My love of H&M

Lets just take a moment to think about how amazingly well H&M are doing on designing of their collections at the moment, don't get me wrong their clothes are always nice, but there always a trend and not lasting style. They are pieces that will be dated by next year, but for this Season they have stepped up there game and have brought us a collection that could be fit to rival high street gods Zara. With pieces that go amazingly well together but also fantastic, timeless pieces that can update any wardrobe. 

Probably the best part of shopping at H&M are the prices, garments are generally going to run at half the price of the clothes from Zara and a fraction of what a designer piece would cost, this works out in my head that I can buy twice as much, meaning it may be good for the bank balance, but not so good for my already obese wardrobe.

As I sit here typing this, I'm browsing thought their current catalogue, and it amazes me how easy they make it for people to find and choose the perfect outfit, so why don't people take notice (this rant is for another post). 

So I've picked from the website 3 of my favourite pieces. I could have went and picked 300 but for all intensive purposes I narrowed it down to a select few. 

First off I choose a pair of embroidered, ankle length jeans. I love the neutral colour, meaning that they will be a great addition to your wardrobe as most colours will go perfectly with them. And the length make them a great choice for summer.  (Currently £39.99 @ hm.com)

                                                                               

Secondly I went for this amazing flared skirt in a wetsuit fabric with beautiful lace effect perforations. I went for this skirt, as its something that can be dressed up easily with a crisp white blouse or down with combat boots and a casual parka.  (Currently  @ £14.99 hm.com)

Lastly I went for something that may be a little boring, but I decided to show it as its something that all you girls need, the one and only trusted 'little black dress', this dress summed up for me what this whole post has been about. Effortless and fabulous. (Currently £29.99 @ hm.com)

So until next time, enjoy your weekends 

JG

Xx

Instagram and Fashion

Instagram

In my opinion, Instagram is becoming the worlds best tool for inspiration in fashion. Everyday millions of  people from all over the world post pictures of themselves with hash tags like, #ootd #outfitoftheday, some meaby a little to excessively.

All of this means that out there in the vast world of hashtags, there is bound to be a like minded person to you. Someone that you can take inspiration from, or to get ideas on how to dress for your body shape, colouring, occasion or country. 

Instagram is an amazing bank of photographic knowledge, and a lot of people don't use it to their advantage. Sure it's fun to take pictures of yourself, add a filter and post it for friends to look at. But try searching for things by using specific tags, Figure out what it is that your looking for and enjoy searching. 

Make it easy for other like-minded Instagrammers to find you by making sure your tags describe your photo. Using very general tags like #photo might get you a few likes, but with over 700,000 photos tagged #photo, it isn’t the best way to make your photos stand out and connect with the people most like you. Relevant tags will help you attract new followers who will take a genuine interest in your photos and continue liking and commenting on your photos over time.

Showcase your style. Instagram users love to see your fashion, so embrace the #OOTD hashtag and share your personal style with your followers all the time. Try different angles, have a friend snap a quick picture for you, and embrace fancy mirrors, but above all enjoy it, because after all it is for fun. 

And of course make sure to follow me @astylistsopinion to stay up to date with everything. 

Until next time, 

Xx

How much is to much?

So I'm back after a long hiatus...

And to jump right in i want to talk about beauty, what it means to me. I know that's common fact that as human beings we can never be happy with who we are, both inside or out, that is what the multi billion pound beauty industry is for. 

Although not everybody takes their beauty regimen as serious as some, and at the same time others take it more serious than they should. I consider myself to sit with those who settle in between. Even though some might say that my collection of lotions and potions (inc. moisturisers, toners, exfoliaters, body butters, etc.) a bit excessive, I consider it perfectly necessary. If it wasn't for my 'beauty box' I wouldn't be fit to face the world on a daily basis.  

