Halloween Series #1

Hello All!

Being an October baby, & particularly close to Halloween at that, I've always loved & made quite a big deal out of this holiday. In many ways, I like it more than Christmas, because it's full of skulls, black & spooky stuff (aka all the stuff I love) but I still get presents because of my birthday. 

During October, my blog will be focusing on Halloween, from costume ideas & makeup to decorations & food ideas. I've spent an unhealthy amount of time watching Halloween related tutorials & idea videos on YouTube, so have plenty of posts planned!

Now I'm not afraid to go all out on Halloween, from fake blood to all out costuming, but I thought I would start the Halloween series with some more wearable, inspired by Halloween outfits. 'Mean Girls' has taught us all that, & I quote "In the real world, Halloween is when kids dress up in costumes and beg for candy. In Girl World, Halloween is the one day a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut and no other girls can say anything else about it", but I've been quite tame with the first installment!

I've taken inspiration from characters from Halloween-esque films or series to create outfits suitable for a more sophisticated Halloween celebration.

 Beetlejuice

Stiped leggings - BooHoo | Tuxedo Jacket - River Island | Stiped Heels - MissGuided

 

 Bride of Chuckie 

White Lace Dress - Topshop | Leather Jacket - New Look | Chain Choker - Topshop

 

 Morticia Adams

Black Maxi Dress - Miss Selfridge | Black Lace Maxi Dress - New Look | Cross Necklace - Topshop

 

  Wednesday Adams

Black Dress with White Collar - Lavish Alice | Knee High Socks - Topshop | Monochrome Boots - Lavish Alice

I've got to say, I would definitely wear all four outfits. Especially the Wednesday Adams one! In fact, the dress & boots are now on my Birthday list...

Beetlejuice, or even Jack Skellington from 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' is a really fun take on Halloween, it's smart but still striking.

Bride of Chuckie is an outfit I'd wear anyway. I love pairing lace with leather, especially light lace. I think it really toughens the look up.

Morticia & Wednesday's were obvious choices! I love Morticia's gothic look, & these maxi dresses give the right amount of sexiness & gothicness. I've always loved Wednesday Adam's monochrome look & pig tails. 

All these outfits are Halloween enough but with a sophisticated edge so that you can channel your inner witch. However, I prefer to go all out, which you'll see later this month!

 

 

The Great Frog- Jewellery That Rocks!

Hello all!

Jewellery is a great way of personalizing an outfit, expressing your personality or making a simple outfit more dressed up. As with my usual colour scheme, my jewellery choices are often predictable. I own a fair amount of jewellery, often spending a fair bit for sterling silver, or silver plated jewellery as I hate the tacky green stain of cheap jewellery. I have swarovski, Vivienne Westwood and Thomas Sabo pieces for 'special occasions' but I have my 'statement' jewellery that I wear on a daily basis; my 'Jade' name necklace and my beautiful, chunky claddagh ring from The Great Frog.

I've worn a claddagh ring for a long time, largely due to my Irish heritage. The one I wore for the longest was bought for me by my Grandma, but unfortunately I lost it when throwing a bowling ball (something that would only happen to me!)  Then I came across 'The Great Frog', an amazing, unique jewellery design shop with stores in London, New York and Los Angeles. 

The London store, just off Carnaby Street, is a gothic haven. Dark and mysterious, the store is full of skull embellished, thick silver pieces that are all so beautiful. The decor is as amazing, with a real romantic goth, under ground rock bar feel to it.

I have a confession. My name is Jade and I am an inner rock chick. I love wearing black and you'll rarely see me without lashings of black eyeliner. The first cd I ever bought was Avril Lavigne and I will always chose studs over sequins. So finding this place was amazing!

You may have heard of 'The Great Frog' as it is where Deadmau5 designed Kat Von D's engagement ring. 

I hate the word 'alternative' when describing a fashion sense, but I'm failing to find a better adjective. The jewellery is so gothy, alternative, rock-chick, just plain beautiful. 

As well as tattooed beauty Kat Von D, other celebs and musicians such as Alice Dellal, James Heptfield and Slash also don their Great Frog statement jewellery. I believe they were also featured on a Vogue Italia cover.

I love most of the jewellery on the website, and try to pop into the shop whenever I am in the area. Unfortunately, as funds are limited lately, I haven't been able to add to my Great Frog collection. But my lust-list us huge! Although quite expensive, the jewellery is such good quality and so unique, I feel the craftsmanship (the jewellery is designed and made beneath the London store in the workshop) justifies and is reflected truthfully in the pricing. 

 As you can see, the jewellery is solid silver, with crosses, skulls, roses and heart detailing. There are also animals, eyes and other symbols used in the mainly silver jewellery. I really love how solid and not delicate they are. Although McQueen use skulls in their jewellery, the quality just isn't the same. I also love the finish of the jewellery, which isn't highly polished or shiny or smooth. You can see the chiseling and workmanship that has gone into designing it, which I think makes it more personal and fits with the feel of the shop. 

I cannot rave enough about The Great Frog enough! 

Have a look on their website or pop into their London store and release your inner rock chick!