Guest Blog Post - Kind over Matter

I'm guest blogging today for the wonderful Amanda and Jenn of Kind over Matter.

You can check out my post and printables for a amazing Valentine's on a budget here.

Thanks Amanda and Jenn for making me feel so at home!

Lingerie as Outerwear: the trend in 102 words

(Image from vogue.com)

First seen on the catwalks of S/S10, lingerie as outerwear is set to be the it trend of 2010.  Echoing similar trends from the 1980's it will be interesting to see how this trend actually spans out... Will anyone wear it?

We've already seen Sienna Miller wearing tights as outwear which, to be honest, only Sienna miller could get away with.  In addition to this stockings will show beneath skirts, corsets will be work as tops and briefs will be worn as shorts (weather permitting).

(Image from fashionising.com)

Done tastefully, this could be a very beautiful trend... Think pastel shades not red and black lace!

(Image from amazon.com)

The iPad in 106 words

Apple's new product, launched today, marks a new era in technology.  The iPad, whether you think the name is the worst ever, or if you think it is no use when you already have an iPod and a iPhone, will successfully cross the bridge of the void between your cumbersome laptop and your 'just too small to type comfortably' iPhone.

I'm excited to see this in the flesh and check out the public response to its launch.  With an average of 800 tweets every 30 seconds on the trending topic #iPad on Twitter you can see Apple have once again taking over the social media world.

Bare Chests! The Golden Globe Trends 2010

This years Golden Globes fashion saw some startling consistencies in the fashion world. Floor length dresses were definitely the most popular, this gave the whole even a really glamourous feel and made me excited for the Ocsars. There were some beautiful themes running through the night.

This is a quick run down of a few:

1. Bare necklines.
Necklaces were few and far between on the red carpet. In fact the only bold neckline statement was Julia Roberts' huge gold embellished piece.

2. Earrings.
Making up for the nude necklines, the stars were out in force with beautiful, long statement earrings. Wearing both earrings and a dramatic necklace would have been too much and I think the understated elegance works perfectly here.

3. Loose waves and buns.
A common theme also ran through the celebs' hair. Loose waves were swept to one side and loosely pinned to create a casual, yet sophisticated style. This style shows off the beautiful earrings and is so easy to pull off. This is my fail safe, night out hairstyle if I have a hair disaster going on! This style was also perfect for the wet weather they had at the Golden Globes last night.

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4. The star dress.
The dress that I found the most outstanding was this Caroline Herrera design worn by Sofia Vergara. I found this to be something a little different. THe colours complemented Sofia's complexion and colouring perfectly. You can't see the whole detail here as the train on the back of the dress was exquisite, the blue and the pink of the dress combined into a gorgeous effect. Even though this dress is plain in comparison to some of the other sparkly numbers I thought it was perfect for the event

All pictures from E! Online

Occupation Specific Social Media Platforms - Afingo

Now, you've reconnected with all your school friends, work colleagues and everyone you've ever met via the wonders of Facebook. You get regular updates from your favourite celebrity and have instant access to comments on whatever takes your fancy on Twitter. But is any of this actually relevant to you, and to what you do for a living.

Yesterday a new social media platform was launched made specifically for the fashion world. Afingo (pronounced u-phing-oh)

a name that no-one can pronounce is a bold move but once you tell everyone how to pronounce it and that it means 'fashion' in Latin, you will look like a superstar!

Afingo aims to build up a network of Fashionistas, be it trend forecasters, designers, retailers or merchandisers to share and build information.

Maybe this is the ideal time to launch something like this. Before Christmas there was a slew of magazine houses having to close their doors, the recession and the rise of the internet causing their readership and following to diminish. Magazines like Elle now even offer 'digital subscriptions' where you can read their magazine online and not even get a hard copy sent through the post.

I personally love the look, feel and smell of a new magazine, the fragrance samples and advertising all add to the experience of a fashion magazine, taking this away just seems wrong.

But, we are discussing a fashion social network... Fashion companies already do well on sites like Facebook and Twitter. ASOS has over 180,000 fans on Facebook and 23,000 followers on Twitter - so fashionistas do find social media channels relevant to them.

So what does Afingo have to offer?
Afingo allows members to get insider information from their favourite brands and rate their products, it is also an e-commerce site that enables the user to purchase products directly through the site. Similar to the way ASOS utilizes Facebook and Twitter, contests will be posted onto the site.

The best feature of Afingo is the ability for emerging designers to showcase their work. Designers can post look-books and colour swatches and get feedback on their designs from the Afingo community.

Throughout January, Afingo is totally free to use. From February 2010, there will be a charge to use certain services on the site (you can choose whether you want to be a VIP for $49/per year or register as a designer or supplier for $299/per year).

I find the who e-commerce aspect of this very exciting. If Afingo can build up enough members and enough of a fashion following it will become an Etsy version of the fashion world, an amazing tool for budding designers.

