Thursday 28 February 2013

today i love... instagram


Clockwise, from top left:
Starbucks vanilla spice latte / Lunch / John Rocha (spotted outside the Topshop Showspace at LFW) / Cocktails at Tales & Spirits, Amsterdam / Diptyque candle / Lily / My bracelets / Apple pie at Winkel, Amsterdam / Outfit from above

Here are a few of my Instagram photos from February (follow me @annalouelliott). I'm off to Australia this evening for three weeks so blog posts will be a little less frequent than usual, though I have scheduled one every couple of days and will hopefully add more to that when I can. In the meantime, I'll be putting lots of photos on Instagram whenever I find some free wifi, so if you like you can follow me there for a little sneak peek of what I'm up to on my travels. Anyway, have a lovely three weeks and I'll see you when I get back (hopefully with hundreds of photos to share and a nice golden tan)!


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Wednesday 27 February 2013

today i bought...



Topshop earrings / similar here
Whistles clutch /

Went shopping yesterday to get a few final things for my holiday (off to Oz tomorrow!) This was supposed to include "sensible shoes" (which should rightly be an oxymoron, if you ask me), but at the end of the day I just couldn't bring myself to spend money on something I'd never wear again. Instead, I thought I'd pick up some lovely new earrings and take advantage of the 25% off Whistles offer in this week's Grazia (UK). I already have this little clutch in snake print and I dream of having all the colours and textures lined up in a row in my wardrobe, so I couldn't resist picking up this bone white beauty. Besides, I can walk for miles in my heeled boots (practice makes perfect, right?) And even if I do get sore feet, the sight of this oh so perfect clutch and beautiful spike earrings couldn't fail to cheer me up.


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Tuesday 26 February 2013

today i'm wearing...



River Island jacket /
Silence + Noise jumper /
Topshop jeans /

Details of yesterday's look.




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Monday 25 February 2013

today i'd love to wear...

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Sunday 24 February 2013

today i love... statement earrings


1. Lulu Frost for Whistles arrow earrings / £65
2. Topshop clean metal spike earrings / £7.50
3. Noir Jewelry crystal earrings / £55
4. ASOS luxury spike gem drop earrings / £18
5. Topshop arrow chain drop earrings / £6.50
6. Miss Selfridge triangle box drop earrings / £6.50
7. ASOS gem stud earrings / £6
8. Maria Francesca Pepe Bauhaus heart earrings / £103

When I first got my ears pierced aged 15 I was totally obsessed with earrings and was never without them. In the space of the next couple of years I amassed a huge jewellery box full of them, but since then I've worn earrings less and less, to the point where I very rarely bother with them at all these days. Having said that, over the last few months I've found myself poking through that jewellery box every now and then not for a little everyday earring, but for something statement and glamorous. This is especially true since my wonderful best friend gave me some beautiful Tom Binns earrings for my birthday. I absolutely love them and find myself reaching for them on almost every night out. And I'm thinking of adding to my collection, so above I've picked some of my favourite statement earrings around at the moment. Although they would all look great with a little black dress, I actually prefer wearing them with a simple casual look; the neon ASOS beauties would be perfect with a white tee and leather shorts, for example. In any case, they certainly add a little bit of fun to any look, which can surely never be a bad thing.


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Saturday 23 February 2013

today i want... zara leather sandals



Is there such a thing as the perfect shoe? If there is, then I think I may just have found it. I can't describe to you my love for these impossibly perfect sandals. They are simply elegance in a shoe. They are also ridiculously good value; you won't find many real leather sandals for under £40. I also can't describe to you how much I am struggling not to order them; given that I own an incredibly similar pair, also from Zara last year, it seems somewhat ill-advised. Then again, who in their right mind would pass up on perfection?


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Friday 22 February 2013

today i'm wearing...




River Island jacket /
Topshop Boutique jumper /
Zara jeans /
Zara bag /
H&M beanie /

Sorry if it seems I'm never without a beanie hat these days... Since I'm off to the sun in a week's time, I have to make the most of my winter accessories now. Saying that, I will not miss this freezing weather!




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Thursday 21 February 2013

today i bought...



