Wednesday 29 August 2012

BRIGHTS: NINETEEN




DAY NINETEEN: Multicolour woven marble jumper, Warehouse

First off, apologies for the heinous photo today. It was taken after work, when I was knackered and had managed to rub most of my face off. Well done me.

I bought this 'marble' jumper in the Warehouse sale the same day I bought the yellow desert trek trousers and again, I have worn it to death in a few short weeks, quite literally. I keep on catching it on all manner of things - jewellery, belt buckles, even door handles - much to the amusement to all of those around me.

As you can see, I'm still big on the whole layering thing. And apparently the primary colours thing. Not one to usually wear dresses (too girly), I've recently been revisiting my collection and exploring new ways to wear them - often with oversized jumpers or checked shirts thrown over for a more grungy take as demonstrated here with a lovely silk dress I bought from Topshop Boutique a year ago that has hung in my wardrobe, unworn, since.

Since the photo above doesn't do it justice, here's a close up of the pink, white and pale blue threads that are woven together to create the marble effect:


Pretty, no? And good news! The jumper is still available online [here] in most sizes for a bargain price of £25. Run, don't walk.

Worn with: yellow stripe bag, Marks & Spencer; plimsolls, Converse Limited Edition; Navy silk dress, Topshop Boutique.

Sunday 26 August 2012

BANK HOLIDAY LAYERS


DAYS SIXTEEN, SEVENTEEN & EIGHTEEN: Yellow dress, H&M; Blue clutch, Clare Vivier for Shopbop.com; Khaki cape, Zara.

So I'm cheating and using one outfit for three days but I figured that since this bank holiday weekend has had what can only be described as mercurial weather, I should tackle the art of layers. After Saturday was a virtually constant barrage of monsoon-like rains, heading out on what was meant to be a sunny Sunday, I wasn't taking any chances and I figured I could cover every eventuality with layers.

So, first up - base layer of a dress. I bought this shirt dress from H&M last year - its the same shape that they do every year and for some reason, last year I bought it in yellow with little heart polka dots all over it. If ever there was an item that was SO not me, this was it - girly, fitted and yellow. For those precise reasons, it has spent the last year hanging in my wardrobe until today when I suddenly decided that today was the day for its inaugural outing when teamed with layer two.

Layer two is my new grey jumper (because I clearly do not have enough of those yet) from Sparkle & Fade [here] that I picked up in the sale the other night. The difference with this one is that it has massive layered keyhole cutouts on the back so when you wear it, there's a not-unpleasant breeze circulating around.

I topped off with my new-ish Zara lightweight cape [here] - it has the biggest hood I've ever seen. While it might not be that warm, I knew it would keep me dry in a sudden downpour plus if I suddenly grew an extra head, I could live comfortably with the knowledge that my extra cranium would stay dry. Later in the year, I figure I'll layer it over my biker jacket for a leather/canvas contrast.

Finally, for a pop of colour, I added this Clare Vivier clutch from Shopbop [here]. I've had it for a while but I've only recently started carrying clutches during the day largely because I like to be hands-free but I really love the bright, cobalt blue. It's meant to be worn as a fold-over clutch but I far prefer carrying it as a slouchy pouch. Plus it fits way more stuff in that way and I don't like travelling light.

Detail shots tomorrow.

Worn with: sunglasses, Kurt Geiger; watch, Michael Kors; ring, Daisy Knights; shoes, Converse.

Thursday 23 August 2012

A LITTLE BIT BRIGHT



DAY FIFTEEN: Yellow paisley trousers, Warehouse

So, as long as the sun is shining and it's technically still summer, I thought I might return to brights. I picked these trousers up in the Warehouse sale when I first came back from Turkey. Suffering the worst case of heat rash that I'd ever experienced (bet you wanted to know that) I couldn't wear anything with even a hint of polyester or that touched my skin, lest I wished to experience the feeling of a cheese grater on the back of my knees.

I'd seen these trousers in the Warehouse sale before I'd left and had regretted not picking them up as they're super soft and just the thing that I wanted to bum around in. I call them my pyjama trousers because that's pretty much what they look like and I wear them whenever I'm having one of those days where I just want to feel like any second I could still go back to bed. Of course, I can't because I'm usually sitting at my desk in the office but y'know, a girl can pretend, right?

Annoyingly, they appear to have disappeared off the Warehouse website where they were only £10 yesterday, marked down from £45 but you may still be able to hunt down a pair in the remains of the sales in your local branch. If you do, I'd fully recommend the purchase.

Quite why they're called Desert Trek trousers is beyond me - I know noone who'd go trekking in the desert in yellow paisley. But then, maybe I haven't lived.

Worn with: Grey tee, H&M; necklaces, Nocturne & H&M; aviators, Ray-Ban; sandals, Topshop.



Friday 17 August 2012

CONSCIOUS CLOTH

I'm back. Already. Has too much time passed to carry on with Brights? I don't know, you tell me in the comments box. Should I carry on? In all honesty, with the wash out summer that we've had in London, it's got me firmly wired into thinking about my Autumn/Winter wardrobe.

As part of my job, I'm always doing the rounds at press days, seeing what each brand will be producing for the following seasons. It can mess with your head a little bit, especially Christmas press days in July - there is something intrinsically wrong about eating mince pies in the sun.

Anyway, sometimes a brand does personal orders - where you can order pieces at the press day and then receive them at the beginning of the season. This is dangerous for several reasons:

1. Lost on a giddy cloud of stroking next season's finest, you can't possibly live without that coat/skirt/pair of shoes. YOU MUST ORDER THEM NOW.

2. Said giddy cloud means that you end up ordering everything when really you should be ordering one or two pieces. Max.

3. Not having to pay when you place the order means that you feel like you're not really shopping. The bill that comes later seems like a distant spike in your giddy cloud of happiness. But trust me, when it hits you in the face (and the pocket), it hurts.

Having learnt my lesson and despite being surrounded by the most gorgeous cashmeres and cottons at the Chinti & Parker AW12 press day a few months ago, I had to reign it in. Part of my New Year's Resolution package was to buy less but buy better so I would rather spend more money on one item that's well made and will stand the test of time than three cheap versions that fall apart after one wash. And Chinti & Parker certainly fit this bill, with each of the garments that they produce they aspire to fulfill three of the following criteria:

* Organic Fabric
* Carbon Neutral Company
* Made in the EU
* Handfinished
* Natural Trims

Anyway, back to what I bought. As sucked in as I was by virtually EVERYTHING, I decided that I would only choose one piece, so drumroll please...



I went for the boatneck striped sweater in Italian cashmere [here]. I mean, come on, it has three things I love: stripes, elbow patches and GREY. There was no way I could resist the soft, cashmere-y goodness of this sweater. 

And when my boyfriend asks, I'll tell him it's an investment piece. Right?

Worn with: floral dress, Reformed at Urban Outfitters; watch, Michael Kors; aviators, Ray-Ban; plimsolls, Converse.



Thursday 16 August 2012

Oops...

Just to confirm, I'm not dead - just very, very busy.

All will be explained very shortly, I promise. In fact, I promise on my shiny new Michael Kors watch that I bought in the Westfield boutique last night. I've been eyeing it up [here] on asos.com for the whole season and while it's still full price on there, it was 50% off in the boutique.


And that, I believe, is what you call a bargain.