Fashion In The Ocean

One campaign which has been a great inspiration to me the past month has been Project Ocean hosted by Selfridges. The campaign is about protecting the ocean from over-fishing and poor fishing practises. But it isn't all sorrow and gloom, you will not find any hassling charity box collectors or stale raffles at this fund and awareness raising bonanza, it is Selfridges after all.

The Project Ocean experience begins with Selfridges always masterful window displays. This is then swiftly followed by a Project Ocean awareness exhibition which involved sitting inside a human size 'fish net' and watching an intense video about pirate fishermen who steal millions of tones of fish from protected waters where the communities depend on the fish for food and income. This leads on to an area where one can either make a donation on its own or purchase one of the tasteful and fashion savvy items of merchandise from discreet turquoise bracelets to SAVE THE OCEAN tees. There was then a mechanical whale buckeroo where for a donation of one pound you can ride the whale all the while being cheered on by the staff dressed as American lifeguards. I had a go of course and I couldn't have enjoyed it more, I definatly recommend the whale for a good giggle.

Potentially the best part of the Project Ocean for me was the ocean inspired fashion exhibition which hosted designs by the likes of Alexander Mc Queen. I was falling in love with all of the golden textures and avante garde designs. My favourite piece in the exhibition was the iconic Phillip Tracey Lobster hat as donated by Lady Gaga herself. I did not realise how bejewelled or quite how bedazzling the hat was until I saw it up close.

This is a fantastic campaign that I could not support enough. Selfridges have been so creative and inspiring in their approach to both the fundraising element and the awareness end. Any fashion concious lady or gent should pay Selfridges a visit and embrace everything that is, Project Ocean.

Image Ownership: Watermelon Fox

Stud it to me

So everything was a little stud crazy over winter. Dresses, jackets, bags even heels were drowned in warrior spikes. Come summer time, I had expected to see a sad end to the trend and mourn for their fierceness. However I recently spotted this fancy line up of studded items in Topshops Summer 2011 collection. For summer, studs have been softened with a gentler rounder shape. I love that they really make these black distressed denim shorts look even edgier and more amazing. These shorts are a great way to toughen up your summer wardrobe which tends to be quite light and soft.

Image Ownership: Watermelon Fox

Money Can Buy You Style

With all that has been going on in my insanely busy world this week I have had to simplify my wardrobe. My statement necklaces and summer colour have been put to one side as I have embraced a more streamlined, classic approach to dressing. Today I am wearing a top very similar to the one featured in this weeks Money Can Buy You Style with a pencil skirt. I am completely lusting after this YSL bag with its natural nude shade that will go with everything in a girls wardrobe. Also after years of neglect, I am starting to embrace wearing earrings once again. I use to be a keen lover of earrings with an extensive collection to call my own, but slowly over the years I have moved on to love of necklaces. But this summer I am looking for bold summer earring choices which compliment my summer ensombles with ease.

Sparkling Watermelon Fox

It has to be said my blog has taken a back seat this week, something that I had not anticipated. Both socially and professionally the last week has been an absolute wurlwind of craziness. I have had Windsor Races ( in which I wore a leather tone silk dress and black blazer), Ascot Races (white body con dress with custom made muted silver fasinator), my cousen's celebration dinner (Vogue tee with jeans and layered necklace). It's all been going on as well as all the drama's of work.
This week despite another hectic scheduel I will try to improve my blogging input and add the sparkle that keeps Watermelon Fox alive.

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Teal Skeleton

Below is the outfit that I wore to the Jack Wills Varsity Polo, Windsor Guards Polo Club. With a rainy week in Britain I did fear that my polo attire would consist big jacket and oversized scarf but luckily sunshine provailed so out came the shorts! For me it was an ideal smart yet relaxed look for an afternoon of summer time fun.

Outfit: Skeleton tee, Topshop; Teal high waisted shorts, Topshop; Gold bangle, Primark; Nude sandals, River Island.

