Crown and Glory

Crown and Glory is a hair accessories website set up by the lovely Sophie King in early 2011, the website offers a wide range of bits and bobs for your hair and was set up by Sophie, a Photographic Art graduate when she had the idea of creating hair accessories you wouldn't find on the high-street. Sophie's business is going from strength to strength, now being stocked on many websites and boutiques in the UK, Japan and Dubai. 

I originally found out about Crown and Glory after reading Amy's blog. I loved the flower crown Amy was wearing, so immediately went to check out the website, I now have two products from Crown and Glory and am lusting after a few more. 

I really liked the creativeness to the hair accessories and the fact that if your wearing one of Sophie's products, you're sure to stand out from the crowd! So I contacted Sophie to ask if she would do a short interview and she kindly agreed. 

Here's what Sophie had to say... 

 1.       Can you tell me a bit about Crown and Glory?

Crown and Glory specialises in trend led, handmade hair accessories. Each item is designed and produced here in the UK, with low product runs and wearability in mind to ensure you stand out from the crowd.

2.       What made you decide to start your business?

It was a bit of an accident, really. A hobby that once simply paid for itself, gained some online exposure and now is not only my only source of income but will be employing someone in the very near future. If I think back to this time 2 years ago and you told me Crown and Glory would be where it is today, I never would've believed it!

3. Can you describe your personal style and do you feel it is atoll reflected in the products you sell?

100%, yes. My own personal motto is 'done up like a dog's dinner since 1988' While some days I can be 1970's hippy and other days rainbow unicorn queen, Crown and Glory started because I'd always had a penchant for hair accessories, but at the time, they were such an afterthought to high street jewellery lines - poorly made, lacking in quality design - so I started to make my own. 

4. Does anything in particular inspire you when deciding on items to make and sell on your website?

While I'm inspired by the trends I like, and definitely consider what is available on the high street at that time for girls to wear them with, the final decision comes on whether or not a piece can survive on a night out - and trust me, they take some battering! 

5. Where would you like to see Crown and glory in the next 5 years?

I envisage Crown and Glory to have a studio, full of design and product teams, a PR team, full of fun, laughter and light. Concessions in main high street stores and stocked by the world's best fashion boutiques. The Holy Grail of achievement would be seeing one of my pieces in Vogue magazine.

Huge Black Glitter Bow 

Sky Blue Glitter Heart

These images only show a small selection of what is available so go on check out the Crown and Glory website here there are some some amazing products and it's definitely worth a visit if you're looking for something a little different to jazz up your barnet :-) and if you can resist buying something for yourself, I think  a product from Crown and Glory would make a great Christmas gift. 

*All images featured (apart from my own 2 own images at the top) are from the Crown and Glory website, permission was given to use these images. 

Thank you Sophie :-).  


Until next time. 

Jacqui xx

Midi...Maybe?

Hello,

I have been seriously busy with uni work and not had time to do anything apart from spend time with my laptop or the Mac labs at uni, due to many deadlines I have literally not been near a shop (mad xmas eve shopping on the cards for me) but anyway on a small, I emphasize on the small, break from uni work, I had a quick browse on ASOS and found a few good things, including the dress I'm wearing today. Now its midi length, my first piece of clothing in this length as I have tried a few midi dresses in the past but have decided against them, as its quite a awkward length and I never really feel like it suits me but anyway when I tried this dress on I did really like it, so think I may be a midi dress convert. The dress is only £28 and is available in 5 colours, I may have to invest in the red one, seeing as the festive period is upon us :-).  

Dress - ASOS
Coat - Topshop
Hat - H&M (old)
Boots - Topshop
Bag - Vintage
Watch - Casio (gift)
Blue Stone Ring - Gift
Organge Stone Ring - LLYMLRS Shop
Silver Bracelet - Gift
Bronze Bracelet - Cheap Monday, Urban Outfitters


 

Until next time

Jacqui xx

My love for the world's best t-shirt

Hey,

Just thought I would show you what I wore last night, I was out for my friend, Emma's birthday and took a quick few photos, actually before I got ready, just when I was trying the outfit on, as I knew (as ususal) I would be rushing out the door at the last minute. I've spoke about the world's best t-shirt in a previous post (topshop roll sleeve) well now I have the black one to :-), how exciting! Anyway I got this gold skirt from Marks and Spencers about 2 years ago and just rediscovered it the other day (love when that happens). I really like this skirt but think its quite a pretty style, I thought by adding the black Topshop roll sleeve t-shirt and a statement necklace, gave it a tough edge and made the look a bit more to my style, as I'm not overlay girly in the way I dress.  

