Say Hello to my little friend...

Trousers: Zara

Jumper: Uniqlo

Boots: Kurt Geiger

Bag: Celine

Cardigan: Zara

Well, well, well, it has been a while!

So sorry for the delay in posting, after fashion month madness along with moving house, it all got a bit crazy so I have been M.I.A on a two week holiday with the beau. 

Feeling suitably rested and recuperated it was straight back into work with a bang (much in the same way the weather slapped me in the face when I stepped off the plane... there is something surreal about being in a bikini one day and winter coat the next.)

It was an out and out 'last season' situation in my outfit choice's this week.

Last season Bordeaux coloured  Zara trousers (to quote Whitney, 'I will always love you' ) Last seasons KG boots- platforms are my best friend when trying to evade puddles- and last seasons Chunky 70's inspired cardigan.

Check out my belated birthday present from the boyfriend: an immaculately preserved vintage Celine bag.

I cannot express how much this little number has melted my heart, she really is the most beautiful bag I have ever seen: classic, the perfect size and multi-wearable... just goes to show, some things only get better with age!

Peplum unite...

 Top: H&M

Trousers: Zara

Jacket: Topshop unique

Shoes: H&M

Brolly: Unknown

Ahh yes, the peplum. Friend or foe? 

I personally find it one of the most flattering way's to draw attention to the waist (I'm slightly averse to belts that hold no 'real' function... call it an aversion or intrepid hatred, either way, contrived clothing is a massive bugbear of mine.)
With the female form being so heavily celebrated this season- and so it should be *goddesses* the peplum is back in a major way for AW. 

After a wee nod last season, the big boys came out with all guns a blazing in the way of some suurious waist accessorising- enter my double peplum/ superhero union.

Black and blue is another one of those, should I, shouldn't I situations.

I say should- they are, after all, close friends of the palette and if you choose the right shades they can merge seamlessly into one.

The brolly was an accident that turned out to be pretty well matched to the shoes, accidental accessories- my favourite!

Show me your kitten heel...

Kitten heels: Zara

Some love' em, some hate 'em, some couldn't care less!

I always thought that I was averse to a heel lower than 4 inches (being from a city where you practically walk out of the womb in stilettos will do that to a gal)

But my feet have paid the price. Hours of walking, running and even on some occasions hurdling- cobbles are a bitch! Have all led me to hold a warmer reception toward this vertigo defiant stiletto.

The reasons are three fold:

1. You instantly feel classier in a lower heel, don't ask me why- it's the same logic as sunglasses giving  you that 'instant cool' 

2. If they're good enough for Hepburn and the Olsen's they're good enough for me.

3. They're the perfect day to night shoe, you don't feel like a dirty stop out at work and don't feel too underdressed in the bar after (both equally important).

4. (I know I said three, but it's my list so I will add one more) The high street is absolutely nailing this trend- see picture for point and case.

Don't get me wrong, I still love my statement skyscrapers, but I think I will keep them big ol' blocks for when I need to dodge the snow! 

Viva la kitten!

Double denim...

Sunglasses: H&M 

Top: Vintage

Jeans: Zara

Bag: Zara

Shoes: Topshop

Rockin' a bit of double denim on a drizzly Monday. 

This is an old fail safe of mine, I love the double D...Traditionally reserved for extra's in Footloose and 80's builders, I find solace in the simplicity of the smart/casual bi-tonal garms.

The search for the perfect ripped jean has been a battle of mine for quite some time (many a pair of jean have perished in my bid to perfect the ripped/ denim ratio in a DIY fashion)

In the midst of all the searching I bypassed an old faithful... Zara! She has never let me down before so quite why she was not top of my list I will never know!

The shoes; a little gem I spotted in the sale which, after some teething problems in the way of an offensive blister, have now become my new most comfortable pair of flats.

Yellow bag... standard.

Summer lace...

Coat: Warehouse

Dress: Zara

Shoes: Dune

Bag: Kurt Geiger

Earrings: H&M

Sunglasses: H&M

I was out and about on my lunch break when I was accosted by the street style team at ELLEuk (lovely girls they are) I was wearing my favourite summer lace dress, fantasy coat and new orthopaedic-esk sandals- these babies are not only ridiculously comfortable but they harbour a snakeskin heel to die for! 

