What I Wore to London Fashion Week

There's something about Fashion Week that is utterly fascinating. Seeing the street style, the trends on the catwalks and the glamorous front row occupants, I'm hooked on reading the round-ups and  pinning my favourite looks to get inspiration for the months to come. I've attended a Fashion Scout show and London Fashion Weekend before, but this season is the first time I've attended full-blown designer shows, and I was SO excited. But oh! What to wear!

Another Blog Post on Tropical Prints

I'm wearing:
T-Shirt - Primark
Shorts - ASOS £30
Plimsolls - Urban Outfitters

I've read a million blog posts on this trend, but I can't resist joining in. These shorts are too epic to pass up writing about and I'm completely head over heels obsessed with them. I am well known for being extremely grumpy when it comes to summer dressing. I get too hot too quickly, and being tall I really struggle to find a skirt, dress or shorts that aren't far too revealing. However, recently I have managed to nab a few high waisted shorts that aren't super skimpy and suit my shape and age (I'm 25, I'm not wearing hot pants, thanks). These tropical print shorts aren't the average green palm tree that dominates most items ; I love how they are relatively neutral while still showcasing a pattern. They were lingering in my ASOS wish list for about a month, and on a payday fuelled whim, I added them to my basket. They are wide in shape which makes them extremely comfortable, and hides the cleverly concealed pockets (often a bug bear of summer clothing for me). I can be wary of things this shape (hello most midi skirts) because I'm rather blessed in the hip department, but I don't think these accentuate any unflattering bits at all, in fact, rather the opposite due to where they sit on my waist. I've got a pair of sports style shorts with fluroescent palm trees on that I bought for my holiday last year (they sound horrid but I promise they're not!) so I'll be digging those out if the good weather hangs around too!

WIWT: Peter Pilotto for Target

Yes, I caved and was one of the frantic fashion obsessives that crashed Net-a-Porter the day this collection came out. Out of the five things I had on my wish list, this top was the one thing I managed to nab. But isn't it pretty? 

The quality is what you would expect for a collection made for a high street store (Target is the US version of Primark from what I can gather), but the pattern is perfect. Is it floral? I'm not sure, but the darker colour palette and long sleeves mean I can wear it even before Spring officially hits. I wore this to work with my new super skinny trousers from Zara that I picked up while I was in Sydney (but are available from the UK here), and comfy-but-battered Converse. I've worn it tucked into a high waisted pencil skirt before as well which is great for something a bit more formal.

Did you manage to get anything from the collection?

Geo Print Monochrome, Topshop Bargain Boots

Dress: Boohoo £15
Boots: Topshop

This stupid weather. Not only is it consuming every conversation I have in a frustratingly British way, but it recently made me have to say an emotional farewell to my beloved silver glitter brogues. I bought them about five years ago in the Office Christmas sale and they haven't been waterproof for a little while now. However, they broke in spectacular fashion as I was on my way to a client meeting in torrential rain. 

With shoe thoroughly detached from sole (and soul pretty detached too), I hobbled on down to Topshop Oxford Street with the aim to get any pair of shoes that went with the monochrome dress I was wearing. Two things to bear in mind here: it was the day before payday, so budget was basically non-existant, and I was going out to the theatre that night, so it wasn't a case of grabbing any old crap to deal with the rest of the work day.

By some small miracle, I found one solitary burgundy boot in my size. A quick frantic search found the other one on the opposite side of the sale section and they turned out to be an amazing find! Reduced from £75 to £20, these are something I would have seriously considered paying full price for. By complete accident, I've ended up having an outfit that I really love, all thanks to crappy broken shoes!

Oversized Check, Magenta Courts

As I continued on my quest to add simple but interesting basics to my wardrobe, I found this top on ASOS (and it's now reduced down to £8!) which fit a number of things on my current tick list:

- an interesting shape
- has a pattern
- predominantly black, white or grey

It's actually a swing type fit but it falls to my hips and accentuates them a bit too much for my liking, so I tucked it into my jeans instead. The pattern did intimidate me a bit (it reminds me a bit of the Louis Vuitton Damier check) and I've owned this top for quite a while before actually wearing it, but I think for me, I just need to wear it with something simple to not feel overdressed.

To make it slightly more fun, I wore my adorable Me & Zena robot necklace, which is pretty unassuming until you see it a bit closer up. I think silver goes with this top a lot more than gold, but because of the neckline it either needs to be a short necklace or earrings. Saying that, with the super thin spaghetti straps, this is very much a summer top when it's not being a bit more formal.

I'm also genuinely excited about how well my new magenta courts from Topshop go with my acid wash denim jeans (also from ASOS). Actual match made in Heaven! I bought these shoes in the Christmas sales, reduced down from £35 to just £15, and in fact, now they are down to £10! I love their height and fit so much, I bought them in black too!

Sunday Night Nails #3

This is a really basic Aztec nail art that you don't need a lot of time for. I've used my trusted colour combination of turquoise, pink and white, but play around with the colours and see what works for you.

Step 1: Paint your base colour and leave to dry

Step 2: Use a black nail art pen to draw three equally spaced triangles from the base of the nail

Step 3: Use a white nail art pen to fill in the first and third spaces in between the black lines

Step 4: Use a pink nail art pen to draw a point above the top black line

Step 5: Use the black nail art pen to draw symmetrical dots all up the pink line to finish

What I Wore for... New Year's Eve 2013

I'm not a huge fan of New Year's Eve. Too many people, overpriced drinks, the forced expectation to have the best night ever. Secretly I'd rather stay in with a takeaway and a Gossip Girl box set, but if the whole world is having a drink, I guess I should too!