I don't vary the jewellery I wear every day very much; I'm never without my Dogeared Karma necklace (unless I'm wearing earrings) or my Jordan Askill heart ring and I switch between four or five bracelets in a mix of silver, gold and rose gold depending on my mood. Because of this, when I realised about ten minutes after leaving for the airport to go to Amsterdam last week that I'd forgotten to put on my heart ring, I felt naked without it. The only thing I could think of was to quickly buy a replacement at the airport, so I rushed into Accessorize to find something suitable. I wasn't expecting to find something I loved, but when I saw this beautiful sterling silver arrow ring I was head over heels. Getting it for a duty free price only added to my adoration. Losing it two days later in an Amsterdam café, however, was not so good. Still, at least it was easily replaceable and even though I had only meant it to be a replacement itself, I wasted no time in buying it again when I got back to the UK. Sadly I had to pay full price this time, but at £8 it's hardly breaking the bank and easily worth paying for twice. Now I wear it alongside the heart ring rather than instead of it, and would feel lost without it.


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Wednesday 20 February 2013

today i love... lucas nascimento






Yesterday I was lucky enough to attend the Lucas Nascimento show at London Fashion Week, held in the Topshop show space. Lucas is a Brazilian designer sponsored by Newgen, and this was his first time showing in London. The collection was full of beautiful colours and textures, in a palette of teal, navy, grey, scarlet and dusty pink with flashes of canary yellow. The focus was on streamlined silhouettes and block-colour looks, while little details such as headbands worn in the middle of the head (a collaboration with Piers Atkinson) added intrigue to the beautifully pared-back simplicity. Lucas is primarily a knitwear designer but this season branched out into leather, too, which added an extra dimension of texture. All in all, it was at once minimalist and detailed, eye-catching but wearable: absolutely my cup of tea.

After a quick outfit change I headed to an event held at the LN-CC store in Dalston. The LN-CC store space acts as an evolving platform of curated ideas that encompasses menswear, womenswear, music and books, consisting of four individual product rooms, a library, a record store, gallery and a club space. I had the pleasure of meeting Lucas in this beautiful location and chatting to him about the show and his designing process. He had such a refreshingly down-to-earth attitude, speaking about his desire to make women feel good in his clothes, thinking about everything from the way a dress feels on to how it looks when she sits down. I told him how much I loved the focus on texture in the show and he agreed that it's a great way to add interest to block-colour looks. We were all enthusing about the perfectly placed pockets in his dresses and he explained about making sure they sit perfectly on the seam so as not to ruin the silhouette but still provide a great little practical detail. He also spoke about his interns and his desire to make sure they really learn something when they work with him, which was brilliant to hear. All in all, it was a pleasure to meet him and to see his show. I'm sure we can expect great things from him. Thanks to rewardStyle and LN-CC for a lovely day.


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Tuesday 19 February 2013

today i'm wearing...



Whistles leather jacket /
Topshop Boutique tee /
Whistles shoes /

What I wore to the Lucas Nascimento show this morning at the Topshop show space (pictures and review to come tomorrow)! Love this Zara skirt.




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Monday 18 February 2013

today i love... holographic accessories


1. Kzeniya sharp holographic clutch / £180
2. Topshop holographic phone sleeve / £8
3. H&M clutch / £14.99
4. Carrera Sole wayfarer sunglasses / £99
5. Proenza Schouler holographic leather card holder / £125
6. Stella McCartney iPad case / £145
7. Proenza Schouler PS11 mini classic holographic bag / £1,335
8. Topshop nails in Hidden Treasure / £6

The best and most prolific fashion trends often sneak up on you at a moment's notice, taking you by surprise and instilling in you a sudden, urgent and overwhelming need to dress a certain way or carry a certain accessory. So it is with holographic accessories. Originating from the ever brilliant minds of Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, out of nowhere this trend seems to have taken on a life of its own. I can't move for seeing love for Proenza's ridiculously beautiful holographic PS11 splashed all over the internet. And I am wholeheartedly a member of this crew. I have always been partial to a shiny accessory or two (I am still obsessed with my dazzling silver H&M Fashion Against Aids clutch) and now I have fallen inexorably in love with the above mirror-like beauties. There's something so brilliantly attention-grabbing, outfit defining and above all fun about them. Let me tell you, if money were no object I would be toting that PS11 around fashion week (over the Kenzo neon lime sweater, incidentally) with a huge smile on my face. Sadly, that's not financially viable, but I will most certainly be popping into H&M to pick up the lovely cheap version and join the mass of bloggers worshipping at its shiny feet. All hail the holograph, I say.


