The hills are alive....

I'll explain the title in a minute.  Clearly there are no hills on Brick Lane or, possibly, in East London.  In fact I can't remember the last time I climbed a hill.  But, look!  How adorable is this girl?  In a fairly simple little outfit but with very interesting proportions, the building blocks of great style..  And, wait for it....she made this skirt herself....from a pair of vintage CURTAINS (you see where this is going now).  Gorgeous....

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And no, I can't, I just can't resist.................play clothes made from CURTAINS! 

(Apologies to all who have never seen this movie and are therefore utterly baffled)

All that glitters

It's a brave style choice to go out wearing head to toe gold, but I think this girl is pulling it off, thanks to the different shades and textures paired with the moccasin boots and that floppy fringe.  It's true that all that glitters is not gold, but this look is certainly fashion gold (oh dear, sorry!)

With extra icing, please

Oh my, oh my, how I love this look.  The lines created by the headband, neckline, waistband, lace detail on the skirt and ankle straps combine to form an outfit like a delicious layered vintage cake.  It's so pretty.  Perfection with a cherry on top...

 

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Rainy days and Mondays always get me down

It's official - street style spotting is impossible in the rain.  Not only do all the stylish people apparently stay at home, but have you ever tried taking photos whilst holding an umbrella, a bag and trying to hand over business cards?  But anyway, this girl saved my day yesterday.  I'd just given up and was heading home when I passed her and she's so super stylish that it more than makes up for it being the only shot of the day!  I was drawn to her talent at putting together an outfit with rather a lot going on and making it look nonchalant, but then when I looked later I spotted some more interesting details - the sports socks, the folky pattern on the cuffs, and the furry collar, not to mention those covetable oversize glasses.  A little spot of sunshine in my rainy day.

Don't let idiots ruin your day

You may remember Nicole of The Power of Beauty , from not only the recent blogger meet-up but our own first encounter when she snapped me at Spitalfields for her street style blog . Well, congratulations to Nicole for recently completing her uni course and producing a fantastic end-of-year project - seven street style books, one for each area of London, each containing their own unique blend of local style and all beautifully designed, though you'll have to take my word for it on two of them, as somone had stolen them before I got there!  I popped along to see Nicole at her exhibition on Brick Lane the other week, to check out her books as well as the other weird and wonderful projects on display.  There is clearly a lot of talent, and some vivid imaginations, graduating this year.  Nicole is shortly to be leaving London but I hope she'll be back soon, for more blogger meet-ups and to continue with her keen eye for a street spot!

Looking like she should be appearing in her own style books, in turban and long lace skirt over leggings....

Some of Nicole's books...

And a few highlights from the other exhibitions....

Luck be a lady

Let's put to one side for a minute my major hair envy over these two girls and focus instead on their lovely outfits, showing us exactly how to wear the emerging ladylike below-the-knee length trend, with great colours and faultless accessorising.  Perfect.

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A "Rare" treat

Thank you to the lovely people at Rare for inviting me along to their recent press day, to get a sneak preview of their A/W 2010 collection and to spoil us rotten with mojitos and mini fish n chips at Soho House.  Not to mention the goody bag, complete with gorgeous white lace dress .  As well as viewing some stunning pieces and kicking off my A/W fantasy shopping list, it was a great opportunity to hang out with some fellow bloggers, including the Platform Princess, and meet for the first time the lovely Adorngirl , the frighteningly young but fabulous Unicorn + Tee and the dashing gent from Dash Empire .  And lots of other lovely non-bloggers too.

The venue was perfect for showcasing the dreamy, soft paletted collection, full of nude textured layers, shoulder detailing and ruffles.  But with some pieces paired with an edgy black bodice or dark contrast stitching, there was something for everyone.  Thanks for looking after us Rare, I think you'll probably sell half the collection to the bloggers when it comes out in September!

 

http://www.rarefashion.co.uk/

Fashion maths

You may notice styleeast is looking a bit different.  I'm playing around with the new blogspot templates and am likely to change my mind every five minutes, as I'm prone to, before settling eventually on an exciting and appropriate new look for my little blog.  But in the meantime, here's another street style spot from last weekend.  Jazzy high-waisters (if anyone knows where they're from, please let me know!) + a little vest + some Ray Bans standing by for when the clouds part = a perfect outfit, simple and casual but striking nonetheless.  Oh and is that a Louis Vuitton I spy?  In which case, multiply the fashion points by ten...

Fix up look sharp

I'm more of an old denim and t-shirt type, possibly because I don't only have to dress smart during the week but corporate.  Ugh.  But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate a good bit of tailoring when it's worn with style, as demonstrated by each of these ladies rocking the smart trouser look in their own way.  Exhibit one - a gorgeous girl out scouting for American Apparel and wearing what I think are their new pleated pants (which I fully intend to buy, once I settle on a colour!) and pairing them to perfection with nude heels and a sheer blouse.  And exhibit two, a really interesting relaxed tailored look, with silk blouse and slightly cropped loose trousers, showing just a flash of sock and brogue...

Bargain of the week

I stopped this girl because I loved her long silk headscarf, matched to the rust coloured dress, but then I spotted her shoes...navy and white preppy loafers with just a hint of gold buckle.  And then she told me she got them for a fiver on Broadway Market.  A fiver!  Plus, she was a really lovely girl, it's always nice to meet someone friendly when you stop them randomly in the street, so that was a bonus too...

Off to see the wizard

Styleeast is on a train, heading north, for some Scottish wedding and mini boater hat wearing/formal dressing action, and of course, a good ol' ceilidh.  Who knows the Dashing White Sergeant (non-Scots: it's not a person, it's a dance), the Gay Gordons (again, not people)? These are all the delights that await me, not to mention some peace and quiet, fresh air, my cat (she defected to the homeland) and a few days post-wedding to do nothing but catch up on some blogging now I've been reunited with my laptop.  Praise be!

But, I digress.  Here's the first of many shots I took at the weekend en route to visit Nicole of The Power and Beauty at her amazing end of year exhibition (more on that later).  As IF i was going to not photograph a girl wearing ruby sequin slippers and a fascinator for a day of wandering round the markets.  And why not.  Isn't that why fashion's so great?  Rules, shmules, wear exactly what you want, when you want, and if you feel happy on the inside you'll look great on the outside, as demonstrated by this flame-haired Dorothy.  Aah, London, there's no place like home...

Styleeast is currently experiencing technical issues

I'm in mourning.  My laptop is poorly sick and may not recover.  Which meant - gasp! - the potential for no blogging for at least a week!  So I thought I'd re-post one of my original street style images from when I first started out (all of 3 months ago).  It's one of my favourites and I'm still searching for the perfect checked trousers so I can blatantly rip off  this look (though maybe with a little less crop in my top).

Worry not, I'll be back in business as soon as possible, and have lots of great new street style shots lined up...watch this space.

More afternoon tea

The lovely Kensington Palace photos are providing me ample opportunity to not only provide a nice change to the usual grimy east London backdrop (don't worry, it'll be back!) but also to use some of my photo editing effects, inspired by Jen, the Style Crusader.  I tried to make everything a bit purple and grainy in the hope it would look like we were frolicking in the Gardens in the 60s!

Featuring: Daniella of the The F Blog, Jill of Street Style London, Jen the Style Crusader, Shini of Park and Cube, Nicole of the The Power and Beauty, Lucy of Snippets of shiny thoughts , Jackie the Platform Princess , Saskia of Not just medical and Kit of Style slicker