Gemini 22 May – 22 June

The weather may be fluctuating recently, but cheer up: that’s no reason to be down. You need to remember all the amazing things that you have and should be grateful. So forget about the weather, put on your prettiest dress, pamper yourself and have fun. You’ll be turning heads and will get all the attention you deserve this month: the world loves you!  But remember, what goes up, must come down.

Image HERE

Cancer 22 June – 23 July

A shopping trip is definitely in the cards for you. We know there’s a recession and that we should be watching our pennies, but not you. You’re long overdue a shopping spree and you definitely need to treat yourself to some new items. And while you’re at it, you could get away with eating all those Easter eggs around you as well, with very little to worry about.

Leo 23 July – 23 August

A trip abroad will help you connect with a loved one. A holiday will let you get away from the stresses of life. The warm air abroad will be much deserved after all the hard work you’ve been doing lately. It’s time to get some me-time and relax somewhere far away with family or friends. You have been doing great work lately and now it’s time for a well earned break, in some wonderful weather.

Virgo 24 August – 23 September

This is the month to go wild! Party season may have been left behind us, but it’s time to get your groove on. It’s your month to sing out loud, preferably with karaoke, and just be silly. If you’ve never done karaoke before, now is the time to start. Get a hold of your favourite song, belt it out loud in front of all your friends and dance the night away.

Libra 24 September – 23 October

This month is all about change and embracing new things. It’s a chance for you to broaden your horizons and get something new out of life. If you’re bored with your life right now, now’s the time for change. It’s the perfect opportunity for learning a new skill and getting a new hobby. Get out there and start having some fun with something new.

Image HERE

Scorpio 24 October – 22 November

This month is about starting a fresh. Leave your life’s clutter behind, be it a messy wardrobe or a friend who craves drama and be completely brand spanking new. You’ll feel perfect for spring and summer with all your lightness. You’ll be as bouncy as Tigger and will surely give you the best season yet. De-clutter your life in every way possible; after all, spring is a time for cleaning.

Sagittarius 23 November – 22 December

You need to take it slow this month and take a step back from everything going on. This is the month for you to sit at home, and curl up with a good book, with some mellow music in the background. You can never achieve anything if you just work work work. Instead, slow down for a while and catch your breath. Re-connect with your guilty pleasures, such as junk food and trashy TV, and enjoy having nothing to do.

Capricorn 23 December – 20 June

Mysterious things have been going on recently and now’s your time to put everything into perspective. Move away from all the confusion of recent months and think about things logically, to get your answers. Write things down and think about it all for everything to make sense. But remember, you don’t want to over analyse as things can get more complicated like that.

Aquarius 21 January – 19 February

You’re in for a rollercoaster month, so brace yourself. Be prepared for a lot of ups and downs and don’t try to get too stressed. Take everything in stride, with ladylike composure and don’t take anything too personally. Be sure to have fun during all the ups and stay calm during the downs, and balance them both perfectly.

Image HERE

Pisces 20 Feb – 20 March

Be careful what you wish for because it might just come true. You can make anything happen this month, so go for it. It’s your time to gain all your confidence and conquer all that you can. This will be a month to remember, so make sure you have your camera on you at all times, so you can capture all these amazing moment. If you’ve ever felt too shy to go for your dreams, now’s the time to go for them.

Aries 21 March – 20 April

Your love life will make a certain leap this month, so if you have any crushes, I recommend you to go for them. You will be radiating confidence this month, so you will definitely be attracting a lot of potential suitors. The questions, though, is whether to have fun, or wait for the perfect one. Who knows, your perfect person might be the person you least expect. Make the most of this and go out, meet new people, and have a good time.

Taurus 21 April – 21 May

Recent events may have caused you to put your guard up against others, but you should definitely relax and start letting people in again. People who care for you only want what’s best, so it’s time to put aside your ego and listen to what others have to say and let them help you. There’s no need to feel alone with so many great people looking out for you.

Well, it's reached that time again - and the new system for voting for Blog of the Month has been a learning curve for all the staff! You wouldn't believe how difficult it's been to judge the competition... but the cards have been played, and we now have our very first judged winner...

Congratulations to

Girl Next Door Fashion

Look out for an email from Amy very soon - and remember, you can apply to be June's Blog of the Month from the 1st!

Love,

x BSB

The 'colour blocking' trend is one of the easiest to pull off, especially when buying from the highstreet.

It basically means wearing various one-colour items all at once - preferably in shades that clash horribly!

A plain dress paired with a different coloured bag and shoes is a good place to start. Alternatively, try a skirt or trouser and t-shirt combo with an exciting pair of ankle socks. Throw in a bright blazer to finish off the look and give yourself a more tailored edge.

