Blogger Event ~ #PlasticFantastic.

 Last Thursday I attended a local blogger event in Brighton at Porta, one of my favourite jewellery shops. I seriously go in there every time I walk past it, they have such an awesome collection of modern, cute quirky jewellery as well as bags and various accessories so to be invited to an event there was super cool. The event was all about laser cut acrylic and perspex jewellery, featuring four different designers showing off their new collections. Clearly I was made for this event considering a) how much of this kind of jewellery I own and b) how many times I've blogged about it.
I met up with a bunch of other Brighton bloggers to warm up in Costa before the event, including Lauren of Belle du Brighton, Fran of Skulls and Ponies (coolest blog name ever), Skye of "Even Artichokes Have Hearts" (who makes adorable things and is a great help when it comes to deciding on what to buy), Sophie of Cider With Sophie (who had the most amazing glasses. Serious.) and Steph of Stephanie Pomprett (who has the shiniest locks I have ever seen).
When we eventually faced the harsh cold to cross the street, we were greeted by the owners, Amanda and David, as well as Karli from Designosaur and offered alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages...I went for wine, 'cause I'm classy. First off we browsed their main shop which is on the ground floor, then we downstairs to look at the new collections and meet the creators. Here's a quick run down of each brand and my first impressions as well as my favourite piece from each.

 Look at the articulated triceritops ring. There was also a Darth Vader one!

Sugar Jones

There was a definite summery, animal inspired feel from this collection. Including big, beautiful articulated dragonflies with super detailed shimmery wings, as well as an amazing cat and goldfish bowl necklace. Oh, and space hoppers, which totally fit in with the summer vibe. Everything was so bright and fun and definitely a statement!

Personal favourite: strawberry earrings - they look so vibrant and cute!

Maggie Angus 

This collection came in two main flavours; monochrome florals (very '60s meets '90s) and tropical fun, including toucans and hyenas. I liked the chunky tortoise shell effect plastic chains combined with cute little charms (flowers, leaves, animals) as well as some of the simpler pieces, including circles pendants with stripes and other patterns. It was cool to finally meet Anna as well and I was happy she noticed I was wearing one of her own creations - you can find my outfit from the evening here.
Personal favourite: a cute necklace with a pair of horned-rimmed spectacles - a unique twist to the current geek glasses trend.

For whatever reason my camera deleted other photos I took of this collection; luckily my favourite remained

Designosaur 

As a a general I really like Designosaur's, well...designs. Their tiny little dinosaur themed pieces, including earrings and bracelets are not only utterly adorable but also cut so well, with such clean lines. I'm also loving their wooden Fail brooch and Unicorn necklace. In the items that were on display there were two themes; highly detailed, accurate pieces (like the Brighton Pavilion and a mammoth head) and pop-art inspired pieces, with bright, block colours.
Personal favourite: I think it was a general consensus that the Dodo necklace was a winner!

Katze Shop 

Art deco meets mysticism meets cats. Loooved this collection so much, a new mature take on a potentially young looking medium. So many pretty flecks of gold and silver set in resin, including a lot of wood and bold, black outlines. If you're not sure about this general style of jewelery I suggest you check out this one to change your mind.
Personal favourite: crescent moon + full moon collar tips - we all know I'm a sucker for anything cosmic related. These would go so well with my Maggie Angus crescent moon and star earrings!

At the end of the night I went home with an awesome goodie bag full of treats as well as a few sneaky purchases which I'll be sharing with you in various outfit posts very soon.
And let me know, is there anything from any of these collections that peeks your interest? Have you seen any other cool, acrylic designs recently?

Outfit of the Day ~ pin-up sorceress.

Chiffon maxi skirt ~ New Look

Chiffon blouse ~ New Look

Black and white oxford brouges ~ New Look

Moon and star earrings ~ Maggie Angus

Purple Lipstick ~ Rimmel Kate 04 

Yeah...I'm not too sure what that outfit title is either. But let's just roll with it...the pin-up refers to the slightly flat victory rolls. I took these photos after getting back from Brighton from an event I will be blogging about very soon, so in these photos I am looking slightly more dishevelled than before I had left. Not to mention I had to lug two bags full of books that Lauren was so kind to let me thieve during her clear out. I was tempted to wear heels but I'm pretty sure walking up steep hills of Brighton would not have been that fun if I had worn them. The event was super fun though and it was cool to get to know some of the Brighton bloggers a bit better, since technically I am an outsider.

I was a bit worried this outfit contained a lot of black and if I hadn't had lost my favourite (read: only) skinny waist belt I would have worn it to break up all that darkness, but alas, I couldn't. To compensate I piled the colour high on my face. The other day I wore this skirt and whilst walking up some stairs tripped on it and ripped it, but now, no matter how hard I look I can't find the rip and I am genuinely confused.
P.s. I look so gormless in these photos.
UDR4NW9KEWA4

What Would You Spend £20 On?

