Retro Christmas - H&M+ Dress with smocking

Even at Christmas, as much as I love it, my heart and my style are forever stuck amongst a pile of crunchy leaves in the autumn. But that doesn't mean we can't take something and make it festive - I wore this gorgeous H&M dress to a Christmas party recently, and with the right accessories it fit right in amongst the tinsel and twinkling lights.

Penguin Party - Jersey Swing Dress from Simply Be

In my previous post, I was talking about how I have two sartorial settings when it comes to Christmas - festive subtlety and all Christmas everything! This is definitely a look where it's all about the silly and frivolous, as well as being an ode of love to my favourite Christmas critter, the penguin!

Christmas Sparkle with La Redoute

I never need an excuse to swoon over pretty party dresses, so was very excited to pop along to see La Redoute and their festive partywear offerings. Filled with shimmering metallics, cute clutches and foil fabrics perfect for festive mischief, have a look at the video below for some party filled inspiration.

It May Be Winter Outside (But in My Heart It’s Spring) - AW16 from Studio Eight

It always feels a little odd to be looking at sequin laden party dresses in sunshine fulled high temperatures, but AW16 from Studio Eight certainly managed to get me in the mood for festive fun.

Available up to a UK size 26, the sister brand of Phase Eight has made a name for themselves offering stylist options made from premium fabrics. With a selection of stunning ropework, laser cut outs, print and sparkle, the drop for the later part of the year will have you feeling great whether searching for casual wear, work wear or something to dance the night away in. As ever the range covers painted florals, contemporary patterns and hand stitched embellishments for the perfect finish, and it is those tiny touches which make the items feel like proper wardrobe investments.

It was so difficult to choose my favourite pieces, as so much of it was exquisite. I loved the 1920s feel of much of the collection with flapper ready fringing and art deco sequin patterns running throughout. The floor length silver dress also gets a mention as it was such a knock out number for the festive season, and I loved the versatility of their sequin blazer - perfect for throwing over a dress, or simply styled with a pair of skinny jeans.

Watch the video and let me know your favorite pieces in the comments!

Until next time,

Diana xx

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(All photos (c) Diana Thompson / Fashion Loves Photos unless otherwise stated. Please do not reproduce without written permission.)

All Wrapped Up - Christmas Jumpers with Wool Overs

The foggy mornings and early sunsets have recently had me reaching for the cosiest knits in my wardrobe. Now that we're finally in November, I feel like it's finally acceptable to reinstate my collection of  Christmas jumpers into regular rotation, but we're not talking about full on cheese just yet. Fair Isle prints are a great option for Winter warmth minus the cartoon penguins. and online brand Wool Overs have a beautiful selection of classic and stylish holiday wear.

Unisex Zip & Button Nordic Cardigan - £50.

Each of the designs come in a range of colour ways, with sizes up to a UK 26. The Zip & Button Nordic cardigan features a pretty snowflake design, and is both soft and hard wearing and cut in a very loose and generous design. It's great if you want to wear lots of layers underneath without feeling suffocated, and has a high neck to keep toasty warm.

Lambswool Fair Isle Cardigan - £40.

The Lambswool Fair Isle cardigan is a really pretty option, and the perfect item to throw over jeans or a cute dress. It has a nostalgic nod to traditional Christmas jumpers, but is modern enough to not come across as kitsch. Made from 100% chunky Lambswool, it comes in a huge variety of colours and is even machine washable too. Soft and chunky, this is perfect for snuggling into without being too heavy.

Unisex Fair Isle Polo Neck Jumper - £45.

Like the Nordic Cardigan, the Fair Isle Polo Neck jumper comes up really big so if you like your knits loose and ready for layering, this is the perfect choice for you. Available in several colours, this long sleeved polo neck is ideal for those colder months where you want to feel really wrapped up.

Whilst the tacky Christmas jumper certainly has a place, most people prefer to hold back on the dancing reindeers until it's a little closer to the big day. But if like me, you start feeling festive the day after Halloween, Wool Overs' Christmas jumpers offer the perfect, stylish stop gap.

Until next time,

Diana xx

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(All photos (c) the respective brand.)

All Wrapped Up For Christmas - Photo Wrapping Paper from wrap.me

Just when I thought I couldn't get any more excited about Christmas, the lovely people at wrap.me got in contact about their amazing photo wrapping paper. It's a genius idea - upload as many of your favourite photos to create your very own personalised photo wrapping. It's the perfect way to personalise your presents, and I was so excited to start sifting through images to add to it.

You can upload photos from almost anywhere - your phone, Instagram, even Facebook. You can also choose as many images as you like to avoid repetition, or have just a chosen few tiled across. As I created some photo wrapping paper for Lord Dicely, I decided to look through images of our last year together and included everything from silly doodles to photobooth snaps.

