Fashion Voyeur

People will stare, make it worth their while.

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

Fashion Blogger Secret Santa

Well Voyeurs Party Season is upon us and I don’t know about you but the whole of December and January seem to just blur into one long, weird, party filled, seemingly never-ending month.  What with Christmas, New Year and then my birthday *hint hint*, it’s definitely a time for party wear and probably the only time of year I permit myself to wear sequins and embellishment.

Lucky then, that I was asked to be involved with the Quiz Clothing Secret Santa.  What’s that I hear you ask?  Well, it’s a fun little activity that sees Bloggers and Influencers paired up with one another online, to gift each other a full outfit from the party wear collection.  A dress, shoes and an accessory that they can wear out to parties over the festive season and beyond.  I had great fun making my selections for the blogger I was paired up with and waited with the excitement of a 7 year old on Christmas Eve, to receive my parcel full of unknown goodies.

As often happens with Christmas deliveries, mine didn’t actually arrive in time for Christmas but when it did I took great pleasure in opening up my Christmas parcel and relishing in the excitement of what might be inside.

Not my usual style but definitely within my ‘Fashion Zone’, I was sent a 90’s style slip dress covered in flip paillettes, a pair of studded turn down cuff ankle boots (very rock chick) and a black suedette clutch back with emerald and white rhinestones.  All perfect for party season and most definitely for New Year’s Eve.

Trying on my outfit for the first time

After a trying on session I decided to max out on rock chick styling with this party outfit and go for messy undone hair and whalenet tights with minimal accessories to avoid it looking too ‘overcooked’.  After perusing the party dresses at Quiz Clothing I think what I received is a pretty damn good selection, these boots will work as perfectly with skinny jeans as they will with ripped up boyfriend jeans and the dress works just as well with a skinny tee or polo neck underneath and a woolly hat to give it a grunged up edge.  In fact, I managed to find the perfect woolly hat with matching paillettes in Topshop!

I found this hat with matching paillettes in Topshop!

I’m super pleased with the Secret Santa outfit I received from Quiz Clothing, and taking part has definitely encouraged me to browse more fast fashion high street stores for fun festive fashion.  Leaving your outfit in the hands of another Blogger might sound treacherous but this was actually really fun and it’s definitely something I’d participate in again!  In fact, if you’re looking for a way to experiment with fashion, or to just get another perspective on your style, then grab a group of your best gals and give this a try – set yourselves a budget and go wild picking each others clothes for a party or event you have coming up, just don’t blame me if you fall out over it…

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East

An Evening of Crafting & Power Dressing with Intu Metrocentre

As an official Intu Influencer I always look forward to the fashion preview events that unveil the high street’s interpretations of the key trends for each season.  The team at Intu Metrocentre always put on a show to accompany their previews and the FW17 showcase was their best yet.  Not content with the regular runway show, we were treated to an evening of power dressing with Costume Historian (and my friend) Meridith Towne and crafting with the gals from North East based company The Crafthood.

After being greeted with a custom blended mocktail at Zizzi we were given the chance to browse the trend rail which had been pulled from the shopping mall’s leading fashion retailers.  With lots of high street versions of Fashion Month’s key trends including blazers, stripes and lots of red, it was clear to see from the outset that the evening had been tailored (see what I did there?) to the Power Dressing theme.  So, what did we get up to?

CRAFTING

The Crafthood is a modern craft business.  I’ve come across them before at another event and their workshop model is one that definitely hooks you in.  From candle making to Christmas bauble painting and calligraphy (which I’ll be booking on to) these girls are teaching skills in a social environment and paying it forward to boot.  For every workshop space they sell, they donate a workshop space to charity.  Nice right?

On the upper floor of Zizzi, we had a designated crafting zone laid out with plain canvas makeup bags and a place tag in gorgeous golden calligraphy (a skill you can hone with The Crafthood).  Paint and stamps were laid out for us to get our craft on and create our own bespoke washbags using any colour imaginable.  With a quick lesson from Sharon and Kay, A.K.A The Crafthood, we were let loose with paint and free will, and pretty much every single person immediately looked to stamp their own initials on their bags.  Even with seashells, stars and leaves available to use, it just goes to show that the trend for personalisation isn’t going anywhere.

