Powder pink coat – H&M
Black top – ASOS
Dogtooth Skirt – Boohoo
Boots – New Look (old)
Clutch – Primark (old)
This powder pink coat from H&M is one of the best spring coats out there in my opinion, especially as it cost just £35 and looks like a (lot more expensive) Zara version! It is lightweight and was perfect to wear for my Saturday night drinks up the Shard and anniversary meal at Gaucho (Tower Bridge).
What do you think? What are your favourite spring coats out there?
So, another London Fashion Week season is drawing to a close and we have seen so many fabulous catwalk looks and trends! I was really lucky to go to some great shows, including the Orla Kiely AW14 show and Hema Kaul AW14 catwalk – you can read all about my day at LFW here.
I have tried to pick out some of the recurring trends below (all images taken from the official LFW website) – what do you think?
Camel Coats
PPQ – Daks – Jasper Conran
Rich Burgundy Berry Colours
Daks – Jean Pierre Braganza – Simone Rocha
Metallic Jackets
Todd Lynn – Daks – Zoe Jordan
Floor-Length White
Eudon Choi – Felder Felder – J. JS Lee
Checks
Meadham Kirchhoff – Eudon Choi – J. JS Lee
Fur Coats
Topshop Unique – Eudon Choi – Tom Ford
Velvet
Simone Rocha – Tom Ford – Meadham Kirchhoff
Geometric
Roksanda Ilincic – Christopher Kane – David Koma
Blue Hues
Osman – Topshop Unique – Roksanda Ilincic
Hema Kaul’s AW14 showcase was a masterclass in 1950s vintage glamour with a modern twist.
Held in the beautiful hall at the Vauxhall Fashion Scout venue, the grand backdrop was completely fitting for the elegant, glamorous items that took to the catwalk. These included striking floor-length dresses, feminine tailored trousers, peplum tops and satin skirts, with velvet and the designer’s signature embroidery adding an intricately updated twist. Some of the stand-out items were the classy oyster and nude outfits that came first, such as the champagne coloured V-neck peplum top embroidered with lace and matched with a fitted satin pencil skirt. The midnight blue two piece was also gorgeous, featuring a velvet peplum top with detailed sleeves set against silky trousers and glamorous heels. Finally, the striking scarlet floor-length gown drew a gasp from the audience as the full skirt was set against a detailed, intricately embroidered top, looking like something that could easily be seen on the red carpet.
Hair and make-up also embraced the vintage glamour feel, as models all walked out with full, rich red lips and groomed, waved hair pulled back. It is safe to say that Hema Kaul’s AW14 effervescent showcase transported the audience back to 1950s glamour, celebrating the female form whilst also giving it a modern edge.
Cats and dogs were very much the motif-du-jou for Kiely’s AW14 collection, whether it was the large black cat outline on a preppy roll-neck jumper or the small whimsical cat prints dotted all over the patent belted trench coats. Amidst these patterns were Kiely’s notorious retro floral prints as well as navy, green, pink and browns on pleated skirts, preppy jumpers and 60s style dresses. The outfits were layered with vintage-style fur coats or cute swing pea coats and teamed with chunky clog/brogue style shoes, gorgeous velvet collars, cute printed umbrellas and vintage-style satchel handbags, making this a wonderfully stylish homage to retro fashion. Hair and make-up were kept fresh and simple, with gently backcombed hair swept into a low side pony and dewy skin with coral cheeks.
The Orla Kiely AW14 show was as creative and unique as ever, with cute retro preppy styles teamed with the designer’s whimsical prints making it a welcome departure from the miserable weather outside (even if it was still raining cats and dogs inside). Another thumbs up from me!
The cobbles at Somerset House are getting filled with fashionistas, Proper Corn and Vita Coco water as another season of London Fashion Week starts again! I am down for the weekend covering shows for Who’s Jack magazine; yesterday I got to see the fabulous Orla Kiely AW14 show (read my review here) and plenty at Vauxhall Fashion Scout including Xiao Li (review here), Kiev Fashion Days (review here) and Hema Kaul (review here).
February is always a hard month to dress fashionably for in London and especially so this season with the gale-force winds and storms! I decided to go for a monochrome checked trench coat which I actually got years ago from the Clothes Show in Birmingham, a bright yellow mini skirt c/o Motel Rocks, a white shirt from Missguided and a black top from H&M. This is me with the rest of the Who’s Jack girls:
Corin – Kathryn – me – Camilla
At the Felicities event at ME Hotel
During a break between shows, a couple of us went to visit the Felicities designer event at the rooftop bar of the 5* ME Hotel (see pic above). The ME Hotel is absolutely gorgeous and so chic – I can’t wait for the summer when it is warm enough to drink outside on the rooftop bar! Thanks to Felicities PR for having us.
After a stop off at Itsu, the girls and I went to the Jasper Garvida after-party at Movida, Oxford Circus. We were kindly treated to free drinks – thanks again to Felicities for organising a fabulous evening!
