Rock'n'roll jewellery, Bournemouth University

I love this mish-mash of rock'n'roll style jewellery. It's a great example of how 
to wear jewellery in a manly fashion. Some of these pieces even come from 
'The Great Frog', London, an internationally renowned jewellery store that has 
supplied skull rings and other hand-carved jewellery to a plentitude of rock 
music legends, including Metallica, Aerosmith and Iron Maiden.

Pokesdown - Bournemouth's Vintage Quarter

"Pokesdown went one step closer to firmly establishing itself as Bournemouth’s vintage quarter, after a busy late-night shopping event last Thursday.

Coinciding with the arrival of the town’s first Christmas tree with lights, vintage shops along Christchurch Road stayed open until 10pm, while the Tattoo Parlour Café, near Pokesdown train station, held an independent traders fayre, selling an assortment of crafts and handmade trinkets."

Dapper magician, Chris Keward, and owner of 'What Alice Found', Nicki Grainger

There certainly have been quite a few Pokesdown-related blog posts recently, but it just goes to show how much the town is hoping to get noticed and rejuvenate its vintage spirit.

To read more of my write-up for BHbeat on Pokesdown's late night shopping event, please click the following link: "Is Pokesdown Bournemouth's new Vintage Quarter?"

Kaotichandbag grand opening, with John Chapman

Author and Star Wars actor visits new 'geek boutique'.

This Saturday gone, Pokesdown's newest vintage boutique, Kaotichandbag, officially opened its doors to customers, with special guest appearances from the Dorset Troopers and former Star Wars actor John Chapman.

John, who portrayed X-Wing pilot 'Red 12' in 'Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope', is now the author for children's book series 'Jonnie Rocket'. The comic-book styled stories portray a twelve year-old boy whose bike morphs into a spaceship.

A stylish couple, Bournemouth Pier

As I hinted in yesterday's style spotting post, I love to take photos of couples
whose individual styles complement one another when together, and this
afternoon, I found a second fashionable pair on the sun swathed Bournemouth 
Pier. Montana (left), who works in fashion PR, described her outfit as relaxed 
with a rock edge, while Nick (right) said his style of dress is currently influenced
by rock music. What caught my eye first, however, was that they both had
sleek DSLR cameras, which - in my mind - makes them even cooler.

On the street, Pokesdown

An extremely vintage outfit from its style to its actuality. Heloise's coat is 
from a vintage shop in Lyme Regis, her hat is from The Winton Bookshop, 
and her shoes are from a vintage store in Berlin.

I adore the bow and netting detail of her hat. Very 1940s.

I love couples that look good together, this pair being no exception. The olive 
green of her H&M coat and the navy blue of his J Lindeberg cardigan have 
the same tonal strength and thus complement each other well. I also like his
Ray Ban specs and her shiny, patent, New Look shoes.

Pokesdown Late Night Shopping

Genuine community spirit - that's how I'd describe the vibe at Pokesdown's festive celebration yesterday evening. The town, one mile to the east of Bournemouth, held a late night vintage shopping event coinciding with the arrival of their first Christmas tree with lights. The turn out was fantastic, everyone's enthusiasm even more so.

Event organiser Emma Ekkes and her new scooter

From journalism to fashion journalism

Advice to aspiring fashion journalists from industry experts.

Are you a journalism student/aspiring journalist looking to specialise in fashion? Here are some handy tips I received from journalism experts participating in the Guardian Careers live Q&A debate: "Should you pursue a career in journalism?"

Kaotichandbag interview [VIDEO]

Coinciding with Pokesdown's festive celebration and late night shopping event this Thursday is the launch party of new vintage shop 'Kaotichandbag'. Aptly described as a "geek boutique", the shop will sell a variety of retro and sci-fi themed clothes, homewares, toys and accessories, from pocket-money fancies to upcycled designer jackets.

Last month, I interviewed co-owner of Kaotichandbag, Debbie Ward (pictured above), at the Tattoo Parlour Café. Debbie said she was really looking forward to opening the new shop and helping to promote Pokesdown as the vintage quarter of Bournemouth.

