LBD X LFW DAY FIVE

DAY FIVE: LONG SLEEVE FASCIENNE DRESS, SCARLETT BLACK

Day five has come around all too quickly and with it, my final day of the LBD challenge. For the occasion, I saved one of the best til last - the long sleeved fascienne dress from Scarlett Black. I have a small obsession with leather detailing (I own too many leather sleeved coats, tops and pairs of trousers to count), so this dress jumped straight out at me when I was browsing the site.

While it's been sunny today there's very much a February chill still in the air so I was really glad of the sleeves! I wanted to keep this outfit really simple as I love the structured panels of this dress which give it a really, solid substantial feel. While its very different in style to yesterday's Peter Pan collar and flouncy skirt number from Fount, it still definitely has a 60s vibe with the slight A-line to the skirt so I added a Jaeger silk shirt underneath that I picked up in the sales (down from £175 to £48 - bargain!) which contrasted nicely with the simpleness of the dress and replaced any need to bling necklaces today.

Now, let's talk about pockets. Pockets are definitely one of the things I have missed during this challenge - I always keep my phone, security pass, change and god knows what else about my person so all through London Fashion Week I've been rootling around in my handbags for errant items. It's lovely to be able to shove all of my bits and pieces into the substantial pockets of this dress and indeed my hands when I've been standing in the cold queues outside shows waiting to go in. 

So, has this tomboy been converted to frocks? Quite possibly. I have loved the ease of rolling out of bed each morning and throwing on a black dress and opaques and suddenly being dressed. And funnily, a lot of people who I've caught up with over the last five days have enquired as to whether I've lost weight - so there's a definite slimming effect! Who knows, I might need to pursue this for a full edition of Thirty Days!

So, over to you guys: which has been your favourite dress from my LBD x LFW challenge? Leave a comment here or tweet me @adulescent and the team from LittleBlackDress.co.uk @teamLBD and let us know!

LBD x LFW DAY FOUR

DAY FOUR: PETER PAN COLLAR SHEER STRIPED DRESS, FOUNT

So today was what we like to call Super Monday - all of the big guns showed - Peter Pilotto, Burberry and Tom Ford to name but a few. With an early start on a busy day, I decided to wear the Peter Pan collar sheer striped dress from Fount for a nod to the current 60s trend.

Fount popped up on my radar last year with their great, affordable dresses - they have such a wide range of styles that there's something for everyone. The sheer stripes on this dress are what caught my attention - I'm a sucker for a good stripe to be honest, so this dress was a winner from the start plus it has a super flippy skirt.

I added a big jewelled necklace from Asos to break up the otherwise all-black outfit and added studded loafers from Zara for a tough-preppy edge. While I wish it was warm enough (slash I had a car to take me round) to go without a coat, an extra layer was definitely necessary so I took my 60s look through to outerwear with my favourite old cocoon coat from Reiss 1971 and some catseye sunnies from Agent Provocateur for a final retro touch.

The Peter Pan dress is available on Little Black Dress here.

Don't forget to follow me on twitter @adulescent tomorrow for the final (sob) day of LFW and keep up to date with the team from Little Black Dress at @teamLBD

LBD X LFW DAY THREE

DAY THREE: STYLE STANDARD ANTONIA DRESS, CHARLI

I challenge you not to want to wear a dress that literally has your name on it. When I came across the Antonia dress on Little Black Dress, it went straight into my selection of styles to wear during London Fashion Week and it was perfect for today.

I always call Sunday during LFW 'casual sunday' - this is the day when you'll often see the more laidback looks from editors - jeans, converse and comfy jumpers teamed with big dark glasses to hide the hangovers and tired eyes.

I was a little worse for wear after last night's Rihanna for River Island party so I wanted to wear something as comfortable as possible, which is wear the soft draped jersey of this dress came into play. Usually it's knee length but since those lengths don't suit me (fat knees), I added a belt to hitch it up a little and carry on the theme of knotted drape detailing from the neckline. 

I wanted to adhere to the dressed down feel of today so I threw on a beanie and my camo shirt from Zara for an urban grunge feel - I guess I'm still taking inspiration from Rihanna! While its been sunny, it still isn't that warm so I finished with my trusty leather biker, oversized All Saints scarf and my old Givenchy handbag to carry all of my essentials. While I was only going to the Topshop Unique show today, I knew I had to file copy so I needed to have my iPad, camera and notebook with me to give me a head start. 

Don't forget, you can follow me on twitter @adulescent and @teamLBD for the rest of London Fashion Week - tweet me how you'd style this dress or leave a comment below!

LBD X LFW DAY TWO

DAY TWO: BLACK PERSPEX SLEEVE MINI, UNIQUE COLLECTION

Now, it wouldn't be LFW if I didn't wear something a little bit crazy and a little bit more fash-wan for at least one day of the week. With another beautiful blue sky and temperatures creeping up, I figured it was time to bust out this beauty.

Little Black Dress collaborated with the University of Salford's fashion department for their Unique Collection. This dress was designed by Jessica Seargant and it immediately caught my eye with its Sixties shape, neoprene fabric and totally mental sleeves!

Since the dress itself was such a stand out piece, I decided to keep the rest of my outfit simple and let the dress do the talking. I popped one of my favourite striped long sleeve tees from H&M underneath to keep me warm against any sudden chills, plus I liked the way the stripes contrast with the perspex discs.

