Thursday 27 February 2014

today i'm wearing...

ASOS black coat

& Other Stories ostrich effect crossbody bag

Isabel Marant Dicker boots

Topshop black jeans

Ray-Ban Clubmasters

Really deliberated over whether to get this bag on a mad pre-fashion week dash around & Other Stories, but I'm so glad I did. Love love it.

ASOS coat /
H&M jumper /
Topshop jeans /

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Tuesday 25 February 2014

today i'm wearing...

Topshop white blazer

Whistles comme ci comme ca sweatshirt

ASOS black coat

Topshop black skinny jeans

Zara black leather tote

Sometimes in winter when I feel as though I've worn all my knitwear to death, I like to layer up a blazer and a coat for warmth instead. Looks a little smarter, too, I think.

ASOS coat /
Topshop blazer /
Whistles sweatshirt /
Topshop jeans /
Topshop shoes /
Zara bag /




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Monday 24 February 2014

today i love… the monday wish list

Whistles Tessi pink knit Zara white buckle heels Lara Melchior double rings

I thought I'd be sick of pink by now (the pink coat fad was pretty short-lived after all), but it turns out Whistles has convinced me otherwise. Bright sugared almond pink somehow seems just right at the moment, and I couldn't help myself gravitating straight towards this beauty when I was in my local store the other day.

Zara's shoes really are head and shoulders above anything else on the high street, and they've done it again with these Céline-esque buckled beauties. Not sure I can really justify buying three pairs of Zara shoes in a month, but watch this space...

What can I say? It's a leather skirt, so you know I'm sold. But I'm particularly loving an asymmetric hemline at the moment: just different enough without being any less wearable.

4. Lara Melchior double ring / £19 at & Other Stories
I'm always partial to a little gold-plated jewellery and this range is really well priced. Love this cute double ring.

5. Zara neoprene top / £17.99
I'm not big on cropped tops, but there's something so clean and clinical about this one, with its neoprene front and sheer mesh back, that it's threatening to convert me. It would be just perfect with my black ponyskin skirt (must be high waisted, of course: there's nothing chic about a bellybutton on show).

I'm a sucker for a new beauty formula, so I can't wait to try out one of Topshop's new sheer lipsticks. I'm hoping they'll be perfect for daytime.


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Saturday 22 February 2014

today i want… zara flat chunky sandals

zara flat chunky sandals

Zara sandals / £29.99

These are the type of shoes that anyone who doesn't follow fashion would take one look at and recoil in horror. They might even make that person think that you don't follow fashion… If that makes any sense. In a perverse sort of way, this makes me like them more. I've said it before and I'll say it again, but one of the things I most love about this strange business we call fashion - and one of the things that makes it so exciting - is the way we can totally hate something one season and totally love it the next. The transformative power of fashion. And so it is with the ugly shoe. Two years ago I'd have sworn blind I wouldn't be seen dead in a shoe like this. Fast forward to now and you can't move for orthopaedic-looking footwear. (If you still need convincing, take one look at Charlie May's blog and tell me they aren't the perfect accompaniment to any look that needs dressing down or de-girlifying a little.) To be honest, I've been very slow to come around and I'm still not sure I'll actually buy these. But I'm getting there. And I sort of love that.


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Friday 21 February 2014

today i'm wearing...

& Other Stories white silk shirt

Zara black patent ankle boots

3.1 Phillip Lim 31 hour bag Smoke

Zara blue skinny jeans

H&M black leather gilet

Topshop black furry beanie

Invested in a new lens for my camera (thanks to Catherine for the advice!) and I'm pretty pleased with the results. I'm no photographer and I pretty much just point and shoot (or cajole someone else into doing so), but I do think the quality of your photos makes a huge difference to how professional your blog looks, so hopefully this is a step in the right direction. (I know, alternating the background would be really good too… But I only have time to shoot photos in my driveway on my way to work… sorry!)

H&M leather gilet /
& Other Stories shirt /
Zara jeans /
Zara boots /
Topshop beanie /




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Thursday 20 February 2014

today i'm wearing...