The other day I was contacted by Moneysupermarket.com telling me that recently they had gifted random people £20 by telling them they had left the money in their pocket at a dry cleaners' (you can find out more here). To continue this idea they offered me (and various other bloggers) £20 and told us we could spend it on anything we wanted as long as it had "a feel good factor". The most imaginative entry wins £200, which is nice. My first thought was "oh, I could buy, like two lipsticks with that!" but then I decided that actually, those guys made people happy by sharing, so I might as well follow their example, even if it's on a much smaller scale. Plus, I have enough makeup and clothing so I might as well spend this money on something worthwhile. I also wanted to try and stretch £20 as much as I could.

How I Spent My £20

£5 ~ Charity

My main thought was £15 is basically £20, but £5 is a lot on it's own. If that makes any sense? In the end I chose AgeUK, age affects nearly all of us who live long enough to see it but often it can be a really difficult time of life. For me the feel good factor in this is the fact that even though it's a tiny amount, I am helping an important cause and who doesn't feel good when they're being a good samaritan?

£6.40 ~ Tea & ice cream with a friend

I decided to take out one of my bffs out for a drink; we had to wait 'til half term since she's a teaching assistant but it was worth it. I chose a new cute coffee shop near where I live. I think Costa gets more than enough business, plus I've been dying to try it out. We caught up and generally felt precious in such adorable surroundings, plus we shared a banana split, and there is nothing as feel-good as that!

£7.99 ~ Book

With the left over money I bought myself a book. At the moment I rarely buy books because they're relatively pricey (in my mind) but there are always a million books I want to read. I chose Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, I've been meaning to read one of his books and this one caught my attention. Instead of going for the obvious Amazon to buy, I went to Waterstone's since I would be genuinely heartbroken if that company went into liquidation - I love browsing books in real life.

That's it! £20 spent in a varied and fun way!

What would you do if someone gave you £20 for free?

Outfit of the Day ~ Blue Monday.

 Cathedral print jeans - Motel Rocks

Moon t-shirt - ASOS

Black and white creepers - New Look

Bandana - To Be Worn Again

Camera necklace - gift

At the moment most of my outfits will be against this here blue wall, like the last one. I was wondering what you guys think of it. Do you prefer outfit photos when they're outside in different locations, or do you not mind a plain background? Do you prefer a plain background? Let me know your thoughts, it'd be interesting to know.
Right, so, as for the actual outfit, this is pretty much standard casual wear for me. I'm currently wearing this tshirt all the time, I'm always a fan of moon/planetary/starry imagery so this was no a brainer. Apart from that there's not too much to say about it really...
In life news, squash was terribly romantic and my body aches for many days afterwards, I celebrated BFF2's 23rd birthday which ended in what can only be described as a borderline erotic over-eating of pizza, garlic bread and chicken strippers. Needless to say it was a good night.
This is a short post but sometimes there's no need to ramble on for five paragraphs. More coming soon!

Spring Summer '13 ~ Favourite Catwalk Looks.

I could literally talk about almost all the SS13 collections which were premiered late last year, but instead of talking generally about my favourites from the Ready to Wear collections I thought instead I would just choose out my favourite specific ensembles. Some of these represent collections I adore, some of which are isolated preferences. There were a ton of looks that were objectively interesting but I've chosen things that personally appealed. This won't be the one post about this topic, very soon there will be another post about finding affordable alternative to catwalk looks, which will feature other collections and ensembles I love!

 Dior - The Blazer Dress

 I felt some of Dior was a bit underwhelming (am I allowed to say that?). I didn't really enjoy their use of iridescent fabrics, which I usually love the look of, but did not like how they layered them over garments that didn't really need it, although their dresses at the end were alright. I did however really like their new take on the blazer; the blazer dress. There were a few different shapes but this is my favourite one.

 Carven - Cut Out Toile Print Dress

I'm on the fence about Carven's '13 offerings. Some of the cut out features worked well, adding edge to an otherwise well tailored but simple design. Other times it didn't reallly seem to flow well. And this dress I think is a bit too busy.

 Gareth Pugh - Matrix meets Firely

Oh Gareth Pugh, you have drawn out my inner Sci-Fi girl and made her very happy. Seriously, look through all of this collection if you like Matrix and/or Firefly and Serenity. This is the dystopian future! I also loved the makeup and hair; red eyes plus parallel horizontal chopsticks.

 Balenciaga - Monochrome Ruffles

This is an example of something I wouldn't wear, but where I like the individual elements. Two tone ruffles seem like a really cool way of getting both the monochrome and the ruffle trend in one fell, fashionable swoop. And that gorgeous neckline. When neither of these features were present in the clothing of the collection I wasn't too interested, but gosh, that neckline.

