October Faves

 So, it's the return of autumn favourites. It's an annual revisit of heavy coats, denims and layering. Yay!!  These are without a doubt my top choices for this season. Stepping more towards autumnal shades with beauty,complimented with an oversized winter coat. River Island have a beautiful option which I have my eye on. Next payday it will be mine! Being a massive fan of black accessories is again reflected in footwear and my nail choice, the leather backpack is also amazing!! I've been debaiting a backpack for awhile as I question the safety issues but for fashion reasons I can't argue with how beautiful this one is. Full information on all items featured are below; 

Athleta shirt crop top

J.Crew j crew jeans

Mulberry leather strap backpack

Daniel Wellington white dial watch

Tai jewelry

Eye shimmer makeup

Lips makeup

Chanel fragrance

Nars cosmetic

Love C X 

#AprilLoves

#AprilLoves by cicijewels featuring slim fit jeans

Topshop v neck shirt

Oasis tailored jacket

River Island slim fit jeans

Pull&Bear short boots

Kate spade purse

Chanel earrings

Topshop green jewelry

Butter London nail polish

Love C X 

SS14: Sporty Luxe

For the third edition of trend alerts for the blog I have decided to take a look at an ensemble of outfits that doesn't necessarily scream "CiCi Jewels", but it's all in the name of research. If you read this blog regularly I'm sure by now you have established that my style is quiet the opposite of anything sports related. For the past few months I have somewhat struggled to understand the growing interest in baseball jerseys, jogger silk shorts and the comeback of Air Max with a perfectly elegant outfit, but who am I to judge? But like everything else I have learned to take certain aspects of the trend and put my own signature taste on it. For example, these days I now reach for my runners more than my black ankle heel boots which is something that I would have never considered before, think high street loafers more than Air Max. I suppose comfort has it's perks.

The one thing that we are thought throughout the countless magazines that we have read growing up is "dress for your body shape". This trend alone would contradict everything that I have believed in, personally. As a girl who is not of a model physique so I find that this look can be hard to work without looking like a sack, which seems to happen to me anyway. I've seen this look so effortless on girls who are naturally really thin and it looks great but my confidence lacks when trying it. Thankfully it seems the look has evolved a little form the old school tracksuit pants and baggy sweaters (slightly). The boxy crop top is perfect for those who do not want to whole heartily commit to this trend. Team with a high waisted PVC skirt and denier tights and you have yourself  a perfect outfit which ticks the sports luxe trend. On the other hand, if you are insecure about your upper body parts I recommend experimenting with the jogger trousers and fitted tee, another winning look for the coming season. 

In terms of make up for this look it is all stripped back, minimal and effortless, another thing that I don't know if I feel comfortable being that recently found my love for deep eye shadows again, particularly brown and gold tones. Eyeliner is also a friend of mine so I think keeping in line with this look would translate to cutting back on that which I wouldn't be able to fully commit to. I am a big fan of the luxe trousers which River Island have 100% nailed, if you haven't managed to have a look yet you can do so here. My favorite is the hot pink pair which probably wouldn't go with anything in my wardrobe but who cares! It's an excuse to go shopping. 

Love C X 

February Loves ....

American Eagle Outfitters graphic shirt
Pull Bear print top
Helmut Lang blazer

River Island cigarette skinny jeans

Topshop espadrilles shoes

Boyy leather purse

Halcyon Days bangle bracelet
ASOS diamante ring

Mac cosmetics makeup

TheBalm blush

Love C X 

Shoeniverse

So I'm looking back on this past year in a slightly different way than traditional means, I am going to do it through shoes. 2013 was a different to most because it was the one year I found myself asking "Are those shoes too high??" and this made me feel old! My style transformed from college student to young adult and the great benefit from this is wearing heeled boots during the day. Now I did this at college as well but now it seems okay to wear the higher heeled boots. They also go with EVERYTHING! Seriously, try it, they really do. When heading on a night out with friends now we all seem to stick to a lower heeled boot in comparison to the sky scrapper heels which we lived in before. So are we coming of age with sensibility or is this a trend? 

My guess is that this is obviously fashion focused. Why would we just so happen to want to wear platform boots when the best collection just happens to arrive in the shop?



When it comes to footwear, particularly boots, I find myself drawn to black. I don't know know if this is due to the shade complimenting most of my clothes or that it is perfect for the "minimal" look which I loved in 2013. But either way, they were the clear winner for me during these past few months. Pull and Bears black booties which are featured int he shoeniverse image above in the left corner are my footwear crush at the minute. All the links to the boots featured in that image will be featured at the bottom of this post.

This year Christmas I asked for a pair of black (shocking) pair of boots from River Island. I've already checked that they are not going into sale so I won't feel cheated for buying at full price. If you follow me on instagram (@CiCiJewels) you will definitely get a look of these boots as I will be posting pictures of them.

Hope you all receive lovely shoes for Christmas .

Love C X 

MICHAEL Michael Kors platform booties

Boohoo platform boots

Topshop black ankle boots

Mango short boots

Pull&Bear black booties

Sperry Top-Sider low-heel boots

Dorothy Perkins high heel boots

H&M brown high heel boots

Jump... For my Love

Over Christmas we are faced with lots of nights with friends and events to attend to but also faced with the dilemma of "nothing to wear". My fix quick solution to this is investing in jumpsuits. Not only are they really comfortable and stylish but they also fix the top and bottom solution, perfect! A black jumpsuit will never let you down and will always be there for anything it is you need to attend, be it birthdays, weddings, drinks with friends or interviews. With that said it is also nice to step away from the classic black and venture for something bright and colorful, which is exactly what I have done here. Above are some of my favorites this season which include a healthy mix of dark and electric tones. All the links to the featured jumpsuits will be featured at the bottom of this post. 

