The Liverpool dating scene - what to wear this season in association with match.com

Last month I was approached by match.com Liverpool with the challenge of finding outfits to wear for various dates in the city. Instead of finding a whole load of separate outfits (not ideal for a gal on a budget!) I found nine wardrobe essentials that you can use for an interchangeable, stylish look while dating this season.

The floral dress (centre) can be worn with the River Island heels (top centre) for a night out in one of the amazing clubs or cocktail bars in Liverpool. The Albert Dock is a stunning setting for a first date and there's a huge variety of venues to choose from, my recommendation for a student on a budget is Revolution, which sells a great range of cocktails at really reasonable prices. Team the dress with the Public Desire heels (bottom right), and the New Look Blazer (far right), for a more chilled out, but still 'dressy' look.

If you're feeling very artsy and educated you could go on a date to one of Liverpool's many spectacular museums and art galleries. My personal favourites are The World Museum and The Walker Art Gallery, both of which are situated just minutes away from Lime Street Station. The print on the Unique, by Topshop, tailored trousers (bottom left) will have you looking better than the displays in the Walker. Wear the trousers with a white cami top and a black blazer for a sophisticated look, you can add the pearl choker and gold cuff for a more glamorous touch. Both flats and heels will work with this look, taking your day time date outfit through to the night!

You can mix and match any of these high street buys to create a date outfit suitable for every situation from casual drinks, to a visit to one of Liverpool's many restaurants for some posh nosh!

Check out the match.com guide to dating in Liverpool for inspiration on venues to wear your fab new wardrobe! Have fun!

Gold tone cut out cuff bracelet, River Island - £10

Teagan strappy front woven cami, Boohoo - £15

   Artichoke print tailored trousers by, Unique at Topshop - £170

Black pony skin block heel platform sandals, River Island - £70

Blue floral print high neck bodycon dress, New Look - £11.24

Perforated leather clutch, Topshop - £40

Cream stone textured collar, Topshop - £8.50

Kelis black cleated sole patform heels, Public Desire - £29.99

Black collarless blazer, New Look - £24.99

The good, the bad and the mid-mid life crisis

It's 5am and I'm typing this post up in a note on my iPad. The sun is shining and the birds are singing and for the first time in a long time I feel peaceful. Today's post probably won't be a very cheery one or a groundbreaking journalistic piece but it will be personal and from the very bottom of my heart. I would be lying if I said that this has been a good year for me. I haven't posted anything about my personal life in quite some time for the simple reason that it's been far too painful and I'd like to summarise quickly why that is. I don't want anyone to think for a second that this is my big sob story or a way of getting people to feel sorry for me, it's simply something I want to get off my chest and as promised my blog will always be about fashion, beauty and perhaps most importantly life. 

On the first of August last year I went to stay with a friend in Liverpool for a routine mad night out round town! As you would expect I got very drunk and had a ball. The next morning I woke up to a disgustingly loud phone ringing. It took me a good few moments, in my hungover state, to realise it was in fact my phone! My amazing friend of 16 years, Annie, was calling which I thought was odd for two reasons; 1-neither of us are phone people and 2-it was 5am! I answered and she told me that my best friend Joseph had been in a car accident, as far as we knew it was nothing serious and he would be okay but to hurry home just in case.

So I gathered all my stuff together, attempted to shower off the hangover (it didn't work) and set off to get a big greasy breakfast. I text my mum to tell her what had happened and she already knew with Joes mum being her best friend (lovingly known as Auntie Julie), she reassured me everything was looking alright. So far we knew the accident was serious and that Joe's girlfriend was in the car with him. We suspected broken legs and arms, maybe even some ribs, Joe was always injuring himself - seriously the boy once broke his arm falling off his skateboard because he thought he saw a kit Kat on the floor!

(me and Joe on holiday as children) 

 The earliest train I managed to get was the 10:20am from Liverpool to Barrow and as I settled into my seat I phoned my mum to ask if she'd heard anything else and I can remember all she said was: "yes" we were quiet for a long time then she said: "he didn't make it" all I could do was laugh, Joe was always a joker and always hurting himself but he was indestructible in my eyes, it all had to be an elaborate joke, but I could hear my mum and family crying in the background and I knew he'd gone. I had to hang up the phone to go throw up in the train toilet.

The friend who had stood by me through thick and thin from the age of four, the boy who had I had shared holidays with, who taught me how to rollerblade and then patched me up when I fell, the one who bought me my prom corsage was gone? It didn't make sense. How cruel that someone so kind had been taken away from the world, from his family? What an injustice the world had served! Like how dare this happen? How could he be gone!? All the terrible people in the world and you took him away!

