You may have noticed that I’m no longer a ‘Billy No Mates’ with regards to The ‘It’ Guide. That is because I’ve been joined by the lovely Faye, who has taken over writing articles for the newly resurrected features section! I’m delighted to welcome Faye, I sure that she and I will have a great time working on the site together, we already have a lot in common, not to mention our shared addiction to all things Warehouse…

I was privileged enough to get a sneak peak at Warehouse’s new SS12 collection whilst at London Fashion Week in February. Although most pieces are already available online, there were a few items that we can expect to see in stores this summer – and they will not disappoint!

But until the summer collection is available, we have the spring collection to feast our eyes on. Bold tribal prints meet delicate lace detailing, whilst coloured denim fearlessly clashes with bright tops and jackets. Warehouse’s SS12 collection is truly mesmerising and a tribute to the ability of high street brands to keep this season’s trends fresh and flourishing.

Faye and I have chosen our favourite pieces from the current collection below. Faye has already bought the delicate blue lace jumper and I’m now the proud owner of the primal print scarf… addicts indeed!

A highlights video from my adventures at London Fashion Week in February. Featuring clips from some of the shows I was lucky enough to attend as well as highlights from the many exhibitions at Somerset House.

As London Fashion Week is now only two days away, I've teamed up with Olivia Rubin to share some of the pieces from their SS12 collection and talk about how you could style them to wear during fashion week.

Now in her seventh season, Olivia Rubin launched her first womenswear line after graduating from the world-renowned Central Saint Martins College in London. Her final collection was chosen for the prestigious press show and won immediate attention from the press who cited her printed designs as one of the ‘standout collections'.

If you're interested in finding out more about Olivia Rubin's SS12 collection, please visit their website: http://www.oliviarubinlondon.com

Two of the pieces I featured in the video are available to buy online:
Rio Metallic Shorts - http://bit.ly/wsnfYp
Palms Zebra Top - http://bit.ly/wY9uNV

Olivia Rubin Voucher Code
To coincide with London Fashion Week Olivia Rubin are offering 16% off all their full priced stock. To take advantage of this offer use voucher code OR16FEB before the 29th February.

Those of you, who have read my previous blog posts, seen any of my videos or followed me on Twitter (@theitguide), will know I have a penchant for Anton Heunis jewellery. This particular fixation began when the lovely gals at my-wardrobe.com lent me an Anton Heunis necklace to wear during London Fashion Week in February last year. Since then I’ve gone on to buy two of his pieces; a necklace (http://instagr.am/p/KlUxm/) and a ring (http://instagr.am/p/PlX6D/). I considered this to be fairly restrained as I was sorely tempted to buy the entire collection!

But this new-found restraint could be short-lived, as I’ve just seen the new SS12 collection that has landed exclusively at my-wardrobe.com. Beautiful bright hues of gold and turquoise feature throughout the collection; accompanied by Swarovski crystal embellishments, glass jewels and Anton Heunis' signature chunky styling. This coveted collection was inspired by classic films such as 'Antony & Cleopatra', and all the pieces certainly radiate Hollywood glamour.

Speaking about great romances, such as Antony & Cleopatra, reminds me that Valentine’s Day is only a week away. If you’ve seen the opening statement to my ‘Gift Guide for Her’ post, you’ll know that excessive slushiness on Valentine’s Day (or indeed, at any other time of year), is best avoided when dealing with me. So if your better half has a similar propensity, then Anton Heunis has unknowingly provided you with an excellent alternative to ‘heart themed’ jewellery this Valentine’s Day.

I’ve included an assortment of pieces from the new collection below; any of these would make a stylishly chic Valentine’s gift. And just in case anyone is looking for gift ideas for me (my husband, perhaps?), my favourite would have to be the mosaic detail crystal bracelet (number 5). How about you?

1. Multi Stone Bib Necklace, 2. Small Turquoise Drop and Filagree Earrings, 3. Double Hoop Crystal Cluster Earrings, 4. Square Crystal Cluster Ring, 5. Mosaic Detail Crystal Bracelet, 6. Chunky Turquoise and Slinky Chain Pendant, 7. Chunky Turquoise and Gold Small Cluster Necklace

“I still can’t believe you write a fashion blog Helen”. A sentiment frequently expressed by my long-term friends and, if I’m honest, something that I find hard to believe myself. My teenage self-had very little interest in fashion, I did experiment with current trends (badly), but for the most part, I was happy and content in my Adidas three-stripe trousers and a white t-shirt – a mid-90s staple for most teens.

University did more to influence my current love of fashion, a result of living with two very fashion-orientated individuals in my second and third years. Yet throughout my intensive fashion induction I stuck to a uniform of jeans and a ‘going-out top’ for nights on the town. Until that is, in a moment of weakness I allowed my determined housemates to negotiate me into a skirt. It turned out to be a minor epiphany moment, I finally realised I could look good in something other than jeans, but it still wasn’t enough to encourage me to take fashion seriously.

Even in my early twenties I struggled to be adventurous with fashion. I enjoyed shopping and I enjoyed buying new clothes, but wouldn’t look twice at anything resembling a dress. Instead I stuck to my new style-mantra; jeans, black trousers or skirt with top. Living with my boyfriend (now-husband) and his brother did little to help matters, although the introduction of my (soon-to-be) sister-in-law into the picture did help to focus my attention onto less masculine pursuits.

The real turning point for me had very little to do with fashion at all…

After studying Multimedia Design at university I headed into a career of website design and it was whilst I was working for a company as part of their web-development team that I came across the concept of Affiliate Marketing. Since this is a fashion orientated post (at least, that’s what it started out as), I won’t bore you with unnecessary details, suffice it to say, I saw an opportunity to take my web-design skills and utilise them to make some extra money. After about a year of building small general interest websites (Midsomer Murders anyone?!) I decided to focus my efforts on building a more extensive site. I spotted a relatively untapped niche with high-end fashion brands and decided that would be the emphasis for my new site and The ‘It’ Guide was born.

Three years on and the site is still going strong, but the focus has shifted. It’s not shifted away from showcasing high-end fashion brands, but it has become more of a personal effort. I added the blog to the site in October 2010; I had arrived back from our honeymoon and discovered that as the wedding was over I had all my free time back and needed something to occupy it. Blogging gave me an outlet to write about a subject I had (subconsciously) become passionate about. It’s been a little over a year since I started blogging in earnest and whilst I don’t have time to update my site as often as I would like to, I do enjoy keeping a record of my foray into the world of fashion.

Since I’ve been involved in the fashion blogging arena I’ve found it to be a wonderful opportunity to meet other like-minded individuals and if I never take anything else away, I know I’ve made some great friends along the way and that’s more than enough for me.

Fashion is something I feel I’m still learning about and as my personal style evolves I hope my blog and the site as a whole will develop with it. I hope that in the future I’ll be able to attend London Fashion Week without feeling like a fraud and that one day I might even begin to take myself seriously as a fashion blogger… maybe… perhaps… one day…

theitgirl
xx