J. Crew choose London as first European store location

American casualwear giant J. Crew is set to open a store on London’s famous Regent Street. Following the success of the discreet opening of a small menswear store in Bloomsbury on the 10 October J. Crew are soon to open the UK flagship store on the 8 November which has taken much more attention of the public.

The store is set to stock both male and female clothing with separate entrances for each. As this is the first physical J. Crew store to open outside of North America the brand is taking a large step towards globalisation. J. Crew is a highly rated American brand known for its smart and expensive style and is appreciated by many including Michelle Obama, Sarah Jessica Parker and Bradley Cooper. After the success of catalogue and ecommerce in Canada and some European countries it was decided they would cross the pond and expand into the UK. Also set to open a Women’s Boutique in Chelsea at a later date J. Crew will have opened three new stores across London in the autumn season alone.

'It's the next chapter in our growth and our future. It's an important flagship location on arguably one of the most important streets in one of the most important locations in the world.' Millard “Mickey” Drexler, J. Crew’s chairman and chief executive officer told WWD.

Taking up two floors of the 17,000 square ft store previously occupied by Burberry J. Crew are set for success in the UK this Christmas, let’s just hope they keep it up in 2014.

Regent Street store

Menswear Store

Winter is Coming

Reminder: the clocks are moving back tomorrow and we all know what that means... an extra hour in bed. Result! However it also means that winter is here. Of course I love Summer. Warm, light evenings and summer holidays abroad (duty free fragrances) not forgetting festival fashion and the bikini shop that takes no less than a full day, high waisted? swim suit? strapless? It is a very important decision. However there is something special about Winter, I adore cosy nights in front of the fire snuggled up in a blanket and getting wrapped up in a thick coat and fury hat for a walk in the snow. Plus I am a Christmas freak! everything about it, I just can't get enough.

And now a very big Autumn/Winter decision is upon us. Winter coat, which one?

Three points we all have to take into account when making the selection:
1) The colour, will it go with one outfit and then clash with every other item of clothing
2) Warmth, is it actually going to do the job? (not that this usually stops us)
3) Most importantly, is it going to make me look fabulous?

I have done some scouting online and have found that Zara is nailing it this year, with a large variety there is literally a coat for any occasion. Here are a few that I found which I particularly liked and as I am making my purchase on Sunday I will keep these in mind.

Zara £89.99

Zara £99.99

 

Both of these look like they tick all three of my boxes, especially the black coat. On Sunday there is a very big chance I will be bragging about that purchase

 

 



River Island £60.00

I don't usually shop at River Island as the look is not really my style but I quite like this jacket. I think it could look cool with some plain black skinny jeans and some heeled boots. Plus you don't see many people around wearing a jacket of this style which is always a good thing. Unfortunately I don't think this would be warm enough once we hit December/January.



Topshop £85.00

This coat looks so cosy I just want to cuddle up to it. I imagine myself trialling the Christmas markets in this beauty, Wintery colours which is great and the fact it has browns and blacks in it I am sure it would go with most things. If I find this in store I will definitely be trying it on.

Happy Winter coat purchases bloggers!

Yours Fashionably
Sarah Victoria
 

Frank Bar

This weekend I took a trip home to see my family, friends and boyfriend. It is always weird when I go home to Cheshire as I expect there to have been a drastic change while I have been away, but everything is always exactly the same which I suppose is nice.

So I am sure most of you are subscribed to one of those voucher websites that send you roughly one million emails a day telling you that you get 40% off a memory foam mattress. Well I am signed up to Groupon, they are terrible for bombarding you with emails and I instantly regretted signing up when my inbox filled almost a minute after tapping in my email address. But occasionally, VERY occasionally they actually provide some very good deals and this was one of them.

Frank Bar and Diner - Shrewsbury

The Groupon included an appetiser platter and two cocktails which we could chose from the whole menu (very wide range of cocktails) so me and my boyfriend decided to get a bit dressed up and take our chances that it wasn't going to be a dive. Once we got in there it was actually very quirky. The theme was an American diner so there was booths and tall tables with stools. We went at 8pm so the lights were low and the music was fairly loud as it turned from café to bar in the evening.

 

I love places that are a little different, the décor was rock n roll style with spray painted car parts pinned to the wall and framed images of icons such as Amy Winehouse. When I went to the toilet I walked through one of the rooms and they had a projection wall with rock music videos playing as people relaxed with their drinks.