Debenhams recently emailed with a fabulous style competition for fashion bloggers, challenging them to create two themed outfits from their winter collection. The first was a ‘Winter Warmer’ theme whilst the second was a ‘Party Look’, with both having to cost under £250 each. The lovely bloggers Girl in the Lens and VIPXO have been chosen as the judges (you can see their example entries here and here) and get to decide who wins the amazing £500 prize!
So, without further ado, here are my entries…
Oasis Waterfall Jacket – £50.00
The Collection Grey Tunic Jumper – £12.50
Warehouse Scarf – £22.00
Roberto Vianni Tan Riding Boots – £119
Red Herring Blue Skinny Jeans – £19.20
John Rocha Fairisle Socks – £8.00
Total: £230.70
There is nothing better in winter than snuggling into a comfy jumper, laid back jeans and a pair of cosy socks, so this made the basis of my Winter Warmer outfit. I dressed it up with a fabulous oversized scarf and a smart waterfall jacket – you can never have too many layers in Britain! Finally, I teamed the outfit with a pair of classic riding boots which are such an investment and will never go out of fashion.
Quiz Fur Jacket – £39.99
Quiz Red Skater Dress – £19.99
Guess Serpent Bracelet – £95.00
YSL Rouge Pur Couture (Red) – £20.00
Head Over Heels Clutch Bag – £29.00
Call It Spring Caged Heels – £35.00
TOTAL: £248.00
Winter can be so bleak in the UK so I decided to choose a bright, colour-popping red dress for the Party Look! As well as bringing a little energy, it also comes complete with an embellished collar, meaning you don’t even have to go scouring for a necklace. A gorgeous (faux) fur jacket is something every girl needs in her wardrobe, so I added one here along with black caged heels to toughen up the outfit. Finally, I added both a simple black clutch with a zip and a serpent bangle for extra edge, as well as a red lippy to bring the whole outfit together.
What do you think? Did anyone else enter the competition? I would love to read your entries!
Hustlin’ Paris Tee – ASOS (sale!)
Chain Necklace – New Look
Tartan Scarf – Primark
Coat – Forever 21
Grey Cardigan – Boohoo
Skirt – Primark
Boots – Primark
Over the weekend we popped to Hoxton for brunch at The Breakfast Club and I decided to take my new ASOS ‘Hustlin Paris’ tee out for a stroll! I picked it up in the ASOS sale for just £12 – now I just need Rihanna’s swag and I’m all set…
I was rooting around looking for a potential evening bag for New Years Eve and suddenly came across this fabulous black and gold clutch from Just Fab which I had completely forgotten about:
Not only is it super sturdy but it also is a dead ringer for a (more expensive) Zara version! I was gifted it after attending the JustFab event last month, held at the very swanky Penthouse in Leicester Square. JustFab is an online fashion subscription retailer specialising in shoes, bags and accessories. The idea of the website is that you pay £35 each month and can choose any item on offer; if there is nothing that you like the look of that month, you can simply skip payment that month and wait until the next! (Personally, I think the bags are the strongest part of the website).
To celebrate the event in London, artist Boyade was also there customising bags live. She explained that she began her career by painting on women’s bottoms (!) before she was commissioned to customise a bespoke designer bag for someone, which led to her delving into this form of artwork. Guests were given their own art materials in the event goody bag and encouraged to try customising one of the JustFab bags but as I am rubbish at crafts/like my bag as it is, I’ve left it to Boyarde…
Boyarde customising bags at the JustFab event
The Little Black Dress is that fail-safe, go-to dress that every girl has hanging in their wardrobe and now Freixenet have come up with their Little Black Bottle – a stylish (and reasonably priced!) bottle of cava designed to be as equally fabulous at festive parties! After sponsoring the Motel blogger event a few weeks ago, Freixenet got in touch with me about their Christmas challenge where I was asked to style up their Little Black Bottle in the same way that I would a dress. Want to see how I got on?
1 – ASOS Leather Pony Paint Clutch Bag
2 – River Island Spiked Necklace
3 – Freixenet Little Black Bottle
4 – Motel Fur Jacket
5 – River Island Stiletto Sandals
I love fur jackets for a party so included this fabulous black one from Motel, paired with sleek, barely-there stiletto sandals from River Island for a chic contrast. So as not to be too dark, I included a splattered clutch from ASOS and a gold spiked necklace from River Island for a bit of edge!
What do you think of Freixenet and their Little Black Bottle? How would you dress yours?
I was kindly sent this gorgeous black fringed Kimono from She Likes a few weeks back and have been wearing it non-stop (though apparently never when a camera has been around)! It has a lovely velvet-like feel and a subtle black design which makes it look quite premium and it works both dressed up and dressed down; it looks great with jeans and a white tee, as well as with disco pants and a glam top. She Likes is one of those fast-fashion websites that I have been aware of for a while but recently it has really upped its fashion offering and I feel like it has become more unique, which is great.
Kimono – c/o She Likes
Grey Marl Jumper – Forever 21 (similar here)
Necklace – Primark
Leather skirt – Primark
Boots – Primark
A 23 year old beauty/fashion PR girl from the Midlands now living in London and writing about all things fashion, beauty and fabulous!
British Beauty Blagger 