LBD x LFW DAY ONE

DAY ONE: STYLE STANDARD CLEO SILK DRESS, SELECTED FEMME

So, day one of LFW has dawned and with it a busy schedule of shows and presentations. With that in mind, comfort was a key factor today so I picked the Style Standard Cleo silk dress from Selected Femme to form the basis of my outfit. Luckily the sun has finally come out and it seems that the cold snap has, err, snapped just in time (although I confess, I am wearing thermals underneath - just in case!)

For a relaxed day look, I've gone for a monochrome vibe - I added a silky pyjama-style top from Topshop over my dress as an extra layer and in keeping with my monochrome look, added comfortable creepers from Underground London - they add height without the pain of heels. Doubly important when you're on your feet all day but still want to be able to look over other peoples' heads.

To keep warm, I'm wearing my favourite leather sleeved Zara coat and then glamming up with my accessories - my big Baroque Prada sunnies are perfect for hiding behind and I've pulled my big Chanel out from the wardrobe to lug all of my gadgets, invites and other LFW essentials.

Finally, for a hint of colour I've added my big, chunky perspex and neon ribbon necklace from H&M - great for adding a pop to another otherwise dark outfit.

Don't forget, you can follow me and my adventures on twitter @adulescent and @teamLBD.

AUTUMN CHECKLIST: PART ONE

Every autumn, I have a check list of new things that I want for the season and without doubt, a pair of boots (or maybe even two) is always on there. I have always wanted ankle boots but until recently, I was convinced that ankle boots would never be mine on account of my splendidly hideous cankles. You're probably shaking your head at this point and muttering something about me being crazy but y'know, once you get something into your head, it becomes very hard to shift hate of a body part. Even more so than the body part itself.

Anyway, my general rule with key purchases for the new season is get in there early. Like coats, the good stuff comes out while you're still thinking about what you're going to pack for your beach holiday. I bought these back in June when I was a little bit tipsy. I then, as I do every year, spent a few weeks staring at them, thinking I was mad for buying them and that I should take them back (god, was I really that drunk when I handed over my card?). I also didn't wear them for fear of having to take them back and not being able to return them. This in turn led to what-if-they're-not-comfortable anxiety and oh-god-what-have-I-done-itis. Good lord, it was like a buckled leather Catch-22. Traumatic.

I finally decided that I liked them in September (oh yeah, just ten weeks since I'd bought them) and decided that I wanted to wear them to Fashion Week. Of course, I procrastinated with breaking them in until it got to the point where it was the Thursday night before LFW kicked off, there were clothes, shoes, bags and more clothes strewn literally EVERYWHERE and I thought sod it, I'm wearing those tomorrow. I lobbed some Compeeds and a blister stick in my bag and prayed that the shoe gods and knee deities would align and allow me a peaceful fashion week without blisters or dislocations.

See, my knee was another factor. I haven't worn any kind of heel for over two years, not even a little two inch number like these for fear of another dislocation. But I am proud to say that so far, so good. I wore them three days out of five at LFW and at no point did my feet or knees start to compain. Hell, I even ran for a bus the other day while wearing them and that really doesn't happen often.

While they're cut out on the sides (Topshop's attempt at transitional boots, I believe), for winter I'm rocking them with socks that peek out. For this purpose, I have bought numerous pairs of the same Topshop lace edged socks that usually just about pop out. I even coordinated my socks to my jumper today. I'm cool like that. Or something.

Worn with: sunglasses, Valentino; scarf, All Saints; jumper, Chinti & Parker; leather shorts, H! by Henry Holland; socks, Topshop; watch, Michael Kors.

TRANSITION: DAY FOURTEEN

DAY FOURTEEN: Blue polka dot trousers, Topshop 

If these look familiar, your eyes are not deceiving you – you might recall that a few months back, I featured these trousers in green [here]. I loved them so much that when Topshop reissued them in blue, I ran as fast as my little legs would carry me to grab a pair before they sold out, which of course they duly did and quickly.