Michael Michael Kors leather leggings

Topshop Boutique white ribbed sweatshirt

Zara ankle strap closed toe heels

& Other Stories black ostrich crossbody bag

DSC_0139

Photos by Catherine /

Persuaded the lovely Catherine of Notdressedaslamb.com to put her excellent photographic skills to use outside Freemasons Hall on Saturday, after attending a couple of shows there. Despite ruining my knees on day 1 of LFW, I just had to wear similarly impractical shoes on day 2, and I have to say these beauties were worth the pain. Teamed them with two new additions to my wardrobe: a super cosy white ribbed sweat and a lovely little ostrich-effect bag. It felt appropriate to wear this to the excellent Charlie May show on Saturday morning, as after all that girl knows better than most that keeping things simple and minimalist is definitely the way forward.

Topshop Boutique sweatshirt /
Michael Michael Kors leather leggings /
Zara shoes /

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Wednesday 19 February 2014

today i love… eudon choi a/w '14

Eudon Choi AW14

Eudon Choi AW14 (2)

Eudon Choi AW14 (3)

I won't bore you with too many of my blurry iPhone photos or thoughts on shows because you can find plenty of both all over the internet. But I do just want to highlight Eudon Choi as one of my standout shows of LFW, and not only because it was my first Somerset House front row experience (thank you lovely Telegraph team!) Choi has been one of my favourite emerging designers over the past few seasons; I first took a liking to his clothes because he has a penchant for leather, just as I do. And he generally just does clever things in an interesting way. Last season I wasn't too keen - not only because we were crammed into a teeny tiny boiling hot hotel room for the show, but also because it was a little too far away from minimalist for my liking. But this season he struck just the right balance between wearable and new. The show was called Hysteria and the models walked to an at times deafening soundtrack of hysteric pop fans screaming in the 60s, a decade referenced in the huge shaggy coats (loved) and chunky tasselled shoes (not so much). The perfectly cut grey wool tailoring stood out to me, as did the slick navy pinstripes teamed with winged eyeliner and messy, slightly bouffant-y hair. Some of it was too 60s and too colourful for me, but I could definitely see myself taking separates and teaming them with leather or denim to tailor them to my wardrobe. The standout piece for me was an amazing fur and leather panelled coat, and the stiff starched white shirts with oversized collars were pretty special too. All in all, a pretty awesome LFW experience for me.

Check out my video of the Eudon Choi finale here, and read my show reports of Mark Fast and Charlie May for the Telegraph here.


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Tuesday 18 February 2014

today i'm wearing...

Zara black furry coat

Zara ponyskin loafers

H&M grey cashmere jumper

3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli burgundy

Back to work today after fashion week and decided to give my poor knees a rest by wearing flats. I do love these loafers so it's kind of a good excuse to wear them… but to be honest it will always be heels for me. (Sorry knees.)

Zara coat /
H&M jumper /
Zara jeans /
Zara shoes /
3.1 Phillip Lim bag /
ASOS earrings /




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Sunday 16 February 2014

today i want… h&m black draped coat

hmsilkdrapecoat

H&M black draped coat / £39.99

Sorry for the lack of posts but LFW has been pretty exhausting so far (I've completely ruined my knees from running around in heels so will be forcing my feet into flats for a while…) The other presiding feeling I have right now is that of envy. Nothing like staring at beautifully dressed women all day to make your wardrobe feel totally inadequate. And what I want most of all right now is a beautiful new coat. Specifically, the perfect camel coat, like the one I saw on Sabrina of afterDRK today. Oh man. Sadly, however, I can't find anything suitable on the high street right now. This draped black H&M coat might just be the next best thing though. Not camel, but silky, long and perfect for sunnier winter days like today. And all for under £40. I call that a fashion week winner.



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Thursday 13 February 2014

today i love… london fashion week

lfwtickets

As you are almost certainly aware, London Fashion Week kicks off tomorrow. I'm lucky enough to be helping out the lovely Telegraph fashion team again this season, so make sure you follow all the links below to keep updated. I'll be tweeting and instagramming, writing a show report or two for the Telegraph's live blog and on Sunday I'll be hanging around outside show venues with a photographer snapping street style. So if you're going to be there and you happen to see me, come say hello! And I hope you enjoy LFW as much as I know I will. (Disclaimer: blog posts may be few and far between over the next few days but I'll try my best...)