T-shirt, Boots, Necklace - Topshop
Skirt - M&S
Socks - ASOS 

Hope you're all having a nice weekend.

Jacqui xx

It's a boys world...well for today anyway!

Today is a post with a difference, a boys opinion on fashion, I liked the idea of having a boys perspective on fashion and I had the perfect boy in mind, Mr Adam Coats, my friend Rachel’s boyfriend. Before I even met Adam I noticed his unusual style through looking at photos on Facebook of him and Rachel or just seeing him around. Now I have met Adam and can report that not only is he rocking it in the style stakes but he's a really nice, genuine boy, so I decided to ask him a few questions on his personal style and fashion in general.

1. How would you describe your style? 

Its hard to describe my style but I'd say a mixture between casual and street wear

2. Does anything in particular influence the way you dress? 

Yeah a lot of different things influence the way I dress, I go on different blogs and websites every day! Hypebeast and The Daily Street are two of my favourite blogs along with other clothing sites own blog pages! I just love to know 
about any new brands coming on the scene. 

3.Any particular designers you like?

My wardrobe is full of a different range of brands I've always had Ralph Lauren as a favourite brand of mine! Just now I'm really into Stussy, their 
products are always really fresh!! Recently I've made a few purchases 
from new brands like KNOWN and MKI, they are a new British brands just on the 
scene. 

But a good thing I always remember is " it's not what u wear it's 
how you wear it! " As for footwear I have a huge range of trainers 
from Adidas, Nike, New Balance, Saucony, Diadora, Puma, Vans and 
Converse! I also love Clarks Originals for a bit more of a sharp look. 
I think I have a bit of a footwear addiction!

4. Where do you shop for your clothes?  

I mostly use websites, my favourites include End clothing, Oipolloi, Urban industry, Urban Outfitters, Hypebeast, Crooked Tongues and Size? I also like to 
use Asos and Asos Marketplace for some vintage pickups! 

5. Do you think the way you dress has evolved over the years or have you always tried to be a bit different? 

I think it has evolved over the years but I definitely always tried to be different. Whether it be searching for hours for that rare pair of Adidas trainers or paying more than my weeks wage for a certain jacket or outfit. 

6. If you were to work in the fashion industry...what type of job 
would interest you? 

I would love to be a buyer for a shop and work with clothes everyday because clothing and especially trainers are a real passion of mine. Then maybe even own and run my own clothing label or shop!

I really like the way Adam “thinks out the box” and doesn't want to look the same as every other boy, he makes the way he dresses look effortless and cool. Adam was kind enough to let me use some photos of him, just so you could have a look at his style. 

Jacket - Stussy
Shirt - Ralph Lauran
Jeans - Cheap Monday
Trainers - Nike woven chukka

Hat - Carhartt
T-shirt - Known
Jacket - MKI
Chinos -Lee
Trainers - Nike air max 90

Hope you enjoyed that wee interview.

Thank you Adam :-).

Another interview coming soon...who with? I'm keeping that to myself for now.   

Jacqui xx 

Collarless coat

Hi,

So I’m really into khaki green at the moment and keep finding myself drawn towards items of clothing in this colour, so thought I would use this post to show you my khaki green Topshop coat. I got this coat at the Oxford Street store back in October and it immediately caught my eye as I think it’s quite different, especially as it’s collarless, unusual for a coat. I didn't have a chance to try it on but got a size 12, the usual size I would buy in a coat but when I tried it on, it was HUGE, I think another person could have fitted in beside me. I ended up returning the coat and ordered a size 6 from the website, as you can see it’s still big but I think the overall style of it is meant to be really baggy. It's not that thick but still quite warm and if it’s really cold I just wear a hoody or cosy jumper underneath.

I have a few exciting posts coming up in the next few weeks, that's all I'm saying for now though, it’s a secret. Keep following me to find out :-).

Jacqui xx

Bloglovin!