My whole point is, when does it all become TO MUCH. Today I decided to venture into a beauty clinic that specialises in Botox and Dermafillers and at the ripe old age of 20 had a quick consultation with the doctor describing that it is I wanted to achieve, and he basically told me that for a mere £200 I can have lips like Lana Del Rey and a forehead like Nicole Kidman. As unappealing as all of that may sound to most of you, for me it's a dream and I'm now walking the thin line of becoming the next Katie Price. I know the Botox at my age may sound dramatic, but for someone that's been using anti-ageing cream since they were 18 it's not really, the fact is in small doses it can be used as a preventative meaning, I'm going to save myself a fortune in 40 years when it comes time for a facelift, at the same time I'm happy enough with my 'OLAY Regenerist' for now. My main attraction to the whole thing is the idea, that I could finally have that full, voluptuous, Angelina pout that I've dreamed of for the longest time, in only 30 minutes. 

So as I debate weather or not to go through with this, I want to leave you all with one final thought, 'how far would you go in the quest for beauty?'. Let me know your answer in the comment section below, and until next time.

XX

JG

For the love of Birkin...

So to many it may sound weird, that a boy from Belfast can have such a deep and profound love for a handbag. But this is no ordinary handbag, it's more than just a handbag or the status symbol of a designer bag. It's a piece of art and a representation of all that I hold true to my heart, glamour, class and above all style (fashion fades, style is eternal-Karl Lagerfeld).

The Birkin by Hermès, handmade in leather and named after actress and singer Jane Birkin. The bag is a symbol of wealth due to its high price and elusiveness to the public, ranging from £6,000-£100,000 depending on the material you choose to have yours produced in. Since its first release in 1981, although free from any logo the birkin bag is one of the most recognised bags in the world.

A 21st century celebrity must have, Victoria Beckham is reported to have a collection of over 100 valued at around £1,500,000. Some may say that's a little excessive but I say not. I my not own a Birkin but I'm well aware that somewhere there is one that will one day belong to me or for all I know  I could one day have a collection to rival that of VB (here's hoping).

So what are your opinions of the Birkin bag, what are your favourite colours and what other bag do you think may even be better?

Until next time,

Xx

Off the runway....

For this season Marc Jacobs went all monochrome on us at Louis Vuitton, with checkerboards and stripes the collection was light and fun. I've put together a few pieces from the high street that have been inspires but the collection.

Xx

My best and worst dressed from the SAG awards x

Amanda Seyfried in an amazing navy Zac Posen mermaid gown. The hair, jewellery and makeup come together to make an absolutely beautiful red carpet look. X

Kaley Cuoco in a dress by Romona Keveza dress, this outfit is purely disastrous, the dress makes her look like a short stumpy man with wide shoulders, the hair would be beautiful with a pair of jeans and a black leather jacket not for a red carpet moment. This is the perfect example of where designers make dresses for 6ft5 girls and then don't alter them to fit the actresses that they are lending them to. Xx

P.s.

If you want to check out more of the looks from the night, hit up style.com.

Xx

Finally caving in...

For as long as I can remember it has been a huge dream of mine to one day I would do something in fashion, but for a long time I had no idea that I could actually make a career out of it. 

My name is John Gerard, and I'm an aspiring fashion stylist in Belfast.it wasn't until I was 16 and my friends and I were all deciding where we were going to go for work placement that I unearthed the fashion world in Belfast. Sean, my best friend has chosen CMPR a public relations company to go work for, and it just so happened he got the opportunity to work at one of the biggest events in the Belfast fashion calendar, Belfast fashion week. The stories that I heard back from Sean were so exciting that I couldn't wait to volunteer as a dresser at the next show. And at that my life began to unfold in front of me. I finished up school got my A-levels and went onto study fashion and textiles at BMC, along the way styling various photo shoots and fashion shows, all the time building up not only a contacts list but a friends list. Al of this has lead me to where I am now.

For a few years now friends and family have tried to persuade me to bite the bullet and start a fashion blog, until know I hadn't had the courage to take the criticism from people, but I'm getting to a point in my life where I need to forget about what other people thing and begin to forge my path in this dog eat dog world.

This blog is hopefully going to be my safe haven to vent my fashion frustration, give my opinions on the latest looks, what I think of the new ad campaigns and any other news worthy topics in the fashion world. My goal is to post at least once a week not including posts about events that I attend or special stories.

It's taken a lot of courage from my behalf to start off on this path, but its an exciting time for me and I hope you are all on for the ride (cheesy I know).

So here we go...

P.s. 

xx