Top ten tips for AW10

We’ve researched, hinted and given you some key trends for AW10, but today I thought I’d do a quick top ten jewellery and fashion tips for the forthcoming season, which you can print off and refer to when choosing your winter wardrobe:

1. Choose a number of statement pieces, but only wear ONE at a time to avoid looking like you’re selling jewellery rather than wearing it. Something like this diamante jewellery set at £14.99 would be ideal.

2. The trend for oversized costume jewellery rings remains as strong as ever. Remember to match the colour of the stone to your outfit. It doesn’t have to be exactly the same colour, as long as the two complement each other. And don’t ever wear more than one at any one time. I love this diamante ring, which has a purple stone – one of the key colours for the AW10 season, at £4.99.

     3. Belts will accentuate your waist, so if you are curvy elsewhere but have a small waist, a belt will naturally draw the eye to that area, rather than elsewhere. Thin belts will be de rigeur next season for trousers, skirts and dresses.

     4. Camel is set to be the main colour for AW10, so make sure you’ve got some lovely neutral jewellery in creams and browns, ready to perfectly accessorise. Pearls will look great with this colour. This cute pearl brooch will instantly liven up any neutral coloured jumper or shirt, giving it a little sparkle for the festive season. Only £4.99.

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    5. Sunglasses, should we be lucky enough to have enough sunshine to actually require them, are set to be either aviator or feline-style.

     6. Elbow-length gloves will make a huge comeback and will look particularly great with a cocktail dress or the other big trend, the cape coat. Again, a costume ring will make your gloves stand out even more.

     7. The fifties are back! Fitted tops with pencil skirts or knee length dresses with a full on skirt look both stylish and elegant. Invest in some seamed tights and high heels and you’ll be dressed to kill.

     8. Animal pendants are already showing signs of being extremely popular this year.  How about this gold coloured cat pendant?  Bang on trend and only £8.99.

     9. And speaking of animals, you’ll be pleased to know that fur is still very much off the agenda, but faux fur is as huge as ever. Be snug, stylish and safe in the knowledge that the little (or big) critters are still running around happily.

     10. Finally, staying on the subject of animals, animal print is also set to make a comeback.  Let’s face it, you either love it or hate it – but I think it all depends on the print itself and the actual product.  Just steer clear of anything which makes you look like Bet Gilroy (a Coronation Street character for the benefit of our younger followers!)

Dazzling earrings take centre stage in Hollywood

It seems that although the look for jewellery in SS10 was “barely there”, the stars at a recent awards ceremony in Hollywood certainly favoured the “more is more” style with their earrings, paving the way for a huge trend for er, huge earrings in AW10.

Kelly Brook chose some long, dazzling pieces, whilst AnnaLynne McCord, star of 90210, went with the fabulous chandelier shape.

To make sure you’re not left standing in the style stakes, check out these gorgeous numbers I’ve selected for you.

You’ll look just like a red carpet starlet with this fabulous silver crystal necklace and earring set. Its clear swarovski style crystals are distributed across the whole length of the necklace and its unique symmetrical design leads down to the sparkling strand drops. The earrings are in a classic style, perfect for any outfit. Only £14.99.

If you want to look classy without going over the top, I think this vintage style necklace and earring set is ideal. In my own humble opinion, one of the most beautiful pieces we have in our collection, the necklace is comprised of silver links, interspersed with small clear crystals, dropping down to a larger crystal drop pendant. The drop earrings lead down to an oval, also set with a large crystal. This set miraculously mixes old style Hollywood glamour with beautiful English sophistication and elegance – and all for £19.99.

When I see this next set, it reminds me of the type of jewellery worn by Marilyn Monroe. Well – as she said, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”. But in the absence of your best friend, crystals can make an excellent substitute!

The silver tone necklace is essentially designed in a collar shape, from which hang a multitude of crystal drop strands. The silver buds of the earrings also drop down into crystal strands, making sure you’ll be catching the light and sparkling at all times – Marilyn certainly knew what she was talking about! This gorgeous Marilyn Monroe jewellery set is available for only £24.99.

