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Hey there,

Wear Nice Clothes is sadly no more, but editor, Kate Lloyd is now rambling about fashion, beauty and her embarrassing life at icanonlyapologise.wordpress.com

Check her new blog out, her life is pretty embarrassing.

xx

Spotted.

REVERSE FLORAL.

  Sorry we've been a little naughty and not posted anything recently. I promise that we are back on form!

Bumped into this fellow ginge at Detonate in Sheffield last night and we got over excited because she was wearing leggings to match my top (both H&M spring line.) We also both had the same phone. It was like meeting some kind of twin.

I am in love with this top, its so summery and versatile. Infact, the whole H&M spring range is really quirky and cute and most importantly CHEAP. I'm starting to enjoy shopping there as much as I did four years ago.

I wonder if anyone has worked the top and the leggings together. I reckon it would be so Cher from Clueless that it actually could look pretty cool?


In other news, I want this girl's gold crop top.

Written by Kate Lloyd.

An Interview with Me&Yu.

Viki Imrie talks to the up and coming fashion label.

TO ME, TO YU. 

You have to be in London, Paris or NYC to make it big in the fashion world, right? Actually, wrong.

About four years ago, Wear Nice Clothes blogger, Kate Lloyd organised a hilariously shambolic fashion show for charity and asked (forced) a little known brand called Me&Yu to take part, after finding them at Manchester Fashion Market. Her memories of the event, other than that of having her fringe gelled, include how lovely the Me&Yu designers were and how interesting their pieces were.

Me&Yu is now a flourishing, Manchester based label (no thanks to Kate). Their bright, screen printed and hand customised clothes are now stocked in stores all over the country. With customers like Shameless and Skins cast members, their clothes have been worn by Noel Fielding and Agyness Deyn and they have recently designed a quirky menswear line for River Island. A real tale of the underdog, they prove that success comes from hard work not connections. 

Wear Nice Clothes blogger, Viki Imrie, spoke to the design duo about their accomplishments.

Find me on Polyvore

Viki - You’ve developed a large on-line community through your blog, which blogs do you read on a regular basis?

Angie- I really like the Sartorialist for a classic fashion street style blog but White Lightning and Style Bubble are great too. I also like completely random blogs I find through Blogspot.

Gordon- I tend to look at the more street wear related blogs- the daily street, hypebeast, streething, Wooster collective and I’ve recently been looking at a few art based blogs -  Booooooom and Svartkonst. Like Angie I do find a lot of blogs just by stumbling across them so I normally spend a few hours a week just browsing new blogs. 

Do you have any tips for anyone wanting to get started writing or promoting their own blog?

Gordon- I think it’s important people don’t worry about how many people are reading it, just keep writing. We’ve been lucky in that we promote the blog through the shop. 

Your collaboration with Rads Kapur was really interesting, do you plan to do the same with any other writers?

Angie- We’re always open to people approaching us for collaborations. Rads came to us for work experience and we wanted to give her the opportunity to get her work out there. It was interesting getting her to ‘guest’ our blog and it inspired us to be more creative with ours.

Gordon- I found it really very interesting to collaborate with a writer as it’s not the norm for a fashion label so we definitely want to do more art based projects in the future. 

The photo montages on your clothes are amazing, do you take the photos yourselves or do you source them from elsewhere?

Gordon- The photo montages are something we’ve wanted to do for ages but it’s only recently that we’ve been happy enough with the quality of the technology required to do it. I would love to use all original images but it’s just not possible. 

You've used a lot of 'hybrid' animals on your recent collection with mismatched body parts; any new ones in the pipe line?

Angie - A Unikitten. I'm definately going to be featuring this in a new design (Unicorn and Kitten - forever miniature and cute)

Gordon - Cat/Dog (like the cartoon)


  

You've just sold a menswear range to River Island (congratulations!) but how do you feel about the high street scene right now? If you could stock a women's range in any high street store which one would it be?

Angie- We're actually in talks with Topshop at the moment about producing an exclusive range for them - this would be perfect for us! I think the high street has got some great looks at the moment but some of the cheaper stores have really poor quality clothing . I also hate wearing something that lots of people have so it always puts me off buying from the high street.

Gordon - I think the women’s wear on the high street is pretty good but the men’s wear is sadly lacking. I also have issues with the quality of the cheaper shops and how that reflects on brands like ourselves. 

Me&Yu for River Island

If you could dress any celebrity/celebrities in your clothes who would they be? How do you feel about celebrity clothing ranges, like Kate Moss for Topshop for example? Do you think the 'let's all dress like our favourite celebrities' mentality is getting old or stifling individuality?

