Guest Post: Anya Sarre

I would like to introduce Anya Sarre, the author of the very first guest post on Style Up Savvy! Anya Sarre is one of Hollywood’s most influential trendsetters. A nationally recognized celebrity stylist, Sarre is known for her impeccable eye and ability to tie any look together with the perfect accessory. Named “Best Television Fashion Stylist” for her appearances on Entertainment Tonight, The Insider and countless other media outlets, Sarre is the go-to fashion expert for Hollywood’s biggest celebrities. x.

The Pleated Skirt: A Must For This Fall Season

Are you ready to look good and feel good this fall? Transport yourself back in time with these new fall fashions. Feel confident about your attire and wear clothes that flatter your body. When you wear what's flattering to your body type, everyone will compliment you. Everyone needs a confidence booster. The latest fall fashions could be just what the doctor ordered to get you out of that "blah" mood and help you feel like a million dollars.

Whether it is a plaid pleated skirt or a pleated maxi dress, you should be sure that this is the staple to have in your closet this year. Pleated skirts are flattering to nearly every body type and can be a huge success in a variety of environments. Pair your pleated skirt with a ruffled or button-up top with a cardigan over it and reclaim your innocence. Pleated skirts are available in a variety of bold primary colors and are the perfect addition to the wardrobe. Wondering about accessories? Well, here are a couple of ideas that may help.

Shoes are the most important accessories this fall. Try pairing your pleated plaid skirt with brogues, saddle shoes or other chunky flats. A wedge heel would look great with pleated skirts if you prefer a non-traditional approach.

Varsity vintage jackets are also en vogue this season. Consider pairing the skirt with this jacket, chunky earrings and a simple necklace. If you want a more gothic look, try an all black ensemble and complete the look with a dark black wig and deep gray eye shadow. The options are endless with the pleated skirt this fall season. Unleash your inner fashion designer and show us what you have got. We know you can come up with an idea that is different from any designer.

Get to your favorite mall or vintage store and shop for the pleated skirt. It is a staple of the fall fashion season and no girl should be without one. When you turn heads and receive numerous compliments, you feel more confident about your appearance. Don’t delay. Get started today.

-Anya Sarre

Fashion Trends done on the High Street: Purple

As one of the season's hottest colours, purple is a great way to introduce a bold tone into an otherwise monochromatic palette of autumn/winter clothes. For the fashion brave, colour-block purple. For a more subtle nod to the trend, introduce purple in smaller amounts with accessories. Here are my top five high street picks to tackle this trend.x.

H&M £14.99

Lipsy £48

Miss Selfridge £40

ASOS £75

River Island £60

Money Supermarket Passion for Fashion Blogger Competition

Last week I was contacted by Money Supermarket with regards to their current ‘Passion for Fashion’ Blogger Competition. I had to come up with an entire outfit for under £200 for these five given categories: First Date, Party, Office Wear, Casual and Outdoor. I took inspiration from the A/W 12 catwalks and tried to create similar high-end looks with high-street pieces. 

First Date:

Inspiration: Jil Sander, Dior

Trends: Peplum, Embellishment

Miss Selfridge Peplum BlouseDress £39

Zara  Statement Necklace £29.99

New look Nude Peep Toe Heels£24.99

New Look Embellished BalletPumps £17.99

Accessorize Embellished Clutch£16

ASOS Classic Mac £55

Total: £182.97

Party:

Inspiration: Dolce & Gabana, Valentino 

Trends: Black & Gold Baroque, Lace

Topshop, Motel lace dress £58

Daisystreet.co.uk Jessie  Gold Glitter Heel  £34.99

Miss Selfridge Gold Aztec Collar£14

Miss Selfridge Gold Aztec Cuff£14

NEXT Gold Box Glutch £26

Topshop ‘Mishcief’ Lip stick £8

Total: £154.99

Office Wear:

Inspiration: Prada 

Trend: Printed Trouser Suit, Eastern Opulence 

ASOS Premium geo PrintBlazer  £65

ASOS Premium geo Print Trouser£40

ZARA White Shirt £29.99

Dorothy Perkins Black Court Shoe£35

New Look Black Quilted Tote£24.99

Total: £194.98

Casual:

Inspiration: Chanel,Burberry Prorsum, Chloe

Trend: Bomber Jackets, Graphics

River Island Jaquard BomberJacket £65

Mango distressed jeans £34.99

ASOS Eye test T-Shirt  £14

New Look Wedge Hi-Top £64.99

Topshop Cable Dip Dye Beanie Hat£14

Total: £192.98

Outdoor:

Inspiration: Burberry Prorsum, Ralph Lauren

Trend: Equestrian, Downtown Abbey, Printed Knits

ASOSWool and Tweed Mix Parka Jacket, £80

RiverIsland Suede Wedge Boots £40

ZaraBeaded Sweater £25.99

Forever21 Grey Knit Tights, £5.65

Forever21 Stripe Skirt  £22.75

RiverIsland (MENS) Rucksack from £32 down to £25

Total:£199.39 

Check out the competition details at moneysupermarket.com/passion-for-fashion. x.

