Thursday 3 December 2009

In the immortal words of Take That, BACK FOR GOOD!

So compadres, it's been a fair while since we at Le Freak have treated your eyesies and mindsies with an update on the hottest trends since 80's power shoulders, but I can indeed confirm that we are back and ready to rock yr socks.
Due to work commitments, SC's Zoe and Betti have been unable to update Le Freak as regularly as we previously did, but now that I, SCBetti have quit one of my jobs we will resume normal service and continue to bring you the best in new and alternative fashion!

So to kick things off with a bang, I thought I'd begin with a list of the top five things on my fashion Hot List this month...


1) Nail Art.
Permanent Le Freak style crush Audrey Kitching is a massive fan, and if its good enough for her its darn well good enough for us! I recently found an amazing nail bar in Cardiff tucked away in the miniscule Cardiff Arcade that does top-notch manicures and nail art starting at a mere £5. Yes! £5! I was so surprised when the little manicurist told me that I nearly fell off my seat. but anyway...nail art is a fun and fashionable way to keep yr mitts looking as good as the rest of you. Get down to yr manicurist pronto! Although I can't guarantee you'll get as good a deal as I did...


2) Chimney Sweep boots.
Yeah, at first glance they may look like something worn by construction site workers, but trust me, paired with some opaques (black, or a bright pop of colour) and a cute floral dress, they really work to add a bit of edge to an otherwise girly-girly ensemble. I'm wearing mine with black jeggings, floaty chiffon cami's and heaps of leather, studded jewellery to get the tough-girl balance just right. Well worth shelling out £60 for, this is a trend that just keeps on growing.



3) Classy nightwear.
Because a girl needs to look glam even when she's chillaxing with a cuppa in front of the X Factor. After all, who knows who may pop round at any given time?! I'm taking a leaf out of perennial style icon Audrey Hepburns manual and going for a bejewelled sleep mask and a simple tailored white dressing gown, as seen in Breakfast At Tiffanys. Obviously I'm not suggesting you wear full make-up and an up-do that resembles one of the models in the Elnett ads, but who wants to wear their dads mouldy old dressing gown and pyjamas that were seemingly constructed during the stoneage during their downtime. Not the Le Freak girls, thats for sure! 'They' (whoever 'they' are) say that the better yr underwear, the sexier you feel. I believe the same goes for pyjamas. Stay glam.



4) Faux Fur
Ahh, this old chestnut. It rolls around every year, manifesting itself in various jacket-and-handbag shaped forms. Love it or hate it, its not even close to it's death rattle yet. Leopard print is the obvious choice, but I saw a lovely dalmatian print pea-coat on the Miss Selfridge racks, and later, on a very fashion-forward young lady the other day. Fashionable AND functional (wearing one of these babies is like slotting yourself into a toaster), whats not to like?



5) Home-made.
What with everyone banging on about the bloody recession nowadays (note to the Daily Mail - the words Credit Crunch are getting very tiresome), its probably time we reassess our spending habits and question ourselves as to whether we REALLY need that Topshop shift dress, darling though it is. No, my buzzwords this month are make-do and mend, and having just re-discovered Crafty Sew and Sews haberdashery, will be spending the majority of my free time sat on the sofa, needle in hand, beading and applique-ing and slashing up various old-hat items in my wardrobe, thus giving them a new lease of life and saving myself a pretty penny in the process. For those of you who want to achieve the homemade look but are too ruddy lazy to get yourself to a fabric shop and do it yrself, Recycled With Love are a fab Cardiff based company who make all their clothes from second hand scraps, and will even make you up a custom design if you bring them some old fabric. Genius! (see above picture)

Back for good - Space Cadet Betti xOx