I wanna paint myself in blue and red and black and grey

Longest title ever I know (sorry).

One of my earliest memories is my mum playing her guitar and singing Me and Mrs Jones which is where this lyric comes from and it also happens to be the colour pallette that I want to wear all the time at the moment.

Now I just realised I didn't do a post on my birthday presents so you won't know that I got a gorgeous, perfect, lovely (I can continue but I won't) Kate Spade handbag from my parents and it's black and beautiful and I use it everyday for work. 

But this wasn't the start.

I have always loved grey and as a very pale person it doesn't wash me out like harsh black can so I tend to prefer to wear grey closer to my face and black on my bottoms. Some of my favourite clothes are grey including my beloved amnesty hoody which I think is my favourite shade of grey (pardon the pun).

So to blue... Blue is a very emotive colour for me. Yes it is typically a sad colour but it also brings me pure happiness; especially in the lighter shades and washes. I also spend a huge proportion of my life in jeans and denim. There is something about a good denim wash that just makes me smile and feel happy wearing them. (If you saw my series on trying to find the perfect jeans then you know how seriously I take it - it's linked here.) 

And well with all rules one has to be broken and yes it's red. Red is not really my colour in it's pure form - apart from my Chanel lipstick which with very neutral face make up is perfect and tres chic! But I'm stretching red to include it's little sister pink because I love pink from baby to coral (I'm also stretching to orange pink I guess here - but it's all one family). I just bought this bright pink dress which I can't wait to rock in winter and banish the chill away! And my favourite winter coat is my pink ones! I also just bought a green parka (post coming soon) and pink compliments green very well I think so it's just super in my eyes!

So that's me in four colours - and now I'm humming that song too...

Lots of love,

Amber xx

Returning to my second home...

Hello all,

For those who have been around these parts since the beginning, you will remember my first ever post, which I wrote after going to the V&A and seeing the fashion collection which was so inspiring to me that I decided to write. That was back in 2010.

Now five years later I am a member of the V&A and today I went there after work for an explore of a place I consider my second home. I can't really explain why I love it so much, it is just a place of wonderment - like an old curiosity shop for those of us who love the arts. For example, today I stood in front of a Raphael and couldn't quite catch my breath at the beauty of it. And the same goes for the tiny diamond broach made to look like a basket of flowers in the jewellery room that is one of my favourite places in the whole museum.

And it is a special place. Earlier in the month I was also lucky enough to see Savage Beauty, on the last day of the exhibition and I was so happy to see the best curated selection of work from a man that inspires me so much and that fashion sorely misses. I will write about it in more detail soon, as I still can't believe that I got to see Lee's final collection with my own eyes. I really hope that it comes back to the UK sometime in the future and I can take my children, and they will learn why talent that shines that brightly, should be cherished and immortalised forever.

So if you visit London, go to the V&A, the bookshop is awesome, you can have cake in the gardens surrounded by one of the most stunning buildings in the city and you'll see things that take some believing.

And if I ever need some inspiration, I know I will find it in that palace of joy, and that really is why going back there is like going home...

Love,

Amber x

How I want to tell my story...

Hi all,

I realised I haven't posted much on this blog of late as I have been posting more life related content on my other blog Dear Aphrodite, which seems strange as this is technically my diary. 

In the past this blog was my commentary on fashion, then my style journey and fashion news, before turning to look at specific aspects of trends or styles that I had never seen/noticed before.

And I still love fashion and it is such a part of everything I do. I have learnt so much of late, as I grow out of teenage hood (slowly... I'm still under twenty for another year). So I want to start posting to you, my fashionable followers, about how my style is evolving now that I am changing again; queue more workwear but I will always remain true to my personal style. 

Oh and don't worry, my blog name won't change when I hit twenty, because the best bit about age is it is just a number...

Lots of love,

Amber xx

Summer of 69

Hey all,

I am listening to Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams and it is not only the best summer song in my opinion, but also a fairly good summary of fashion at the moment. 

Look around the high street and you'll be bombarded with 60's or 70's prints, gypsy tops and bohemian fringing. Some may say it's like the hippy generation has thrown it's confetti all over the clothes we will wear. 

I myself today am rocking a linen dress in a vintage yellow floral print and feel fabulous, it's one of those outfits that just makes you smile when you wear it. And the sun is out, it's due to be the hottest day in London Town and I have my sunglasses on! 

My make-up I have kept quite plain; a gold shimmery eye look and I am wearing my Benefit Life on the A-List lipgloss which I love and it's just so easy to wear! (This gloss is not available anymore but it's a baby pink very light gloss that is surprisingly not too sticky, it has decent pigmentation too) 

Here is too the good time vibes, and I look forward to seeing an end to monochrome for a bit! 

Lots of sunny love,

Amber xx♥️

Everything is alright....

