Saturday 19 November 2011

AUTUMN: DAY TWENTY SIX



DAY TWENTY SIX: Gold nail varnish, MY Maybelline


Sometimes, you stumble across something so good that you don't want to share it but I figure that it would be downright mean of me NOT to share this discovery. A few weeks ago, when I was running around like a headless chicken getting ready for another wedding, I suddenly decided that my outfit would not be complete without a metallic nail.


However, I've always found metallic nails notoriously tricky - they're either super watery or so gritty that your nails feel thick and lumpen. This one is neither - two thin coats produce a beautiful shimmery effect that looks almost like Minx. I added one layer of Ciate top coat and my nails have survived a week of moving without chipping. Two sparkly thumbs up!

Friday 18 November 2011

AUTUMN: DAY TWENTY FIVE



DAY TWENTY FOUR: Blue and green palm print sweater, Versace x H&M

So, unless you've been living under a rock for the last few months, you'll no doubt be aware of the Versace X H&M collaboration that has been whipping the fashion world into a veritable neon leopard print frenzy for the last few months. Originally, I really wasn't that fussed - sure it's great but I draw the line at having to queue overnight to get my hands on a dress. It just so happened that I was in town yesterday morning for a breakfast meeting and on my way to run another errand, I thought I would nip in to a few stores and see how the collection looked.

I didn't even bother with the flagship on Regent Street, having seen the queues that snaked down and round the corner to the Courthouse Hotel. Instead I headed to the store opposite Bond Street tube station, which was also ridiculous - clothes flung everywhere, queues and I swear I saw two girls wrestling over something sequined.

Giving up, I headed to Selfridges where the queues were much smaller and you didn't even need a wrist band to get into the menswear section which worked well for me - the tills were also located there so in order to pay, you had to make the passage through, where inevitably a lot of women changed their minds about their purchases and flung stuff back onto the rails so I got some pretty decent pieces of womenswear - expect them to drop on the blog over the next few days in some way, shape or form.

Saying that, this sweater is actually from the menswear collection - I had planned on wearing it as a dress but since it's ever so slightly too short, I teamed it with my neon pink Boutique by Jaeger skirt for a real Miami vibe.

Just call me Donatella.

Worn with: Pink neon skirt, Boutique by Jaeger; pink neon belt, Marks & Spencer; Gold chain, Vintage; Gold brogues, Office.

Wednesday 16 November 2011

AUTUMN: DAY TWENTY FOUR


DAY TWENTY FOUR: Afghan knitted scarf, Weardale Cottage Crafts

One of the side effects of working in fashion is that you're always wishing your life away on seasons. When you're looking at summer dresses during September or coats in February, it does funny things to your head and as such, you end up planning your wardrobe six months in advance. Or at least, I do. When I saw the House of Holland show back in February, I immediately fell in love with the oversized Afghan knit scarves and began investigating where on earth I could get one since there was no way I could afford the price attached to the ones I'd fallen in love with. Originally, I'd thought about buying two blankets and stitching them together so I started hunting on eBay. I came across Weardale Cottage Crafts, a small family-run business that sell their hand-knitted blankets through eBay and a plan was hatched. I emailed them, giving a rough explanation that I was after a blanket sized scarf and after a bit of back and forth, I'd commissioned my scarf, which arrived in time for Fashion Week. 

Of course, then we had our weird Indian summer so I haven't been able to wear it as much (except for when I've worn it as a shawl/poncho type combination) but with the recent cold snap, my scarf is finally getting the wear it deserves!

Worn with: grey sweatshirt, Petit Bateau; Sunglasses, Ray-Ban.

Monday 14 November 2011

AUTUMN: DAY TWENTY THREE


DAY TWENTY THREE: Wool and leather sle­eve poncho, H&M

I don’t know what I was thinking putting on a wool poncho the day that our department had to move our fashion cupboard, I really don’t. However, I was so excited to have finally got my hands on it that I think I would’ve worn it even if it was 30˚C. I’ve been after it ever since Jackie Dixon of Show Me Your Wardrobe appeared in The Daily during LFW wearing it. I have stalked various branches until the other day, early for an appointment, I ducked into the giant Regent Street flagship – lo and behold, there it was, just one size small left. Hurrah!

So, while it was a sad day saying goodbye to our cupboard, at least I got a little joy from my purchase.

Worn with: denim shorts, Zara; Studded toe boots, Stuart Weitzman; Breton tee, Day Birger et Mikkelson

Friday 11 November 2011

AUTUMN: DAY TWENTY TWO


DAY TWENTY TWO: Black parka, Vince

This whole season has, bar a few days, been unseasonably warm so you may find yourself wondering why on earth I'm dressed as an Eskimo. Well, last night I was doing a night shoot on location, styling a story outdoors right by the River Thames where it was FREEZING cold. I got some strange looks when I was coming into work in my arctic coat but I think I was the only person on the shoot who didn't really feel the cold anywhere other than their face.

