Under The Mistletoe

The social calendar is filling up with all sorts of festive fun, but what to wear? Here are a few of our favourite pieces that are sure to turn heads:

Scoop Back Party Dress by Annie Greenabelle. This is the perfect little party dress!

It is both cute and sexy whilst also being stylish and sophisticated. It is aimed at the more girly girls out there as it is one of the most feminine pieces we have at the moment. The best thing about this dress, in my opinion, is that it will take you right through winter (think thick tights and a thin polar neck under it) to those long summer nights (think little heels and a cute shrugg)! It is easy and versatile so go for it girls and snap it up now before it's too late!!

Pleated Pencil Dress by Outsider. This dress is super chic and perfect for a more formal event. It reminds me of Audrey Hepburn and I can see it being worn to Ascot or an equally smart occasion. The lovely thing about this dress is the detailing, there are fishtailesque inserts in the sleeve seams and at the bottom of the skirt. The wide round neck is very flattering as it gives just a glimpse of the decolletage without giving too much away, making this dress one of our most elegant lines.

Molly Dress by Annie Greenabelle. Another one by Annie Greenabelle, but they are just so darn pretty! This is a great piece as it is another extremely versatile style, it can be worn in a girly way, with pale tights, flat shoes and a blazer. Or it can be worn in quite a 'rock chic' way, with black or coloured tights, killer heels and a leather biker jacket with some fierce jewellery! Whichever way you wear it the understated sparkley frill around the neck will keep it nice and feminine!

Offset Hoop Earrings by Just Trade. These earrings will put the finishing touch to any outfit, and are the epitome of understated style and match perfectly with our bag below! They are hand made in Lima, Peru by a women's co-operative called the Zoe project which ensures the women are being treated well and fairly. It also ensures that they are earning enough money to live on and educate their children. So, not only are you buying  beautiful earrings, you are also doing a good thing and supporting women to support themselves and their families!!

Santogold Bag by Matt & Nat. This bag is fantastic because you have the option of two different removable straps, one of which is a chic brass chain. For parties you can remove the straps all together and use it as a clutch. Another fantastically versatile piece found at Equa!!

Derby Heels by Beyond Skin.These shoes are some of my favorites of the season. They have a fun/sexy feel to them with their bright red colour and black heel and sole. One of the best things about them, in my opinion, is they are not too high(approx 3.5 inches)and therefore not too hard to walk in!! The heel is nice and solid and doesn't end in a pinhead point, thus making it easier to balance after one too many at the Christmas party!!

Rosie x

How to wear it! The Marcy Pod Dress

As the weather gets colder it's so easy to end up with a wardrobe full of dull sludgy greys or black and more black. The Marcy Pod Dress by People Tree gives a welcome pop of colour. It's made from a beautiful handwoven fabric in deep fig with a geometric pattern in burnt orange and magenta. It is produced by People Tree in conjunction with artisans from the group Folk Bangladesh who work to bring employment opportunities, design and technical support to disadvantaged people living in remote areas of Bangladesh. Hand weaving fabric is estimated to save 1 ton of C02 emissions per year per hand loom.

Here we have teamed this dress with the following items:

Double Hoop Earrings by Just Trade

Brass Bangle by Just Trade

Dionysia lace up heels by Terra Plana

Footless Tights by G=9.8

Adore Vegan Handbag by Matt & Nat

Jewels of the Jungle

The sun is shining and so too is our Just Trade Semilla jewellery. Fairly traded and made in Peru this beautiful jewellery is so popular this season. The perfect accessory for all summer outfits, effortless and so easy to wear for parties or the park!

Each item is made under the Zoe Project, a fair trade initiative working with women and young people in three of the poorest areas of Lima in Peru. Every piece is created from different seeds found deep in the jungles of South America, which are polished like precious stones to give an almost ceramic like quality.

Each seed has its own story.......

The round, black Choloque seeds used in this bracelet are approximately 12-15 mm in diameter and come from the Amazonian Soapberry Plant. The fruit looks very much like a grape, but the flesh of this fruit when mashed acts as a natural detergent and is still used by villagers in the jungle to do the washing.

The ‘Huayruro’ seed brings with it a long held belief among Peruvians that they have the dual power to attract good fortune and ward off evil spirits. The Zoe project uses the less traditionally recognised reddish orange Huayruro known as “female” and in this necklace the mottled dark red, which is thought to be a hybrid between the “male” and “female”

The smaller black seeds, which make an appearance on the necklaces, come from a ‘Hachira’, a plant which produces large red or yellow flowers. The seeds are also used in jungle villages; people dry them and place them inside dried pumpkins to make baby rattles or musical instruments.

The seeds on the red bracelet come from an Amazonian palm tree, are referred to as either ‘Taguita’ or ‘Coquito’ (small coconut). They have a brown husk which can be peeled away to show their white interior, which is then dyed using textile dyes to the desired colour.

Just Trade works closely with Zoe to develop new products, making use of traditional techniques and local materials to produce contemporary collections of jewellery and accessories.

View more Just Trade jewellery

Monkee Genes Turn Green

For my outfit this week I've chosen my favourite new colour of the Monkee Genes Organic Sateen range - the Olive Green Skinny Trouser. This colour is new and fresh and will see you into the new season when it arrives.

Here I've teamed it with the People Tree Holly Ruffle Top (available in blue stripe or red stripe) which is made from hand woven cotton in India. I don't think this outfit would be complete without a pair of retro trainers like our Veja Trainers. Here I've picked the White / Red Veja, but you have a choice of many different colours from our website. The look is finished with fair trade brass accessories from Just Trade - the Single Hoop Earrings and the Brass Bracelet.

Total cost of outfit: £194.00

Annie Greenabelle Vintage Sports Dress

This fab Annie Greenabelle Vintage Sports Dress is perfect for this hot weather finally we're having. Made from super soft and light organic Fair Trade cotton jersey with blue and white stripe trim. This is our salute to Wimbledon this year!

We've teamed it here with the Beyond Skin Sole Pumps with a fairly traded natural latex sole and extra latex cushioning to make these the most comfy eco-pumps ever. The Matt&Nat Santigold handbag and the all new Just Trade Fair Trade Brass Jewellery Collection that is already a best seller.