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Sunday 17 February 2013

today i'm wearing...





Zara coat /
Topshop shirt /
Topshop jeans /
Cambridge Satchel Company bag /

A casual look for a day of shopping. It's fair to say I'm a little bit obsessed with these boots.




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Saturday 16 February 2013

today i'm wearing...




Topshop Unique jacket /
Topshop jumper /
Miss Selfridge jeans /
Jordan Askill for Topshop ring /

Details of yesterday's look.




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Friday 15 February 2013

today i love... london fashion week



Happy London Fashion Week everyone! I may be biased, but LFW is always my favourite of the four. So many exciting shows, loads and loads of live streams and just generally a lot of really brilliant fashion. There are always a handful of collections I love at NYFW (this season my favourites were Alexander Wang, Theyskens' Theory, ICB by Prabal Gurung and 3.1 Phillip Lim, of course) but I find it hard to narrow it down when it comes to the London shows. Below I've picked out those I'm most looking forward to; Topshop Unique and Burberry Prorsum are always my favourite moments of the whole fashion week season because they're both such wonderful, beautifully British spectacles, but the show I'm most excited about is Lucas Nascimento as I'll be attending it. As always, don't forget you can check out the schedule and get all the live streaming links at catwalklive.tv.

David Koma / Saturday 16th February @ 8pm GMT (live stream here)
Mulberry / Sunday 17th February @ 11am GMT (live stream here)
Topshop Unique / Sunday 17th February @ 3pm GMT (live stream here)
Jonathan Saunders / Sunday 17th February @ 5pm GMT (live stream here)
Marios Schwab / Sunday 17th February @ 8.30pm GMT (live stream here)
Peter Pilotto / Monday 18th February @ 9am GMT (live stream here)
Christopher Kane / Monday 18th February @ 12noon GMT (not available to live stream)
Burberry Prorsum / Monday 18th February @ 4pm GMT (live stream here)
JW Anderson / Monday 18th February @ 8pm GMT (live stream here)
Simone Rocha / Tuesday 19th February @ 9am GMT (live stream here)
Lucas Nascimento / Tuesday 19th February @ 9.15am GMT (live stream here)
Emilio de le Morena / Tuesday 19th February @ 12noon GMT (live stream here)


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today i want... jw anderson x topshop


In case you've missed the press previews and frankly quite scary lookbook, today sees the launch of JW Anderson's second capsule collection for Topshop. Personally I think it's one of the strongest collaborations in recent years and the fact that it's been given a second season is probably testament to that. Back in September I picked up the bat jumper and the white shirt from the collection, and they've both turned out to be firm favourites in my wardrobe. Above I've picked my favourites from the new drop, and I've no doubt they'd turn out to be hardworking pieces for spring/summer. I especially love the dodo jumper and the lilac neoprene skirt set (though not brave enough to wear that). The prices aren't super cheap so I'm not sure I'll be investing just yet, but I'll definitely be trying on a few pieces in real life to see what they look like. Will you be getting anything from the collection?


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Thursday 14 February 2013

today i'd love to wear...

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Wednesday 13 February 2013

today i'm wearing...


Whistles leather jacket /
Topshop tee /
Topshop Boutique shorts /
KG Kurt Geiger bag /
Mac lipstick in Viva Glam Gaga /

What I wore last night for drinks with my lovely friend Esme. Sorry for the indoor photo; I can't wait until it gets light enough to take pictures outside in the evenings. Also, very bored of the cold now. Summer please!




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Tuesday 12 February 2013

today i want... zara jacquard wrap skirt



I've been wanting to introduce more skirts into my wardrobe for some time now, but I've never quite found the right one; for some reason I find them much harder to wear than shorts and they just don't look quite right on me. I bought a navy Topshop beauty a couple of months ago but ending up returning it as I just couldn't imagine wearing it much. I tried on the black Zara pleated one that most bloggers seem to own, but it was too short on me. So when I saw this skirt yesterday on Andyheart, my hopes were once again raised that it might just be "the one". With its Proenza-esque wrap detail, jacquard finish and asymmetric cut, it was love at first click. I really hope it lives up to my expectations in real life.