My Instagram: @annalouelliott
My Twitter: @annalouelliott
Telegraph fashion Instagram: @telegraphfashion
Telegraph fashion Twitter: @telefashion


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Wednesday 12 February 2014

today i bought… zara black mules

zara black mules


If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen that I ordered a pair of Topshop Unique mules when the collection dropped online last Thursday. Navy blue and cutout, I thought they were the ones. But it was later that same day that I was scrolling through Zara's site and stumbled upon this pair of what can only be described as the ultimate mules. Given that I ordered them on Friday morning I was a little worried they wouldn't arrive in time for fashion week, but they miraculously turned up on Saturday (an LFW miracle, I tell you). It's funny, because just a couple of weeks ago I thought about doing a blog post about the best mules around, but couldn't find any on the high street at all. Fast forward to now and they're absolutely everywhere. But these are simply the most beautiful pair I've found, at any price point. Sorry toes: you're just going to have to freeze.


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Monday 10 February 2014

today i love… the monday wish list

Peter Pilotto for Target bikini top Topshop Unique pink lurex top Diptyque Rosa Mundi candle

I had heard the hype about this collection but didn't realise it would be so gosh darned cheap (you don't expect that from Net-a-porter). Tempted though I was to own a Pilotto skirt for £30, I just couldn't find anything that pushed my buttons enough to splash out on the delivery fee (I seriously don't understand why all online stores don't offer free delivery yet. Anyway, I digress). This bikini is very tempting though… Now if only I had a white sand beach to wear it on (sigh).

Pretty obsessed with marble interiors so this amazing clutch immediately caught my eye. Not a bad price at all for real leather and just eye-catching enough without overpowering a look. Lovely.

This season's Unique show didn't really do it for me, to be honest; personally, I think they peaked in the military/90s collection a couple of autumn/winters ago and since then it's gone a little downhill but up in price. But I have to say that this simple pink tee is tempting me; it would look just perfect with a leather jacket and the above marble-effect clutch, don't you think?

Regular readers will know that I'm a little bit obsessed with this London jewellery designer's animal-inspired designs, and her stag head ring hasn't left my finger since I got it. Now it's these shark tooth earrings that I can't get out of my head: they're just the right balance of understated and edgy.

It's nearly a year since I helped research a piece for the Telegraph on the slip on trainer trend, and back then I thought it was a flash-in-the-pan fad. Turns out I was wrong, and my desire for a pair is growing by the day. Here's the problem: I don't wear flats, let alone trainers. I just can't bring myself to do it. I was gifted a pair of Vans as a result of that article and I haven't worn them once. But if anyone could sway me, it would be Whistles. Watch this space…

I'm a little bit obsessed with Diptyque candles (who isn't?), and this latest limited edition scent is calling out to me. Valentine's gift from me to me, perhaps?


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Sunday 9 February 2014

today i'm wearing...

Zara white skinny jeans

Isabel Marant pour H&M black blazer

Cambridge Satchel Company navy 11" satchel

Zara black zip ankle boots

It's funny to think back to the days when I totally detested white jeans. Now these are the pair I reach for most often. They just look so fresh and bright without over-complicating an outfit. I especially love teaming them with an off-white tee like this & Other Stories favourite.

Isabel Marant pour H&M blazer /
& Other Stories t-shirt /
Zara jeans /
Cambridge Satchel Company bag /




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Saturday 8 February 2014

today i love… london fashion week essentials

London fashion week essentials Topshop Whistles & Other Stories Archie Grand

It's officially fashion week season, and since I sadly don't have an unlimited travel budget and do have a day job, for me this basically narrows it down to one out of the four: London Fashion Week. You may well be a fashion week pro, but just in case this season will be your first foray onto the cobblestones of Somserset House, I've put together a few of my LFW essentials for your perusing pleasure. September was the first time I properly "did" fashion week, and all of these items came in pretty handy, I have to say.

iPhone: obviously this kind of goes without saying, since who would even go out to buy milk without taking their iPhone these days? But LFW is when I rely on mine more than ever. I use it to post to social media on-the-go, of course, but also to take catwalk photos since I don't want to be lugging around a DSLR (I'm no photographer, after all), to record voice memos when asking people what they're wearing and to file show reports by email (no point lugging around a laptop either, really). The charger is the really crucial element, though. I spent every free moment between shows last fashion week plugged in at Starbucks frantically re-juicing (not a problem if you're front row at Somerset House, though: these hallowed seats have power points - jammy). A cute case like this Stella beauty doesn't go amiss either.

Needless to say we're pretty much living underwater right now, and nobody likes water stains on their new leather jacket (or beautiful Pashli bag, incidentally). I like this Topshop one because it's simple: you don't want your umbrella to clash with what you're wearing. Also, don't forget a plastic bag to store your sopping umbrella in when indoors, otherwise you'll drench everything else in your bag or drip all over the catwalk (bit of a no-no).

