On the 16th of Feb 2012, Bjorn Borg kicked off London Fashion Week with a visual phenomenon of the Northern Lights with a 4D film over the River Thames.

Hosted at Battersea Power Station, the film was directed by award winning creative visual artist Paris Kain and produced by London creative agency My Beautiful City.  The event was streamed live on Facebook.com/BjornBorg, and you you can watch the cat walk show on the Bjorn Borg You Tube channel.

Clearly not on Zooey Deschanel’s twitter, when she posted these cuties:

The truth is that nails are in, and they are in BIG TIME.

If you’re an avid reader of fashion/style blogs, then you’ll have probably been aware of the up and coming trend for some time, even trying it out for yourself. But there has been a movement from nail art being exclusive to a niche of fashion bloggers, to being exposed to the wider audiences as pretty fabulous celebs such as Zooey Deschanel get involved, making it chicer than ever.

With LFW coming up, I don’t think it’s just the clothes you need to be keeping an eye out for, as them nails are bound to be getting their own attention. And even better news is that you can even try it yourself at home as some simple nail art doesn’t require much skill – no A Level Art required, yipee! Complete newbies can use the beginner-friendly ‘crackle’ paint, which can give a leopard print effect, or even a more urban feel to your nails.

All you need to do is paint a colour underneath, and then apply the ‘crackle’ varnish on top. So simple. I recommend Barry M for the crackle effects as it dries so quick, making it practically smudge proof!.

As you get more confident with your techniques, maybe invest in some nail art pens (around £10 for 5 on ebay, or £6 for one by Models Own) and get more creative. Maybe think about theming your nails with what you’re doing, or what you like. Below are some of my favourite ideas.

pacman!

strawberries!

and the almighty leopard print!

Nail art is so fun and cute and EVERYWHERE right now, but be yourself and share your individuality with what patterns and designs you use. Everyone will be asking you about your nails, and wanting to do it themselves! There are also a bunch of tutorials if you google for nail art, and maybe soon you’ll be coming up with your own designs and inspiration!

If you have had a go yourself, maybe post a picture in the comments, I’m sure everyone at BSB would love to see!

Michelle xo

In a way, I am sort of sorry that I’m actually having to write this post.  It’s been done, done and done again in recent years, but it just won’t go away.  Yet, despite being a path so well-trodden, there have been very few, if any articles that I have read that made me yell, “THAT’S IT!  THAT IS EXACTLY HOW I FEEL!”, so I thought I’d try and do the topic justice myself.  If you haven’t already worked it out, I am talking about – of course – weight, size and body image in the media.

The problem, in my opinion, is the unhealthy obsession with the concept of ‘real’ women.  Somewhere along the way, it has been decided that because the majority of models, actresses, singers and TV stars are very slim they mustn’t be ‘real’ women.  Then, along come a very small minority of women that do not fit the conventional ‘media personality body type’, and they’re held up as poster girls of normality even though, in a lot of cases, their figures are just about as unattainable as a size zero.

To a degree, I actually understand why runway models are usually very very slim.  Despite countless series’ of the  ’Top Model’ franchise and modern celebrity culture meaning we know as much about models as we do sportspeople and actors, models really are just walking mannequins.  This is not to say that I see them as unimportant – they are the public face of a label or designer so are, in that sense crucial – but consumers are not supposed to be distracted by their bodies, hence the desire for a mannequin-like build.

What it appears that we, the consumer of fashion and media, have lost is the ability to see these women (and men, of course) in context.  We cannot seem to understand why we are not just like them, and it makes some desperately unhappy that they cannot achieve the same look.  In reality, there is one key difference between say, Anne V and myself that pretty much explains it all: looking like that is Anne’s job.  Her life is primarily geared towards striving for physical perfection, because that’s how she makes money.  I make money in a customer service job where admittedly, good personal presentation is important, but pre-defined physical beauty is definitely not.  In short, it doesn’t pay me to look like a runway model, so I’m not going to stress over trying to achieve it.  I’m lucky, because I can make that distinction and most of the time I don’t let my appearance bother me, but there are so many others who don’t have that confidence, and that’s where the real damage of a homogenised body type being idealised is being done.