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Monday 11 February 2013

today i'm wearing...



Whistles jacket /
Topshop Boutique jumper /
Zara jeans /
H&M beanie /

It was too snowy for pictures on Saturday, but here's what I wore yesterday while strolling around Amsterdam. Snow wasn't forecast when I looked so I was a little worried about my new Dicker boots, but they seem to have survived. Hope you had as lovely a weekend as I did!



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Sunday 10 February 2013

today i love... zara trf s/s'13 campaign



Video / Youtube.com

Just in case you weren't already tired of the cold and longing for summer, here's the ubiquitous Cara Delevingne looking sickeningly beautiful frolicking about in gorgeous sunny weather for Zara TRF's S/S'13 campaign. I love the playfulness, I love the long white dress and I love the ferris wheel. I can't wait until I hit the beaches of Australia in three short weeks... Can I look like this please?


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Saturday 9 February 2013

today i'm inspired by... andyheart







Pictures / andyheart.com

To me, there's nothing better than falling in love with a new blog and spending hours poring over the back catalogue, finding endless outfit ideas and just generally feeling totally inspired. So imagine my delight when I stumbled upon andyheart.com a few days ago, after discovering one of her outfits on Pinterest. I immediately fell completely in love with it. Its proprietor, Ann Kim, is an LA-based designer/blogger whose dress sense is utterly perfect in my eyes. I wish I could capture sleek minimalism the way she does; her failsafe formula of simple, classic looks (a white silk shirt with ripped jeans, say) combined with drop-dead beautiful designer accessories (Céline Trio bag / Proenza PS11 / Marant Dicker boots) has me swooning. Above I've picked out some of my favourites of her looks (it was hard to narrow it down) and I hope you find them as inspirational as I do.


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Friday 8 February 2013

today i'm wearing...






Zara coat /
Topshop Boutique jumper /
Zara jeans /
H&M beanie /

Off to Amsterdam for the weekend in my beautiful new boots (I've scheduled a couple of posts to keep you busy until I get back). See you Sunday!



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Thursday 7 February 2013

today i want... topshop unique s/s'13


There are always some shows at fashion week which leave me feeling underwhelmed at the time, but which by the time they drop into stores have totally won me over. Topshop Unique is often on this list (apart from A/W'12, which I loved instantly and unequivocally). Perhaps it was because of my love for A/W'12 that S/S'13 fell slightly short of my (admittedly very high) expectations at the time (check out my review here). Happily when I look back over the show photos now, I feel much more enthused. Some of the graphic prints and monochrome checks are still not to my taste, but all the white and silver and the amazing oversized clutches have me swooning. Above I've picked my favourites from the first drop, which landed online today. Unfortunately, as Unique's profile rises, so do the prices, so I'm not sure any of these will tempt me to indulge just yet; besides, I'm holding out for the shoes, which haven't arrived online yet. Will you be buying anything?


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Wednesday 6 February 2013

today i'd love to wear...

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Tuesday 5 February 2013

today i love... new york fashion week


Only 2 days until fashion week season kicks off, and although I won't be jetting off to New York to join in the fun (in fact I'm jetting off to Amsterdam instead), the beauty of the internet means that those of us not there in person can still get a (psuedo) front row seat. With each passing season, more and more live streams are added as designers realise that there's a lot to be gained by opening up their shows to the fashionable masses. I for one find it so much more involving to actually watch as the lights go down and the models stalk down the catwalk than to flick through a gallery a few hours later. Below I've picked out my favourites from the line-up, along with their UK times (you can always check out the schedules for yourself and get all the live streaming links at catwalklive.tv). Until I actually go to New York for real (the above picture was taken when I spent 7 hours at JFK on my way to Miami, which doesn't really count), these are the next best thing.