I don't remember much more of that day, just going to see my friend Katie and going and getting very drunk with all of ours and Joe's friends. That day changed me forever, I lost a lot of faith in the world that day. 

(Katie, Joe and I in happier times, our prom)

When I went back to university in September I struggled to find joy in anything. I don't know if it was because I felt guilty because I was meant to be having fun while my friend was gone or because I was scared of how quickly he'd been taken from me or some other reason but I just couldn't make myself happy. I struggled through days at uni and as they days turned into months I still couldn't bring myself to go back home, I didn't want to get on a train because they reminded me of that day and I couldn't bare to see the devastation that his death had brought on my family. I felt a million worlds away from my friends and I didn't want to talk to anyone because in a way I felt selfish, why should we talk about my issues when we should be talking about how brilliant he was.

This stint finally came to an end just before Christmas I got off the train at Barrow and just collapsed into my mums arms and I cried like a baby. It was the first time since his funeral that I'd truly cried about it and in all honesty it helped! I calmed down and went back to being silent about the subject pretty soon after but I could already feel a slight weight lifting. The real help came in the form of another friend over Christmas, I've known Joshua for about six or seven years and over Christmas I discovered I could talk freely to him about all my worries without him passing any judgement. He was always there when I needed him without fail. With his encouragement I began to truly enjoy myself again and when I returned to uni in January he encouraged me to seek counselling.

(Another one of our many holidays together)

I've had counselling once a week since I went back to uni in Liverpool and I'm currently looking for a new one in Barrow since I'm home for the summer. Talking to someone really helped me to accept what had happened to my friend and look back at memories of him with happiness instead of devastation. It also helped me to deal with so many insecurities and stresses of every day life. In February I began loosing chunks if hair and getting really bad skin due to stress and dealt with self harm, they were some of my darker days, but after many stress counselling sessions that soon cleared up.

It's been a horrific year for me and my loved ones but it's also taught me no matter how bleak everything might look there is always someone there to help you through, you're never alone and sometimes just talking to someone is all it takes to change your life. I can now happily say Joshua is my boyfriend who I love, I feel like I can be close to my family again and I can talk freely to all of my friends now.

(One of the few 'nice' photos of us together at prom)

My friend Joseph Andrews was killed in a collision between his car and a lorry in the early hours of August 2nd 2013, his girlfriend fortunately survived and she is thankfully still very close to the family. We all lost someone we loved dearly that day but I know we'll meet him again someday.

I'd like to say a special thank you to the NWAA, who rescued Joe from his car crash and managed to give him enough time to say goodbye to his dad, but sadly were unable to save him. The NWAA is charity led and your donations could help to save even more lives and give people like Joe more of a fighting chance.

Like I said at the start of this post it's not a sob story or for attention, I just wanted to raise awareness and finally fill you all in on exactly what has happened over this last year. Hopefully it will have raised some awareness and perhaps help to make a bit of money for Joe's charity.

It's now 6am of June 18 2014 and I'm awaiting my second year university results, I'm extremely nervous about them and I feel a bit sick if I'm honest! I'm not sure why I chose to write all this now, perhaps because this is the first time in a year I've been worried about something normal people my age worry about and I felt a bit braver, I don't know.

(The prom corsages)

The final thing I'd like to say is; Joe, it's been nearly year and it still feels like I'm going to bump into you in town, or get a text telling me about one of your crazy adventures, I miss our times together so, so much. I know you'd want us all to be happy, it's hard, but we're all trying for you and even though you had to leave it early, this party isn't over yet.

"Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." - Dumbledore always knows best.

TBT: The Clueless Wishlist

Tartan co-ords are one of the biggest things in fashion at the moment and are set to be even bigger throughout SS14. Gone are the grungy winter prints, replaced by pretty pastel tartans, checks and gingham. I can’t wait to get my hands on all the beautiful prints!
Although it seems a relatively new trend to us someone was rocking it almost twenty years before us.....Cher! No not that Cher! The one and only Cher Horowitz from the 1995 movie Clueless! For those of you who don’t know Clueless is an adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel ‘Emma’ and is one of the best chic flicks of all time!
The very quick explanation is, it’s about Cher, a popular girl who spends her days playing matchmaker, helping friends with fashion choices, advising the new girl at school on a makeover, and looking for a boyfriend. However I took it as my fashion bible when I was a little girl and am ecstatic that the Clueless style is back!