Will You Be Rocking The Crop?

I thought I would do a post on how to wear the new season's IT-trouser: the cropped pant (extra fashion points if it's patterned). Studying at Edinburgh means battling hair-ruining winds, heel-defying cobbled streets and most notably, icy cold temperatures. Needless to say, working the latest trends in a sub-zero climate can be tricky. That's why, when wearing my new cropped trousers, I'll be keeping a secret up my sleeve. Or should I say legs. To keep warm I recommend wearing tights under your trousers -nude if you want to keep your secret or go for sheer ones with a pattern for a quirky look. So with this canny trick, will you be rocking the crop? x. 

Daisy Street Blogger Competition

This week I was lucky enough to be contacted by Punk PR on behalf of the online womenswear retailer: Daisy Street. They are holding a competition where 10 bloggers put together their ‘MUST HAVE’ looks for A/W 12 from the pieces on their website www.daisystreet.co.uk. I’ll be honest and say that I had not actually heard of the brand before but was genuinely impressed with their pieces. 

I created my look around the amazing Elene Metallic Peplum Jacket and imagined I was creating a look for a night out for drinks in a city bar. Peplums are a huge trend for next season and can be seen all over the catwalks and high street; not only is it fashion-forward, it’s actually a really figure-flattering shape! Another huge trend is embellishment and these stud collared shirts can be seen everywhere at the moment (TIP: wear the collar over the top of the jacket to highlight it). I also went for studs on the ankle boots. Seeing as I kept the base colours of my outfit monochrome, I used the yellow clutch bag and earrings to throw a splash of colour into this look, plus silver and yellow work surprisingly well together! To finish off the look I added in a bit of print with these amazing nail wraps, which are a fun and easy way to decorate your nails. 

So thats my outfit. I really hope you like it, and if you do please head over to the Daisy Street Facebook Page to vote for my entry by clicking ‘LIKE’ on my look (Please Vote for my Entry Here). The top three looks, as voted for by you, are entitled to receive a complimentary item from their look, with the overall winner recieveing their entire look! Needless to say I would absolutely love to win this prize, especially as I had so much fun putting this together and discovering this brand. PLEASE VOTE FOR ME! x.

Print, Berry Shades and the Biker: Kill three A/W 12 trends in one go.

House of Fraser are currently holding a blogger style challenge in which you have an unlimited (dream!) virtual budget with which to create a winning A/W 12 look. Here is my choice. I had a lot of fun creating this look and used the same key items, changing only the accessories to take this look from day to night. The day look would be great for a day out shopping or lunch with the girls, while the night look is perfect for drinks in a cool city bar. I especially love the Peg Print Trouser by style-guru Mary Portas for House of Fraser. To shop their autumn/winter collection, click the the link www.houseoffraser.co.uk x.

THERAPY, Biker Jacket, £55
PHASE EIGHT, Sequin Jumper, £65
MARY PORTAS, Peg Print Trouser, £110
STEVE MADDEN, Casual Shoes, £60
DKNY, Croco Tote, £260
DEBORAH LIPPMANN, Nail Varnish, £14
O CLOCK, Classic Watch, £35
MARTINE WESTER, Encrusted Scatter Necklace, £180
MARY PORTAS, Pouchette Bag, £59
L.K.BENNET, Shilo Court Shoe, £170

More on Wedge Hi-Tops

Just to quickly share with you possibly THE quirkiest and most fun versions of hi-tops I have seen.... Check out these stiletto-print sneakers by BE & D! Caution: only for the fashion brave-hearted. x.

Bit of It All.

Bit of a mixed bag today. Here are the results of my detox diet, some more wedding photos as requested, and my pick of new IT-things this week.

First up, my detox diet has been going well. I have lost the extra few pounds I had acquired whilst in Ireland and feel much healthier generally. The first day of fasting was tough and I have to admit I did cheat a little in the evening by having a smoothie and some soup (still healthy and low calorie). By the second day I wasn't experiencing the same hunger but I did have bad headaches, so it is important to keep your intake of water up. Today is the third day and I get to add in protein to my diet (!) I have chosen low calorie options, such as my favourite chicken-style Quorn pieces (eggs are also an excellent source of low calorie protein). I intend to keep up this fruit, veg and protein diet up for a little longer, and have also taken up Pilates which I am loving! I'm not the best for sticking with exercise programmes but I really like how easy going and yet effective Pilates seems to be. Its great for those who want that Miley Cyrus-esque flat stomach, she herself being an avid fan.

