Wednesday Weakness: Cobalt Blue

Dries Van Noten, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, Mary Katrantzou and Preen

To some, it might seem rather odd to have a colour as a fashion weakness, however, if you've been paying attention to the catwalks for Fall/Winter 2012, you'll know that cobalt is set to be a massive trend. Along with tangerine and fuchsia pink, cobalt-blue is one of those colours that Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada (aka Anna Wintour) would rave about until it went into the sale. The best way to invest? Buy something now, especially if it's in the sale!

From left: J Brand waxed skinny jeans, Alexander Wang striped sweater, Rimmel eyeshadow, ASOS clutch, Urban Outfitters platform brogues, Swatch watches. 

What colours will you be wearing next season? 

Shopping for Pastels with Vogue China

 

I often find that international issues of Vogue are much more exciting than the British version, and this beautiful editorial from Vogue China's March issue is no exception. I don't know about you, but I absolutely adore 50s fashion and think that modern interpretations can frequently be a bit too 'fancy dress'. However, the stylists at Vogue China have done an amazing job at modernising the era; the leather jacket, the pastel shades, the hairstyles - all exude 50s connotations but aside from the props, the clothes are contemporary. 

If you've ever met me, you'll know that I'm probably the least likely person to embrace pastel shades for Summer; mainly because I just don't suit them. With that in mind, using the 50s as inspiration is a great way to flaunt pastel shades without looking too 'sugar and spice'. I'm not suggesting you go out in a head-to-toe 50s look but instead, take a key piece or colour and work from there:

Top row: Jaspar cropped trousers by A.L.C, printed bustier by McQ Alexander McQueen, pleated skirt by Topshop, sequin collar shirt by Miu Miu, Chelsea sunglasses by House of Harlow 1960, perspex clutch by ASOS. Bottom row: geometric clutch by DKNY, silk-satin trousers by girl. by Band of Outsiders, floral pencil skirt by Marni, socks, glasses and shoes all by Topshop.

 Cropped trousers are one of the best items to invest in this Summer because they can literally be worn with everything; bright colours and great prints will carry through brilliantly to next season. If, like me, you're quite scared by wearing too much colour, accessories are the next best thing for trying out pastels - shoes, socks, sunglasses and bags are all super easy (and cheap) to integrate into your wardrobe.

Will you be investing in pastel shades this season? Now that Paris Fashion Week is coming to an end, I'll be posting some trend-reports for Autumn/Winter, let me know your thoughts!

Photos from fashiongonerogue.com

Fashion Week Favourite: The Friendship Bracelet

Friendship bracelets are one of those things that come and go within fashion on a regular basis. There's no telling who sparks the trend each season because it changes so often: Madonna sparked a red-string frenzy with the Kabbalah associated bracelet whilst fictional character Ivy from 90210 spurred every bohemian teenager to pile on as many woven and leather variations as the wrist would allow.

It's nice to think that friendship bracelets are slowly acquired by means of actual friendships but more often than not, they were bought in Topshop because someone saw Abbey Lee wearing some. You get the picture.  Either way, whether you genuinely want to offer someone a symbol of your friendship or if you just want to look insanely popular, there are some really great options on the high-street at the moment:

From top: woven bracelets with silver detail, Lucy Folk. Cobalt Keepsake and Jade Keepsake, Mia Lia. Skull bracelets, ASOS. Silver skull bangle, Alexander McQueen.

Though the term 'friendship bracelet' usually evokes imagery of little girls weaving string hooked around their toes, it doesn't mean they have to be traditional. Mia Lia has some really gorgeous designs that don't cost the earth - these adorable beaded bracelets come in a variety of colours and would make the perfect Mother's Day pressie, no? I usually wear my own friendship bracelets until they break and to be quite honest, the idea of having to take them off scares me a little! 

What do friendship bracelets mean to you: are they simply a fashion statement or do they have a greater meaning? 

Photos by Tommy Ton, from style.com

Tis The Season To Be Jolly

Ok so Christmas is just a stone's throw around the corner (19 days, to be precise) and if you're anything like me you won't have even thought about it until now; don't get me wrong, I love giving people presents, but finding great gifts is one of the most traumatic things in the world. This year however, things are going to be different because being in London, I'm surrounded by amazing boutiques and gift shops - all selling perfect Christmas presents waiting to be bought.

