It can be hard to find your footing in the fashion blog world. In a digital era where every fashionista with an internet connection seems to want to become the next Tavi Gevinson, Man Repeller, or Sartorialist, making a name for yourself is no mean feat.
One of the simplest ways to help get your fledgling blog to bring in more traffic is by working alongside clothing brands that match with your own style and your blog’s mission statement. When done the right way, this is a win-win situation for both yourself and the clothing company – you’re promoting a brand you already love while garnering more hits for yourself, and maybe even making a profit. A few tips to get you started:

Walk the talk

Before contacting your favourite brand, and especially if your blog is in its early stages, show that you’re on the same page by featuring them anyway. Find something that you love, whether it’s one amazing piece or an entire collection, and post it, upload it, Tweet it, Pin it. The best collaborations come from being honest, and this step gives you the bonus chance to see which clothing brands really are the perfect fit to your personal style, and that of your blog. Don’t forget to tag!

Know the market

More and more clothing brands understand the power of fashion blog collaboration. A genuine testimonial from a trusted source – read: you and your blog – is more valuable to a clothing brand than standard advertising, because it’s organic. If you think we’re overstating this point, consider whether you’d be more likely to want a particular outfit after seeing it in a catalogue or an online ad, or featured on a favourite blog.
This can absolutely work in your favour if you let it, with brands such as Stylekeepers actively inviting alliances by offering store credit in exchange for fashion stories featuring their product. As we’ve mentioned, collaborations go both ways, and there are plenty of opportunities out there if you scout around for them. This can be especially true of online-based brands, which are more likely to promote themselves online as well.

Pitch perfect

Work out how you’re going to sell yourself to your ideal clothing company. Think about the PR department of a major fashion brand: they get dozens – potentially hundreds – of pitches every day from bloggers or posters trying to work with them, by featuring their products in exchange for freebies, or credits. How are you going to make your pitch stand out?
Fewer followers with a very high level of interaction and cross-participation will get you a lot further than having 15,000 followers with whom you rarely interact. If sales of a particular dress spiked after you featured it on your blog, or you’re regularly recommended by other fashion bloggers, demonstrate this. Know what you want from the collaboration before you begin your pitch, as well as what you’ll give them in return.

Post contributed by stylekeepers.com.au.

Every day, we walk past the cash registers, news agents and magazine stands of our cities or towns, pausing to flick through the glossy pages of our favourite trash staples, wishing to be someone else for a moment. Celebrity fantasies can take us many places; from the beaches of ultra-exclusive St Tropez, the shopping strips of Rodeo Drive, to the tight, firm bodies of new mothers, jogging between appointments in their closely clinging, chic workout wear. These maternal goddesses seem like unicorns; mythical creatures striding forward with their shining manes and glittering accessories, a Yves St Laurent tote clutched underhand and a child, dimples and bright eyes, trundling along in the latest carriage, the pearly horn to complete the picture.


Angelina Jolie
Ang has attracted the ire and fascination over the years. Sexy, sophisticated and so attune to her own soul, many women, men and tawdry publications have felt the urge to attack her, especially in light of earlier scandals. Billy Bob Thorton (blood amulets, anyone?), James Haven (sibling relations on the red carpet) and the whole Bennifer kerfuffle (Aniston seems to have moved on, several times over – and good for her!) seemed to mar her early entrance into Tinseltown. And then, lo and behold, she starts adopting children left and right, putting her high functioning ovaries aside for a few years to make a true difference in the world. The Angelina Lesson: Be a fighter. One person can make a difference, even if one must go against what is fashionable to do so (and still look damn fine)!


Katie HolmesThough it didn’t take Kiki to regain her slammin’ body (thanks to a Cruise controlled diet and her billion personal trainers) after pocket rocket Suri was born, she kind of fell into a holding pattern of shopping, shoes and carrying her growing girl around like a Louis Vuitton; these days, she’s thrown the blessings of Xenu to the wind and escaped the clutches of Tommy, turning instead to the stage and a comparably quiet life. The KKat Lesson: Do what you can for your children, to keep them safe and happy – even if it’s hard. Ask favours from family and put faith in those who love you, not for what you believe, but for who you are.


