2014

I've tried to shy away from a 'new year, new me' style of post as to put it bluntly, I find them to be rather dull. We can all say that we'll make a list of things we want to change about ourselves and stick to it but let's be honest, how many of us actually do?

As we move well and truly into the new year and after some fab celebrations on the eve itself I can't help but consider where this year will take me. I don't want to resolve to change who I am, simply, in the least cringey way possible, continue 'growing up' and finding out what it is that I actually want to do with my life. And that in itself seems like a pretty big ask right now!!

This year brings several big steps, leaving Uni, graduating in June and finding a real job being top of the list. I love Uni but I'm excited to move on and can't wait until exams are over so that I can properly start sorting out the next steps. Job applications take a longgg time! Fingers crossed this time next year I'll be living in London and doing something that I love - thats my aspiration and will be my 'resolution for the coming year. It will be a test in many ways but I think I'm finally ready for it!

Oh, and of course worrying less about other people's dramas, thats a big one, and now seems like the perfect time to implement it!!

Happy 2014!

Hot Tub Cinema

40 degree water, champagne and good movies, all on a rooftop in central London as the sun sets – what’s not to like?

One of my friends found out about hot tub cinema a couple of weeks ago and I can't wait to check it out over summer but I couldn't resist sharing it in the meantime! Hot tubs are great at the best of times but this experience sounds incredible. Classic British film, views across the city and a hot tub filled with friends sounds fairly perfect to me! The company was only established last year, evolving from a private party. It appears to retain an element of exclusivity and is certainly a novel idea! A unique and immersive cinema experience by all accounts, just check out the pics below!

You can find out more, and check out the next events here.

Hipanema

Pottering around the Brighton Lanes this week I came across HIPANEMA, the new brand to be stocked in one of my favourite boutiques, Lavender Room.

The brand came about after two Parisian girls met in Rio and were inspired by colours found on ther travels. They endeavoured to bring the colours home in their suitcases and the company has certainly done just that! A collection of bracelets and bikins in bold and striking  colours that are perfect to accessorise the summer season. The bracelets are a great concept for those, like myself, that always have a wrist full of trinkets, especially in the warmer months of adventures!

The very chic magnetized clasp offers a great alternative to the holiday bracelets. Souvenir bracelets go from being a post-holiday drag, that have to be tied and untied, to being a real ethnic fashion accessory which livens up summer wardrobes.
 
Made from pearls, seashells and multicolored thread, the HIPANEMA bracelets come in a variety of different styles, colours and themes. The ribbons from Bahia mix with the legendary Copacabana bracelets and quartz stones with various seashells.
 
These cuffs can be worn double or triple. The more the merrier! At €65 a piece they are not the average high street buy but for me that's what makes them special. Not everyone will be wearing them and they are the perfect day to night accessory- shorts, little white dress or summer florals straight to a party dress!

I thought I'd share some of my favourites with you, which is your fave? I'm hoping that I can treat myself to one over the summer months if I manage to find a job and get a little bit of a break from the student lifestyle/bank account!!













The bracelets, and the rest of the range of bikinis, can be found here. Happy shopping!

Revision Playlist

I have two exams in the next two weeks and then I'm done with second year - whoooo!! Only 100 images, visual and critical analysis and theory to learn first, oh the joys of an Art History degree! Music has been the only thing getting me through so thought I'd share just a few of my summery chilled revision songs...

The Lumineers - Flowers in Your Hair 

Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Perpetual Mobile 

I first heard these guys play live at BT River of Music last summer and they are really really incredible, this is one of my summer favourites!

The Macabees - Grew up at Midnight

The 1975 - Chocolate

Bastille - Pompeii 

Alaska Campus - To The New Year 

Sam Smith - Lay Me Down

What are your revision songs and new summer finds? I'd love to have a listen!

Needle & Thread

I've been looking for the perfect wedding outfit for a family wedding at the end of June and am really struggling to find the right thing - not white, not too short but not floorlength, versatile if its a bit chilly on the day, summery but not too much - you get the picture!! Its bloody difficult let me tell you! On my hunt I came across Needle & Thread, one of the new brands being stocked at Asos this season. Gorgeous dresses which while aren't quite right for my wedding brief are definitely worth a mention and I couldn't resist sharing a few of my faves with you! Not being able to find the perfect dress isn't the end of the world at the moment as its the perfect way to procrastinate from my endless amounts of revision but if you have any recommendations of places to check out please let me know!!

