Jack Wills Newcastle Launch: Fabulously British

It's finally here! Newcastle has it's own Jack Wills store! Alice & Grace were invited by the lovely Patrick to the launch...

We were pleasantly surprised by their British orientation in producing their brand. After all this does avoid the 'fashion guilt' (you know what we mean, air miles, sweat shops & child labour don't lead to a happy shopper). They even have their own flock of sheep to produce the perfect wool, they're all about the quality of their products & championing the British fashion industry. 

The layout of the store concentrates on their more fashion forward range rather than the classic sportswear, BUT don't worry they still have a great selection of sportswear! 

Ashridge blouse & Marlow Merino Cable Crew

While we enjoyed our complimentary cocktails and listening to the live DJ set we picked out our favourite pieces. This blouse is a timeless piece that's perfect for taking from day to night (plus it felt incredible). The jumper was picked from the men's range, JW are famous for their wool jumpers & this highlights the orange trend at the moment. We're also massive fans of wearing  our boyfriends clothes - so if they buy it...we wear it (and we don't have to pay a penny).

We particularly love the new twist on the famous pheasant logo and you can never go wrong with a classic JW knit. It's always worth the investment.

We were enlightened to learn JW have been working to create the perfect British wool; this involves breeding two different types of sheep, one with a softer coat, to give that great JW texture. 
We are highly impressed JW are working with traditional British brands proving they are, in fact, Fabulously British! 

Any North East bloggers let us know what you think.

Alice & Grace x

How To - Home Furnishings DIY style

I wanted to have some original, quirky pieces for my room and what's a better way to get something 100% original than to make it yourself!? 

I made my very own candle holders and a flower/bottle/thingy (I have no name for it) 

This was super easy and it was fun! 

What you need:

• Empty curry/jam jars/beer bottles
• Ribbons, beads and fabric-I did this at no expense spared by using old tangled jewellery and hair pieces I had planned to throw away!
• Scissors
• Super-Glue

Candle Holders:

• Simply soak any old curry/jam jars in warm water and washing up liquid to melt the glue and easily remove the stickers.
• Rinse and make sure any excess glue or sticker is off the jar.
• The fun part: Instead of throwing away old jewellery or hair pieces re-use them, cut it up, tear it apart to make funky designs for your candle holders!
• (Left) For this jar I used an old lace head band I never wore (or planned to wear) to add lace to the top and bottom of the jar. For the middle I cut the beads off an old necklace and wound them round the jar. I then used the bigger beads of the necklace and glued them between the lace flowers on the top banner. This gave the jar an old victorian vintage look. (Right) My room has a lot o purple and orange within it so I decided to stick to this colour theme by cuttin up and old orange scarf I owned and wrapping it around the top. I then cut an old beadnecklace into equal strands and individually glued them to beading around the top. The large purple bead was off an old chandelier I had in my old house which had broken off. Easy! 

Flower/Bottle/Thingy (seriously guys help me think of a name):

• Again I soaked an old beer bottle in warm water and washing up liquid.
• The pink flower was originally a hair pin I bought for holidays a couple of years ago and haven't wore since.
• I removed the pin from the flower and for the 'stem' I attached some faux black pearls I had from a very tangled necklace I've had for YEARS!

Et Voila!

Alice & Grace x

Product of The Week

This week I've been a little blue due to the rain so I decided to make myself feel brighter by painting my nails in this fantastic fluro orange by Hedkandi for Models Own! 

The colour is outstanding (literally), dries within seconds and it doesn't chip easily! Perfect! 

This shade isn't for the shy wall flower as you will certainly get noticed rocking this on a night out because it glows under UV light, what more could you want from a nail varnish!? 

Models Own, Hedkandi

Shade-Hedonist

Working Women

I've been neglecting my baby recently and I sincerely apologise to all you lovely readers! BUT I do have a good reason for my silence as I have been at work, that's right I am a working women; I am now, officially, Deputy Fashion Editor of the Newcastle Courier! My new adventure started on Thursday when I got to meet the delicious editorial team 2013/14 and George (my new boss man!!) had us do ice breakers yano the usual; two truths/one lie, human nought and OH YEA getting drunk on 2 quid drinks and duetting Elton John's 'Don't go Breaking my Heart' with the new music editor at Kosy Joe's karaoke bar. 

Feeling less than daisy like the next morning I got introduced to the wonderful world of InDesign and PhotoShop! Every FaceBook photo will be flawless from now on! 

Layout of a newspaper is certainly more difficult than I thought...