Angie- Personally, I don't really get the whole celebrity endorsement thing - if something is good I'll buy it no matter who designed it. Having said that I think there have been some great pieces in the celebrity collections and perhaps it’s just a novel way of presenting different ranges. It will be interesting to see if this fades away in the next year or so. We've had our clothes worn by Agyness Deyn and Noel Fielding as well as lots of musicians and actors - we're continuing to try and get our pieces on celebs we like so watch this space!

Do you feel that you tap into key trends for each season or do you go your own way? Do you get requests from friends for certain things and get influenced in that way at all?

Angie- Its always a little bit of both, we knew Alice in Wonderland would be big this season so we made sure we had a design that reflected this but it worked out that it sat well in our Takes a Trip range anyway. Our customers are the people who suggest things and we listen. That’s one of the reasons why I like working in the shop so much.

Gordon - It would be difficult for us not to be influenced by key trends as part of our job is looking at what’s happening, but equally we don't do things just because they are 'in fashion'. 

 Print from Alice Takes a Trip range.

I love chopping up my clothes and experimenting with a needle and thread, how did you two first start playing with clothes and realising you could make a living out of it?

Angie - Well I have been sewing for as long as I can remember and have always wanted to be a designer. I guess it was when we were in Australia in 2004 when we realised it was something we could do together, but it took quite a while and lots of hard work until we could make it our full time jobs. Originally we just used to hand paint straight onto t-shirts before we learnt to screen print.

Me&Yu screen printing.

I know you started out selling clothes in fashion markets and Affleck's Palace which is one of my favourite places to shop for bargains in Manchester.  There are some amazing second hand shops in Manchester and the Northern Quarter is a veritable treasure trove! Do you wear second hand clothes or vintage yourselves and are you inspired by styles from the past? 

Angie- I love vintage fashions and have always worn them, I have quite a collection! We sell re-mixed vintage pieces online and in the shop we also have choice vintage accessories such as boots, handbags and shoes. We've just started selling 'key vintage pieces' such as denim jackets, suit jackets and chunky knit cardigans - they compliment our clothing so well! 

So many people are adamant that the South is the only place to make it where fashion is concerned. You've certainly proved them wrong and it’s great to see designers achieving success in the North for a change! Do you have any plans to move any time soon or are you happy in Manchester? Do you find you have to travel a lot to London for shows?

Angie- I lived in London for 5 years and I didn't enjoy the experience, yes the shops and markets are great but I hate the crowds. Manchester has a good vibe but as we live in Blackpool it is quite hard for us to enjoy all the social scene that Manchester has to offer. I think people in Manchester have a great style and the teenage scene is more connected as it’s so much smaller. We've had to go to London a few times recently for business meetings and it can be frustrating as it is so expensive but I don't have any plans to go back - we'd rather head back to Australia! 

"Alice Takes a Trip!"

We wish Gordon and Angie luck with Topshop! Check out their website for more information.

Written by Viki Imrie.

Irrational Club Wear.

Discussing the 2010 party trends.

A Short Rant.

While most of us hit the town in a standard dress and heels, there are always those who’ll do anything for attention, good or bad. Here are just a few trends that I will never be “cool” enough to understand...

Sunglasses

Wearing sunglasses in a dark room seems to go against everything they were designed for. After a few vodka and cranberries my vision goes slowly downhill so I can imagine that wearing sunglasses would be disastrous. Those grill sunglasses are even more infuriating. Are you Kanye West? No? Then put them down.

Leotards

Grinding on a decent-looking guy does not count as ballet and hopefully never will.  Maybe leotards are acceptable if you wear a skirt/ shorts over them but on their own they look ridiculous.

Caps

More of a guys trend but I have seen many girls borrowing their boyfriend’s caps and slyly keeping them on for the rest of the night. One of my guy mates says he wears his so that his hair “doesn’t look sweaty.” Basically, in order to have nice hair, you have to look like a tit. I’m unconvinced.

The Padded Coat

Amazing when standing in the queue outside a club but should definitely be left in the cloakroom once through the doors. Everyone can see that you’re overheating and are just wearing it to be “alternative”. Plus, you’re taking up half the bar with your oversized coat.

Written by Jo Bancroft.

Sportswear Luxe.

 Considering Spring/Summer '10 trends.

Sportswear luxe? Jog on please!

Adidas have announced that their collaboration with Stella McCartney will run into 2010.

