Westfield Stratford's 1st Birthday Celebrations!

This weekend (21-23 September) Westfield Stratford City in East London is celebrating its first birthday! The circus will well and truly be coming to town as magicians, clowns and mime artists will be there to entertain the crowds, while it will be giveaways galore throughout the mall to make sure everybody gets a gift at this birthday party!

Stores such as Lola and Grace will be giving away free cupcakes and tote bags, while in True Religion, cocktails will be served while a DJ plays in-store, and you'll get a free gift with your purchase. Even Mulberry will be giving away free bags (albeit the canvas kind - no freebie Alexas this time!) and there will be free skincare kits from Dermalogica to ensure you look party perfect! There will also be reduced parking fees (information here) at the weekend to ensure you can enjoy the celebrations all day long. Click here to take a look at all the amazing deals on offer to you this weekend!

Of course, if you're going to a party, you'll need to have the right outfit. Luckily, the stores in Westfield Stratford City offer the best in fast fashion and new trends, so I've picked my perfect party ensemble from the shops at the mall!

Playsuit - Topshop. Bracelet - Lola and Grace. Lipstick - MAC in Sunny Seoul. 
Shoes - Forever 21. Clutch - New Look.

This is my party-perfect outfit that can transcend a day at Westfield Stratford into the bars and nightlife of surrounding East London! I love the wintry glamour of this midnight blue playsuit from Topshop. The mix of materials, from soft sheer sleeves to plush velvet, is sophisticated and glamorous, and the cheeky cut-out back is subtly sexy too! I've chosen to pair this playsuit with blush-pink tones to brighten up the navy and create a cute yet cool look. The studded platforms from Forever 21 may be a little impractical, but the stilt walkers will soon make you feel like you haven't a problem in comparison! The ankle strap and platform details make these shoes ultra-wearable and easy to walk in - although careful if you're running to find all the amazing deals on offer! 

A soft blush-pink envelope clutch from New Look leaves little room for your freebies, but if you stop by Lola and Grace to buy this beautiful floral bracelet, you can always pick up one of the free totes on offer, to stash the rest of the giveaway items available! I've finished off the look with this beautiful frosted pink lipstick, Sunny Seoul by MAC. And don't forget, all of these items are available in stores throughout Westfield Stratford City, so be sure to pop by between helpings of birthday cake pops and candyfloss, as these won't be around forever!

Will I be seeing you at Westfield Stratford City's birthday celebrations this weekend? For any more information on events, offers and goodies available, take a look here!

*This post is sponsored by Westfield.

London Fashion Week

Hello! Sorry I've been a bit MIA for a week or so, but I've spent the last week working at London Fashion Week and time has run away with me in terms of blogging. I was there writing and photographing for TellusFashion and had one of the best weeks I've ever had - in fact, I forgot that it was actually work!

I saw some amazing shows from up-and-coming designers; TellusFashion supports emerging brands so we had tickets for some rising stars rather than the big, established fashion houses. However, I did manage to get a ticket into the sought-after House of Holland show, after a charming man in the press room decided he'd rather not go and gave me the ticket! It was incredible by the way, all neons and 90s rave - not necessarily my cup of tea, but fabulous to watch. My favourite shows of the week were Krystof Strozyna, Timur Kim and the Ones To Watch showcase at Vauxhall Fashion Scout - Charlotte Simpson's goddess gowns were breathtaking!

I pondered posting separate posts every day with what I wore, but I think I've left it too late for that, so I've decided to give you it all in one go! Here we are...

 

Day One

Dress - 18 And East. Belt - Vintage. Boots - SoYou Shoes.

I absolutely love this dress! I saw it a few months ago on one of Emma's wishlists and adored it, but it was too expensive for me at about £45. A few weeks later, 18 And East had a half-price day specifically on this beautiful 'plate print' and I knew I couldn't resist it any longer! Add to that an extra 10% off voucher and one for free delivery, and it was mine for about £18. I've been in love ever since...

 

 

 Day Two

Dress - Topshop. Boots - SoYou Shoes.