Here is a small selection of some of the things that have caught my eye so far, how cute are the Stella McCartney Days of the Week knicker Set?!

Days of the Week knickers by Stella McCartney and playing cards by Lanvin @ Matches. Silver bag by Topshop. i-D Covers book and cat plate by Donna Wilson @ Magma. Red Fisheye camera by lomography.com. Moustache brooche by Tatty Devine. Pom-pom mittens by ASOS. Crossbone ring by galibardy.co.uk. Christmas Cookie candle by Yankee Candle.

All of these beauties would make great stocking fillers or secret-santa pressies as they're all within a reasonable price range. It also helps that I'd be more than happy to receive any one of these for Christmas so if anyone is stuck...well, you get the idea.

What will you be asking for this Christmas and what are the best and worst presents you've ever received?

photos from individual web pages

Time-Traveller

If there were ever a model born in the wrong era, it'd be Abbey Lee. Of course Freja Beha Erichsen could give her a run for her money as she regularly looks as though she's time-travelled from the 80's, but Abbey's in a whole league of her own.

"Hey Abbey, the 70s called and they said they want their clothes back!" The furry coat seems to be a particular favourite of hers (although personally I think it looks like old carpet) as do the beaten lace-ups but all joking aside, its pretty refreshing to see a model whose clothes have personality.

I love black clothes, infact I rarely wear anythig but black (unless I'm feeling adventurous in which case I'll probably wear a red scarf or something) but if I was nearing on 6ft and had the pins of a super, I'd definitely venture into colour. Monochrome is just so....plain.

Of course there are the Sasha Pivovarova's, Magdalena Frackowiak's and Abbey's of the world and black is arguably the most practical colour for a model to wear, but it's so exciting when you get a hint of the real them. I'd like to think that Abbey is some free-loving hippy lass with not a care in the world, rather than a serial mourner or nun - god forbid.

I'd also like to think that she'd wear everything from this selection I've put together, not all at once of course - well she could but people might think she's on day release or something...

Severe apologies for the notable lack of newsworthy posts, it seems I'm not so great at time management as I once thought! What do you think, should models stick to the all black uniform or should they mix it up like Abbey? Also what is your favourite era? Mine used to be the 90s but right now I'm really feeling the 70's vibes, maaaaaaan.

photos from altamiranyc.blogspot.com

Cream of the Crop

A few of my favourite shoes were made somewhat redundant over the winter due to the ridiculous weather, it was either a case of wear Dr Martens or get wet feet and clearly, wet feet wasn't an option. Because of this I got stuck in a rut and solely wore skirts or leggings - trousers were altogether out of the question.

Now that the weather's being a bit more reasonable, I can venture back into trouser territory or more dauntingly, the land of jeans. I've always been a bit scared of jeans because they're so hit and miss and the perfect denim usually is something of a myth to me. BUT with the help of my trusty brogues (think Ashish AW10/11) I'm on the hunt once more...

I recently had a look at MiH's AW collection and I couldn't believe how soft their jeans were - I'm literally in love with the panelled Vienna and The Paris is such a beautiful cut. One Teaspoon is another brand I came across on my hunt and OH MY GOD I wish I'd discovered them earlier - their jeans/clothes are to-die-for. I want everything from their online store, check it out - you'll understand why!

My brogues have already had an outing with my Levis 501's but this bunch tells me that they're going to see a whole lot more of London in the near future. What are you looking forward to wearing and what do you think of the whole panelled/coloured jean trend?

Photos from www.mih-jeans.com, www.net-a-porter.com, www.oneteaspoon.com.au, http://asos.com, http://www.topshop.com, http://www.uniqlo.co.uk/

Look-a-like

I know, I know, I know - I need to post about someone other than RiRi, Lady Gaga, Freja or Abbey. I just can't help but love their personal styles. Freja always looks the part in band-tee's, skinny jeans and combat boots (black of course), Gaga in something amazingly crazy, Abbey in maxi-dresses and biker jackets and Rihanna in whatever's hot.

