Pick of the Xmas Sales

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you've all had a great festive period and are suitably stuffed after yesterday's food-fest. This time of the year also signals the start of the winter sales so I figured I'd do a selection of the best sale picks I could find online. If you like anything I have posted then I recommend you act fast as the best stuff always goes very quickly. For example, I bought a couple of items from the Urban Outfitters sale on Christmas Eve and by the time I came to do this post today they had gone! I can't deal with the horrid stress of sales crowds and therefore online sales are perfect! You just have to know when to expect them - usually they're released online earlier than they are in store so 24th/25th of December. Also just a note to say sorry I haven't posted in a long time but my final year of university is proving to be very hard work so this semi-hiatus looks set to continue. However, I do really appreciate those who have stuck with the blog!

Clockwise from top left: Moto Mom Jeans / Devore Strappy Slip Dress / One-Shoulder Dress / Blue Cami / Baseball Denim Sweatshirt / Heavy Tread Loafers / Diamante Shell Top

Topshop

I'm guilty of picking a few of items I already own in a couple of these sale picks. In my Topshop picks I already own the cami, the chunky tread loafers, and the baseball-style sweatshirt. However, they're all items I wear to death so I have not got that annoying sinking feeling of having paid full price for something then having spotted it at half the price in a sale not long after! Perhaps some would disagree but I still don't feel like the 'mom' jean tread has completely run its course and these darker blue denim ones are the perfect turn-up jeans. I haven't really been into the light wash denim ones, perhaps because blue denim really isn't my 'thing', but these Topshop ones are a great compromise. The devore dress is not something I would usually go for but I think the detailing is stunning and it would look amazing with a pair of black glitter heels, matching clutch bag, and an OTT fur coat for a great night out look. I have this blue camisole in black and white and have found them absolutely invaluable. I highly recommend you snap this up now while its such a low price because they look great on their own in summer or layered under plaid shirts and fluffy cardigans in winter. The heavy tread on these loafers is reminiscent of the Stella McCartney treads. I have had these shoes for a few months now and I absolutely love them (unsurprising as I have already spoken at length about my affinity for ugly shoes!). However, I have had a very split opinion on them from friends and family!

Clockwise from top left: Square Pendant Necklace / Cheap Monday Paperclip Necklace / Cheap Monday Glitter Clutch / Vintage Check Skater Dress / Grafea Leather Backpack / Triangle Earrings / Lace Dress

Urban Outfitters

The Urban Outfitters sale is always great for jewellery because, as lovely as it is, it is eye-stingingly expensive at full non-sale price! If this gold square pendant was silver, I would have snapped it up right away. However, while I don't really suit gold, I do love simple jewellery and this would look so good over a simple black shift dress or bodycon. I bought the Cheap Monday paperclip necklace from their Carnaby Street store when I went down for LFW in September and have worn it pretty much daily ever since. The glitter clutch would make for a very classy night out bag or even just a jazzy makeup/wash bag. The Grafea leather bags are rather expensive but I think this is a sale bargain because a good quality leather backpack, this the one above, isn't going to go out of trend for some time yet. I have been digging these lace dresses, that verge dangerously on lingerie, all winter but just haven't found the perfect one yet. Perhaps I should invest in this one before it disappears!

Left to Right: Demitra Dungaree Dress / Zabby Turtleneck Dress / Suni Bodycon in 'Jumputan' / Mia Dress in 'Tiger Rose'

Motel

A couple of years ago I bought the long-sleeved Gabby dress from Motel and despite only having worn it on a few occasions, its one of the best clothing purchases I have ever made. I get compliments on it every time I wear it and I don't feel like its out of trend yet. It is very similar to the Zabby dress I have included above. Some would say that dungarees and pinafores are over now but I still think there is a time and place for them. I see a lot of girls at raves and bars wearing glitter tops underneath pinafore dresses and they look fab, kind of wish I had got on board with that before christmas! The tie-dye suni dress would make for a great daytime purchase with docs and an oversized cocoon coat. I tried on the off-the-shoulder bodycon version of the rose printed dress above a few months ago in Ark. Sadly the style of dress just didn't suit me but I absolutely love the broken rose print.

