Sara Segal Styles

Monday, 16 November 2009

In The Name Of Fashion

Is it a bird?
Is it a plane?
Is it an armadillo?

No, it's a shoe!

An Alexander McQueen shoe, created for his Spring/Summer 2010 collection.

Measuring at a whooping 12 inches - these high-heeled beasts are in a world of their own.

I haven't quite decided whether I love or loathe them - perhaps even both ... but in the name of fashion - I'd be willing to give them a whirl.

I like to think I am particularly good at walking in heels but even these sky-scrapers might leave me needing a hand to hold!

So ladies, would you, could you, should you?
I dare you!

xoxo

Fashion and Queues

This weekend was dedicated to Fashion (and queues).

It was 8.00am when my alarm began to buzz on Saturday morning. Still half asleep and not allowing myself to give in to my warm bed, I peeled the duvet covers away and got washed and dressed and left the house at 8.30. Thinking half an hour would be perfect timing to take a slow stroll to Brompton Road, get a fairly decent place in the non-existent queue I had envisaged and get my fashionable mitts on at least one item of the Jimmy Choo for H&M collection - as I got nearer to the store, I thought again...

The queue was a mile long and there was at least another half hour to wait until the store opened, not to mention the rain was coming down at full speed. Finally, those sacred doors were pulled back, the umbrellas were put away, the empty coffee cups were disposed of and the queue began to move rather quickly. Once in store - the chaos began.

Shoppers were picking-up every item in sight; suede dresses, fur gilets and sequin jackets were being grabbed off the rails quicker than you could say Choo. I decided I would concentrate on one item, the embellished chain cuff that I'd seen in Look magazine. So I made my way upstairs to find yet another queue. You can imagine my disappointment when I saw that the shoes, accessories and bags were sectioned off and then an even further disappointment when I was told that only those that possessed a coloured band were allowed in. I enquired how one would go about getting a coloured band and was told that they were given out to the first 100 customers that morning - meaning - one had to be queueing at silly-o-clock in the AM.

Grrrr - needless to say, I began to queue in the hope I could pick up a bracelet when the section was open to all. After half an hour I decided against waiting, said goodbye to the lady infront of me, whom I had been talking to, wished her luck and headed home.

With no purchases in hand, I am still glad I went along. I managed to take some fab pics for my blog, soak up the atmosphere, get to grips with the fact that there are people out there even more fashion obsessed than I am and enjoy the buzz of yet another fab high-street and designer collaboration.

Next fashion stop, Sunday morning's Really Really Great Garage Sale, which took place in Selfridges car park. Selfridges had teamed up with Mothers4Children (an organisation that supports children's charities from around the world) to host the ultimate garage sale. It was a chance for all those bargain-hunting fashionistas (myself included of course) to get their hands on some fabulous designer goodies.

Amongst many celebs such as Louise and Jamie Redknapp, Trinny Woodhall and Jodie Kidd, thrifty shoppers were working their way round each stand picking up all sorts of treats. Having asked Kirsty Gallagher the size of a pair of Marni trousers, as well sampling Jodie Kidd's Burberry skirt - I decided to spend my allowance on a fabulous Miu Miu jacket (see below and feel free to ooo and aaa!)

Feeling very happy with my new purchase I made my way to a friend later that afternoon, in order to help arrange her flat for the Clothes Swapping party we were holding that evening.

As guests arrived, the room began to look more like a store than it did a lounge. We all had a little wander, sampling all the goodies we wanted to take home. We were then told to leave the room and after a count of three all tumbled back in to get our hands on some fab items. Everyone was extremely civilised and helped one another pick out some great clothes. Louis Vuitton and Prada bags, designer dresses and a Von Dutch jacket were amongst some of the fab items we all walked away with. I snapped up this gorgeous embellished River Island bolero. All in all, money was raised for charity and the attendants were happy shoppers.

So - the weekend is over but the fashion is most certainly not!

Until tomorrow

xoxo

Friday, 13 November 2009

Hand-Over-The-Hand-Bag

"She had the loaded handbag of someone who camps out and seldom goes home, or who imagines life must be full of emergencies." Mavis Gallant.

