#PassionForFashion

A good few weeks ago now, Money Supermarket launched their #passionforfashion competition.
The competition is for bloggers to create five different outfits, each for a different occasion (Office, First Date, Party, Outdoors, Casual). Each outfit is to be suitable for the quickly approaching AW12/13 season and under the £200 threshold.

With the deadline being tomorrow my entry is definitely a tad on the late side! But nonetheless, below are my five outfits....

Shirt - Miss Selfridge - £32

Trousers - Topshop - £40

Shoes - Lulus - £21

Bag - Zara - £39.99

Watch - ASOS - £30

Bracelet - Whistles - £9 (Was £18)

TOTAL - £171.99

At 19 I’ve never had to office shop, so I found this quite tricky. I decided to go simple, but with a twist, and based the 'Office' outfit around these AMAZING Topshop trousers. Against the versatile monochrome theme of the shirt, shoes and bag the trousers really pop, giving the outfit that bit of an edge. Also, they are the perfect trousers for going out somewhere straight after work! The bracelet was an absolute steal from Whistles, so it was definitely my ‘Why Not?’ piece, and the same goes for the watch. This ASOS watch shouts Michael Kors, but has price tag of a cheeky £30 rather than £220!

Top - Topshop - £34

Jeans - Topshop - £38

Shoes - Dune - £55

Bag - Zara - £25.99

Nail polish - Models Own (Pink Fizz) - £5

TOTAL - £157.99

For my 'First Date' outfit I had a bit of an umm and arr. No one wants to go out in a dress, clutch and heels to go to Nandos, but then no one wants to be too casual in Nike Blazers and end up going to that reaaally nice restaurant: so I went for an inbetween. The black jeans make the outfit appropriate for either sort of date. Whilst arguably casual, the Topshop ‘Leigh’ jeans have an excellent fit that look good for every occasion: a true staple piece. The top and bag smarten it right up, without going over the top. The brogues too are quite smart yet give the whole outfit a unique twist, injecting that essential bit of personality. For the nail polish, I can’t help but pick Models Own! A true bargain at £5 a pot, the colour adds more personality to the outfit and a little bit of a girly twist.

Playsuit - Miss Selfridge - £37

Shoes - New Look - £19.99

Clutch - ASOS - £20

Necklace - ASOS - £10

Nail polishes - Models Own (Pastel Pink - Ice Cream Sundae & Hot Stuff - Mirrorball) - £5 each

TOTAL - £96.99

I was determined that my 'Party' outfit would be rewearable, so I chose the shoes and playsuit on the premise that they were easy to mix and match with other items. Admittedly, it’s dead easy to find a pair of black heels but some are retailing at prices skywards of £50, so for £19.99 these are an utter bargain from New Look. And whilst I love the lace detailing on the playsuit I wanted to toughen it up a bit, so I added a contrast with the geometric necklace and the colourful animal print clutch. To top it off, following Models Own’s launch of their Mirrorball collection, it seemed ridiculous to look anywhere else as inevitably these are going to be the party polishes of the season!

Parka - ASOS - £65

Top - Limited Collection @ M&S - £25

Jeans - ASOS - £28

Boots - Daisy Street - £29.99

Bag - Zara - £19.99

Scarf - Limited Collection @ M&S - £25

Necklace - Accessorize - £6

TOTAL - £198.98

With parkas and military-esque jackets being all the rage this season, it’d be ludicrous not to pop one in for my 'Outdoors' outfit. This one from ASOS looks the most practical with deep pockets and a hood, and £65 seems totally reasonable for a staple jacket. Keeping with practicality, I went for earthy colours, oh and high waisted jeans: a much warmer alternative for winter than ones that lay on the hips! I went for the colourful galaxy print scarf and the dinosaur pendant to bring colour to the outfit and make it a bit more fun. Plus, the scarf in real life is actually reaaaaaaally long so it can be wound around the neck too if it’s that bit nippy!

Jumper - J.W. Anderson x @Topshop - £69.99

Dress - Monki - £25

Shoes - New Look - £10.99 (Were £15.99)

Bag - Zara - £39.99

Stacked rings - New Look - £4.99

Wrap ring - Dorothy Perkins - £6.50

TOTAL - £157.46

Following the launch of the ‘J.W. Anderson x’ range at Topshop, I couldn’t not put this jumper in my 'Casual' outfit. Chunky and warm, it’s perfect for the cold winter weather, but playful too. For extra warmth I’d layer it over this amazingly wearable Monki dress with the collar just peeking out. On the topic of warmth, I’ve not skimped on the tights but gone for the whole whack 120 denier ones!  To jazz it all up there’s a few rings and a standout pair of leopard slippers that have £5 knocked off at New Look making them even more of a steal! And, keeping it neutral is the go-to bag that’ll never go out of fashion.