Lust of the Week: Lavish Alice Cape Shift Dress
A cape AND a dress - what's not to love?! I have countless LBDs in my wardrobe and I don't think that will ever change, so when I find one that has something a bit different to offer I fall head over heels. I absolutely love this number from Lavish Alice - perfect for dark winter nights and warm summer evenings.
Outfit: White shift dress and black duster
Duster Coat: Boohoo (similar)
Dress: Therapy c/o House of Fraser
Clutch: Whistles
Ring: Lola Rose (similar)
Heels: Kurt Geiger (similar)
Fashionchick challenged me to style this classic white shift from Therapy as part of a competition they're currently hosting. By voting for your favourite look you could win £150 to spend at House of Fraser! Click here to enter.
You can never go wrong with monochrome so I teamed the dress with my trusty duster from Boohoo (this is from last year but you can find similar here) and Whistles clutch, with purple and gold accessories to add a bit of colour.
Outfit: Navy midi dress and mac
Dress: ASOS White (similar)
Sunglasses: ASOS
Flats: Zara (similar)
I spent last week in Rome and I am seriously missing that city! The men in my family are real rugby fanatics so the Six Nations provided a good excuse to go over to Italy and combine the match with a little city break. I'll do a full travel post soon but for now, this is one of the outfits I wore during the trip, pictured here at Villa Borghese. The weather was gorgeous; sunny and warm enough to go bare-legged and wear lightweight coats (such a nice change after months of wearing heavy winter coats!)
I love this dress from the ASOS White collection - it's really simple and easy to wear but the backless detail adds a little something extra. This is the first time I've worn it because it's been too cold and I think it's sold out, but you can find similar here.
Lust of the week: Topshop Suede Culottes
Regular readers of my blog will know I absolutely love culottes - they've featured in many an outfit post and will continue to do so for a long time (in fact there's one coming up...) They're more practical - and slightly cooler - than a midi skirt, and they're equally suitable for the office as they are for a night out, making them really versatile.
These Topshop culottes combine all that with one of my other favourite trends this season: suede. It's everywhere with the 70s trend but I've also seen it used in more minimal and tailored pieces, and is a refreshing change to leather (although I'm not sure my love for leather will ever die).
#AllInTheJeans with Miss Selfridge
Top: c/o Miss Selfridge
Jeans: c/o Miss Selfridge
Heels: c/o Miss Selfridge
Last weekend I was invited down to the Miss Selfridge store in Liverpool to try out their new Lizzie jeans, and create three different outfits with them. With the help of lovely personal stylist Rachel, I spent the morning in their Dressing Room, trying on loads of gorgeous clothes and creating different looks with the jeans (and gorging on cupcakes in between!)
The jeans themselves are just what you want in a skinny; slightly difficult to get into (I'm talking jumping up and down and yanking up the waistline) but once on they fit perfectly and hug all the right places. I opted to pair them with these green snakeskin heels because they're such a statement shoe (and surprisingly comfy) and used different tops to create the three different looks.
Shirt: c/o Miss Selfridge
Jeans: c/o Miss Selfridge
Heels: c/o Miss Selfridge
Top: c/o Miss Selfridge
Jeans: c/o Miss Selfridge
Heels: c/o Miss Selfridge
Cuff: Vintage
Beauty: Top 5 skincare products for dry/sensitive skin
Beauty is something I rarely talk about on the blog. I love makeup but I tend to stick to the same products and rarely experiment so it would make a very dull blog indeed. Skincare, on the other hand, is something I'm really passionate about and to me, it's more important than makeup. I'm the kind of girl who likes to pop out to the shops with no makeup on and not look like a complete ogre, so a good skincare regime is a must. Plus, what's the point in great makeup if you don't have a good base?
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Face Moisturiser, Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight mask, Jurlique Rejuvenating Overnight Cream (c/o The Hut)
I'm prone to eczema so my skin is sensitive and gets really dry - especially in winter (sexy) - so finding products that are both super moisturising and won't aggravate my skin is a must. These are my three current favourites - I use the Elizabeth Arden moisturiser for day and Jurlique for night, which is a really luxe cream that isn't too heavy but is just enough to feel like you're giving your skin a real treat at the end of the day. I use the Origins mask a couple of nights a week when I feel it needs some extra moisture.
La Roche-Posay is a bit of a cult French skincare brand, and I am so glad it came over to Britain a few years ago. I use this cleanser and toner at night, and it is really light and effective, perfect for sensitive skin, and I can instantly feel my face relax when I use it.
PFW: My Favourites
Fashion month is over for another season. An incredible season as ever; it seems the 70s trend is here to stay, soft tailoring rules and prints will come in everything from tartans to dark florals. As always, fashion month ended in Paris, with the likes of Chanel, Givenchy, Balmain and Louis Vuitton all putting on big productions and showing their AW15 collections. These are my personal favourites from PFW AW15...