OK ladies, it is time to get up, close and personal and by this I mean, sharing the contents of your handbag *eek*

There are messy ones, organised ones, heavy ones, light ones ... Some mimic that of Mary Poppins and others are a lot more practical. Some still possess the apple they were supposed to eat a week ago and others have their receipts in alphabetical order.

Which ever category you fall under - there will always be one major aspect in common and that is the fact we all carry a bag and we all carry possessions in that bag .

What I want to know is ... What possessions do you have in yours? I will go first ...

As you may or may not know by now, I am an extremely organised person, so it is rather unlikely you will find any rotten apples or energy bars left in the bottom of my bag. Nor will you find any spare change or receipts floating around - nope, they are exactly where they should be, neatly tidied away in their allocated slots in my purse.

What you see laid out in the picture is what you are likely to find on a day to day basis;

Purse Pen Diary Car/House Keys Business Cards Chewing Gum Gloves Vanity Bag Lip Balm Nail Oil Hair Clips Mirror Perfume

Depending on what I add to my handbag collection, will be dependant on where I am headed that day i.e. If I am out and about in town or at work, I will often be carrying a magazine, umbrella, bottle of water and camera too.

So - that is me.

In three words I'd describe my handbag content as someone who is - organised, practical and erm ... vain?! What? A mirror is needed for those spinach - in - ones - teeth moments and the perfume ... Well, I like to smell sweet! :)

Have a fabulous weekend

xoxo

Thursday, 12 November 2009

Make it BIG

Everything this season has one moto and that moto is ...

'THE BIGGER THE BETTER.'

Long gone are the days where accessories were merely an addition to an outfit; a pair of earrings were simply studs or a ring was that trusty silver you had worn for years - perhaps a scarf just kept you warm or a necklace matched the outfit - NO - accessories today speak for themselves. They make statements and they stand out - this is how ...

Add some tough girl edge to your outfit with these embellished necklaces.

(£12 - Aldo) (£1,900 - BoBijou.com)

Add a chic finishing touch to your winter coat with a patterned scarf.

(£12 - Dorothy Perkins) (£142 - Alexander McQueen)

Add a bit of bling ...

(£15 - Miss Selfridge) (£180 - Swarovski)

Let these drop earrings make a statement.

(£15 - ASOS.com) (£267 - Erickson Beamon - net-a-porter.com)

You can't go wrong with a huge piece of arm candy.

(£80 - Monsoon) (£1,899 - Balenciaga - farfetch.com)

So my lovely ladies, it is time to let your accessories do the talking. My only piece of advice on how to style all these is ... with confidence - after that, anything goes!

Until tomorrow

xoxo

Wednesday, 11 November 2009

Gloves Galore

So the gloves were officially put on yesterday - OK that's a lie - they were officially put on about a month ago but I'm pretty sure I was the only one, as I feel the cold in the peak of the summer!

At the moment, I am keeping my fashionable paws warm with these Michael Kors leather studded zip gloves. I picked these up in NY for an absolute bargain at $50 reduced from $100 - woop!

Whilst browsing online yesterday and walking through the shops this morning, I came across some gorgeous gloves for all my lovely readers; they will keep your fingers warm and your outfits on-trend.

As per usual - here are my top five:

These super long gloves will keep you stylishly snug on those cold winter days.

(£6 - ASOS.com)

The Carrie Bradshaw in me came out and I couldn't resist these adorable Causse Kelly leather gloves.

(£230 reduced to £184 - ASOS.com)

As I have mentioned before, everyone must own at least one pair of Dents gloves and that pair should be these gorgeous red suede bow detail ones.

(£24 - ASOS.com)

I love a little designer treat and these Missoni knitted gloves are just fabulous.

(£85 - Liberty)

They are black, suede and very trendy - the prefect pair of mitts to last you trough the whole of winter.

(£12.99 - H&M)

Keep warm and stay stylish

xoxo

Tuesday, 10 November 2009

I Heart Shoes

Forgive me for sounding a bit fickle - but it seems that although my actual love for shoes never wavers, my obsession for a particular pair often changes from day to day. Aaaaa, I can't believe I just admitted that out loud - there you have it ...

