British Style Bloggers

Spotlight On: PinkBow

FlorrieC — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 22:09:45 GMT

For this month's Spotlight On I am featuring the lovely PinkBow. Now this is a blog I have long loved and is constantly providing inspiration to improve my own! The lady behind the blog is the sweetest girl, which I think always comes across and makes the blog a delight to read. Her photography is also excellent providing a visual treat. She's a total Francophile and always looks sophisticated whether she is in a simple and chic outfit or a fabulous vintage frock, so let's get to know her...

I love how the branding across your blog is so strong and cohesive under the theme of 'PinkBow', how did the name come about?

Thank you. It is actually made up of my own name. When I first started out, I didn't want my name coming up on any google searches (and still don't!), so came up with a pseudonym for myself. Then when I had my blog re-designed, I had a very clear idea of how I wanted to 'build my brand', focussing on the name itself to tie in with the design.

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

I suppose like a lot of other bloggers, I started reading other blogs. The first I came across was Style Bubble and I've been hooked ever since. I've always been quite creative and this seems like the perfect creative space as I am able to encompass all of my interests in one place. I definitely think my blog has evolved, it changes as I do, which I think is completely natural. I continue to be as inspired now as when I first started as I am always finding new things to be inspired by. I suppose when that stops, it will be time to stop blogging.

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

I think it was definitely a lot quieter 3 years ago than it is now, there are so many more blogs around, sometimes it feels a little overwhelming how many there actually are. I very much felt in the early days that I was purely posting for myself as I had such a low readership. I think the biggest challenge for me was getting my blog to look the way I wanted it to. I had no knowledge of HTML whatsoever and I began to feel a lot more confident once I was happy with the design.

What or who do you look to for style inspiration?

There are so many, stars from a by-gone era, such as the leading ladies in Godard's films. Or just regular people on the street and featured in blogs and the predictable trend-setters like Alexa Chung and Zooey Deschanel.

Do you have a favourite era in fashion?

I have a few - the roaring 20's for the amazing flapper style and decadence; the 50's style in those amazing Technicolor films and the late 50's/early 60's for the Beat Generation.

Do you feel your style has evolved at all since you began blogging?

I've been a fashion/style lover since I was a little girl and I think it is a natural process anyway for personal style to evolve. I would say that my style has always been relatively classic but I look for quirky details. I don't think too much about following a style but rather I buy pieces I love and they all somehow seem to fit together.

What's your favourite nail polish?

Oh, I have so many! I am an absolute nail polish addict but anything by Chanel is good. Current favourites are bright fuschia or coral.

I find your photography really inspiring and it makes me work to improve my own! Do you have any top tips for getting a fantastic photograph?

Thank you! I think the most important thing in photography is light. So shoot in as much natural light as possible. Also for me, I prefer a slightly cloudy/overcast day as the light provides a more natural look I think than shadows and glare caused by the sun.

What would your dream afternoon tea comprise of? And on what crockery?

Oh, I love Afternoon Tea! One of my favourite things to do, I love trying new places as I have such a sweet-tooth. I think my favourite so far has to be the (rather predictable) Laduree. The pastel pastacchio green and rose pink theme with silver cutlery/teapots etc is just perfect. It's so feminine, French and traditional - these are the components for the perfect tea. And their sweets are so divine, they somehow manage to create a very individual taste, that is very much their own. Here are some of my Laduree posts -

http://www.pinkbow.net/2011/06/laduree-covent-garden.html

http://www.pinkbow.net/2010/11/laduree-burlington-arcade.html

http://www.pinkbow.net/2009/11/laduree.html

http://www.pinkbow.net/2010/02/laduree-lula-10.html

A close second would be Claridges in London. And I'm always on the hunt for new places...so any suggestions would be welcome!

What is the very best thing from your blogging experience?

I think it is the chance to connect with people from around the world. There are so many people I have 'met' who have the same interests as me which I don't find so much in my everyday life. Also, I think to be recognised by some big brands and being able to work with them is pretty amazing too.

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

I don't think I've ever been given any blogging advice, I've very much learned for myself along the way. I think longevity is key as well as good content. Blog only about what you are passionate about and try to make it as good as possible. So if photography is your thing, learn about how to make it better. Also, blog for the right reasons, because you love it and not to gain followers and popularity - that will come with time if you have something really good to offer.

Intrinsically Florrie x

Finding Your Blogspiration

Amy CT — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:44:56 GMT

This is by Amy Briscoe, another of our new season bloggers

This is a post for all you bloggers out there who suffer from writers block and procrastinate at the sight of a blank space on a screen. Yes, it even applies to us bloggers too! How do you and maintain your blogspiration?

