Today with every brand claiming something about sustainability and ethical standards it is so hard to be able to tell which stores are genuine and which use it purely for marketing gain and don’t actually have a new sustainable technique that actually works. Another challenge is finding places which fit your ethical views and are in your budget or are even your style of clothing or accessories. It is a war zone out there. Below I’m gonna be chatting about some stores in a range of budgets that I’ve seen recently and what makes them different.

Another year and the best time to start looking at future trends and what’s been on the catwalk. McCartney’s collection for pre-fall was a dream may I say, if I was to be a collection this would be the philosophy behind the designs and the physical collection itself. I am in love with every piece, her work grows on me more and more with every collection she releases and the whole modernisation of her sustainability beliefs is incredible.

I am one of those people who think if you want change stop waiting for something and just start. That is so much easier said than done I myself know procrastination all too well. However, I try to set small goals to start the year off good and allow myself to have small victories that boost me up. I think this time of year is great to set the reset button as we have just had a high of Christmas and I want to try to keep that good mood into the new year and find new ways to empower myself.

CHRISTMAS! Christmas is practically I love it so much and Christmas eve is so exciting I have lots of odd bits to do but love to embrace comfort and relax on the day as well.

My plan for Christmas Eve is to make sure everything is ready for the big day while helping to prep the dinner, shopping, and wrapping all of the last-minute presents. A tradition I love to do is watching the snowman and snowman and snow dog on Christmas Eve when it is on the TV it gets me properly in the mood and is such a lovely thing to do with the whole family. I love having a family meal here and prepping for Christmas with so many hot chocolates before helping to prepare the presents downstairs for the next day.

Hampers are such a great gift and can be made for any budget and for any kind of person. I think they can be so personal to generic to create serval people the same gift with small personal touches if you buy in multipacks and split everything up. I personally love to make hampers rather than buy them, I believe it is just a bit more heartfelt and defiantly so much cheaper meaning you get more for your money and can be exactly what you want to give.

It’s party season! We get to wear as much sparkle as we want with no judgement and be as extravagant as we want for this festive season. This Year for Christmas and New Year I am in it for the bling I want sparkles on the shoes, and platforms, I want people to be looking at my shoes with their jaws dropped. Shoes are the perfect statement to invest in this year, literally whatever colour you want you can get in a great pair of heels. If heels aren’t your thing then you can get some statement party boots which I think would look so cool on a grungier New Years’ outfit.

This year we all know Uggs have been at the front of shoe fashion, I love them with a pair of leggings however I couldn’t, just couldn’t fork out all that money on a pair of boots that I just liked and were not obsessed with. I went into Primark and they have the best pairs of dupes they do the regular and mini versions for whatever style you prefer and come in an array of colours.

It is that time of year when we can start planning what to get our loved ones. I am always searching for cute gift ideas for people and thought I’d share some of the ideas I liked with a range of budgets in mind.

A winner at Christmas is a hamper of cholates and sweets. These can be done on any budget really but you can get such a big range for £10. What I love about this is you can buy a cute box or bag for under £2 and fill it with sweets and goodies. These are especially good if you are planning on doing them with a few people as you can buy multipacks and split them up so your loved ones get even more variety. This idea is perfect for anyone as you can tailor it to dietary needs and all ages, it is so simple and a great Christmas gift to keep them snacking through Christmas movies.

I love a full coverage foundation I love how it covers my freckles and L’Oréal smash it with their foundations their true match and infallible foundations are tied at the top for me. I have only recently purchased the true match but for how full coverage it was I couldn’t believe how lightweight it felt and how airbrushed my makeup looked. They are both around £10 and boots always have offers, so I always wait for 3for2 on my favourite drugstore products. Both of these have a great liquid consistency; I often mixed them together for big events for the perfect glam look. They are both so bendable and when I say they last all day they really do! I put them on before at 9 am and take them off 12 hours later and only on my nose where my glasses sat and where I have a bad habit of touching my skin did the foundation start to come off towards the end but this was later than 7 pm! They are both stunning products and work with cream and powder products and for me, they don’t oxidise through the day or ever look cakey.

As we know leather has been seen all over the catwalk this year and has been present for years in fashion. Leather can be used for nearly any garment and create any theme you desire. I think leather is a true staple item for anyone’s wardrobe and is something that can last years and just be styled in various ways to suit the seasons, trends and personal tastes.

This collection by Guillaume Henry for Patou’s Spring 2023 RTW collection was something I found really enjoyable to look at. Something I often see is lots of pieces that don’t always connect however this light and fresh collection really felt like a whole story. This look perfectly balances classic and tailored pieces with modern and contemporary fashion. Personally, I feel this collection has been executed so well, the styling whilst the 31 looks were being shown was great as well as the muse in hair and makeup.

Lucy & Yak is such a fab brand. They are most well known for their ‘Original Dungaree’s’. They are a sustainable brand that uses all organic fabrics and creates comfy clothes. There is a dungaree for everyone with normal black and blue to gorgeous colours and creative patterns. They have varying styles in their dungarees and for being a sustainable brand I think their pricing is so good!

Jacquemus Spring/Summer 2023 Collection was gorgeous. The 61 look collection had the colour palette of my dreams, everything was jaw-dropping. The outfits were described by him as ‘comfy and couture’. He wanted this collection to move away from the previous designs and into a minimalistic approach.

These outfit ideas work great if you are in a group or work to be stood alone. One of the simple choices is a princess, they work great alone or in a group and can all be a Disney princess. There are some great outfits for princesses out there and the separate colours for each princess also make it easier to buy an outfit from any store in that colour and a few accessories to make your own interoperation of the princess.

The 90’s grunge is coming back this year. Heavy layers and Chucky leather items are coming in fast. They have been seen all over catwalks with heavy-looking garments with silver details, lace mixed with this from that grungy look has also been seen. This trend works so well with the chunky boots that are coming back again this year and is a great way to add a trend into a wardrobe that won’t fade out of fashion fast.

Colder weddings are always tricky to decide what to wear, you want to look good but don’t want to be shivering the whole night and always at the end of the night you end up with a comfy hoodie on because it is just too cold. Although September isn’t the coldest of months my aunt’s wedding was then and the outfit I wore would be perfect for all seasons.

One of my favourite looks from this collection would be look 8. I love the colours, silhouettes and smaller details over this whole look. The relaxed silhouette looks so effortless but remains classy. I love the neckline, just a straight neck vest with thin ruched straps, but compliments the model so well. I could look at this look all day. The trousers flow so well when walking and don’t budge in weird places. Such a perfect spring outfit.

I am loving the idea of having a knitted dress in a neutral tone that can be layered up and down for this autumn, I think this will look great with some chunky trainers or boots and can be dressed up and down for a variety of vacations.

I find it so interesting how the navy has been used in such an innovative way especially for a spring collection. At first I’d think navy wouldn’t do spring justice however I was so wrong. in this collection the navy colour is so fresh and relaxing, perfect for spring. Personally, I feel the colour selection chosen is so creative and all the base and highligthening colours work really well for a spring collection. The colours work so well on a slouchy, relaxed silhouette and provided a higher level of elegance to the overall outfits just through choice of colour. I am not a huge fan on neon and the orange chosen is not to personal taste but the overall outfits in these colours are still so beautiful but I’d have preferred a lighter colour, to elevate spring more and not rush too quickly into summer.

Must have coats this Autumn/Winter. Finding coats for any wardrobe that won’t go out of style and be a staple for your wardrobe.