Both pieces tick all of my summer boxes at the moment - I use the word 'summer' very loosely.

By way of detail. I'm all about the details when it comes to city summer dressing, it often makes all the difference in an outfit!

Topped off with neon accessories *shock* and some round plastic sunnies (wishful thinking).

 You can read the whole 'summer dresses' feature here

What ELLE wears...

Jacket: Vintage

Top: Cos

Pants: Zara

Shoes: Zara

Bag: Zara

ELLEuk.com do a wonderful feature cslled "what ELLE wears".  They do it every Tuesday and you can see what everyone wears from the Editor to the interns. It always makes for fantastic viewing as the ladies at ELLE are seriously stylish.

These shoes are literally glued to my feet, in fact I am sure they have appeared in my last three outfit post *note to self- must share the shoe love* I am just memorized by the way they go with every single item in my wardrobe at the moment and the chunky heel makes for some serious comfort walking (note that they were originally T-bars and I cut it off to make a more streamline sandal).

A tonal pallet of grey and white accented with a humongous yellow bag.

This big yellow bag is another firm favourite of mine- ongoing bag crap saga not helped in the slightest!

You can check the full feature here and see what ELLE wears to work on a daily basis.

Flare magazine...

Top: H&m

Necklace: H&m

Dress: Zara

Shoes: Zara

Bag: Zara

Last month the lovely Michelle Yu of FLARE magazine asked me to get involved with the blogger style challenge.

Five bloggers were asked their interpretation of the summer lace trend. Obviously I went for a shin length number (you can take the girl out of the vicarage and all that)

I complimented it with accents of neon and a classic wardrobe staple: the Breton- my love for this top has been well documented, a Breton really is a girls best friend.

You can read the whole feature here and also see what the other bloggers wore.

Half-time Limes

Jumper: Cos

Trousers: Reiss

Bag: H&M

Necklace: H&M

Shoes: Zara

Nail varnish: No7

Bracelets: Accessorize

Although this post completely contradicts my last post regarding a lack of blogging due to my final project, (I know, how will you ever trust what I say again?!) I am on a quick break and half way done- yippee!- So as a celebration I decided to share some photos with you.

 My best friend Lisa and I were invited to the Metro centre fashion live event last week- the largest shopping centre in Europe (quite how I was unaware of this I am not sure, but you learn something new every day!)

The event was very impressive and we were so wonderfully treat that it made me love our fair city even more.

I wore my new H&M neon necklace and some Reiss snakeskin print silk trousers which remind me somewhat of classic Missoni with the zig zag pattern and all.

I am loving the fresh mix of mint, lime green and neon at the moment - wardrobe saturation is a real risk but one I am willing to take.

See some more pictures and see what Lisa wore at TWICETHEBLOG.

Lazy Sundays...

Jumper: Zara

Pyjama bottoms: M&S

Shoes: Ebay

Bag: Milan

There is something about Sundays that makes you want to lay on the sofa and watch old films, wishing that you were mincing about, getting caught up in antics involving a cruise ship or old steam train- whilst donning every garment from Auntie Mames wardrobe.

This Sunday, however, was spent traipsing all over the city looking for a new pair of glasses for the boyfriend (his eyesight is deteriorating and if it is going to go, it's going to go in style!)

Pyjama dressing is positively genius! Heavily exhibited in Stella McCartney's SS12 collection.

 I found these little beauties in M&S at Christmas, they flow when you walk with the kind of grace a kin to a ribbon in the wind.

This jumper is my go-to knit on days like today, when you just want to relax- warm on the top, comfortable on the bottom- the most practical outfit I think I have ever worn (minus the five inch heels ;).

Changes...

Gilet: Primark

Polo neck: Zara

T-shirt: H&M Trend

Skirt: Newlook

Bag: H&M

Boots: Zara

There has been some kind of freak storm here as of late, we went from 23 degree heat to snow in the space of three days?!

Donning an outfit with all the intentions of braving whatever mother nature threw my way, Wind: check, sun: check, cheeky Celine reference: check.

Head over to my sister blog TWICETHEBLOG for more pictures and a little peak at what my fellow beautiful blogger Lisa wore.

Pastel...

