note to self, DON’T STAY UP UNTIL 2AM) and hopefully will be more organised than ever this year, starting my revision after the Christmas holidays... that’s the plan anyway! I also know that work isn’t everything and that fun is equally important. After all, all work and no play make Maria a very dull girl indeed!

So the words of wisdom coming from (a soon to be wizened old) me are this, take a deep breath and throw yourself into having as much fun as possible this Autumn, whether it is at university or at a new job. You only get to live once so you might as well enjoy it! Plus everyone knows that all the best babies are born in Autumn ;)

What are you doing this Autumn? Do you have any plans for something life-changing?

This month's theme of "new beginnings" and all of the posts from those lucky young things who are about to embark on their new university or college lives (jealous, moi?!), got me to thinking about the sameness of my life: I get up, I go to work, I go home, I cook, I clean and then do it all again the next day and the next day.

Before you go feeling sorry for me or think I am having - what Carrie refers to as - a "been there, done them" existential crisis, do not be alarmed. I am not.

London Fashion Week came to an end yesterday (and the Fashion Crowd have now jetted off to Milan). But whilst watching the live stream of some of the shows last weekend, it made me wonder about the extent to which what we see on the catwalks each season is actually new.

Much like my life at the moment, fashion - it would seem - is cyclical.

Each season there is a "new black" or new trend gracing the catwalks at Fashion Week, but how many of these "new" trends are actually recycled from previous seasons or collections? What makes a new trend new?

Last weekend, Topshop's Unique collection for Spring/Summer 2011 - which I loved, by the way - looked as if it had been pulled straight from the pages of a '70s fashion mag:

 Source

Derek Lam's collection at New York Fashion Week re-introduced the double denim trend from last season - a trend, it seem, that will only disappear for the colder months before re-emerging again:

Source

Indeed, this season, I am rocking my maxi skirt to the max! But this is no new trend either, oh no. I remember as a teenager (14? 15?) having a black tube maxi skirt. If only I had held on to it....

But fashion blogging is something that isnew and fresh: reading different bloggers takes on the shows at Fashion Week and seeing all of the photographs, I feel blessed to be a part of this community.

Fashion blogging - as someone said (I'm sorry, I can't remember who at the moment) - has democratized fashion: it has given a voice to people who would never normally have had one and a foot in the door for so many more.

In fact - for me - the street style shots from London Fashion Week have, perhaps, been the most inspiring of the photos I have seen. These are real people, working trends and looks as they interpret them. That is exciting.

This post is perhaps not what I, or anyone else, was expecting. Apologies for that. But I hope you have followed the general gist of it.

Now, over to you: what has been your favourite thing about Fashion Week?

Whilst my (much) younger BSB colleagues are full of the enthusiasm that starting school, college or university brings, I, their haggard elder, faces a slightly different kind of challenge.  Having already had my time at the aforementioned educational institutions, the time has come for me to entertain the prospect of growing up.  I had always managed to put off the idea of having to seriously consider what I was going to do with my life, assuring myself that I'd "get round to it after I graduate".  Add to this the fact that I had a stable job to go back to and a rental property signed and paid for and all seems well.  Yet after a month-long, holiday-of-a-lifetime with my sister during August, my jet-lagged return to work inevitably arrived with a terrifying revelation: this is the rest of my life!  Starting right NOW!

Unsurprisingly, the prospect sent me into a rather dark mood: the worst possible combination of post-holiday blues and grim reality.  But it's never my style to remain in a funk about things for too long, and through the gloom I managed to wrestle a good deal of positives and new ambitions.  Firstly, I've decided to start planning for my next holiday already, even if that just means squirrelling away some savings!  Secondly, I am determined to finish furnishing and decorating my new house.  Although I'm only renting, and my power as a tenant is limited only to a few picture hooks and some light fittings, I've been a little lax in putting the finishing touches to my new little pad.

