MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

a quick nod to my new school bag, a beautiful grey tote smothered in gold studs running all along the thick strap and bottom corners! swooooon

Today is Monday; first day back at sixth form! My sixth form requires business dress, which translates as a matching jacket and skirt or trousers, with 'appropriate' (what an awful word) shoes, blouses, etc. For boys, it's easy to come up with shirt and tie combinations each morning! But for girls? Well, each morning tests even the most stylish of minds with creating a look that, while still remaining college-appropriate, shows off your personality. How best to do this? ACCESSORISE TO THE MAX!

I am a magpie, admittedly, known for my love of all things embellished, studded, gold, glittery, sequinned, bejewelled... you know the score. So my way of showing my personality in school usually focuses on jewellery. With an extensive collection of rings, my writing is often hampered; but who cares when your hand looks like a gold mine! I slip chain after chain on my wrist, or if I'm wearing a less statement top I'll weigh myself down with pendants and pearls.

Tomorrow, I want to incorporate a new necklace I bought at the NEC's Christmas Fair.

It's one of the simplest ways to express who you are as a person, and can be worn both simple and elegant, or big and bold. I also purchased this amaaaazing notebook for £3 from Shruti Designs! Who said stationery couldn't be cool...

ACH JA

HO HO HO it's officially Christmas time! How do I know? Well the season isn't dictated by snow. The first day of Christmas, in Birmingham at least, starts with the opening of the annual German Market and Craft Fair. Pretzels, hot mulled wine, wurst, brot, bier and carousels; not forgetting the deliciously expensive 'fruit covered in chocolate'. I wish they had a more desirable name so those living outside the city could understand their merit, but its a 'Birmingham thing'.

With the ice rink nearly ready, the wheel reaching rooftops and the lights switched on, there's a festive mood in the chilly air. But what does this mean for fashion? It's layering time, ladies! Coats over jumpers over shirts over vest tops, cute knitted mittens and obligatory German Market tassel-eared hats, now is the time to swathe yourselves in scarves and lace up ankle boots. I love Winter for the ability it gives me to wear all my favourite things at once. But I'm no hardcore fashionista: weather influences my choices just as much as Winehouse.

Last Saturday, I gave my Russian-style hat it's first outing, keeping a vintage feel to my look with a lace vest, gold crochet cardigan and red lipstick. I added military style shoe boots to tie in with the hat, as you can see from the images below:

Stylish? Maybe. Practical? Perfect! Want to shoot style up a notch? You can't beat these heavyweight beauties from Topshop, http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=19551&storeId=12556&categoryId=175036&parent_category_rn=175013&productId=1374421&langId=-1 , a (relative) steal at £95. Santa baby, hope you're taking note!

EXTRA, EXTRA

About three minutes ago my jaw hit the floor: as announced today, Luella is to cease trading.

A designer with one of the most original, creative and, to quote Simon Cowell, 'relevant' design styles in the business, the brand has fallen victim to that damn recession. VSQ, Luella's main financial backers, stated that they simply could no longer "invest in the relationship". This statement, released on Tuesday, comes the month after the factory that produce her ready to wear collections closed, meaning S/S 10 orders will remain unfilfilled. The crumble will come as a shock to many a fashionista, who are used to seeing Luella's quirky creations on anyone who's anyone in the Fash Pack: Alexa Chung, Lily Allen and Jaime Winstone to name but a few. With so many fans, and just seven weeks after massive praise for her fifties inspired S/S 10 collection, the move by VSQ to pull out of the brand serves as another reminder of how serious the economic downturn is for the fashion world.

The designer, who holds the title of last years Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards, was all smiles at the launch of Liberty's Christmas windows last night. A sign of true professionalism to the bitter end, she did not allude to the huge announcement that was to be made today. Luella is quoted as being "very disappointed" and "upset", but the former fashion journalist leaves her dedicated followers with hope: after praising her team and VSQ for their five years of support, Ms Bartley assured us "I love the Luella character and hope that after we have survived this challenging time, the Luella girl can have an exciting future ahead of her, whichever incarnation she takes on next". One can only hope.

Luella was one of London's leading lights; I hope she comes back with higher heels, bolder lips and a strut that shows everyone the Luella girl is back in town.