A/W 14 Autumn Daze - How To Style A Polo-Neck Dress

A/W 14 Autumn Daze by dottedvelvet 

Uniqlo dress/ Falke black patterned pantyhose / Converse sneaker / Billabong backpacks bag / Burberry scarve / Betsey Johnson black umbrella / Urban decay eyeshadow / Giorgio Armani perfume fragrance / Eos lip treatment / Nail polish

This season I am loving all the autumn trends, especially the polo neck dress. I have styled a outfit incorporating this trend with a ox-blood theme featuring the must have product - a tartan scarf.

A/W is my favourite season for fashion, there is nothing like wrapping up warm with your favourite knitwear for the winter day ahead. The ox-blood theme is dominating fashion and beauty at the moment, which is one of my favourite colours and is so versatile to wear. 

This week I have chosen a lambswool polo-neck dress to be pair with black tights, burgundy accessories, converse and a tartan scarf. I always think a polo-neck is quite difficult to style because it can quite easily look old and dowdy but I love this look and will be investing in one in this year. 

Will you be incorporating any of these trends into your wardrobe? 

What do you think of the ox-blood trend?

Liverpool Fashion Week with Mallzee

Last week I was lucky enough to attend Liverpool Fashion Week as part of my role as a brand ambassador for Mallzee (See previous post). Liverpool is well known for its fashion sense and I was really excited to see what was in store. I attended the high street and online shows on the Wednesday Night, which featured the following brands: Peacocks, John Lewis, Blue Inc, Slaters, Dorothy Perkins, Burtons menswear and Oh Polly. The event is held annual and is now in its fifth year! The organiser Amanda Moss is also the owner of Lifestyle magazine, so this lady definitely knows a thing or two about fashion.  

I was there as part of the mallzee team to promote the recent competition to win a £1000 holiday wherever you want to go. We had our own promotional stall at the event and got chatting to lots of local fashionistas. If anyone is interested in entering (and why wouldn't you be?) Contact me for your own unique code for your chance to win! 

After promoting the competition we took our seats to watch the first show, it was really great to see models of all ages and shapes representing high street stores and there wasn't a scouse brow in sight (phew!). The main colour trends featured in the womenswear collections were colbalt blue and coral which I love for A/W wear. I'm a big fan of adding a pop of colour to my outfits during the cold wintery days and I managed to snap a few shots below of the trends below.

The main trends in the menswear were burgundy, sky blue and checks.  Overall the event was such great fun and it was great to get some inspiration for my A/W wardrobe. To browse the looks featured in this post check out the mallzee app to effortly search through the stores or even create your own style feed. 

 Did you attend Liverpool Fashion Week? What are your thoughts on the new colour trends?

Download Mallzee: Free 

Mallzee 2.0 Fashion App Review

I'm pleased to say that I am now working for a fantastic company called Mallzee, as a brand ambassador. I applied for this position as I really believe this is a fantastic app for fashion-lovers. I wanted to share with you all just how impressive this app is and hopefully hear some feedback from you all about it. As you know by now, online shopping is one of my favourite past times but having to search through countless tabs to find a certain item can be a huge pain. If like me, you find yourself endlessly searching for the one perfect item of clothing for an event or just a staple day-wear piece; you will understand that this is no easy task. I first heard of Mallzee through university and on closer inspection found this to be the app I was waiting for. Mallzee combines all the well-known high-street stores with an easy-to-use search feature to make online shopping easier.

Signing up to the app is easy and straight-forward and it promises to never post on your Facebook wall, which is a plus nowadays. You can set your search preferences to cater to your individual taste,

select the brands you are interested in and filter the items based on garment, colour

and price. An interesting feature to this app is the ability to vote on items on clothing in a Tinder-style function.

If a item is just not to your taste, swipe thumbs down and the app will save this information and won't show this item again. If you love the item swipe left, this saves the item for later and then will make suggestions on other similar styles and piece. It is very intuitive and the more you use it the better it gets. If you are unsure about purchasing the item you can share via your social media channels with your friends for their opinion . The social side to this app is what sets this apart, having your friends with you in a dressing room is part of the fun and with this feature the dressing room is brought into your home.

A new feature is the style-feed, which creates a custom-list based on your personal tastes and occasions. Setting up feeds can make finding items for work, nights-out or a special occasion even easier. You set and control the feed based on brand, colour, type of garment and price point. From the information entered it will create a feed for you to browse for a personal stylist experience without the expense.