When our platter of BBQ ribs, pulled pork and cheesy nachos and mini burgers came we did agree it was a heart attack on a plate but we gave it our best shot after working our asses off in the gym all week. It can't be all work no play after all. I would recommend Frank Bar and Diner if you like to go somewhere with a bit of character but if you fancy a romantic, classy restaurant with nice food then this is not the place. The cocktails were delicious so I would head back here for drinks but I probably wouldn't eat again as I quite like my healthy heart!

Enjoying a well earned cocktail

He was happier than he looks

 
 
 
 
 

 

Some pictures from inside


 

Yours Fashionably

Sarah Victoria

Captain Phillips

 

 

Certificate: 12A          Running Time: 134 minutes           UK Release date: 16th October 2013

 

Plot

Based on the true story of an American cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates in 2009. Tom Hanks plays Richard Phillips, captain of said ship who is captured and held hostage where the pirates motives continuously get out of hand until the US Navy step in and take control.

 

 

Review

This action adventure kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. Luckily the action pretty much starts straight away so we didn't have to sit through an hours worth of build up. Although the trailer gives away some of the conclusions there are still plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. If you are into action packed movies then this is the perfect film for you and the fact it is based on a true story just adds to the adrenaline of the plot. The director Paul Greengrass (Director of the Bourne films) uses a range of shots and camera techniques to increase the intensity of the situation, one of which is shooting with hand held camera which some people may not rate as highly as others but I personally thought it was well suited in this genre of film. Just when you think Tom Hanks has peaked in his acting career he continues to knock out another Oscar winning performance. His portrayal of the character in the final scene is nothing short of incredible and when reading other reviews seems to have left a mark on quite a few hearts as many people have commented on how memorable the scene is. After reading several articles it is apparent that this scene was spontaneously filmed after Hanks and Greengrass discussed that the film needed an emotive scene to show the different angles of the story.

 

I highly recommend this film to anybody. It was nice to see a diverse range of ages in the cinema watching this from teenagers to people over 70. So everybody get down to your nearest cinema, grab some popcorn and sit back and enjoy (although you can't really relax through all the action).

 

Yours Fashionably,

Sarah Victoria

 

Parker Fitzgerald

During my two years at college I studied a-level photography, throughout my studies a came across SO many amazing photographers some of which have already been mentioned on my course at University. One photographer sticks in my mind though and that is Parker Fitzgerald so I thought I would look in to his work in even more depth than when I studied the subject. I have spent a good 40 minutes just looking through his images and work and it completely stopped me in my tracks. His images are timeless and relatable to so many people of all ages and I think that is what makes them so exquisite.

If I had to describe his body of work briefly I would say it is like the most incredible Instagram profile I have ever seen. I love the fact he takes a stunning picture whether its a countryside landscape or quirky portrait and then adds a meaning full quote. It adds so many angles to the meaning of the photograph, his images are deep and that is why I adore them!

They also make me want to go to a forest (primary location for most of his shots) and find all of the beautiful people he photographs.

 

 

 I think this proves that the work of a great photographer can open your mind on so many different levels. Such creative talent! Plus, doesn't Amanda Seyfried look gorgeous?

Yours Fashionably
Sarah Victoria

All Imagery by Parker Fitzgerald

ChristMAC List

It is hard to ignore the sudden craze for bold lips, this is one trend I definitely haven't been fighting! I am newly obsessed with slightly darker lipsticks than I would opt for in the past as I used to only sport a nude or coral coloured lippy but everything changed after I experienced wearing a bright red or even dark purple to mix things up and fell in love.
So this Christmas I would like Santa to bring me two MAC Cosmetics Lipsticks that I have been crushing on for long enough. The first is called Lush Life, it's a very bold purple colour that is super gothic. It is in the MAC Mineralize Lipstick section, this one lipstick contains 77 minerals to keep our lips hydrated and ready for any mistletoe coming our way (we can hope).
 
Lush Life MAC lipstick 
 Secondly, another lipstick called Ruby Woo, recently found to be Paloma Faith's favourite lipstick and also sported by celebs such as Kylie Minogue and Rhianna. This colour is ruby red with a matte finish which personally I prefer over a shimmery style lipstick or gloss. MAC lipstick is a blessing, we may be paying the premium but it is definitely a case of 'you get what you pay for' and forking out that extra £5 will be worth it when the lipstick is still in tact with no lines or clumps!