The sporting giant is pleased to continue what it calls “an inspirational partnership,” with Stella creating a range of products for running, swimming and the gym.

It’s all in aid of fashion’s latest buzz-phrase: sportswear luxe.

Or the biggest oxymoron if ever I heard one.

Paul McCartney’s youngest daughter reckons you don’t have to “sacrifice your style for sport.”

Pull the other one, love. There is nothing luxurious about sport.

Running on the treadmill for five hours listening to "Pump up the Jam: the workout edition" on repeat is not made any more bearable with a Stella McCartney label in the back of your vest.

In the gym you have sweat dripping down your face, your hair is tied back in a pony-tail and you’re face is redder than John Terry’s.

Designer clothes are not going to make the process of working out any more enjoyable.

According to Grazia however sportswear this season isn’t just confined to the gym.

Apparently we will all soon be traipsing to work in our jogging bottoms and Chloe two-tone heeled trainers.

Some things in life: Lady Gaga and Elton John, John and Edward, Russell Brand and Katy Perry, should never have been paired together.

Heels and sweat pants should be added to this list. Pretending that sportswear is luxurious is absurd.

A hoodie and an old pair of trackie bottoms are what you change into at the end of a hard working day and wear to slob out in front of Eastenders.

Not to a boardroom meeting.

Featured Items, All from Stella for Adidas: 
Organic cotton track top, $215
Wet-look nylon track top, $330
Studio zip-detail playsuit, $130
Yoga cotton track pants, $105
Fortasse canvas sneakers, $130

Written by Sarah Barns.

How to Wear Nude Tones

We work out how to wear the trickier trends.

IN THE NUDE. 

I love using bold colours and patterns to make statement outfits so to hear that this season was all about neutral tones was quite disappointing. Aren’t these colours a little... erm... boring? 

In the first fashion shows of 2010, designers proved that less is definitely more. Models strutted down the runway in pieces that showed that nude shades can help you achieve an effortless air of classic elegance and style. 

Your first step to stylish nudity should be a timeless mac. Detective Columbo sported the beige mac and he always looked good. The colour is so versatile that you can trust your mac will be fit for all occasions. Take a leaf out of Columbo's book, and a coat from his wardrobe, and hunt down this simple, chique classic. Plus, a little detective twist to an outfit adds an air of mystery and always goes down well. 

I’ve been wary of white trousers because, to quote my mother, they’re just not practical. Well forget what your mother told you and stand out from the crowd by stepping away from the over worn jeans and don some beige or khaki trousers. They’re incredibly flattering on your figure and hide any scuff your pristine white trousers would eagerly point out.

When flashing the flesh tones, it is important that you choose a shade that does not wash you out. Olive tones can wear beige and khaki tones with ease, but if you have very fair skin you should look for pastel colours like pale pink, brown, and blue as most "flesh" coloured ware will probably be darker than your actual skin (as WNC writer Kate Lloyd knows well!) Muted gold and silver shades add a bit of shimmer to an outfit and suit those with very dark skin. 

Don't be afraid to work nude fur, flesh ruffles, khaki tassles or beige sequins in the day. The subtle colour palette tones allows you to work dramatic structure and style in a laidback manner.

It seems that the best place on the highstreet to go and get nude is Miss Selfridge, who have a whole page of their website dedicated to flesh.

[Featured Items: Cream Floral Printed Dress, Pastels and Ruffles Fashion Trend - Feminine Style - Marie Claire, Nude Lace Vest Bodysuit, Matthew williamson jackets, Multistitch Mac Coat.]

Written by Lizzie Lewis.

Models Wanted!

A small request..

Wear Nice Clothes readers are being given the opportunity to model in a forthcoming fashion show.

 

The event, which sounds mega exciting, will take place on March 11^th at Sheffield United Football Club and will showcase glamorous 1940’s style outfits made out of clothes donated to St Luke’s hospice. All the proceeds will go to St Luke’s Hospice.

I love the idea of recycling fashion for charity and the 1940's theme sounds amazing!

Event organiser, Rachel Arthur, said: “The event is a celebration of real women. St Lukes Hospice found ten older models and I am looking for twenty younger models of any shape or size."

Readers who want to strut their stuff on the catwalk and are free on March 10^th and 11^th should contact racharthur@hotmail.com. with their name, age, phone number, height, dress size, shoe size, and bust line, waist line, hip, inner leg length, outer leg length measurements so that a custom outfit can be made for them.

You need to get in touch before Tuesday so be swift!

Written by Kate Lloyd.