Alexander Wang / Saturday 9th February @ 10pm GMT (live stream here)
Thakoon / Sunday 10th February @ 8pm GMT (live stream here)
Theyskens' Theory / Monday 11th February @ 5pm GMT (live stream here)
3.1 Phillip Lim / Monday 11th February @ 8pm GMT (not available to live stream)
Proenza Schouler / Thursday 14th February @ 1am GMT (live stream here)
Calvin Klein / Thursday 14th February @ 7pm GMT (live stream here)


PS, I've got a new email address just for my blog. Got any enquiries, comments or questions? Send them to annalouelliott@gmail.com.


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Monday 4 February 2013

today i want... february wish list


It's that time of the month again: a little round-up of what's currently on my wish list (don't forget you can see more of what I'm lusting after on my Pinterest wish list board). The one thing I notice when I look at the above selection of beauties is all the colour. If you're familiar with my blog, this will undoubtedly surprise you: it's no secret that bright colour is not my friend and I'm generally much happier in a palette of navy, grey and white. However, maybe it's something to do with this time of year: when we're getting pretty fed up of short days and cold temperatures, a flash of neon feels like a breath of fresh air. Brightening your palette to brighten your mood, if you like. Or maybe it's just that the spring collections are trickling in and they look so fresh and colourful after moody autumnal colours. Whichever, I don't care: I'm embracing this and lusting wholeheartedly after everything you see before you. Most of it is definitely in the "in an ideal world" category rather than likely to actually make it into my wardrobe, but I'm really finding it hard to resist clicking everything home. The reduced 3.1 Philip Lim croc clutch? Yes please. The neon Kenzo jumper? Not at all me, but I think that's why I love it so. The McQueen skull ring? Absolutely. Pink Acne boots? I don't like pink, but I love these babies. Talking of which, I think my most lusted after item in this post might just be the fabulously camp Smythson notebook. Embossed with "blah blah blah" and in bubblegum pink... How could anyone not love that?


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Sunday 3 February 2013

today i love... white jeans




I used to absolutely hate white jeans. A couple of years ago, the only associations they had in my mind were WAGs and Elizabeth Hurley, i.e. not exactly fashionable. But ever since the likes of Emmanuelle Alt and Géraldine Saglio (above) reclaimed them, and began to make them look pretty much the opposite of cheap, I've found myself slowly coming around to them. And gradually they've lost all negative connotations in my mind, to the point that I now absolutely love wearing them. I've just bought some new ones in the Zara sale (I wore them the other day but it was too rainy for photos), and I've also found a few other beauties on the high street for your shopping pleasure. One of the things I love most about fashion is its power to totally change your mind, so I am very happy to hold my hands up and say: white jeans, I was wrong about you, and I'm sorry.


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Saturday 2 February 2013

today i love... zara s/s'13



Yesterday I posted about the Zara sales, but as of today it's their new collection I'm really excited about. It's at this time of year that the online stores clear out the last dregs of the reduced stock to make way for the shiny new collections, and Zara's no different. Its slightly revamped site is full to the brim with beautiful new clothes, clean white images and slick accessories. And oh, it's a joy to behold. I've always thought Zara has the best shoes and accessories on the high street and they are absolutely proving me right this season. Above are my current favourites, but it was hard to narrow it down. Now I just have to decide between them. The furry orange clutch bag (so Céline, no?), or the nude leather shopper for a mere £40? Or those amazing red sandals which will look perfect with everything in summer? Hmm, perhaps it will have to be all of the above. Spring, I'm ready for you.


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Friday 1 February 2013

today i want... zara leopard two tone coat



Zara leopard print and colour block coat / £59.99 (reduced from £129)

I've wanted this coat ever since I first saw it on Caroline Blomst (above) back in November, but the price was a little steep so I've been gradually watching it drop in the sales. It's now less than half price, but I'm still hesitating. The thing is, in the spirit of my new motto (buy less, buy better), I'm a little worried that it might be too much of a "trend" item which I'll only wear for a few weeks (by the way I decided against the gold wedges - too garish in real life). Of course the problem is it's always impossible to tell the longevity of an item until after you've decided whether or not to keep it... On the one hand leopard print is pretty perennial as far as trends go, but the colour blocking is a little more debatable. On the other hand it is undeniably beautiful, which I was reminded of when I saw it on Catherine aka notdressedaslamb, who I met the other night. So, what do you think? Is it worthy of my investment or one to leave on the sales rack?

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