I bought this dress on eBay a few weeks ago specifically for Fashion Week and I loved it on sight. I like the smooth shape of it and the soft glowing quality the material has! I got streetstyled in this dress a few times so it must be alright..! I wore this with my Internacionale quilted pleather jacket and a leather satchel from Gap (pictured somewhere below). Can't wait to wear this dress again!

Day Three

Dress - River Island. Belt - Vintage. Bag - Gap. Boots - SoYou Shoes.

Ah, love this outfit. This is the dress I bought for my 21st birthday and I've been longing to wear it again, so what better excuse than Fashion Week?! It's comfy and quite flattering with the slim cut of the waist and the slightly flared skirt. I love the lemony yellow too, it really brightened me up I think! This bag is one of the biggest bargains I've ever had. I found it in the Gap sale section about five or six years ago and couldn't stop stroking the leather, as it was so soft. It was reduced from £180 to £20 in the sale, so I snatched it up and have used it ever since! It's 100% calf leather so it will last me a good while, and the leather's only gotten better the more I've used it. Perfect for Fashion Week too, as it went with everything and had enough room for cameras, notebooks, food and goodies too!  

 Day Four

Blazer - Miss Selfridge. T-shirt - H&M. Leather shorts - H&M. Bag - Gap. Boots - SoYou Shoes.

I wore this outfit on Day Four of Fashion Week, where I had the morning and early afternoon off. I went to the V&A Ballgown Exhibition (no photos allowed, but Rose has some wonderful ones!) and to the Hummingbird Bakery in South Kensington. I also got a wander along Oxford Street, where I haven't been shopping for years, since before I left London! It was a comfy and practical outfit - I re-bought these shorts after regretting selling them on eBay, and bought this t-shirt years ago when I first started working in H&M. The blazer was a bargain in the Miss Selfridge sale about three years ago too - sorry all my outfits aren't current stock! I liked the fun flamingo print on the t-shirt (hidden by my hair, oops) with the harshness of the leather shorts and masculine blazer. What do you think?

Day Five

 Body - Primark. Skirt - Zara. Boots - SoYou Shoes.

I really liked this outfit! I bought this skirt a few weeks ago after checking in Zara every week to try and find my size - eventually I found this one in the sale for just £12.99! I love the colour and the frill detail, it really adds some shape and interest to a classic pencil skirt. I chose a plain, unfussy top to make sure all attention stayed on the skirt and I think this simple black body worked really well. It was a comfy and stylish outfit, although you can only take the tiniest steps in a pencil skirt! By day five my boots were so comfortable too; a little tricky to break in but so worth it, I want to wear them every day forever now!

So those were my outfits for Fashion Week. Which one is your favourite?

Laura Jayne xox

Team East, Team GB - Team London!!

Even before the Olympics began, I was proud to say I was a Londoner. Despite living in Scotland for the last four years, south-east London has always been and will always be my home and my heart, as desperately cheesy as that sounds. For that reason, I can safely say I am most definitely #TeamEast!

I’ve seen my beautiful city torn apart by bombs and fear, ravaged by riots and sneered at for daring to believe it could host the biggest and the best Olympic games of modern times. Yet from all this, I’ve seen it rise from the ashes to become bigger, better and brighter than it has ever been before.

Let’s be honest, not many of us were particularly looking forward to the Olympics. Most of us were set at the default option, that London and Boris could only mess it up. How wrong we all were. London did us all proud, wherever we are from. I am one of the lucky ones to be able to say my hometown has played one of the most important roles a country can have, and it played it to perfection.

I’ve been waiting for these games for seven years. In 2005, five members of my secondary school, a specialist sports college, were sent along with the Olympic committee to Singapore, to help put forward the case that our city could do it best. My school played a part in securing the bid, and I felt a part of it as much as anyone could, bursting with excitement at the times to come.

The day after the bid was secured, London’s celebrations were silenced, with the tragic 7/7 bombings. If nothing else, surely it was time for us all to prove that we could fight back, we could become stronger. We could make the world sit up and notice us, for all the right reasons.