In my honest opinion I feel the high street offers a vast range of styles for jumpsuits, be it in colours and prints so I have no fear that you will have difficulty finding one that suits your own style and personality. I don't think I could pull of the canary yellow jumpsuit as seen above but I do love this photo, a girl can dream! Rachel Zoe is also featured above wearing a black jumpsuit accompanied with a gold waist belt. She is a personal style icon for me and can wear anything and look great so it is no wonder that she works this look so well.


Below are links to my favorite  jumpsuits which were seen in the first image of this post.

Warehouse jumpsuits romper

Matthew Williamson jumpsuits romper

River Island romper

River Island jumpsuit

Jumpsuits romper

Warehouse jumpsuits romper

Topshop jumpsuits romper

Topshop jumpsuits romper

Boohoo jumpsuits romper

Love C X 

Sweet Velvetine

There is something about this time of year that always makes me want to wear velvet, particularly burgundy velvet. I always have this image in my head of a specific dress; skater skirt, sleeves to the elbow, scoop neck, very simple. But yet I have not found it anywhere. This time I am determined that I am going to find it! 

Velvet is also appearing more and more frequently in high street shops in the form of mostly crop tops and skater skirts. Personally I am not a big fan of crop tops, but the later I love and will definitely pick them up in black and burgundy. I'm picturing a lace top teamed with a dark rose lip to give an overall Gothic feel for the Christmas. 

The biggest shake up in the reviving trend is the breakthrough of velvet boots. These can be bought in virtually any fashion outlet at the minute. My favourite (Christmas wish list!) are from River Island for 65Euro, and will go with everything, therefore completely worth the money. Urban Outfitters is another brand which have lots of velvet options in at the minute. To mic things up a little I've been spotting this Navy Overall Skirt which although is way more than I would pay for a skirt at $110 (roughly 81Euro), I just think that there is something quite special about it and I haven't seen anything like it on the high street. Is it worth the money??

 One of the most influential style sources of our generation, Vogue, has suggested that those who are not entirely comfortable sporting a velvet outfit (sometimes it can be quite unflattering) could subtly embrace the look with the aid of a velvet fedora/jewellery/bag. It doesn't have to be an in your face statement. Vogue recommend investing in the "Rabbit Felt and Velvet Hat" by Maison Michel for $950, which is ridiculous! Pop down to H&M and pick up a brilliant replica for £12.99.

Back in September I wrote a post called Turkish Delight and I spoke about my love for a particular bohemian lifestyle that resembled Turkish and Moroccan markets.I also think this post has something similar to offer in that velvet co-ordinates this style effectively. If you need any more encouraging on the effects refer back to the previous post (link above). 

Love C X 

Full Tweed Ahead

In my last post I spoke about Tartan and how each season the infamous print reappears throughout stores, magazines and editorials on a global level (Clash of the Tartans). Another vintage rebirth has taken place with the explosion of Granny Chic, reinforcing tweed as "back with a bang". Winter 2013 invites another dimension to the classic look with the "berry" approach. Warm and rich tones are a given in the harsher crisp months and this subconsciously forces us to to reach for red, olive and maroon shades. 

It wasn't until I sat down to write this post that I realised how much tweed I have actually bought over the past few weeks (particularly in grey); two coats, shoes, bag and dress. Most of these items are from Penneys/Primark purely because of its incredible value and the stock has significantly improved over the years. Some items are practically identical to stock in shops such as River Island, Warehouse, Topshop, and at just a fraction of the price. If you are going to invest in any tweed piece this winter I would recommend a coat, I did and I am so happy that I did. I got mine from Penneys for 25 Euro and is featured below. Another beautiful tweed coat that I would recommend is from Oasis, also featured below and priced at 79 Euro.

The best thing about investing in tweed staples is that they are items which can be worn repeatedly over the next few years. I'm obsessing over this look at the minute and keep an eye on my Instagram account for images of my latest tweed pieces @CiCiJewels .

 

Love C X 

Roll Up, Roll Up......

It's always this time of the year that I get obsessed with the weather. Autumn is without a doubt my favourite season. The dark evenings, crisp air and smothering fog, all contribute to my love for October. Another reason is the fact that I now get to break out some chunky knit! As much as I love warm summer evenings, maxi skirts and denim shorts, there is nothing quiet like the feeling of cosiness when you have a thick jumper on, sitting by the fire, drinking some tea and wathcing a movie (I have been doing this a lot lately). But today I am here to speak of my new craze which is over the knee knit socks. I have had a grey pair which have been sitting in my wardrobe for years, and it is only in the recent weeks that I have actually used them, and now I am hooked. 

Mine were bought in the River Island sale about two christmases ago, and thankfully the shop still stock them at this time of the year. Dark winter colours such as ruby, brown, black and olive green are all on my wishlist of styles to pick up. So far I have only managed to tick off grey, but this has increased my passion for socks in general (I never thought I would say that phrase!). Working in River Island means that I know alot of the stock like the back of my hand, and at the minute there are amazingly designed socks that I just cannot get enough of. These days I tend to wear boots all the time and my socks seem to poke out of the top of my shoes, so I may as well invest in nice ones. Thankfully, the socks from River Island are 3 pairs for 9euro.

All above socks are available from River Island 

The above "Over The Knee" Socks are avilable form River Island 

Topshop also have some great stocks available from what I could see online, but I am not too sure what stock is available in the shop. Although I am really just describing this as a lounge look for the house, I also really like the idea of wearing over tights, now that it is getting really cold as well. 

I am absolutely trying this look over the coming weeks and I'll make sure to instagram pictures (@cicijewels) so keep an eye out! 

Love C X