Bold colours work best and if you're going to clash in the most effective way, go for a combination of complimentary colours:

Red and green. Blue and orange. Purple and yellow.

Here's some of the best new stock from the highstreet...

Lace babydoll dress. Dorothy Perkins. £40

Pelerine ankle socks. Topshop. £3.50

Oversize t-shirt. French Connection. £20

Pleated waist skirt. Zara. £39.99

Jogging blazer. Zara. £49.99

Chiffon hem vest. Warehouse. £18

Flecked roll sleeve tee. Topshop. £15

Placket vest. River Island. £7.99

Gathered slit side maxi skirt. Topshop. £35

Belted skater skirt. River Island. £34.99

Deena & Ozzy confetti cut-out shoes. Urban Outfitters. £35

Sylvia leather bag. Oliver Bonas. £85

ALL IMAGES GRATEFULLY COPIED FROM COMPANIES' RESPECTIVE WEBSITES.

(* Another title I can't take credit for.  This is a lyric from the Danish psychobilly band Horrorpops and their song Freaks In Uniforms.  It's quite an entertaining listen actually!)

Image HERE

I suppose if I'm going to look at it in a ruthlessly practical kind of way, wearing a uniform for workdefinitely has its advantages.  I mean, take right now for example.  It's kind of late, and I should be heading to bed right about now, but of course, I've left this feature rather late to write and need to get it done.  I have to be up early in the morning to drive to another location for a day of observations so I've already made my pasta salad, found out where to park my car, and wrestled the satnav off my other half.  Of all the things I do have to concern myself with, what I am going to wear is not one of them.  Obviously, I've had to make sure that the compulsory garments are clean (although ironing is rarely necessary - thank goodness for polyester!) and that I've got a pair of clean, hole-free tights ready to go, but imagine if I had to do all that AND actually decide what combination of clothes I was going to wear all myself?!  Having worked in supermarkets and retail banking all my working life, the workwear issue has never raised it's head for me, and if I'm perfectly honest, the idea of having to get involved in 'all that' at the grand old age of 23 does vaguely terrify me.

This is not to say, of course, that prescribed clothing does not have its downsides.  To start with, the styling is, by and large, horrendous.  Men have a way better time of it, trust me.  Yes, the suit they make you wear may be suspiciously shiny and the tie may have some strange pattern/colour scheme thing going on, but at the end of the day, a suit is a suit.  In my time, I have dealt with see-through shirts, too-low tops and funny keyhole designs that were clearly some vain attempt at 'fashion'.  Sizing bears no resemblance to logical garment classification, whilst skirt lengths and trouser cuts appear to be another area where logic takes a holiday.  It's as if the design team have all put their heads together, banged them rather sharply and devised the worst shape they could whilst yelling "WE'VE GOT IT!  THIS IS THE PRODUCT!"

So how to get around the potential pitfalls of a uniform?  Well, it very much depends on where you work, and how strict your employers are, but they key is to control the things that you can.  Footwear for example.  Make it as fabulous as possible so that when people see your feet they will realise that you do, in fact, have a shred of sartorial intelligence, and that the clothes on your back are in fact a condition of your employment.  Good hair and makeup are a must, for your self-confidence as much as anything else.  If jewellery is allowed, make a statement with it.  Paint your nails a lurid colour - this is my particular favourite, as my hands are always on show, and I am always getting comments.  If you happen to be handy with a needle and thread, re-hem some trousers or a skirt so they sit a little better.  And, cheesy as it sounds, wear it with a smile, even if all you're thinking is "thank goodness I don't have to spend my hard-earned wages on workwear!"

Attended by Rachel Charlton; written by Rachel Charlton and Amy Claire Thompson

Image: HERE

This week was Newcastle Fashion Week, and for British Style Bloggers, which was born in the North of England, it was too good an opportunity to pass up! This is the first time that Newcastle has ever hosted an event like this, and although it obviosuly didn't compare to London, Paris or any of the other fashion capitals of the world, it was very exciting for everyone involved and drew out a tonne of bloggers from the North East.

Because of illness, BSB was sadly only able to attend on Saturday, but there were events on all through the week.

En Vogue

Image: HERE

One of the major events, which lasted all week, was hosted by the City Library, where a collection of old Vogues from through the years - dating back to 1945 - were available to read and admire. It was fascinating to be able to see the changing shape of fashion through the years, and especially the way that illustrations were so vital to the early issues.

We're sure that most fashion bloggers would agree that fashion drawings are beautiful - and we know that we'd love to see more of them if we possibly could.