As the party season starts to draw near (but not too near, I haven’t been away on my hols yet), we girls love to dress up in our finest Top Shop or Oasis creation, and what better way to show off our party look than with some sparkling jewels?Go buy!

It’s official - costume jewellery is HOT!

Once considered to be the poor cousin of designer jewels, costume jewellery has come a long way.

Advanced technology means that pieces can now glitter and sparkle just as much as their real gem counterparts, often making it difficult to tell to the untrained eye, just what is real and what isn’t – and isn’t guessing half the fun anyway?

But not only that – costume jewellery has in fact become extremely hot property in itself, with even millionairess Nikki Hilton about to launch her own line.

So, revel in the knowledge that you’re hot property and even better, that you’ve spent only a few pounds, indulging in a trend that looks set to stay. Here are a few pieces which I think you should be snapping up right now.

Chandelier earrings – you know they’re big right now (and we’re not just talking about size here girls) and these are pretty damned gorgeous. Silver strands with clear and black silver stones – all for £5.99. These will disappear quickly, believe me.

And what about these for a touch of class? For a bit of grown up glamour, these silver crystal drop studs are fabulous. They’ll look particularly great on girls with shorter hair or an up-do.  Only £4.50.

I’ve fallen completely for this vintage-style ring. I’d love to be able to tell you which era it’s meant to represent but it’s such a simple, classic style that frankly, I can’t. I’d say that it would be equally at home with a 20s-style outfit or a 50s vintage dress. The gold coloured ring swirls around a cream faux pearl bead, topped off by a diamante. Absolutely gorgeous and only £3.99.

They don’t come much bolder than this!  This wonderful silver and purple ring puts me in mind a little of the Rennie Mackintosh style, with the purple crystal delicately held in the shield-shaped ring, and the whole piece resembling an eye. Only £5.99.

And finally, for a little bit of ostentatiousness (and don’t ask me to say that again), I’m absolutely loving this black and silver jewellery set. The plunging necklace has a silver tone with jet black Austrian crystals and silver diamante disk links. Beautifully made and only £14.99.

So go mad with your costume jewellery girls – and remember, it’s not about how much it cost, it’s how HOT it makes you look!

Is this a vintage year for you?

Vintage clothing and accessories have always been big news, and never more so than this year.

So what is vintage? Well, there is genuine vintage clothing – classic (and some not so classic) styles and designers which you can pick up in specialist boutiques up and down the UK, or online. Most of these cover every decade right back to the 1920s. Then of course, we have “vintage style” –  an up to the minute take on an older style, of which the “flapper” dress, is a great example.

True vintage clothing tends to come with a hefty price tag, but you can have fun putting modern pieces together to recreate a vintage style, for a lot less money.

Helpful as ever, I’ve fished out some vintage style pieces which can help you do just that.

1920s

They loved their pearls, did the girls in the 1920s, and draped themselves in them. We’ve got a fabulous freshwater pearl brooch which would jazz up any outfit from this period. Set in a silver tone, it has a bouquet of 17 white pearls and is an absolute bargain at £8.99.

1950s

The 1950s, one of my favourite periods, was a time for glamour and chandelier earrings were literally huge during this time.

This silver crystal jewellery set really does belong on the red carpet. On the necklace, the crystals are set on a silver tone, leading down to a fountain and waterfall effect, whilst the earrings certainly make a statement! Only £9.99 for the set.

1980s

As with most things in the 1980s, it was all about size. The bigger and more brightly coloured your accessories, the better! Two women led the pack in those days – Madonna and Cyndi Lauper. Both piled on the jewellery to excess, creating an image which is still copied by thousands of women today.

If you’re brave enough to carry off this look, one thing’s for sure – you won’t go unnoticed! 

These large circle earrings should do the trick. With peach and red tones, set with coloured stones, they portray this era perfectly. Only £4.99.

