Fashion Looks North || UK fashion and lifestyle in Leeds

Mary and Charnos

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:46:00 +0000

[Top: H&M | Necklace: Forever 21 | 'Armery' c/o Mary and Charnos]

I hate my arms. I don't hide it, I simply accept the fact that I never have, and probably never will have slim arms. It's just in my genes. During the day this isn't a problem - I can wear longer sleeved tops, cardigans, jumpers and coats to cover them up and make them appear less bulky. Even during the summer you'll very rarely find me in something strapless unless I have a thin cover up to wear or not a lot of people will see me. The night time, however, is a different story...

My night time (aka bar/clubbing) outfits usually involve something with sleeves or some sort of thin jacket. I don't even buy strappy or strapless tops, in fact to be honest I struggled to find something to use for this styling challenge! When I was offered the chance to style up this, erm... armery? Pair of armeries? (The product) I immediately thought right, night time look.

I have to say, when I saw the colour was indigo I wasn't too optimistic - I thought it would perhaps look a bit old on me as I'd prefer the armery to act as a subtle cover up rather than a main part of an outfit. Plus, having seen these mentioned and developed on the Mary Portas series, I had kind of labelled the clientele of these products to be a good ten or twenty years older than myself. With that in mind I decided to stick to a plain base boob tube and whack on one of my favourite statement necklaces. I know the photos don't show the bottom half of my outfit, but it'd probably be black skinnies and my heeled docs... (I was in a rush taking these, what can I say...)

So, the verdict. Comfy, yes. Hiding the dreaded bingo wings, yes. Easy to wear...erm...

As I said, I think I'd prefer it in black but also I found it slipped off around my shoulders quite easily. I could imagine myself having to adjust it all night when out dancing, but I reckon it'd be okay for a bar environment. If you're concious of your arms I'd definitely recommend giving them a go, after all it's a lot cheaper than lipo, right?

L x

Lengths

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:10:00 +0000

[Cardigan: H&M | Dress: New Look | Boots: Dr Martens | Scarf: Michael Kors]

As you can probably tell from the photographs, these were not taken recently due to the distinct lack of that nasty thing known as snow. I was due to give you a lovely little post about my new shoes from Zalando but gave up as the light was rubbish and it was freezing cold - hopefully I'll have more luck tomorrow!

I know the blog is still looking a bit rubbish at the moment, but me and the lovely designer man are making good progress so it will look a lot more presentable soon I promise, not to mention I'll be able to properly get back into blogging regularly.

L x

John Frieda Hair Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:05:00 +0000

So John Frieda have launched their 'style guide' channel on YouTube. As you probably know, I've been trying to grow my hair out for ages now and it's slowly creeping towards a length where I can actually tie it up, so I thought there was no harm in checking it out and seeing what styles they've created tutorials for. (John Frieda, if you're reading this, how about one for the short haired girls, yeah?)

Although I'm a little way off this length, (okay a-lot-a-way), I'm loving the return of the up-do! Memories of my 90s/early 2000's childhood are brought back with teasing, backcombing and moussing my unruly hair into party and disco up-do's, (granted with a few more braids/mini hair clips than this and lashings of glitter spray). Brilliant stuff.

To be honest I'm going through a massive 90's fashion revival phase at the moment which I found myself channeling via Twitter today, and this is just the start of a few posts that I'm going to explore future style inspiration - I do love a good wardrobe re-vamp and mood board session....

I'm going off topic now! Anyway, do have a look at the other tutorial videos - what do you reckon, are they useful?

L x

The Ellos Frock Off

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:51:00 +0000

[Dress: c/o Ellos | Heels: Alexander Wang | Belts: Second hand | Jacket: H&M]

A little while back the lovely people at Ellos invited me to take part in a North England vs South England vs Scotland vs Wales style challenge to dress up one of their LBD's for a Friday night frock off (with me representing the North). Now, the last thing I'm going to be doing tomorrow night is dressing up and heading out as I'm currently sat at home feeling sorry for myself, armed with a box of tissues and several sachets of Lemsip. In light of this, here's an outfit I made earlier!