My name is Sara and I break the hearts of shoes.

I can't help it - each and every day, a new pair (or ten) line the shop floor and I can't help but constantly think about them until I actually purchase. Then I wear, I enjoy, I lap up the compliments and then I spot another pair *blush*

Today - my heart goes out to no other than Christian Louboutin's Brigette python shoe boot. How divine are these?!

Once again Louboutin has spoilt us with a magnificent urban jungle creation. All 5.5 inches of shoe will steel the show, especially with that signature red leather sole.

So now the tricky part - brace yourself ladies as this might hurt a little ... the total cost of these beauties are £1,480 *eek*

However, divide that by 12 (months of the year) that equals (around) £124 a month, then divide by 4 (weeks of the month) and that equals £31 a week.

So - what seemed like a fortune has now been whittled down to a mere £31 a week. OK, so we live off baked beans on toast for the rest of the year - but lets be honest, when these shoes are south of one's ankles, who really cares?!

Where there's a will there's a way ...

xoxo

Monday, 9 November 2009

Oh -To - Be - Disney

Is it wrong that when a friend told me his mother, sister , niece and nephew had gone to Disney Land for the week - I was ever so slightly envious?

Not just because I still get excited at the thought of Mickey Mouse visiting the breakfast table or Donald Duck walking along the high-street but because it reminds me of my childhood, where everyday was fun and most of that fun was Disney!

Needless to say - Disney has made a huge come-back Fashion wise and I couldn't help but notice all the Mickey Mouse t-shirts, the Minnie Mouse sweaters and various other characters lining the shop floors at the moment.

In this case, if you want to be in Disney, you have to own a bit of Disney. The choices are endless ...

Here are my top ten must-haves:

Diamante t-shirt - New Look - £20
Minnie Mouse sweater - Urban Outfitters - £38
Sequin Mickey Mouse dress - JC De Castelbajac - farfetch.com - £1,069

Union Jack diamante t-shirt - Disney Couture - ASOS.com - £65

Minnie Mouse t-shirt - Peacocks - £12
'Fairest Of Them All' necklace - Disney Couture - ASOS.com - £18.50
Gold plated princess collection bracelet - Disney Couture - ASOS.com - £69
'Think Wonderful Thoughts' - Disney Couture - ASOS.com - £24.50
Tinkerbell neckalce - Disney Couture - ASOS.com - £14

Minnie Moue ears - Disney Store - £10

Th - th - th - that's all for now folks ...

xoxo

Friday, 6 November 2009

TFIF

I love my job ...

Not just because I get to live and breathe fashion, but because I get to make those around me feel fabulous on a day to day basis.

Be it the high-street or online - I am here to serve, style and give fashion tips 24/7.

Contrary to what the media may portray, we are not all models and I firmly believe that looking great and feeling fabulous is not limited to age, shape, size, culture or wealth but is in fact easily achievable and affordable for everyone.

There are four main services I offer:

Colour Profiling - discovers your optimal colours, allowing you to create a younger, slimmer and more radiant look.

Style Profiling - uncovers the art of illusion dressing to help create an individual style making you feel more attractive and self assured.

Wardrobe Restyle - not only creates an organised wardrobe but also one which is full of clothes you will want to wear.

Personal Shopping - takes the anxiety and chore out of shopping and prevents you wasting time and money on the wrong purchases.

The beauty about my job is that I am not affiliated with any stores, therefore allowing me the freedom to find the best buys from the high-street to high-fashion. There is no typical day in the world of Personal Styling and it this diversity which keeps me excited for the next challenge.

I truly believe that looking fabulous and feeling fabulous go hand in hand there is absolutely no reason why we can't all feel fabulous every single day.

Thank Fashion it's Friday!

xoxo

www.personalstylelondon.com

Thursday, 5 November 2009

RED ALERT

It's time to fire up your wardrobe with one of the hottest colours this season ... RED.

Here is a list of my top five staple pieces that should be making their way to your wardrobes now!

LBD move out the way and make room for the LRD. So versatile, so chic and so now...

£20 - Oasis
£337 - Camilla and Marc Tali
£1,015 - Alexander McQueen - net-a-porter.com