DIY Stud Wedge High Tops

Last year I wouldn't be caught dead sporting a pair of trainers trotting down the street. However the genius that is Isabel Marant has incorporated a hidden heel into a pair of high tops! I've been wanting them for some time now but the challenge of saving £440 was beyond me and then emerged the high street equivalents! And despite being truly clever, functional and fashionable - I fear this trend might be a one hit wonder in my wardrobe so the high street has as always completely satisfied me. Here's a few you can find about:

I chose to invest in the ones from River Island for £40 as they were super comfy and fitted well. And of course I couldn't resist my usual urge to stud them up and here's how I did it:

 This was super fun to do and I feel ace walking around in these babies but please know that while images suggest otherwise, this is a 2 person job (somebody needs to hold the shoes down and someone strong needs to do the drilling....) and don't do them on your dining room table unless you want tiny holes through the wood!

Scallop Cut

 A Fashion Crowd First sporting flats in an OOTD post but these sparkly flatforms have been my wardrobe life the past few weeks. They're super comfy and nude so pretty much with go everything. I picked them up from Forever21 back in February on a weekend trip in Belgium. It was snowing at the time! glad I saw the potential :)

 Today I'm wearing: H&M Scallop pink shorts, Forever21 flatforms, River Island dip hem tee, ASOS horn necklace and eBay quilted bag.

High Hem

Today's the first day this year I've braved bare legs. But it had to be done. My dress wouldn't cope with covered ones and I've been dying to wear this one for a few weeks now. It's a dress-up-dress-down kind of dress and that's not the best bit - you can have a serious monster day and nobody has to know. Only down side to this dress: it's bloody long. I'm wearing whack off heels and it's dragging....

 Today I'm wearing: Love Label Dress, vintage white leather jacket and a mermaid green shiny Luella bag

Pink Elephant

 This season I've taken a serious turn to the pink and it's becoming increasingly normal to hop out the house wearing pink head-to-toe... Although I doubt it'll ever be an alternative to leopard print.

Today I'm wearing: pink sweater from Topshop, Primark baroque print shorts and pearly necklace, and eBay boots

Yes that would be me swinging from a tree in heels....my upper body strength (or lack of) is shocking for the size of my guns.

SKIN

Today I'm Wearing: Topshop faux fur jacket, H&M lace vest, Urban Outfitters side split skirt, vintage belt and bag, and eBay boots.

So I've got a giant bag of beautiful clothes I refuse to throw away because I keep telling myself they'd be perfect if I changed the shape/added belt loops/shortened the length/added a giant side split.

I've finally invested in a sewing machine and spent this weekend teaching myself how to use the thing and today I'm wearing my first ever alteration! This skirt used to be a maxi (3 inches too long, even in my highest heels) and I've altered it to a midi length which is more current. I also made the slit higher too so I can get my leg over my bicycle and cycle in it. Wow I love it when function meets fashion!

Jewellery is from Freedom @ Topshop

Life is a Festival

Photo Shoot: Moroccan Traveller

Photographer :: Sarina Scheepers

Model :: Katie @ Oxygen Model Management 

MUA :: Justyna Ilczuk

This month I styled a test shoot for Oxygen Model Management. The theme was creatively put together by the photographer, Sarina Scheepers and together with a wonderfully talented MUA, Justyna we created a gorgeous shoot.

key words: sugar and spice, exotic, magic, jewel tones, gold, beads, warrior princess, wild, freedom.





Mood boards, and prep work

  



Free your Mind and the DRESS will Follow

 Today I'm Wearing: mock-croc clutch, H&M long cardigan and gold chain, TOPSHOP dress, and Irregular Choice shoes.

This recent Topshop dress is amazing: super light, comfortable and has contrasting prints on the front and back panels which makes it more interesting. The front (seen above) is a silky flowered print and the back is a cool retro repeat print of grey diamonds and circles. Long necklaces are my favourite as they instantly slim down and elongate a short torse and I've jazzed up this grey outfit with some of my Irregular Choice shoes in a hope it will also jazz up this grey weather....

Bend Me, Shape me

The past few months have been full of changes in lots of areas and although I'm not blogging as much as I'd like (due to an absent boyfriend/photographer and a serious lack of Internet) here are some of the most exciting things going on the with world of Fashion Crowd:

Inspiration (above) - new projects for fashion, my friends and what they're sporting, and a recent trip to a NAP sample sale has really got me excited about fashion and how it can be incorporated into both my wardrobe and styling projects.