The dress isn't what I'd usually choose so I found this an interesting challenge to work with. I decided the style would better lend itself to a cocktail occasion, rather than a club and therefore bust out my shiny new Alexander Wang 'higher than high' bootie heels. The cut of the dress is quite voluminous which on my boyish frame can just look a bit sack-like, so I nipped it in with the help of two belts and my favourite cropped biker jacket.

It's got a lovely floaty feel to it and I'd definitely wear this look out, (as long as I wouldn't be walking too far in those heels!) You can see the original dress HERE - how would you style it?

L x

P.S I'll post a link to the other bloggers looks as soon as I get them through...

change.

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:34:00 +0000

As you may have noticed, Fashion Looks North is undergoing a bit of a change at the moment, this is not the finished article! New Year New Start.

On Twitter I've been banging on about a wardrobe makeover. Nothing overly drastic but it's all part of my 'life cleanse' to get everything on track and heading in the right direction. Keep your eyes peeled as there will be a new outfit going up mid week and there will be a new entry on my Leeds Uncut column in the next few days.

L x

The Holiday Review

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:15:00 +0000

10.

Happy New Year all! I'm back to blogging after my lovely lazy holiday and am ready to get well and truly stuck into 2012. These are just a selection of pictures from over my Christmas and New Year.....

1. We love a good tradition in our household and Father Christmas always gets his mince pie and Ribena with a little carrot for the reindeer.

2. My Mum is the most amazing cook and her homemade Christmas pudding is always a triumph. Along with the brandy butter and rum sauce it's a surefire way to get nice and merry on Christmas Day...

3. I got given a lovely sausage dog jumper by the Mr which I adore! My iPhone was also treated to a new Pantone cover from Harvey Nichols courtesy of the brother.

4. Florence couldn't believe her eyes when she realised what Father Christmas had left her under the tree! *nom nom nom*

5. After Christmas I went to see the Northern Ballet perform Beauty and the Beast at The Grand Theatre in Leeds. Simply beautiful.

6. The biggest coffee I have ever seen! I had serious caffeine shakes after this bad boy

7. Spotted in a takeaway after a night out in Leeds... can't say I knew a box of Parmesan was a Northern delicacy

8. My friend's cat Tiddles got into the New Year spirit before we went out by borrowing Stephen's bow tie. Very fetching.

9. New Years! A group of us went to O2 Academy as we'd never done the 'New Years in town' thing before. Great fun with great people.

10. I've been hitting the gym and eating healthy and feel amazing. I've already lost 3lbs since Christmas (considering how much chocolate is lying around my house at the moment I'm dead impressed with that!)

What did you get up to in the holidays?

L x

A Winter Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 18:24:00 +0000

[Dress: Diesel c/o Sarah Coggles | Knitted wrap: H&M | Shoes: Office | Hat: Debenhams | Bag: Topshop]

This is what I wore to my cousin's wedding yesterday - the whole outfit costed a grand total of £70, what a bargain!! I was very kindly gifted the dress by designer boutique Sarah Coggles when I attended an event in their York store a few weeks ago, so thought it would be the perfect base for an outfit as well as avoiding looking too funereal with lots of black. The draped nature of the fabric is so flattering to the stomach and was ideal for hiding the enormous food baby I developed after the huge wedding breakfast!

I always like to wear hats to weddings, (they be will compulsory for female guests at mine!), but it proved very difficult to get hold of one for a Winter wedding. All the hats that seemed to be available were all geared towards Summer affairs but I managed to spy this fascinator lurking in the Debenhams evening wear sale which thankfully managed to fit pretty well with the dark blue colour theme set by the dress.

Have you been to any weddings recently? Do you like to wear some sort of headgear?

