Out and About - Cosmo FashFest

Last week I tagged along with Kat and Lisa to a night with Cosmopolitan Magazine for their annual fashion awards. Hosted at Battersea Evolution, a beautiful venue packed with beautiful, shiny people, on arrival we were given the VIP treatment and handed glasses of fizz and cocktails (Cosmopolitans, of course) before spending probably a little bit too long trying to figure out who was who on the red carpet.

Party Headband in Woohoo - £20

Liberace Heart Belt in Black - £50

Medium Glitter Bow in Fuchsia - £6

After Kat snapped a photo with Alexandra Burke Lisa stalked friend-of-a-friend Leah McFall, and I marvelled at just how glossy Stephanie Pratt was in real life we soaked up some alcohol with scrumptious crispy onion topped mac-n-cheese (how very un-fashion, amazing!) and checked out the bewildering array of beauty treatments on offer; mad props to the girls getting full sets of extensions and spray tans!

Officially, we were there to check out the catwalk show - hosted by the gorgeous Laura Whitmore, it was a look into the high street for the coming season. Here are some of my favourite pieces from the show (click the pictures to buy!)





Catwalk images courtesy Cosmopolitan magazine

Best Sale Buys

This week we've been scouring the net for our favourite sale buys - and with 20% off everything at Crown and Glory this week we've put together some rather smashing 90s influenced outfit ideas for your summer jaunts.

How to Wear a Floral Crown, 90s style

The 90s are making a serious comeback right now, with everything from bubble bags to buffalo boots coming back into fashion. The easiest way to nod to the 90s if you're not into crop tops and tattoo chokers is to go grunge - think Courtney Love style slip dresses and bomber boots.

Boohoo Wren Strappy Swing Dress - Was £20 now £10
Boohoo Amarah Acid Wash Ripped Denim Jacket - Was £35 now £20
New Look Black Chunky Double Strap Boots - Was £34.99 now £17
Brit Stitch Half Pint Bag in Black - Was £70 now £35
Crown and Glory Rococo Crown in Berry - Was £40 now £32 when you enter SUMMER at checkout
Nails Inc Festival Nail Polish in Glastonbury - Was £12 now £9

Rock a Scrunchie (without looking like a 90's throwback)

Tackling another 90s trend without looking like a total throwback requires some polish and tailoring, something we're not particularly au fait with at Crown and Glory - but I've been sporting a pair of silver pointed stilletos more often than I thought possible, so stranger things have happened! We saw scrunchies mixed with monochrome tailoring at Ashish and Rag and Bone but the Crown and Glory way involves a slouchy cotton tshirt to stop it feeling like a job interview. Having the scrunchie in a luxe fabric like this black lamé one helps to polish things up a bit, and a pop of unexpected colour from the orange bag keeps it fun.

River Island Jaquard Print Wrap Mini Skirt - was £25 now £12
Whistles Fleur Premium Tee Shirt - was £65 now £30
Carvela Pointed Heeled Show - was £95 now £40
Crown and Glory Oversized Lamé Scrunchie in Black - was £10 now £8 when you enter SUMMER at checkout
Ted Baker Leather Long Strap Purse in Orange - was £99 now £50

The New Tea Dress

Tea Dresses are always popping up on the highstreet and are a must for your summer wardrobe, they're just so versatile! Dressed down with DM boots and a leather jacket to go out for drinks, up with a floral headband and heels for a pretty but no-fuss wedding guest look, this season also sees them styled up all 90s with high top trainers and backpacks.

Miss Selfridge Petites Tropical Print Sundress - was £35 now £24.50
ASOS Daylight Hi Top trainers - was £32 now £16
ASOS Leather Fold Up Backpack - was £60 now £42
Crown and Glory Anemone Crown Headband in Sunet - was £15 now £12 when you enter SUMMER at checkout

Outfit Ideas; My Spirit Animal is a Goth Teenager

With the launch of some super exciting AW14 pieces this week, I couldn't help but get all opulent styling up one of my favourite items - the Oversized Rococo Headband in Berry I'm also a recent convert to cami dresses after a picking up a little stripey number last week, they're actually not as unflattering as I'd first thought (or maybe upping my weight in kettlebells recently has paid off...) and I love the longer style on this off-black version from Warehouse.

You guys know my style by now, I can't bare to be too girlie in every day life, so these Office Vagabond boots and Topshop leather backpack toughen up the silhouette a little. And because we're inspired by all things opulent for A/W14 this year, I couldn't resist finishing off the look with this incredible feather waistcoat.

