It's hip to be swell

The time has come, my lovely friends! FINALLY I can tell you all about the Motorola photoshoot!

Just over two weeks ago, the other four competition winners and I were brought to the glamorous Holborn Studios in the heart of London for a very hip photoshoot. We were there to be snapped with the brand spanking new Motorola FLIPOUT with MOTOBLUR technology and to generally have fun while pretending to be models for the day.

Stu-stu-studio

The FLIPOUT phone of many colours

The shoot was being styled by the gorgeous Alize Morand and Matthew Zorpas of PR Wonderland. I had met Alize and Matthew before, so it was really nice and comforting to see their friendly smiling faces. They did a cracking job sourcing all sorts of dreamy fashion pieces - colour was definitely the theme!

What a pair of beauties - Alize and Morand

All the colours of the rainbow

The INCREDIBLE Georgie Bee shoes I got to wear

Marc Jacobs ring...don't mind if I do!

Not only was the styling amazing, but the rest of the crew were absolutely outstanding. The make up by Becca Harrison was stunning, the hair by John Birchall was totally insane and the photography by Adam Lawrence was mind blowing. In fact, everyone was wonderfully welcoming and talented. It was such a fun day.

Other winners Sabina and Amy get dolled up by Becca and John

Nic gets snapped by Adam

Anyway, I think I've done enough 'behind-the-scenes' stuff. I think it's time to show you the final products:

Lady in blue

Woman in black

So there we have it! What do you think? I'll be honest with you, my dear readers - I was in a state of absolutely terror throughout the whole shoot. As you can see, I am quite obviously not a model, so doing something like this where I was the focus threw my far, far away from my comfort zone. However, I am really pleased with how the photos have come out, and I think it's a testament to how talented all the people behind the scenes are.

I want to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone involved for an amazing day and for giving me this experience. I also want to say special thanks to the gorgeous Nik Thakkar and Milly Hill of JCPR for organising the whole thing and making it so much fun. It's definitely something I will never forget!

To see photos of the other winners, as well as some extra bits about the brilliant FLIPOUT phone, visit http://www.motorolasquare.com/.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

Blogger love, actually

On Friday I had the distinct pleasure and joy of meeting up with roughly 20 of my closest blogger friends at The Drunken Monkey in Shoreditch. I know it may sound a little strange to have blogger friends to some people, but I believe we have to accept that in this day and age the online world is fast becoming the key place to connect with others. Twitter in particular has introduced me to so many wonderful people that I am extremely proud to now call my friends, and I hope it continues to.

Dim sum was nommed, cocktails were drunk and good chats were in abundance. In short, it was an awesomely fun night. Here's the proof:

My one true love, Natasha Bailie, and I


The lovely Katie of London Plinth, Fiona of Save Our Shoes and Natasha


Alex of Alex Loves, Kate of The Fabric of my Life and Lira Leirner of The Portmanteau


Fiona and the beautiful brain behind Style East


The gorgeous Reena of Fashion Daydreams and I


Maria of mediacation, Mariana of Sketchbook Magazine, Kb of I Want You to Know and the dashing Nik of mediacation

It was geniunely a pleasure to spend the evening in the company of so many brilliant people, and I can't wait for the next opportunity to eat, drink and be merry with them all again. See you there?

In other news, the Motorola shoot went well! I've got behind-the-scenes photos, but I think it'll be better to wait for the final shots...tune in next week if you fancy a look!

Until next time...

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

Phone-a-face

Apologies for the quickie nature of this post. I hope you don't feel cheap or used at all.

I just wanted to say a HUGE "thank you" to everyone who voted for my face in the Motorola #hip2bsquare competition. Turns out I am one of the five lucky winners, and my photoshoot is taking place this very weekend - eeekk! Between you and I, because you're a good friend of mine, I'm absolutely terrified! I'm not a model by ANY stretch of the imagination, but I think the whole experience will be a lot of fun. Please cross your pretty fingers for me?! I'll need all the luck I can get!