L x

Thrifty Winnings

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:02:00 +0000

Above, my prize from the A Thrifty Mrs giveaway. It's helping to indulge my current obsession with buying a house next year and furnishing it beautifully but cheaply. Pinterest is it's partner in crime. This is a very loose tie to the pictures below which are of my friend's student house in Manchester - possibly the best furnished, (and most random), student house I've seen!

I literally can't wait to get a place of my own with the Mr, but after obsessively trawling sites on an evening I am so depressed by the financial implications we are faced with. Despite the fact we have savings it seems getting a mortgage to buy a decent house or flat is like trying to find a purse under a tenner in Harvey Nichols. Urgh. I need to win the lottery, stat.

L x

P.S

Have you seen my new monthly guest column on Leeds Uncut HERE?

I also did a festive guest post on the lovely Carla's blog HERE too if you're feeling crafty :)

Manchester Looks

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:01:00 +0000

Last weekend I went to Manchester to visit a friend at Uni and thought I'd do a couple of outfit posts of what I wore during the trip.

As you can see, the red boots were out again! I really need to get a warmer pair but they aren't too bad for the wet weather at the moment. I teamed them with a recent H&M jumper purchase which I love! It's so glittery and slouchy, ideal for layering under my coat without it being too boring.

We went out on the Saturday night and in the words of The Fast Show, "I got vwery, vwery drunk". This dress is another amazing H&M bargain, only £7.99. It's got a great drawstring waist meaning you avoid that 'jersey sack' look and it's so comfy to wear. I added some big earrings and my trusty heeled Darcie Dr Martens boots, (which I have now managed to encourage two of my friends to buy as they are so awesome - we can match!). My hair is thankfully getting gradually longer so I can wear it down without pins if I whack loads of product on it. Getting there slowly...

I've got some more photos from my adventure to share with you at the weekend so stay tuned!

L x

Diesel at Coggles

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:06:00 +0000

Sorry for the lack of posts this past week – there really is no excuse as I’ve got all the pictures uploaded and ready just haven’t had chance to write the words! Life’s been pretty hectic recently and I’ve found I’ve had no time to get on with ‘general life stuff’, other than indulging in a long bath and pampering session last night.

Today’s offering comes courtesy of the lovely people from Sarah Coggles in York and the team at Diesel who very kindly allowed me to come and check out their re-launch event for Diesel’s revamped womenswear line. I absolutely adore shopping in York, especially at this time of year as it’s so festive and pretty, so I was more than happy to hop on a train after work last Thursday evening.

I was treated to a very nice glass of fizz on arrival and was met by a very welcoming team, the shop staff in particular were very lovely and efficient in their customer service. I have extensive experience of working in a retail environment so feel they need to be commended, particularly the lovely girl on the fitting room and the lady behind the till who were very chatty and most importantly not forced in their manner – I don’t know about you but I cannot stand ‘strained friendliness’ in shops. Ick.

The range itself is really nice, particularly the blurred prints offset on yellow/orange backgrounds. I was actually gifted a brilliant little dress from the collection which may have become my number one option for this winter wedding I’m going to in a week or so, overtaking my Aqua cosmic bargain. You can kind of see a little sneaky peak of it in the changing room photo….

Outfit of the day was a rushed affair as I woke up so, so late that morning! My trusty black skirt and striped top was teamed with my super soft tartan scarf and red boots – I’m still on the hunt for some perfect long, black winter boots so these are seeing a lot of wear at the moment.

I’ve got yet another really busy week ahead, I’m physically exhausted and run down if I’m honest but the show must go on eh?! I’ll try and get my other posts typed up when I get home tonight – I’ve got some photos from my trip to Manchester to share with you too.

L x

Secret Santa: Take 1

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:55:00 +0000

I don't know about you, but since December has come around I've been getting more and more excited about Christmas. I love giving presents and when I heard that the lovely Laura from Keeping Healthy Getting Stylish was organising a blogger Secret Santa I just had to get involved!