For me the best thing about this app is not missing price drops on clothing. You know that feeling when you've had your eye on a dress and it hit the sale without you knowing and oh wait its sold out. You never have to feel that despair again with the price drop feature. If you've swiped to save a item of interest it will ask you if you want to know when or if the price drops. AMAZING! 

So what are you waiting for? 

Download the app today, It's completely free!

Click Here : Apple App Store: Mallzee 

The Liebster Award

I had a little break from blogging but I'm back now and I'm kicking things off with a exciting post and news to share. I've been nominated twice for the Liebster award by two lovely girls, you can check out their blogs here : Just Kirsten and In Lindsays Shoes . I love reading other peoples post about the Liebster award and I'm very excited to participate, so thank you for the nominations.

Liebster Award Rules are as followed:

1. You have to link back to the person that nominated you.

2. You must create a post about the award and answer the questions set by the person who nominated you.

3. After completing the questions you must must nominate 11 new bloggers with under 200 followers and give them 11 questions of your choice.

4. You must let your nominees know that they have been nominated.

My first set of question are from Lindsey:

1. What are your favourite nail polishes this season?

I absolutely love Essie and Nails inc and I've mainly been wearing coral or light pastels shades. I find great nail inspiration on Pinterest and you can check out my nail art board here. I also been rocking nail caviar which creates interesting textures and is a little different from block colours.

2. What magazine or book are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading Coco Chanel The legend and the life by Justine Picardie. I'm obsessed with the life behind the brand of Chanel and love reading different accounts of her life. I would recommend this book and it has lots of lovely photographs from the past up to the present.

 3. What are your 3 favourite makeup brushes?

I have recently purchased a real techniques stippling brush and a expert face brush which I love. I think they are a bargain as the quality is really high. I also love my body shop blusher blush, I buy this every year and it has never let me down to date.

4. What is your favourite lip colour at the moment? 

This is a little tricky to answer as I like to mix and match different colours depending on what I'm wearing. The lip colour I have been reaching for most recently has been LimeCrime velvetines lip gloss in suedeberry. It is a coral gloss which dries to a matte finish and has amazing staying power.

5. What products do you use specifically for pamper nights?

I usually pull out the body shop seaweed ionic clay mask, Biore pore strips and Trevor sorbie beautifully straightened overnight repair treatment.

6. What are your two favourite hair products?

I love haircare products and have drawers full of the stuff. The things I tend to go back to are Tresemme argan oil salon sleek glossing spray and Bed Head Glaze Haze Serum.

7. If you could look like any celebrity who would you choose?

OH tough one! So many options, I would probably say Alexa Chung. Obvious choice I know but I love her style.

8. What makeup brand dominates your collection?

I would say I have a lot of Benefit products, I have loved the brand for years. The dandelion blush is my absolute daily essential.

9. Which Country would you most like to visit?

Japan, Japan, Japan JAPAN. I love everything about Japan and find the culture fascinating. I would love to go for a few weeks and experience it first hand.

10. What's your best bargain product?

Nivea Lip butter pots. They have saved my chapped lips many times and I love all the different scents.

11. If you were put on a stranded island and only got to pick one beauty product and one skincare product what would you pick?

I would probably pick a jar of coconut oil for its many uses (such as lip balm, hair conditioner and moisturiser) and a bottle of The Body Shops Seaweed scrub.

Thanks for the questions Lindsay, Now I have another set of questions from Kirsten.

1. What is your favourite thing about blogging so far?

I like sharing ideas and thoughts with others, its lovely to be part of such a nice online community and learning from other bloggers also.

2.If you could only wear makeup from one brand for the rest of time, what would it be?

OH this is another tough question, I would probably go with Bobbi Brown purely because it is the only brand that has a great selection of truly pale shades.

3.Bold eyes or a bold lip?

I would go for a bold lip over eyes, I love playing around with lip colours and have a big collection of various colours and I prefer and more natural eye.

4.What is your favourite era for makeup and fashion trends? 

For fashion trends it has to be the late 1940's, I'm obsessed with Dior's new look and find the history behind the movement fascinating. For beauty I really love the 20's flapper girl style, a simple black eyeliner lid and red lips is a look I would often go for.

5. If you had to give up buying makeup or clothes, which would it be?

I would probably give up buying clothes because you can always make them yourself. I wouldn't have a clue where to begin making my own makeup though.

6.What is your best beauty tip?