Jessica AlbaIf you have a boyfriend, partner, husband, brother or adult son…basically, a heterosexual male rolling around the house, you’ll know Jessica continues to be hot property. A perfect pout, silken hair, luscious long legs, the mother of two always looks her best. But it’s hard to hate her. She’s always with her children, savouring the simple moments usually relegated to a tribe of helpers; not that she’s not a latte sipping, high flying trendster, but her family values are endearing, refreshing and addictive. Check out her Instagram or Twitter feed sometime for a spot of mid-commute stalking. The Alba Lesson: You can still be a hot minx and represent what’s important to you. Feeling too swollen or squishy right now to even consider ducking into a garish boutique? A bit time poor? Pop online and scour the cyber shelves of Maternity Sale Australia.

Truth time. We can never be like them. Not because we’re not pretty, brave, smart or determined, no, we’re all of those things ladies. Plus some and more. What we lack isn’t within us; celebrities have money, too much in our eyes, even among those who make in the hundred thousand’s a year. And what does money buy, in our collective experience? Time? Personal Trainers? Nannies? Chefs and Caterers? Sure, if you’re celebrity. They have armies, coffee dates and gym slots; the rest of us? We barely have time to clean the vomit from our hair.

Image credits: People.com, Zinio.com, Glamour.com

Ah, shoes. Where do I even begin to count the ways I love shoes? I am on such a tight budget nowadays with all these different projects I am taking on, I can only swoon at them from afar.

So swoon I will, and I figure, why not share my obsession with like-minded people such as yourselves? ;)

So I present....my top picks from the latest Billini collection.


1. Galaxy in Citrus AUD 79.95
I am gaga over ankle straps - I think they add such a beautiful accent and definition to the legs and ankles, and I love medium-high heels with small toe-straps because then the focus is on the legs and not the shoes themselves. Citrus is my pick because it really highlights the skin, whether it be fair or tanned skin.

2. Glory in White AUD 79.95
For those who want to draw more attention to their shoes, and want a little bit of added height, then the Glory is perfect. It comes in 3 other colours - black, beige, and citrus.

3. Georgie in Emerald AUD 69.95
These shoes are much louder and much more in your face, but there is something really sexy about a high wedge heel, and the plus side of wearing wedge heels is that they offer more support, and are therefore less painful to wear :)

4. Luxe in Blood Orange AUD 59.95
I am all for simpler sandals, and I think the Luxe is my favourite pair of sandals from the collection. It is easy to wear, and isn't too complicated which makes it perfect and very in-trend.

5. Morgan in Black AUD 59.95
I just had to include another pair of flats in my list! I choose comfort any day over fashion, so flats are my go-to choice for footwear any day.

Overall, this collection is quite satisfactory. As the Australian Spring and Summer roll in, these shoes are perfect for the transitioning weather. I also like that the Galaxy and Glory are such great representations of the current style trend in shoes, though I think that there should have been styles added to their collection of flats and sandals that could have better reflected the latest shoe trends. Ankle straps are all the rage worldwide at the moment and I wanted to see more of that in their flats.
Price-wise, I think Billini have offered a collection that would suit most - I certainly found these prices reasonable enough.

What about you guys? Are you liking these styles, and will you be wearing any of these come the warmer weather? :)

Fashion weeks are beginning again and we are beginning to look towards the trends for spring 2013. Finally the winter months are drawing to a close, meaning those summer dresses and sandals can be brought out of the wardrobe once more. This spring, like many before, is filled with a clear mix between revamped classics like shorts and the unusual, making for a very exciting season ahead. Here is your guide to the key pieces this spring.

The Bermuda Short


No longer just for the surfers, the Bermuda short has had a revamp this year, becoming a fashion staple for all of our wardrobes. These are the perfect alternative for any girl who worries about wearing shorter versions and they look just as stylish as their denim short alternatives.

The beauty of this seasons Bermuda short is that there is a pair for work, rest and play. From chiffon floral patterned for the office; to linen versions perfect for a stroll along the beach in the warm evenings. Team with an oversized T shirt or a Peter Pan collared blouse for a chic and fun look. As the humble Bermuda short has been seen all over the runways from New York to London this year, there are many online fashion sales offering you the chance to get the look for less; Supre for example are a great starting point.

Go Bold with Stripes


Before you start panicking, floral patterns are still making their mark this spring, but the pattern for this season is the stripe. This is not the subtle pinstripe either, this is the bright, the bold and the timeless monochrome stripe. Everything from jumpers, trousers and skirts have had this makeover. Now, as this is not look for the faint of heart, you will need to consider how far you want to push the fashion boundaries with this trend. Some may want to go all out with a head to toe look, some may want to channel their inner punk and some may want to only display a hint of stripe.