I’ve been wearing them pretty much constantly, as have several other members of the fashion department - leading to some near-misses in the identical outfit stakes but they’re so versatile and comfy that its inevitable that one day two of us will eventually turn up in the same trews.

While they sold out at the speed of light, there were several pairs hanging out on eBay waiting for a good home when I looked earlier today and for bargain prices too. I’m hoping that Topshop will release another colourway soon, maybe a deep pink would be nice? What colour would you like to see them in?

Worn with: grey tee, H&M; necklace, Nocturne; Black pumps, Office.

TRANSITION: DAY ONE

Day one: Waffle knit jumper, Topshop

So, spring is just round the corner and with it, finally the chance to wear some lighter clothes. Unfortunately, with the weather being as it is, it still seems like a long time off - torrential rain yesterday and now gale force winds are making sartorial choices somewhat difficult. At the weekend, I did a massive clear out of my hanging wardrobe, throwing out about 80% of its contents and re-organising the contents in a way that I could finally see what I actually have. I came across my deer print dress from H&M that I bought at the end of last summer and optimistically thought that I would wear it today. Of course, with the weather being as it is, it couldn't be worn alone so I slung my trusty waffle knit jumper over the top.

I'd been on the hunt for the perfect black chunky waffle jumper for a while when on a rootle in Topshop I came across this one and fell in love. It was a staple piece of my wardrobe during LFW and I've worn it pretty much constantly since. I bought mine from the Petite range and in a larger size so it would be properly slubby because as most of you will know, I love a bit of grunge. At £36, it's been one of my best recent buys. It's still available [here].

Worn with: Deer print dress, H&M; Biker boots, New Look; Cable knit tights, Pretty Polly; Aviators, Ray-Ban.

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.

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.

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.

AUTUMN: DAY TWO

DAY TWO: Sheer maxi-skirt, Topshop

I have been hunting this skirt for weeks, possibly months in fact. I spent the latter part of the summer trying and failing to track it down. And then, as if by magic, when I went to the Topshop Outlet the other week there was one randomly amongst the endless pairs of jeans in my size and for less than a quarter of it’s original price. Methinks that this will be coming out to play for London Fashion Week…

Worn with: Tuxedo tee, New Look; Boots, New Look; Wayfarers, Ray-Ban

AUTUMN: DAY ONE

Okay, double apology owed. I promised I’d be back and it’s been, what, a week since? Sorry. My main reason has been a total swamping in my day-to-day job. As some of you may know, in the real world I work as a stylist for the UK newspaper The Daily Express. For our September 2nd edition, we decided to turn our main fashion on its head and rather than shoot the story on a model, this season our readers got to meet the team behind the pages:

For my trend, I chose Masculine - as you’ve probably gathered over the last year or so, I’m a big fan of the tomboy look. The outfit was pretty much my dream look and as such, I’ve bought pretty much everything since - I’m still in search of the Creepers from Underground. Long story as to why I don’t have them yet but we’ll come to that on another day. I have to say, it’s very weird being on the other side of the camera - it’s one thing when it’s on this blog and quite another when it’s in a national newspaper!

For those of you who can’t read the small print, here’s the full breakdown of my outfit:

Coat with leather sleeves, Topshop; Sheer leopard shirt, New Look; Wingtips, Asos; Trousers, Topshop; Creepers, Underground; Gold watch, Michael Kors

SUNGLASSES: DAY TWENTY EIGHT

DAY TWENTY EIGHT: Dark green sunglasses, Topshop

Apologies for the lateness of yesterday’s post (again), it was another busy day of packing for our trip to Rye. In fact, this post is actually coming live from the car. These forest green graduated beauties are great for hiding a hangover, which they most definitely did on Sunday. Their square-ish shape is also über flattering if you have a big ole face like mine!