My best beauty tip is to apply a good primer and setting spray to make sure all your makeup stays in place and looks fresh.

7.How long did you wait before telling family and friends about your blog?

I told them straight away, its a passion I wanted to share and I wanted to get some feedback from everyone.

8.where do you hope your blog will take you in the future?

I'm not sure really, for now I just love being able to create post on topics that interest me and I am learning new things about blogging all the time.

9.What do you most love about yourself?

My best quality is my creativity, I love to see things from a different viewpoint and create something original.

10. What do you do if you lack inspiration?

I have an online list which I use to write ideas as they come to me. I would check there or maybe have a browse through Pinterest if I was really stuck. I find a lot of inspiring images there which helps me to think of new ideas for posts.

11.If you could get beauty advice from anyone in the world who would it be and why?

I would love to get advice from Mario Dedivanovic and learn how to contour and highlight like a pro.

My questions are:

1. What inspired you to start a blog?

2. If you could only pick one item of makeup to wear everyday, what would it be?

3. What is your skincare routine?

4. How would you describe your personal style?

5. What are your top 3 makeup items in your current collection?

6.  What is your favourite season of the year?

7. What makes you smile?

8. If you could meet anyone dead or alive, who would it be?

9. What is your favourite colour?

10. What is your favourite product under £5.00? 

11. If you could offer one piece of beauty advice, what would it be?

I nominate the following blog:

retroandthrift.co.uk

mydaisychaincloset.blogspot.co.uk

urbanbeautie.blogspot.co.uk

anastasiaamour.com

megsmakeupbag.com

Passion0527.blogspot.com

lapetiteluxe.blogspot.com

thatlauriegirl.blogspot.com

amore-beaute.com

girlwithlipstick.blogspot.co.uk

beautyinfinitum.com

Enjoy girls, Charlotte x

Stop Everything: Giorgio Armani Plans To Make Fast Fashion

Image: bluewater.co.uk

Giorgio Armani plans to revamp his AX Armani exchange stores into a fast fashion brand, such as the likes of Topshop, Mango and River Island. One can only hope he will be selling fast fashion inspired by his own lines but make them more affordable for a high street venture. This is a smart move but I do wonder if he will be using only his own line for inspiration? And if so, that will surely affect the appeal of a luxury designer brand. It's a interesting venture and one that has never been done before by such a high profile designer. There are so many questions to ask but I am mostly excited about the possibly of strolling into Armani to pick up a garment that I can actually afford. Fingers crossed.

Are you excited at the possibly of being able to buy from a luxury brand at an affordable price?

Do you think this is a good idea?

Moodboard Monday - Trend: High Street Culottes S/S14

Searching for the perfect pair of culottes is a chore in itself, they are either too wide, too tight or just plain unflattering. I gave up my search a few months ago until I recently stumbled upon these three. I do love the style of culottes, as I think it is an easy way to keep cool this summer whilst still looking chic. Once you have found the correct cut for your body type this item will easily become a wardrobe staple. So easy to style from day to night and they look amazing with high heels. My favourite pair is number 1. from Warehouse, definitely going to purchase them for summer.

Have you purchased any culottes? Which pair are your favourite?

1. Warehouse Soft Pleat Culottes
2. New Look Blue Ditsy Floral Print Knee Length Culottes
3. Boohoo Kiya Midi Length Culotte Shorts

Moodboard Monday - Trend: Folk S/S14

Folk art is inspiring clothing in a big way this season, from tile prints to heavy embroidery it is going to be everywhere. I absolutely love pom poms and patchwork, especially for the warmer months ahead. I always find most summer clothing a little bit boring because it usually lacks any interesting textures, so I am completely on board with this trend. The colour palette are perfect for summer and it is a refreshing change from all of the pastel tones. Topshop are definitely in the lead with this trend on the high street, they have a huge range of folk inspired pieces and I am a huge fan of there understated prints.

What do you think of the folk trend? Will you be wearing it?

1.Topshop Strappy Tile Print Dress
2. Topshop Patchwork Clutch Bag
3. Asos Folk Town Leather Flat Sandals
4. Etsy Folk Flowers Polish Folk Art Motif Earrings
5. Etsy Polish Folklore Bangle
6. Asos MinkPink Folk Frenzy Printed Midi
7. Topshop Tile Print Flippy Skirt

Moodboard Monday - Trend: Tropical Print S/S14

Tropical prints are one of my favourite trends for the summer. I love the bright colours, pattern combinations and print designs. I think the prints look great when they are clashing, especially if the sun is shining. Above are my top picks of the tropical print on the high street at the moment. I absolutely love the Dune slipper shoes and the bright colour combination on the Topshop tube skirt. What are your favourite tropical print pieces?

