Thursday 19 September 2013

FCUK Style Challenge #SketchToStore

by Bex

Last night Roz and I and friends were invited along to a style challenge party in French Connection to promote their new #SketchToStore collection for Autumn/Winter.  We only received the invite the day before so weren't sure if we would make it.  As you know, my Mum was flying in from Saudi Arabia at around 5pm that evening, we were both working and I am still undergoing IVF treatment (in fact I had to take a dose at specifically 7pm last night so snuck into Roz's changing room when my reminder went off to give myself the injection!).  However, we can't resist a fashion event and it sounded like a lot of fun!  Mum decided she would like to tag along (which I was glad about as I really would have felt guilty leaving her at home as soon as she arrived!).

The idea was to go along and style an outfit using their new collection and then model it for a photoshoot to be shared on the French Connection website and social media platforms as well as our own.  There was also a great prize up for grabs for the most stylish group so we were taking it very seriously!  We weren't really sure how it worked on the night as we were told a few different things but basically just took lots of our own pictures and have been tweeting them with the hashtags.  We're keeping our eyes peeled for the photo they took of us on their iPhone though as it may turn up on their website!

Since I knew I would be in a rush to get there, I had a sneaky look online the evening before and chose a few items I loved.  I specifically chose items I thought would suit my shape and had fun planning and accessorising the outfit on Polyvore.  Unfortunately the only item from my selection that they had in store was the bag so here's my polyvore for you to see the outfit...

Winter wedding outfit?


I thought it would make a lovely outfit for a winter wedding.  (Although I would have preferred a grey bag.)  I love the dress and was thinking I might buy that on the night as we were also offered 20% off at the event so I'm gutted they didn't have it in stock.

The event started at 6pm but Mum's flight was delayed and we arrived around 40 minutes late but it turned out we didn't need to worry.  Roz, Lauren and Roz's friend Laura were all waiting in a queue to try on their chosen outfits.  After a quick scout around I soon realised they didn't have any of the clothes from above but spotted a gorgeous deep orange top which I thought went perfectly with a honeycomb statement necklace.  As the top was quite loose, I tried to find some skinny jeans to wear with it and could only find 2 pairs in a size 16 (a reason you don't often see FC on this blog despite loving their stuff, I rarely find items that suit me and fit well).  Luckily I managed to find a pair of jeggings I liked with a bit of a sheen in my size and then added a cropped leather-look jacket and clutch.

Roz taking my tweetable picture on my phone :)


I really loved this outfit and was pleasantly surprised with the fit of the jeggings.  They had a concealed zip up the back which I haven't seen before on jeans and wasn't sure about but it was actually very comfortable.  The jacket was a very convincing leather effect and felt lovely and soft.  You can't see it very well but the necklace had cream inside the gold honeycomb shapes which I thought went well with the two-tone clutch.  I was very tempted to invest in the whole outfit but coming in at a total of £350 I managed to resist, even with a discount on offer.  I did purchase the top though which after discount cost me £17.60.  I very nearly bought the clutch too and if it had been real leather I probably would have.

The shoes were fab, they had a zip up the back and a textured leather design with a cuff at the back of the heel.  Again it's difficult to see the detail as I wore them with trousers but here is my polyvore of the outfit...

@FCUK #StyleChallenge #SketchToStore #GlasgowStyle


I only wore one outfit in the end as it was too hot in the fitting rooms and there were lots of people waiting to get in.  We managed to get plenty of photos though (I took them in the fitting rooms as the lighting was much better than where they had set up for photos - you can see all the shadows in the one Mum took for us below compared to the one she took of us in the fitting room) and we had fun choosing our outfits.


Roz chose a print dress styled with a jumper and belt over the top with a biker jacket as her final look.  Sadly they had no shoes in a size 8 so she had to leave her boots on and she has the same problem as me with their short dresses due to our height and left her skinny jeans on underneath as well since it was a bit too revealing.  (Hence why I'd planned on trying the blossom dress above as it's a great length for me!)



Lauren chose a bright yellow top and shorts for her look paired with some chunky shoe boots and unintentionally the same jacket as me.  (I can't seem to find the shorts on the website, we really had no idea in store which pieces were actually from the new collection.  We did each get a booklet showing us the collection but they were in our goody bags which we were given as we left.)


We received fab goody bags containing a Rituals foaming  shower gel, a voucher for free Rituals Scent sticks, an FC notepad & pencil, a St Tropez fake tan sample, Lindt Lindor chocolates (yum!) and a booklet about the #SketchToStore collection.



I am quite convinced we aren't going to win but we had a nice time trying on the new collection and I'll be adding a few items to my Christmas wish list!

2 comments:

Lorri said...

Love love love the whole outfit and I would say buy it all if it wasn't so expensive but do think you have to get the jeggings. They are a fab fit and length on you. Lorri x

Unknown said...

It looks like you had a good time and you all look fab in your final outfits!

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