Tuesday 30 December 2014

today i love… my christmas gifts

christmas presents 2014

Camembert baking pot /

Here are a few of the wonderful things I got for Christmas this year. Thanks so much to my lovely friends and family!




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Saturday 27 December 2014

today i'm wearing...

Whistles shearling leather jacket

3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli medium burgundy

Acne Pistol boots

Zara white skinny jeans

Whistles navy mohair bobble hat

Here's what I wore for some last minute gift shopping back on Monday. Hope you all had a lovely Christmas!

Whistles shearling leather jacket / similar here
Whistles navy jumper / similar here
Zara jeans / similar here
3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli bag / in black here
Whistles bobble hat / similar here




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Wednesday 24 December 2014

today i love… the sales

It's that time of year again… Sales time. That time of year when you could potentially spend a hell of a lot of money on things you don't really want or need. It was while I was thinking about sales pitfalls that I happened upon an excellent article in Stylist magazine (download the app to get every issue for free if you haven't already - so good) about how to avoid feeling like you have nothing to wear. Spoiler alert: the main message was that women who look stylish every day tend to have a uniform which they rely on, rather than trying out new things all the time (reference: Emmanuelle Alt in blazers and skinny jeans). This is very true when you think about it, but also interesting in that it sheds new light on my own wardrobe dilemmas. Unlike the author of the article, who complained about buying things that don't go with anything else in her wardrobe and ending up never wearing them, I rarely ever buy anything I don't love and therefore there's hardly anything I own that I haven't worn. Quite the reverse: I feel like I wear everything to death. No matter how much I love an item when I first get it, after a few weeks of wearing it every few days, I feel like I've used up every possible outfit combination with it. And I hate wearing exactly the same outfit, so I inevitably get bored and want something new. But I agree with the article in that I definitely have a "uniform" myself, and rather than thinking maybe I'll stop getting bored of everything if I try out new trends/shapes etc., I should instead stick to it and just accept that I will always need to buy something new (hey, surely that's an inevitable side-effect of being obsessed with fashion).

So, with that in mind, sales season feels like the perfect time to stock up on all of my uniform classics at purse-friendly prices. I've thought about it and come up with a sort of formula for the way I dress and therefore the things I should be looking out for on the reduced rails. Hopefully it will be helpful to you when you're perusing the sales, too. I've also selected a few items which fall within the realms of my uniform and are the kind of thing I'll be looking out for this Boxing Day (some on sale, some not yet). Oh and if in doubt, buy beauty gift sets. Space NK is always my first port of call in the sales for true bargains that'll never go out of style.



1. Reiss Malin oversized roll-neck jumper / £89 (reduced from £125)
3. & Other Stories basic t-shirt / £10 (reduced from £19)
4. Whistles Portland shearling backpack / £195 (reduced from £395)
7. Topshop Ripple skinny strap sandals / £30 (reduced from £58)

classic basics
The crux of my "uniform" is what I'm calling classic basics. These are not necessarily expensive, but do need to be good quality. Knitwear is my number one essential at this time of year and it should be real cashmere and wool rather than polyester. Look for thin merino wool or cashmere jumpers (Whistles is always great for these), or chunky fisherman styles (try & Other Stories or Reiss) (1). Jeans don't have to break the bank, I find (mine are all Topshop or Zara); they just need to fit well. So far I haven't been parted from my skinny styles, but I'd like to find a good boyfriend pair in the sales (2). Good, simple t-shirts are another solid basic that are remarkably not that easy to find, but I love & Other Stories' selection of gimmick-free, classic cuts at incredibly good prices (3). Jackets - always, always buy leather jackets. I wear mine to death. The leather needs to be really butter soft though. Whistles' are hands down the best - great value for money and a wide selection of styles. I still haven't found the perfect blazer - black, single breasted, non-shiny - but that's high on my sales wish list.

standout accessories
I thought about using the word eye-catching here but that's not quite the vibe I'm going for. By standout I don't necessarily mean "look at me", nor particularly expensive. Nobody else needs to walk past you and do a double take because you've got the latest designer candy on your arm, or because it's neon. What I mean is good quality, beautiful pieces that make your heart stop a bit, and that's important, because you'll be wearing these a lot more often than any particular item of clothing. A bag that's timeless yet a little bit interesting, for example (4). Take my 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli bag. I'm convinced the reason I still love carrying it each and every time I do is because a) I literally gasped at how gorgeous it was when I unwrapped it and b) it's an utterly classic style but in a colour that's a little bit different. A nice watch falls into this category, too (5), or a simple necklace (6) you're happy to wear non-stop.