I will register on the site today and check out the features to give you an update and a full review of the site.

Visit the site at www.afingo.com, register and let me know what your thoughts are.

The Return to Work Trend

It's a strange thing, being back at work after a couple of weeks off. The only redeeming factor in the whole back to work situation is that everyone is the same boat after being out of the office over the holidays. It's different when you return from a vacation, then you're on your own. You're the only one that feels the holiday blues, you look around the office seeing smug grins on everyones faces and you can tell that they are pleased that you are back from your vacation. They don't have to hear your 'I'm off on holiday soon' conversations any more, as you slump behind your computer, your sun tan fading in the glow of the screen, you bring up the internet browser and head straight for Expedia.

Hey, if there's a flight seat sale on, it would be rude not to book another trip... Right?

This year has been doubly hard for me getting back into the swing of normality. I did the now regretful thing of combining a vacation with Christmas and boy has the return to work hit me hard. I have both post-Christmas blues and post-vaction blues too.

The first day back to work is always OK, you're still quite rested from a fortnight of lie-ins and binge eating and it's good to see everyone again, show off your new clothes you got for Christmas, and catch up with their holiday stories. You (almost) feel motivated for the year ahead.

Then, 2 p.m. hits. You've missed your afternoon nap and things are getting tough. You reach for a double shot of coffee hoping that this can get you through the final three hours of work. By 5 p.m., the office is deserted. We can't hack these 9 hour days any longer, how will we make it through the rest of the year?

Tuesday flies by pretty quickly. You are in a sort of trance, typing away but not really concentrating on the task at hand. You sort of resign yourself to the fact that you have to be at work. You're grateful for having a job in these tough economic times, yes, but you are secretly wishing the snow would start to fall so you can make a swift exit a few hours early.

So, on Wednesday the first thing you find yourself doing when you get into work is hitting the search engines for any last minute breaks, when you come to your senses you go and stand next to the person in the office with the dreadful cold, anything for a few days off work snuggled up under a blanket watching daytime TV.

Now, as I've discovered after living in Canada for nearly a year, Wednesday is classed as 'hump day' (this means something entirely different from what I originally thought!) Hump day is so called because it means you have reached the mid-point of the week, and surely things will get better from here on!

Just a minute I have an email from TravelZoo... Ooh, flights to Vegas from $80... Let me look...

No, STOP! I need to save money, I have no holiday days left at work. I'm stuck with it, so concentrate on that spreadsheet.

By Thursday you're busy planning the weekend.

I'm going to sleep for 48 hours solid...

...Knowing full well that you won't! The main problem with returning to work after the Christmas break is that everyone wants the first week to be relatively easy on them. Clients don't start sending work through until the following week as they too just want to hide away. You begin the countdown to the weekend, and then...

Friday is the day! Everyone will trounce into the office with a little bounce in their step. It's I DON'T CARE FRIDAY! The most precious day of the week, and come 5 p.m... you have a mini vacation of two whole glorious days!

And them on Monday, everything magically is back to normal. Getting up in the morning is slightly easier, the working day doesn't seem as painful...

...You want to know why?

Because it's only 126 days until your next vacation! You can start a new countdown!

For all those in the UK who are enjoying 'snow days' for their first week back, next week will be like this for you... and we'll have all recovered and be back to normal!

Is January's Gold Trend a Promise of a Brighter Year?

Well, it's the first day of January, the first day of a new decade. I can't believe we are in 2010 - the last ten years seem to have flown by. From browsing on Facebook and Twitter this morning it seems that a lot of people have high hopes for 2010, hopes that this year will be something different, something good. I really hope this comes true for everyone and you all get a little piece of happiness.

In terms of trends for January, it appears that the promise of a better, brighter 2010 has made everyone look to gold. I'm seeing a lot of tips for perfect gold lips in beauty columns, a look I find hard to pull off. You need the perfect lipstick to start with, a lot of the beauty experts are looking towards a nude lip with a shimmery gold eyeshadow over the top to get the optimum colour and coverage. You also need to have perfectly smooth lips. I know mine are not up to gold lipstick standards with the central heating and cold weather, I can lather as much Chapstick on them as I want and they still flake. Looking outside as the snow is starting to fall, I can't see them getting any better for the next few months!

Photo from ellecanada.com

Elle USA, January 2010, The Transformer

Away from the beauty scene the gold trend can be seen all over the fashion world. Gold jewellery has become more popular over the last few years and is getting bolder for early 2010. Large bangles and oversize earrings are now becoming the norm, even becoming acceptable for daytime wear. Just a quick browse of the internet this morning to see what people were wearing for NYE showed gold dresses, gold jewellery and gold makeup on virtually every picture.

DVF by H.Stern Sutra Bracelet

Here's hoping that by covering ourselves head to toe in gold, 2010 will be the year that we all start to shine.

Photo from TMZ.com