Image Ownership: Watermelon Fox

Polo and Ponies

The Jack Wills Varsity Polo is an annual date in the diary for myself and my friends. It is an event filled with music, fashion and sport. The atmosphere on the day felt like a festival with a more polite attitude. Each year that I have attended the Jack Wills Varsity Polo I have watched the event evolve with each year being unique and distinquishible from the last. With some fixtures which are a JW Polo institution such as the Pimms Bus and the Bike Polo, it wouldn't be the polo without them. This years polo followed a beach theme playing on the Jack Wills Salcombe heritage with deck chairs, beach huts and beach cut out scenes. There was also quite a heavy emphasis on a music festival theme with live bands performing in teepees, branded event wrist bands and colourful mock boom boxes in the Jack Wills on site store.

The fashion on the day was a distinct look. While most men adopted a signiture look of blazer and chino's, I did notice a trend this year of male red chino's and even a lime green pair much to my discomfort. The girls on the other hand went more for a day toff look with casual summer day dresses and smart casual festival attire. It was defintaly a fashion parade.

Despite all the fun of the day there were a few negative elements including the increase in ticket price, the fact that the polo was played in a different field rather than the one facing the Jack Wills Village, that the change in match location was not announced so nobody knew, staff ushering people to move on from the Jack Wills shop if they were not immediatly purchasing etc etc. None the less, positives far out weighted the few negs, I have to say . I am so excited to see what the Jack Wills team offer us next year and hope that the polo grows bigger, better and more fabulously British for next year.

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Into the Italian Blue

For a while now I have been meaning to talk about Tom Ford Neroli Portofino Range.There is so much that inspires me about the range, firstly the name, it is pure Italian richness and fantasy. The name evokes images of an Italian Riviera town with a buzzing community, sipping rich espresso’s overlooking Lake Como. The packaging which is an intense deep turquoise the colour of the glincening canals in Venice, complimented with lavish golden finishes. And the scent is decident and strong in all of the bath and body products (trust me, I tried them all in Selfridges). The range captures an old world glamour and sophistication. But with an £80 price tag for an exfoliator alone, I could never justify that financially and be self indulgent enough to spend that kind of money on a scrub no matter how luxurious. I can only envy the elite Italian women who can afford to indulge that kind of money on body products which they probably leave in their marble bathrooms in their many Italian estates. Oh to be rich and fabulous!!

As glorious as it would be to have the Neroli Portofino range gracing my body this summer I have come to terms with the fact it is way out of ever being in my price range. However on my hunt for something with similar charm I discovered Champneys new range with an equally Meditaranian scent. Champneys Mediterian Bliss range is clearly inspired by the Neroli Portofino collection with along with its similar packaging. I went to purchase the range but unfortunitly I couldn’t find it in my nearest Boots store nor Sainsburies, how frustrating! But I am determinded to hunt this down and lather myself in its goodies this summer.

Perfect In Pink

There is something about Moet. Whether you love the champagne or lothe it you cannot argue that Moet and Chandon is a drink with brilliant branding. This weekend while stocking up on picnic treats for the JW Polo I came across these pink and gold presentation boxes for Moet and Chandon Rosé. Playfully messing together the words Rosé with Moet in luxurious messy gold scribbles with a coloured in heart. Targeting a younger adult audience with its modern, clever edge.
I have a weakness for unexpected, glamourous packaging but I know my limit, I never purchase ‘said’ product simply for the packaging no matter how fabulous it is. Such as in this instant, I don’t have much of a champagne taste even less so for a rosé based variety. But none the less I am lusting after these gold and blush delights and urge anyone that does have a taste for rose champagne to give it a go all in the name of research of course.

Money Can Buy You Style

This weekend officially marks the start of Summer for me. It is the start of what looks set to be a very fun, eventful, remorable season. In the next two weeks alone there is the Jack Wills Polo, Windsor Races and Ascot Races. All these busy social engagments means lots of outfit choices which I embrace of course. I am currently in the process of arranging my Ascot hat/fasinator piece to be custom made, fingers crossed it comes out as envisioned. After four years studying textiles, recieving my school's honorary Textile Excellence Award and with a fashion related degree to boot I really should make one myself. Maybe I will set myself that challenge for next years Ascot. As for now, time is ticking and I need an expert!

