The Design Studio Hawarden – Clairey Sweetie

The Newest Addition to my TDS Bomber Jacket Collection, ‘ETI’| August Blogs

Claire / 7th August 2016 / No Comments

Hey Sweeties,

Every now and again, sometimes you get the urge to buy something impulsively that even though you may never be brave enough to wear out, you buy because to you it articulates a part of your personality that few people know you have. This for me, is my latest bomber jacket from TDS (The Design Studio), called ‘ETI’. I saw her and I was like, yes!

I’m not going to lie to you, I am hugely biased in my love for TDS but I think you guys know me well enough by now that I don’t rave about products, brands and clothing unless I am motivated by anything other than genuine honesty and love for them. In case you do happen to be a first time visitor to my little space on the internet, the mother daughter duo behind The Design Studio are in fact my Godmother, Sally and her daughter, Lettie. You met these guys first on here when I spent the weekend with them (here); then my delight at being sent a jacket for my birthday (here); when they got featured in Teen Vogue (here); and most recently what they designed for me for my wedding (here).

Some years ago, when I was at school I loved nothing more than to dress a bit differently to everyone else, it was who I was and a way for me to stand out a bit. Non-uniform ‘mufty’ days were my favourite and meticulous planning would take place in the week or two leading up to the day to ensure my outfit conveyed exactly what I wanted. I remember going through a bit of a hippy phase in my early teens, and then in my mid-late teens I turned quite gothic but I liked then being defined in that way. You then get older and you don’t want to stand out in the same way, for some reason it’s no longer right too, it’s not mature enough. I mean, that’s okay as there are still ways to define your own style that says a lot about your personality. For me, I am still ETI inside, I am still warm, fluffy and fun but this shit thing called anxiety sometimes gets in the way and I lack the confidence to wear certain things and properly convey the person I am. This is of course, ridiculous. I am nearly thirty years old, who honestly is going to say anything? It’s not the playground anymore. But isn’t this jacket absolutely wonderful? I love the fluffy pink fabric with the polka dots.

What do you guys think? Do you have an item of clothing that represents your personality? Do you have the confidence to wear it?

Until next time x

Bridal Bomber Jacket & Snood by TDS (The Design Studio)

Claire / 21st April 2016 / No Comments

As soon as I got engaged back in August last year, I put into motion a commission for a bridal bomber jacket that I could wear at my wedding.

TDS had also within this time developed a range of faux fur snoods which I thought could also be incorporated into my wedding for my bridesmaids.

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Work Christmas Party| Blogmas Day 18

Claire / 18th December 2015 / 1 Comment

Hey Sweeties,

I think talk and excitement of the work Christmas party begins late summer and ramps up gradually until the week finally arrives. Last year if you’ll remember the company I was working for hosted a Wild West themed do (here) where it was checked shirts, cowboy hats and boots a plenty, so this year I am delighted I can attend a proper, formal black tie party.

However, like last year though the party is straight after work (tonight!) and while I do have a couple of hours later to get ready, I’ve had to think ahead and create my look for you slightly early but I hope you don’t mind.

Here is what I am wearing to my work Christmas party:

Dress: Laura Ashley | Shoes: Faith | Bomber jacket: TDS

I have owned this dress for a few years, having only worn it once previously so it’s been great that I can recycle an old love rather than having to trawl the shops for something new. I particularly like the crystal encrusted detail in the middle and the fabric is gorgeously silky but quite thick and heavy which for winter is ideal.

My TDS bomber jacket I think accompanies this dress perfectly; I love it so much! I am definitely looking to add another couple to my collection soon as they are so unique and actually, very versatile. For me with this particular look, I love how the jacket adds a soft -but slightly edgy- texture, and the pink adds that feminine touch.

Make up:

The core element of my look is the eyes -I wanted something dark, smoky and layered with glitter and this is where my Urban Decay Smoky palette really comes into it’s own. I began by applying Dagger across my lid; I blended Black Market into my crease; I put a little touch of Slanted into the inner corners of my eyes to brighten; then I packed on a generous layer of Armor for that Christmas glittery touch. I completed the look with winged black eyeliner and mascara. A key tip here as with any makeup like this is to blend, blend and blend some more otherwise you’ll have dark glittery cheeks too if you’re not careful.

I think this look definitely needs to be partnered with a dark outfit as they’ll compliment each other gorgeously, especially if you also add a dark red lip like I have above. Creating this makeup look also confirmed for me that on my wedding day next year, while I can still create a dramatic eye, it needs to be achieved with lighter shades as my ivory dress will reflect onto my face and if I have a dark look, it’ll appear far too heavy.

What do you guys think?

Until next time x

My Weekend with The Design Studio

Claire / 2nd October 2014 / 2 Comments

Hey Sweeties,

So last weekend Mum and I braved the traffic and ventured all the way up to Chester as it was my Godmother’s daughter’s big 21st birthday (Happy Birthday @LetPatt)! I haven’t seen Lettie since she was a wee 5-6 year old (do the maths) so I have been so excited to finally see and meet her in the flesh rather than across the channels of social media! I also of course haven’t seen my Godmother, Sally in probably as many years so this really was a long awaited and vastly overdue visit!

We travelled up early Saturday morning arriving around lunchtime and spent the afternoon helping out with party preparations and catching up with news etc. Although social media kind of feels like it’s too much in my face sometimes, without it and there would be so many people from past schools (yes, schools –I went to 5!) that I wouldn’t be in contact with that although I haven’t seen for twenty odd years, feel like I see them often. I didn’t go to school with Lettie (obviously) but without connecting on Facebook a couple of years ago I would know literally nothing about her and her me. The fact that we hadn’t actually met until last weekend is irrelevant.

Sunday was the day of the party and it was a great day… dare I say the best part being the bouncy castle?! I don’t excuse what you are about to see…

Anyway.

Suki Waterhouse Loves The Design Studio

Now, I don’t know if any of you guys happen to follow Suki Waterhouse on Instagram but recently she posted a photo of her wearing a pink bomber jacket…

You’ll also have noticed that she thanks @thedesignstudiohawarden for supplying the bomber. Well, here’s some news for you Sweeties, The Design Studio are non-other than Sally and Lettie! Yes really! These two have been catching the beady fashion eye of several key industry peeps and publications of late and rightly so! While I was at TDS HQ -big 21^st birthday aside- I made sure I took the opportunity to see the bombers myself. Interrupting Lettie while she was trying to get ready for her birthday (bless her!), I was taken upstairs to a hidden away part of the house and shown the jackets, most of which had been ordered and were ready for shipping.

My Favourite of them all!

As you can see, they are made in a selection of materials and colours and as Lettie so beautifully models, they are a combination of chunky and oversized which for the autumn-winter months couldn’t be more ideal. For me, I fell in love with the pink and black bomber as seen above; it’s just stunning!

Sally also creates these amazing bookbags which are literally how they sound -bags made out of the hardback spine of books! The picture below shows Lettie with her brand new Chanel bookbag!

If you’re looking for something a bit different, I would seriously take a gander over on The Design Studio website but more so, give them a follow on Instagram which is where Lettie shares their latest creations. I defy you to resist a purchase!

Until next time x

BOUNCY CASTLE!!

The Newest Addition to my TDS Bomber Jacket Collection, ‘ETI’| August Blogs

Like this:

Bridal Bomber Jacket & Snood by TDS (The Design Studio)

Like this:

Work Christmas Party| Blogmas Day 18

Like this:

My Weekend with The Design Studio

Suki Waterhouse Loves The Design Studio

Like this: