Street Style #4: Ring My Bell

After a week off, it is only right that I come back with a proverbial bang. For that, I am relying on the impeccable dress sense of Ashley Madekwe. Those eagled eyes amongst you may recognise the brown-eyed beaut as ‘Bambi’ (Secret Diary of a Call Girl). I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t cotton on to this connection; it was actually my sister who brought Ashley’s blog to my attention. I have been a devout follower ever since.

An evident soft spot for the finer things in life, Ashley upgrades each outfit with a coveted, investment piece whether it be her trustee collection of high-end handbags or her beloved JC litas. She emulates 21^st trend-setting, toying with the odd vintage piece. The girl has mastered the art of balancing contrastive textures, to a T. This illustrative example captures her signature style in a snapshot – edgy girl next door with statement ‘shoe porn’ as standard.

The simple, Aztec-print, day dress is vamped to the nines with these incredible shoes that are actually the result of a limited edition collab between New Look and The London College of Fashion. The staple denim shirt contrasts the poignant red, making the look appropriate for day dressing. The belt breaks up the print and fulfils the vintage quotient. Nails perfectly polished and a handful of hand candy provide the finishing details.

Flick through her archives and you’ll discover that Ashley has experimented with every trend under the sun adding her personalised stamp to it. She is a hot favourite in the world of look booking. Snag some styling ideas at http://ashley-ringmybell.blogspot.com.

A link to Helen’s wonderful blog

-Helen Turnbull