Back when I was a costume assistant many, many moons ago on films, I got pretty used to standing around in muddy fields for hours at a time, often at night and that time has taught me that even the mildest days in winter will not translate to mild nights. Thanks to that experience, I have a veritable wardrobe of shoot coats with deep pockets and big hoods to keep me warm. This one from Vince is definitely my favourite due to the HUGE hood which means I can have my hair tied back underneath it. All too often hoods on these kinds of jackets do not provide enough space for my overly-large cranium, let alone the thatch of hair that I have that needs to be tied back on these occasions.

Anyway - awesome coat, awesome shoot. More details nearer the publication time.

Worn with: Zig-zag scarf, Barbour; Grey skinny jeans, Miss Selfridge; Grey sheepskin boots, Emu.

Thursday 10 November 2011

AUMN: DAY TWENTY ONE


DAY TWENTY ONE: Cream tie front shirt, New Look

I originally bought this shirt back before London Fashion Week with the intention of wearing it sometime during it but somehow, never got round to it. So, as per a lot of my purchases, it has been hanging in my wardrobe (tags still attached) for about two months and waiting for a moment to shine.

That moment finally happened today - my boyfriend and I recently hit our eight-year anniversary. Kinda scary, no? Sadly, due to work and other things, we haven't quite got round to celebrating until two weeks after the date so when he suggested we finally go for dinner, I wanted to wear something that would take me from press days to the office and then on to our belated anniversary dinner. As I dithered in front of my wardrobe, this shirt suddenly caught my eye. It's not my usual style but when I took off my coat, two of my colleagues both looked slightly puzzled before telling me that I looked nice. So, I guess it works.

Worn with: black snakeskin jeans, Dorothy Perkins; gold chunky chain, Vintage; Prosecco, from the boyfriend.




Wednesday 9 November 2011

AUTUMN: DAY TWENTY





DAY TWENTY: Prince of Wales check jacket, River Island


I tend to do all of my winter jacket and coat shopping in August and I bought this jacket during one of those mini-heatwaves in the summer. Of course, trying on wool jackets in 30C heat during the Friday afternoon madness that is Oxford Street seemed like a totally sane thing to do at the time. God only knows why. I wish I could say I'd been high because that would be a slightly more believable excuse rather than the reality of the sudden desire to buy my winter wardrobe as I systematically sweated through my summer wardrobe as I tried to navigate the gormless tourists.


I don't know quite what drew me to this jacket, maybe I'd been listening to my 80s playlist too much that week but there was something about this really rather retro style that sucked me in and made me think of Princess Diana. Whether it's the double breasted style, the slightly padded shoulders or the PoW check, I'll never know but now whenever I look at it or wear it, I'm reminded of her. I'm not sure if that's a good reason to buy a jacket or not but it worked for me.


Plus, it's a great jacket for now as it's thick enough to keep me warm on the grey drizzly days that seem all too frequent right now but doesn't make me overheat on my daily commute from hell on the packed tubes.


Worn with: neckline detail jumper, New Look; Grey denim shorts, Zara.

Tuesday 8 November 2011

AUTUMN: DAY NINETEEN




DAY NINETEEN: One-shoulder playsuit, Topshop 

Being in our late twenties, my boyfriend (not the boy in the picture, that’s our friend Alex) and I have suddenly found ourselves at an age where our friends have started buying houses, getting married and having babies. The other week, we attended our third wedding of the year, that of our university friends Jenny and Steve.

I know that tradition states that you shouldn’t wear black to a wear a wedding but I do not naturally gravitate towards the block coloured dresses that you see in Coast - my one attempt at wearing that random shade of purple to a wedding almost killed me but that’s another story – plus we were only attending the evening celebration so I figured black would be fine.

I had been planning on re-wearing my navy Miss Selfridge dress from Day Twelve but at the last minute I had a change of heart and decided to mix it up with this one-shouldered playsuit that I picked up in Topshop a while ago and have been dying to wear. Seeing as I rarely go anywhere more fancy than my local pub at weekends, it’s been languishing in my wardrobe since the late summer when I grabbed it for the absolute bargain price of £7.50 in a sale, only to see it during fashion week in another branch still for the full price of £50. Can we say STEAL?

Just so you can see the detail, here's a solo shot:



Worn with: Nude and black patent pumps, Office; 2.55 bag, Chanel.

Monday 7 November 2011

AUTUMN: DAY EIGHTEEN




DAY EIGHTEEN: Gold ear cuff and comb, Asos

Remember how last week I said that I’d never had as many compliments and questions about a piece of jewellery until I wore the big blue faceted necklace from Freedom Premium? Well scrap that because there’s a new contender in town - this ear cuff from Asos. When I first saw it while surfing around during my lunch break, it took me back to my teenage years when I was what you would gently call ‘alternative’.