"Not a cloud in the sky, sun is shining bright, feeling well and life's alright..." 

Happy spring followers - if you haven't already then check out my Instagram @TheRealAmberG for more of my picture posts - but I will try to include more on here too in the future! 

Lots of love,

Amber xx♥️

Men's fashion - it's not easy!

Hi all, welcome spring!

I have been observing men's fashion for a long time; and some like to say it is easy for men to get it right - like at the Oscars when the phrase "how hard is a tux and shirt, really" was banded around. But it is so much more than that! 

Colour and style play such a huge part in men's fashion, and yes a black tuxedo is classic and effective, but so is a LBD for women and the best looks come when you break the mould. 

Jared Leto has always pushed it - and just look at him, his ombré hair makes him stand out from the crowd anyway, so an avante garde suit is no surprise. And even those who just opt for a wine colour over a black, show that pushing the edge can be subtle yet highly effective when done well. 

But let's leave suits for a moment; jeans are a uniform for men and a good pair work wonders. There are just as many styles as women have - they borrowed our skinny style when we took their beloved baggy style and made it "boyfriend". 

And jeans can be dressed up and down just as much for men as women. In fact even the most casual pair can be dressed in a jacket with a pocket square and boat shoes and Monaco is calling! 

Then there is more sporty teritories. Sports Luxe has been a male trend before women's fashion caught on. That I went to the gym and then I went to te club look is one many guys can pull of - just beware of the huge branding as it can overshadow the look (that goes for girls too - the matching tracksuits are a no in my personal opinion but each to their own). 

Lastly is the more seasonal fashions, shorts, jumpers, vests, the beanie; the list is vast. And they all work in their own ways. 

So here is to men's fashion - and if fashion week is anything to go by perhaps it's more about what you don't wear than what you do (if you saw Rick Owens Paris show in January you'll know what I mean). 

Hope you are all well, I am nearly at 30,000 page views which is a bit hard to take in but I am proud that all you are still reading and enjoying these snippets into my mind. 

I have also linked at the top of this page the Amnesty blog post I wrote on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which if you would like to read then please do and you'll learn more about me the activist. 

Love,

Amber xx

A new uniform for a new life!

Dear all,

I left school in June and haven't had to wear a uniform since then - it's the best! 

But there are certain things in my wardrobe I reach for every day without fail (95% of the time at least):

*My bright pink swing coat - this has revolutionised my wardrobe. I actually bought it in 2013 but I didn't wear it till last year when I was rebelling against the end of winter and wanted to carry on wearing my favourite colour! And there hasn't been many days since when I picked another coat instead. It has a huge hood which makes me look like a Jedi or Sith (depending on my mood lol) and it's warm without being baking so I can wear it without overheating on the tube. It's just all kinds of awesome. 

*My beloved black biker boots - these look well loved and well worn because they are. I have worn these so much since I bought them it is hard to get me in anything else. I wear them to work, clubbing and everything inbetween. They squeak when I walk as they are like 2 years old. They are my perfect shoe and I feel like a trendy Lara Croft in them. 

*Jeans - that old chestnut. I'm not going to spend too long talking about jeans and why I love them. But I prefer straight jeans over skinny jeans and I own a range of colours that only is missing a few perfect editions. I am working on it. 

So that is my basic uniform - I change it up with kimonos and long sleeve tees or jumpers if I'm freezing. And jewellery works magic for changing a plain outfit into an evening look. 

Will check in soon with a beauty post as I have been testing some things to help with dry skin in winter and have had varying results. 

Speak soon,

Luv Amber xx

A few things I have learnt about myself since the start of 2015

Hey all,

So I haven't really used this blog as much of a diary before so I thought I would start now! Lol! 

I have been thinking about myself a lot recently and I've found a list of things about myself that I hadn't really realised until this year. Here we go:

1. I love standing in sunlight or under a starry sky. That blinding brilliance of the sun is one of the most inspiring things ever and it also makes sense as bright but chilly days are probably my favourite. And I love stars because they remind me that we are all made of star-dust and that we are very small crucial part of a big busy universe.

2. I can make myself look really different if I take my glasses off and/or change my hair. I'm wore my hair down and contacts recently and although I know who I am I feel like I look really different. I don't know maybe that's just a personal one. 

3. Even though high heels are very much everyone else's thing, I am more at home in a pair of boots. My black beloved ones, despite them squeaking, are my favourite shoes and I wear them all the time. I suppose you can still hear me coming though :) 

4. I am an annoying perfectionist. I check everything about ten times before I put it out there. And then I worry about how it will go. It annoys me but at the same time it is a good thing I guess.

5. I am an activist and I always have been. I work as a volunteer with Amnesty so most of you will be thinking well of course you are - but I have realised that it was always in me just waiting for me to channel it. I think that is why I was drawn to human rights law as a career, it unlocked that part of me. 