With its first season exclusive to Asos, Needle & Thread presents a beautiful hand-embellished summer collection with a fun, eclectic beach to bar feel. Under the creative direction of Hanna Coffin, SS13 takes Aztec art as inspiration, mixing in bespoke beading, fluoro colour, and luxurious silk to create a standout debut collection.

Needle & Thread Zylet Silk Mini Dress, £145

Needle & Thread Contour Mini Dress, £175

Needle & Thread Arizumi Silk Mini Dress, £125

Needle & Thread Vivid Silk Mini Dress, £125

You can check out more from this incredible brand here.

5PREVIEW

5PREVIEW began in 2008 when Swedish designer and illustrator Emeli Mårtensson decided to release a small, graphic tee shirt collection of 5 pieces. Her expressive illustrative style and ironic imagery became quickly popular with the label expanding in the last five years from a small t-shirt line into a complete women’s collection.

I've only just discovered the brand when browsing Browns but am so glad I have! 5Preview offers the coolest slogan tees and elegant tailored pieces in luxury materials. I've pulled some of my favourite pieces from the new collection and would love to know yours too! New brands are always fab to discover, offering something fresh to your wardrobe and a bit of style inspiration - 5Preview does just that!

5 Preview Motif Cotton-blend Sweatshirt

£90

As above

 

Logo Printed Cotton-blend Sweatshirt

£90

Logo Printed Cotton T-Shirt

£65

I <3 the way that Browns have styled the tee and I think this is one of the things that drew me to the collection in the first place. I'm not a tee and jeans kinda girl and love to layer my clothes. The contrast of the bold motif tee with a feminine and delicate skirt and clutch really gives an edge to the piece. The skirt is by Thu Thu, another new brand for me and is the Tribal Embroidered Cotton Miniskirt. I couldn't resist showing you how else Browns had styled the piece as I'm now massively coveting it, along with the majority of the new 5Preview collection!

 

 



5Preview also offer some really classic pieces, LBD's for any occasion and silk shirts. One of my favourite pieces are these SS Leggings in various prints. They are tailored and would look fab with an oversized silk shirt, some big sunnies and sandals.

SS2013 Leggings Varied

£55

The rest of the tee's in the new collection are great too - bold pints and catchy designs. The crocodile is amazing and would be perfect a coulpe of sizes bigger than necessary over a bikin, or teamed with some coloured skinnies until the sun decides to shine without the wind playing along too!!

Volume T Shirt

£90

T Shirt CROCO

£60

 

Triptease

Triptease.

Coming soon.

This is the only information that has been available over the last couple of weeks when you click on the Triptease Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest pages and there seemed to be nothing at all when you do a Google search.

So what is it that's being created, behind the mystical and oh so teasing name, Triptease.

Launched yesterday, it was definetely worth waiting to find out!

The home page of the website - providing categories to allow the user to 'have a browse' rather than searching for a particular location or venue

I'm sure I'm not the only one that finds trawling through awfully written, and for the most part unhelpful Trip Adviser or Hotel Finder reviews dull - in fact I know I'm not - and that's where Triptease steps in.

A glamorous alternative to the traditional hotel, restaurant or experience review site, the website allows people to post their own reviews but is focused on high quality images. The majority of hotels are high end and catered to the higher budget but restaurants cover a whole range of budgets and there are also reviews on countries and cities as a whole - a great first read if you fancy a spontaneous trip and don't know where! All of the reviews are extremely well written by 'normal' people and fear not the site certainly doesn't appear pretentious in it's content.

With each member of the Triptease community having their own 'Pinterest-like' board of reviews, the site is easy to navigate, and you can comment on and favourite other people's reviews. Working in the form of a social networking community but for reviews ensures the site appears personal and you can even find out a little about each reviewer by checking out profiles.

40 Winks - a boutique hotel in East London and an example of one of my reviews

I've been contributing to the site prior to its launch and reviews have focused on hotels and restaurants from Dedham in Suffolk to Udaipur in India. Its great being able to upload your own images or use those from the web and it is this feature that really sets the site apart from other review websites. The site will be launching over the next couple of weeks and it is definitely worth checking out. Follow @Triptease on Twitter to be kept up to date with the launch. You can also check out my profile by clicking the link (or searching Ali-Moss-Thomas once the website launches. I'm looking forward to it!

My Triptease board

“Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear.” - Freya Stark