Clockwise from top left: Stripe Cardigan / Oversized Chunky Knit Scarf / Checked Coat / Lingerie Checked Dress / Printed Trousers / Denim Overshirt / Silk Combination Cami / Tartan Trousers / Patterned Mini Skirt

Zara

Zara was by far the best sale I came across this year. They don't do massive discounts but they do put pretty much their entire website on sale so it is kind of worth it. I have been dithering over these massive scarves since Zara brought them out earlier this year and I really wanted the red and black version but I have this lovely tartan scarf from Urban Outfitters that serves me well so there really wasn't any point! The coat in the centre is very Celine and I think, providing it isn't too thick, would take you through to spring. However, if you want to channel the Celine vibe without committing to something big like this coat then I recommend the skirt in the bottom left hand corner. The checked lingerie dress is another lust item from Zara. On their website they have styled it over a black turtleneck which is something I would never have thought of but its a pretty genius way of making something small and slinky weather appropriate for winter!

background image credit

An Ode to the Tartan trouser

I recently wrote about my soft spot for big ugly shoes. Well, on a similar 'necessities' theme I thought I'd divulge my affinity for all things checked and tartan. For the last couple of years I've been loosely on the search for the perfect pair of tartan/checked trousers after I spotted this image on tumblr:

Original Tumblr inspiration image

(L): Asos / (R): Topshop

Its funny how style and tastes evolve as I'm now not quite as mad about the Tumblr ones as I once was. I found my first pair in Topshop last year and then my new ones from ASOS were originally spotted in the ASOS magazine feature about Brit Marling a few weeks ago. They're quite a loose fit but they're considerably more comfortable than the Topshop ones - I couldn't wear those to a big meal or a day of lectures! I popped into River Island a few days ago and spotted another pair (thankfully I restrained myself and didn't buy them but they are fab). I'm reluctant to include a photo of them as the website picture does them no justice at all. In reality they're a deeper red and have really nice black detailing. These Topshop boutique ones are also lovely and, like my ASOS checked trousers, are available as a full suit. Obviously I'm aiming to dress these kind of trousers down a bit so I'm not really interested in matching jackets but these could look amazing as something a bit more alternative to a formal event or as work wear. I'll probably leave them as I've got a couple of other pairs of printed trousers and I have to be realistic about my student budget.

Topshop suit trouser 

Last year looking for a pair of tartan trousers was like looking for a needle in a haystack. But after Fall collections from the likes of YSL, the high street is inundated with them. Mango, Zara, and River Island are notable for their punk inspired collections this autumn. However, I think you have to be careful with tartan trousers as for many people they incite images of badly dressed punks and old ladies - definitely avoid the ones with copious amounts of zips, safety pins, and straps! If you aren't feeling the trousers then I think there are many alternative ways to work tartan and checks into your winter wardrobe.

Saint Laurent F/W13 - Image credit: style.com

Hedi Slimane's Saint Laurent (still struggling with the name change a bit!) collection,  with its juxtaposition of gentle feminine fabrics and textures against metal and leather, was fantastic. Usually the term 'grunge inspired' incites an eye-roll from me but I do see elements of it in this collection. (It could be argued that high fashion can never be grunge, but thats a blog post for a rainy day.) It got me thinking of different examples of how to work tartan and checks. I liked how delicate black lace slips were paired with tough black boots and oversized checked shirts and cardigans. You can also find plenty of tartan tea dresses on the high street which are great if your tastes are more on the gentle and delicate side.

Miroslava Duma

I have been meaning to write a post about my current style obsession, Miroslava Duma, for a very long time. However, real life issues (uni work, cake baking, serving pizzas...) seem to get in the way and besides, the longer I leave it, the more images surface on the internet that make me fall even harder for her style. Every outfit looks like it has been carefully considered right down to the very last detail. However, I suspect that for the pint-sized Russian editor this is a completely effortless process. Miroslava is a firm favourite with the street style photographers at all the major fashion weeks and parties. While she regularly cobbles together an array of luxury western designer pieces, she prefers to champion Russian designers such as Vika Gazinskaya and Alexander Terekhov. Russia is shaking off the style-less abyss of the USSR and a fledgling design industry is slowly emerging in Moscow.

photo credit: street peeper

photo credit: Mr Newton

photo credit: stockholm-streetstyle

photo credit: Vanessa Jackman

photo credit: streetfsn

photo credit: unknown

I have this obsession with dressing smartly (who knows..) so I relished the opportunity to wear my beloved Zara leather collared blazer that fits like a dream this week while I had work experience at a local newspaper. These images of Miroslava, particularly the one where she is wearing the amazing black trouser one-piece, makes me wish I had a high flying job that enabled me to power dress all the time... just perhaps without the stress?