Ruby Woo MAC lipstick

I just hope I am not on Santa's naughty list this year.

Cocktail o Clock

I have to say, moving to London has been a pretty scary experience. Learning the way around a whole new place and considering I am from a small town in Cheshire I am a typical country girl moving to the city... lost! We all know the phrase 'It's a small world' well luckily a very old friend from home also moved to London to study fashion last year and we decided to meet up for a catch up and a drink.

Our original plan of a catch up cocktail later turned in to a three bar adventure across London when three and a half hours later I realised I definitely had to run to catch the last train (which I missed, but that's a whole other story). She introduced me to some incredible bars and it opened my eyes to the amazing city of London, there are so many little places you wouldn't even know were there!

Bar number one: Sketch

This place was amazing, from the front it looks like just your average London bar however after walking through the very up market restaurant you come to a large white sphere with a black hole at the front...yes, that is the bar! 

 
 
 

I was probably more blown away by the toilets (far left photo) the separate cubicles were small pods and literally everything was white! I loved it.

Bar number two: Barrio Central

This place has been described as a smaller, cheaper version of Mahiki. Apart from the severe lack of phone signal I really enjoyed it and for a Thursday night the bar was PACKED. They played a variety of music  from Beyoncé to Michael Jackson which I like as I get bored of one style and I love all sorts. The drinks weren't too expensive considering it is central London and the staff were so friendly.



Bar number three: SushiSamba

Based on the 39th floor in the city centre this bar is located next door to The Gherkin and once you're up on the 39th floor (after a trip in the lift which slightly reminded me of the Tower of Terror in a weirdly good way) it looks tiny. After we mulled over the cocktail menu for a while nothing jumped out at us so we asked the bar tender if he could rustle up a French Martini and Raspberry Mojito and he was happy to. We sipped our drinks whilst looking at one of the most unbelievably stunning views I have ever seen. I am in love with this place I insist every single one of you go ASAP!

 

Yours Fashionably,

Sarah Victoria

Culture Cat

On my day off this week I thought I would take a little trip into London to visit some exhibitions. After our lecturer pointed out that we have a beautiful city on our door step and we should appreciate it by going to lots of events and "get cultured". I've always quite enjoyed museums, displays and shows so I thought I would independently go and educate myself.

First I ventured to Club to Catwalk at the V&A, a fashion exhibition based on the Punk era and fashion in the 80s. Featuring many collections by high flying designers of the time and also specific items that were popular such as the inflatable rain jacket which I have to say I would find hard to deal with. It also covered other gems of the 80s such as; John Galliono, The Face magazine, Vivienne Westwood and many more. The fact they were playing popular hits by Michael Jackson and 'sweet dreams' by Annie Lennox. 

Then I went to Only in England that was showing in The Science Museum. It featured Martin Parr photography of whom I absolutely adore! I have followed his documentary style photography for years now but this exhibition contained images that I had never seen before and I thought they were all amazing!! I must say I wasn't a massive fan of the page from his diary including his observations of Northerns and as a Northern girl myself I was not happy! I will forgive him because he's so talented though. 

Yours Fashionably,

Sarah Victoria 

Posh is set to 'Spice up our lives'

Gone are the days when Posh could only get into Fashion Week as Katie Holmes plus one, since then Victoria has made her own (very successful) name in fashion as a designer for her exclusive fashion brand and has definitely earned her own invitation. She rocked up for a meeting at the British Embassy in Paris which coincidently happened to fall on Paris Fashion week looking as incredible as ever.

Showing that simplicity is key, she swapped her signature little black dress which made her the role as ‘posh spice’ for a sophisticated black jumpsuit adding minimalistic accessories and keeping her style very much on trend with a sleeveless beige trench coat.

 She has also recently announced her new collaboration with the online chat service Skype to bring us a ‘fly on the wall’ style documentary about her 5 years in the fashion industry. After Victoria admitted Skype played a part in her exciting journey of setting up her business to allow her to contact her studio when she was abroad, Skype jumped at the chance to be a part of the documentary. Skype spokesperson says ‘We’re thrilled to be a part of the Victoria Beckham story, and look forward to sharing it with you soon’. As the Beckhams have always been a mysterious family it will be interesting to find out more and maybe see past Victoria’s renowned pout. Plus, tuning in to gaze at David Beckham certainly can’t be a bad thing ey, girls?!  

Yours Fashionably,

Sarah Victoria