The first place to start is by choosing a statement piece, like a pair of striped skinny jeans. From there you can add to the look or be as creative as you like. A plain black, dip hem shirt would work for a relaxed look, or a contrasting striped cardigan for a daring alternative – the choice is yours.

Statement Sunglasses


More often than not, we see our sunglasses as just a pair of sunnies to shade our eyes, but not this spring. This season your sunglasses are going to mean as much to your outfit as your shoes do. From bold colours, vintage styles and the comedy versions, there is a pair to suit everyone’s personality. The shape and size of the glasses will depend upon the shape of your face, for example round 60’s inspired pairs work wonderfully for heart shaped faces, but the beauty of this seasons glasses is that they come in a rainbow of colours. Choose a few pairs to match the day, your outfit and of course the weather, this way you can have the best of all worlds and highlight your overall looks in a fun way.

This is outside my normal scope of blogging, but I thought you photo fans would like to learn a little bit about the amazing Samsung Galaxy S4 and its even more amazing cameras. I was recently invited to a Samsung event where I was given the opportunity to take home a Samsung S4 to play around with for a couple of weeks!


This phone is jam-packed with features and if I regurgitated them all for you, it would make this a boring brochure, so this blogpost is just a highlight of some of my favourite features on this phone. The rest, you can get from a Samsung salesperson :)

The Display
What struck me immediately upon turning the phone on was the vibrant display - I love strong, vivid colours in both my makeup and my pictures, so it was great to see a huge display coupled with strong colours.

The CAMERA
This is my absolute favourite thing about this phone. It takes the most incredibly crisp and colour-strong photos I have ever seen, and I am blown away each time I compare pictures taken on the Samsung S4 with pictures taken on any other smartphone on the market. The camera is quick, responsive, and captures crisp, sharp images. Here are a couple of sample pictures I took on both the front and back cameras.





Dual-Camera Function
Another function I am loving on this phone is its camera applications. It can do amazing things like create a little gif with only one area of the picture animated, it takes action shots so that you can have multiple copies of your moving subject in just one picture, and it has this awesome dual camera function where both the front and back cameras are activated so that you can take a picture of yourself and whatever is in front of you all at once. I, of course, chose to camwhore with anyone who would camwhore with me ;)




Air-Gestures
Samsung has also included this neat little nugget of technology in the phone where waving your hand in the air above the phone helps you do a multitude of things without having to touch the phone, like answer a call, check the date and time, read a website, and so on.
Why do I love this feature? How many times have you been caught halfway through doing this:


...with an incessantly ringing phone, scrambling for a towel or a piece of cloth to wipe your hands down before answering your phone? And this happens for me all the time, when I am applying my skincare and my hands are greasy, when I am applying nail polish and the polish hasn't dried - I have had to grease up my phone more times than I can count, so this feature is god-sent for me!

Engagement
If you have friends with S4's too, this is an awesome time to play around. Around the time I was trialling this phone, both my cousin and my sister purchased it, so we were a little gang of S4 users marvelling at the phone and its new features. You can play games over Wi-Fi with this, and compete with one another in the same game using your phones. A feature I particularly like in this Group Play application is the music feature - where one user hosts a song, and every other phone can pick up the same song and play it at the exact same time, creating a surround-sound system that is a blast to play with at a party.


Battery Life
This phone has the same battery life as its predecessor, which is pretty impressive in itself (Please note that whilst Samsung does advertise a larger battery with the S4, nothing is said of extended battery power. I believe that the battery power is the same because all the new features in the new S4 does take up a lot of battery life). This phone lasts from early morning till late at night, which is way more than I can say for its competitors. Battery life is essential for me (I use my phone extensively), and I don't like going through the hassle of searching for a power bank - which, by the way, is considered by a lot of people to be detrimental to your battery life in the long term - to lug around in my handbag for when my phone runs out of juice.

A couple of things that I didn't like about this phone, for integrity and disclosure's sake:

Responsiveness and Speed
Compared to the phone I am currently using, this phone was much less responsive to my touch, and I noticed a little lag in its responsiveness after I started loading it up with apps and photos (mind you, I only had this for two weeks so I had a minimal number of apps running - some photo editors and social media apps were all I downloaded).