Outfit Ideas - Pastel Wedding Guest Style

If you read my 40 Things You Didn't Know About Me post, you'll know that I bloody love a good wedding! This weekend sees the wedding of our gorgeous, beautiful friends Pete and Becky in a beautiful ceremony in the rolling South Wales countryside. To say I'm excited is an understatement, and such beautiful surroundings call for a gorgeous pastel hued outfit. I swooned over this large rose print prom dress the second I saw it, and knew our new Lotta Rosie Headband in Mint would be the perfect accompaniment - I'm not brave enough for the Whole Lotta Rosie version!

A pale pink blazer jacket would keep the look smart and is easy to discard when you're ready to hit the dancefloor - this one is from H&M but I got a lovely collarless one from Boohoo, too. My trusty silver ASOS stilletos will be coming out to play this weekend - the pair I have are now sold out, but they're low enough to stay comfortable all day but make me feel so ladylike, too!

I'd top this look off with a beautiful clutch from Baia - I LOVE their site because you can have their made to measure pieces in literally thousands of colour combinations! I'd time lavender patent with a mint lining and white stitching - you can also choose from gold or silver hardware, so good! (Silver for me, please) A slick of a poppy pink lip stain (love the Revlon Colourburst Stain Balm formulas) and lilac nails and you're good to go!

Outfit Ideas - Festival Ready with Crown and Glory

It's the most wonderful time of the year - festival season, of course! While the shops are stocked chock of too-short denim cut offs and more fringing than Nicole Richie could ever wear, we like to do things a little differently here at Crown and Glory. This picnic blanket inspired midi skirt from Topshop is perfect for all weathers - go bare legged if the sun is shining or layer over leggings if it's on the nippy side. Teamed with a fine knit crop top allows you to show a little skin - if you can't get hedonistic at a festival where can you? - but by pairing it with the high waisted skirt, still leaves something to the imagination.

The traditional festival cover up has been updated this season with this awesome see-through parka to allow your outfit to still do all the talking!

Keeping your hands free for dancing (and, let's being honest, being double=parked with cider....those bar queues though!) is a must but steer clear of backpacks unless you want to be robbed super easily. This ASOS leather 'hip flask' bag is really secure with the zip and strap combo.

Hunter wellies are a festival staple, and we can't resist this gorgeous raspberry pair; because let's be honest, if you're headed to a UK festival, it's going to rain...and I sure as hell don't want to do festival toilets in sandals...

It wouldn't be a festival without wearing flowers in your hair, and our new Dainty Blossom garlands are perfect for shy babes - wear with your hair loose on day 1, wrapped around a topknot on day 2 and with heidi braids to cover up the lack of showers on day 3.

Another festival staple for me is glitter - glitter, glitter everywhere. I'd pat this UV Glitter Bodypaint across eyelids and cheekbones and shine from dawn 'til dusk.

Bridesmaid Outfit Ideas - Flower Fairy

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We were asked to style up some bridesmaid looks by the lovely folk at Weird and Wonderful Wedding World and we loved this one so much we just had to share it here! Styling grown-up bridesmaids to fit in with your ethereal woodland themed day can sometimes leave them feeling a bit young. But this gorgeous dress from Coast and Peony Floral Garland in Pinks can be sexed up with metallic accessories and some grown up makeup.

Want more outfit ideas? Check out our feature in Weird and Wonderful Wedding World Magazine now!

Outfit Ideas; Pink to Make the Boys Wink

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For someone who doesn't do pink, I sure can't get enough of the stuff recently. Having decked myself out with a new neon pink gel manicure that makes me happy every time I look at them, to my (albeit ridiculous) hot pink furry slippers that are never leaving my feet right now, pink is the hue to be seen in this season and this Skater Dress by Love is so gorgeously girlie! Pairing it with our super-sweet Strawberries & Cream Lotta Rosie headband could be too sacherine for some tastes, but you guys know me; go bold or go home, right? These edgy round sunnies and grey leather ankle boots toughen up the look somewhat though - I particularly love the silver hardwear on the heel here.

Ways to Wear with Ahoy Miss

Ok, it's official. we're so over winter dressing already. With the SS14 press days popping up all over Instagram this week, we're lusting over warmer climes and icecream at Crown and Glory HQ. Over to Danielle from Ahoy Miss for some spring-time pastel dreaming on this weeks' Ways to Wear...

'While most sensible people are bringing out their darker colors for autumn and winter, I can't seem to let go of my favorite pastels. The summery weather is still lingering in my neck of the woods anyway, so I'm just going to go with it. The Tea Rose Headband made me think of something out of a fairytale, so this outfit is something I'd wear to Disneyland. I can never have too many pretty mint dresses, and the two toned oxfords are just too perfect. I always have to sport a pair of interesting sunglasses. Of course this is a storybook ensemble, so a sweetly illustrated Bambi tote bag completes the look and provides room for my cameras. Just a little bit of pixie dust, and off I go!'