I am really excited to share my GLAMOUR AWARDS look with you. It was quite a big deal for me, I know bloggers go to so many events but I am not really an event person, I don’t go to too many. The reason for this is because I have to really love the event, I am not too bothered about being the social butterfly and because I think my blog is still growing I don’t exactly get invited to red carpets events every weekend. This was my first award event to attend and one I have wanted to attend for a while. Anyway I decided to vlog the entire day (look forward to the video coming soon) and of course me being me I have a story to tell you.
Let’s talk about the look. This was daunting because of course I wanted to look and feel my best. My outfit was easy to organise because on the Friday yes literally one working day before the event, I had a meeting with one of the girls at NET-A-PORTER who by the way I feel like is my long last soul sister. Over “whirly eggs” for breakfast at Granger & Co we thought it would be a great idea for NAP to dress me, I know, I know it’s a big deal and I was really honoured to be dressed by them. I had a really busy Friday and had to choose a look before 5pm other wise it just wouldn’t reach me in time for Tuesday. It was the hardest thing in the world to search for an outfit, shoes and a bag from my phone whilst running to and from meetings. It’s the hardest thing to do anyway when you have no budget, there is just way too much choice and I felt over whelmed. With the help of Fiona we decided on Stella McCartney tuxedo dress here and skirt here. I picked a Mini Falabella in denim with stars, so me right? The Aquazzura shoes with the pom poms are also so me, I have had my eye on them for ages. I was really pleased with my look, simple and black but the accessories made it pop and it was totally my style. I also wanted a bag and shoes that I could wear again. The bag had to fit my camera and the shoes had to comfortable to ensure no red carpet hobbling. The bag fits so much, I showed you this on Snapchat, I hope some of you got to see that? I really recommend this bag for practicality; it’s so light, fit’s sooooo much (Olympus PEN, extra lens, sunglasses, iPhone 6 plus, keys, coin purse and all my make up) the denim fabric is really on trend and wearable. The shoes are really comfortable and look nice with black or denim. I can not wait to wear these with cut off denim jeans like these here. They were surprisingly comfy too.
Now for the story…
The day was a bit stressful because I drove to London from Essex. As soon as I got in the car my photographer cancelled, of all days to cancel. I then remembered a photographer (Rebecca Spencer) had contacted me to shoot so I replied and asked her to meet me in four hours! Becky dropped everything for me and agreed to shoot me, I was so grateful. Of course there was traffic but I made my appointment on time.
My first stop was getting my hair done by Tatiana Karelina in Highstreet Kensington. I had a trial a week before and I decided on a Games of Throne inspired look; waves and a braid. At this point I STILL HAD NO OUTFIT. Fiona at NAP changed the delivery address and we arrange for the items be delivered to the salon. A few minutes before my hair was done the courier arrived. Huge relief.
I am not sure how much the clip in extensions cost, if you call the salon: T: 020 7937 1989 they can tell you more details. They have a salon in Manchester too. I know for this braid hair style they will charge £30-£40. This salon is THE BEST salon in London for hair extension. The owner Tatiana is so sweet, she is Russian and has two Chihuahua’s called Stroganoff and Foxy…. L O V E IT. You can see below the transformation is amazing. The braids are my own hair and the extension is clipped in underneath the braid. What did you think of my hair?
The weather. Never trust the British weather, it will always let you down. The day started off sunny but then there was thunder and the rain was on it’s way. On my way to Harrods with all my huge bags the rain started. Great, my new hair got soaked. But it was okay because I had my outfit and I was running on time. The day kinda reminded me of my wedding day, because everything went wrong on my wedding day. The wedding evolved to be amazing so going by experience I stayed calm and knew it would all work out. Hmmmmm.
I arrived at the MAC counter in Harrods. I always get my make up done by Vinton. My make up looked fab, I can always rely on Vinton to do my make up well. I was trying to text Becky, we were both panicking about the rain. I really wanted to shoot the look before my car came to collect me. If the rain didn’t stop we would have no option to shoot.
I decided to get change in the Harrods toilets because there was no time to go home, get changed and then meet Becky. I told Becky to meet me in the loo. Please bare in mind we have never met and she was about to meet me half naked. Well this is where is all went from bad to worse. The dress didn’t fit. Yep, it didn’t fit. I couldn’t believe it. I am always a 38 but this dress was tailored and thick fabric. The fastening was also over the boobs. I am a double D and it just wasn’t happening for me. I went into a state of panic. Becky walked in just as I realised it didn’t fit. I had NAP bags everywhere, shoes, my bag, my clothes all on the toilet floor. I actually didn’t even notice others around me, I must have looked very strange.
The time was 5:10 and my taxi was arriving at 5:40. Becky was amazing and so were the NAP girls but there was no way a new dress could be with me within twenty minutes. Becky and I went to Zara but in my panic I still had the dress on that was too small but I had thrown my top on from earlier over the top. I threw on my Givenchy sliders and looked like I had most likely escaped the local mental hospital. Becky was asking everyone for a black top and I was darting around Zara like a goldfish. I had lost my mind. I told myself to pull it together and I grabbed a denim off the shoulder top. Becky reminded me that it was in fact the same denim top I was already wearing but whatever. GET ME OUT OF HERE.
Paris appeared out of no where, he must have just known I would need him and have drama. I got changed in the street (standard) Becky shot me in two point five seconds; I have never had a shoot so quick. She literally shot me walking from my car to the Addison Lee. This is why the location (for these photos) is so random and not my usual style.
It did all come together in the end. I am disappointed I didn’t get to wear the full Stella look but it was no ones fault. Stuff like this always happens and you just have to pull yourself together and not let it dampen your moment. It was a lesson learnt. I need to loose 7lbs, never chose tailored clothes without trying them on and always have a back up.
The final look was so me, I felt comfortable and it’s an easy look to try yourself. The shoes and bag totally made it, do you agree? I always say invest in your shoes and bag because these are pieces you can wear over and over again and totally transform your look. Click here to shop my bag and here to shop my shoes. I added the choker last minute and thought it finished off the look perfectly. A £5 accessory can make all the difference.
I arrived just in time to see the girls from NEXT. NEXT invited me to attend, I felt so honoured to be apart of the night. We had half an hour before the event started so I chilled with some champagne, obviously telling the entire NEXT team my dramatic day.
We arrived at the GLAMOUR AWARDS, walked the red carpet and all gathered for cocktails. It was the best people watching ever. Amanda Holden was for sure the best dressed, she looked like a little doll and looked totally amazing.
There were some incredible people there. Our table was next to Ant and Dec, Little Mix and Kourtney Kardashian. We had a great table for people watching. The speeches were above all super funny, the awards isn’t televised so everyone was drinking (lots) and there were plenty of swearing on stage which made it feel really laid back and really fun. Sounds terrible saying it like that but it really did have such a good atmosphere. I felt really inspired by all the speeches. The girls all basically shared their success stories, with the underlining factor being “if you work hard enough you really can achieve anything.” This is my motto in life. it was also about girly friendships and helping one another. I enjoyed every second of every part of the night.
A huge thank you to NEXT for inviting me. I also want to thank NET-A-PORTER for dressing me. Sorry for taking over your day and stressing you all out. It was worth it because I felt fabulous. Thanks to everyone that commented on my social media telling me they like day outfit.
TOP similar and nicer one here
DRESS – that I was supposed to wear 🙁
HAIR by TATIANA KARELINA
MAKE UP by Vinton at Harrods MAC
LOOK by NET-A-PORTER
PHOTOS by Rebecca Spencer
CC XX