Boohoo Lucy pastel check crop top - £12

Boohoo Connie Peach Pastel Tartan Midi Skirt - £10

Primark Princess Coat - £35

River Island White T Bar Heels - £45

Hermes Clear Satchel Bag – Price on request

Topshop Sky Blue Lace Trim Ankle Socks - £3.50

For my first Clueless inspired look i've gone for lots of pinks and pastels to fit with the SS14 pastel vibe but I've also thrown in a tailored jacket and some cute and cosy socks - just because your wardrobe is summery, doesn't mean the great British weather will be! I adore the tartan co-ord set from Boohoo, it looks fab together an could be worn just as easily as separate pieces.

I like the idea of the River Island T Bars with the cute little frilly socks from Topshop underneath - time to make socks and sandals work girls! The Hermes bag I picked as it reminded me of the 90's Bubble Bag and satchel trends as well as the more recent trend of the see through clutch.

Primark Blue Fluffy Crop Jumper - £14

Primark Holographic Clutch – £14

Topshop Mint Textured Swing Coat - £89

Windsor Smith ‘Runt’ heels - £96.10 (approx)

New Look Gingham Tube Skirt - £9.99

Topshop White Lace Ornate Tights - £10

I think out of the two, this is my favourite look. It's very Cher with a modern edgier twist. I have completely fallen in love with the Runt heels from Windsor Smith (and pretty much every other pair they sell) but I'm going to have to do some major saving to afford a pair! I've already invested in the crop jumper from Primark and the New Look gingham skirt, I'll do an OOTD post including those very soon! 

Again I added the gorgeous swing coat and lace tights, both from Topshop, just to prepare for the lack of actual summery weather during summer in the UK, but I think they'd work well with the outfit regardless. The holographic Primark clutch is another piece I'll soon have to invest in, the holographic material is another big 90's trend that's wormed it's way back onto catwalks over the last year, yay!

I hope you enjoyed my 'how to' Clueless looks, let me know what you think in the comment box below! Also for anyone who hasn't already, I seriously recommend checking this film out, it really is the ultimate chick flick!

Matalan Graduate Design Project

Last week I was invited to an evening at the new Liverpool City Centre Matalan store to see the new collection designed by competition winners, Kerry Crone and Imogen Stubbs. It was a night of festive nibbles and drinks with competitions and collections for fashion bloggers to enjoy! Over all it was a really enjoyable evening and I met some lovely people.

The Graduate Design Project was basically a competition where young fashion designers were offered the opportunity to win their own range in the North-West stores and a £500 cheque! The winners were both challenged to create a collection that en-capsuled the punk era, and I for one would say they succeeded!

With Imogen's bold cross T shirts and Kerry's edgy safety pin prints the girls pulled off the perfect punk collection!

Above there's just a few snaps of the collections (both Kerry's and Imogen's) and some of the other fashion bloggers 'picks' on the rail. I though i'd share a few of my pictures from the night with you all below and then explain a bit more about the blogger's competition from the night!

Above, from left to right, are the gorgeous red velvet, Matalan cakes laid out for us, me and my plus one for the night, Abi, and the lovely goodie bags Matalan provided for all of their guests. The bags had tonnes of free vouchers and promotions for the store and a beautiful black, white and silver clutch bag worth £10!

Above is my outfit of the night which consisted of a Topshop cami, Primark leather look harem pants and my trusty New Look heels. I accessorized with white and fluro yellow baroque style jewelry from H&M and a fluro yellow clutch bag from ebay. The centre picture is me outside the Queens Square Matalan, Liverpool.

Above you'll be able to see all the bloggers tags that were there on the night. The idea was for each blogger to put their two tags on two items to make an outfit. The labels read 'Blogger <3's' and you can see a close up of my tag in the middle! We were given the oppurtunity to win whichever items we put our <3 labels on, the people hosting the night and Matalan designers will pick their favourite outfit and the designer of that outfit will win their selected items!

You can see all the items I picked above. I picked one of Imogen's grungy printed Ts and then in true form an extremely glitzy midi skirt from their 'we heart' section. I would probably wear this outfit on a night out and style it with some leather lace up boot style heels (think Jeffrey Campbell style) and an over-sized leather black clutch bag. I also think big silver statement jewelry would be necessary! Something grungy like thick chains would go well.

Any way I hope you like the outfit I picked, let me know what you think in a comment below. Also tell me what you love about the grad collections below! You can see a glimpse of the collection above but if  you want to shop the full thing click here. - Alice x