Since the SS10 shows last September, Rihanna has really emerged as someting of a fashion-powerhouse. It seems that most of what she wears, with a few exceptions, looks really incredible; and she has been known to look a lot better in outfits than the catwalk Size 0's - an achievement considering she's not waifer-thin.

I've rummaged around and found a couple of recent 'street style' shots which I think look great on her and that can be replicated at a reasonably decent price. Admittedly, I would never wear Look 3, but it just reminds me of her Pon De Replay days - though I doubt that was the look she was aiming for.

Blazer, jumper, bag - Topshop. Glasses - ASOS. Boots - All Saints

Leather sleeveless jacket, long sleeved top - Topshop. Gloves, necklace - ASOS.

Top - Elizabeth & James @ Net-A-Porter. Jeggings - Topshop. Necklace, ring - Asos.

I will start posting about different people, it's not fashion ignorance - I promise! Who are your modern style icons?

photos from justjared.buzznet.com and thefashionspot.com

Best Dressed...

I've really become more of a dress girl this past year. I used to live in jeans and only ever wore dresses for occasions because I thought they were too girly. However, recently there have been so many dresses that I LOVE, its hard to avoid them any more.

I'm never going to be a prom dress kinda girl because I'm too scruffy and just can't handle the idea of having to keep something clean. I've just ordered myself a basic black jersey maxi-dress from ASOS which I'm sure I'll have fun accessorizing (I'm thinking boots, leather jacket and rings). Here are just a couple of outfit ideas I thought were cute - I'm pining for a nice mac and this one is lovely although I doubt it's an outfit I'd realistically wear.

The second outfit is definately something I'd wear and I love that burgandy colour with grey and black.

all clothes from TOPSHOP

Alexander Wang dress, Marc Jacobs leather jacket, Fendi ankle boots,

RayBan glasses, Miu Miu leather bag, all from Net-A-Porter.com

What outfits are you loving at the moment and how would you change my choices?

Runner Bean Plea

A couple of days ago I fell in love. The item in question is not a boy or even a pair of shoes, but a necklace. I don't usually wear necklaces so I somewhat surprised myself at my own choice of adoration. This is all good and well however I was stupid enough to forget where I saw said necklace and who designed it.

It is a silver pendant, in the shape of a green bean and I'm pretty sure it was worn by someone blonde in some sort of newspaper/magazine (if that helps?). In my search for the necklace of my dreams, I happened to come across a couple more cute pendants which I thought I'd share in exchange for knowlege of the the whereabouts of the runner bean.

DAY BIRGER ET MIKKELSON, STELLA MCCARTNEY, ALEX MONROE @ NET-A-PORTER.COM

ASOS, RUTHI ORLIN, ALEX MONROE @ ASOS.COM

Have you ever seen something and regretted not making a note of it? If you know where I can get the necklace, I'd be forever grateful!

SANDAL LOVE

As summer is fast approaching, we can finally leave the house without 2 pairs of socks and a snug pair of winter boots. However, this presents an entirely different problem in that a good pair of sandals are hard to come across. If you've paid over the odds for a pair that slice your toes, heels and any other part of your foot, they're not good. No Matter how 'pretty' they are.

I have bought the mission of finding a comfortable, affordable and 'pretty' pair of sandals upon myself as I can't walk around Barcelona with bleeding feet this summer. My all time favourite gold Kurt Geiger wrap-around-the-leg gladiators are on their last legs, so I've found some potential replacements for under £75. Although it sounds a ridiculous amount of money for a sole and straps of leather, if it means reducing the amount of unbearable blisters I usually contract over summer, then it's worth it.


TOPSHOP (both £40)



OFFICE (black and silver 'Hold Me Back' £65, white Lux Gladiator £40)







ASOS (£75 by Steve Madden)





Now all that's left is the comfort test. If anyone knows of any hidden gems from the sandal world, then share the love.

ps. If you know any incredible, amazine, fantastic, musn't-miss shops to visit in Barcelona, pass it on. I leave June 7th and I can't wait!