All links are provided below.

1. Topshop Bright Leaf Printed Shirt
2. Warehouse Tropical Palm Print Cami
3. River Island Green Floral Print Cropped Shirt
4. Obey Backpack In Tropical Print
5. Dune Kozzie Tropical Print Slipper Shoe
6. Topshop Tika2 Tropical Skater
7.Topshop Tropical Print Tube Skirt
8. Asos Crop Top With Tropical Flamingo Print Co-ord

Clothing Haul

I've started to get my summer wardrobe together and bought a few items today from New Look. I'm not usually the biggest fan of this store but in the last few months they have had some great pieces in and at very reasonable prices. Midi skirts are a huge trend for the summer and great for warmer weather. I definitely feel more confident with a longer cut skirt that isn't drawing attention to how pale my legs actually are. I am naturally a fan of florals all year round so I was immediately drawn to this print. 

90's trends have been creeping back into our wardrobes for a while now and are back in a big way this summer, think scrunchies, jelly shoes, slogan tops and tie dye. I don't religiously follow trends in my personal style but I have fallen in love with jelly shoes all over again. They are so comfortable and an easy item to team with most outfits. I don't think i'll be rocking the glitter ones this time around but hey you never know. This pair cost £10.00, which I feel is a real bargain and the floral midi skirt was in the sale at £7.00.

Everyone needs a pair of casual sandals for the summer but I just find them quite uncomfortable, especially if you're on your feet all day because most of them don't have a padded sole and are completely flat. So I think this pair of white cut out sandals are ideal. They have a little bit of a padded sole and straps around the ankle, perfect if you are extremely clumsy like me and need ankle support. The cut out pumps are £17.99 and the floral midi was £19.99.

Lastly I bought two shirts, a polka dot boxy shirt and a sheer floral day shirt. The boxy cut is everywhere at the moment and I absolutely love it. The cut of the shirts are really flattering on my body type and I own more of them then I care to admit. These items were a steal at £6.00 for the floral shirt and £7.00 for the polka dot one. I love wearing shirts because they are so versatile and can be easily dressed up or down. My favourite way to style them is by adding a ribbon under the collar and tieing it in a bow.I know that look is completely done but I just can't get enough of it in my life.

  On a side note, I think most people have noticed by now that the lack of cotton content in most garments have made most items completely see through. This is due to the rise in cotton prices, so retailers have made the decision to use less cotton and keep the price point the same. There is an interesting article about this at fashionista.com. With this being said, the tops on sale at new look at the moment are from last season and are much better quality than the full price items. I have been looking for so long for plain tops that aren't see through and bought four different colours today at £4.00 a piece. If you are looking for day tops that aren't see through, I would recommend looking in the sale aisle because the sheer trend is going nowhere and the price hikes in cotton are undoubtedly going to keep rising.

20th Century Chic - 100 years of women's fashion

I have been looking forward to visiting this exhibition for a couple of weeks called '20th Century Chic' at Sudley House in Liverpool. I am really interested in how fashion has evolved through time, so I jumped on a bus and popped in to have a peek. I have never been to this museum before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I arrived to discover a victorian house surrounded by lovely scenery and great views. Inside the house, I browsed through the various exhibitions of oil paintings and many different forms of 3D art . After exploring and learning a little bit of history about the building and people who had once lived there I wandered up to the exhibition.

When I first walked in what struck me was the layout and presentation of the clothing, it is dramatic and eye-catching which worked well for the items. The dimmed lights made the outfits pop out and showcased the journey from the past to the present. The collection reflects the changes in the role of women throughout the last century. It was really interesting to actually see garments from different eras and discover more about the social changes that influenced the hemlines.

There are 12 evening wear outfits on display which varied from 1900 through to 2000 in ten year periods and each outfit was accompanied by a display board. Each board described what was happening in the world during that time and how this was reflected through fashion.

The collection shows the impact that society, current events and the world around us has on what we wear, even still in the modern day. It made me wonder what people in the future will be thinking about how we all dress today and what historical events in our lifetime have really influenced our fashion choices. When we get dressed in the morning we are reflecting the society we live in and it is one of the main reasons I love fashion, I find the whole concept of it fascinating. 

Has anyone else been? What did you think?