Jackets and Jackets and Jackets

After an absolutely amazing weekend in Prague, I've spent the rest of this week curled up in bed nursing the flu. In between trying to get my housemates to venture out and bring me back supplies and making very ill noises down the phone to my mum, I managed to find the time to fit in watching some of the fall shows. When I'm feeling a bit more up to it then I'll write up my thoughts on the shows. However, I thought I'd do a quick post on a trend that I can't seem to get away from but am really loving... layering jackets!

It has been seen both on the streets and on the catwalk, most recently in the A/W13 DKNY show.

DKNY A/W13 (photos from style.com)

I particularly love the black/grey/white contrasts and different jacket lengths as shown above with the cropped jacket paired with a blazer at DKNY. I think a classic coat such as a pea coat or trench coat and a blazer underneath is the best way to work this trend but I've seen great casual versions the trend  such as on this off-duty model below, who looks great with a shearling coat and simple hoodie:

Credit: jak&jil

Source Unknown

I have work experience in a few weeks where I will be required to dress smartly so I'll use that as an excuse to pair my new Zara blazer with my coat. If I did it for lectures it would probably look a little too smart amongst the sea of hoodies...

All from Topshop

Three Wishes and Two Resolutions

Happy new year! Hope you all had a lovely christmas and got what you wanted. I got the amazing Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty book and Grace Coddington's memoirs which I'll do a review of soon. This is just a quick one so here is my fresh (and brief) wish list for the start of 2013:

Dr Martens 1461 in Cherry Red

I am a massive Dr Martens fan. I've worn my first pair of Dr Martens to death over the past year, they're just great for stomping around Sheffield in the rain and mud. Plus they're incredibly comfortable. However, when I got them for my birthday last year it was a big toss up between the classic 1460s (which I got in the end) or the 1461s. I haven't decided between red or black yet but basically all my shoes are black so a bit of variety would be good. I'm going shopping in Manchester with Mum on my 20th (argh) birthday so I will pop into the Dr Martens shop and try these on.

(image credit)

New Balance 576

I go everywhere by foot these days and my feet are starting to look seriously beaten up so I'm accepting the need to dump the flimsy ballet flats in favour of comfortable shoes, or 'proper shoes' as my Mum would call them. I saw this look above posted on Tumblr a few weeks back and I can't stop thinking about how perfect these New Balance 576's are. There is a pair in my size going on eBay but I think I'm gonna hang fire until after my student loan comes in.

Mac Lipstick in 'Dubonnet'

I bought Revlon's 'Black Cherry' a couple of months ago and it is lovely but it is very dark so I can definitely only wear it on nights out. I am looking for a 'wearable' dark cherry lipstick that can work for day and night. MAC's 'Dubonnet'  isn't necessarily going to be the one I'll get because when I go shopping in Manchester, I'm going to pester the MAC consultants about their dark lipsticks and what they think may work best.

I have three main resolutions for this year:

1. Read More

Doing pretty well on this one, I've already got through Grace Coddington's memoirs, The Graduate and Brighton Rock this year. I love reading but I am always quite busy with uni and my part time job so I usually just crash into bed at night but am making an active effort this year to read every night before I go to sleep.

2. Cut down on Coca Cola

Anyone who knows me well will know that I am seriously addicted to Coca Cola. However, it is definitely not doing my poor teeth any favours so this year I am determined to make a serious effort to cut down and only have it as an occasional treat when I'm out and about.

What are your new years resolutions?

Ay, Caramba!

I have been a fan of Jeremy Scott for many years. To me, he represents the epitome of young exciting designers that have burst onto the scene in recent years and his collaborations with Adidas have been hugely successful. The thing I love most about his work are the eccentric prints. The rose and plane print from Spring 2009 was an obsession for ages and I get really envious every time I see someone with a bag from the Longchamp collection.

Jeremy Scott x Longchamp (image credit)

As usual, Jeremy Scott’s fall 2012 collection was an explosion of colour, sequins and cartoons. Bart Simpson’s face adorned many looks in the collection. As someone who has been a life long Simpsons fan, I absolutely love that it has worked its way onto the catwalk.

Jeremy Scott Fall 2012 - images from style.com

Model Cara Delevingne has really set this trend off after she was sighted in the sweater and skirt backstage at various fashion shows. She is so effortlessly cool and I think this is the spirit of Jeremy Scott’s clothing so it is a perfect pairing. I think the best way to work this trend would be to keep the rest simple so I’d probably pair the jumper with black leggings and doc martens or (if I was lucky enough to own some) UNIF Hellbounds. Cara Delevingne paired hers with a backpack and trainers which channels the fun childhood element of cartoons.

