Three stripes and you're in!-How Adidas is taking over the fashion world

There's an art to fashion clashing. To most of us it happens by mistake. Picture this. It's a beautiful sunny Sunday morning, but you wouldn't know because the curtains are drawn and turns out it's actually midday. You look down to notice you still have last night's dress on and funnily enough your eyeliner has managed to stay in tact. Shame about your red lipstick though, that disappeared after the third jaeger bomb! Your hangover screams for coffee but you've ran out of milk. You look at your shoe collection. It's either those torturous five inch heels you wore last night or your trusty Stan Smiths. I think we know what you're going to go for. Et voila you walk to Tesco looking unknowingly like a fashion vixen.

Yes, I'm talking about street chic clashing! And Europe's largest sportswear giant, Adidas, is at the forefront of it. Many of us thought that Adidas originals were a thing of the past or belonged to your local chav brigade down the park but funnily enough, along with the velvet scrunchies and baggy baggy pants, we only have to look around to see that the nineties is having a huge revival. Teens that never even had the pleasure of watching Kenan and Kel, Rugrats and Lizzie McGuire,  are drowning in the get ups. From make-up to hair and back to fashion it's all around us.

From being the first ever leather tennis shoe on the market in 1972, who would have thought that Adidas Stan Smiths would become nearly every super model's favourite run around shoe? Models such as Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Alexa Chung and Mirana Kerr have been spotted looking effortlessly cool as they pair their casual trainers with the most expensive designer creations on the planet.

In fact even the whole Kardashian Klan (including baby North!) have been spotted as serial Adidas fashion killas. The brand have made it possible for us all to earn our fashion stripes (quite literally!) with their Stan Smith and originals superstar collection.

They're unisex, comfortable and update just about any outfit. They're also perfect for casualising an otherwise very dressy look.

So, after spotting this trend from scrolling through my Instagram feed and noticing nearly every fashion blogger swearing by their iconic monochrome originals, I decided to do some digging to get the facts.

This graph from Google Trends proves that Adidas is breaking the fashion mould worldwide with a huge spike in people's interest from all over the globe in March/April 2016.


As you can see the top searched topics in relation to Adidas are originals and Stan Smith.


Check out these candid celebrity Insta pics for all your style inspo on how to slay not only your Adidas kicks but garms too.

yesterday

A photo posted by King Kylie (@kyliejenner) on Nov 14, 2015 at 10:19am PST

King Kylie is killing the minimalist look in this monochrome ensemble. And of course where better to show of your trainers than in front of this amazing street art?!

Shop my adidas look right from my app!

A photo posted by King Kylie (@kyliejenner) on Oct 29, 2015 at 12:08pm PDT

Loving this retro and laid back Adidas look

Native

A photo posted by Khloé (@khloekardashian) on Apr 4, 2016 at 2:46pm PDT

Big sister Khloe takes things up a notch by pairing her graphic hoodie with tight corn rows and mahoosive hoops!

Kourt x Khlo = Everything

A photo posted by Khloé (@khloekardashian) on Jan 29, 2016 at 5:22pm PST

Looks like Kourt is a fan of the plaits too! Khloe's varsity style jacket will add street cred to any outfit.

I'm not in the mood today.😝 Trying to motivate myself.

A photo posted by Khloé (@khloekardashian) on Oct 10, 2015 at 4:22pm PDT

I wish I looked this good when I'm not in the mood! This hoodie is the only motivation I need to hit the gym.

Get it in where it fits in.... #fitness

A photo posted by Khloé (@khloekardashian) on Sep 28, 2015 at 9:13pm PDT

Damn! She's at it again with the black and white combo. Love it.

