Safe Hands: Pastels

As pastels are a spring trend almost every year, it's only appropriate that every girl has at least a few different pastel varnishes in their collections. Although I tend to favour unpatterned, unprinted black and white clothing, I love to experiment with my nails. I've picked out 4 different pastels from my collection to share with you ladies.

From left to right, we have Blazed by Wet 'n Wild, and Easy Going, Cinderella, and Mint Apple, all by Sinful Colors. Both ranges can be found in any (American) chain store.

Easy Going is a nude shade without any sparkle, perfect for a more professional environment, while Cinderella and Mint Apple both sport subtle sparkles that spice the colours up. All 3 will be featured in later posts, so keep an eye out for them!

This week I am wearing Blazed, as shown below:

It's a lovely coral shade that will offset almost any other colour in the spectrum, so you won't have to worry much about your nails clashing with your outfit. The only downside is that the colour is a bit sheer and will take 2 to 3 coats to build up to a solid shade without any noticeable streaking.

Keeping on trend with my love for budget make-up, each bottle of these two brands should only set you back about £1.

Antique Attire: Preston North End, 1888 - 89

It's quite safe to say that some vintage fashion trends have no place in the modern gal's wardrobe - though I would love to argue against it. There have been way too many times where I've tried to imagine a world who still prides in dressing up - beautiful lace gowns to a tea party, stunning three piece suits to fly across the world, fascinators just because. The world we live in today is revolved around functionality and comfort - and those are two words I really despise to associate dressing with. Everyday to me is a chance to play dress up, today I imagine myself as a 60s activist, the next as a 20s socialite. 

This Antique Attire has left me with a rather bitter taste in late Victorian fashion - mainly because I know that I could not pull any of their wear without looking like Miss Havisham. Never mind, I thought - I'd give it a shot for the team's sake. Preston North End. While most modern football fans would disregard them as a Championship side (currently residing in League One after being relegated last season), they cannot be dismissed as they were one of the founding members of the Football League in 1888. 

Here's another little piece of English football history for you: Preston was the first team to ever win the league. They were the most powerful team then - no goals were conceded and no games were lost both in the league and the FA Cup. They won the title again the next season though unfortunately they have not won it again since. With the decision to install the Premier League in 1992 by top twenty clubs who decided to break away - it's hard to think of the Championship as anything but secondary to the PL these days. 

While some may argue that football of those days are nothing like they are today, it is worth noting that playing football was not a profession then, in fact professionalism in football was illegal. Preston themselves were active in hiring Scottish players in exchange for high-paying employment in the Preston area which their rivals argued as professionalism. To avoid teams breaking away from the FA, they were forced to legalise professionalism in 1885 - which shaped the professional footballer we know today.

Back to the lovely late Victorian fashion, I considered this look a tribute to both the era and the team. Preston's mascot is a lamb carrying a crucifix, so there is much emphasis on the sense of spiritual 'purity' and 'brand new' associated with the newly formed Football League. While Preston's traditional colours are black and white - I disregarded an overbearing use of its colours and instead chose grey as that was the colour I first saw the men in - an old late 1880s photograph. 

The beautiful Erdem gown is only one of my favourite pieces - its silhouette is reminiscent of the long gowns ladies wore at those days. We try and keep the accessorising minimal though there was nothing simple about the Victorian ladies. Vintage chandelier earrings, embellished sandals and clutch. Not forgetting the luxurious furs in those days, we chose a platinum coloured lamb fur coat by Azzedine Alaïa and of course lace gloves to complete the look. 

Matchday Moment: Tough Yet Delicate

Afternoon, ladies! I hope you're having a great weekend so far - I know I have and I hope it's the same for you too. It's been a great first week of blogging with equally great response from all of you. Though some blogs may reserve weekends for an off day, I thought for the first weekend of The Colney Chic - why not start a series of looks that would focus on outfits for those international summer matches. With Euros coming up, it's always a fun way to show off your summer match day style.

This instalment focuses on combining opposite ends of the spectrum: tough and delicate. Resurrecting a trend that was reserved only for the boldest fashion enthusiasts, we decided to use nude lace shorts as the initial tough yet delicate piece. Nothing says delicate like lace but using it on a saucy short silhouette pares down the bridal image and gives it a bit of an attitude. We pair it with a rocker chic oversized vest top with an abstract skull print and a shrug with the ever-reigning tribal print for both some texture and an extra kick.

Accessories are a mix between a quirky 1960s style sunnies, beautiful beaded sandals, a luxurious white tote with studs for its tough end of the bargain and of course, pink roses around the neck as a sharp contrast with the skull tee.

Tee, Barbara Bui, £289
Shrug, Republic, £35
Shorts, Style by Marina, £30
Sandals, Calypso St. Barth, £142
Shades, House of Harlow 1960, £95
Tote, Valentino, £1,310
Necklace, Lanvin, £343

Matchday Moment: Pastels

With spring around the corner, it's time to put to hibernate that trusted army green parka or camel trench coat (whichever kind of gal you are - I personally am a navy pea coat with fur trimmings and heavy hardware kind of chick). Donning the trusted downtown cool uniform of jeans, blazer, and tee - we've injected a lot of pastels with a touch of colour blocking into this classic combo for warmer match days.

The pink gradation on the blazer is your focal point, neutralised with cool-colour accessories but not losing any quirk with classic Breton stripes. Forget long pendants, let a dramatic cocktail ring highlight the beer in hand. Finish with a fringe cross body in grey instead of traditional tan for extra points.

Amongst a sea of warm up jackets over jerseys that look much better on the men on the turf anyway, this ensemble will score your team extra points on the league table (we wish).

Blazer, Topshop, £60;
Jeans, Seven For All Mankind, £169;
Top, Debenhams, £38;
Ring, ASOS, £9;
Brogues, Topshop, £32;
Bag, Minnentoka, £31