Think Old School

I can honestly say I have never produced my best work with only a blank screen as my primary source of inspiration. I am a little bit obsessed with huge handbags (being a mum doesn’t help!) and I often carry a notebook around for the times when inspiration strikes away from the computer screen. It is every bloggers secret weapon and it means you can keep track of ideas for your blog without the worry of forgetting them. There are also some beautiful notebook designs out there so that no matter where you go there is no excuse not to look stylish.

A file of images and excerpts that inspire you is another way of maintaining your blogging mojo. It is amazing how many ideas an image can evoke in the writer's mind and if you think about it that is how fashion world works. For example the Autumn/Winter 2011 Topshop Unique collection drew inspiration from Egyptian hieroglyphics and nineties urban street wear, so your latest inspiration could be in the latest supplement of the Guardian or in a corner of your local museum.

Technologic

There is nothing like a browse of the internet to ignite a few brain cells however it is never cool to plagiarise a fellow bloggers work. If you like an idea or topic try to make it your own by choosing a fresh angle. The London College of Fashion website is full of fashionable scientific research that you can relate to environmental issues for example.

If your blog is more image-based, effective and relevant photography is an essential component of your blog. Think critically about all your image content and remember to choose carefully as your blog is your very own personal branding. This philosophy also extends to the layout and structure of your blog.

Promoting Your Blog

The easiest and cheapest method is marketing your blog through old social networks however keep your updates relevant to your blog and refrain from using offensive and bad language. You don’t want to alienate your readership at the first hurdle do you? Follow bloggers you admire and maybe one day they will follow you back! I can find an abundance of blogspiration on my twitter feed from the various publications and individuals I follow so it doesn’t hurt to give it a try.

Final Pearl of Wisdom....

The best advice I can give to any blogger is to ask for a second opinion from someone you trust who you know will give an impartial opinion or a member of your target audience. Remember to maintain your blogspiration, especially for when writers block strikes and you might even find that through noticing the world around you your blog takes on a new dimension and becomes more relevant to the real world outside the world-wide web.

What British Style Means...

Amy CT — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:37:00 GMT

This post is by Cait McNamee, a new blogger for the Dec-Jun 11/12 season

Here in the UK we have a rich history of developing new and exciting styles. Over the decades these changes have often been closely related to both social and class factors. While we like to pretend that class isn't as important as it used to be, this is not the case. If anything it is just as important, changing and adapting to a modern environment but still ever present. It is also a huge factor in shaping the way we dress and what we think of the way others dress, whether we realise it or not.

The class and social changes that have occurred in the last century have brought with them many significant sartorial movements that continue to have importance today. From Teddy Boys, to Mods, to Punks, to New Romantics to name but a few. These movements where a reaction to something and as well as having their own soundtrack and certain pivotal characters from Mary Quant to Vivienne Westwood. These movements came with a very specific uniform. When we look back we can identify the era based on shape, style and significant items and it is these features which show up on today's catwalks again and again.

Today we take parts of these styles and mix them together in an attempt to create something new. More than ever designers and retailers look to the past to inspire new ideas or perhaps to convey a message in a new collection. Maybe the original meaning is lost or diluted somewhat but that doesn't mean that the rich tapestry that created them in the first place is any less important. Old styles take on new importance and new meaning, sometimes for a whole different set of people.

It is important to understand where these styles come from. The social context, people who were significant to the movement and even the heritage of certain items. To fully partake in british style one must understand the history and context before they can properly wear it. For us brits it is all about the irony and the clever twist and while we often do this intuitively, knowledge is the key to understanding not just our own style but to appreciate other styles too.

We like humour in our clothes, we are a nation of self-depricators and this comes across in every seemingly random clothing combination we painstakingly construct. It is this fascination with humour and irony that makes us so interested in looking to the past. In postmodern times it is widely thought that everything has been done and nothing truly 'new' can be created. So why not look to the past to inspire our style, maybe by learning from the past we can create something different if not entirely new.

In these columns I will attempt to give you a style run down through the decades, from the early 20th century to modern day. Leave a comment and let me know if there is anything you would like to see included in this series and I will do my best to include it.

Why you should leave gifts off your blog this festive season

Amy CT — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 02:18:07 GMT

And so December is upon us once again, and another year is nearly over. In this time of giving and receiving and love and happiness, it might seem like one of the most natural things in the world, to start blogging about presents. But, please - heed my advice, and keep gifts off your blog this Christmas season.

At this time of year, in December and January, two types of "Christmas gift blog posts" become more and more common, and, to be honest, I think we could all probably do without them - and do a little bit better.

The first offender is The Christmas Gift Guide, which might be great fun to read and compile, but sort of takes away from the spirit of it all, don't you think?