I admit that I also added a pair of leather hot pants underneath as the dress is definitely on the mini side and even though I'm only 5'3", I didn't want to take any chances. I'll leave the knicker flashing to random celebrities.

As its the weekend, I'm not dragging around my usual amount of stuff so I opted for my grey felt and leather document folder from Paperchase that acts as a wonderful clutch. I kept the rest of my silhouette simple with black opaques from Pretty Polly, my trusty knee high Dune boots are great for running around in and I'm keeping the sun out of my eyes with some big dark glasses from Kurt Geiger. For a little pop of colour, I've added a slick of red lipstick in two ton tomato from Clinique.

Don't forget, for up to the minute updates live from LFW, follow me on twitter @adulescent and the team at Little Black Dress at @TeamLBD.

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 TWENTY THREE

DAY TWENTY THREE: Black studded collar top, Zara


There are some days when a regular t-shirt won't cut it. Today I have precisely one of those busy days - appointments in town, then back to the office before heading out to dinner with one of my favourite PRs so I needed something that would work for all three.


I have become obsessed with Zara. Ob-sessed. Whereas once my heart (and wallet) lay with Topshop, my allegiance has shifted in the last year or so. With prices creeping up in Topshop and the average age of shoppers in there making me feel a bit mutton-dressed-as-lamb (I'm only 28) plus the alarming love for bum cutting hot pants, I suddenly found myself stroking things in Zara where the prices seem to have come down and the quality has gone up.


I bought this top a few weeks ago and I love it because while it has a tee feel, it's definitely smarter. Plus, who doesn't love a stud detail?

Oh and also, check out the back, love this pleating detail:

I would however suggest going up a size in this style - I usually wear a small but something told me to buy it in a medium when I didn't have time to try it on. Whatever this something was, it was pretty smart as even a medium is snug on my chest. Like it? Run on over and buy it [here] before it disappears into the Zara ether.

Worn with: Grey skinnies, Topshop; Tortoiseshell Wayfarers, Ray-Ban

DAY THREE: TRANSITION

DAY THREE: Monochrome and neon sweater, Miss Selfridge

I will be honest, even after my attempts at colour last year for Thirty Days, I'm still very much a lover of monochrome but recently, I've been getting very strong urges (for want of a better) for neon. While I'm still too pale and pasty for full blown brights, this jumper from Miss Selfridge quenches my need for neon for now. Being the lucky thing that I am, I was invited down to Miss Selfridge by their lovely PR team to pick a few items as part of my LFW wardrobe - I ended up wearing this jumper so much as it kept me warm but fitted under my favourite cropped-sleeved coat. It's still available [here].

Worn with: snake print jeans, Dorothy Perkins

TRANSITION: DAY TWO

DAY TWO: Double stripes

Okay, so I'm not technically doing anything new here or wearing anything new but one of my fashion resolutions for 2012 was to buy less and buy better, plus to really take stock of my wardrobe. Sometimes, I get a little bored of Breton stripes so I thought a fun way to liven them up a bit would be to layer two of my old stripey tops, in this case my fine knit recycled Zara jumper over my favourite H&M long-sleeved tee. I like the way the white stripey sleeves stick out and mix it up from regular stripes.

This kind of layering is also great for the chilly weather at the moment - it gives a streamlined silhouette while keeping me toasty because as much as I love chunky knits, sometimes you want to wear something with a bit more shape that will fit under a slimline coat. More on that soon...

Worn with: Black Breton stripe jumper, Zara; White Breton stripe tee, H&M; Grey jeans, Miss Selfridge.

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 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 EIGHT

DAY TWENTY EIGHT: Leather and faux-pony skin satchel, Marks & Spencer


Those who follow me on twitter (@adulescent) will know that recently I've been tweeting up a storm about the spring/summer press days that are happening at the moment. Well, sometimes, filling up peoples' feeds pays off - at the Marks & Spencer press day, they ran a little twitter competition inviting visitors to tweet their thoughts on the collection and the best tweeter would win a satchel. I love a good twitter challenge and jumped on the bandwagon. As you've probably guessed by now, I won!


And I've been wearing my winnings ever since - its a great day bag as its got two large compartments, plus a zipper section in the middle and lots of little pockets that I've been filling with all of my usual handbag detritus. I've been getting lots of people stroking it lovingly and their surprise when I tell them it is in fact M&S has been great - it has a flavour of the Proenza Schueler PS11 which I have been eyeing on net-a-porter for quite some time but at a fraction of the price. Win.


The plain black version has already sold out online but you can get the equally lovely leopard print version [here].


Worn with: leather sleeve coat, Topshop

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.

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 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 FIVE

DAY FIVE: Leather fronted trousers, Oasis

By the time you read this, I will have been awake since 6am and knee deep in London Fashion Week. I had to find a replacement for my beloved Topshop leather skinnies that famously split on the bum during last season’s Menswear day and I found these on a lunchtime breeze through my local branch of Oasis. They’re a bit high-waisted for my liking but when worn with a tee, they’re fine. I will no doubt also be wearing these at some point during LFW so keep an eye out for their reappearance.

Worn with: slogan tee, Wrangler; Black plimsolls, Converse; Gold chain, Vintage.

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