EASY PEASY MANICURE

Wearing: Mood by Me shirt, complex geometries skirt, Nail varnish by Barry M and Chanel

The manicure I'm addicted to at the moment is this super easy DIY; you just cut triangle shapes out of masking tape and stick them over your cuticles, all you need to do then is paint over the top and peel off! I'm loving having the underneath triangle natural, but it would work so well with other colours too. So far this week I've had grey and then last night switched to navy satin, but what I'm really craving is a matt/shiny combo. I need to get myself some matt top coat ASAP!

DIY SPORTS LUX WITH COMPANY MAGAZINE

 Last month Company magazine asked me to take part in their DIY blogger challenge, as I was heavily inspired by Alexander Wang SS12 collection, I thought it would be fun to try and create a sports lux garment from the high street. I think this is the first DIY tutorial I'd ever done on the blog and it was pretty hard work punching all the holes! The shirt turned out great though and I'm looking forward to styling it with my wardrobe.

You will need:

• A mini punch set (can also just use scissors but this is better for precision)   

•  A wax chalk (melts under heat, leaving no trace) 

•  A hammer to punch the holes with the set 

•  A ruler to measure out your markings 

•  A cutting mat so you don't punch holes in all your furniture!

 So, using a shirt from American Apparel, I marked out roughly where I was going to punch my holes with my wax chalk and then got punching using one of the larger hole settings, using the cutting mat to ensure the holes don't go through to the back. When you're done iron your garment to melt any wax chalk away, leaving your new sports lux piece!  

The feature is in the June issue out now, I'd recommend buying it as there's a pretty sweet DIY tutorial from Kit making a Simone Rocha inspired clutch that's way cooler than mine! Let me know how you get on if any of you try something similar. 

Wearing: American Apparel collar top, mesh top and clutch, Dior shirt, Rachel Barett shorts, Nicholas Kirkwood shoes, borrowed baseball cap

Thanks Lexxi for the photos!

SHABBY BUT CHIC

Generally when people think of Religion they tend to think of All Saints; drapey, maybe even gothy and always selling a regurgitated version the same old thing. However when I went to the IPR press day I discovered Religion was luxurious, innovative and highly covetable. The ripped and fraying pieces caught my eye the most, especially the coral dress ripped all the way to the bottom. They have touched upon the beauty of destroyed and demolished clothing that is very visually appealing.

I'll be running into that store on Shoreditch High St as soon as S/S stocks!

The Damir Doma - 'Silent' line also took my fancy with prices as low as £29 for a distressed tank top! I adore Damir Doma but they're mainline prices are way too pricey for me. 

The Silent collection is currently stocked online at oki-ni and Oak, but I can't wait for the S/S collection to hit the stores, especially those shoes!

Edun was another designer venturing on the DIY laddering and knotting front at the Exposure press day. My favourite piece of all had to be the navy blue jumper laddered all over and accented with gold rings. Made in Africa with the mission to encourage trade to the country, Edun is eco-luxurious whilst still having that important 'cool' factor. Smart tailoring, perforated leather and easy to wear white drawstring shirts all caught my eye. 

Rounding up with my current major style crush, Tiffany Hsu wearing her Prada jumper.

As often happens on the blogosphere images get copied and pasted and the original photographer is lost. If anyone's knows who snapped these I'd be grateful to know.

Do It Yourself or buy in stores next S/S, it's up to you but I am completely obsessed with this trend. I think i'll be trying it myself and when that fails it will just about be time to buy it in stores!