Hertfordshire Mother and Daughter Bernie and Rosie Montague decided to capitalise on Rosie’s expertise as an experienced handbag specialist and authenticator to create a local sustainable fashion business.  After leaving a prestigious auction house in London, it seemed the right time to create a business and pursue her passion for handbags and accessories.

Now It’s Mine is an exciting new venture established in lockdown. Their philosophy is `Resale not Retail’. It encapsulates their commitment to sustainability by rejecting fast fashion. Not only can people buy the likes of Classic Chanel flap bags and Louis Vuitton monogram classics, people can also consign their preloved designer handbags and accessories AND in the coming weeks there will be a rental service where you can rent any of the beautiful items on the website from 1 day upwards.

Ethical Fashion is the Now It’s Mine Model

Fashion represents 8% of all greenhouse gas emissions. It’s incredible but many items are disposed of within a year of purchase, and with the Instagram culture may only be worn once. Wearing one item of clothing for 9 months longer reduces our carbon footprint by 30%. It takes 2,700 litres of water to make a T-shirt, enough for one person to drink for 900 days. The Luxury second-hand market is worth £19bn and is set to grow to £40bn by 2023.

They are currently selling via the website and through Instagram and Facebook. Now It’s Mine will also be launching pop-up shops in St Albans and surrounding areas.

Whilst the website allows them to distribute throughout the UK, they are very much a local St Albans and Hertfordshire business. Now It’s Mine is looking to build a network of luxury fashion lovers who understand the importance of the circular economy.

100% authentic preloved luxury designer bags and accessories

With a plethora of websites selling luxury designer items the risk of buying a ‘Super Fake’ has never been greater. Now It’s Mine offers a solution by guaranteeing to sell only 100% authentic goods.  This is demonstrated in their commitment to provide a multilayer formal authentication process and a money-back guarantee.

Visit the website, follow them on Instagram, their Facebook page, and Facebook group.  Sign up for their newsletter to hear about the upcoming local pop-up shops and handbag rental service.

`It just makes sense’ said Rosie `we must all be more committed to sustainability. Fast fashion has got out of hand and the quality of the handbags and accessories that we are selling lend themselves to be recycled rather than discarded, by nature they have longevity – they are timeless’

Now It’s Mine can be found at 116 Old London Road, St Albans AL1 1PU

It’s certain to say that 2020 changed things in fashion, the forecasted trends were overtaken by the demand and popularity for loungewear as the nation worked and played from home. It seemed that everyone turned to online buying of athleisure wear and comfy indoor loungewear as the online stores repeatedly sold out of the favourites!

And as we transition from Autumn into Winter the demand for comfort hasn’t decreased, in fact, the colder, darker nights have seen us reaching for our ‘comfies’ earlier in the evening whilst we settle down indoors with a takeaway and Netflix!

But getting dressed and feeling good even if it is just for indoors or going on an online video call can make us feel lifted, we feel like ourselves again and it gives us that extra touch of self-confidence.  Sitting around for a day or so in loungewear is OK, we’ve all done that, right? But any more than a day and well – we don’t feel productive!

I love the well-known quote “Get Up, Dress Up and Don’t Give Up”.  I feel so much better when I have made that extra effort to style my hair, wear something I feel good in, and put some makeup on ready for work or an online video call, just as I would if meeting someone in person!

So, what are we all looking to wear this Winter season, and how can we look good and be comfortable too, as I know comfort really is key right now.

Here are my top 5 favourite wearable trends for the 20/21 Winter season ahead:

Joggers – now I know what you are thinking here, but hear me out!  There are some really great joggers that give a more elevated look than the traditional gym style jogging bottoms we are all used to.  Look out for soft jogging trousers or those with a side stripe (very elongating). Wear them with a blouse, a sweat or a T-shirt and an oversized blazer – add a heel, a chunky or long boot or wear with the trusty trainer.

Blazers – nothing new here I know but a great blazer will take you through day to night, year after year. You can be sat at home in a t-shirt and joggers, throw on a blazer, amp up the lipstick and you are video call ready! Simply one of the most versatile pieces you can add to your wardrobe.  Keep it classic in a neutral tone and you will be wearing it for years to come.  The trend is for oversized, but this needs to work for you! If fitted is more your style, then go for that instead!  Use a belt to cinch in the waist – another key trend this season!

Checks – One of the easiest to wear trends of the season.  Look for tartans, ginghams and houndstooth.  Clash them or team them with simple basics.  Check coats, check shackets (a cross between a jacket and a shirt), check blazers, check trousers …. Or just take a nod to the trend with an oversized check blanket scarf!

Leather / Pleather – the great news is pleather has moved on so far in such a short space of time, so no longer do you feel like you will literally ‘boil in the bag’.  Look out for soft buttery feeling pleathers and leathers in the neutral tones this season.

The warm rich beiges and browns are definitely trending, are easy to co-ordinate with other items in your wardrobe, and won’t date! Wear with a warm cashmere knit, a silk blouse or a tee for a more dressed down look.