After a lot of practice on strips of cloth, I made two very questionnable washbags, one for me and one for Plankton.  Both featuring a gucci-esque bee. 

SCRANNING

As this was a seated event, Zizzi put on bespoke platters to satisfy even the most fussy palates.  Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian or a meat lover like me, Zizzi has your back.  Think pizza, deep fried peppers, falafel, carrot sticks and all the carbs, the sharing platters are actually big enough to share (so many of them aren’t) and there’s a great variety of food on each one.  I’d recommend the garlic and rosemary bread and that’s why I ate 10 slices.  Fact.

POWER DRESSING

I’m a huge fan of fellow Costume Historian Meridith Towne and we’ve worked together a couple of times now.  Basically Towne travels the country with History Wardrobe delivering a number of talks on topics she’s set, based on her extensive collection of vintage and antique clothing.  Got that?  It’s a sort of educational talk about era or genre specific trends with a little theatre thrown in to keep it upbeat.  Towne’s Glitz & Glamour talk is one of my favourites on her menu, if you get a chance to catch it then I strongly recommend you do.  Today though, we’re here to talk about the art of Power Dressing, given the number of women in politics and the rise in female CEOs it seems an uber relevant topic.  It’s less of a lesson on how we as women should power dress and more a look at how these women dress to exhibit their own power.  Take Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Dior for example, spear heading the trend for the feminist slogan tee, it’s not so much about angled shoulders and pant suits, but more about different ways of wearing our power in a noticeable way.

We were guided though notable moments in global history which charted the rise of female empowerment, from Maggie Thatcher’s blazers and pearls, to the tricks that women used to widen their shoulders in order to appear equal to men.  Towne has immersed herself in her self curated collection, some of which she’s made herself to the exact specifications that they would have been in their designated era.  After Towne brings us up to date with how female power dressing throughout history has influenced our present day wardrobes, we had the chance to get up close and personal with a small selection of her curated vintage and antique wardrobe, some of which is so old and delicate that we’re not actually allowed to touch it.

FW17 TRENDS

As you know, everything we wear is influenced by the runways of the Big Four at global Fashion Month.  The fate of our 2017 Fall Winter wardrobes was actually sealed in February 2017 when the most influential designers in the world sent variations on old shapes down the catwalks.  Multicoloured fur, stripes, tweed, polo and neck sweaters were all relatable and translatable trends for the high street to deliver as affordable fashion.  Red was the colour of the season but as a block, not a hint so for FW17 if you’re going red then go bold or go home.

Outside of power dressing padding and quilting is the way to go, metallic puffer jackets were on every major runway in Paris with Chanel leading the pack, tailoring in beige and brown toned tweeds with applique are huge for FW17 too and my hero piece is a simple long line tweed overcoat that will bring your Winter wardrobe bang up to date for around £80.

Basically power dressing is about confidence and what makes you feel powerful as a woman.  Whether it’s a slogan tee that shows the world you wear your feelings on your chest, or a pant suit and stilettos, if you know your own power pieces then get out there and work them.  If you’re still discovering your power dressing style then it might just be time to take a class….

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

What I Wore: To Watch an Epic Sunset

Finally, after three days of running to Sant Tomas Beach, we caught a sunset, and you’ll know by now from my What I Wore: To Attempt To Catch a Sunset post that it’s taken me around five days to catch one of the most famous sunsets in the world.  It’s not my first rodeo, we visit at least once per year and I can vouch for those beautiful pink waters and red skies, they really do make for one killer combo.

So, what did I wear?  Well, my vacation wardrobe is very different than my regular, at home wardrobe.  On vacation I’m a boho, care free rock chick with sand in her toes and salt water in her hair.  I favour sliders by day and cowboy boots by night and I tend to wear a mix of Daisy Dukes, beaded jackets and tunic style dresses.   When it’s super warm late into the evening I like to be more covered up with something loose and leaving the option of layering something like a vintage denim jacket, or a tasselled lightweight jacket.  Basically, something cool looking.