Disappointingly for an opinion piece, the message that I am calling for most of all is one of moderation.  I’m sort of sitting on the fence, and again for that,  I apologise.  Ultimately, I don’t expect the fashion industry, the media and the music business to change all that soon.  Yes, there are hugely successful exceptions to the rule who I don’t need to name, because their names are already synonymous with this issue.  What needs to change is the way that we categorise and describe these women.  ’Real’ women, is actually a useless, ridiculous term, and we need to stop using it.  Last time I was at Fashion Week, the models on the catwalk were all ‘real’ women, in that none of them appeared to be cyborgs or holograms, what united them was that they were all very slim.  Almost all of them would have probably been this way since they were teenagers, and most likely live a healthy lifestyle that is not a cause for concern, just like all those ‘real’ women we’ve been bashing on about.  If what we’re ultimately aiming for is to promote healthy living and body image amongst people of all shapes and sizes, singling out the slimmer individuals as being ‘worse’ than those carrying a bit more weight is pretty much taking us right back to square one.

I can’t be the only one who feels so strongly about this – I’d love to hear what you have to say!

I bought my first peplum shaped top about a month ago from Primark not realising how huge the trend was to be. High necked, no sleeves, nipped in waist and subtle flare… all in black.  On my trip to New York this last week I came across so much variety of the peplum that there is no excuse not to be wearing it! H&M had a top piece in foil effect and Zara had black peplum dresses. Whether you go for a two -piece suit or a dress, you are sure to exude class and elegance.

My peplum top. £7 from Primark.

I am personally so glad to see the return of this trend as the 1940’s and the birth of Dior’s ‘New Look’ is my favourite fashion era.  It was a time when women could enjoy fashion again and embrace their womanly figures. The extravagance of the fabric Dior used in his 1947, due to the post war fabric restrictions, is also reflected in this season’s peplum. McQueen plays on romanticism with gorgeous accentuated ruffles and frills and Marchesa darkens the mood with black feathers, silver foil and sheer materials.

Alexander McQueen S/S 2012

Marchesa S/S 2012

For anyone who finds the peplum overtly feminine, don’t panic, as there is so much variety out there. From leather effect to mix and matching prints and textures to add a more quirky edge to the trend.  Skinny jeans and straight leg trousers instead of a pencil skirt are also a way of adding masculinity if you go for a two-piece.

If you are feeling the winter blues, I promise embracing the peplum will be the best thing you do.  Wearing this gorgeous silhouette will immediately make you feel prettier, sexier and bang on trend!

Bek  xo

Imagine you have just spent weeks creating your brand new fashion blog and you are ready to launch your shiny new website to the world.  After a few weeks and the heady feeling of achievement  has worn off you notice that your traffic figures are low and you start to despair.  Driving traffic to a new blog is a common obstacle that all bloggers face at one time or another.  Here are my top tips for making sure that your blog is getting the online exposure it deserves.

It’s not what you know, It’s who you know!

It may sound cliché but if you tell all your friends and family about your new blog, chances are they will know someone else who would be interested in reading your blog too.  Word of mouth is one of the most powerful tools in the marketing business, which means the more people know that your blog exists the higher the chance the existence of your blog will be passed on through word of mouth.  This my darlings has been done for centuries and to this day networking is a significant aspect of the promotion of any business, even a fashion blog.

The Social Network

You may already post the odd link to your personal feed on your Facebook wall but the world of social networking is changing every day and can be a maze to those who are not marketing savvy.  How can you use your Facebook and Twitter accounts to your full advantage?

I attended a marketing class called a “Webjam” and learnt the valuable skill of setting up a Facebook business page.  In just a few steps you can set up a Facebook business page where people who read your blog can “like” your page and link the page to their friends .  The best thing about this is the fact you don’t have to create a new Facebook account, you can link it to your personal account and flit between the two. It may be worth researching in your local area to see if there are any one off online marketing classes that you could attend to brush up on your online marketing knowledge.

I recommend that you follow your favorite bloggers on Twitter use your account to tweet a few links to your blog.  It’s what Twitter was built for right?  You may even meet some other bloggers along the way! I think that bloggers can learn a lot by simply looking at other bloggers pages and it is always nice to find that there is a blogger nearby who is just like you!