Each blogger that took part was given another to buy for but had to keep it secret, so I had no idea who I was giving to or who was giving to me. I was thrilled when my present filled with a lovely selection of goodies arrived at the weekend from Kate at Embrace Nutrition, especially when I saw she had very kindly treated me to a carton of Vita Coco. I used to drink the stuff like it was going out of fashion at University and had completely forgotten about it since I moved back to Leeds - it proved a very nice treat when I arrived back home from work the other evening.

I'll let you know when my secret santa recipient receives my gift but in the meantime, thank you so much Kate for my wonderful gifts and to Laura for letting me take part!

Have you ever done a Secret Santa?

L x

Aquatics

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:17:00 +0000

This weekend has been super busy. The Mr came up for the weekend for an early birthday celebration so I’ve been drinking and dancing to my hearts content for most of it! After all the excitement we had a bit of a wind down day on Sunday and plodded into Leeds for a bit of lunch and shopping. After seeing a flurry of tweets these past weeks I have been dying to get my teeth into one of Pret’s yummy festive sandwiches and was only too happy to polish it off with a ‘Crimble crumble’ (which FYI is like a mince pie apple crumble…without the apple), and a cappuccino. Delish.

We then pottered down to Granary Wharf with the intent of checking out the Aqua pop up sale store. My memory of Granary Wharf is from when I used to go with my parents when I was still in primary school and it was casually know as ‘the dark arches’. All the stalls and shops were under the massive bridge like a secret community, a bit Hunchback of Notredame’s ‘Court of Miracles’ except not in France and without the cartoon gypsies. It also used to have the most AMAZING fudge stall which would leave you in a sugar induced coma, that is if you hadn’t already got a ‘natural high’ from being fumigated by every kind of incense known to man. It was brilliant.

Well, it’s not like that now. It is, in fact, a car park. So, turns out I have been to Granary Wharf recently after all! It now consists of the very nice outdoor space next to the bridge which has a variety of hotels, restaurants, bars and cafes, including the very lovely Out of the Woods. I wouldn’t say I was disappointed as such, but it was a shame to feel I got so excited to re-discover a memory and it didn’t exist anymore… anyway! Sentiment over and back to the point, Aqua bargains.

Having left it so long after the store opened I wasn’t surprised that although the stock is replenished regularly, trying to find anything in my size was like trying to find a needle in a haystack! A shame as there were some truly amazing discounts, a bargain hunter’s paradise for sure. I did however snaffle myself a lovely ‘cosmic’ printed number for a mere £30 which I would have done an outfit post for, but I’m thinking of wearing it to a wedding I’m going to later this month so you’ll just have to wait until then to see the full look. Much excitement!

Have you found any bargains recently?

L x

Digitally Leeds Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:29:00 +0000

Attention please.

You are now reading the highly commended/runner up blog for the ‘Leeds Blog of the Year’ Award from last nights Digitally Leeds Awards!

*WAHHHHHH*

Ahem. So I’m pleased as you can probably gather, not to mention incredibly surprised. The lovely Emma from Culture Vultures won and rightly so, it really is a magnificent specimen of a blog which wholeheartedly supports and promotes all the wonderful happenings in my home city. I feel honored to be even considered as we were told they received 250 submissions for this one award alone – I didn’t even know there were that many blogs in Leeds! I’d love to see a published list of them all, it’s always nice to discover new reading material.

Also shortlisted were TQS Magazine, Exposure Leeds and Beyond Guardian Leeds – please do go and take a look at their blogs, all very different but fantastic in their own right.

My outfit for the evening (above) included a large bow fashioned from a 50p Primark scarf that I bought 2 or 3 years ago. It got so many comments - I clearly need to wheel it out more often! I teamed it with my beloved leather Zara skirt and a pair of tartan heeled booties from ASOS, possibly the comfiest heels known to man. Apologies for the 'bleh' images, the iPhone camera is still yet to be mastered...