This night time beach mess around called for easy dressing in the form of just that.  An easy dress.  This one is a simple tunic style in black with red flower embroidery inspired by the Sicilian princesses on the Dolce and Gabbana runway, it’s a total steal too at around £18 from Primark.  I teamed it with my old faithful, battered cowboy boots and RayBan Aviators witch mirrored lenses, which Bo says are my best sunglasses, even better than my Dior So Reals, allegedly.  No outfit would be complete without my precious Pixie necklace and I love how it works with simple necklines like this one.

We managed to catch a pretty damn awesome sunset, one with spectacular pink skies over Son Bou and as it was our penultimate night on the island, it made it feel all the running around feel worthwhile.  After a little scrabbling around on the rocks with Plankton and walking back to our house tracing the sea along the shore, we made the trip up to Alaior to eat at one of the best and most well hidden restaurants in the little town on the hill.

After a super late night spending time with Mama Tenenbaum we tucked ourselves up in bed safe in the knowledge that we had absolutely zero chance of catching an awesome sunrise.

Pixie xo

Categories: The Fashion Closet

What I Wore: For Mama T’s 60th Birthday Dinner in Menorca

I’m back with another easy vacation outfit post for y’all!  I love vacation dressing, it’s different than what you might wear in your home country so it gives you a chance to experiment a little, I have two main styles when I’m livin’ it up abroad and those are Boho Festival Unicorn, and US Seventies Rock Chick.  Sure I like to mix it up and throw a little boho 70’s in there, or 90’s raver, but these are the old faithful styles that I come back to over and over again.

Most of what I wear on vacation is pretty easy to recreate on the highstreet, especially if you shop at the end of the Summer, around the beginning of September when you can pick up items in this style pretty cheap.  I like to wear Daisy Dukes in stretch denim when I’m away and my favourites are aptly named Daisy by Topshop, the lycra in the denim means they don’t sag around the butt giving you shape and lift all day long and keeping everything where it should be.  These ones are £36 but be warned, they’re short!  Topshop now do a Kiri short which is cleverly cut to your shape so that it’s higher on the outside thigh, but lower on the butt and very flattering.  Wanna check them out?  You’ll find them here.


I wore this outfit to go out to dinner for Mama Tenenbaum’s 60th birthday in Menorca so looking back at it will always make me smile.  The tee is a tour tee from Beyonce’s Formation world tour in 2016, it’s got a drop sleeve leaving me pretty exposed so underneath I’m wearing a bright orange non-wired bralet from the Victoria’s Secret Pink collection which costs around £14.

The cowboy boots (which I take everywhere I travel) are from Topshop (you can find similar ones here) and this cute little fur bag is a super bargain from Primark that I picked up for just £7, it has a gold chain handle too so looks pretty cute with anything, it’s in store now in two different colour ways.

My boho tasseled jacket is River Island, it rung in at around £90 from what I remember but I’ve since seen non branded ones on eBay form way cheaper, it’s a velvet burnout with yellow and orange tones in it as well as a tone of heavy beads and I bloody love it, I get tonnes of compliments on it every time I wear it.  You’ll find something similar at a vintage fair, or at Rokit vintage in London and if it’s a little battered it looks even better.

The necklace I’m wearing is a local designer to Newcastle called M.I.A which stands for Mirror Image Accessories, you’ll remember I shot a campaign with them recently and their laser cut jewellery is produced in limited numbers so you’re not getting something that everyone else has.  There’s an Etsy shop where they sell their jewellery and pin badges and they’re over on Instagram too.

Obviously I wore my signature star tattoos, I’m not sure Mama T would have recognised me without them, and loose tousled beach hair which had lost the very last remnants of lilac which had faded up to a sandy blonde.  Wearing no makeup on vacation gave my skin a real break and my LVL Lashes by The Wax Bar gave me enough refined polish to not have to wear mascara.

