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.

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.

AT THE RACES

I'm interrupting this usually scheduled Brights blog with a bit of an off-piste post. What with the outdoor events calendar firmly under way and several of my friends asking what I'd recommend for a day at the races or the polo, I thought I'd do a little post about what I wore to the Investec Epsom Derby Ladies Day last week.

I was there helping to pick stylish race-goers for WhatBestToWear.com's competition and of course, we had to adhere as much as possible to the dress code - smart dresses and hats, etc.

Now, I love a good hat but I've never really worn a formal one as up until last week, I was a race day novice if I'm perfectly honest - luckily, I picked up my hat the other week in preparation for Ascot later this month but still had no appropriate dress! Cue a good level of panic, including the standard race around Topshop the night before to see if I could find anything to wear as most of my dresses are either black or casual.

Having panic bought a structured black dress, on the tube home I had a sudden fashion epiphany (fash-iany?) - the perfect dress was hanging in my wardrobe.

This navy structured skater dress with lace overlay and little grosgrain cap sleeves from Warehouse fitted the bill perfectly, matched my navy and black hat and was comfortable to boot. It had been languishing in my wardrobe since Christmas and I figured it that if ever there was an occasion for it to make its debut, Ladies Day was the one.

Unfortunately, the navy version is long gone but a very summery cream version is still available [here]. The best part? It's now on sale, from £80 to £60. I may very well need to get it to wear to Ascot.

Worn with: Cream and navy stripe jacket, Primark; cream and gold pumps, Office; hat, Marks & Spencer; bag, Marni; Wayfarers, Ray-Ban.

TRANSITION: DAYS FIVE & SIX

I'm sorry to harp on about the beauty that is the Marni at H&M collection but I am really quite besotted so I thought I should dedicate another two days worth, maybe more, to the collection. I found myself staring at the ceiling this morning mixing the pieces, particularly the PJ style top and shorts, imagining what I can style them with. I'm planning on wearing the shorts today so I'll post a photo later of how they're blending into my wardrobe. In the meantime, here's a few photos of some of the pieces I bought. I'm still waiting to draw a conclusion on the brocade trousers, so there's a high chance that there will be a post about these later in the week. ANYWAY.

Hat, £9.99 and spotty dress, £59.99

shorts, £34.99 and top, £69.99 Photos by the lovely Caroline Leeming

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.