Yeezy season got me in the Adidas mood .... Airport flow

A photo posted by Khloé (@khloekardashian) on Sep 17, 2015 at 7:19am PDT

Not sure if I'll be wearing this on my next Ryan Air flight but look how amazing her figure is! #slay

Can't think of an afterparty outfit that's more me.... @versace_official x @adidasoriginals (or of anyone else I'd rather have by my siiiide) 👯 @bellahadid #MetGala

A photo posted by Gigi Hadid (@gigihadid) on May 5, 2015 at 11:15am PDT

Ahh she's the coolest girl on the block and this is a perfect example of the effortless clashing I was on about! But then again its Gigi and she'd look amazing in a bin bag.

Off to shoot, BRB.

A photo posted by Alexa (@chungalexa) on Mar 14, 2016 at 10:47pm PDT

Holy smokes! Ms Chung uploaded this crazy hot pic of supermodel Gisele Bundchen letting her Stan Smiths do the talking.

Everyone needs a @bahge bag ❤️

A photo posted by Jasmin Walia (@jasminwalia) on Mar 30, 2016 at 10:00am PDT

Model and TOWIE star Jasmin Walia completely owns her full Adidas originals tracksuit and shows it's not just stateside celebs that are rocking it.

Todays extra comfy outfit 🙊 - details tagged! www.liketk.it/2cgPm

A photo posted by Y A S M I N E C H A N E L.  (@yasminechanel) on Feb 25, 2016 at 12:36pm PST

One of the UK's biggest fashion bloggers Yasmine Chanel puts a glam spin on her Adidas originals joggers by teaming them with a fur jacket. Daring!

😍

A photo posted by Y A S M I N E C H A N E L.  (@yasminechanel) on Feb 3, 2016 at 10:14am PST

My fave classic Adidas originals teamed with ripped jeans, it's a match made in heaven.

If you're itching to jump on this trend be sure to head to www.adidas.co.uk/superstar and remember... Stay classy ;)

'Despicable' Dress Code

Hi guys! I know, I know, its been ages since my last post ( 5 months and 5 days to be precise!) but I have officially achieved a 2:1 in my English degree! (yay me!) So that means no excuses to keep up with my blog posts. I have literally felt like a sloth these pasts few days which don't get me wrong is acceptable after working hard but all in moderation. I've been enlightened. It's time to work on my interests and more importantly make them known.
Now, not to toot my own horn ( but lets face it horns are made to be tooted) I have a habit of stumbling upon the latest fashion trends without even realising. Perhaps that's the daredevil in me? I always love to try new styles. Have I always got it right? Hell no! ( I have a pair of bright purple disco leggings in my wardrobe-WHY?!) but that's the whole point about fashion, its about experimenting. And the best accessory you can wear? Confidence.





My fashion credential was coincidentally on a high in this pic of me holding my beloved minion because yes, believe it or not The Minions have entered into the world of fashion and boy do they mean business!





Me and Stuart <3

After the success of Despicable Me, The Minions now have their own feature film in cinemas now and in true Hollywood style its leading stars Stuart, Bob and Kevin have become fashion icons- yes its true! They have influenced the likes of British designers Criminal Damage ( known for their cool street style), Giles Deacon and Piers Atkinson just to name a few. The Bello Yellow Collection has launched in Selfridges and its not too late for you to jump on the bandwagon. There are eccentric pieces for the brave such as the Minions Goggle Cap by Giles Deacon or the more wearable Criminal Damage pieces for the savvy street kids.

Piers Atkinson Goggle cap £305.00 Selfridges

 


My faves include the Minions sweatshirt and joggers by Criminal Damage which are ultra cute-rather than wearing them together and looking like a onesie I would probably wear the pieces separately to make more of a bold statement.








Cotton top and joggers £55.00 each Criminal Damage

The South Korean denim brand SJYP have also created an exclusive collection as it seems The Minions have officially brought back the denim dungarees (move over Bob the Builder). How cute is this navy sweatshirt?! Really get into character with a minion-esque fountain ponytail like the model below.




SJYP

Dungarees £320.00
Top £115.00 both SJYP at Selfridges

Whichever way you choose to dress 'despicably', one things for sure...you'll definitely look one in a minion!