Worn with: Grey sweatpants, Topshop; White ribbed vest, Topshop; Blue metallic espadrilles, Penelope Chilvers; Grey UFO scarf, Unique.

SUNGLASSES: DAY TWENTY SEVEN

DAY TWENTY SEVEN: Purple oversized sunglasses, Topshop

It’s been another crazy day of shopping in town with Trina and in my exhausted state, I felt that another pair of HUGE sunnies was in order today. I’ve had these dark purple sunglasses from Topshop for a couple of years now and they’re a pair that I come back to over and over because they’re so flattering as a) they’re massive, b) they’re not black. I find that black sunglasses can look really heavy and overwhelming on a lot of people, particularly if you’re fair like me so I tend to go for darker shades of colours instead.

Worn with: Woven leopard print blazer, Topshop; White tee, Asos; Glasses necklace, Me & Zena; Black leather panel leggings, H&M; Black Chuck Taylors, Converse; Black 2.55 bag, Chanel.

SUNGLASSES: DAY TWENTY FIVE

DAY TWENTY FIVE: Green retro sunglasses, Topshop

The sun’s shining which has definitely lifted my mood, although you wouldn’t know it from my grumpy face in the photo above (I was just about to go back into the office after lunch). I decided to move away from my usual monochrome uniform and try to embrace a little more colour, with these mint green sunnies from Topshop.

Although I wear a lot of black (even my floral playsuit today is black), I like to add a little pop of colour in the form of sunglasses, hence my extensive collection of colourful frames. I can’t help noticing that my head looks really, really square in that photo, I might need to reshoot for my own vanity. Meh.

Worn with: Black floral playsuit, H! by Henry Holland; Denim jacket, Abercrombie & Fitch; Cream and navy quilted pumps, Office; Yellow satchel, Asos; Ant necklace, Links of London.

SUNGLASSES: DAY ELEVEN

DAY ELEVEN: Cream heart sunglasses, Topshop

It’s safe to say that when I like something, I buy it in multiples. I bought these a few years back when I went into Topshop to buy the red pair from DAY FOUR but they were sold out at the time, so I picked up the cream ones instead. You can’t see it in this photo but this pair has mirrored brown lenses and the arms are actually cream and yellow stripes which is a nice detail. I’ve had quite a few friends try to ‘borrow’ them over the years but somehow, I’ve managed to keep hold of them. Just.

As you can see from the photo and the lack of face, I’m still quarantined so I’ve been using the great outdoors as my background for the last few days - today’s sunglasses are shot in our Lavender bush and dear lord, did I have to fight off a lot of bees to take this photo. From tomorrow, I’m officially no longer contagious so my face may well return. Let me know which you prefer, though I’m guessing the flowers will win it.

Worn with: Cream trackpants, Abercrombie & Fitch*; Grey tee, Abercrombie & Fitch*; Silver slippers, Ugg; Grey sweatshirt, Gap; Big black scarf, Unknown.

* - yes, I know I’m wearing A&F, consider this further proof of my illness.

SUNGLASSES: DAY FOUR

DAY FOUR: Red Heart Sunglasses, Topshop

I know it’s not really very warm or sunny today but my tired eyes still needed some sunnies today after last night’s Ray-Ban party (more on that after the jump) so I picked this heart shaped pair from Topshop. I own these in a couple of different colourways from various places as they’re a little piece of fun in an otherwise conventional outfit and I like a little referencing to Lolita when I’m feeling too old and weary. I picked my red pair to break up my otherwise monochrome pirate-meets-parisian look today. I’m heading to an SATC2 screening tonight as well so I figure these - along with some sequin shorts - can be my attempt at ‘fabulous’, as instructed on the invite.

Worn with: Striped top, Day Birger et Mikkelson; Black jeans, Topshop; Silver necklace, Phase Eight; Black quilted pumps, Office; Black jacket, Topshop; Yellow satchel, Asos.