The process was really simple from start to finish, and I was so excited to see the final product when it arrived. It's perfect if you want something to make that special gift stand out, or if you simply want something you made sat underneath the Christmas tree!

Prices start from £4.99 for a single sheet, with a small roll at £9.99 and a large roll for £14.99. Delivery is free within the UK, and wrap,me also deliver to over 80 countries worldwide. You just need to choose your photos, decide how much wrapping you need to do and simply check out!

When Howard first saw it, his face was priceless. He spent ages looking through all the individual images, and was totally distracted from what was inside! Whilst definitely frivolous. it's going to be lovely unwrapping gifts on Christmas morning with his family, with the photo wrapping paper firing off lots of "Oh, do you remember when...?" I really cannot wait!

If you want to get your own set of photo wrapping paper made up, simply visit the guys at wrap.me to get started.

Until next time,

Diana xx

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www.fashionlovesphotos.com

(All photos (c) Diana Thompson / Fashion Loves Photos unless otherwise stated. Please do not reproduce without written permission.) 

Harmless Sparks - My Favourite Sparkling Nail Varnish from Barry M.

As someone who is utterly useless with any sort of DIY nail art, I cannot get enough of glitter nail varnishes. Although I am happy to wear them all year round, I love the additional tinsel coloured ranges which always appear in the lead up to Christmas, with the Barry M range being my firm favourites this season. With both Boots and Superdrug offering three for two across their cosmetic ranges, I couldn't resist on giving my nails a festive make-over and picked up my three favourite shades to get me through the party season.

1. Royal Textured Glitter Collection in TNP 9 / Purple Countess (£3.99).

Royal Textured Glitter Collection in TNP 9 / Purple Countess (£3.99).

The Royal Textured Glitter Collection has five shades in their range, but Purple Countess really spoke to my inner drama queen. The purple base is more pigmented than what you would normally expect from a glitter varnish, with a firework display of purples, oranges and gold glitter competing to bring the most bling to your finger tips. This is one of those rare varnishes where you can throw two coats over a base coat and have some serious talon action going on, but I tend to wear it over a coat of black, aubergine or bordeaux reds. The glitter is fine but dense, offering a solid coverage of sparkle with a matte finish - perfect for all those Christmas parties on the horizon.

2. Royal Textured Glitter Collection in TNP 8 / Lady White Pearl (£3.99).

Royal Textured Glitter Collection in TNP 8 / Lady White Pearl (£3.99).

Lady White Pearl is another varnish from the The Royal Textured Glitter Collection and although I'm normally all about the vampy nails, it was love at first sight. Two coats of Lady by itself gives a shimmering white base with a fine but solid pearly glitter. When worn by itself, nails look like they're covered in a fine dusting of snow. However when put over a soft grey or white base, the varnish offers up a proper disco ball sparkle. Like the rest of the varnishes in the Royal Textured Glitter Collection, it dries matte and works great by itself or as an accompaniment to a coloured base coat.

3. Jewel Glitter Nail Paint in 355 / Gold Mine (£2.99).

Jewel Glitter Nail Paint in 355 / Gold Mine (£2.99).

Being a bit of a 90s grunger at heart, I do love a good black nail varnish, and the black jelly base to Gold Mine if the perfect mesh of rock and roll with glamour. It has a fine golden glitter running throughout which is easy to layer up with two coats or one over a coloured base. The jelly's high shine and super sparkly finish make this the perfect polish for those who want to feel festive whilst retaining some rock and roll chic.

All three of these nail polishes are available directly from Barry M as well as most large Boots and Superdrug stores.

(Note: This is an honest, impartial review after purchasing an item, and not one which I have been paid for.)

Until next time,
Diana xx

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www.fashionlovesphotos.com

(All product photos (c) Diana Thompson / Fashion Loves Photos. Please do not reproduce without written permission.)

The Stars Come Out At Night

Christmas promotional images for Bettie Wishes and Lana Pillay.

It feels utterly terrifying to even contemplate that we're hurtling towards the end of this year, but my diary and it's list of Christmas themed bookings are making me face the truth - shortly I need to start thinking about starting my Christmas shopping!

However there are lots of advantages in the run up to the festive season; mulled wine, good food and all the Christmas market hot chocolate my stomach can manage! It's also a fun time in the studio, with my regular clients feeling festive and lots of fun taking place in front of the camera.

The studio diary is beginning to fill up with clients wanting to get their festive promo shots sorted ahead of the Christmas rush, so if you have a seasonal act you need publicity stills for, or just want a nice image to send out on a card to your business associates, family, or friends, drop me a line at diana@fashionlovesphotos.com to get booked in with packages starting from just £80 for a shoot and two edited images of your choice.

(As a special early Christmas bonus, book before the end of the week and mention "sparking Christmas baubles" to get the £80 package for just £50.)