I will keep you all updated on my exciting new work life and if you are a Newcastle student make sure to pick up the souvenir paper or anyone can check us out online!

PS-Helpful hint, invest in an umbrella if you walk to work; You don't want to show up looking (and probably smelling) like wet dog. (This so did not happen to me)

Bex 

Let it Reign

This Summer during a bit of father/daughter bonding time me & my Dad came across Let it Reign at Tynemouth Market (Well worth a visit if you're in the North East & super easy to get to - it's right on the metro line!). 

Being the Daddy's little girl that I am he treated me to this beautiful necklace, although it's sadly temporarily sold out online they have a huge range of British jewellery, homeware, stationary & much more. You can also follow them on Facebook & Twitter where you can keep up to date with their latest stock. 

I love how all their products are British. They have such a beautiful range that is unique & usually really hard to find. It also has a feel good factor as you're supporting local & up & coming businesses.

I might have to make a cheeky investment in one of their beautiful notebooks for my final year at university! (Dad, if you're reading this you know how to score some more parental points)!

Wolf & Moon Bunting Necklace, £18.00 ~ link (All the Wolf & Moon jewellery is to die for)

Alice & Grace x

Product of the Week ~ Next2nowt.com

So, I'm off to Italy in a week or so & I've been searching for the perfect sandals. I had in mind exactly what I wanted but due to all the Autumn/Winter season stuff coming into stores I wasn't having much luck until I came across the bargain website Next2nowt.com which sells highstreet brands for tiny prices. 

For once luck was on my side & they had exactly what I wanted in my size for only £6.95 plus p&p. Now that is what I am calling a serious bargain. 

These little (or not so little, I am a size 7) beauties were originally sold in Topshop for £18!

Alice & Grace x

Issa for Banana Republic (Swoon)

So when we heard here at Alice & Grace that Issa was teaming up with Banana Republic for an affordable (ish aka if you're on a full time salary & not a poor student) we nearly died a little due to extreme excitement overload. Well if it's good enough for K-Middy it's good enough for us! I'm sure you all saw that Issa engagement dress.

We love Banana Republic for it's effortless chic & when teamed with the amazing style credentials of Issa it's as if we've entered a dream. The range starts at £65 - okay, we know it's not the cheapest but if you think of it like you're getting designer clothing for the price of high end highstreet you're onto a winner.  

Because we're pretty damn fabulous we've picked out our top 3 pieces from the collection for you guys. Our top tip is to use their American site if they don't have your size on the UK site because they have a bigger range & despite their being a larger p&p we reckon it's worth it to get your hands on this collection! Just make sure you remember about their different sizing.

Our picks (left to right):

The Blue Cermaic Wrap-Tie Dress is a firm favourite of the celebs, it was spotted on the gorgeous Emmy Rossum just last week.

This Three Quarter Length Ceramic Dress is quite possibly our favourite from the collection. Wrap dresses are going to be big this coming season (You heard it here first)!

Is it just us or does this Three Quarter Length Wrap-Tie Dress resemble Kate's famous engagement dress an awful lot? We love.

What's your favourite designer & highstreet collaboration?! 

Alice & Grace x

Product of the Week

I've found my skin saviour at long last. Whenever my skin starts to break out I use Mask of Magnaminty by Lush daily & it truly works wonders. It only takes 5-10 minutes so it's easy to fit in to your beauty routine. It comes in either a 125g tub (as pictured) for £5.25 or 315g for £9.25 which I think is extremely reasonable for how good the product is. I love how it's a freshly made product as well, it even says on the tubs when it was made & who by! So cute!

Alice & Grace x

Autumnal Wish List

As much as I don't want to admit it, autumn is on it's way. While this means saying goodbye to my summer wardrobe (sniffle) it also means I get to start dreaming of the A/W look I will be sporting this year (I say dreaming as I have to wait three weeks until my student loan is in, yup I'm counting down the days). Here's a few of my favourite picks from the new high street season...

Left to Right:

Nars Blusher in Orgasm from Asos - link 

Midi Skirt from Topshop - link

Cut Out Boots from Topshop - link

Biker Jacket from Dorothy Perkins - link

Bug Statement Necklace from Topshop - link

Dungaree Dress from Asos - link

Midi skirts are a great way to embrace the colder season while still looking on trend and this Topshop beauty is to die for, the colour will brighten up any outfit. I've also wanted to try the Nars blusher for aaages. It's raved on about so much I want to try it out for myself, the famous 'orgasm' is top of my list. 

What have you got your eye on as autumn approaches?

Alice & Grace x