Comfortable Shoes at London Fashion Week

Posted in Daily Outfits, Fashion.

Despite my worrying large collection of heels (thanks, Sarenza), I’m most often found in flats. I love being comfortable, and tottering around on 6in stilettos is not my idea of fun… no matter how fashionable they may be.

I’ve been working with John Lewis during London Fashion Week to hunt down the most stylish people at Somerset House – all that rushing across the cobbles required a pair of shoes that combine form and function – my Nikes weren’t going to cut it (unless they were hi-tops in a bright metallic – so hot right now) but there’s no way I’d attempt those death stones in anything elevated.

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Somerset by Temperley brogues, c/o John Lewis | Antoni & Alison skirt, TK Maxx | T-shirt, Zara | Jacket, ASOS | Bag, Mulberry | Necklace, Zara | Hat, Topshop

I’ve had my eye on the Somerset by Temperley collection since I saw the preview on Vogue a few months ago, and the Larch brogues were a firm favourite. I wore them with a tweed skirt and cute kitty tee for an attempt at that irreverent East London style (not sure I pulled it off).

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I love the mix of patent and suede and despite requiring a little breaking in (hello blister plasters!), the sturdy soles meant I could flit from show to show all day long without hobbling to the nearest chair/leaning on a friend for support/freeing my feet from a fiery hell and sitting barefoot on the ground. Result!

Are you a flats fan or are you surgically attached to your heels?

What Jen Did at New York Fashion Week

Posted in Fashion, Travel.

Well, that was all a bit mental, wasn’t it?

Last Saturday I flew out to New York to work at New York Fashion Week with one of my clients. It was a whirlwind of clothing, cabs and, um, Adrien Brody. I didn’t get much (read: any) time to take proper photos, so here is a selection of Instagram shots and some words to go with each one.

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I arrived in New York around midnight on Saturday night after a lovely flight from Heathrow – am I the only person who actually quite likes flying? 6 hours with no emails is bliss. I met my colleague at JFK and we headed to the apartment we rented for our 3-day stay. After lots of recommendations from Twitter friends, we used AirBnB to book a private penthouse apartment on the Upper West Side (at an extremely reasonable price) rather than a hotel, and I’m now an absolute convert to this kind of travelling. The apartment was amazing, as was the early morning view from the roof terrace!

I didn’t get chance to do my usual planning before the trip so had no idea what was nearby, but the neighbourhood we were in had a brilliant mix of cute cafés and cool restaurants, including Spring Natural Kitchen where I had this delicious veggie burger with the best sweet potato fries.

I was in town for New York Fashion Week but spent most of it at my client’s head offices, rather than at the Lincoln Center where all the action is! I did get chance to check it out though, and if you read my last post you’ll know I spotted a rather famous (and bearded) face…

The weather was glorious during my stay so I was pleased we managed a quick pit stop at Central Park – there is NO better place to enjoy a Whole Foods salad.

NYFW instagram post

The Upper West Side is a really family-friendly part of New York, with lots of community spirit and plenty of small businesses to support. The first breakfast of my trip came courtesy of Good Enough to Eat, an adorable restaurant complete with white picket fence! These strawberry and almond waffles were insanely good.

While walking around near our apartment, we came across this amazing ‘Acts of Kindness’ bus. It’s been handpainted with positive messages encouraging people to be kind to others – seeing it was such a boost!

After a hectic day, it was lovely to go back to a proper home (even though we did have to climb 4 flights of steep stairs to get there!). I managed to snatch a few minutes of calm as the sun went down over the roof terrace one evening.

Walking down 5th Avenue made me feel like a real New Yorker… although taking a photo proves I’m not.

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I won’t go into too much detail about the work I was doing while in New York, but I didn’t go out there as a blogger – I’m a freelance Online Community Manager and have a client that shows at NYFW. Safe to say it was beyond amazing to experience everything firsthand and I worked with some truly fantastic people.

And now I’m back at home, in Leeds, feeling very ordinary and not at all fashion-y. But it all starts again when London Fashion Week kicks off on Friday… I’m jet lagged, I have no clean clothing and I’m staying at three different hotels in three days. Wish me luck!