There are countless other places you can network on the internet too with professional networking sites such as  Linkedin being one of the best on the internet for keeping in contact with contacts.  A lot of bloggers work in beauty, public relations and fashion as their “day” job so if you are an aspiring journalist or stylist you could be making some valuable business contacts too.

Remember that  You  are your own Brand

Whilst maintaining an online presence it is important to portray yourself in the best light possible.  Avoid using bad language and remember that if you receive a negative comment not to reply in a similar manner.  Also, make sure that your tweets are relevant to the blog itself as this may have a negative impact on blog traffic too.  I could go on and on about the positives of social networking but it really is a cheap and effective medium that is guaranteed to drive traffic to your blog if you follow my tips.

Re-wind: Sometime in January our founder and Chief Executive Amy “The Road” Thompson was invited to a screening in the Houses of Parliamet. Of course, being The Road as she is, Amy was unable to attend; she was suffering from an unavoidable bout of “being in Australia”. Of course being a good Chief, she passed the opportuity along to someone who’d jump at the chance: me.

Have you heard of Miss Representation? Have you seen the hashtags #Missrepresentation, #missrep, #notbuyingit? Miss Representation is an American film by an American actress and filmmaker about how women are represented – in film, in politics, in advertising – in motion picture culture. It explores how professional women have been treated by their industries and their audiences. It asks American youths about the messages they’ve understood regarding “what women can be”, what they can do, and how this impacts upon girls, boys, men and women.

I should have taken a packed snack; always take a packed snack

Re-wind redux: I spent the train journey down to London from Warwickshire reading; consequently I spent most of the train journey down sending my boyfriend text messages about the increasingly annoying descriptions of the hero’s wife and ex-girlfriend. A hot woman who eats eagerly with big mouthfuls? How perfectly imperfect-feminine can you get?

So you can see, I am a person already receptive to a documentary about the representation of The Female. Perhaps you’re unconvinced – here is a trailer.

Public transport made a mockery of me and I arrived half an hour late. Sitting on a underground train that was both above ground and stationary I wondered (worried) if they let you into Parliament buildings if you haven’t polished your shoes. As it turns out they do; but you have to leave your hipflask with Security. There had been wine, pre-screening, but I arrived to empty glasses. This is fair enough.

It was engrossing.

With an absence of greeters and its twin of free chairs I settled myself on what may have been an umbrella stand if it wasn’t a bin – and I watched and listened with a hungry head.

It didn't matter where you sat because the thing was the WATCHING.

What I keep thinking about is how.. nice? Condoleezza Rice seemed. What it took me a double-take to realise was that the lady behind the film was the blonde in the white flared trouser suit.

Miss Representation borrows the phrase “you can’t be what you can’t see” – it also refutes it, because exceptional people will always exist and one single-minded woman will always find her way into a man’s world. The documentary (and the panel afterwards – more later) address this and how it doesn’t make the state of things acceptable – it doesn’t hold the words as black and white objectivity. It’s the spirit, not the letter. But what surprised me a little was that the film reminded me that it’s not only about seeing yourself or the you that you want to be: diversity and wide reflection (“representation”) are needed because seeing other people is important.

If I look at a woman and not even consciously think “Republican Beauty Queen, probably pro-business and anti-abortion” when I have never met a Republican or a Beauty Queen – and I can be surprised that this image is the surface of a woman bold and “liberal” enough to produce an egalitarian feminist documentary that assigns responsibility to both beauty and political industries – there needs to be greater depth of representation. I appreciate that this is anecdata and this is my own failing, but it’s a failing that’s taken from the world of “American blondes” that I’ve been offered.

Have you seen "A League of their Own"?

I have seen Rice stand next to George Bush and behind microphones, and I have seen her represent various political agendas. I am aware that she bears some responsibility for war. I have heard people talk about her and call her Condi, and talk about her race and her gender and her politics. I had never seen her represent herself.

I felt strange and guilty as I sketched the room. I was reducing this crowd of aware, clever mostly-women to pictures of the backs of their heads – just images of hairstyles. But then, this is a film about representation and images of women only harm if they’re reductivist. When so many drawn girls are made to offer you their drawn bodies, perhaps making lines form their sisters taking notes and demonstrably thinking.. is perfectly in line with the evening.

And I mean, there was some good hair about

I was not the only one documenting.