Yes, even in February, even if it's pouring and so dark it could be the middle of the night. Because everyone looks better in photographs when wearing sunglasses. Fact.

Old school, perhaps, but if you're taking photos on your phone during a show you can't make notes on it as well. Plus despite the (dubious) wonders of autocorrect it really is quicker to make notes by hand.

5. Topshop ultra furry beanie / £5 (reduced from £18)
A beanie is surely a blogger/fashion weeker essential, no? If in doubt about what to wear, I recommend going as simple as possible and just investing in a couple of standout accessories. (Trust me, you do not want to be the girl who looks like she's trying too hard: they stick out like a sore thumb.) People who actually work in fashion tend to be underdressed rather than overdressed, so stick to classics and add a cute beanie hat and some killer shoes.

Talking of killer shoes… If there were ever a time to wear totally impractical shoes, this is it. Despite it being February I'll be in open-toed mules at least once (brrrr). Take note though: this doesn't mean shoes you can't walk in. Nothing says "LFW newbie" like a girl stumbling over the cobblestones. (Oh, and bring blister plasters, too.)

Because nobody wants spinach in their teeth on the front row.


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Thursday 6 February 2014

today i'm wearing...

& Other Stories black knit

Michael Michael Kors leather leggings

Topshop black fluffy beanie

Whistles black heels

Nothing original here today, but then black always is the new black, and such a fashion failsafe feels appropriate given that fashion month kicked off over the pond today. Besides, I'm saving all my interesting clothes for LFW, so don't expect me to wear anything groundbreaking before then…

& Other Stories jumper /
& Other Stories t-shirt /
Michael Michael Kors leather leggings /
Whistles shoes /
Zara bag /
Topshop beanie /
ASOS earrings /




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Tuesday 4 February 2014

today i want… whistles wrap belted coat

whistles wrap belted coat


It's not too late to invest in a coat; in fact, we haven't even had the coldest part of winter yet (sob) so it's probably a much more practical purchase than all the open-toed shoes and sunglasses appearing in the shops already. What you do need, however, is to find a coat that simultaneously shouts spring/summer '14 while still managing to be cosy and warm. Well, it just so happens I've found the perfect candidate: step forward this beauteous Whistles wrap coat. The perfect shade of pink - soft, pale, nothing shouty about it - and a very now dressing gown style shape, it's oh so spring-like and yet oh so warm. The downside? The price. But when you're asking this much of one single garment, it makes sense that you'll have to shell out to wrap up.


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Sunday 2 February 2014

today i love… beauty favourites

beauty favourites essie eve lom origins

I featured this in a Monday wish list a while back and am pleased to report it's definitely worth the hype. I'm a total lip balm junkie and no product will ever "cure" my addiction, but I can tell you this is one of the best. Adds a thick, gloss-like layer of balm that's best applied before bed (to avoid hair/lip sticking situations) and which feels very nourishing. It's not cheap, though, so best used sparingly when you really need it.

The perfect nude nail varnish is not easy to track down. But considering that Essie has about 30 different shades of nude, you're pretty much guaranteed to find one you like. This is my ideal: quite pinkish, neither too sheer nor too opaque, and subtle but noticeable.

A cult classic for a reason. A totally different texture from what I was expecting (grainy and sludgy rather than creamy) but so luxurious. Comes with instructions on how to give yourself a proper facial massage, which has become one of my favourite things to do on a Friday evening to refresh my complexion after the week. Sometimes I turn it into a mini facial by following up with the Eve Lom rescue mask, which looks like it was dredged up from the bottom of the sea = amazing.

I love a good bath, and this makes for the best bath ever. Smells exactly like a super expensive spa, and makes you feel as relaxed as after a really good massage. Also coats your skin in its fragrant moisturising oil. Great value, too, since a little goes a long way.

Another classic and another well-deserved good reputation. This ultra-flattering peachy, shimmery shade erases the need for any other blusher. Enough said.

I've written before about my super dry skin and the endless search for a moisturiser which is up to the task. I bought this on a whim at Bicester Village (£25 instead of £34, winner) and I'm a big fan. It's super, super thick so really only a good option if your skin is as parched as mine, plus it leaves you with a nice shiny face so not one for daytime. The scent is pretty strong, too, but I like it. Anyway, the bottom line is: I don't wake up with a dry, tight complexion. And that is no mean skincare feat, trust me.


See more of my beauty favourites here.




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