The sheer skirt

Hope you had an amazing weekend? Mine was great I went to see the movie New Year's Eve with some friends and I finally found some time to do my Christmas decorations! Show you some pics of that later on..

This my look of the day with a skirt from Joie , sweater and boots from H&M trend, sunglasses from ASOS, vintage snake bracelet, Casio watch from Dressrepublic, claw ring from VJ-style, a Versace for H&M flower ring and a vintage bag from my own vintage shop Fashionzenvintage.

Don't forget to join the Joie contest here as I will be guest judging ;)

HOW TO GET A JOB IN FASHION

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

I've now been Fashion Junior for almost five months. When I was chatting with the FashEd the other day, it struck us both just how far I'd come. Six months ago, I was finishing my English degree and wondering what I would do with my life. Fashion Journalism had been my first choice of career ever since I saw a documentary about Anna Wintour, on a plane when I was 12- what a cliché.

I did my best to exploit my very few contacts in journalism as soon as I could and so got a couple of internships under my belt when I was still quite young. However, the gloomy picture which my university (a well-respected red brick) painted for me made me dedicate most of my third year to Plan B- The Graduate Scheme. That meant taking part in endless psychometric tests, assessment exercises which ranged from building a bridge made out of Lego with 10 other people to spending three hours dealing with a fictional earthquake. I got further than many with lots of the schemes which I applied for but fell at the final hurdle each time. So, I can well understand the frustration of young people looking for work who have slogged their way through a degree (a decent one does require considerable dedication, contrary to popular belief) as well as doing voluntary work, internships and taking up positions on committees of university societies but finding they STILL don't fit the bill.

Fashion Junior graduating!

All this meant that by the time I was tweaking the final essay of my academic career (further study was something I couldn't face) I was still not sure where my next pennies were coming from. I had joined Twitter as an observer, following people who tweeted about things which interested me. It became better procrastination than Facebook. So as I wrote about post-colonial interpretations of Shakespeare, My Fairy Twitter Mother, Melanie Rickey, tweeted that she needed an intern for a few weeks. I tweeted back and there began my astoundingly swift journey from unemployed graduate statistic to Fashion Junior at Large, a job which not only involves posting on this blog but also helping out the FashEd with all her other projects.

 Around 100 people applied for the job I have and I still have to pinch myself that I am the one who got it. I see internships and jobs advertised every day via Twitter. In fact, you should follow @katie_jane_rose because she is always retweeting opportunities.  You'd be stupid not to be on Twitter if you want a career in any industry which has embraced it. It is a unique chance to connect with the key people. I was very lucky to get a paid job straight away, I don't contest that and don't want to sound like a brat. I was gearing myself up for unpaid internships like many of my friends. I'm lucky that my parents live near enough to London  that I could have done that. It's a travesty that that fact is a prerequisite for gaining experience in capital-centric industries. Even doing paid work at weekends would do nothing to cover rent in London.

I wanted to write about this because I feel despair about the situation which so many people my age find themselves in. On Friday, Dazed ran the first of a series of interviews with young people about the unemployment they face entitled 'Wasted Youth'.Newspapers are full of gloomy stories about the situation with plenty of jobseekers willing to tell their stories; what's shocking and should send shivers done the spine of every person in this country is that these people range from 17 year olds who want to become plumbers and electricians to 24 year-olds with Masters degrees. No path or background is a guarantee any more.

But I do think we can be more positive and more savvy. I loved Celine Cavaillero's website which even made it onto Vogue.co.uk after she recreated their site as her CV. At the time, everyone was talking about her and being entertained by her way of making herself stand out. I gather that since then she has landed a job with Yahoo in France.

But it's not all about gimmicks; I know I wouldn't have been offered my job with the FashEd had I not displayed considerable fashion geekiness. I gave an impassioned monologue about my love of Jonathan Saunders' AW11 collection. I was also able to explain who Ines de la Fressange and Diana Vreeland were. These people are not completely obscure but you do need to have been immersing yourself in fashion news and history to be able to answer.

So, if you are looking for a job in fashion I suggest you do hours of research, looking through the latest collections, reading about designers, see what Fashion Editors are talking about. Learn to make a fabulous cup of tea and think one step ahead of your potential employer (not always easy!). Be endlessly proactive. 'The harder you work, the luckier you get' a very wise editor I admire recently wrote and that could not be truer.