The awards ceremony itself was so much fun. Large quantities of wine, (and in my case Lego Brick sweeties), were consumed and many Dad dancing and ‘alternative’ shapes were thrown on the dance floor. Overall a lovely and relaxed event which I hope will be repeated in years to come. If you want to find out more head over to Digitally Leeds to see the other categories – there are some brilliant creative companies and individuals which definitely deserve to be recognised.

L x

P.S The rather fetching hat was acquired during the night and wasn't part of the planned outfit, although I did quite like it...

McQueen

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:37:00 +0000

[Alexander McQueen bag: The Outnet]

Love.This.

L x

Layered Up

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 09:52:00 +0000

[Parka and jeans: Topshop | Cardigan: H&M | Boots: Dr Martens]

This is one of those outfits where you feel like dressing right down. I absolutely love this parka at the moment, the shearling lining at the top of the back and in the hood is so warm and it’s the ideal thing to cosy up in on cold early-morning bus journeys to work.

As you can see the hair growing is going well however I am starting to turn into some form of curly haired highland cattle…should probably get it thinned out at some point! I’m at that awkward stage where the back is getting a bit too long for the top and is starting to look a little mullet-esque, (never a good look), but the layers at the top aren’t long enough to be counted as a bob, more like 90’s boyband curtains. Again, not ideal.

Has anyone any tips for getting through this annoying phase? I’m using all of the tricks of the trade to keep it under control; pins, headbands, scarves, hairspray, gel, wax – you name it I’m using it! Any advice, especially on how to cut it, would be much appreciated.

L x

P.S Just to let any Tweeps know, my Twitter name has now changed from ‘LetterL_FLN’ to a much less complicated @FashionLNorth – do say hello :)

Childs Play

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:44:00 +0000

[Hat and mittens: M&S | Coat: Warehouse | Boots: Office]

Winter's definitely here - how chilly has it been this weekend? I wasn't complaining mind, any excuse to bust out my new hat and mittens set! I know I'm a bit late to the party with the animal inspired headgear look, (a year late to be more exact), but when I saw these in M&S a month back I couldn't resist them, plus they are super, super soft and snuggley.

Still no update on my Thrifty Thirty Challenge I'm afraid. It seems it's worked too well and aside from one top I haven't been shopping at all this past month, a bit of a first for me. All my money appears to have gone on visiting people as this weekend it was the turn of Mr in Loughborough. We went and saw my brother in Nottingham for the day on Saturday which I thoroughly enjoyed. From the limited amount of it I saw, Nottingham seems like a great city, not to mention an ideal place to be a student.

Have you started bringing out the winter accessories yet?

L x

Culture Injection

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:44:00 +0000

I've had quite a 'culture filled' week this week! During my trip to Glasgow last weekend I visited a small back street market in the centre and stumbled across a stall selling the most beautiful illustrations. It turns out the stall owner was also the artist, Libby Walker! I was so impressed by her work that I bought one of the prints (see the first picture) ready for when me and the Mr buy a house next year. Whenever I'm out about and see something home related that I like I just buy it, partially because I definitely wont have the money for it when I actually want to furnish my home, but also because it's nice to own things that will make you think of a certain time or place. I chose this particular illustration because it features Glasgow landmarks that I visited during my stay, including the very lovely Kelvingrove Gallery. Plus, it's always nice to support local artists!

Staying with the supporting local theme, the middle image is from a charity open mic night I attended at The Victoria Hotel in Leeds earlier in the week where my friend Andy was playing. It was such good fun, plus I won some delicious chocolate and gingerbread biscuits from the German Christmas Market in the raffle - all very tasty and supported The Yorkshire Cancer Centre in the process.

