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@conc_fashion
SMOKIN’
Riding boots The perfect snow boot alternative
The Easter Bunny These chocolate fellas have even been hitting Vogue.
Mint green nail varnish Perfect transitional shade
CHOKIN’ Hats with beards Is that extra chin warmth really necessary?
Valentines slush Please not in public
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis We’re all for ‘Thrift Store” chic but this fur coat is one step too far.
www.concrete-online.co.uk
Carla Fletcher
concrete.fashion@uea.ac.uk 05.02.2013
Frosty Nails
It may be unpleasantly chilly as we fight our way through the winter months, and there has been a lot of snow dusting the land recently, but Mother Nature has given inspiration for many artworks and nails are the perfect canvas to incorporate her snow-white gift into fashion. Here are a few steps to show you how to make a simple, yet adorable, snowflake design to accessorise your nails in this chilly weather. You will need a light base colour, Barry M’s mint is being used here, but you can use other shades of light green, blue or pink (any of the pale/pastel colours you’ve got). A clear sparkle/ glitter nail polish for shimmering effect. Then you will need a white nail art deco polish (these are the long thin brush nail polishes to make designs); model own do a nail art pen you can get from Superdrug or Boots for £6, however you can buy them quite cheaply online (or you can try making your own; be resourceful with your liquid eyeliner brush!). You will also need some dotting tool which you can, again, buy online, from beauty stores or you can make
Ella Sharp
FASHION
your own by using a bobby pin or a ball point pen. And finally, of course, your favourite clear top coat. 1. First apply your base coat, making sure to re-apply with these light colour so that they come out looking bolder, and leave to dry (you know the drill). 2. Now, taking your white art deco polish, it’s time to create your snowflake. Form a horizontal line on the nail, anywhere you fancy, followed by an ‘X’ shape with two diagonal lines across your first horizontal line, until it looks a 6 point star. 3. Continuing with the snowflake design, get some paper to apply a drop of white nail polish to use for dotting your nails. Using your dotting tool (or bobby pin/ ball point pen) at the end of each of the lines of your 6 point star dot them. 4. Still using your dotting tools create more dots around your snowflake, all different sizes, to make it appear as if snowflakes are falling from afar. 5. Apply your favourite top coat for keeps.
Put some welly into it
So the snow is gone and the sun appears to be making a somewhat reluctant comeback, but if you’ve already hidden your Hunters to the back of your wardrobe, you might be getting a little too ahead of yourself. If the weather reports are anything to go by, we might be faced with some more flooding, and looking even further into the year, the muddy, grubby festival season will be coming round sooner than you think. Getting to grips with how to wear those unglamorous Wellington boots should be top of your agenda. Socks Everyone’s go-to Wellington accessory should not be under-rated. With any style of welly a fun sock should go hand in hand. Particularly if you sport a plain green boot, a funky pattern adorning your knees banishes the dull and draws attention away from the somewhat unflattering, murky green. You can even whip out the 80’s leg warmers; disguised under boots no one will know the difference! Perfect if you crave some neon in the dark winter night, or brilliant for an eye catching festival look.
Patterned Tights A pair of so called ‘fashion’ tights will do wonders for your drab Wellington boot. Similar to the socks, they will detract from you’re not so fashionable foot attire, and perk up your look tenfold. A thick denier of coloured tights will not only keep you warm, but banish those January blues. If you’re really brave, clash socks with tights, pattern on pattern. Knitted tights are perfect for these chilly months, but looking into the festival season, the funkier
the better; polka dot, pattern, anything that stands out will grab attention. Go Designer If you’re a real designer junkie there’s only one way to go with your Wellington boot: Hunter. If you would fit right in on an episode of Made in Chelsea these preppy (overly expensive) boots shouldn’t go a miss. Their simple design allows for experimentation with socks and tights, but with Hunter’s somewhat upper class reputation, keeping it simple might work for the better; you want people to notice your (maybe only) pair of designer shoes! However, if you’re planning to head to Reading and Leeds or Download festivals this summer, expect to stand out like a sore thumb. Patterned Boots The most fun way to wear a pair of Wellington boots, in my opinion, is to go for a cute, coloured, patterned affair. Polka dots, striped, even laced ones are all readily available on the High Street. Not only do patterned boots look adorable with practically anything (including those aforementioned socks and tights), but they’re a brilliant way to perk up a drab winter day.