The film ended and I got my not-tearful stoic face back on. I sat there on my bin for a bit, unsure if things were over or if there might be more refreshments (it is expensive to buy water on the move). What luck! There was about to be a short panel discussion – with drinks to follow! I moved to sit on a table now that people were moving around and looking at me. A snap decision that led to a decent view of the panel; lucky because excuse my capslock MALORIE BLACKMAN WAS ON IT.

You guys. Quality panel.

Now it’s clear that the other panel members (Susie Orbach, Colleen Harris, Lynne Featherstone, Jo Swinson (of whom this is a poor likeness, but I could not have been further away from her and she kept moving!)),  have done work and formed sentences that make me want to shake their hands for repeated hours – as an adult. But Malorie Blackman taught wee-me about racism and organ transplants and girls being good at maths, as well as how to set a decent password. Once I formed a romantic attachment to a boy because he had a superficial identifier that was the same as one of her characters’. I sort of wanted to go and tell her about that.

All four panel members had good, intelligent, encouraging and thoughtful things to say. They went into intersectionality and race, which the film didn’t take too much time on; a criticism I’d heard from Meggan and Maddy, two women who work to increase the visibility of ladies and further minorities in the comic book fandom that I share with them.

Susie Orbach’s words impressed me the most when she said that the definition of success isn’t something we should take for granted. Being kept out of apparent power or away from the spotlight doesn’t mean that women aren’t living influential lives. I don’t remember her exact words – no dictaphone – but the impression left was a reminder that being subject to sexism or any other form of institutionalised oppression doesn’t take your dimension from you. Don’t believe that you are, less of a person, less rounded, with less ability or sentience or emotion. Don’t believe that others are, just because you don’t see them represented as field leaders or protagonists.

Of course, this cuts both ways – don’t believe that a well-written woman character can’t be subject to a sexist plot, for example. Who? Elementary.

I’d like to have spoken more with Orbach about that point – I think that there’s something enormous in what she’s saying like it was the key to all empathy and justice amongst humans. But after the panel had finished everyone was talking in twos and threes, and I was thinking about ridig the underground alone at night, and no drinks were happening to me after all. I gave in to my human weakness. I left. I ticked the “yes I would attend an annual conference on female representation” option on a paper I foud on someone else’s chair, but I left.

On the way home, I thought about who everyone else might have been, and what they were wearing.

Mystery women

Fashion wasn’t approached by the documentary narrative at all. Which is funny, or maybe not – within the world of style blogging, there is representation of Miss/Ms/Mrs galore. I’m a lady, Amy’s a lady, the majority of our readership (that means you) are ladies or girls or not-yet-a-woman-s.. There are a lot of us, in general. But even within our own virtual Themiscyra there are struggles and imbalances – there’s not a fat acceptance movement for nothig, racism isn’t over and it’s easier to become “successful” if you adhere (or don’t obviously divert from) a handful of basic modes of femininity. We struggle to give everyone a fair chance on our own turf – is that because of how we’re trained to think by outside influences, or do we put up with those because we want to be able to police be-a-girl amongst ourselves? Is it possible to change our scene without attempting to change the mainstream, or do we have to look to the bigger picture before we can dare to hope for a fashiony idyll?

With arguments about who “requires” models to have thirty-five inch hips being passed back and forth before court and with the waning thinner of the blogger/magazine divide, I think #missrep’s on the money with it’s final advice –

Demand help. And as far as you are able, be the change.

Extra links:

Jo Swinson interview: http://www.parliamentaryradio.co.uk/newsrelease.html

One critique on lack of intersectionality within the film: http://acidforblood.net/2011/12/miss-representation-thoughts/

Further ciriticism and discussion: http://www.feminisms.org/3922/miss-representation-a-critical-review/

A review from Indiewire: http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/review_miss_representation_exposes_an_ugly_truth_that_needs_to_be_seen

Screening details in Edinburgh: http://www.missrepresentation.org/screenings/filmhouse-edinburgh/

Find out about hosting a screening: http://www.missrepresentation.org/screenings/#host

Miss Representation at IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1784538/

Yep, it’s open again.

Enter February’s Blog of the Month Competition and you could follow in the steps of Jennifer (January’s winner) in the sidebar over there (>>>) and get to be featured on our site for an entire month, receive promotion through our social media networks, get a special British Style Bloggers Winners’ Badge to display on your site as well as receiving our eternal love and glory and all that.