(Play the video below for the full Kaotichandbag interview!)

What Alice Found vintage calendar

"In the countdown to 2012, Pokesdown vintage boutique 'What Alice Found' has released a vintage-themed calendar for the new year."

(Image courtesy of Nicki Grainger, photography by Emily Fisher - Fishee Designs)

I've had a bit of a dry spell on the BHbeat byline front, but thankfully, this is the first of a few more to come in the next couple of weeks. I won't give away any details - you'll have to look online or pick up a copy of the free newspaper.

But for now, you can have a read of today's news feature about a vintage-style calendar, produced by two shop owners in Pokesdown. Please click the following link to read the full article: "Vintage-style calendar shot in local businesses"

Bloggers' Christmas Party

At the end of term, I'll be heading to the city of Bristol for a blogger meet courtesy of MyStreetChic.com and the South West Bloggers Network. The event is an opportunity to network with other fashion and beauty bloggers, and will include a catwalk show featuring the latest partywear from Boohoo.com.

The blogger meet/Christmas party will take place at Java Bristol on the evening of Friday 16th December, and tickets are only £5. Although the night will cost a little extra for yours truly, as Bristol isn't exactly walking distance from Bournemouth!

But despite the cost, the night should be worthwhile - the party will be fun, I'll make lots of new contacts, and I get to visit Bristol for the first time. Bristol street style, anyone?

My only worry, however, is that thoughts of the event will distract me from my shorthand exam, which is taking place only a few hours before. Hopefully, it won't be case.

As always, I'll keep you posted with updates and have a blog post choc-a-bloc with photos for you to enjoy and peruse through upon my return. In the meantime, I had better practice for my shorthand exam and carry on with my news theory essay.

(To get your hands on a ticket for the bloggers' party, click here)

Woolen scarves

Winter is fast approaching, but the chilly weather is already here. Wrapping up warm for my walks to and from university, I'm happy to know I have enough woolen scarves to accessorise a number of layered looks. Currently, I have eight, but I've added a few more onto my Christmas wishlist. I just love the different colourful patterns you can now buy.

My favourite scarf in my collection. (River Island)

On campus, Arts University College Bournemouth

I've found only recently that the neighbouring AUCB campus has a much 
higher ratio of individually dressed people than Bournemouth University. It
seems with creative minds comes creative style. The student here, for example, 
has added a relaxed, wintery tone to her dress by wearing it beneath an open
flannel shirt. I also love the height that heeled boots and black tights create.

Nerve* Magazine (November 2011)

Here is another round of page designs from the fashion section of Nerve* Magazine. Having created templates for the previous issue, I now need not do all the design work myself, but here are the few pages I did lay out. Tell me what you think!

Angry Birds nail art

My friend, Lauren, who previously had her Domo-Kun nail art featured on 
the blog, has painted her nails today in the style of Angry Birds. It's not a full
set of nails (the two nails alone took almost two hours of painting, drying and
reapplying!), but what she's meticulously painted onto her middle fingernails
is pretty impressive. I wish I saw her more often, so I could take photos of her
other nail art ventures, which have included Pac-Man and Nyan Cat.

Bloggy Birthday Party

With the blog turning one year old, I thought a little celebration was in order. Or at least I finally had an excuse to throw a house party. The evening was full of laughter, frivolities, and helpings of Rocky Road. Check out a few of the photos from the night...

Looking sharp, Ryan Bassil and Errol Anderson of 'Decibel Soup' (www.decibelsoup.com)

It's all about the hair... Clockwise from left: Charlotte, myself, Maddy and Josh.

From left: Elliot, Fiona, Josh and Charlotte (www.charlottegay.wordpress.com)

I won't deny that things got a little bit crazy... Just a little.

Josh's expression says it all, really. Thanks to everyone who attended!

Happy 1st birthday, Unlimited by JK!

12 months of fashion, catwalk, costume and street style.