ADVENT DAY 19: THINKING OF SUN

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Start have this on sale for £115 in XS, if you're not XS then Net-Porter is your place for £185

 I write this from my desk, one handed, as the the other hand grips onto my umpteenth cup of tea of the day, made in a desperate attempt to keep warm. I am layered up with jumpers and scarves but it's not helping. I want to be somewhere warm, like lying on sheepskin next to a burning log fire or on a farflung beach where clothes are not necessary and the only tea needed is of the Long Island variety. So I thought it might help (optimistically perhaps) if I wrote about what I would be wearing on said beach. My hands down first choice is a We Are Handsome swimsuit. These first came to many people's attention last year when Rihanna and Diane Kruger amongst others confounded the usual expectations of celebrity beach attire- a super skimpy, frilly bikini- by choosing the label's Amazon Panther print swimsuit. It sold out rather fast after that. However, if you're still interested, Net-a-Porter have an exclusive re-stock. I love the The Amazon but there are also plenty of other fab designs; The Knight Rider shows a staggeringly handsome horse galloping off into the starry night while The Hunter shows a pensive stag. If you're not into the animals then The Carnival (with a very cool scuba zip) and The Garden might be more up your street. If you're lucky enough to be popping off for some winter sun then Start already have a few We are Handsome pieces on sale. And for those of us stuck with the layering and lying in front of log fires option, this is an optimistic future planning purchase.

The Amazon re-stocked exclusively at Net-a-Porter for £190

Rihanna in her panther print (image from wearehandsome.com)

Sunshine is useful for other stuff than keeping us warm on a beach... George Eliot's rather wonderful  metaphor for egotism...

'He was like a cock who thought the sun had risen to hear him crow' George Eliot

Whatever you think of Rihanna, you can't argue that this is one of THE definining songs of 2011...

Joie contest

Have you heard? Joie and Chictopia are looking for someone who knows how to style the perfect “understatedly chic” outfit and be the face of their upcoming spring campaign!
And guess what, I am one of the guest judges in this contest!

The 1st place winner will be featured in Joie's upcoming Spring campaign, plus receive $600 worth of Joie outfits! The first runner-up will win a $200 spending spree to use at Joie. The second runner-up will win a $150 spending spree to use at Joie. The contest ends on Thursday, January 19th, 2012 at 11:59 PM PST, so hurry and show your best Joie girl outfit! The winners will be announced the following week.

Now go on and upload an outfit photo of yourself wearing your best, "understatedly chic Joie girl" outfit here and encourage people to vote.

Who knows, the next Joie girl could be YOU!

P.S. stay tuned for my next outfit post in which I styled one of my favourite Joie items!

ADVENT DAY 18: FASHION FOR EARS

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

Plattan Quilted Earphones £80 from Urbanears

A few weeks ago, the Fashed reported in Grazia about the new 'fashion-ear-stars' (as in fashionistas, get it? She's so proud of that pun). It's not new to use earphones as a kind of fashion statement, especially since that white wire attached to ipod earphones became such a marker of coolness. However, there are now brands which mark you out as being particularly in the loop. Beats by Dr Dre is probably the best example. It seems that posing with some Solos round your neck/ perched atop your head your hip factor goes off the scale. But then there is the retaliatory group which sees them as just too posey. The FashEd and I have become big fans of Urbanears which are sleek and discreet. They come in an array of sharp colours and when displayed look like a big pantone chart. Our favourites are the quilted plattans which have something of the Chanel about them. They appeal to those in the know, but aren't garish or branded with logos like other brands.

Today's quote and video are random things which my friends have been showing me this weekend...

'I am waiting for a really strong and meaningful pig role' Miss Piggy, of course

ADVENT DAY 17: IT'S BETTER THAN A BOOK

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large



The FashEd and I are the first ones to extol the virtues of a fabulous fashion book. We are both inspired by them on an almost daily basis. However, this week I believe the ultimate alternative to the coffee table fashion book has been revealed. And that is the full, online archive of US Vogue. Admittedly, it is considerably more expensive than a book, but the wealth of fashion reference which a subscription to this service would provide is immeasurable. Not only can you scroll through each and every issue of American Vogue published since its inception in 1892 but the archive is also very searchable, thus providing a resource for tracing the careers of photographers, models, writers and editors from the past 120 years. The privilege of access to this amazing chart of fashion and social history will cost $1,575 (that's just over £1,000) but if you want to be a favourite with a lover of fashion this Christmas then this would be utterly perfect. I coudn't put the video here, but CBS news spoke to Anna Wintour and Vogue's Editor at Large, Hamish Bowles, about what it means to be in Vogue and the history and relevance of the publication, absolutely worth a watch. 

'When I die, I want to go to Vogue' David Bailey

Me too. 

I have a bit of an obsession with 90s music at the moment. This seems apt for today. 

Zara feature

One of my looks has been selected by Zara for their PEOPLE! streetstyle section on their website! I'm so happy that I wanted to share it with you guys! Have a great weekend lovelies!