If you’re a fashion blogger – male, female, old, young, short, tall – who’s based in Britain you’re eligible for entry.

Got it? Okay – GO! Get more information on the competition and enter HERE:

http://britishstylebloggers.wall.fm/forum/topic/35

Good Luck!

- Rachel
(British Style Bloggers’ Community Manager)

Moving ahead from the last post to after the second World War, fashion has gone through many changes. These were times of great austerity and everyone was ready to embrace a bit of luxury and leave behind the make do and mend mentality, at least a little bit. With advances in mass production technology good quality clothes were now available to the expanding middle classes. There was a resurgence in haute couture after the years of war time austerity and now fashionable styles filtered from big design houses were reproduced on a wider scale in ready to wear form for mass consumption.

For the first time teenagers became a fashion force unto themselves. Whereas previously teenage styles would not have differed greatly from that of their parents but now they were carving out a style of their own. These teenagers were greatly influenced by music such as rock and roll, jazz and skiffle as well as being influenced by their American counterparts. With this embracing of a unique style they created their own subculture, Teddy Boys.

Teddy Boys were highly influenced by the Edwardian styles worn by dandies in the early years of the 20th century. Styles which where at that time only a few decades old and would have been worn by their parents or grandparents. The term ‘Teddy’ was coined by the Daily Express when a headline shortened Edward to Teddy in reference to the youth movement.

With riots breaking out in various towns across the country after US film Blackboard Jungle was first shown. Teddy Boys found themselves at the centre of the conflict. Many Teddy Boys formed gangs and clashes with rival gangs followed, some of which were race related. These clashes were often exaggerated by the media and they found themselves at the centre of a lot of negative press. The subculture came from a primarily working class place, the teens worked in factories or offices and with this look they were rejecting post war austerity, spare time was spent buying or customising their clothes. The clothes were often bought at great expense and paid for in weekly installments.

As with most subcultures there was an associated uniform. The boys wore; drape jackets often with a velvet collar, tapered and drainpipe style trousers which ended at the ankle to expose the socks, slim or bootlace ties, brocade waistcoats, chunky brogues or brothel creepers and the hair was heavily styled into a quiff. Teddy girls wore tailored velvet collar jackets with pencil or hobble skirts, rolled up jeans, straw boaters and espadrilles. Later they were influenced by American styles such as circle skirts and ponytails.

Many of these styles are seen on the catwalk today, there is often a resurgence of the Teddy Boy style and designers are always looking to this era for inspiration. Today items such as brogues, pencil skirts and velvet collars are common features in everyday outfits. Other items enjoy a fashion moment such as brothel creepers which have recently become a common sight on the high street.

Do you incorporate any Teddy Boy influences in your modern wardrobe?

And, blog-envy (that feeling you get when someone else’s blog is so much more amazing than yours, or has so many more followers) is no exception… because, let’s be honest, we’ve all felt like that from time to time.

To solve this one, then, I point you in the direction of a song called Nine People’s Favourite Thing from my favourite musical, [title of show] (yes, I’m a theatre geek).

We can either follow our instinct
Or take advice from every joker
We can either be distinct
Or wind up merely mediocre
But not me
I’d rather be nine people’s favorite thing
Than a hundred people’s ninth favorite thing

The point of this quote, and in these lyrics, is that if you try to emulate what’s made other people successful, you’ll not be coming up with anything original. People will notice that, and they’ll veer away from you. It is, in other words, far better to be nine people’s favourite thing – favourite blogger – for your originality and exceptional, unique content than to be a hundred people’s ninth favourite thing because you’re copying the eight people they like more than you.

It might not be easy to stomach other bloggers having twelve times your follower count… but in the end, someone will see your spark, your flare, your originality – and they’ll share your blog with the world.

For now, you just have to keep building your content, and wait it out.

I’m very happy to announce that we have decided to award our Blog of the Month prize this month to:

Jennifer at Inordinately Plush! 

Congrats! We loved your layout, great photography and attention to detail. I’ll be in touch to let you know what happens next! And of course, well done to all those shortlisted too! It’s never an easy decision.

Don’t Forget! February’s competition will open on the 1st.

Rachel x
(Community Manager)