Heeeyy hey,

Just a quick post today,ok, ok I know its not Monday, as was my aim for the next time to do a post but unfortunately I was struck down by the deadly sickness bug, which is going around and although I still don't feel great, I'm soldiering on due to the amount of uni work weighing me down. Anyway enough of feeling sorry for myself, I just wanted to bring your attention to my new sidebar,which is the picture of the lady with the "bloglovin" sign on her head. You can sign up to bloglovin,so that you can follow my blog and other blogs  you like, then its so easy just to pop on to your bloglovin account and you have a list of the blogs you enjoy reading and can just click on them and be taken straight to the blog.

So if you enjoy reading my blog, then please follow me through blogloving, just click on the lady and you can sign right up, only takes a minute. Thank you :)

I will try to blog tomorrow, Thursday is my new aim, seeing as Monday was rudely taken from me.

Jacqui xx

Photo-shoot Frenzy

Hey,

Sorry I've been missing for the past few weeks, I've been so busy and just haven't seemed to have a minute but I promise next week I shall try to blog at least twice. Anyway I've mainly been busy with uni work, 1 piece of work being a 2000 word advertising report, which got handed in on Wednesday (1 piece of coursework down, only another 10 or something like that to go, haha!) and the other being a photo-shoot. The shoot was part of the work for a magazine, which the whole of the 2nd year Fashion Management students are creating for our Fashion Communication module. For the shoot we could either do it individually or in groups, I was in a group with 4 lovely girls and we were allocated 2 great photographers to take the photos for us, it was then our responsibility as a group to decide on location, theme, model, clothing, hair and make-up. We decided on outdoor locations and our theme was party style clothes with a confident girl out and about on her own, ready for anything the night may bring to her. We used one of the girls in our group, Emily, as our model, she did so well considering she had never modelled before and braved the freezing cold for hours, so great job Emily, we're really proud of you :)!        

Here's a sneak peak at some of the shots....

Hope you like the pictures, I promise I'll not be gone for so long this time and shall blog next week (Monday is my aim)

Hope you're all having a good Saturday, I'm off to work.


Jacqui xx

Maxi Mix-up

Hey,

So I've spoke about the world's most wonderful t-shirt and now to discuss the world's most wonderful skirt, I present to you the black maxi. I can not actually express how much I love this skirt (ok maybe a bit over dramatic) but I really am a big fan and in today's post I will show you just how versatile it is, styling it in 2 different ways.

One is the casual look which consists of the maxi teamed with black tights, a t-shirt, my boyfriends hoody and another one of my prized possesions...the camouflage jacket, the jacket is quite thin so I put the baggy hoody under it to keep me warm. The other is the "dressed-up" style, I'm off to my auntie's Halloween party tonight but don't really like Halloween so I'm not dressing-up but just wearing all black and putting on some dark lipstick, which is basically my version of face paint. I'm also going a bit mad and taking off my tights as the skirt is sheer, with a shorter skirt underneath so I'm feeling wild and showing a bit of leg. I'm adding my new Zara t-shirt which is heavily embellished, this is not the type of item I would normally wear, as I don't really like sparkly things but there's just something about it. I was in Zara on Thursday and spotted a slightly different white version of the t-shirt and now I'm lusting after that.

Jacket - Vintage
Hoody - Boyfriend's
Skirt - Topshop 

T-shirt (Old) - Urban Outfitters

Bag (Old) - River Island

Watch - Gift
Bracelets - Urban Outfitters
Black Stone Ring - Urban Outfitters
Middle Rings (Old) - Topshop

T-shirt - Zara
Skirt - Topshop 

Boots (Old) - Topshop

Watch - Gift
Bangle - Accesorize
Rings - Gifts 

Hope you're all enjoying the weekend.

Jacqui xx

Aztec Mania

Hello,

This is the the outfit I wore yesterday for a busy day at uni but got home late and didn't have the energy to blog about it, my bed was calling me. This outfit is comfortable and cosy, perfect for uni and for Aberdeen as its always freezing. I got this jumper a few weeks ago from Next, which is where I work, when it came into the store I was really attracted to the colour of it. Berry and oxblood colours seem to be quite popular at the moment as I've saw lots of items this type of colour in many high street stores. My shirt is from Urban Outfitters, the Aztec print on it really stands out and I think the colours go really well with my jumper. I am a big fan of Urban Outfitters and could spend a fortune every time I go into one of their stores, its probably a good thing there isn't one in Dundee or Aberdeen or buying food would be a distant thought!