trend-led shoes
Aside from ankle boots, which make up part of my daily uniform and therefore fall more into the previous category for me (reference my beloved Marant Dickers and Acne Pistols), shoes are the item that I'm willing to experiment a little more on. I tend to keep them high street (most are from Zara or Whistles) and am not afraid to buy them more often and make them a little less classic (7 and 8). Case in point: my Zara mules. Totally of the moment when I bought them back in February and it's unlikely I'll wear them past next summer. But they were relatively cheap (still good quality though - that's what I love about Zara shoes) and they made every outfit I wore at the time look current, even if it was just jeans and a tee. And that's exactly what they should do. I don't like spending too much on heels because a) you'll never wear them every day, especially if they're painful, so won't feel like you're getting your money's worth, and b) shoes wear out in a way bags don't. You need to not be too heartbroken when you've scuffed all the corners off a pair.


Hope that helps… Happy shopping and a very merry Christmas to you all.


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Sunday 21 December 2014

today i'd love to wear...



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Friday 19 December 2014

today i'm wearing...

Whistles Kumiko navy faux fur coat

Zara black zip ankle boots

3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli medium burgundy

Whistles grey knitted jumper

Sorry for being a bad blogger lately - real life has got in the way somewhat and it's been difficult to find time to take outfit photos. Luckily I've now got a couple of weeks off for Christmas so I'll try to be more diligent. Anyway, here's a pretty standard look for me: favourite ever coat, favourite ever knit and favourite ever bag. You can't go too far wrong with that, surely?

Whistles Kumiko faux fur coat / in black here
Whistles grey jumper / similar here
Zara boots / similar here
3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli bag /




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Sunday 14 December 2014

today i'm wearing...

Acne Studios Beta flock sweatshirt

Acne Studios Pistol boots

& Other Stories black crossbody bag

Topshop black Jamie jeans

Whistles navy mohair hat

Wrapped up in this supersized sweatshirt for brunch and Christmas tree buying today. It's so huge and cosy you almost don't need a coat… Well, emphasis on the almost.

Whistles hat / similar here
& Other Stories bag / similar here




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Thursday 11 December 2014

today i want… whistles oversize rollneck jumper

whistles-textured-oversize-rollneck-pale-grey_03

Whistles textured oversize roll neck / £122 (reduced from £175)

Knitwear is my favourite clothing type. I think if I could have the most perfectly curated selection of knitwear, the rest of my wardrobe would just fall into place beside it. Perfect, classic knits are worth spending a little more money on to get right. They are also, grudgingly I might add, worth the effort of washing them by hand. My favourite knitwear all comes from Whistles: it's all proper wool, fantastically snug and warm and in utterly classic cuts. Currently they are offering 30% off knitwear so it's the perfect time to add another beauty to my collection. This is top of my list: oversized and with a rollneck but still very classic: you can't get more timeless than soft wool in a textured grey marl.


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Saturday 6 December 2014

today i'd love to wear...



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Wednesday 3 December 2014

today i'm wearing...

Whistles shearling leather jacket

3.1 Phillip Lim 31 hour Smoke

Zara zip ankle boots

Don't get me wrong: I love the easy length of this dress and it's so comfortable. But sometimes wearing a midi skirt can feel just a little frumpy. So I always make sure to wear it with something a bit edgy (hate that word, but can't think of a better one) to steer firmly clear of that territory. A slogan sweat and fierce zipped ankle boots should do the trick.

Whistles shearling leather jacket / similar here
Whistles slogan sweatshirt / similar here
H&M dress / similar here
Zara boots / similar here
3.1 Phillip Lim 31 hour bag / in black here
Alex Mika v ring /




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Monday 1 December 2014

today i'm wearing...

ASOS black slim coat

Zara ponyskin boots

American Apparel taupe sweater

Alexander Wang Prisma tote lizard

ASOS coat / similar here
American Apparel jumper / similar here
Zara jeans / similar here
Alexander Wang Prisma tote / in matte black here




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