But perhaps the biggest change I am making to my life, my most exciting new beginning is my decision to get fit, get healthy and lose some weight.  Having always lacked discipline in the past, I've reached the point where I genuinely want to make a change for myself now.  I'm following a popular slimming programme - yes, it even involves the weekly weigh-ins and group therapy! - and I've started to do more than just pay for my gym membership, including attending my first ever spinning class (I walked like John Wayne for about a day afterwards!).  I've already made a great start, and having a goal so personal to focus on is doing more to banish the blues than I thought possible

Having spent such a long time in education, it has always felt more natural for September to be my 'new year' - the time for reflection and resolutions.  I hope the fact that my school days are over doesn't hamper my chances of success.

The month of all things shiny, new and a little bit scary, September always promises to surprise us in the most unexpected of ways. For me, September usually involves a complicated cocktail of panic and terror; that distant inkling that a new term of deadlines, essays and other academic monstrosities is looming never fails to turn me into a blubbering mess. And yet, once that first day (which, let’s admit is utter hell) is out of the way things always seem better. I’m not suggesting it’s a cosy month full of rainbows and sugar canes, hell no. But there are definitely some things about September that take off that nervy edge and help you relax. Much like a rum and coke in front of a blissfully trashy episode of America’s Next Top Model. Yum.

5 reasons to embrace September!

Layers

With September comes late summer sun and early bites of winter. It’s a confusing month and, where fashion’s concerned naturally confusion = layers. I for one am a layer junkie. It can be blazing outside and I’ll still be inclined to add an extra top or, if the heat really is unbearable [i.e. that one day where our wonderful country teases us with 25 degrees before snatching it back up for next year. Boo.] I’ll want to wear enough jewellery to adorn a small family. This year it’s all about Camel. Not Alice [sadly. She’s been constricted to primary school coach journeys] but rather that wonderful butterscotch colour that is washing over the high street. I for one have already grabbed a couple of Camel creations to layer up with. An oversized poncho from H+M

And a long woolly jumper from Primark.

I may end up looking more desert animal than camel-chic but at least I’ll be cosy in my layered luxury!

The X-Factor

Aaaah what a wonderful guilty pleasure to enjoy as we try and ignore the prematurely darkening nights. Clearly, someone realised that our quota of seeing people make unbelievable fools out of themselves isn’t dented enough over the summer months and lo, The X-factor was born. That or Simon Cowell’s need for an ego [or economical] boost of course. God love him. September always provides us with the most entertaining portions of The X-factor where the good one’s make you slightly suicidal for all their oh-so-modest talent and the bad one’s are just, well... bad. This year already we’ve witnessed auto-tuning controversy, Abbey ‘she-punched-her-in-the-face’ Johnston, and fears over contestant’s mental health. Well, we didn’t really need an expert to tell us that now did we?

Oooh pens!

So I’m a stationary freak. As soon as September’s rolled around, I can’t help but launch myself into the nearest WHSmiths and gather up as many folders, pens and notebooks as my spindly arms will carry. Not before I’ve spent the best part of thirty minutes decided between “Blossom” or “Starburst” or whatever other sickly sweet names they come up with. Unfortunately though, what ‘Smiths boasts in choice, it lacks in poor-student-in-need-of-cheap-essentials-ness. After replacing the million dollar diaries [okay, not quite but relatively as extortionate] I left my stationary haven in a haze of disappointment and somehow found myself in Wilkinson’s where, believe it or not they’ve got a stash of cheap and cheerful stationary treasures. I grabbed this diary yesterday for £1.97 [you know it’s bad when you relish that three pence saving!].

It’s got fairly cheap paper but I fell in love with the pattern – they’ve got a whole range in it, I nearly squealed with excitement. See? Freak.

Routine

Wake up. Think about getting dressed. Watch TV. Think about really getting dressed. Eat. Think about definitely, 100% getting dressed now. Distract oneself with more TV. This is more or less how my weeks have drifted by. And I’m far from proud. Routine is my friend, LivingTV is not. As much as we all dread the menace of early morning wake up calls and late night coursework panics, at the very least it gives us something to work around [not towards of course, that would be a step too far :P]. Embrace would be a strong word, but I’m sure I can muster a teency bit of enthusiasm for a new term of days which are actually distinguishable from each other rather than living in what feels like one hugely elastic Sunday. Bye bye pyjamas, hello 8am.