Cara Delevingne in Jeremy Scott (image credit)

Blogger favourite Romwe has got some impressive Jeremy Scott inspired pieces for a fraction of the price. However, the increasing popularity of this trend means they keep selling out. I've got my eye on this shirt like a hawk and should it restock (fingers crossed) I will more than likely snap it up. To me, this faded denim shirt with cartoon references feels really nineties – maybe it is the connection with my childhood?

'Cartoon Portrait Head' Shirt - Romwe

However, I think there are cheaper and more creative ways to channel this trend on a student budget. Many high street stores like Primark have children's sections full of cartoon prints (usually Simpsons merchandise!) and a boy's t-shirt, in a large size, would look great with the sleeves rolled up, high waisted jeans tough silver accessories and docs. You could even chop it up and make it into a crop but you’d have to be really brave to do that in this British chill!

Anna Wintour as US Ambassador to the UK?

I know this is a somewhat rather late weigh-in on the argument as it seems to have died down on the internet but I thought I'd give my ten pence anyway.

Rumours have been snaking around the internet that Anna Wintour is to be approached by Barack Obama for the position of US ambassador to the UK. Wintour’s publicist has outright denied that she would take up such an offer in the unlikely event she was offered it. However, regardless of this many have been speculating about whether or not Wintour is a suitable candidate for the position.

Anna Wintour is arguably the most powerful person in the global $200 billion fashion industry today. In her 24-year career as editor-in-chief of US Vogue, she has engineered some very successful business and fashion partnerships. The documentary ‘The September Issue’ showed the blossoming Thakoon and Gap relationship, put together by Wintour who singled out the young designer for the position. She has also raised substantial amounts of money for charity and over $500,000 for Obama’s re-election fund. Furthermore, in an age where many are mourning the death of the printed word and many newspapers and magazines are struggling to gain a decent readership, Wintour has pushed Vogue to the very forefront of fashion publishing.

Nile Gardiner, of The Telegraph, was quite spiteful in the way in which he talked about fashion and dismissed Anna Wintour as merely part of Obama’s ‘obsession with celebrities’. Wintour is not the celebrity face on the front of the magazine as Gardiner woefully dismisses. Instead, she is the woman behind it. The driving force that keeps Vogue as one of the world’s most successful fashion magazines and has a considerable influence in the careers of both established and up-and-coming fashion designers. It seems Gardiner expects Wintour to take on the persona of her supposed Devil Wears Prada alter ego Miranda Priestly with the headline ‘the Special Relationship is not a fashion statement’. I imagine the only reaction Miranda Priestly-esque reaction Wintour would have to that wholly patronising headline is a dismissing roll of the eyes.

However, dealing with business issues does not necessarily translate well into dealing with important diplomatic issues, which is the central role of a US ambassador. ‘A Rose in the Desert’ was the headline of a 3,000 word glowing report of the Asma al-Assad, first lady of Assad’s murderous Syrian regime, printed by Vogue in march 2011. Many consider this mistake to have blighted Wintour’s chances at the post and would be a shady point in the unlikely event she were offered it. Fortunately, Vogue later distanced itself from the deplorable Assad regime and the article was pulled from their website. However, somebody in such an instrumental diplomatic position, as the US ambassador to the UK would be, cannot afford to make a mistake like this.

Ultimately, I think Anna Wintour is unsuitable for the position of US ambassador to the UK because of her lack of political experience, and on this basis only. Her position as a powerful business woman simply cannot be disputed and I want to tear my hair out when I read online articles in relation to this issue that belittle her for the position purely on the basis of her role in the ‘seemingly pointless’ fashion business.

Nicolas Ghesquiere Departing from Balenciaga

I've been super busy with uni work and will be for a bit yet but wanted to just acknowledge (though pretty late on this one!) the departure of Nicolas Ghesquiere from Balenciaga after 15 years. Throughout my younger teenager years when I was just getting interested in fashion properly and discovering various fashion designers, labels and their styles, Balenciaga was one that always markedly stood out. I'm writing this as though its an obituary and its not of course! I look forwards to seeing what his next move is and what direction Balenciaga take after his departure.