While the naysayers carried on damning the games, claiming it wouldn’t be any good, it would cost too much, and the stadiums wouldn’t be finished on time, some greater force pushed ahead and somehow, everything came together. The stadiums were built, the flags were out. All the signs were in place that something big was on its way. The cost became irrelevant as the frenzy for tickets began, and excitement reached fever pitch as the countdown continued.

27 July 2012 – a day we should all be proud of. The world sat down to watch with us as we all held our breath and allowed ourselves to dissolve into the biggest show the country has ever staged. From that moment on, we couldn’t hold ourselves back. I didn’t know if I’d really get into the sports themselves, as much as I loved the idea of the games. But the second that they were broadcast, I, along with millions of others all over the world, was hooked.

Literally, I couldn’t get enough. Luckily, my job allows me to watch some TV while I work, so the games were on constantly. Swimming, diving, athletics, dressage, tennis, and gymnastics – I loved them all. I didn’t even mind that they’d ripped up a part of my beloved Greenwich Park for the equestrian events when we were doing so well in them.

Two things stood out to me beyond anything else. One was just how perfect my city looked. How much it’s grown and changed in the four years since I left it behind. Never mind the Olympic stadiums – there was so much more that London, especially the redeveloped East, had to offer to its guests. The Shard, the cable cars, the Cutty Sark’s rebirth, and the shiny new Westfield Stratford centre, so perfectly placed near the Olympic park for convenient shopping trips in-between events (don’t deny it, you know you would have if you could!), showing of the best of British style and industry. This industry and innovation, slotted into the gorgeous heritage of the capital, makes for a heady mix.

The second thing was the sheer patriotism. I think in the last few years, we’ve all been guilty of criticising our country too much. The games brought about something different. For the first time in my lifetime, I saw people proclaim their pride to be British. Not Scottish, English, Irish or Welsh, but British. People lined the streets to cheer on competitors, waving flags and screaming with joy when we won. We jumped up and yelled at the TV when we were on our way to yet another medal, and we clamoured to see every possible event we could. And we were all met with the same feeling on the final day of the games – a feeling of ‘what on earth will we do now?’

Well, I have a suggestion. Let's hold on to this feeling of intense pride and excitement, let's carry on loving our capital city and all it has given us, let's continue to be proud of where we come from. Let's believe that we can do anything we set our minds to, and let's look back on this summer with satisfaction and the knowledge that we can say, "I was there."

Have you signed up to Westfield's Team East vs Team West competition yet? Which side of London do you love the best? It's Team East all the way for me, but what about you?

I've partnered with Westfield to bring you this sponsored post, but all written content and opinion is my own.

ooh la la, i've fallen in love

 Body - Primark. Trousers and belt - Kelly Brook for New Look. Shoes - Internacionale. Clutch - New Look. Watch - Oasis.

To be honest, Kelly Brook is never someone I've looked up to or admired. Mainly I find her irrelevant and a teensy bit irritating, so I tend to avoid wherever possible. However, it's really quite difficult to ignore her range for New Look. It started with a range of elegant vintage-inspired underwear, all silk and lace and feathers, longline bras and highwaisted knickers and marabou slippers. And now Kelly's branched out into an actual clothes range. I didn't expect much but I was pleasantly surprised! Everything is designed clearly with Kelly's shape and personal taste in mind; the range is very 50s-inspired with plenty of cleavage-baring wiggle dresses and crop tops. Most of the range was admirable but not really to my taste (after all, who really does have the figure for a plunge crop top, other than Kelly herself?!) but I loved these highwaisted crop trousers on sight. 

Print trousers have been high on my radar for a while now, despite being a dedicated trouser-hater until not so long ago. I've lusted after Topshop's pale blue spot ones, and bought a pair of dupe swan-print trousers from Primark too, but I loved the fit and feel of these red polka dot ones, how cute and retro they were, and how easily they could make a statement outfit. I bought these in the sale too, for a measly £12, down from £27. Even better!

Teamed with a sleek, plain top like this body really lets the trousers speak for themselves and stand out. I thought black shoes looked a bit too dramatic so the nude colour again puts the trousers in charge! I really do love these trousers - they might even make it into my LFW wardrobe!

Laura Jayne xox