Super cosy knit – It wouldn’t be a winter edit without a cosy knit.  You can never have too many and with so many great styles to choose from, they can take you from daytime into the evening in total comfort.  This season I am loving the chunky cable knits, vest tops and cardigans with exaggerated sleeves.  Wear with thick leggings, boots and a warm coat!

Style confidence comes from being authentically you from the inside out so take a trend, make it work, and own your style. Stay cosy and stylish.

When it comes to fashion, we generally know what we like. We have our preferred colours, patterns, and fabrics for example. The problem is that knowing what you like doesn’t equate to knowing what actually looks good on you and projects you in the right way. This is why the Gods created Fashion Stylists.

Fashion Stylists, Personal Dressers, Style Coaches, or Personal Stylists, take your pick. The job titles may vary depending on the individual’s viewpoint but Fashion Stylists have become increasingly influential in shaping fashion and style choices in our social-media orientated world.

Once reserved for celebrities and the well-heeled, Fashion Stylists have moved from the backstage to be on par with Fashion Designers thanks in part to the un-measurable benefits they bring to the equation, image + confidence = happiness. And to celebrate these wonderful individuals keeping us looking and feeling great, we have handpicked three fabulous individuals for you to follow.

TrendLife Presents: Three Fabulous Fashion Stylists To Follow

Do your Instagram feed a favour and follow these three fabulous individuals creating amazing fashion and style content on social media. In no particular order, here are the reasons why we recommend you hit the follow and like button for these fashion stylists.

1. @OwnYourStyleUK

” Personal Stylist helping women confidently look good & feel good every day.”

Reasons to follow: When it comes to style advice content, you will be hard-pressed to find a better personal stylist who also doubles as a Content Queen than Janine of OwnYourStyleUK. Having recently launched her insightful Instagram Live Style Talk, Janine manages to juggle clients, events, and online style courses whilst creating amazing social media content.

If that was not enough, Janine also gives tips and inspiration on skincare and makeup application. All of which is further testimony to why you should be following @OwnYourStyleuk.

Five questions for @OwnYourStyleUK

1. When and how did your love for fashion begin?

My love of fashion began as a child. My Aunt owned a very successful ladies boutique stocking beautiful designer brands and I was hooked – she was my mentor in fashion. My mother was a dressmaker and made a lot of our clothes when I was young too so – It’s really in my blood!  I’ve always had an eye to search out great pieces of clothing in shops and always loved to stay ahead of the trends from a young age.  I am a creative person and I am in my element when I am styling my clients.

2. What is the most rewarding part of being a stylist?

The most rewarding part of being a stylist is the transformation of confidence in my clients when they truly understand their own style.  The newfound confidence means they look great and feel great and I literally watch them develop as they discover their signature style, find out the colours that suit them, and learn the secrets of styling with fabrics and proportions to enhance their body shape.

They learn how to make their wardrobes work for their lifestyle plus we identify any gaps that they may need to fill when we go shopping. They also discover it doesn’t all need to be new! In fact, it’s so rewarding to hear clients say they actually save money after working with me as they no longer make the same mistakes when out shopping.  Confidence is the key to styling and watching my client’s confidence grow truly is the most rewarding part of what I do.

3. Where is your favourite place to shop in the Three Counties (Beds, Bucks, and Herts)?

I love shopping in Milton Keynes, it’s right on my doorstep and we have a great shopping centre. My favourite High Street brands currently are Zara, HM, and Jigsaw.  I also love Hush which is available in John Lewis.

4. Favourite designer/fashion house?

My favourite designer has to be Chanel – after all, it was Coco Chanel who popularised the little black dress and the Chanel boucle style jacket has to be one of the most iconic pieces which can nowadays be dressed up or down so easily too!

5. If there was one person in the world you could style, who would it be and why?

Wow, that is a question, there are many but it would have to be The Duchess of Cambridge – I mean how memorable would it be to have the honour of styling the future Queen of England for an event! I would also totally love to style Holly Willoughby too, oh and Claudia Winkelman, she would be so much fun!

2. @StyleWithWisdom

“Personal stylist & shopper passionate about clients feeling great and confident”

Reasons to follow: With over 20 years of professional experience in the fashion industry, Hertfordshire based Lisa of @StyleWithWisdom has some of the most entertaining fashion-based posts you will see. We don’t know how much more fun & fashion you can squeeze into a single post but Lisa seems to be on a mission to find out.

We love the “local’ feel to @StyleWithWisdom posts & stories – in particular, the updates on St Albans fashion retailers during these testing times. For all these reasons and more, we highly recommend you follow @StyleWithWisdom.

Five questions for @StyleWithWisdom

1) When and how did your love for fashion begin?

2) What is the most rewarding part of being a Stylist?

4) Favourite designer/fashion house?

5) If there was one person in the World you could style, who would it be and why?