Come On England!

"Oh he's football crazy, he's football mad. The football it had taken away the little bit of sense he had. And it would take a dozen skivvies to wash his clothes and scrub, since Paul became a member of that terrible football club."

Anyone remember that musical gem from their school days? We used to whip off our jumpers (oo-er) at primary school, raise them high above our heads, wave them frantically and sing in time to that witty little ditty with Mrs Fox, our music teacher.

Ah, them were the days.

Anyway, COME ON ENGLAND! You can do it!

Nothing to Wear? Help Is At Hand....

Anyone who's ever dug deep into their wardrobe only to find they have 'nothing to wear' will have no doubt wondered where their very own Gok Wan is when they need him. Meet the north's answer to Mr Wan: Stevey Spencer. 

I was amongst a handful of girls at the Aussie Hair 'Aussie to the Rescue' bloggers' event in Manchester last month who were lucky enough to meet Stevey for some expert style advice.

Stevey studied Clothing Design Technology in Manchester, before going on to offer one-to-one style sessions and personal shopping experiences.

And after nabbing Stevey for a chat a few weeks after the event, this is what he had to say...

Lauren: Hi Stevey. So, what did you think of the Aussie event?
Stevey: I love the Aussie events, everyone involved is fun and friendly, the products are great and I love getting to speak to all different types of people about fashion, and how they can elaborate on their looks. It's also nice to be able to help people out with all the little fashion issues they may have.



Lauren: You work with us mere mortals on a regular basis, but if you had the chance to dress a celebrity, who would it be and why?
Stevey: I would love to style Alicia Keys, she's so beautiful and amazing but gets it so wrong where clothes and fashion are concerned.
Britney and Madonna are also in need of some serious help as they very rarely get it right, I could work wonders with them! They're both sexy, strong women with either horrible taste or seriously bad stylists. I'd also love to get my hands on the soap girls (Hollyoaks, Corrie etc), beautiful busy girls, who could look amazing in the right clothes but so often get it wrong.
I don't think people realise that the majority of best dressed stars all have stylists, and the worst dressed don't, so with a little help and guidance anyone can look fabulous.

Lauren: Which current fashion trends do you love and loathe?
Stevey: I Love, Love, Love the nude trend. It's so soft and feminine, especially with gorgeous lace and over sized ruffles - everyone can work it.
Nothing like this had been around for a while so makes a nice change from all the edgy styles we've all become used to. I'm also loving tribal prints especially when two clashing prints are worn together, it's an easy way to experiment with colour and print whether its with a complete outfit or just jewellery. It's a modern look that's not to difficult to pull off and perfect for summer. There aren't any trends I hate, I think fashion is very personal. What works for one of my clients could look awful on another.
Personally I'm not a big fan of nautical, it's been around for a while and I'm a little bored of it now.

Lauren: You say some celebs get it wrong with regards to style. Who would you include in that? And who gets it right?
Stevey: Sandra Bullock looked amazing throughout award season this year. I especially loved the silver beaded Machesa panel dress she wore for the Oscars, she looked perfect.
I also love the more edgy, experimental stars like Leighton Meester, Leigh Lezark and Chloe Seveigny who have an effortless cool about them and aren't afraid to push a few fashion boundaries. Lady GaGa will become a legend and Beyonce has great style both on and off the Red carpet.
Here in Britain we don't have the same glamour and tend to be a bit more casual.  I love Paloma Faith, she's really creative with her look but still has an old school glamour about her.
 Helen Mirren and Fern Britton are a little older but still look elegant and work with their figures, they always manage to look good which shows you that being skinny and 20 isn't everything.
So many stars get it wrong, to many to mention, and once they do, the photo is out there forever. So the best thing to do to make sure this doesn't happen is to get a stylist.

Lauren: What advice would you give to larger, curvier ladies who'd like to wear all the latest trends?
Stevey: Trends aren't just for skinny people, and larger women can wear any trends they like. It's about wearing something appropriate for your body shape and size and also wearing something that makes you feel confident and amazing.
I have many larger clients who were very safe and self-conscious when they came to me and now they love experimenting with new trends and styles. Its very hard to generalize as women come in so many shapes and sizes.

Lauren: What's the best piece of advice you could give someone in terms of style?
Stevey: Don't follow trends to closely and find things that flatter you're figure! Just because a certain style is in, doesn't mean its going to look good on you. experiment with different cuts and shapes to find what looks good. Try to be creative with your own style, its easy to get stuck in a rut. Fashion is meant to be fun and make you feel good, so don't get to stressed out about it. Confidence is a must have accessory for any outfit.

Lauren: What's been the highlight of your career so far?
Stevey: I enjoy everything I do, I get excited by fashion so it's the perfect job for me really. I wouldn't say I had any one highlight though, maybe that will come this year when Alicia, Britney and Madonna call for their re-styles!

Lauren: Finally, what's coming up for you?
Stevey: The thing about this job is you never know what could come up, people book you on quite short notice. It certainly makes it exciting. I'm constantly working for my personal clients, whether it's dressing them for an event or buying them a wardrobe to take on holiday. I have a few exciting things coming up this year to, but can't say to much at the moment but I'll keep you posted.


