AUTUMN CHECKLIST: PART TWO

I admit, I have been utterly useless these last few weeks when it comes to blogging. Combine a very busy work season with the process of trying to buy a flat and you get one very exhausted me, top it all off with rain and wind and you have one very exhausted, damp and pissed off me. I've spent the last few days sliding all over the place in my Topshop boots (distinct lack of grip on the soles) so I decided that today it was time to switch out to my old buddies Converse All Stars. Noone likes a stylist with a leg in plaster and I could see that coming a mile off if I carried on in the boots, think they'll have to wait for drier days.

Now, I'm usually a classic black All Stars girl, switching out to white or cream in the summer but I got sent this pair by Littlewoods back in the summer during the Olympics and today I felt like I needed a bit of colour to my look - wearing black skinnies and a black coat needs a bit of breaking up sometimes, plus the berry/wine red seemed very seasonally apt, especially when teamed with the masses of leaves at my bus stop.

In fact, I liked this colour so much that when I customised a pair at Schuh a few weeks ago, I went for high tops in the same colour but that's another story for another day.

Converse All Stars available at Littlewoods [here]

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.

Photos: Caroline Leeming

AUTUMN: DAY THIRTY

DAY THIRTY: Sheer drop-back skirt, Miss Selfridge

Throughout the season, the idea of a drop-back skirt had been building in my head but I wasn't entirely sure how it would work with my stumpy cankles but then browsing the rails one day in Miss Selfridge I came across this sheer black number and I knew that I'd met my match right there and then. Above the knee at the front and with a little mini skirt underneath, it works pretty well. I don't like to go too pretty with it so I usually wear it with something like the Marc Jacobs latin tee or a big jumper to grunge it up a little. And of course, my new and much cherished Creepers. The skirt is still available on the Miss Selfridge website [here]

Worn with: bronze and faux fur jumper, Next; Brother creepers, Underground London

AUTUMN: DAY TWENTY NINE

DAY TWENTY NINE: Animal print Brothel Creepers, Underground London


Loooook! Look look look! My long lusted-for Brothel Creepers are finally on my feet and haven't left them since I got them, apart from showering and sleeping.


I was a bit apprehensive at first about whether they'd be heavy and weird to walk in with my previous experience limited to wearing them on a shoot but they are quite possibly the most comfortable shoes ever. And as an added bonus, they add about an inch and a half to my height, which for a flat shoe girl like me is very exciting.


They are available both on the Underground London website [here] and at Office if you can't bear to wait for delivery.


Worn with: snakeprint jeans, Dorothy Perkins

AUTUMN: DAY TWENTY SEVEN

DAY TWENTY SEVEN: Sheer leopard print shirt, New Look


Sorry, I've been really quite rubbish at updating recently. Pre-christmas is always a little manic in our department and when you throw in moving floors to the mix, it's the equivalent of dynamite - it blew apart all of my carefully made plans.


Anyway, on with the show - last week, the lovely team from Instinct PR took me to see the Decades show at Proud Cabaret. I figured I should probably vamp up a little bit and I figured what better than a sheer leopard print shirt? A good thing about it is that even though it's sheer, the pattern means that you're not totally exposed - you can see my bra if you stare quite intently at my chest, which for the purposes of this experiment I will allow just this once.


Worn with: Leather shorts, H! by Henry Holland; Rivet belt, Asos; Airplaine necklace, NW3.

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 THIRTEEN

DAY THIRTEEN: Grey melange tee, French Connection


I am a sucker for a grey top. I own more grey tees and jumpers than anyone else I know and it has become somewhat of a running joke that wherever I go, chances are I will be wearing something from my extensive grey top collection. 


So when this tee arrived on the Friday before the X-Factor started (complete with a bag of popcorn) to celebrate French Connection's new advertising campaign that was to air the next night during the first episode, I thought all of my christmases had come at once - favourite snack and favourite style top in one package? Woohoo!


You can get your own grey melange tee [here]


Worn with: leather fronted trousers, Oasis

AUTUMN: DAY TWELVE

DAY TWELVE: Navy beaded dress, Miss Selfridge

Smack bang during LFW this year, one of my lovely friends got married. It meant running straight from a day of shows home to quickly change before driving out to Surrey to join the evening party so I needed something that was suitable but that also required no ironing as I would literally have about 15 minutes to turn around my look. As you can see from my daytime look from Day Seven, I didn't even have time to change my hair or makeup!

I bought this dress from Miss Selfridge last year after I fell in love with the vintage style of it and the fact that although it's pretty much completely covered up at the front, it is also virtually backless which definitely adds the sex factor - I'm not sure I could wear it during the day part of the wedding but for the evening party it definitely ticked all of the boxes!

Worn with: 2.55 leather bag, Chanel; Tights, Wolford; Black quilted leather pumps, Office.