I actually love reading Christmas gift guides on blogs, I can't lie. And, this year I've read some particularly wonderful ones (the ones on rachelphipps.com are particularly good). It almost pains me to say this, to be honest, but I really do think that the blogosphere - and blog readers, specifically - would be better off without them, though.

Gifts this festive season should, in my opinion, be personal. If you don't know someone well enough to be able to buy or make them a gift tailored specifically to them, then maybe you shouldn't be giving them something at all. Gift guides are fine as inspiration - but they shouldn't be the way you pick what you give.

And then there's the commercial aspect. Call me old fashioned if you will, but I think that if a blogger is going to endorse a product, they should really be endorsing it. That email we all get in about October, from a bazillion different companies, asking when we're going to be posting our Christmas gift guides, and if we'd like to write about x, y or z is killing the spirit of it all.

Harsh, but possibly fair, I'd like to think.

And then the second, and arguably worse, evil of the festive season, the "look at all my lovely gifts, aren't I lucky?!" post.

I think we all know, deep down, that this one is a bit wrong. Yes, it's lovely to show off what we got, and to be proud of our new whatever-it-is, but if we have readers or blogger friends who didn't get so lucky, it's a bit of a stab in the heart, don't you think?

And yes, you can argue that as fashion bloggers, we spend our lives showing off our possessions... but if you do, you're taking fashion blogging to its basest level, and ignoring everything else that this community is all about.

So, yes: be happy with your presents, and tell your friends how excited you are - but try not to write a whole blog post about them. The spirit of Christmas means that we should all be grateful for anything we receive, and so I guess we can think of more inventive ways to show this.

Try an old-fashioned thank you letter.

And The Winner Is...

Rachel Michaella — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 13:31:22 GMT

Everyone seems pretty excited to hear who the winner of Blog of the Month is this month, which makes me pretty excited to announce it too! It's always hard to pick a winner as all shortlisted blogs are amazing. Heck, all nominations in the first place tend to be amazing. Britain - you are one talented bunch of bloggers!

We picked this month's winner due to the amount of time and effort gone into posts and the fact that it's pretty obvious the blogger really is 100% into what they do! I also personally think she's got great personal style! Enough talking...this month's winner is (drumroll, please!)...

Media Marmalade
http://www.mediamarmalade.com/

Congrats, Melissa! I should be in touch soon as to what happens next!

And well done to all those shortlisted too - picking the winner is never an easy job!

You can now enter Blog of the Month December here: http://britishstylebloggers.wall.fm/forum/topic/29

Rachel x (Community Manager)

WHEN BSB WENT TO: Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model Live

Rachel Michaella — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 18:47:14 GMT

The BSB Team spent the weekend getting our make-up and nails done for free, being showered with free beauty products and Editor-At-Large Rachel Charlton even ending up sipping champagne on an exclusive VIP table with a reality TV star.

No, sadly, we have not yet entered the world of fashion blogging royalty, but we did have the chance to attend ‘Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model Live’, which had been advertised as ‘The Ultimate Girls’ Day Out’. And what a day it turned out to be.

Held in London’s Excel Exhibition Centre over the last weekend in October, ‘Next Top Model’ is a day out of fashion, beauty, catwalk shows and expert advice, topped off with endless free samples and a ‘dress-to-impress’ galore attitude of attendees.

When Set Loose With A Press Badge…

First, we took advantage of the makeovers offered by Revlon and the London College of Beauty, where I ditched my staple smoky eye look for a day and asked to be given a 'natural' look and Rachel C got a manicure - all for free, of course!:

Rachel Charlton, Starting A Riot...

Later on, Rachel spent time with The Only Way is Essex’s Amy Childs - who was promoting her new clothing line - chatting over champagne at the press bar. It would have been a fabulous occasion, had she not then spilt her drink over the star and got rugby-tackled out of the area by her security. Quite hilarious, if I do say so myself...

Rachel sneaks a shot of Amy over the press table, shortly before becoming 'BFFs'

The Catwalk

The winner of this year's Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model, Jade Thompson, starred in a spectacular catwalk extravaganza in the evening, along with the other girls from the TV show, mixed in with the addition of talented (and may we say ‘oh-so-topless’) male dancers and musical performances from Luminites and Bluey Robinson.

The show was a mix of concepts with regular costumes changes to make it feel like you were watching an entirely different show after each change altogether. Extravagant and exotically decorated lingerie was modelled alongside fairy wings and capes a lá ‘Victoria’s Secret’ and we fell in love with the luxe evening dresses to-die-for in opposing monochrome looks of ‘ice-queen’ white or ‘femme fatale’ black. The girls rocked a trashy-yet-classy look in leather and fishnets – an antithesis to the earlier display of a more floral 50’s inspired theme. They donned Perspex ‘stripper heels’ with feminine dresses and yet, it all worked.