Finally, after seeing the lovely Emma from Culture Vultures' tweet about the new exhibition at Leeds Gallery I couldn't not pop down the road after work for a sneaky peek. If you hadn't already guessed, illustration is one of my favourite forms of art so I absolutely loved the varied selection of works, all from popular childrens books - I may have gotten a bit over excited when I saw Percy the Park Keeper and Paddington Bear! If you're ever in Leeds centre do pop down and take a look. Not to be confused with the Leeds Art Gallery by the town hall, Leeds Gallery is independently owned and is on the corner of York Street, opposite the bus station.

Have you been to any good exhibitions recently?

L x

Glasgow: Chapter 2

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:57:00 +0000

So here's the second installment of pictures from my lovely weekend away in Glasgow. On the Saturday night we went out for cocktails, (which then lead to us heading to a casino until the small hours of Sunday morning), and as my hair is in that annoying 'it's so thick and shapeless what the hell do I do with it!?' phase, I decided to do a bit of backcombing and pinning and ended up with this quiff creation. I quite like it! I don't have a full outfit shot for you I'm afraid, but my bug necklace, (which seemed fitting due to my earlier adventures in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum), is from Topshop. I hardly ever wear necklaces, think I'm more of a statement earring girl but it was so unusual I treated myself.

Before we commenced cocktail hour, we went to this amazing Italian tapas place in the very studenty district of the West End called La Vita Spuntini. I'd never had Italian tapas but it was delicious, I would highly recommend giving it a go. We further indulged on Sunday at the cafe just below my friend's flat called Eati Boutiquie, a quirky cafe-come-shop selling all sorts of delicious light bites and cakes as well as vintage home wares and fashion. A great, and quiet, place to relax after the night before.

Just to explain the other two pictures...The guy with the cone on his head - this is a Glasgow tradition apparently, if it ever falls off or is taken down it'll be back up there within a matter of hours - in Winter he was given a hat and scarf which is quite sweet. The tour guide said you never ever see anyone do it though! The last pic is of the beautiful Town Hall all lit up at night - very atmospheric, no?

What did you get up to this weekend?

L x

Glasgow: Chapter 1

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:09:00 +0000

This weekend I went on a little ~~road~~ train trip to Glasgow to see an old friend at University there. It's one of those places that I've heard so much about but never got round to going so was excited to finally get chance to visit! I got in quite late on Friday night as I'd come up straight from work so we just went for some casual drinks, but Saturday we were in full tourist mode and hit the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum before embarking on a very, ahem, bracing shall we say, open top bus tour of the city.

It really is a beautiful city, very alike to Manchester and Newcastle with lots of very tall and impressive sandstone buildings, but the thing I liked most of all was how many independent shops and restaurants there are. Particularly on the restaurant front I feel that Leeds is somewhat lacking in independent city eateries for evening meals. This is not to say there aren't any, but the centre is dominated by large chains and I would love to see the far more of a diverse variety found in Glasgow.

I also found it interesting to see how different the vibe of the city was to Edinburgh. It was still very magnificent but almost seemed to have a bit more spirit and personality, not to mention friendliness.

Have you ever been to Glasgow? I've got some more culinary and cultural adventures to share with you on Wednesday so stay tuned!

L x

Movember: I'm a Mo Sista!

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:49:00 +0000

How’d you like my facial fuzz? Ha. Sorry for the slightly grainey Facebook picture, I commissioned my ‘Mo Sista’ portrait whist at work so had a bit of a limited photo choice…

I’m sure most of you will have heard of Movember and I’m sure a fair few of you will have colleagues, friends or family taking part in the annual fundraising challenge. As someone who would find it extremely difficult to grow a worthwhile moustache, I was delighted when I came across The Gallery of Mo and managed to do a little bit to support this fantastic cause. The idea is you donate an amount to Movember with every pound you give buying you a minute of illustration time with one of the guest artists of the day. There’s then a bit of a wait before you get your email saying the masterpiece is finished, and voilà! You’re officially Mo’d over.