Made In Newcastle's Fabric Swap

Made in Newcastle is a fashion and textiles collective where designers from the North East get together to share their wares, and this week they held a free fabric swap, where you could bring in good-quality scraps or un-used fabric to exchange for whatever else took your fancy or was necessary for your next project. There were so many beautiful patterns and textures to admire that everyone really enjoyed themselves - and we obviosuly couldn't resist brigning a few of our favourite samples home with us!

Fashion Works

The Discovery Museum held an exhibit showing period dress from the 1700s up to the 1980s - think the fashion gallery at the V&A in London, but downsized a teeny bit!

Our favourites were a beautiful pair of shoes from 1739, but we were very impressed with the underwear display which instilled positive body image values such as manikin with health productsin and the poster on the final image which said “its not the shape you are, it’s the shapeyou’re in that matters”.

Kisses from Newcastle!

Don't you just love these special NFW cupcakes we found?

We had a wonderful day - and we can't wait for it to happen all over again next year!

Did you attend the event? What did you think?

Have you got an event that you'd like us to cover? Email press@britishstylebloggers.org.uk and we'll be glad to send someone!

I suppose before I get properly started here, it seems right to say just how happy I am that British Style Bloggers is back and as fabulous as ever.  I am privileged to be a part of such a brilliant, enthusiastic, talented team and am inspired by each and every one of you.  Thank you!

Image: HERE

(I have to confess that I do not own the rights to the fabulous pun contained within the title of this post.  It was actually coined by Andrew Gimson of The Telegraph, when talking about Tony Blair in this sketch about the lead-up to the 2010 General Election.  Isn't it brilliant though?)

Back in March I tried on a denim skirt in Gap with bare legs and had one of those moments where I genuinely turned to my sister and asked, "is it just the light in here, or are my legs actually grey?"  The answer was not the one I was hoping for.  It happens every year; jeans, opaque tights and leggings provide a happy housing for my legs right the way through the winter, and I am happy to neglect them for months at a time.  Then, along comes the better weather and I am sent into panic mode, exfoliating and moisturising like I have never exfoliated and moisturised before - well, since the year before anyway.  But what about when you've sloughed away the bluish-grey skin and the scales?

I am naturally blonde and pale - very, very pale - and I find it seriously difficult to get the colour balance on my body right during the summer months.  In theory, I actually don't mind having an 'English Rose' type skin tone (apart from the fact that I am Welsh), but even that takes work.    I mean, if I go for simple maintenance only then my skin retains its blue-grey tinge, so I have to use self-tanning moisturiser regardless.  So, the other option is to embrace my inner sun-worshipper and go all-out St. Tropez.  But of course, this approach requires ridiculous amounts of maintenance to avoid the dreaded streaky tan and Oopma Loompa glow.

What doesn't help with my dilemma is that opinion and popular style seems so hopelessly divided.  On the golden-bronzed team, we have the likes of Blake Lively, Cat Deely, Kate Hudson and Lauren Conrad.  In the 'pale and interesting' corner meanwhile, Scarlett Johansson, Amanda Seyfried, Diane Kruger and Ellie Goulding are all hanging out.

So what do I do?  To be honest, in recent years, I think I've managed to crack it by sort of avoiding the issue:  THE MAXI DRESS.  Never mind the almost transparent skin on my legs!  They are covered by vast swathes of fabric!  All I need to worry about is keeping my arms in decent nick (far easier than the legs for some reason) and if even that gets too much, then I can just throw a denim jacket over the top for a casual cover-up.  Done!  Much more time for me to get out and enjoy the barbecue, drinks in the pub garden or punting on the Cam (I have genuinely done this in a maxi.  Honest).  Long may this trend continue, please?

Denim. That old chestnut.

Perfect in its limitless guises, no matter what the weather is doing. And no matter what YOU are doing! The ideal fabric in which to slub around, denim is crazy comfortable... but it can also be dressed up with a bit of savvy styling to make an outfit worthy of a night on the tiles.

It's not just blue jeans! Constantly being reinvented, denim was seen once again in the spring/summer 2011 collections from Celine, Mulberry, Stella McCartney, Dries van Noten, and Moschino - amongst others - and has to be one of the easiest styles to translate to the highstreet.

Below are some current highlights to help you make the most of the denim trend. (Can it really be called a 'trend' if it never goes out of fashion??)

You'll see a mixture of total bargains, and some slightly more luxe pieces to really dress up that denim! And not just denim itself, but plenty of items that will perfectly compliment the look.

Lace Panel Denim Shirt. Miss Selfridge. £30

Skater Dress. Oasis. £15 (was £50)

Iron Eagle Sweat. French Connection. £52

Plait belted shirt dress. Dorothy Perkins. £20 (was £38)

Cord cuff. Accessorize. £8

Cream peep toe wedge boots. River Island. £34.99

Louche Christina dress. Joy. £31.50 (was £45)

Grey horse print blouse. Dorothy Perkins. £15 (was £30)

Peach scallop hem cropped jeans. Topshop. £40

Anat clog. All Saints. £87.50 (was £175)

Black and white stripe bodysuit. Miss Selfridge. £18

Nelton wedges. ALDO. £39.98 (was £60)

Cream print soft kimono jacket. River Island. £39.99

MOTO red jeans. Topshop. £38

ALL IMAGES GRATEFULLY COPIED FROM COMPANIES' RESPECTIVE WEBSITES

The shortlist is as follows:

• Some Kind of Style
• A Blog From Blackpool
• Hug Me Til You Drug Me
• Girl Next Door Fashion
• Blargle Flargle

Please note: Blog of the Month winners are now determined by a panel of judges, rather than by a popularity contest masquerading as a vote. The full rules are listed HERE.

The winner will be announced on May 28th.

I could think of no better way than to start my Spotlight On column than to go straight to the lovely Amy, out Editor in Chief. She started her first blog, Confessions of a Fashion Editor, back in 2009 after stumbling into fashion writing whilst she was Fashion Editor at Lipstick Royalty Magazine. However, recently it was time for a shiny new start with Australasia Dreaming and of course we can't forget the creation of British Style Bloggers along the way as the site heads for its second birthday this summer. Somehow she also manages to fit in studying English and History amongst all this! So let's get down to the questioning...

This image and the next both belong to Amy.

Wowee you have been a busy bee with both the BSB relaunch and a move in your own blog from COAFE to Austalasia Dreaming, what are you most excited about in both projects?

With BSB, I'm excited about everything! So much is changing, and not everything has become obvious yet, because the columns will be going up all month and slowly revealing their beauty, haha :) I really hope everyone likes what we've been working on - it's been a long journey, but I think we're getting there!

With Australasia Dreaming, my new blog, I guess the most obvious exciting thing is moving to Australia. I'm giddy as hell half the time, and scared witless the other half. I'm going to miss everyone so, so much...

I loved visiting York for BSB's birthday party last year. What's your favourite thing about the area and how would you describe the sense of street style and shops?

My favourite thing about York is March and April; when the sun, blossoms and daffodils are all out, covering the old walls and brightening the area up, but before the thousands of tourists descend. For two short months, it is beautiful, tranquil bliss, and I adore it.

The street style I guess is harder to pin down; it's probably much the same as most of the rest of the UK, to be honest, and (terrible as this is for me to admit!), I don't tend to pay much attention. The shops, though, are something else; because we have so many tiny streets and old buildings, we have an eclectic mix of unique boutiques, designer stores and high-street, sometimes one after the other. It's beautiful.

What inspired you to start blogging and has your motivation to carry on posting changed at all?

I was inspired to start blogging by an article in Teen Vogue declaring some of the world's most prolific bloggers as "The Fashion Editors of Tomorrow". At the time, I was a fashion editor myself, and so I was a little miffed, to be honest! My motivation has definitely changed, though - it's been two years, now, and I'm not the person I was, back then. Now I blog because I want to; because I can; because I have something to say. There's a lot less anger than there was!

What were the hardest challenges to solve or work round in your early blogging days?

Setting up a blog in the first place. I am famously computer-illiterate. The mid actually boggles.

What is the very best thing to come from your blogging experience?

The friends. I have met so many truly wonderful people through blogging, and I genuinely consider a lot of bloggers to be my closest friends in the world. And, however morbid it sounds, I think both Rachel Charlton and I can agree that we'd probably not be here today without each other - we spend half our lives on the phone, whining about everything that's wrong and talking each other off ledges! She's amazing, and I really don't know what I'd do without her.

Do you feel you style has evolved at all since you began blogging- has my cunning plan to integrate some florals and dresses in your wardrobe worked at all?

Amy ventured into the land of florals for my blog's floral celebration.

Yes! I actually wear dresses, now. And, sometimes I even feel good in them. And, yes, I do own some florals... not as many as you, but some!

I dress for me, now. If I like it, I wear it - whereas before, I was far too shy. That's definitely a change.

What's the best piece of blogging advice you've been given and would you like to add some wisdom of your own?

My problem: Short chicks and trousers! I am short and curvy, all trouser styles look bloody awful.

