Fashion – Beth Thomas

Seaweed: The New Skin Saviour

As an article in Vogue recently announced, bathing in green juices rather than drinking them is set to be the new beauty trend. Yes, you heard right – that slimy green stuff that everyone avoids in the sea is now going to be found floating in people’s baths…

I’m not one for a post about beauty, but I was honestly incredibly excited when this news (you can also find a print article in Vogue’s April issue) arose, as I’ve been using seaweed to treat my problem skin for over five years. Seaweed contains a long list of vitamins, one of which is the magical B-12, an anti-inflammatory, making it a particularly wonderful product for treating eczema, rosacia and acne.

The slimy green stuff also has many other health benefits, being high in protein, iodine (which helps the functioning of the thyroid) and mineral content – it even contains more vitamin C than oranges, according to Livestrong.

I personally cannot recommend seaweed as a treatment for skin enough.

From the ages of 11 to 14 I suffered with painful, irritating eczema over my body and face, which meant I could only use water to wash, and couldn’t wear makeup or materials other than cotton. After trying medicinal creams from a GP, some very dodgy looking tea (just imagine something like a forest floor) from a Chinese herbalist and even a Christian healer who prayed in Bath city centre for my recovery, I was starting to give up hope.

One day, however, whilst on a family holiday in York, we came across an Irish man selling a product called Aalgo, pots of powdered seaweed. He claimed that seaweed was brilliant for the skin and would be able to heal my eczema in no time. Safe to say, after my less than successful experiences with herbal remedies (I never finished a cup of that tea), I was sceptical. Nonetheless, we walked away with a large plastic pot embalmed with a mermaid and tried it out as soon as we got home.

Within the year, my eczema completely cleared.

Despite the off-putting smell of seaweed bathwater (it doesn’t linger, by the way), I took regular 20 minute baths over the course of about 3 months, as well as mixing the powder with water to make a face mask, something I still do.

Seaweed will always be something of a miracle plant for me, and I’m living proof of its healing properties. My favourite product is Aalgo. The website allows you to buy different sized pots of the powder, and it’s so easy to sprinkle into a bath or mix with water fir a thicker paste. The seaweed face mask by Lush is also a godsend if you don’t really feel like getting your hands dirty by making your own. Other popular companies selling seaweed properties are The Cornish Seaweed Company and Creme de La Mer (although the latter requires a significantly larger budget).

This isn’t a sponsored post – you can take it from me. Seaweed truly does have amazing properties, so get yourself down to the beach as soon as you can.

Aalgo Seaweed Powder, £21

Lush ‘BB Seaweed’ face mask, £6.75

Cornish Seaweed Company ‘Seaweed Bath Bag’, £10.50

Creme de La Mer face cream, £108

Ballet is the New Black

Fashion and dance are my two loves, and so it made sense for me to be totally captivated by Valentino’s AW/16 collection, which was shown at Paris Fashion Week on March 8.

Designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli appear to have taken inspiration from the elegant style of the ballet, both those who dance, and those who watch. The show was abound with tulle, ribbon-style belts, synched waists and bardot necklines, creating elegant elongated silhouettes that practically floated down the catwalk.

To start off, however, the designers showcased a much darker version of the ballet look, with only tight buns and tulle skirts nodding towards their elegant inspiration. A tougher, more gothic and streetwise take on the ballerina was brought to life through the monochromatic colour scheme, with biker boots, leather bags and jackets, and long, oversized coats adding to the aesthetic.

Following a grittier start, the show proceeded to display more obviously ballerina-inspired looks, as black biker boots evolved into nude, sheer dresses featuring plunging necklines and delicate embellishment. The shapeless black coats became floor sweeping numbers in khaki, rose, merlot and camel shades – functional, but nonetheless offering an elegant simplicity as well as drawing attention to the elongated silhouettes of the dancer muses.

Feathers are furs were also out in full force. A fur bolero jacket draped over a sheer white gown evoked the image of the lady-who-lunches, just on her way to watch the New York Ballet’s latest production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The prima-ballerina was similarly captured in a beautiful feather and tulle gown, suggesting some serious Swan Lake vibes.

Despite playing off the classic prima-ballerina look against that of the dark, risk-taking black swan throughout, the show ended with a homage to the more traditional ballerina. A nude gown with sparkling silver embellishment and a wrap style neckline with cami straps graced the catwalk, something which wouldn’t have looked out of place if the model happened to be Uliana Lopatkina taking her final bow.

It was as if Chiuri and Piccioli had transported their audience to the theatre – their inspiration was clearly distinguishable, and their contrasting of gothic and girly certainly paid off.

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Designer on the High Street

The A/W15 fashion shows displayed some easily wearable but nonetheless elegant trends, from delicate camisoles and midi skirts from Gucci to retro-style ankle boots from Dior. I you’re anything like me, the designer world of fashion seems just that-a completely different world-and it can be difficult to understand how to replicate some of the trends within an everyday setting, or find key pieces that won’t break the bank.

Luckily, the latest AW/15 range from Topshop has particularly captured the catwalk styles in pieces that wouldn’t look out of place on the high street, and certainly do not come with the designer prices. The similarity between the high street and designer pieces is almost uncanny, and even if they don’t come with a designer label, there won’t be any doubt that you’ve managed to capture the latest looks from catwalk.

Take, for example, Miu Miu’s red and black dogtooth coat with snakeskin pockets and cuffs and double-breasted buttons. Capturing a ‘Mad Men’, sixties secretary vibe, this coat came it at £2439 – well above the budget of most people, unless you happen to be the actual Don Draper.

But, have no fear, if you lust after this coat as must as you do after Jon Hamm, Topshop does a similar, but a far cheaper version at £89 – so you can still channel that Miu Miu catwalk look, just not at Miu Miu prices.

Gucci also released a retro-feeling AW15 collection this year, featuring grandma-style pleated midi-skirts in muted and metallic colours. Seen on the likes of Alexa Chung and in many high-street stores, these are set to become a wardrobe staple. At £745, these again come with a designer price.

Yet again, Topshop have come to the rescue with an almost identical midi skirt at only £60.

Dior also seems to have inspired Topshop with a nod to the late sixties and early seventies through their range heeled ankled boots (£780 a pair).

Again, Topshop come to the fore, capturing the retro style but at high street prices. These heeled ankle boots are a more affordable £79 and come in a range of colours, heel materials and sizes, allowing you to get the designer look with out forking out.

So if you’re looking to keep up to date with the latest in fashion and a fraction of the prices, look no further than your local high street for all your “designer” (well, pretty much) needs.