Man it sucks to be back in the UK, gimme this sunset everyday of the week…

Pixie xo

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet

Primark’s New Season Shoe Drop

I’m not one to jump on the Fast Fashion train quite so readily without assessing the durability of a microtrend first and I usually steer away from the cheaper end of the high street, however more recently, I’ve been enticed back…

We all have our own systems for managing the  turnover of fashion trends.  Some people don’t by into runway filtered trends, some people live and breathe them and there is a small proportion of people who monitor and turn over microtrends like their lives depend on it.  This Voyeurs, is where the high street is your best friend.  Everything you wear is dictated by the global runways.  Whether you know and accept it, or believe that plain white tee you picked up from George at ASDA is anti-fashion, everything in your wardrobe is runway fed.

If you consider yourself a fully fledged Fashionista you probably already look to the more expensive end of the high street when it comes to the seasonal shift and the bi-annual trend forecast.  With the rise of see now, buy now fashion in the industry, the high street can turn a trend into a full affordable capsule collection faster than you can blink and with global fashion month happening twice per year, you have time to plan for it.

But when we talk about microtrends, we mean short lived trends that were born as an Insta movement, maybe something your favourite Digital Influencer (obviously that’s me) has worn, or something you’ve seen an influx of younger girls wearing and championing.  This is where the cheaper end of the high street really shines.  Think that weird fishnet waistband poking out of your best ripped jeans that everyone did in May and June of this year – that right there is an Insta-born microtrend.

If you want to tap into fast fashion and microtrends, look to places like Primark, MissGuided, Little Mistress and those places that seem to have new stock in every month.  These are stores which focus on turning over microtrends alongside seasonal trends, the places that can spot the durability and popularity for a microtrend and turn it into product the next day.  You’ll have seen me championing the perfect transitional shoe from none other than Primark (if you haven’t then read this), and it’s about to get a whole lot better for all of you shoe fanatics out there because the first new season shoe drop from Primark is a doozie.

Whilst everyone else is going freaking bats for Primark’s Beauty and the Beast range and the Harry Potter merchandise filtering into stores as we speak, fashionistas everywhere are quietly enjoying the amazing offerings in the shoe department.

Here are my top Primark shoe picks to ease you into Fall 2017, all of which are available to buy right now (in addition to the ones that started it all):

Primark £8

1. Following on from the previous Primark Bee Flats I told you about in July, they’ve introduced some velvet slip on sneakers with a similar motif.  This one features metal thread embroidery and beading so for £8 they’re a total steal and they’re available in deep burgundy as well as black.

Primark £10
Primark £10

2. These giltter ball boots slip on easily like a sock and the block heel makes them way more comfortable than a regular stiletto.  They’re soft, super irridescent and available in black, silver and purple.  Wear them with everything from jeans to dresses and booty shorts to playsuits, these have enough life in them to see out the full Fall / Winter trend for disco so they’re well worth a punt.

Primark £16

3. My absolute favourites.  The deep V front on these shoe boots is a strong footwear trend for FW17 and something that was on so many of the big runways in February.  The oriental printed satin has rich tones of orange, purple and red and they’re comfortable considering they’re a pretty high heel.  Wear with black opaques when the weather inevitably turns.  Eye-catching for all the right reasons.

Primark £17

4. These oriental ankle boots with patterned heel fasten with an inside zipper and they’re similar in shape to a cuban heeled cowboy boot.  They’re available in regular and wide fit and up to a UK size 9.  They’re super comfortable too – I wore them out all day on a shoot in Newcastle and they gave me no problems but threw up loads of compliments from passers by.  #winning.

So, if shopping at the cheaper end of the high street isn’t your thing then maybe now you’ll at least consider a look at some of the Fall Winter trends and how you can spin them at a much cheaper cost.  If you’re a fan of fast fashion then hot foot it to Primark right now to get a head start on FW17 shoe shopping, they really are ahead of the game this season.

Pixie xo