Re-inspiration - going through my closets back up north in my home town I've rediscovered a load of old things which have re-inspired my wardrobe too!

My Personal Style (above) has changed quite a lot recently - now my hair is longer (finally) I've been able to experiment more and there has also been the recent fringe cut in. It was meant to be a Zoey Deschanel type thing but it turns out that it just makes me look more Asian and the maintenance is tiresome. If you like you hair sans fringe, don't get one cut in!

My work  (above) Style is ever evolving especially since I've been exposed more so to some great photo shoots including a Mary Katrantzou and a Peter Pilotto shoot for Moda Operandi - one of the fastest growing online fashion boutiques at the moment. Making mood boards is half the fun - brainstorming looks, colours, combinations of clothes and accessories is so enjoyable; then putting them into action watching it come together is super satisfying.

Life - the snow, birthdays, moving house, art exhibitions, family visiting have all played a massive part in the Fashion Crowd aesthetic.

NEON BOHO

This spring I'm so excited about the spacey shiny trends and the neon brights found all the over the high street at the moment. Today I'm wearing a neon pink, mullet-hemmed dress from TOPSHOP. It's a really special day today - I'm wearing bright colours to honour the life of someone extremely special in my family and we celebrated her life this afternoon.

 Dress - TOPSHOP

Bag - CHANEL

2 flower headbands (worn as an armband) - Primark

Metallic shine coral sandals - Dorothy Perkins

Wet look leggings - H&M

Screwed, Blued and Tattooed...

It's sunny in London today but not so hot to go bare legged. These fun tattoo-esque tights are a great way for an extra layer on your legs but also maintaining the spring vibe. These Cut off Levi's were once customised with blue lace frilly fringing and this season they've been updated again by removing the lace and taking another inch from the length to show the pockets underneath.

I'm also wearing my favourite vintage tee - its got a cut out neckline and beaded gold and pearly - so no need for accesorising! 

Today I'm wearing : Levi's cut offs, vintage tee, Topshop tights, Versace belt, Topshop clutch/laptop case and Primark wedges.

MIA

It's been yonks since my last post but between moving house (a mammoth task when it appears shoes and clothes are coming our of your ears) and going away to Portugal for a week, blogging had to take a back seat. This week I've been unpacking everything and re-discovering old items. With the weather taking its first steps into spring, here's what I've been wearing this week.

DIY CUT OUT Denim shirt

 This week I customized a men's denim shirt - I've been searching charity shops and vintage markets for ages looking for the perfect denim shirt and in the end I gave up and bought a men's one from Primark. Cut out has been really popular for a few seasons now and its a really cool way to feminize a shirt as it shows a delicate part of the female body. This shirt is oversized on purpose: so that it could be a  casual mini dress or so that I can tie it tight at the waist and wear it with some high waisted trousers.

Below I've shown how to make this shirt - but if you like what I've done here I'm selling these shirts for £20 and they come in an array of designs - with/without studs, pearl trimmings, lace, fringing etc.

DIY silk organza skirt

Jacket - vintage :: Top - Urban Outfitters :: Leggings - Primark :: Shoes - ASOS

Foil nail art - Primark

Nail Polish - Misguided

Ring - Primark

Today I'm wearing my new DIY skirt. Roaming around some cool fabric markets in West London the other day, I was drawn to this gorgeous silk organza in loads of different colours which really inspired me for a an ethereal-themed photo shoot coming up soon. I was also attracted to the black as it highlighted more the silhouettes created beneath the material. So I ended up buying several bags of silk organza and that day I made a skirt from the leftovers. It's actually a belt with a load of material sewn on it, and I 've had compliments all day which makes me think other people might want to wear one too! If you're interested in owning a fabulous skirt stitched together Frankenstein-style (no really, I've recently invested in a sewing machine so its better than previous projects!) then do not hesitate to contact me.

If you prefer different designs on the belt, different colours or a different shaped skirt then it can happen!

Spread

Some very exciting things are happening at the moment and I'm about to burst. So to save ourselves some splattered fashion crowd on the white walls of some flat in Shepherds Bush I'll let you in on my exciting new service I'll be providing. Further to styling magazines and commercials, I'm also dipping my toe into the personal styling world! So if you're in need of any styling advice for an event, the current trends or what suits your body shape just get in touch!! IT'S FREE I'm also offering personal shopper trips for a small fee and more details will be available when you give me a shout. I've already begun doing bits and so hungry for more.