TAYLOR SWIFT LAUNCHES NEW CLOTHING LINE… IN CHINA!

Taylor Swift, the ‘Bad-Blood’ singing leggy fashionista, is finally launching her own clothing line. The collection, which will include dresses, skirts and tops, is being designed in collaboration with Heritage 66, and will be sold through JD.com (only click this link if you can read Chinese)

The twenty-five year old has become somewhat of a style icon for young women across the globe and she’s finally about to cash in on it. It’s likely that some of her supermodel friends, including Karlie Kloss and Cara Delevingne, encouraged the singer to venture down the path of fashion – or runway, if you will. The women are regularly photographed out and about together, and the models have made a number of special guest appearances at Taylor Swift’s concerts this year. Here they are on stage at her 1989 World Tour in Rutherford last week:

Taylor has a very signature style, and she certainly knows how to flaunt that “red lip, classic,” thing that we like – so much so that she sings about it in this video:

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However, the products will only be made available to shoppers in China. As such, us Swifties (read more on Swifties here) here in Ireland will have to admire Taylor’s style from afar.

That being said, here are my top three Taylor Swift outfits from times gone by:

This is a predominantly simple ensemble that oozes Taylor’s personality from top to toe. This black jumper with bold white polka-dot print looks relatively simple at first glance. But upon closer inspection, we can see that one of the polka-dots has been transformed with red fabric into the face of a cat. Anyone who is a fan of Taylor Swift will know she is obsessed with cats, so this barely-noticeable addition to her jumper improves its character tenfold. She pairs the jumper with short burgundy trousers, stopping a few inches above her ankle. Taylor has beautiful legs (which are insured for $40 million) and she loves to show them off, even if only slightly.

This is one of my favourite looks because it is multi-functional. It’s simple enough (especially with those flat black pumps) for people like me to wear to college, or out shopping with friends. But if you throw in a pair of black heels it would work just as well in a trendy bar – especially with Taylor’s choice of pearl necklace and statement brown box handbag.

This look is simple(ish) and is classy chic. Love, love love!

2.

This look is much more summery than the first one. The dress itself is a refreshing mint green, and I love how it cinches her narrow waist before falling loosely around her hips (check out my blog post on a similar style of dress in bright blue here). It’s a short dress, which is vital in the New York summer heat in which this photograph was taken. She looks cool and comfortable.

Taylor wears statement pink stilettos which contrast nicely with her dress. It’s a much needed pop of colour on her lower half – as her signature red lipstick brightens the upper half. She has accessorized the outfit with a nude handbag and long gold necklace. I love these types of accessories because of their neutrality. You can get endless use out of a nude bag, and similarly with a gold chain – it can be worn with almost everything. As such, accessories like these offer great value for money.

And lastly, but definitely not least,

3. 

I think this might be my favourite look of all. I would buy this in a heartbeat – accessories and all.

Here, Taylor is wearing a stunning (emphasis on the stun) black and white print shorts suit. The blazer, which is collarless, has sleeves which fall just below the elbow, giving great shape to her slender figure. The shorts (which are short shorts) show off her famously long (and expensive) legs. She wears a simple white tank top beneath the blazer and tucks this neatly inside the waist of the shorts. She looks glamorous, chic, and utterly fabulous.

Wearing heels of vibrant green and a bag to match, she brings colour to her otherwise monochrome attire. Like before, she is wearing a long gold chain which, as I mentioned, is versatile and can go with almost anything.

No matter what look Taylor goes for, she always opts for that famous red lipstick to complete it.

It really isn’t a surprise that she has decided to launch her own fashion line. What is a surprise, however, is how long it took for her to get around to doing it. And while only the Chinese market are lucky enough to get their hands on Taylor Swift branded items, it won’t be long until the collection is made more widely (hopefully globally) available. Fingers crossed, everybody!

By Grace McGettigan

Spaghetti Bolognese - Eating Fresh

Spaghetti bolognese has always been one of my favourite dishes, but until recently I had always used jarred sauces and very little (if any!) vegetables. Cooking was never something I enjoyed. I learned to make a few dishes during my time doing Junior Cert home economics – but the stifling smell of burnt food always accompanied anything I produced. Bleh!

The appeal of a jar of Dolmio Bolognese Sauce was of course its convenience. I would cook the minced beef, throw in the jar of sauce, leave to simmer for a few minutes before scooping out onto a plate of hot pasta. It was easy peasy, but not very healthy at all. Occasionally, and I mean very occasionally, I would throw in a tin of Green Giant sweetcorn. But I much preferred the dish when it was veggie-free.

This year, however, I went through a complete turnaround. I decided it was time to start cooking fresh food, and the idea of making something from scratch excited me. I knew I’d need to start with something simple, because I was severely lacking in any sort of culinary skill or experience. So I chose spaghetti bolognese.

Ingredients: 

• 4 small onions (or 2 large)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 700g Irish lean minced beef (5% fat or less)
• 4 large carrots
• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
• (Optional) 1 green, red, and yellow pepper
• Mixed herbs
• Ground black pepper
• Salt
• Fry Light 1 Cal spray (in place of oil)

Method

1. Dice onions and garlic on chopping board
2. Spray the base of a large pot with Fry Light 1 Cal spray and heat, then add onions and garlic
3. At this stage, the kitchen should smell delicious – but remember to keep a stir on the onions and garlic while they’re being sauteed to prevent them from sticking and burning to the pot
4. While the onions and garlic are cooking, peel and chop the carrots
5. (Also chop peppers if you’ve chosen to include them)
6. Add minced beef to the pot, stir well to mix through the onions
7. Then add 2-3 tablespoons of mixed herbs, and stir well again
8. Once the beef is cooked through, add chopped carrots (and peppers) then stir in the tinned tomatoes
9. Leave mixture to simmer for 15 minutes, and season with black pepper and salt

Add the the bolognese to a plate of hot spaghetti or pasta. I always boil my pasta in salted water for extra flavour. Then sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top. Delicious!

I know this isn’t the most extravagant of meals, but it’s such an improvement on what I was making before. I feel so much healthier now that I eat fresh. I never realised how much my body was suffering from eating preserved foods so often until I changed my habits. The quality of my skin and hair has improved too, which is a real confidence booster.

My mam has started eating healthily with me, and she has even started to grow her own tomatoes. This is a photo of the tomatoes a few months ago when they were very young shoots.

They’re much taller now, and have started to bud. She keeps them in a small greenhouse in our back garden, and they should be ready to eat by next summer. They’ll definitely be a great addition to my spaghetti bolognese!

So that’s the recipe for my favourite meal, and I hope if you try it that you’ll like it too. It’s simple, but it’s healthy and fresh, and most importantly it’s tasty. What more could a hungry person ask for?

By Grace McGettigan