I apologise for even showing you a picture of my boots but felt the need to, to show you how badly I am in need of a pair of new boots. I got these from Topshop last year and wore them to death, so I am on the hunt for a new pair but have hardly saw any I like. Any suggestions on where to find some nice boots?? I really am struggling to find boots that catch my eye and due to this I am often wearing loafers or brogues and suffering the effects of freezing cold feet.

Jumper - Next
Jeans (Old) - Topshop 

Shirt - Urban Outfitters

Boots (Old) - Topshop

Have a nice weekend!

Jacqui xx

Always there when in need

Heeeeyyy

So what I'm wearing today is my go-to outfit,the type of outfit that does not require a lot of thought but that I'm still a big fan of. This consists of a baggy t-shirt, old faithful Leigh skinny jeans from Topshop and brogues. I wear this kind of outfit, on a busy day like today, rushing about all over the place. I've added some jewellery, just to jazz it up a bit. Lets have a little discussion about my necklace due to the fact that I'm quite new to this statement necklace malarkey. When these necklaces first started getting popular late last year, I just wasn't very keen on them and didn't feel like I suited them but after reconsidering and buying one for my friends engagement party a few months ago, I found that after all that hating, I actually liked them! I am now the proud owner of 4 statement necklaces.

I love this t-shirt, I know it doesn't look overly exciting but I don't know what it is I just really like it, the colour, the fit and the actually style of it is just cool. I got it from Topshop a few weeks ago and it was only £16, its available in a black and white too, I can hear them calling my name already. I think this is quite a versatile t-shirt too because although its quite casual, I would probably wear this on a night out with maybe a maxi skirt or shorts and lots of jewellery. Rant over about the most wonderful t-shirt in the world :).

T-shirt & Jeans -  Topshop

Brogues - Topshop sale

   

Necklace - Urban Outfitters 

Middle Rings - LLYMLRS Shop
Black Stone Ring - Urban Outfitters

Sorry about the sideways pictures of my shoes and rings, I'm not sure why these are sideways and it was not through lack of trying that they did not rotate. 

Until next time! 

Jacqui xx

Willow Pattern

So here goes my first outfit post, I don't know why but I have been thinking about this the last few days (this blog is taking over my life and its only my second post) and getting a bit nervous. This is actually the outfit I wore last night on a wee date with my lovely boyfriend. I got this shirt whilst I was in London a few weeks ago and I absolutely LOVE it, the pattern on it reminds me of some ornaments my gran has, which are called willow pattern and although I don't think its exactly the same pattern, its very similar. I actually saw Caroline Flack wearing this shirt on The Xtra Factor and kept harping on about it through the whole programme but really thought it would be designer, so when I clocked it in Topshop I knew it had to be mine :). I just kept this outfit smart-casual adding some navy Leigh skinny jeans from Topshop and some black suede loafers, also from Topshop.

Also thought I would showcase my new coat, also from Topshop (can you see a bit of a trend here). I got it about a month ago and am loving it. I have really wanted a coat like this for quite a while now and had a tragedy last year when I odered a similar one from ASOS and it was too big and when I tried to order a smaller size the coat was sold out. Thankfully that tragedy ended this year when I got this one, I just know this coat and I will be the best of friends.

Shirt, Jeans, Black loafers - Topshop .

 Coat - Topshop,
Clutch (Old) - H&M

                                                   


Have a good day.

Jacqui xx

First post

Hey, I am a second year Fashion Management student at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen and I have started this blog as part of my coursework for my Fashion Communication module. I'm known to have had a fair few problems with computers in the past, so technology and I are not the best of friends but I will try my best to make my blog a fun and interesting read and hey you never know I might turn into a blogging superstar (I wish). 

This blog will be a mix of my outfit posts and hopefully some short interviews with independent boutiques and perhaps a few people who work in the fashion industry. Although I still have to enquire about doing some short interviews, this is on my "to do" list and I will keep you updated on this.

So here I am :), just a little "snapshot" of me taken when I was in London last weekend (oh how I miss good old London town already). 

Jacqui xx