This weeks Money Can Buy You Style celebrates Summer style and shows what I would be wearing if I had the bank balance to compliment my taste. Laid back casual summer glamour is the look and how I wish this outfit could be mine.

It's all stripes and handbags

If you wonder down to Bond Street this week you will be treated to a Safari worthy window display courtesy of Louis Vuitton. The visual masterminds at Lou Lou V have spoilt us with these impactful displays. I don’t think zebras have looked more glamorous. There are several eye catching window scenes including one in which a zebra is juggling patent LV Bags with its rich black hoof, another sees a zebra carrying a stack of LV luggage on its back. My favourite windows are the smaller scale scenes where around thirty mini sized zebras in neat lines carry two sequined evening bags.

The LV windows host glamour, uniqueness and have a level of humour that still comes off as fashion forward rather than laughable. Qualities which many of their rival Bond Street neighbours seem to lack. Louis Vuitton is definatly succeeding in earning their fashion stripes.

Images Property of Watermelon Fox

Tangerine Dream

With glorious rays of sunshine shining over London this weekend I had to pay it a visit. Having spent many a wet day trawling through the capital in the rain for various internships and shopping trips, I always welcome a trip to the City in the Summer sun. I find that the summer sun brings out the brighter side of my wardrobe, on Saturdays instance my tan and orange combination. I can see myself having a summer time romance with le orange this year.

Below is a photograph of my designer friend Emily and myself which shows my outfit from our trip to London. Orange top, Miss Selfridge; Body con tanned skirt, H+M; Nude wedges, River Island; Gold earrings, H+M. Quite a nice high street collaboration. It defintaly put me in a seasonal mood and I look forward to all the outfits summer will bring.

Image Ownership: Watermelon Fox

Grime Time

It was announced last week that 90210 actress Shanae Grimes was to undertake a Summer Internship at Teen Vogue in New York City. While I have never taken much notice of Grimes, nor watched her highly rated teen series I have taken quite an interest in this news. At first I admit I was sceptical of this move, popular actress from teen show (90210) undergoes fashion internship at Teen Vogue it all seemed too reminiscent of MTV show The Hills. I do have to say I have grown to this news and have to praise Grimes for this bold move. Firstly for using her summer break from filming her hit TV show to conduct real hard work rather than just working the Hollywood party circuit. Secondly that despite her star power and the fact that in reality she probably has her own assistants personally and professionally, she is working at Teen Vogue as an Intern rather than a Guest Columnist or Fashion Assistant. Meaning she will be putting in long hours assisting a whole fashion department, having to meet the demands of editors, endless tasks and the other challenges that come with being an intern.

Unlike endless teen drama actresses before her Grimes has chosen not to reap all the benefits of fame while leaving the hard grafting behind. Many young actresses enjoy creating a fashion profile for themselves on the party scene while neglecting their career and the talent/work/spoon that feeds them the fame and fashion.

All in all I have a new found respect for Shanae who clearly has a creative combination of interests and wants to explore her talents and interests further, rather than simply riding the fame pony at her feet. It is great to see that although Grimes’ career looked set in acting she has been brave enough to take a non conventional route (no actress to singer malarkey here) especially into the sceptical, critical world of fashion. So I wish Miss Grimes all the best in this positive new challenge and I am sure she is doing it in a wardrobe I can only dream of.

Images Sourced at Zimbio.

Money Can Buy You Style

Some say that subtlety is everything and this week subtle is the best word to describe how I have been dressing. I have been adopting a very grown up, understated glamour this week. Perhaps after watching The Tourist over the weekend with Angelina Jolie in her rediculously Parisian-Chic lady like pieces, I was inspired. My style has consisted of muted hues, skirt, dresses, long shoulder bags with perfectly manicured and pedicured nails. Very delicate, inoffensive and clean. This weeks Money Can Buy You Style reflects my subtle style adopted this week.