The beginning of an end

For the most part we tend to see September as a new beginning in itself, a fresh start. For me and fellow blogger Maria though, as soon as September has rolled around, we will be nearing the end of our first year of blogging on Frills ‘n’ Spills. And what an awesome first year it’s been. We’ve experienced the ups and downs of blogging, from supportive followers to fun outings, from BlogSpot woes to negative comments, but what’s been made clear to us is that far from being an isolated hobby, blogging is a community. Moreso a place to escape to than an action to endure. It’s where I now feel comfortable, and not only has it reaffirmed my love of writing and photography but it’s also inspired my dissertation this year. I’m probably in way over my head, but in all honesty I can think of nothing more enjoyable than getting to write about, and explore even more deeply the blogosphere and all of its wonderful inhabitants. For all your support guys, thank- you so much. Here’s to another happy year, with plenty of new beginnings!

Image: HERE

When I first began British Style Bloggers, last August, one of the first posts I wrote was about Style Resolutions for the Academic Year 2009/10. I've just looked over them now, and I've realised that I utterly failed on all points except the "I will ease up on the eyeliner" front - thankfully, that one I did manage!

But, as I'm heading to a new city for university in six days time (eek!), now really does seem like the perfect time to make some bonafide style resolutions for this year, and to actually try to stick to them (minor psychological analysis conducted this morning over breakfast suggest that I failed last year because I was around all the same people as before, and so they'd notice the changes)...

In a new city, though, with people who have never known that I spend every day in jeans and Converse, I don't suppose for one minute that I'll have the same problem; as Claire so wonderfully pointed out last week, people who've never known you can't judge you by old standards!

Image: HERE

So, here goes with a few rehashed - and occassionally even new! - style resolutions for this year:

- As with last year, I will not spend every single day in jeans!

Although unlike last year, I don't have so many skirts; having realised that I don't wear them, I got rid of a bunch of old ones! I do, though, have a couple that I really like, and that I think would look fine with tights and my lovely new boots... and as it's Autumn now, I think that's allowed, right?

- I will stop judging all my outfits by whether certain TV characters would wear them

Because, frankly, I am neither a spy nor a forensic pathologist. And nor am I the right shape/size/etc to look the way they look in their outfits!

- I will stop wearing my hair in the same way every single day!

It's not even lazy, any more! It's habit. And, even this way, I freaking hate my hair. So, why do I wear it this way? WHY? (If anyone can answer that, I would be absolutely, most fantasically grateful!)

- I will not wear the same shoes every day

Because I have far more than one pair of shoes! Admittedly, I don't have half so many as most fashion bloggers, but I do have more than one pair, and more than one pair that I like, at that! On nights out, I will wear the heels I have which I love, and during the days, I will not only wear Converse or ballet flats. I will wear my nice new boots, for example...

- Before I go to uni, I will go through my wardrobe and fix all the things that are broken

Because I can actually sew, and I won't wear broken things...

- I will write more outfit posts on my blog

Because that way, I'll be forced to consider what I'm wearing, rather than just throwing on the first top I can find with another pair of jeans!

Image: HERE

So, what are your style resolutions for this year, then?

LoveLoveLove

- A -

On the second of September I took a scissor and I cut off my hair.

Now in itself, this is not much of a new beginning; I've been doing my own hairdressing since September 2003 (come to think, that makes this most recent cut an Anniversary..) when I looked at my I-never-called-it-a-Rachel on the night before I started sixth form and thought,

That was a new beginning!

I'm not sure exactly how our readership skews, but let's assume that a bunch of you are, like our own boss-editor Amy, goin' off to Uni. Everyone else - I'll get to you in a minute but listen along, OK? You're smart enough to adjust things to your own situation.

University, of course, is a great time to do some pretty drastic "image experimentation". Even if - like Amy and my little Uni-bound sister - you're going somewhere where a pack of your old friends are also gonna be (you wacky kids!) there will still be a) loads and LOADS of people who have never set eyes on you and b) plenty of places to hide if you want to avoid anyone from school who might turn up their noses or ask a snooty question or two.