The thing is much as this is a fantastic, fun and novelty concept, Movember is a charity cause that really hits home with me. They support various charities including the Prostate Cancer Charity and The Institue of Cancer Research, both of whom strive to support men who are affected by cancer and raise awareness of male health risks. As someone who has now lost two Grandparents to prostate cancer and who has recently had another male family member affected by bowel cancer, I cannot stress enough how important these causes are to ensure no-one else loses a loved one unnecessarily. Both my Grandad and my Gramps were in very late stages of their cancer, (one was literally too late and had passed away), when we found out they had the disease, and I wish that they would have had the opportunity for regular checks and tests so I could have a few more years with them.

Anyway, I won’t depress you anymore! Please do support Movember if you can – you can donate as little as £1 to The Gallery of Mo and every little counts. For all you Leeds people, the agency behind the site is Leeds based and have recently been nominated for a Digitally Leeds Award, so do get behind their wonderful creative concept. I too have been nominated for an award, Leeds Blog of the Year, one which I am definitely not going to win as the other contenders are absolutely amazing, however I feel absolutely honoured to even be considered!

Do you know anyone who’s growing a ‘tache for Movember?

L x

Joyful Encounters

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 09:11:00 +0000

On Friday I went along to a special event at Joy in The Light, Leeds for an evening of new collections, canapes, live music and fabulous cupcakes. I only really ever shop in Joy for gifts as I LOVE their homeware, card and novelty range, but for some reason ignore the clothing offering. Well. I won't be doing that anymore! (After my Thrifty Thirty challenge that is...)

The collections on offer were lovely and I was pleased to see lots of injections of bold colours and prints, something scarcely found in Winter looks these days. I got a little too over excited about the frequency of sausage dog designs, (for those of you who don't know, I've wanted one since I can remember and am obsessed!), and thoroughly enjoyed rummaging through the wide range of cute printed cardigans and blouses. I was really surprised by the price point of the clothes, for some reason I had assumed that they would be a lot more expensive but actually they were pretty much on par with the likes of Topshop. I suppose it's because the atmosphere of the shop rings true of a boutique as oppose to a chain.

I also purchased a super cute cupcake from The Bespoke Cake Company who apparently have a wonderful little shop in Harrogate - I'm sure I'll be making a trip over at some point in the future for a little review! I bought a chocolate Oreo cupcake for the Mr, as I'm being good, which went down extremely well - he couldn't even tell it was Vegan!

All in all a great little event and a massive thank you to the lovely ladies at Joy. Have you ever shopped in Joy? Did you think it has more of a boutique feel about it?

L x

Market Vs High Street: The Result

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:38:00 +0000

So here are the two looks from the Market Vs High Street Challenge I took part in. I've revealed which is which at the bottom of the post so see if you can guess first! Remember both cost £100.....

Outfit #1

Outfit #2

We revealed the two looks at the lovely Out of the Woods in Leeds on Saturday night and had a fantastic time! Loads of lovely local bloggers came down and we were treated to delicious home made treats and sparklers - all very exciting stuff. After voting on which outfit we thought (or in mine, Elly and Lucy's case, knew) where the outfits came from, we were given a little luggage label to put on our favourite item overall.

Okay, so to put you out of your misery!

Outfit #1 (mustard shorts): High Street

Outfit #2 (purple skirt): Market

I feel before this challenge I really underestimated and didn't understand the fashion offering in the market, and it was a really interesting and worthwhile experience. Everyone loved the great little event and hopefully it's the first of many to come! A huge thank you to Out of the Woods for their generous and very tasty hospitality and to Leeds Markets and the fantabulous Leanne for letting me get involved in the challenge.

Did you guess correctly? If so, are you surprised and what we found in the market?

