The secrets to French style - my top tip!

Few do it better than the French women when it comes to fashion. Their style might be simple, but even so it’s so stylish and chic.

They’re known for sporting styles such as the sophisticated trench coat, the simple white shirt, classic knitwear, the Breton stipe, timeless ballerina shoes, denim, and of course the little black dress.

Have you ever heard of La Redoute? This French fashion brand has just created an amazing site for inspiration and style tips on French style, called The Secrets to French Style. It guides you through 7 different styles of a typical chic French fashionista, and as part of this I have been asked to share my favourite style tip with my lovely readers.

So, here it goes…

My top style tip is… shoes!  

Don’t worry, I’ll elaborate... A pair of shoes can make or break an outfit, so it’s important that you choose the right pair for what you’re wearing. 

Are you wearing a neutral outfit? 

Then spice it up with a pair of colourful shoes! 

Do you happen to have a pair of shoes the same colour as your handbag? 

Make sure to wear the two items together to bring them both out in your outfit! 

Leather shoes combined with a leather belt?

For god's sake make sure it's the same coloured leather!

What to wear with skinny jeans?

Heels will always be the perfect match. 

Going to a garden party?

Avoid stilettos as these will sink into the grass, and opt for a pair of wedges instead.

What about shoes for a maxi dress or flowing skirt?

 A pair of classic ballerina shoes will make the outfit look effortless, girly, and a little bit bohemian.

Sneakers and trainers?

Leave them where they belong - in the gym!

And last, but most importantly...

DON'T buy a pair of shoes if you can't walk in them! It doesn't matter HOW gorgeous they look on the shop shelf - limping is not attractive!

 

For my outfit today I’ve chosen to go for the typical Breton striped top in white and black (from Jane Norman), and as you can see I’ve matched this with my black and white shoes from Dolcis. The overall colour scheme is very neutral, but the white and black contrast in the top and the shoes really stand out anyway.

My classic denim jeans in a pale grey hue are from Next, and the cropped black leather jacket is from Vero Moda.

And when it comes to "fake" French style (because I'm Swedish, and not an elegant French woman...) there's nothing wrong with throwing in a classic French landmark in your outfit. Yes, which one am I talking about? :P

This silver Eiffel Tower charm with the matching bracelet is from Links of London.

 What's your top tip for French style, and style in general?

Do you agree with the style tips on La Redoute's site The Secrets to French Style? 
Keep an eye on their facebook page as the clothes in these style examples will be given away in competitions shortly. Exciting times!

Today I'm Me designer clutch bag Giveaway

Jeans and a casual blazer... again!

How do you spice up an everyday and not very special outfit like this one...?

 ...With a splash of colour in the form of a handbag, of course!

Or in this case, the Colour Me Orange clutch bag from the popular London brand Today I'm Me.

This clutch bag in a 3D design is completely flat with a choice of hooking on a shoulder strap.

It comes in a number of different colours to suit most people's style (or mood). 

I probably wouldn't use it for everyday purposes as you can't fit much in it, but it's a great statement bag to wear on a night out, and can easily hold your essentials such as your phone, bank card, keys and makeup.

Today I'm Me was nice enough to gift me with this bag, and the reason I chose the orange version is because it will be lovely for summer, and all the bright outfits.

 Today I'm Me also sent me a second bag of the same style, but in the limited colours of yellow and blue. This bag is very suitable for me as it's the colours of the Swedish flag.

And... although I could just choose to keep both bags myself, I'm not going to be that greedy, but I've decided to give one of these bags to one of you lovely readers! :D

The lucky winner of this giveaway can choose any of these Colour Me clutch bags.

Do you prefer the orange or the yellow and blue one?

All you have to do to get a chance to win one of these bags is to enter the giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget below. 

The more entry options you complete - the higher the chance to win!

The giveaway is open to all worldwide, and I will personally post the bag to the winner.

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com

Nails of the week: Graffiti

There have been a lot of nail polish posts on the blog lately. What can I say – I’ve entered some kind of nail polish crazy period, I guess.

I just have to show you a couple of my latest polishes which work absolutely great together. I think this is my favourite combination so far this year.

I’ve used Barry M Berry Ice Cream nail paint as a base, and Seventeen Off the Wall Graffiti in monochrome (black and white) as the top effect.

 

This is what my nails look like with one single coat of Barry M Berry Ice Cream. As you can see, the colour is kind of see-through, and you can see my white nail tips through the polish.

 

Notice the difference between one and two coats of this polish! The nails on my ring finger and my little finger only have one coat, whilst the others are painted with two coats. Two coats is definitely needed with this nail polish, and it creates a lovely and full lilac colour. 

To make this week’s nails a bit more interesting I topped off the lilac with a graffiti style polish. This was the first time I tried Off the Wall Graffiti in monochrome by Seventeen, and I didn’t really know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised though, and am absolutely loving the black and white effect on the lilac base. Depending on how many graffiti pieces that ended up on the brush and on my nails, I applied one coat on some nails and two on others – it’s all about making it look the way YOU want it to, and I tried to get my nails as even-looking as possible.

 

What do you think?

As I mentioned before I absolutely love this quirky combination, and I’ve received lots of positive comments about my nails this week :)