Thanks for reading. Liked this interview? Let me know below.
And don't forget to check out Stevey's website here.

It's My Birthday....!

.....and I've come on here to gloat. Although not about my age....!

Had a lovely weekend in Scotland and received some gorgeous gifts from friends and family. And that's not all, I got a birthday greeting from We Buy Any Car.com on Twitter. Result!

Obligatory birthday pose

I share a birthday with Alan Carr, Boy George and Paul O'Grady - make of that what you will.
I'm off now to enjoy a spot of cake and a cup of tea. Tally-ho! x x x

RIP Stuart Cable

I was gutted when I heard word here that Stereophonics' former drummer Stuart Cable had passed away. I'm a big fan of the band - and no offence to new drummer Javier, but for me, Stereophonics were never the same without him.

I've followed the band since I was 13, after nicking my sister's Word Gets Around CD and listening to it on repeat throughout the summer of the same year.

I've since seen them 3 times in concert (twice with Stuart as drummer) and, despite what the critics say, Stereophonics were, and still are, one of the best British bands around.

While reporting for NME at One Big Weekend in Preston in 2007, I got the opportunity to meet the current line-up of the band. I was disappointed I'd not had chance to interview Stuart.

He had sadly already left the band by this point, but the original Stereophonics songs 'Boy in the Photograph', 'A Thousand Trees' and 'Just Looking' deservedly got the best reception during their set on the day - and, of course, the band couldn't have done it without him.

Stuart since joined the band Killing For Company and had a career in the media and on TV.

Here's a piece I wrote after the band's Preston One Big Weekend show three years ago.

RIP Stuart Cable - you will be missed.

Something Fishy's Going On....

The things we (well, some of us!) will do for beauty, eh?

I first heard word about the new 'trend' for dipping your feet into a bowl full of fish in the hope of saying ta-ta to dead skin after a mobile beauty spa visited a nearby shopping centre. If I'm honest, I thought it was a wind up.

A friend of mine assured me that these fishy goings on were indeed making a splash up and down the country.

Sheffield's Meadowhall Centre welcomed this new treatment (which has some health benefits too) a few months back and from what I could see, plenty of people were more than happy to part with their cash (£10 for 10 minutes, I believe) to try it out.
The woman on the infomercials in the centre was raving about the treatment, which is said to be a little tickly, but altogether quite enjoyable.

Does this want to make you gip?

How it works:
"The Garra Rufa, or Doctor Fish, naturally live in spa pools in Turkey and feed from the skin of clients. The fish aid the growth of healthy skin by consuming dead skin cells and disease affected skin cells.

"This is a very different treatment of where the fish nibble on problem areas of the skin surface whilst producing an enzyme which prevents the growth of cells on the skin."

So, after hearing the news that London's first ever 'Fish Therapy' spa has recenty opened, my memory was jogged.

Personally, I wouldn't go anywhere near this. But whayt do you think?

I wondered, just how far would you go in the name of beauty? Have you have had this done? Would you ever? Or what else have you put yourself through to look better?

Ins and Outs

I'm hopping on the Ins and Outs bandwagon for the first time. Here's what's floating my boat (and not!) at the moment.

Ins

* Hooray for summer and the inevitable barbecue.. Fellas love manning the barbie grill, so us ladies put our feet up this weekend while a wonderful array of British cooked meats came our way. Delicioso!

* Facials. I've been visiting a local beauty salon over a period of six months for Karin Herzog facials. They have literally done wonders for my skin and I'm finally starting to feel comfortable enough to go without make-up. A real first for me!

* Post - of the lovely non-spam/bill related variety. Thanks to Powder Rooms for sending me the Eyeko Tea Rose polish (absolutely gorgeous, by the way) and a nifty little double-ended eyeliner stick. Reviews coming soon...

* My chosen dog doing me proud and bagging me £7.86 at the races on Friday night. I'm rich! Supper was chicken in a basket and a pint of bitter and we each got a free bet for our cheap as chips £10 entry fee. How very northern of us.

* Finally getting my Benefit lipstick, courtesy of Flake. They took their time about it (4 weeks) but it's here and it's stunning - a gloss in Fresh Squeezed.

* My upcoming birthday. Spending a few days in a remote cottage in sunny Scotland. Very much looking forward to breaking out the board games and doing absolutely nothing. Can't wait.

* Getting Cosmo before it hits the shelves, thanks to my fella for getting me a subscription for Crimbo. What a love he is! And what a big girl I am.

Outs

* Talented folk. I am sick to the back teeth of seeing them on t'telly. *So wishing I had a talent...

* Trying to get to grips with a brand new mobile phone. Does anyone else hate that? Despite keeping my old number I still had to spend an age transferring all my numbers. I could've spent the time doing something far more worthwhile, of course. Like washing my hair, or watching paint dry ; )

* Milk bottle white pasty legs. I actually like a pale face, but legs on the other hand....
Took the plunge and bought some St Moriz. Just a shame I am far too scared to try it out. I haven't used fake tan for years. Orange, streaky legs ahoy! Or should I believe the St Moriz hype?

* The age I will be when the aforementioned birthday comes around.

* Driving through my old university town en route to my chap's house for the weekend. Always makes me weepily nostalgic. Sob.

What are your ins and outs? Do share...