Trench: Burberry
Top: Zara
Bag: Cos
Shoes: Asos
Dress: Topshop boutique

Lack of technology has forced me to beg, borrow or steal a few moments on friends and family's computers... I am also inundated with Uni work, all this has resulted in my lack of posting, so apologies all round.
For now I will leave you with a bit of a pastel party...As we ascend into warmer climates (supposedly) I am finding it harder to accept that our summers are getting shorter and shorter. So in light of this, I have taken it upon myself to wear my Spring/Summer wardrobe anyway (I'm sure a lot of you have adopted the same attitude.)
With sherbet colours dominating collections, it is all you can do not to get tooth ache whilst imagining all the different ways you can wrap yourself in sugar spun hues.
Channeling a Lady like/sporty highbred take on pastels, donning my old faithful Burberry trench (which has to have been my all time best purchase in the price per wear stakes) my bargain bag and a last season shoe with a pop of yellow on the front and back insole.
I cannot wait for the sun to finally slice through the frost and the streets to become awash with all manner of pixie stick shades and impossibly perfect chiffons and silks.

Yellow diamonds in the Sky...

Jacket: Zara Top: Zara Skirt: Zara Boots: Ebay Bag: Mulberry Some times in life you experience moments that make you realise in one fell swoop how lucky/fortunate you are to have certain people in your life. Aside from my wonderful friends and family (I am truly blessed in that department) I have also been given a gift that I am sometimes unsure whether I am worthy of- that being my Boyfriend. I am not usually one for over personal sentiment via the public voyerism forum that is the internet, but this man is truly a spectacular person and for him I am eternally grateful. This outfit was worn on a night out with said Boyf and one of my best friends. I'm all over texture at the moment- having dabbled in leather tops (not for the sweat prone) and I love the delicate, paper-esk feel of this skirt coupled with the fluffy jumper, it all reminds me of both christmas and the Louis Vitton SS12 carosel set. Orange is always a colour I like to pop when everything else is neutral- makes me feel like I am making some kind of effort- and the boxy cut of this jacket does just enough to compliment the volume of the skirt- winter is coming so it's bye bye bare legs, oh how I shall miss thee.

Brick a brack

Jacket: Zara Trousers: Topshop Snood: Topshop Loafers: River island Jumper: Zara Shirt: Bag: Zara Long and hard have I searched for a transitional season jacket that doesn't make me A. Sweat unnecessarily or B. completely null and void all of the other garments in my wardrobe. This little number has executed both of the above with considerable panache. The cut makes me die- Celine on a budget- and the colour is an amazing accent to my overly aubergine saturated wardrobe- I found that colour and kind of ran with it, I am the definition of marooned right now, in every sense of the word. The penny loafers are a recent purchase that I am feeling particularly smug about -I hate smug buyers but I found them in River island on a student 20% discount evening and they're a near exact of a Russell and Bromley pair I saw for £169- smugness warranted and mother would be proud. Same snood from last year, this piece has done me good and will continue to due to its versatility- I have recently discovered that it also comes in oatmeal. Anticipate that post with breath that is baited. I may be alone in this, but I am loving the fact that its getting colder here now- chunky knits and layers are a firm favourite of mine, along with red wine and christmas- I know, sooo rock and roll!

Marooned..

Trousers: Zara Jumper: Zara Bag: Zara Shoes: Topshop Necklace: H&M The day I became Zara's bitch. Now it is no secret that I am partial to a bit of Zara- I love the tailoring, the materials and, in my humble opinion, they do some of the best basics for the price on the high street. My love affair with Zara has been a long and loyal one and there are no signs of it letting up. However, today I did an unusual thing for me- every item of clothing I was wearing came from said shop. It wasn't pre-meditated, it just kind of happened. These trousers I got a little while ago and wore them to meet the boyfriends parents (must mention at this point they live in a vicarage. perfectly quaint) Felt they were quite vicar appropriate. I love the berry colour and the extra long length means they drape beautifully. The jumper is a firm favourite, although it does seem to have acquired a curious ink stain- must look into this. The necklace I bought months ago, forgot about it and found it in the back of my car last week- along with a fork, a missing shoe and numerous empty water bottles. Not quite sure what the 'squatting' position is- I think I wanted to show how the trousers hang with the longer length?!