L x

Land Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 16:11:00 +0000

[Shirt: c/o Pure Collection | Skirt: ASOS | Headband: Topshop | Boots: Dr Martens]

I hope you've had a lovely weekend! I've been a very busy bee so you'll have to wait until next week for an update on my Thrifty Thirty challenge as I've hardly had any time to go shopping. Don't forget the final post on my 30 Day Shred will be going up mid week too with some before and after photos...hopefully the results will be noticeable!

Just an outfit post for you today featuring a beautiful thin denim shirt I was kindly sent by Pure Collection in Harrogate. You can tell it's premium quality and is so lovely and lightweight to wear - I was extremely impressed. The cut was a pleasant surprise as I thought it was going to have fitted darts to synch in the waist, but it's nice and loose and perfect tucked in or out. I'm thinking that I may try it out with some skinny check trousers that I have...

Also, if you're following me on Twitter you may have noticed that yesterday we revealed the Market Vs High street looks from our fashion challenge. I'll be posting about the event in the next couple of days, all very exciting!

What did you get up to this weekend?

L x

Plectrum

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 00:03:00 +0000

On Thursday I was kindly invited to check out the new Ben Sherman 'Plectrum' concept store in the Thorntons Arcade in Leeds, hosted by men's boutique Hip. I was pleasantly surprised by the clothing and accessory offering and for me it opened my eyes to the broad design versatility of the brand, which I had previously stereotyped as the 'bleh' shirts and jeans that could be found in Debenhams' concession stores. The collection itself consists of your typical Ben Sherman 'mod-inspired' polos and shirts, but also incorporates some modern classics and beautifully crafted outerwear - I'm considering buying one of the luxurious macs for the Mr for Christmas...if he's lucky!

The event itself wasn't the most amazing thing I've ever attended - when I turned up there was a lot of standing about and not much direction as to whether we could go into the store, (which appeared to still be being stocked quarter of an hour after the event was meant to have started), however it was definitely worth it for a snoop round the new shopfit. I highly recommend having a look if you're in town, the store design itself is very well thought out and has a very clean and gentlemanly feel about it. It would be an ideal place to find some lovely luxury Christmas pressies - focusing particularly on the snuggly woolen accessories.

What do you think of the Ben Sherman brand, would you investigate the Plectrum range?

L x

Spots, Stripes and The Thrifty Thirty

noreply@blogger.com (Lauren//Fashionlooksnorth) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:34:00 +0000

First up, a little outfit post from the other week...

[Scarf: Dorothy Perkins | Cardigan: H&M | Tee: Topshop]

If you're one of the lovely regular readers of Fashion Looks North you'll know that I'm currently finishing my first blog challenge; the 30 Day Shred. I've enjoyed it so much that I have started another non-diet/fitness related one for November which I've named 'The Thrifty Thirty'. I would have loved to get involved with Movember but it's kind of difficult for us ladies y'know...

Anyway, back to the point - on an average month, I spend a massive chunk of my wage on clothes and shoes, most of which I probably don't wear enough to justify the cost of buying them. As I now have a wedding to save up for *squee!* I really need to take a good look at my finances and re-evaluate how I spend my cash, hence why on one drunken night out last weekend I came up with a plan....

For thirty days I will only be allowed to buy my clothes from charity shops, therefore (hopefully) saving pennies and supporting good causes and also possibly some car boots. The only exceptions to these rules being tights and any underwear I desperately need during that period of time. I've not set a maximum budget for the clothing allowance, but I'm going to try and present my findings each week and let you know what bargains I've managed to hunt down. The challenge started on Tuesday 1st and already I've found my first purchase which I'll reveal this weekend so I'm feeling positive that I'll be able to find some really nice stuff if I look hard enough, as well as help save some money.

I am a little worried about caving to temptation. A dangerous email promotion from Bertie shoes nearly steered me off track at work today, so I'm trying to delete any offers straight away instead of opening them. I'll also be steering well clear of high street stores on weekends and my lunch hour.

How do you feel about charity shops? Do you think you could give up your shopping freedom for a month?

L x