Stay classy ;)

What's App with you?

Ahh WhatsApp. Beautiful technological invention or destroying relationships since 2009?


As with any new mode of communication, WhatsApp is like a yoyo. It definitely has its ups and downs! (Haha! Sorry) But first lets back track to 2009 where it all began...


Whats it all about?


I remember when I first got WhatsApp and it seemed like an ingenious idea! I mean why didn't I think of this? It's a no brainer. Being able to instantly send messages, images and video footage across all smart phones FOR FREE (so to speak) through the internet? Damn I could have been so rich that I would have had no need to write this blog whatsoever, I mean I could have just paid someone or something! Because yes, WhatsApp is currently worth more than a staggering $19 billion dollars after being bought by Facebook. Not to mention its users surpassing the 700 million mark! (Unfortunately still less than the amount of views that Justin Bieber's music video 'Baby' has on YouTube-which is more than a billion...gulp).


But now we've got the facts out of the way I want to dig into the nitty gritty. I'm talking,


Whats ap with WhatsApp?!


So it was R.I.P to MSN instant messenger (and those cringe worthy Hotmail names, yes MissSexy007 I'm talking to you!) and gone were the endless days of chatting to friends into the early hours about the most exciting and (lets be honest) tedious things going on in our lives.  Amongst the momentary jaw dropping gossip of who saw so and so with what's his face and OMG were his pants really that baggy?! were the more mundane fillers of  'BRB jus goin to the toilet' [comes back] 'O really? How wuz it?' because lets face it, none of our ordinary lives are THAT fascinating 24/7 unless your last name is Kardashian! (Apparently).


We grew up and the hottest celebrities grew down (sorry Bieber), suddenly it was oh so hipster of us to forget about MSN and take a breather from all this instant messaging lark until...


Low and behold MSN was resurrected and sprung on us like T-Pain in the form of WhatsApp. Hundreds of us began to brush up on our amazing self-made nicknames but wait, hold on a second. WhatsApp uses mobile numbers instead of email addresses?! BAM suddenly our actual names were cool enough. Say hello to the new world of sophisticated messaging, or so you would think!

Despite our English being restored to normality with the help of predictive text, 
WhatsApp's biggest pitfall (like MSN) is the dreaded miscommunication it brings with it. I mean the difference between 'okay' and 'K' is just shocking. The first is a standard and polite show of understanding and the latter is a fresh serving of overthinking on a plate! OMG Is he/she annoyed? Do they not have time for me anymore?! OR maybe more simply- they're about to mind the gap of a train or cross a road in which that 'okay' could have been the difference between life and death? (Woah, that was intense!)

Maybe that's more human nature than a technical fault but for gods sake WhatsApp! Those dreaded two blue ticks may have just added a 100th problem to Jay-Z's 99 because they are punch in the face! Our mostly innocent delayed replies scream 'I can't be arsed to reply to you yet'...of course that's not true, I meant to reply...honest! ;)  Those ticks put the instant in instant messaging, making non instant replies a felony!


Okay, okay, (not K god no!) minus these human blunders WhatsApp deserves credit for making our lives so much more easier and safer for that matter! I mean we can dwell on the beautiful past of writing letters by hand, a task which would minus those blunders since you are given time to think before you write, but being able to instantly message someone if you are in danger is vital.


On a lighter note its a hell of a lot faster to instantly ask someone out than delivering a letter that's for sure! WhatsApp groups are also an excellent way of communicating amongst our peers and colleagues (strictly business of course, no crude memes to be seen here). Also more excellent in fulfilling our banter needs :)


And so WhatsApp, you are amazing but please reply to this as soon as you receive because I can't bare to see those blue ticks...


Stay classy ;)

So-fierce interview with Nicki Minaj and Bruno Mars

Catwalk Cyborgs terminate the Clothes Show! They'll be back...