Ahh, yes, let's start with a problem I can relate to. Bodies! Huh! What are they good for*?

Let me just take moment to put these problems into context.

This is not going to be an advice column that is all about The Rules.

So. Trousers, short women, and curves. There is a surprising amount of ground to cover here. Let's do a list!

1) We will assume that by "short" we mean "as short as or shorter than those whom petite ranges are designed** for"

2) We will keep in mind the three different faces of this problem; (a) will have "curvy" mean "a larger than average amount of circumference differentiation as one moves down the body, (b) will have "curvy" mean "an average amount of differentiation in circumference as one moves down the body, but a body of a size fourteen or above as that is what is designated plus sized here".

3) We will consider how the fashion industry is not our friend; it is our dealer. Or perhaps it is our monopolising local tradesperson who we have a slight crush on, as "dealer" is not such a pleasant thing to consider having, for many of us. Nevertheless: it is not a person to whom we should afford more power. They already have enough.

Ready? OK!

I shall mix it up by starting with point three: Clothes are not made for you.

It is both a part of the problem and a part of the answer - "Accept this, and ye shall be free". Insofar as it is the problem, it goes like this: The clothier's ideal of "fit" is not considered when highstreet clothing is made. The mathematician's ideal of "scale" is. As you go up and down sizes, clothing patterns are scaled up and down - all that is considered is "this one is a bit bigger/smaller, so size it up/down". Different body types are not accounted for outside of specific ranges - such as a 'petite' range (for the short), 'big & tall' shops (for the big and the tall), or we could be specific and mention Bravissimo, for the lady with the large mammary or mammaries. Why? Because big business based around ease for the masses (such as high-street, or "disposable fashion") is not about the individual. It's about things being good enough for most people. And unfortunately, a lot of professional garment-business people have quite a poor opinion of their peers and customers - "good enough" is whatever you're given, they seem to assume. So trousers, nor jumpsuits, are not designed with your body in mind. They aren't meant to fit you - they're meant to go on you. Are you catching the difference?

Moving back to point two! Short people have a smaller Y axis to work with when considering their maximum volume - this means that smaller fluctuations in metric width are bigger fluctuations in visual width. That is, if you have two people whose shoulders are sixteen inches across but one of them is six feet tall and the other is five feet tall, the two people will not strike us as similar in shoulder width when considered separately. They could share a cape, but it would hit person A at the crotch and person B somewhere mid-thigh. Viewed in a complete outfit on each person, the cape would make a very different visual statement because it would, effectively, be a different garment. A mini skirt is not a tea-length is not a maxi.

This means that small differences in items of clothing really matter. What hangs on a long limb gracefully will hang differently on a short one. Some will find they still like the effect. But the "some" with no problem are not who this column is for.

The answer is that you must be unafraid to cut that shit up.

It's funny how "disposable fashion" is a thing but home-tailoring is not a thing, as if clothes are sacred despite their origins, despite their price, despite the way they're made to last a few seasons and be replaced. As if we don't have the right to sink scissors into fabric that's been laser-cut, and that we mustn't re-sew or add darts and stitches to hems and planes that weren't made with love or inspiration but out of obligation, knock-off and necessity. General feeling, modern British culture, does not value our own hands (or for the skilled, feet or mouths), our own capacity for learning or craft, above what is offered for sale to us as transient objects.

This is no slight against you, reader. This is no slight against my problemeers.

I'm assuming that you're bored of searching. I'm assuming that you can't afford or find a tailor (if you can, then, hello? Use them). I'm assuming that you're unsatisfied with listening to Trinny & Susannah and Gok Wan and whoever else, who will just repeat The Rules (proportion, balance, always try to look taller and thinner***) and tell you where to shop.

If you own it or have the option of owning it and it doesn't fit you, it doesn't deserve your awe. It's clothing. Clothing is for people. Without you it is nothing, and if it is on you and making you feel like nothing, or feel no happiness, then it is faulty. Fix it. You can. You're the boss. This is about you.

This will not solve everything, but it will be a start.

But you don't have to listen to me.

Til next time, write to me! claire AT britishstylebloggers.org.uk!

Claire.

Published problems will not be attributed to you unless you ask that they be.

* This is a joke
** Fuck you Topshop, every time I check your petite section you have cropped shirts from the 'normal people' shop floor mixed in there and, for real, I can find those for myself - especially since the petites are crammed away at the back so I have to go past everything anyway. Please don't try to make your selection look bigger by re-classifying that way. It just makes me resent you for patronising me.
*** Sure I guess, sure I guess, NO WHY SHOULD WE