First up, Celine. One of the collections I look forward to most each season, Phoebe Philo has that knack of creating incredibly chic, simple clothing that is wearable whilst still being fashion forward. I love the colour palette of this collection, as well as the baggy, oversized shapes and use of orange leather.
Chloe is another favourite, and this season the fashion house did what it does best: the 70s. Loose, bohemian shapes and neutral colours ruled, and easy styling tricks were seen in belted suit jackets and chunky knits over delicate lingerie-esque skirts.
Lanvin is next on the list, and it is beautiful. Alber Elbaz took influence from his Moroccan upbringing for this collection and the result was long, breezy dresses and beautiful details. The 70s was also a reference throughout, with slouchy knee high boots and tan shoulder bags the accessories of choice.
I loved this Lemaire collection; it's the kind of styles I can see myself wearing straight away and is one that can easily be recreated. I'm a sucker for all things oversized so that navy coat is on my must-have list, and that simple tailoring creates a sleek outfit for autumn/winter.
Ahh, Valentino. Probably one of the highlights of the season was watching Derek Zoolander and Hansel close the show, complete with Blue Steel - a real example that fashion does have a sense of humour. But I loved it just as much for the clothes; the clean and simple looks were my favourites - how amazing is that floor length military-inspired cape?!
Outfit: Flares, leather and shearling
Jacket: c/o Missguided
Dress: Zara
Flares: ASOS
Boots: Public Desire
Lust of the week: Topshop striped co-ord
I'm not sure if my love for co-ords will ever die; they make the perfect outfits! This is a new one at Topshop (shirt here and trousers here) - I love the floaty pyjama-esque style and it's got me dreaming of long warm summer evenings. I'm off to Rome next week and I'm thinking this could be perfect for exploring the city...
MFW: My Favourites
Paris Fashion Week is currently in full swing, but I'm going to take it back to Milan for a round up of my favourites.
Of course, Dolce & Gabbana takes top spot. Unless you've been living under a rock, you will have seen this show all over social media - and with good reason. Dedicated to the Italian Mamma (and mums all over the world), the show featured babies, toddlers and pregnant models, and I'm pretty sure every woman watching it felt their ovaries ache. Taking inspiration from Sicily in true Dolce & Gabbana fashion, the collection was full of rich colours, intricate lace and feminine elegance.
Next up is Fendi. Sophisticated and clean, I loved the tans and whites that made their way down the runway. Coats were long, oversized and impeccably cut, and huge pockets were seen on dresses and skirts. A completely wearable - and totally stylish - collection for AW15.
Gabriele Colangelo is next on my list of favourites from Milan. He's not a designer that has really been on my radar before, but I loved his collection this season. Using minimal and neutral colours (always a good start in my book), he used complicated shapes and draping that managed to look completely chic and effortless.
Jil Sander is one of my favourite fashion houses and is one collection I look forward to every season. It didn't disappoint for AW15 - silhouettes were long and clean, geometric prints were plentiful, and I loved the flash of polo necks sticking up underneath dresses and jumpers; an easy styling trick that you can easily use next season (or now, for that matter).
Last but not least, we have MaxMara. Inspired by images of Marilyn Monroe walking along a beach, oversized coats were pulled and wrapped at the waist, feminine 1960s silhouettes reigned, and jumpers were worn big and baggy over slim midi skirts. I love the simple colour palette of soft greys, whites and camel, too.
Outfit: Wide leg trousers at LFW
Leather jacket: Topshop (similar)
Jumper: Selected (similar)
Trousers: H&M (similar)
Bag: Zara (similar)
I first featured these trousers on the blog a couple of weeks ago and I've barely taken them off since! The good thing about them is they're quite short, which is a blessing for my 5'4 frame. Normally with wide leg trousers I have to wear my highest heels so they're not swimming around on the floor, but with these I can wear a pair of ankle boots and I'm good to go - rejoice! Of course, the colour's amazing too so that's a bonus.
I wore this for the first day of London Fashion Week, with equal amounts of warmth, comfort, and a stand out piece. That concludes my LFW coverage for this season - check out my favourite shows here.
Lust of the week: River Island Gold Cut Out Cuff
I love jewellery that is both simple and makes a statement, so this cuff from River Island is an absolute dream! I can see it working perfectly in summer with an oversized black or white dress, preferably somewhere equally as delicious like the South of France or quiet(er) corners of Ibiza...
Outfit: Camel culottes at LFW
Leather jacket: Topshop (similar)
Dress (worn as top): Zara (similar)
Culottes: Zara (similar)
Bag: Zara (similar)
Heels: ASOS (similar)
I braved bare ankles for the second day of LFW - something I will happily do for these culottes. Picked up in the January sales for a mere £10 (score!), I love the colour and oversized tailored shape. I kept the rest of the outfit simple to make them the stand out piece and kept the top long to play with lengths.