FLANNELS CREATES FOR THE CHRISTIE

This year British super-indie Flannels turns 35. Hooray! And what do you do when you have a big birthday? You have a big party, of course. Flannels' party was so big that it actually felt like a festival: with the eclectic sound of The Jessie Rose Trip playing inside the Flannels store; the jangly, Paul Simon-influenced Crookes playing on The Oast House's outside stage; and a DJ playing tunes inside the Oast House's tipi (yeah, a tipi. In the middle of Manchester's financial quarter. Why not?) - missing were the Christmas classics and the Bublé, replaced by Grimes and SBTRKT. Pretty cool.

Undoubtedly the stars of the show though were the mannequins especially created for Flannels' 35th birthday. Fourteen were auctioned last night in aid of The Christie, the largest cancer centre in Europe, which is based in Manchester. Cancer research in Manchester has been officially ranked best in the UK and this work impacts the rest of the world, too. Flannels aim to raise £50,000 for the Christie, and with the help of the evening's very generous attendees all the mannequins sold, ranging from £200 up to £3000 for the Stone Island mannequin. My favourite was the very pink and floral Matthew Williamson bust - signed by the designer himself - which reached £1,400.

Another 26 mannequins are being auctioned online until 9th December, and these include megabrands  Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and Burberry, plus some quirky up-and-comings such as Emma Cook and Raoul. Snap up an investment whilst also doing good, or you can donate whatever you can directly to The Christie.

What would your mannequin look like? Mine would be a mix of orange and burgundy Indian silks with lots of sequins and fringing, and maybe an elephant knocking about somewhere.

Once again I find myself urging the multi-retailers of the world to be inspired by these actions. If a small business can raise £50,000 for charity - just think what the big boys could achieve.

I'm wearing:

Oasis dress (my work uniform!)

Miista boots

Fashion and junk food. Story of my life

ELIZA VALE

Eliza Vale is a quirky handmade jewellery brand designed by the Manchester-born, Dublin-based Katie Townend. Named after her great-grandmother, the brand launched in Autumn 2011 and is an eclectic mix of materials and techniques, including Swarovski crystals, silk, leather, cross-stitch and embroidery.

The current Eliza Vale collection is inspired by the 1920s - The Great Gatsby, flappers, and art deco. What I  like best about the collection is that the pieces can be worn by any woman, of any age, and any style. The jewellery fits my modern take on 1970s bohemian, as well as it would work for my mum and her leopard print and jeans groove. It also clearly is fabulous for the customers of Black White Denim, as the independent boutique have recently restocked the jewels due to popular demand. Black White Denim kindly lent me some of the pieces over the weekend, and as I played around with styling I found them to be totally versatile.

What do you do when you've been lent a bunch of precious jewellery.. wear it with your normal clothes? Well, yeah, actually. I'd wear the Roulette set in the daytime with a luxe tee. In fact skinny trousers, t-shirt and jazzy jacket is my go-to got-up-late outfit - the addition of some interesting neck jangle lifts the entire look from snore to ROAR. See, some days I can't even stay awake on my feet (as evidenced below) let alone choose a stylish outfit.

H&M via charity shop leopard coat

Prophecy kimono

Urban Outfitters t-shirt

Oasis pleather trousers

Topshop boots

BCBG Max Azria & Topshop rings

Eliza Vale necklace & cuff

Look closely and you'll see tiny specks of glitter trapped inside the clear acrylic jewels.. you could say the glitter is a metaphor for Daisy Buchanan, trapped in her marriage to Tom, stationary in her melancholy life. OR you could just say it looks real purty. Up to you!

So there you go, a glittery glam necklace casual-fied. But I'm not one to miss an opportunity to dress up, so I donned my very best Lanvin <3 H&M ballgown along with a Wildfox tee - see, they go with everything - to showcase the Tyto neckpiece. I channeled my inner Madonna and did a bit of a dance on my tie-dye bed much to my boyfriend's amusement.. or should that be bemusement? Whatever, I enjoyed myself.

Wildfox tee

Lanvin <3 H&M dress

Pretty Polly tights

River Island hand chain

Eliza Vale necklace (in-store)

The pieces would make a fab Christmas present for any lady in your life, and Eliza Vale is currently exclusive in the UK to Black White Denim. You can check out their selection online or in the Wilmslow store.