For this, read multicoloured hair, too much eyeliner, spikes on everything and trousers that could double as a tent when required. Of course, some of this still translates to my wardrobe today – the voluminous trousers may have been swapped for bruise-inducing skinnies but I still love a lot of eyeliner and have a serious weakness for spikes so I knew straight away that I needed this cuff in my life.

This also partly results from the fact that I can’t really wear earrings (except for my cartilage piercing) as when I do I get what I call ‘triangle face’. You’re probably going ‘huh?’ right now, right? Simply put, ear studs plus my labret stud (the one under my lip) equals a triangular set of studs that make me look slightly odd so I have barely worn earrings for about 9 years now. Well, that and the fact that I’m highly allergic to most metals apart from platinum, titanium etc which means any earring habit would prove to be a rather expensive one so I figure I’ll stick with cuffs for now.


Friday 4 November 2011

AUTUMN: DAY SEVENTEEN


DAY SEVENTEEN: Snakeskin jeans, Dorothy Perkins

I am a leopard print girl through-and-through. I own a leopard version of probably every time of clothing and most accessories at least one time over so when snakeskin was hailed as the animal print of the season, I panicked slightly. Somehow, snakeprint doesn't suit me, or at least I didn't think it would.

I'd been debating a pair of snakeprint jeans/trousers as a way to break myself into the print gently (somehow snakeprint by my face just doesn't work) for quite some time when the lovely girls at Dorothy Perkins invited me to pick a pair of jeans from their new capsule range. I had to drag my myself away from the leopard print styles (got enough of those already) and decided to take a risk and order the snakeprint. When they turned up yesterday, I decided that I had to try them on immediately and good lord, they're incredible. I walked out of the fashion cupboard and straightaway I looked like I'd lost weight. I would like to point out I do not have naturally thin legs but somehow these trousers create the best optical illusion I have ever seen. I'm aware that you can't see the print in the photo above so here's a close up:


These jeans aren't available on the website yet but as soon as they are, I'll post a link. Definitely worth a purchase.


Worn with: Kimono top, River Island; Grey tee, H&M; Ribbed vest, Chinti & Parker; Boots, New Look; Necklace, Diva at Miss Selfridge; Ear cuff, Asos.

Thursday 3 November 2011

AUTUMN: DAY SIXTEEN


DAY SIXTEEN: Latin tee, Marc by Marc Jacobs

The other week I had a last minute trip to Paris for work to assist on a few shoots which turned out to be a really fun trip. After our second shoot, we were lumbering through the streets of Paris on our way back to our hotel before we legged it to the Eurostar when we stumbled across the Marc by Marc Jacobs store.

As my editor knows how obsessed I am with MJ, he rolled his eyes and said that we could have a brief pitstop. Not needing to be told twice, I virtually sprinted into the shop and being a seasoned MJ shopper I knew that somewhere in the store there would be a sale corner. It took me approximately 10 seconds to home in on it and more specifically, the latin tees that were going for €5 each.  Total bargain.

I have this weird love for Latin. When I was at school, it was my most hated subject but since doing my English degree at university, I have a whole new appreciation of it. The script on this tee is hard to read in the photo (apologies for the terribly MySpace-y photo as well) but it reads Veritas Inlustrat which means truth enlightens. You may’ve noticed that I’m wearing another one in Day Fourteen – that one reads Inter Nos (between us). I like these tees as not everyone knows what they say. Is that weird?

Worn with: Necklace, Freedom Premium; Striped cardigan, Topshop.


PS: I've joined Bloglovin'. Come join the party here.

Wednesday 2 November 2011

AUTUMN: DAY FIFTEEN


DAY FIFTEEN: Faceted bead necklace, Freedom Premium at Topshop

I have longer been a sucker for a statement necklace and I think that this necklace from Freedom at Topshop's new Premium collection is about as statement as they come. Simply put, it was love at first sight for me when I first saw another girl wearing the gold version and it seems to be the case with everyone who lays eyes on it - the first time I wore it, I spent the whole day fielding questions about it wherever I went, including my commute home on the tube. It's a great piece on days when I can't decide what to wear as I simply add it to a plain tee and jeans and I'm done.

There are so many great pieces in the new Premium range and I want them all, although at the higher price point than normal, I'm going to have to be selective with what I buy. Check out the whole collection [here], this particular necklace is [here]

Worn with: grey sweatshirt, Petit Bateau.

Tuesday 1 November 2011

AUTUMN: DAY FOURTEEN


DAY FOURTEEN: Polka dot trousers, Topshop

When I first came across these trousers, I was convinced that they would not be flattering in the least but there is something magical about them. I don't know what it is but the second I put them on, I felt like I'd lost half a stone and hence they came straight home with me. Sadly, they've since sold out but River Island are doing a pair of jeans that are incredibly similar [here] and for a fraction of the price of the Topshop pair. I'm tempted to buy them in the black-on-black version [here]

Worn with: Latin tee, Marc by Marc Jacobs; necklace, Freedom Premium; polka dot pochette, Aryn K; nude pumps, Office; Sunglasses, Ray-Ban.