Okay so what we are dealing with are cyborgs. Perfectly proportioned models in cybernetic form that are sent from the future to save the fashion world one catwalk at a time... That's the only explanation I have which can account for those amazing abs you could grate your Cathedral cheddar on and those perfect peachy bottoms strutting down that catwalk at the Clothes Show Live 2014.

Earlier this week I entered the doors of the 26th year of the world's largest fashion and beauty festival and boy did it deliver! I remember a slightly less experienced fashionista attending in 2008 and I can say that in comparison this year's Fashion Show was of epic proportions- combining awesome graphics with slick dance routines and of course jaw dropping fashion. 

After a frustrating and slightly comical morning of late friends, a delayed mini bus journey and missing the fashion show as a result of it- all worked out for the best. 

We were boosted to platinum tickets!

Yes. We were sat at the steps of the Catwalk, so close we could almost feel the perspiration and smell the Tom Ford. 

The theme of the catwalk was New York and the show opened by transporting the audience into Times Square. The opening was very DKNY and the graphic backdrops along with the chic street looks really made you feel immersed in the hustle and bustle of New York. Many of the beautiful collections were inspired by Central Park, Broadway, Wall Street, Brooklyn Street Wear, 70s Disco and even Batman's Gotham City. 

Visually, one of my favourite collections was inspired by Wall Street. For me it captured an element of what fashion is all about, wanting to reach the top and using fashion as a tool to conquer your dreams. These women were all kinds of fierce and dressed to kill, ladies of the office take note! 

The choreography was as polished as Simon Cowell's teeth and having one of the models stick his tongue out at us was just an added bonus! These models were bulletproof. 

Gotham City was of course a highlight, who knew Batman was so fashion forward? Think black caped shirts and tailored skinny trousers, this was Batman taking a day off from beating the bad guys and going on a date with his Catwoman.

Once the battle of the goodie bags had finished outside the fashion show, one of my favourite areas was the vintage quarter and ASOS market place. It really summed up this generations take on fashion at the moment and that is-no rules apply! I will post my shopping haul very soon but for now...

Stay classy :) 

The Benefits of Benefit

Hello there! So first and foremost I must apologise for leaving you all hanging for I don't know...five months? Have you ever put something off so much that it turns into a fear you can't face? Yes I'm talking about procrastination! But I'll save that for another blog...


So, we're in the midst of the glorious British Summer and that means wedding season is here! For the ladies out there (and some men) weddings propose two major questions a) How do I perfect a Kardashian smoky eye?    and b) How do I make my hair as mullerlicous as Nicole Scherzinger? Well since the majority of us aren't fortunate enough to have on hand stylists what I can let you in on are the secret weapons that are fundamental to any party look, courtesy of Benefit makeup.

Benefit they're real! Mascara, push-up liner and remover

First up is the Arnold Schwarzenegger of all eyeliners because trust me its tough, waterproof and reliable, so say 'hasta la vista baby' to your current eyeliner!






Benefit they're real! push-up liner £18.50 @ Boots

Like Jessie J once said forget about the price tag for a second because what we are dealing with is the 'first ever lash-hugging gel liner in a pen'. I was slightly sceptical at first because the eyeliner pens I've used in the past always dry up but fear not Benefit has tackled this problem! It's unique formula is gel rather than liquid so you are in control of the liner rather than the other way round. The angled AccuFlex Tip is great for artists as you can apply the eyeliner both ways giving you maximum control even for the clumsiest hand! The gel itself is jet black so apply a thin line for day wear and layer up for an intense dramatic look by night. Now, if you're used to a liquid liner the Benefit liner will be a bit unusual at first because it applies almost like a kohl pencil so you have to co-operate with the pen for it to work, but trust me it'll become your partner in crime!




I have become quite an expert of the odd feline flick or two so my advice would be to apply it in two strokes. First extend your eyeliner up and outwards from the outer edge of your eye and mirror the same underneath, joining it to make a triangle (no illuminati). Then colour the triangle in for a perfect flick! The common mistake is trying to make a perfect flick in one stroke which is a lottery involving a mass of cotton buds, and will most probably leave you looking more like The Joker than Catwoman.