QUALITY STREET

As we inch ever-closer to Christmas, going out dressed as a tin of Quality Street seems more and more socially acceptable. Not that I normally care about that, but sometimes it is nice to not get stared at like some sort of fashion freak. This skirt was a bargain Topshop sale buy about four years ago which has been hidden in my mum's wardrobe for quite some time now; I'm not sure what made me remember it but I suddenly desperately wanted to wear it again. Cue rushing back to my parents' to rifle through their cupboards. I've recently had a fair bit of luck when charity shopping - resulting from a impromptu trip to Crewe, which has a distinct lack of hipster rummagers that cities suffer from - which is where this sumptuous velvet shirt came from. I've worn it two days in a row now and can see it being worn often over the winter, layered over and under summer dresses.

I'm surprised I feel well enough to be sat up typing this today, as last night I wore this outfit to hit one of Manchester's more raucous nightspots, Keko Moku. It's a tiny dive bar in the middle of the Northern Quarter; so small you could easily walk past without noticing were it not for the revelers spilling out onto the pavement. Somehow there's still enough room to get your dance on, but sadly our moves were not appreciated and my pal was stickered with "Worst Dancer". Their selection of tunes is second to none, no detail has been spared in their tiki-style decoration, and their cocktails the tastiest (and most alcoholic) in the city. I award this joint a resounding 11/10.

Wait, eleven out of ten? Maybe I feel so well because I'm still drunk.

I'm wearing:

Marks & Spencer via charity shop shirt

Topshop skirt

Vintage necklace

Topshop, Oasis & BCBG Max Azria ring

Miista boots

PS. Drink responsibly, you guys.

B-RAINBOW

If you could take a screen shot of your brain I'm pretty sure mine would look a lot like this right now.

I'm not on acid, I promise.. I'm just trying to distract myself from the two essays and large amount of Clothes Show prep work I have to do before December. Eeek.

GONE DOTTY

This dress has been in my wardrobe, waiting around to be worn for far too long, but I was just finding it so difficult to style; weird, as normally Minkpink stuff possesses a fair amount of throw-on-and-go-ability. Hair down looked haggy, pigtails too kooky, plaits too twee. Black tights looked flat, patterned tights too much. I even pondered semi-sheer tights for a moment, until I realised I hadn't quite reached that point in my life.

Finally I decided to wear it out to dinner on Friday - those bell sleeves calling out to be worn - and spent so long faffing that my growling stomach commanded me to put something (anything) on. Polka dot tights and suede boots were the first thing my nutrient-starved mind could think of. It almost worked, until the weather decided to chuck it down on the way home (oh, Manchester) and soak my booties, hair, and faux fur through.

Maybe this one's best saved for summer. Inevitably there will still be rain...

I'm wearing:

Minkpink dress

Urban Outfitters necklace

Love Label boots

Primark tights

Vintage, Forever 21, ChloBo & Betty Jackson.Black bracelets

Oh, and recently I seemed to have developed an obsession with elephants (HOW COULD I NOT, just look at this little guy below), and I am also being harassed into making a Christmas list. If anyone has any bright ideas for elephant-related Christmas presents then please do let me know... so far I've only managed to come up with the Trunk family.

Yeah.. I think I have finally regressed into childhood and gone completely dotty.

BLACK WHITE & BLUE

This dress is one of my most treasured. It was salvaged from my nana's closet; a 1970s Marks & Spencer polyester number which I had tailored to fit me in 2006. Some years later it is erring on the small side, but I will wear it until I can no longer get away with it and particularly when no bending down is required, like when seeing a beloved band: on this occasion, Ladyhawke.

It was like being transported to the 70s for the evening, albeit a much more wholesome version of the decade. From the band's Fleetwood Mac sounds, to singer Pip's Hendrix-style Moroccan print shirt and shaggy hair cut (serious hair envy there), to the family introducing their young teens to the joy of live music by dancing the funky chicken. I loved every minute, and my new Miista May boots and perspex dreamcatcher necklace seemed fit for the event: 1970s glam rock/1990s grunge mash-up... a lot like Ladyhawke.

I'm wearing:

Vintage dress

Topshop jacket

Miista boots

Wonderhaus necklace

Matalan bag

Last call to win a £30 Groupon voucher in my giveaway!