Hello from New York Fashion Week

Posted in Daily Outfits, Fashion.

new york fashion week blog

If you’ve been following my tweets or obsessive Instagrams (@jenholmes85) you’ll know I’m currently in New York, working with one of my clients during Fashion Week. By the time this post goes live I’ll be rushing around backstage at their show, but for the last few days I’ve been based at their NYC Head Office, capturing the preparations.

I’ve been working from first thing to late at night so haven’t had much time to explore the city, but I did get a chance to pop to the Lincoln Center yesterday morning to soak up the Fashion Week atmosphere. Lincoln Center is the hub of all the NYFW action and there were LOTS of impeccably dressed people chilling out around the square… and then there was me!

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new york fashion week outfit post
Dress, Whistles | Belt, Zara | Flats, Zara | Bangles, Forever 21 and H&M | Ring, H&M | Bag, Mulberry

I’ve been dressing mostly for comfort and temperature – the weather is gorgeous in NYC – so nothing too ‘fashion-y’. I love this simple Whistles dress brightened up with chunky accessories. Flats are essential when running around during model fittings!

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My favourite celeb spot ever – P’Trique from Shit Fashion Girls Say. Diva!

I’ll be back with more NYC snaps tomorrow. Wish me luck for the show!

Wearing Nude

Posted in Daily Outfits, Fashion.

(I think the title of this post is a bit of an oxymoron. I love oxymorons. My favourite EVER kind-of oxymoron was the name of a lady who worked in my local post office – ‘Candy Stern’.)

Greetings from NYC! I’m coming to you from bed on the Upper West Side at 7.30am, so apologies if this post is slightly rambly. I’m still suffering with jet lag but being back in my favourite city is helping – more on that in another post though, as today we’re talking nude!

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‘Classic Connie nude blazer, c/o French Connection | Flats, Sam Edelman c/o Brand Alley | Jeans, Zara | Tee, H&M | Necklace, Forever 21 | Bag, Mulberry

I’m rather pale, so I’ve always found nude-coloured clothing quite difficult to pull off. I think the key is in the shade – a slightly pinker tone, like this beautiful Connie jacket sent to me by French Connection, doesn’t drain me of all colour and looks great when paired with dark denims and fierce shoes.

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This is my staple outfit for busy days – I love the relaxed fit of the blazer and find myself throwing it on over pretty much everything. Simple yet effective.

Do you wear nude shades or do you find them difficult to pull off?

Blog Tip #1 – Be a Copywriter

Posted in Blogging, Writing.

Earlier this week I posted some SEO tips which went down really well, so I thought I’d share a few more snippets of advice for anyone looking to start a blog or improve their own. I’m not an expert, nor am I a professional blogger, but I do write for a living and most importantly – I write for brands. And writing for or about brands is an important part of fashion and beauty blogging. Which leads me nicely to my first tip…
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Copywriting is one of the most useful skills a blogger can have. A copywriter’s job is to write copy (duh) for promotional materials. So we’re not talking magazine articles (that’s a journalist) or books (author), but TV ads, billboards, websites, flyers, brochures… the list is endless. A good copywriter will make a product sound so genuinely amazing you want to rush out and buy it immediately. They give brands personality, they make customers feel special, they capture attention and encourage action.

So how does all that relate to blogging? Well, one thing many copywriters can do really well is the ‘soft sell’. The days of ‘MASSIVE SAVINGS BUY IT NOW!’ are over – people don’t want to be bombarded with offers and forced into purchases. They do, however, want to read fun, engaging things about nice products they might quite like for themselves. And being able to write about a product in an honest way without being too ‘salesy’ is an invaluable skill for bloggers who do reviews.

There are also more practical benefits that come from getting to grips with copywriting. There’s zero room for spelling and grammar errors, so you’ll become obsessed with checking and rechecking your work. No one likes a waffly advert, so you’ll learn to edit your words until they’re sharp and concise. And you’ll absorb so much information when researching projects – everything from how interest rates are calculated to the lifespan of penguins – that you’ll absolutely KILL IT at pub quizzes.

I’m not saying you should retrain as a copywriter (especially if you’re actually, like, a doctor). But if you find yourself with an hour to kill, have a search online for articles on the basics of copywriting, or try writing a print ad for your favourite skincare product. There are loads of simple, easy-to-learn techniques that you can use to hone your writing and boost your blog. And with a bit of time and effort, you’ll never need to copy and paste a press release again.