Just a select few of my favourite Ghesquiere Balenciaga designs. The last one is from my all time favourite collection of his, spring 2011. Been trying to work a similar look recently (with jeans instead of the shorts...):

Fall 2006 RTW

Spring 2008 RTW

Spring 2011 RTW

Image 1 / Image 2 / Image 3 / Image 4

A/W Trend #2: Dark Glamour

I've coined this term myself because to me its all about luxury with a gothic twist. In the dark glamour trend, black is the integral colour. It is brought to life by metallics (particularly gold) and jacquard patterns. Think smart cuts, tailoring, metallic detailing and classical prints like baroque and jacquard. Soften the trend up with velvet and light fabrics like chiffon.

Gucci Fall 2012Gucci is one of the main collections that comes to mind when I think of the dark glamour trend. It was mainly black but the velvet brocade detailing brought the tailored suits to life and I love the harsh militaristic styles against the soft chiffon fabrics. 

Dolce and Gabbana A/W 2012Dolce and Gabbana's collection was notable for its use of mixed textures like lace, velvet and fur. The gold baroque applique also sums the dark glamour trend up pretty well. Dresses with this kind of detailing are all over the high street at the moment such as this one below which I've spotted in River Island. Pairing a (faux) fur jacket with dresses in the evening would be perfect for this look.

Black foil baroque dress - River Island - £40

Gold Jacquard Jacket - £60 - ASOS

Jacquard Coat - Zara - £79.99

Jacquard Loom Trousers - Zara - £39.99

(Primark have a similar pair of trousers for £16)

This trend aso translates into beauty. Dark lipstick with simple eye makeup was huge in the fall collections and a particularly favourite of mine was Pat McGrath's work on the Gucci collection which was all about bleached eyebrows, simple eye makeup and strong lipstick.

Gucci A/W 12 Makeup Details (Image credit)

MAC Dark Shine lipstick / NARS Larger Than Life Lipgloss / OPI Nail Varnish

(Runway photos from Style.com)

A/W Trends #1: Coats

This weirdly humid but horribly rainy weather that has been  on a constant for the last week or so is getting me in the mood for autumn and uni starting again. I was going to do one big blog post on A/W trends but I'm going to split it into several individual posts instead. Coats are like my thing so naturally they get to go first. A coat graces nearly every single outfit I wear in late autumn and winter so I like it to be perfect and usually get a new one every year (or every two years if it was a particular expensive affair).

1970s Luxe

Matthew Williamson, Mulberry, Moschino Cheap & Chic

'Fuzz' sums this trend up better than 'fur' and to me is very 70s inspired. I could image walking down the street in a coat similar to the Matthew Williamson one with orange bell bottoms and platforms with 'Get It On' by T-Rex blasting in the background. I also highly recommend taking a look at Mulberry's latest ad campaign inspired by 'Where the Wild Things Are', I think it is great.

Tiger In the Jungle Bomber Jacket - Topshop - £250

English Heritage

Ralph Lauren, Daks, Vivienne Westwood

English heritage made an appearance in quite a few A/W 2012-13 collections. Forget quilted jackets and Jack Wills, this is all about fine tailoring - dog tooth, tweed and argyll. These kind of coats would look amazing with brogues and statement knitwear, in a similar style to Ralph Lauren.

Military

McQ, Altuzarra, MaxMara

The military coat surfaces every year but slightly different each time. This year the focus appears to be on khaki (such as that seen at Burberry Prorsum, McQ by Alexander McQueen and MaxMara) or sharp black jackets with brass buttons.

Military Coat - Zara - £89.99

Mannish

Matthew Williamson, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Paul Smith

This is one of my favourite coat trends and the one that I'll probably try and buy into once autumn comes around. I really like the look with a fitted suit underneath similar to what Paul Smith has done above. However, for those that aren't confident fully embracing the masculine trend this winter then a mannish coat paired with a feminine dress would look great, or if you do decide to go for the suit then pair it up with heels.

Grandfather Coat - Urban Outfitters - £185

Oversized

3.1 Phillip Lim, Jil Sander, Acne

Celine, Balenciaga, Celine

This trend featured so heavily in the fall collections that I had to include more than just a select few designer pieces. For the most part, this is kind of entwined with the 'mannish' trend because of the oversized tailoring of the coats but Jil Sander and Celine managed to put a feminine edge on these masculine shapes by using feminine colours. A few years ago I had a coat from Topshop that would have fit this trend perfectly - I regret getting rid of it now!

Boyfriend Coat by Unique - Topshop -£250