6. For the book lovers - I have noticed I am drawn to a book and then I just have to read it or it will annoy me. The prime example is Anna Karenina: it's 1000 pages and I got to page 100 and stopped because I was confused and had to study my English Lit A Level texts. However, I will have to read it eventually, because if I don't I will be forever annoyed. Crazy I know. 

7. I am not actually afraid of spiders. I don't like thinking of them or seeing them before I sleep or I get nightmares. So as long as I don't watch a show/movie with them in before I go to bed, I will quite happily let them live in my house. 

8. I have really great hair. I know that seems like a selfish thing to write but everytime it annoys me by going frizzy or not doing what I want, I remember the way it seems to sparkle in the sunlight and that most people would love my hair. So I realised I need to remember that in future. 

That's a bit more about me that I don't think you've heard before. 

I will be back on this blog soon I hope, and I am going to start signing off as Amber instead of London Teenage Fashionista as I think it's more me... 

So lots of love guys,

Amber xx♥️

Annual Happiness Tips 2015... Not New Years Resolutions!

Welcome all to a fresh start here on the blog!

With the changes I went through in my life last year, I really wanted to start again with this blog, so I've done some decorating (hope you like the new look) and I wanted to launch again on a Sunday so I am looking ahead to a new week and a new year simultaneously.

This post will be duplicated on this blog sister Dear Aphrodite, as I think it spans the two but if you haven't checked out my other blog - please feel free to click the link in the bar above.

So to the root of this post which is about my Annual Happiness Tips 2015.

My big problem, and I think most people's problem, with New Years Resolutions (NYRS from now on in this post) is that everyone tries to make them, but tends to break them within the year, some don't even see out January.

Resolution in the Oxford English Dictionary is "A firm decision to do or not to do something", so by making and then breaking a resolution, you nullify the term in its entirety. Most people seem to make NYRS that are frankly untenable in their daily lives and then curse the tradition when they break/fail to meet their decisions made on January 1st. I always find myself saying I will never eat chocolate again, then diving into the leftover box of Celebrations; or that I will blog three times a week and then you don't hear from me for months. It is as if the tradition has become a joke in modern day life, so enter my Annual Happiness Tips.

Annual Happiness Tips are my version of NYRS as they are simple suggestions that I want to make every year to make myself happier, but and most importantly of all, they are only tips, they can be ignored, broken, interpreted etc. anyway I like. So no more pressure, hassle or guilt, basically my idea of perfection.

This year I have made four tips to enhance my life in 2015 and I have written these in my journal and will share them with you all now:

1. Be healthy but don't make myself crazy with worrying or feeling guilty when I am simply enjoying my life!
2. Be happy for what I have in life and remember that everyday (but at the same time it is ok to be sad every now and again - just not more often than I am happy). 
3. Be more creative more often; blog, do more photography, spend more time colouring and do more Lego building! 
4. Do something amazing every month; from seeing friends to travelling or just having an excellent experience at home with my family. 

If you hate making NYRS like I do, I hope that Annual Happiness Tips will make life better and take the pressure off at this time of the year,

Happy 2015 everyone, I hope you had a lovely festive season and are looking forward to a brilliant new year!

Lots of luv,

Amber aka LDN Teenage Fashionista xx♥

From Catwalk to Campaigning...Chanel S/S '15

Hey all,

If you read my personal blog Dear Aphrodite, then you would see I wrote about how I am an acivist volunteer for Amnesty International and you'll see in the tags for this blog that I am a huge Chanel fan. It stands, therefore, that when I saw the recent Chanel show was a hybrid between fashion and activism, it safe to say I had to check it out. 

Although I loved the idea, ultimately I feel let down that the campaigning wasn't genuine. When I saw the signs were "Tweed is Better than Tweet", I did fell a bit like "Say What?". However with a further look I guess there was feminist/girl power undertones in the signage, which is a very current cause with the HeForShe campaign being launched recently at the UN. I guess it just wasn't what I was expecting from the initial headlines. 

For all the showmanship any fashionista would expect from Chanel, the "Boulevard Chanel" was no let down. The tonnes of looks varied from bright splashes of colour and tweed to very work-able colour and style of the suit-wear, meant that which completed the show became a complete wardrobe. I also really loved the gold sandals - but regular readers of this blog know that I love them.

I have linked below where you can view the looks from the runway, including the final walk with Mr Lagerfield leading his campaign catwalk down the road - but will this lead to a new dawn in the relationship between cause and clothes? I honestly am interested to see where this leads!

- Chanel News coverage: chanel-news.chanel.com

- Full coverage (including backstage pics): vogue.co.uk

Anyway, it's back to beauty and I am going to a very awesome awards evening soon so I will try a look out and post it for you all,

If there is anything you want to see let me know,

Lots of luv,

LDN Teenage Fashionista xx♥️