Bugs
Both my sister and I experienced bugs with our phones, within the first week of our using these phones. On my phone, the phone would hang for the longest time whenever I tried to open the camera app, and though sometimes it would finally launch the app, most times it would just shut down and restart by itself.
My sister on the other hand, experienced the mother of all lags with her phone - it got so bad that she avoided Whatsapp altogether (and she is an avid chatter on Whatsapp - we all are) because the lag was too much for her to handle. We have tried going back to Samsung 3 times already to fix this issue and so far nothing they have tried has worked. When she arrives home from Singapore at the end of the week, we are going to get her phone exchanged.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is one phone I would love to own, just for its camera and awesome features. Do you think this might be better than your current phone? Will you make the switch? :)

From left to right:

Pipeline Dress by Fresh Soul (AUD 99.95)
This dress is a little on the pricey side, I admit, but it is so chic and so on-trend I couldn't help myself. This dress is made by Sydney based label Fresh Soul, which Little Party Dress has just started stocking.

Lunar Wine Peplum Dress (AUD 64.95)
Quite obviously, I chose this for a night out. I love the wine colour of the dress, which is a welcome change from basic black, whilst still maintaining a classy feel. Because of its collar, you really don't need to put in much effort accessorising; a little cuff and a clutch, and you're out the door.

Eclipse White Paisley Dress (AUD 59.95)
Bold print is something that I will probably never get out of my system. I love beautiful prints that draw the eye, and this dress has exactly that. It is also so versatile - I could easily wear this to a bridal shower and then take it out to drinks at night. Love it!

Kelly, the owner of Little Party Dress, has put a lot of thought into her website, and personally selects and photographs all stock on her site so that it is on-trend, and matches the personality of her customers. The next time you have an event to prep for, maybe stop by the site and have a look around.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post, written in accordance with this site's Disclosure Policy.

Whilst popping on a great pair of jeans can be a simple way to complete any outfit, not every woman feels comfortable in trousers all the time. If you’re the sort of girl who prefers to don a feminine skirt, here’s a look at which skirt will work best for which occasion:

Happy Sunday, everyone! I hope you're all having an amazing weekend, and I hope you're all looking forward to fall fashion! ♥

Regardless of whether you like dressing classy, or whether you like more edgy styles, statement boots are a wardrobe essential. However, there are a few style rules to abide by when wearing this fashion staple.


On cooler days, boots make shorts, skirts and dresses wearable - especially when teamed with tights. On dressier days, they add a certain edge of refinement to everyday jeans. This versatile footwear choice is also a great option for those who wish to get more wear out of their more delicate pieces. Teaming a pair of vintage boots with a floral or chiffon dress will instantly create a down-to-earth feel.


Knee high or over-the-knee boots tend to keep you warmer than ankle boots. Tall boots are a great option for colder days and can be worn with the likes of denim, leggings, skirts and tights. Team a brown leather pair with faded denim, a crisp white shirt and a camel coat to create a sophisticated, off-duty outfit.

Instead of wearing pumps and tights to the office, add a pair of ladylike boots to the mix. Such a style compliments a fuller skirt with a hem that falls just over the knee. However, when wearing a fitted skirt you should always leave a few inches between the boot and the skirt.

Thigh-high suede boots add an instant element of glamour to a cute mini skirt. For a more conservative style, team with opaque tights to help pull the entire look together. Flat black over-the-knee boots are flattering to most figures as they give the impression of a longer leg.

A heavier heel, such as the ones seen throughout the range of funky rocket dog boots, will balance longer skirts and dresses. A chunkier heel is the perfect companion to both a longer length skirt and off-duty jeans.

Ankle boots, when worn with cigarette pants, create a carefree style and are generally suited to the summer months, as they won’t feel restrictive around your legs.

With so many styles to choose from, you may wish to invest in a variety of boot styles to suit a number of different occasions.

I am a sucker for Chinese silk. It has the most gorgeous colours, and it contrasts so well against other colours. My amazing aunt, who sews for us every now and again, put this little skirt together for me.



I put together this little outfit and headed down with my sister to take a couple of pictures. The only problem is, we walked out into 18 degree weather in the tiniest, thinnest pieces of clothing!



So we were freezing cold, trying to get some good shots in but dying to head inside! I hope we did well enough, and I'm sorry if we didn't!

I hope you're all having an amazing week so far! ♥

As has been the norm of late, my sister and I headed downstairs to take a couple of shots over the weekend. It was unseasonably cold, and extremely windy. I think my sister got a little peeved at the fact that she couldn't get a good shot with my hair whipping about wildly (and not very prettily!) the entire time!


To top that off, there were also cyclists going back and forth in the area, staring at us, probably wondering what in the world I was doing dressed like this in such crazy weather.