 Haider Ackermann - Effortlessly Cool Kimono

I want to stroke all the clothes. All that satin on bare skin looks cool and probably feels awesome too. Is that weird? Probably. Either way, sophisticated and calm, I liked this collection. I don't think I'm cool enough to pull off a kimono but anyone who can, do it! 'Cause it looks awesome.

 

 Jean-Paul Gaultier - '80s Icons

It's interesting to such a strong influence so evident within a collection, especially when that influence is specific people. I especially enjoyed the Madonna and Boy George looks. I want a cage waist cincher please.

 Jonathan Saunders - HOLOGRAPHIC STRIPES!

Okay. Seriously. Seriously. Stripes are massive. Holographic effects are massive. The combination is immense. And then in a cropped style as well. Standing ovation for Jonathan Saunders. Special mention to the awesome 60s gradient wallerpaper jumpsuit.

 Julien David - Spoon Print Dress

I mean. It's got spoons on it. Do I need to say more? (Yes: kitsch patterns on the runway is fun, I approve! Refer to Sugarhill Boutique for a brand that has been doing this on the highstreet for a while).

 Moncler Gamme Rouge - Beaded Swimming Costume

I get Gatsby tingles when I see this. Even though this collection looks mainly to be 60s inspired but still, you know what I mean right? I really love the cut of this costume. In this collection I also liked the shallow water print that appeared.

 Louis Vuitton - Checkered Patterns Everywhere

I really like the long, slim, pillar-like silhouettes that were featured and although brown and white may not seem like a good idea I think it works. Another modern take on 60s fashion, where straight lines are dominant, both in pattern and in shapes. Is it weird I quite like the micro top?

 Mugler - Beetle Shell Skirt

The only thing that really interested me about this collection were the black and brown skirts that made me think of woodlice and beetles...in a good way. I'm a fan of inspiration from nature (other designers of note include McQueen's bee inspired collection, but more about that in another post...).

 Saint Laurent - Sophisticated Gothic School Girl

I love everything about this dress and this collection. Black, chiffon pussy bows and flowing skirts, leather, silk, palazzo pants and capes! I need it all.

 Peter Pilotto - High Neck, Off Shoulder Dress

Another example where I wasn't too excited by the whole collection but I really like this particular dress. I like combination of the popular high neck plus the additional off shoulder section. Plus this is a great example of monochrome coming back, as well as mirror effects, which is something I've noticed a fair amount in different collections (including Viktor & Rolf).

Valentino - Floor Length Beaded Dress

Demure & elegant, full of floor length dresses in lace, silk and chiffon. The shapes are simple but convey laid-back maturity. I don't think I'm graceful enough for these gorgeous creations, but I love them regardless.

And finally special mention to these amazing hats by Philip Treacy.

So that's it for now. Look out for the aforementioned affordable alternatives post coming soon! Also, what is your favourite S/S13 designer and more importantly, why?

Outfit of the Day ~ Red, red roses.

 Babydoll dress ~ Urban Outfitters

Suspender tights ~ New Look

Wedges ~ ASOS

Antique watch ~ hand-me-down

I haven't posted in nearly a week (if you haven't already been informed via my twitter - @L_Figment) but I've got a lot of post ideas regarding the recent Spring Summer collections thanks to a massive Vogue/fashion magazines binge, so get ready for a lot of that.

As for the outfit, I really like it, it's pretty simple and mainly comprises of new things but I feel like my style is changing a bit and this is a nice representation of it. Also, if you hadn't noticed my hair is no longer the swampy grey-green it was, I just updated it (with some help) with some Directions in Midnight Blue which is a nice colour, although I'm craving pastel teal. I've decided I can't bleach my hair anymore until it's grown out a bit 'cause the ends are so damaged.

I've started watching Girls because Company Magazine told me too, it's interesting, a really different kind of comedy than is usually available which is enjoyable. On Valentine's day the boyfriend and I are playing squash. It wasn't a purposeful decision but it was only next available day we can do. We're not doing anuything special though, I'm not going to go all high and mighty and be like 'I don't believe in Valentine's day' but we do enough nice things during non-Valentine's day days (like non-birthdays!) that I don't feel like there's a need...there'll be loads of people out everywhere anywhere, and who wants that? I used to love Valentine's day when I was single, I remember one year I bought a dozen roses and gave them out to all my close friends, and another year, when I was much younger I wrote fake Valentine's cards for my friends so they'd feel loved. I know, I'm so mushy.

And finally, in recent breaking news, last week I had to do an experiment on a freshly detatched cockroach leg. Neuroscience degrees are so glamorous.