Step 1, 2 and 3
With step 2 don't be scared to extend the line upwards and outwards to create an eye lift rather than downwards which can make the eye appear droopy

Left eye- Benefit they're real! Mascara and gel push-up liner

Next is The Godfather of all mascaras-its bold, striking and definitely packs a punch! You've all heard of it and if you haven't please remove yourself from the rock you've been hiding under... It's the Benefit they're real! mascara and I have to say no other mascara will make your lashes defy gravity like this one! It's basic science-Benefit have combined the perfect formula to lengthen and thicken your lashes making them sky high and fluttery, a perfect substitute for false lashes.




Application-It's not rocket science! Apply as much or as little as you like for curves Nicki Minaj would be proud of.




Benefit have also released their own 'they're real!' make-up remover which is £14.50 @Boots to effectively remove the eyeliner and mascara which can be pretty stubborn! Great when you're wearing it but not so great when you want to remove it.  I tend to use mine alongside Simple face wipes which also do the job without breaking the bank!



My make-up at an Indian wedding using the Benefit 'they're real!' eye liner and mascara alongside the coveted Benefit blusher in Coralista and Benefit primer 'the Porefessional'. For extra drama add false lashes like I have below.

Before

After- Ooosh it didn't budge at all!



After (Post dance floor hair!)

Stay classy :)



Blog no.1-Steps to success

Okay so it's 1.29am. I have just been watching what my friend described as 'men fighting naked'...come again? Fear not fellow reader I was in fact watching the latest instalment of Monday Night Raw (WWE) whilst consuming beautifully marinated chicken tikka curry and pilau rice which took painstaking  hours to produce (In the Tesco factory that is!) Surely I should have been eating something a little more nutritious you might say? Well it appears this meal may have influenced my first blog post (bizarre) but it is rather the exiting events that required me to eat it!


Earlier my heart was racing, my palms were sweating, not to mention I was pacing the corridors and generally experiencing all the symptoms of nervousness. Why? I was minutes away from auditioning for the role of presenter at my University's first EVER Hindu Society Flagship event. The event is an amazingly organised ball called 'Naina' (meaning 'eyes' in Hindi') due to happen at the end of March. Many awesome talents will be showcased on the night and I am so excited for a special performance by Panjabi MC! (Fellow bhangra head). For me I think 'eyes' symbolise worldliness and not only do they provide a window to the world they provide a window into our soul (okay I'm getting way ahead of myself!). Now, this may not be MTV but the audition (I'll get to how it went) was extremely important to me and made me realise how crucial these stepping stones are to my future success (Cue nacho cheese). It made me think why do we put ourselves into these stressful situations where we can barely carry out the simplest biological function of breathing?


That's where the outcome of my audition comes in to illustrate why. Although I may not receive the role of presenter I had the satisfaction of testing my ability and proving to myself that I am capable of co-hosting an event in front of an audience of hundreds. I am able to make the judges laugh with my witty and smart jokes (thanks Dad!). It gave me a sense of empowerment and realisation that a presenter is 'What I want to be when I am older' (baby voice).


 On a serious note I want everyone to be able to feel the kind of satisfaction that I felt. Go on and risk those nervous symptoms for the thing you desire because even if the outcome isn't necessarily 'positive', even if you don't get that University place or you don't get that job role at least you know deep within you tried your damn best and perseverance is the key to success my friend.  Importantly, you need such opportunities of judgement to make you consider whether what you thought is your dream actually is or not As they say Rome wasn't built in a day...Even now I am in a wrestling match with my eyelids but I must finish this blog for my own satisfaction. As I said, all these events are steps to our success so never give up...




It's now 2.36am and I can sleep knowing that this will help forge the path to my desired career...


Stay classy :)


(Apologies for any spelling/grammar errors, I'm so tired)