Tag Archives: style tips

Take Me To River Island

My 18 year old, pink haired, nose ring and ripped jeans wearing self would probably disown me for writing this. I remember the rare occasions I would wonder into River Island and shudder at the glitter covered jackets, white jeans and tacky heavily bejewelled bags. I would leave shaking my head, glaring at innocent shoppers in disgust. For many years I simply avoided River Island completely, until fairly recently that is.

While on my way to Zara, I walked past River Island and a beautiful Kimono jacket caught my eye. Obviously, I thought, as I entered the shop, this must be a one off. I picked up the Kimono and started browsing the rails. To my disbelief I found myself picking up more and more items to try on, so many items that the shop assistant had to hand me two tags as I entered the changing rooms. Since that day I have found myself checking the ‘Just Arrived’ section on the River Island website regularly and even downloading the app. The store that I once found trashy has either changed its image or I have become what River Island once was!

Now, a few days ago when I was searching for my weekly fix of Grazia Magazine I spotted something that appeared far too good to be true – a 25% discount voucher with a copy of Elle. I stood for a while and tried to work this out…….so I could buy a copy of Elle and get a 25% discount voucher for River Island?  The two didn’t seem to add up. Elle, with it’s pages full of Dior, Chanel and Valentino, were offering 25% off at River Island? Now, I would expect 10% off with a copy of LOOK or even 5% off with a copy of Grazia, but 25% with a copy of Elle? My 18 year old socialist self told me to walk away magazine-less because there must be some sort of catch but the fastionista within told me to buy it NOW! And after ripping off the cellophane it became apparent that there was no catch and I walked happily away with my River Island voucher.

So it appears that River Island have evolved into a white denim free zone but never fear, if you want a little trashy number in your wardrobe you will still be able to find it at River Island. After all, we all need to realise our inner ghetto princess from time to time.

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Peplum Perfection

By Leyla Keskin

Anyone who knows me will know that I am obsessed with any and everything 1940’s.  Women during this time seemed to look effortlessly classy and glamorous despite the difficulties of living in wartime Britain (or anywhere else for that matter).

Advert in Vogue circa 1947

 

My obsession started when, as a little girl, I realised that my Grandparents where alive during the war. I would ask them all sorts of questions about their experiences and loved hearing everything they could share with me, from how my Grandfather helped his Grandfather build their air raid shelter to how my Grandmother would watch her Mother draw a line on her calves instead of wearing stockings. My Grandmother would and still does tell me stories about her childhood and she always seems to remember exactly what she was wearing. She describes her outfits in great detail, creating a vivid image in my head and always ends her description with ‘Oh, I thought it was marvellous’.

Given my obsession with 40’s fashion you can understand how pleased I was when celebrities started posing on the red carpet wearing PEPLUMS!!!

The 40’s were all about curves. Clothes were made for women with curves or to create the illusion of the perfect hourglass and the gathered, flared material around the waist of a peplum does exactly this.

So you know what a peplum is but how do you wear it? I read somewhere that because the peplum is already a statement piece then you should not colour clash or team it with any patterns! Rubbish! As far as I am concerned there are no rules when it comes to colour or patterns.

One thing you do need to remember when rocking a peplum is that it is designed to show off those womanly curves. If you are wearing a peplum top then team it with a pencil skirt or a pair of skinny jeans to avoid it looking too fussy and loosing that hourglass shape. When wearing a peplum skirt you can team it with a strapless bodycon top for a glam evening look or dress it down with a jersey top for a daytime look. As with any look, remember to have fun and experiment – the peplum is both quirky and glam, vintage and modern and can be worn day or night.

I asked my grandmother the other day whether she ever wore peplums as a young girl, partly hoping she still had one or two pieces stashed away in her wardrobe.

‘A what?’

‘A peplum, nana’

‘You’ll have to show me what a pep….peplum is’.

I ran up to the small bedroom I stay in when visiting my grandparents and grabbed my purple peplum top.

‘Oh, a frill! I had a coat with a frill going around my waist as a girl. Oh, I thought it was marvellous’.