This blouse from Mango has been on my Pinterest wish list since I first saw it on the WIWT Lust List. Thanks to the amazing Shopstyle app (a post on that to come soon!), I had a sale alert set up for it so when it went down to half price  to £20, I could buy it instantly. 

As it's a very fussy print I chose to keep it really simple and wear it with plain black jeans and chunky heeled black boots. I do love my accessories though so I still tucked a spiked necklace under the collar just to give it a bit of something extra.

I love these silver rings, especially with the amazing colour of this nail varnish I got for Christmas. It's Superpower Blue by Maybelline Color Show and is almost teal in tone. A new favourite I think!

Hope you all had a great New Year's Eve!

Purse Palpitations Week #14

Ding ding ding! The Celia Birtwell for Uniqlo collection is all in the sale and this great printed tee is currently a steal
T-shirt £7.90 Uniqlo

Camis seem to be the basic to own at the moment, with everyone and their mother owning the Topshop ones. River Island actually have a great selection too and they're cheaper.
Cami £15 River Island

H&M Sportswear is my favourite on the high street and they keep bringing out new pieces that maintain that status. This sports bra is a new must-have.
Sports bra £12.99 H&M

These T-Bar Points are such a fabulous shape and the pastel shade is perfect to see out Summer with some boyfriend jeans
Heels £68 Topshop

Stripes, Bling and Burgers

Blazer: Vintage
Vest: H&M
Necklace: Craft fair
Trousers: Topshop £35
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

I told you more patterned trousers had come into my life recently! These are a bit less in-your-face than the jungle print ones I wore the other day, as I wanted a few pairs that could be worn with more things. I wore this outfit to client meetings on Friday and then to dinner with a friend, so they were perfect for transitioning from work to casual wear.

These are sold in Topshop as 'joggers', I guess down to the slightly elasticated ankles. I prefer the fit of these actually because of that. Having them a bit more fitted makes them more of a cigarette line, perfect if I want something a bit more formal for work.

I got this leopard head necklace for Christmas a few years ago, and it's another one of my favourite tacky bling pieces that should be disgusting but just isn't!

These photos were taken outside Meat Liquor, the infamous burger restaurant in central London. They don't take reservations so there's normally a queue around the block to get in. After I got out of work early on Friday me and my friend took advantage of an early dinner and were not disappointed!

That's a Dead Hippie burger, Chili Cheese burger, Cheesy chips, Slaw and Onion Rings as big as my face

We drank wine from jars which pleased my friend Claire immensely!

One thing I love about London is that you can go out for a meal at one place and then go and find dessert at another! We started off with wine and burgers and ended up with tea and cake. Perfect!

Graduate Fashion Week - Jungle Print Trousers

It's Graduate Fashion Week where the likes of Stella McCartney and Christopher Bailey first rose to fame. This year's GFW is once again sponsored by George at Asda and every year a number of specially designed pieces are sold in Asda stores and online.

Denim jacket: Vintage
Sunglasses: Miu Miu
Vest top: Topshop Boutique
Trousers: George at Asda
Wedges: Jeffrey Campbell

These jungle print trousers were knocked down to £7 recently, and in my attempt to bring more colours and patterns into my wardrobe I gave into the bargain. The usual panic about what I would actually wear with them ensued but I think it ended up OK.

I never wear heels during the day (apart from the odd pair of boots), but these Jeffrey Campbell wedges I scored from eBay for the unbelievable price of £15(!) went so well that I gave in and didn't even end up hobbling around all day. 

Hilariously, while I was shopping in this outfit there as a mannequin in Topshop that was dressed almost identically. I take that as a compliment!

Purse Palpitations Week #11

Another week, and more things I want in my life. Click on the Purse Palpitations tag below this post to see my lusts from past weeks too!

I'm trying not to buy too much black at the moment, but I've just ended up filling my wardrobe with grey instead. This mesh insert jumper is great for the sports luxe trend and looks soooooo cosy.
Dorothy Perkins £19.99

Yes, I have 3 denim shirts already. That doesn't mean that I don't want to wear this one with leggings and high tops until I skip around the house with glee.
Mango at John Lewis £29.99

I've tried wearing round sunglasses and they don't suit me. But I'm still of the 'the bigger the better' thought process when it comes to sunnies. Cat-eye specs instead for me please.
& Other Stories £29

I am a big fan of tube skirts. Weirdly they are much more flattering on me than midis which just make me look like I have a spare tyre. I love this start print one from Topshop.
Topshop £22

A Delivery from Matches

A lot of people (myself included) shop online but say that it'll never really give the enjoyment that actually rummaging in the rails gives. Digging around to find a bargain, being able to try something on, and most importantly getting the item straight away without having to way 3-5 days is all very appealing. But you know what? If every online retailer provided the experience Matches do, my fling with online shopping would turn into a full blown love affair.

After spotting a bargain JW Anderson t-shirt in their sale (thanks to WIWT's Lust List), I made my first purchase on Matches on a lazy Sunday night's browsing. By Tuesday it had arrived, and I was confused by the size of the box considering I'd only bought one small item. Inside wasn't a delivery, it was a present, something that somebody had lovingly crafted and designed to make my purchase special. I'm a complete pushover for fancy storage and nice boxes, and so this is completely up my street. How beautiful is this?

I was so excited to reveal each layer of the perfectly wrapped box, I almost forgot that my amazing bargain was actually in there too!

And here's a hint of what my top looks like. I'm sure it'll appear in a post soon!