Vintage is no longer about simply dressing up for a laugh. It’s big business and is a key buzz word in the fashion industry. Why not trawl through your mum’s or your grannie’s wardrobe and see if you can find anything and lead the trend?

Get rid of the old bag!

No, I’m not talking about an elderly female relative, but those handbags gathering dust in your wardrobe. Now then, you know as well as I do that they’re never going to come back into fashion, you couldn’t even bluff and call them “vintage”, and frankly, you’re better off getting rid.

If you haven’t used a particular handbag in the last twelve months, it’s time to say goodbye and wave a fond farewell. Take it to a charity shop and guaranteed, someone will be all the more grateful for it.

And then you see, you’ve got all the more space to fill up with brand new, gorgeous handbags!

The Seasonsonline stock of handbags tends to sell out VERY quickly, so my advice with these is to snap them up asap. The good news however is that we’re constantly receiving new stock, so there’s always something to catch your eye.

Love this, going to have it before it disappears off the shelves altogether. Urban chic, funky and very unusual. This black denim handbag has an embroidered peacock on one side, and a matching denim purse. £12.99.

I’m rather partial to this, too. In classic Chanel style, this handbag is finished with a purple check, with silver chain link handles and motif. Adds that touch of class even at only £8.99.

If you really want to stand out from the crowd, this has been a very popular style of late and our turquoise scatter bead handbag is really eye catching. I’ve seen bags like these priced around £30 in boutiques, but we’ve got a handful available for only £7.99.

Finally, clutches really do fly off the shelves (not by themselves of course, as that would be kind of spooky). However, I particularly like this little blue mock crocodile skin clutch, made in PVC with silver trim. It has a detachable silver chain if you decide to alter your style, and is available for £7.99.

Our buyers are currently sourcing some shearling/fake fur handbags, so that you can be absolutely bang on trend for AW10. However, if there’s anything else you’d like to see us stock, just drop us a line and we’ll try our best to source it for you.

The Great Seasonsonline August Trolley Dash

Righto girls, get your trolleys in position, we’ve got two minutes to race around the Seasonsonline site and nab as many August sale bargains as we can. There are literally hundreds of products selling for half price, so if you’re looking to put together your AW10 collection, now’s the time to focus on your accessories.

Ready, steady….go!

Right, I’ve whizzed onto page two and snatched up these fab black and gold sunglasses I’ve had my eye on for some time. Classy and timeless, they’ll go with pretty much any outfit. Reduced from £4.99 to £2.99. 

Zipping over to page three – remember how I told you that next season will be all about statement pieces? Well here’s a perfect example and with the deep purple colours of this charm necklace, it’s going to be bang on trend, colour-wise, too. Reduced from £4.99 to £2.49. Sold.

For goodness’ sake, don’t forget to pick up this fabulous pink wire necklace with a black beaded chain that I told you about a while ago – it’s been reduced from £5.99 to £2.99. Fabulous.

How much time do we have left? 30 seconds? Aagh!

Ok, get yourself over to page six for some gorgeous purple vintage earrings. Again, this is so next season’s colour, and I think these look almost snowflake in shape and, because they’re classy and understated, they’ll go beautifully with either a casual or party outfit. The amethyst crystals add just a little sparkle and they’re reduced from £5.99 to £2.99 – bargain!

Oh my god – did you see these chandelier earrings? One of my absolute favourites. Get them in the basket quick, before anyone else sees them. They’re set on an aged brass tone and have green crystal rhinestones adding a touch of glamour. Reduced from £6.99 to £3.49.

We’re down to the last ten seconds and there’s just time to nab an accessory for my Halloween outfit, although it’s so gorgeous and so on trend, it can be worn with absolutely anything. It is of course the spider pearl necklace, with her blue crystal studded body, peach pearl bead head, black diamante eyes and silver tone legs. This petite little thing is reduced from £5.99 to £2.50.

Righto, girls, time’s up and I’ve managed to pull in three necklaces, two pairs of earrings and a pair of sunnies, all for under £18! Now that’s what I call a good day at the office!