The latest McCain's advert latches onto the feel-good-feeling of knowing it's chips for dinner. The ad features a happy fellow with a Chips jumper, which you can actually buy from Primark. It's the cosiest way of dropping hints for tea for hipsters everywhere.
http://www.mccain.co.uk/latest/chipjumper/?gclid=CJTgg5O38rwCFWjmwgodkjgAQw
Marks and Spencer's have some very smart, pink, feature accessories for business wear this spring.
Braces- £12.50
Cable knit- £29.50
Tie- £19.50
Images from the yearly United Bamboo cat calendar, 2014 available to buy now. All mini-feline-versions of the collections.
Takes me back to the Brownie days. £3.50 per adult badge, £6 for a pack of three infant merit badges, here at Twisted Twee.
Polka Dot Polly is a made to measure, online, uk-based dress shop. Polly can whip you up a dress to fit like a glove, with hundreds of fun fabrics to chose from. She also makes skirts, blouses and men's shirts. I'm really taken with this old fashioned fabric with a subtle TARDIS motif running through it.
And if Doctor Who isn't your thing, Polly has hundreds of fabrics to chose from. I'm sure if you sourced the correct amount of fabric of your own choice, she could work out a price for the frock of your dreams too.
Loafun is a fledgling, fun, design community which allows members to design their own converse style shoe. The site gives you the tools to put together your custom design, then the in-house artists will hand paint your trainers, and ship. They also plan on running design competitions around a theme, a bit like Threadless does with t-shirts. So you can also buy designs by talented underground artists.
For any user/buyer the whole idea behind the concept is "shoe is you" and you can create exactly what you want on the shoe using the online design tools. If you are a designer who just wants to exhibit your designs you can do so as well by uploading your designs and making them available to public. Once approved we display these on our site for people to purchase. We pay designers a royalty based on what design sells online. The designer earns points which he can later redeem for cash/ merchandise as he/she wishes. The designer has absolute control over his designs at any given time as he can control whether to display hide or delete a design he has created unlike blackbox submissions which other social commerce portals (including threadless) currently have.
Loafun wanted me to see for myself how a shoe turns out from design to finish, so here are my very own World of Kitsch shoes, with the logo which was designed for me by Neal McCullough. The ordering process was very simple, and the trainers are with you quite quickly too, even to the UK.
Engage with them on Loafun's Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest to be part of the movement.
I really am finding some unusual monthly subscription boxes along my way of investigating what the Internet has to offer.
Who Made Your Pants? is a little business in Southampton which pays a living wage to its female employees, some from a background of having a hard time in life. Everyone who joins the business starts at the sewing machine, and from there, profits are reinvested to train the women up in other key business areas like admin, taxes, marketing and finance so they can follow their ambitions within the same company they took a first step with.
And the pants? Well I can testify they are soft, lacy, top quality and very pretty. The December box came with candy canes and matching holiday coloured pants.
The monthly subscription costs £21.50 per month and you get a range of their different designs in pants packages over the year. Right now there's a special New Year offer where you get 13 months for the price of 12.
You can also shop for single pairs of your own choosing in the Pants Shop. So get clicking, get sexy pants and know you're helping out your fellow women.
It looks like designers have finally remembered the famous 'decade that fashion forgot', and they're insisting on dragging it back into the light. All those leggings, shoulder pads and neon palettes can only mean one thing: the 80s are back. If you've still got an attic full of treasured Dynasty-style suits and a seriously shiny ruffled prom dress, you're in luck; if not, follow these top tips for channelling this retro vibe into 2013 fashion.
Get the statement pieces
From acid-wash jeans to colourful printed leggings, there are a range of recognisable items in the shops right now that owe a lot to the '80s. For full commitment to the look, add some contrasting or clashing leg warmers, or work the gym wear as day wear trend with neonlycra crop tops. A quick look at SS13's catwalks is enough to establish that the bomber jacket is making a committed comeback, with variations available in everything from denim to oriental prints to solve all your outerwear needs. Finish the look with some fingerless lace gloves for true '80s pop star style.
Master the make up
Smudgy eyeliner, blue or purple eye shadow, bright blush and pink lipstick are a trademark look of the decade that's resurfacing on plenty of catwalks as well as on high street trend-setters. Alternatively, copy Annie Lennox's Eurythmics look circa 1983 with androgynous cropped hair, pale foundation, defined cheekbones and some dramatic heavy eye makeup. Taking inspiration from your favourite contemporary musician is the easiest way to get a suitably authentic look, adding your own twists to keep things individual.
Accessorise in style
Eighties fashion embraces bright colours and bold statements, so avoid anything tame - strictly no pastels allowed. If a wardrobe packed with neon and denim seems a little too much, you can use '80s accessories to reference the trend in a subtler way. Bright high-top trainers are a particular favourite of the decade, but chunky gold jewellery and accessories also hark back to the golden age of Tina Turner. Even bum bags have been seen back on the runway, albeit in a sleeker, leather design, giving you an easy way to nod to the decade without a complete outfit overhaul.
If you're heading out to restock your wardrobe with '80s themed gems, don't forget to apply for an Amex card. An American Express credit card offers a variety of exclusive benefits to customers, including membership rewards points with virtually every purchase, 24/7 customer service and purchase and online fraud protection.
As heard on BBC Radio 6's Lauren Laverne Show.