Here's the sexy new Motorola phone that my face will soon be associated with:

Photo courtesy of Motorola

If you're nosey or bored on Saturday, you can see how the shoot is going by following me on Twitter (@swellvintage). While you're there, you should also follow the fabulous brains and stylists behind the whole shoot - Nik Thakkar (@nikthakkar), Matthew Zorpas (@prwonderland) and Alize Morand (@alizemorand).

In other news, I'm also very excited to be attending a brilliant blogger meet up on Friday, kindly organised by my dear friend Fiona of Save Our Shoes. I will be taking lots of pictures for your viewing pleasure. Hopefully I shall see you there, lovely ladies and gents!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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It's a cheap, cheap summer

A little while ago, I was set a challenge by the ever so lovely people at VoucherCodes.co.uk. VoucherCodes.co.uk offers a great assortment of fashion, eating-out and beauty codes, including this Debenhams Discount Code and Boden Discount Code. My mission? To take part in their 'Thrifty Summer Challenge' to showcase the most cost effective and versatile buys. Each item must be under £40, and an essential staple in any summer wardrobe.

WELL, VoucherCodes.co.uk - consider your challenge accepted! Here are my top six versatile, summer-staple bargain buys:

• Pink fitted waist sundress - £22 from ASOS
  This dress is perfect, and I'll tell you why - not only is it made from summer skin-loving cotton, but the colour fits the dreamy romantic trend like a dream. The cut is classic and simple, which means it can be worn for work or play, and is easily transferable from day to night with the right accessories. If that's not versatile, I don't know what is!
  
  

Image courtesy of ASOS.com




• Knitted lace back cardigan - £38 from Topshop
  Everyone needs an emergency cover up solution in case the weather takes a cold turn, and this cardigan is ideal. The lace panel on the back is not only on trend, but it'll reduce the chances of that horrible clammy feeling that comes with humid weather - huzzah!
  

Image courtesy of Topshop.com

• Patent loafers - £25 from Kate Kanzier
  I was introduced to Kate Kanzier's amazing (and not to mention affordable) range of shoes by my lovely friend Alex Loves, and it's really changed my life! All of her shoes are extremely well-made, fashionable and each pair is a bargain. These loafers are insanely versatile, and could be worn with a pretty summer dress, skinny jeans on cooler days and even to the office. They're like chameleons for your feet!
  
  
  

Image courtesy of KateKanzier.com

• Reusable cotton bag - £5 from Cath Kidston
  That's face it - no one likes carrying a plastic bag anymore, and with a gorgeous array of reuseable fabric bags on the market, there's no need to. This Cath Kidston one is definitely worth the £5 investment, as it ticks all of the fashion boxes - it's floral, it's versatile (from city shopping to a book bag for the beach) and, simply, it's Cath Kidston! The little bird detail is absolutely adorable too.

Image courtesy of CathKidston.co.uk

• Cameo scarf - £12 from Miss Selfridge
  It definitely pays to keep a pretty scarf handy in the summer. You can use it to wrap your hair on those days where it's too hot to even comprehend styling it, it can act as a cover up when you're feeling shy in your bikini and it'll keep you warm on those cooler summer evenings. I love the vintage feel of this scarf, and the cameo print is ever so feminine.
  
  

Image courtesy of MissSelfridge.com

• Me & Zena Leopard necklace - £20 from Lazy Oaf
  Everyone needs a statement necklace for the summer, and I think I may be in love with this one. A simple pendant necklace like this is so easy to throw on, but I guarantee it'll get you no end of compliments. Leopard print is also making a come back, so surely you can't go wrong with a whole leopard?
  

Image courtesy of LazyOaf.co.uk

So that's it! What do you think? What versatile summer bargains would you recommend? I'd love to hear them all, so let me know!

In other news, the winners of the Motorola Hip2bSquare competition for the face of their new FLIPOUT phone have been announced - and I'm one of them! But more on that excitement soon.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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