This time one year ago, I uploaded my first style spotting photos to this blog - the baby steps of my prospective career in fashion journalism and photography. Since that day, Unlimited by JK has gained more than 30,000 views and attracted over two hundred readers. I'd call that a successful year, wouldn't you?

Bin bag birthday bash, Winton

Last night, I was invited to be photographer for my coursemate's bin bag 
themed birthday bash. It was surprising to see how well a few simple refuse 
sacks can be snipped, stapled, pasted and shaped into pieces of clothing. 
Here are just some of the outfits from the evening...

Preparing for the party

This Thursday, the Unlimited by JK fashion blog will officially turn one year old, and to celebrate, I'll be holding a party with friends. Naturally, I have already planned an outfit for the day and will be making some scrummy treats for the early bird guests.

A sneak-peek at what I'll be wearing on the day.

The biggest challenge I currently face is glamming up the house. Unfortunately, my housemates and I were late in choosing a property last year, and therefore we landed with... Well, not the most attractive home, that's for sure. However, challenge accepted! With a few strings of fairy lights, the odd paper chain or two, and plenty of balloons, the house should more or less start to look like a decent party venue.

The ingredients for a very special Screme Egg Rocky Road.

For the party, I have asked my guests to dress glamorous/super-chic/über stylish, so it will be interesting to see what sort of styles and trends arrive at the front door. Expect plenty of photos from the night, which I will upload at the weekend.

In the meantime, I hope to publish a couple more style spotting photos from around Bournemouth and at Bournemouth University, as well as a final run down of my favourite outfits from the past 12 months. Thanks for subscribing, I'll keep you posted.

On campus, Bournemouth University

The rich berry of this student's over-the-knee socks is by far the dominant 
colour in her outfit's palette. The transition upward into the much subtler 
white top is made well through the checkered pattern of her skirt.

New window display for Clobber

Vintage shop 'Clobber', in Pokesdown, has recently had fitted a new window display in front of their menswear space. Not only does it highlight the theme and style of the shop, but also takes your imaginations - and for some, memories - back to those decades in which the vintage fashions we know and love today were the hype fashions of the time.

Haven't seen it for yourself? Take a peek at these two photos...

£20 Kurt Geiger gift card with Elle Magazine

This month, readers of Elle will receive a free £20 Kurt Geiger gift card with their copy of the new December issue. But for ten lucky readers, there's a whopping £1,000 spending credit to be won upon registering their card at kurtgeiger.com.

Sadly for me, I was not one those fortunate ten. But a complimentary £20 gift card to spend on Kurt Geiger shoes still isn't something I'll turn down. However, with the card only valid on full priced merchandise, I do have to wonder where I will find the extra £75 to purchase a pair of these suede Bleeker beauties...

KG Kurt Geiger Bleeker Shoes, £95.00 (Image source: kurtgeiger.com)

So the next time you pop to your local newsagent, make sure you grab your copy of December's Elle. How will you invest your £20 gift card? Leave a comment below.

(For full terms and conditions of this Kurt Geiger/Elle promotion, click here)

On campus, Bournemouth University

Fellow BAMMJ, Maddy, makes her 2nd appearance on my blog since the first ever 
photo, this time wearing a mustard yellow, chiffon dress from Primark. The colour
is very in trend at the moment and is vivified by the black of her belt and tights.

Filming in the New Forest

This afternoon, I visited the New Forest to help shoot a group documentary for my journalism course. During the few hours the team and I were there, I was astounded by the beauty of the open spaces around me, from vast landscapes swathed with golden sunshine to warm colours of the autumn leaves.

It sounds a tad poetic, I admit, but it's completely true. After today, I am surprised I had never been to the New Forest before, and I am certain I will visit again - hopefully for a fashion shoot! The amazing scenery of the open fields and leafy forests would be such beautiful backdrops. I'd love for a model to pose beside the one of the wild ponies too.

Here are a few of the behind-the-scenes photos I snapped of today's filming. I hope you see from them why the New Forest is such a wonderful place to visit...