Secondly, I have provided more photos of my wedding look, so I hope these provide all of you with a wedding or formal event to attend with some inspiration! The details include; nude heels, a black fascinator from House of Fraser, a pink and white patterned clutch from New Look (Rochelle Wiseman from the Saturdays was seen out with this clutch recently), a pink rose ring and pink nails. I wore my hair in a side bun at the nape of the neck using one of the 'hair doughnuts', some clips and a lot of hairspray!

And my new IT-things? Victoria's Secret's first UK store in  Westfield Shopping Centre, Stratford. I went in yesterday, and it is quite simply amazing. These people certainly know how to market a brand + their products are of amazing quality. I for one, am certainly glad to have this great brand finally in the UK.

One last thing, on my radar this week are Wedge Hi-Tops. These have been growing in popularity over the summer and now I seem to be spotting them everywhere. They are great for adding that hidden bit of height whilst being casual enough for everyday wear. And after Millie Mackintosh was spotted wearing a pair at last nights launch of boyfriend Professor Green's clothing line for Puma, I'm sold. Check out this cute embellished pair from New Look for £64.99! x.

Upcoming Posts: How to: Customise, House of Fraser Blogger Style Challenge & Kate Beckinsale + Jessica Alba's 'Total Recall' Red Carpet Round Up.

How to Wear: Print

The Printed Top
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The Printed Skirt

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After my recent post about the best high street print picks (click here to see article) I
took my own advice, went out and bought some great pieces. Here I am
going to provide some ideas on how to style up these printed lovelies so that
you stay on the chic side of this print clashing (otherwise oh-so-tricky
trend).



Not quite brave enough for the 'look at me'
attention grabbing potential of printed trousers, I decided to tackle the printed skirt and top first. I have styled these looks for the next season,
trying to bear in mind the inevitable temperature drop soon to come. And just
to show the versatility of print, I have done two looks for each: one daywear
and one for nights out (hint: the sunglasses indicate daywear and the increase
of flesh on show...you got it, night-time looks). Hope these provide
inspiration! x.

Get Inspired.

If you are stuck for a bit of style inspiration, fashion blogs, magazines and clothing websites are of course a great place to seek inspiration. And in recent years, apps have taken over the fashion world as more and more companies are providing style inspiration for those on the go. My big tip though, would be to check out high street lookbooks (available online or as apps to download). Pretty much all popular brands these days do their own interpretations of catwalk trends, using lookbooks to showcase their new collections. Often these looks are far more wearable for day-to-day dressing. I would especially recommend  Topshop for those looking for edgy, avant-garde style, Zara  for classically chic looks and River Island for heavily trend-based ideas. Check them out by clicking on the links below. x.

Topshop A/W12 Lookbook
Zara A/W12 Lookbook
River Island A/W12 Lookbook

A/W 12 Trends on the High Street: Print

The Printed Trouser

From left; Topshop £35, Zara £39.99, River Island £30

The Printed Skirt

From left; Miss Selfridge £39, ASOS £18, Ted Baker £109

The Printed Top

From left; River Island £18, Zara £17.99, Miss Selfridge £35

With the A/W12 trends such as Baroque, Eastern Opulence and Geometric Florals, this coming season is a great opportunity to fill your wardrobe with PRINT, which if your wardrobe is anything like mine, is something that is severely lacking. With this (and the pursestrings) in mind I have put together a collection of some of the very best printed pieces that the High Street has to offer. And trust me, it was hard to whittle this down...there’s some great pieces heading out now ladies, get shopping! x. 

Buy Now, Wear Next Season: SALE PICKS

ASOS Midi Coat with Faux Fur Collar, was £140 now £54

Julian J Smith Print Envelope Clutch Bag from River Island, was £30 now £8

ASOS Ravel Hope Leather Boot, was £75 now £50

Floral Bardot top, was £18 now £10

Lipsy VIP Scallop Beaded Dress, was £120 now £95

 x.

Trending: Baroque

Balmain and Dolce and Gabbana led the way with this luxurious trend. Big on embellishment, brocade and gold detailing, the Baroque trend gives the best excuse to buy statement pieces, they'll last you all through the holiday season. x.

First Look.

New Season trends to get your head around. So black is back, and in a big way. Head-to-toe dressing in black leads to the advent of the glam-goth, who mixes textures and fabrics with lots of embellishment to keep this look from being dull. Ever a fashion favourite with real women, this look was all over the catwalks from Victoria Beckham's line to Chanel's extravaganza. More trends to come! x.