For fashion fanatics, Britain & Ireland’s Next Top Model Live offered a haven of catwalk shows, clothes, beauty, accessories and style activities galore. We’d be utterly thrilled to reclaim our press passes back next year, guys. Not that we’re trying to hint or anything…

Check out some more photos from our fashion day out:

Editor-at-Large Rachel Charlton and BINTM Judge Grace Woodward!

Designer Joey Bevan with his models backstage after his show

Text: Rachel Michaella Finn
Photos: Anna Peaston, Claire Napier, Rachel Charlton-Dailey, Rachel Michaella Finn
Illustration: Claire Napier

BSB X.

Blog of the Month - November 2011 Shortlist!

Rachel Michaella — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 19:45:45 GMT

Hi!

The shortlist for November's Blog of the Month Competition is as follows:

The entries were particularly difficult to judge this month - so well done to all entrants as well as those listed above!

The winner will be announced on the 28th November, but in the meantime please do take a look at our shortlisted five!

Well done, everyone!

Now, off to consult the rest of the team on who we think should win...

Rachel x (Community Manager)

Men's essential winter wardrobe

Callum Watt — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:42:46 GMT

So the nights are drawing in, Jack Frost can be seen around the corner, and the Christmas lights are up around the country. It must be that time of year that we all start to wrap up warm, and get ready for the big winter wrap up! So what better way to keep yourself cosy, but to invest in some great accessories. Our pick of the high street items are below. Could you see your man in any of these?

ASOS Fairisle Hood Fingerless Gloves

Barbour Merino Check Scarf

Versace for H&M

Paul Smith Leather Gloves

River Island Faux Fur Snood

Sacai Knitted Hood

Callum from Maketh-The-Man

Men's style columnist

What to wear to chill out: 'smartening up'

Naomi Thorne — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:47:24 GMT

For a so-called 'fashion writer', I have a bit of a humdinger of a confession to make: quite a lot of the time I don't tend to give all that many hoots about my appearance. When I am working, I am required to wear a uniform, but once I'm off the clock, having to think for myself about the clothes on my back can just seem like too much effort. Don't get me wrong, I'm always presentable when I leave the house, but for the time I spend within the four walls of my home, I take a fairly relaxed attitude to presnetation. And don't for a minute think that I mean high-end loungewear when I say 'relaxed'. I'm talking any old pjs, random tshirts and gym gear that's, er, got too tatty to wear to the gym.

Why do I dress down in such a big way when I'm off duty? Well, quite frankly, it's because I'm a bit lazy, and I like to comfortable when I've got nowhere to be. I feel like there is a lot of pressure on women to be 'on' all the time - always looking 'just so', and sometimes it's really nice to be able to kick back and not have to worry about the expectations of the outside world. However, I have noticed that recently, loungewear doesn't necessarily have to be a byword for 'sloppy', and that it's possible to even achieve a degree of style without having be too high-maintenance.

Set created using Polyvore, featuring SoulCal, howies, Aubin & Wills, Victoria's Secret, Monsoon and hush

With winter basically here now, and the cold, dark and evenings well and truly upon us, I think I may have to invest in some of the above to help me hibernate in style. Anyone fancy coming over for a slumber party?

Want to be a fashion journalist? Here’s your chance!

Rachel Michaella — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 20:05:51 GMT

We here at British Style Bloggers get to see our work in print quite a lot - but are you still waiting to get that opportunity? Being lovely and that, we thought we'd introduce you to a great competition we found that could let you do just that...

Freemans are offering young aspiring fashion journalists – as many of our site members are – the chance to be a writer for their fashion blog along with a range of technology goodies to help you do it!

If you’re a student with a great sense of style and a way with words, this could be the perfect opportunity to gain experience and break into the industry!

What do you have to do?

All you have to do is find the perfect party dress for the holiday season in the catalogue at freemans.com - think office Christmas parties and New Year’s Eve – and construct an outfit around it, justifying your choices in a blog article of around 250-400 words. Freemans say they are looking for ‘creative and well-thought out entries’ and the ‘bold and individual’, so don’t be afraid to let your own personal style shine through!

Prizes up for grabs include a Toshiba Laptop and a guaranteed article published on their site for the winner and digital cameras or camcorders with the chance of getting your entry published for three runners-up.

E-mail your entry in an attachment to studentfashion@freemans.com (including both text and picture[s]) by 30^th November 2011. Include your full name, age and place of study.

What are you waiting for?!

Good luck guys!!

(If you win, I expect no less than 10% of your pay when you write for Vogue and a pair of Kurt Geiger platforms...

...just kidding.)

Rachel x

(Community Manger)