Melissa Foggin, 20, from Carlisle is a sales assistant at one of the UK's favourite high street stores, M&S.
"Carlisle has a good range of shops but the stock can be quite limited. Sometimes it's just easier to order what you want online," said Mel, when questioned on her opinion of shopping in Carlisle.
I decided to accompany Mel on her latest shopping trip. As it's just before pay day, we're tackling the prospect of recreating this seasons trends from the catwalk using Carlisle's very own high street stores, on various different budgets to see what you can get for x-amount of pounds.
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| Dress: £19.99 New Look (belt, shoes and bag - models own) |
This look has been huge at the S/S '12 shows so naturally we were delighted when it came in at under £20 from Carlisle's New Look.
This particular dress is perfect for the weather we have been having in Carlisle over the last week (long may it continue), and here we decided to dress it up slightly.
As the dress is very versatile, it can be worn as pictured, which is ideal for evening or slightly more formal occasions, but it would look just as good dressed down with a pair of gladiator sandals for daytime.
"I'm so glad I spotted this! It was tucked behind another style on the same rail but it should have prime position," says Mel.
At first we were a bit skeptical about the material and the actual sheerness of the dress.
The dress appeared to be quite see-through on the hanger; however when it's worn, you can see the dress is a fab fit with an elasticated waistband (covered by the belt) and it is a sensible length.
The dipped hemline on the dress is also very big right now; many retailers are recreating the dipped hemline on skirts and dresses to give them a slightly different twist on the traditional pieces.
Mel is approx. 5'7" and with the wedge shoe, it elevates the dress that bit more.
For £19.99, the dress is an absolute bargain in my opinion and I can see it selling out quickly. The print is bold but not overpowering and because it's mainly black, it has the potential to go with so many accessories.
"Total steal!" exclaims Mel.
An on-trend dress with the ability to be very wearable this season for under £20, what more could any girl ask for?
H&M is a Carlisle shopper's bargain paradise. They have a lot of stock under their roof, all very affordable. Here we set about recreating the paisley (scarf-print) trend which is everywhere right now.
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| Top: £6.99 Shorts: £14.99 (shoes - models own) |
It feels very vintage and is easy to recreate this popular look but there's a fine line with the trend before it just looks 'too much'.
Mel said: "I decided to go for the printed shorts as they're quite a statement piece which I could either dress up or down and still be on-trend with."
The plain top was picked to go with the shorts as there are similar colours in both items and it doesn't steal the essence away from the shorts.
Here we kept the look quite minimal; it would be very easy to over-do the trend look like one giant paisley creature so it's good to play it safe if you're a bit unsure of how to wear it.
This look was created on a budget of £25, which considering it is so popular right now, is quite a bargain. As they are separates, they can also be matched with other items meaning you can then go and create a whole new look without breaking the bank!
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| Top: £20 Skirt: £22 (shoes and bag - models own) |
"I totally 100% love this trend," says Mel.
The beauty with the tribal trend is that it's practical, it's relaxed, it's quirky and it has a lot of scope to be worn differently by each person.
River Island delivered the goods in this picture.
We paired what appears to be a very plain grey maxi-skirt (again dipped hemline) with a silk printed t-shirt.These two pieces balance each other out; if we'd combined a printed skirt also with this particular top, it would have been chaos!
The belt comes with the skirt which to me is another versatile item as it too can be dressed up or down, and mix-matched with various other tops.
The length of the skirt however was quite long. It looks fine on a taller lady like Mel but I'm 5'4" and it was very nearly touching the ground on me; with wedges or a heel however, the length would no doubt be much less of an issue!
We created this whole new outfit for under £45 which is ideal for anyone looking to create something on-trend, on a budget and still get quality in the products.
The shoes and the bag we paired with it are the models own but they are basic accessories that can accompany any outfit and not steal the essence of the look.
"I can't get over how great this outfit is. It just works and I feel I can really dress it up if I wanted to," adds Mel.
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| Vest: £12 Jumper: £20 Leggings: £18 (shoes - models own) |
It's either something you love and embrace, or something you just don't get - like me.
Here we tried to do a toned down version of the trend: we took a luminous yellow vest top and we rolled it up around the waist a bit because it was quite long, and to accompany it, Miss Selfridge did a light-weight jumper, which was actually perfect for gym wear, and for a little extra cover up.
The leggings were £18 - admittedly can be bought cheaper elsewhere but they complimented the look and made it slightly more relaxed and wearable.
There are numerous accessories that would suit this trend, and it's definitely one look that has a lot of variability about it.
It would be difficult to go wrong with this trend as there are no real right or wrong ways to pair it together.
This look was created on a £50 budget.
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| Top: £35 Jeans: £40 (shoes - models own) |
"Oh hey there pretty pastels..."
Nightmare trend. I personally feel out of my comfort zone with this one! I find it all very 'wish-washy' and just not for me!
Don't get me wrong, the pieces you can get for this look are wonderful but because I'm quite short and very pale, it doesn't work on me.
On Mel however, I think we nailed it.
Ever faithful Topshop presented us with the problem of too much choice! BUT the top and jeans here are functional in terms of being able to work with a lot of other items, yet remain stylish and on-trend.
The budget for Topshop was up to £75 because we knew that would be where we would most likely spend the most on recreating something off the runway.
The pastel top was very pretty: there's not many more ways to describe it. Being a delicate baby pink and having a beaded trim around the arm - it was the clothing definition of girly.
"I really like this top but I could tell that even after just having it on for 10 minutes, the beading was rubbing and a little uncomfortable under my arm," said Mel.
When it comes to fashion, comfort usually fails but if you can can something both on-trend and comfortable then you're onto a winner!
The jeans were sublime. They come in so many colours at Topshop it can be difficult to choose which pair to go with but we decided these clashed in the right way.
The Jamie jean style here is high-waisted and they have altering leg lengths in store so you'll always find a pair to fit!
The colour is the essence of these jeans. Absolutely gorgeous.
...The whole shopping on a budget, recreating looks off the catwalk and pairing items together was much easier said than done but I think what we have created is a capsule wardrobe of five outfits which are all functional, affordable and have a 'wow-factor'.
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