So let's assume that you don't need to worry about raised eyebrows from the old guard, for whichever reason. If you're in a new place (town, city, country, campus, nighttime hangout, friendship group, class of peers, etc), now is the exact time to move outside your comfort zone externally-expressively as well. When else can you guarantee that the majority of people you meet will first-impression judge you on the green hair or head-to-toe lace that you've always secretly dreamed of- or just once idly pondered what it might be like to have? Quite possibly NEVER. NEVER EVER.

Grasp that chance, my ducklings. Meet your immediate, enormous future with a face that you have constructed around 'possibilities and freedom and mental workouts!'

You can take it all off and grow it all out if you find you don't like it. Then the 'old you' image will be new for all your fine fresh acquaintances, and won't that be interesting?

Hmm, perhaps you are thinking but people may laugh at me? Well, that is true, but people may always laugh at anything. I can tell you that no-one decent is going to laugh unforgivingly at a University student looking silly - even if they do reckon you look daft, daft-lookig students are a deep enough cliche that they're just endearing. Actually, no-one decent is going to laugh unforgivingly at anybody looking silly, are they?

Like I implied earlier, the easiest way to change your public face is to change your hair. You can be conservative and go for a 'new style'.. which I can't help you with. But the internet and magazines and whathaveyou can! You can be as drastic as you please with hair cutting, and presumably you can be as drastic as you like with hair adding. The only experience I have with additional hair was a purple streak I had glued in at the Big Bash in year seven. My form tutor made me cut it out, which I resented, and then I stuck it to a hairclip. But your local hairdresser or hair shop probably have libraries worth of knowledge to help you with that - so get on down to one if you're feeling underwhelmingly hirsute!

If you're looking to cut, there are two obvious choices. You can go to a hairdresser or barber (turn to page 16), or you can cut it yourself (turn to page 48).

We're gonna turn to p.48, because I have no patience with and cannot afford hairdressers and if you decide to visit a professional, they can tell you everything about the procedure/your choices themselves. So! Let's cut our hair!

The trick is in remembering to think of your head as a 3d object. Hairdressing is sculpture, or modelling, or possibly engineering? Think of it in the terms most relevant to your area of interest or expertise. You're trying to make your head into a shape, not a flat image.

Remember: IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT COMES OUT LOOKING LIKE CRAP. Three reasons: 1) other people probably think it looks charming, 2) think about yourself; all that brilliance can't be dimmed by one lopsided haircut, 3) you can just keep going until it looks "like you". Also remember: A haircut is a work in progress, always. Because hair is always growing! It's going to change amongst itself over time anyway!

My personal, non-lifestyle change New Beginning was how much of my hair I cut off, five days ago when I post this

Aaand I'm back to those of us who aren't off to University. We're probably stuck with the same old colleagues, family members, friends.. OK OK I kid, I kid. What I mean is that we're almost certainly going to be placing a fair bit of stock on, essentially, what the neighbours are going to say about any new look we care to try on. But that's cool - there's no shame in trying out new methods of self expression. Outside of workplace dresscodes, people who jibe you about your skirt or your bob or your whatever are not worth listening to about personal attire. Say to them, "I think it looks nice".

New beginnings, image-wise, are try-outs. Hair grows back - and if it doesn't, there are myriad head-covering options. Clothes can be recycled or gifted or upcycled or donated or sold. Even piercings heal over or can be taken out! Whether they turn out to be a step on the path to your ultimate super-image, a momentary source of interest or respite, a pain in the neck that you don't want to repeat or.. whatever you discover; the only things that threaten to remain are photographs.

And what do photographs prove? "I used to look a way I decided I didn't like, so I changed".

Addendum: If you wear a veil or other I-am-definitely-going-to-wear-it headgear - or perhaps have health-related hair-in-public issues - please forgive me for concentrating on a section of public grooming that doesn't quite apply to you. Add your own tips or ideas in the comments? Please!

Poorly edited-in X-Men cover (so sue me, I only have Pixen and a laptop touchpad right now..): X-Treme X-Men #31, by Chris Claremont and Igor Kordey, cover by Salvador Larroca, published by Marvel. Apparently issued in November 2003 but AH SWEAH I had that picture in September. Seriously, you guys!