Floral Trousers

What with spring on the doorstep and prints being big news for spring/summer 12, floral trousers have hit the high-street in force.

Olivia Palermo was spotted recently in a pair from Topshop (as featured in this post while they were still available) and as such they are currently out of stock.  What power!

They have been styled beautifully by Jessica Alba, Zoe Saldana and Bethany from  archedeyebrow who all realise that you need to match the rest of your outfit to a chosen colour in the trousers, and stick to block colours.  Even the generally-not-so-stylish Cher Lloyd looks OK in them too.

Verdict?  Floral trousers are very much on-trend right now but, I have to say these patterns remind me of the seating in the caravan we used to holiday in 15 years ago, and therefore the print will not flourish much past the end of this summer.  Therefore, don't splash out, get one of the high-street pairs I've found below.

                       1.                                                                                 2.            

         

                                                                                                      3.

 

                                                    4.

1.  Boohoo - £20 

2.  Isabel Marant - £240 - if you really do want to splash out

3.  Topshop - £45

4.  Warehouse - £55

Print Mania

Floral, tribal, psychedelic, this season go print crazy!

Thakoon SS 12

Diane von Furstenburg SS12

I find many of the catwalk looks just a little too much and I would therefore wear just one key piece in the trend with neutral accessories.  However, if you're brave just do it and dress up completely in some powerful print, or, if you are incredibly talented you will be able to mix your prints without your outfit being physically tiring to look at - Solange Knowles is particularly talented in this area.

 


Here are my top 5 looks from the high-street:

Print Dress - Vero Moda - was £26 now £20.50

Printed Harem Pants - Fashion Union - was £18 now £10

Print Maxi Dress - Miss Sixty - was £75 now £37.50

Tropical Trousers - Topshop - £45

Print T-Shirt - Desigual - was £64 now £44.80

Book Clutches

Is it a book?  Is it a bag?  Yes it's a bag.

I first spotted this curious creation when I saw Michelle Williams sporting one at the Baftas...

Michelle Williams arriving at the Baftas

A custom-made tribute to Arthur Miller's 'The Misfits' 

...however, after a little research I realised that they've been in circulation for decades and you can pick up your own vintage version, like these ones below, on sites such as etsy.com.

Vintage Bag Clutch - about £28

Vintage Bag Clutch - about £41

If you're after la crème de la crème then it has to be an Olympia Le Tan clutch, which will set you back about £900.  Le Tan's creations have been seen in the hands of stars such as Tilda Swinton and Natalie Portman, though in the designer's words, 'I rather like to see someone I don’t know wearing my bag in the street and I have no idea how they got it'.  Take a look at her blog here.  As for actually getting your hands on one - good luck! Every single book design (of which there are a good 20) is already sold out on her site.

Book clutch by Le Tan - perfect for this season's 20's trend
(read about it here)

I'm really struggling to find a high-street version of the bag.  Asos did attempt it, but failed miserably in my opinion with the bag being made from plastic-y leather, and being stamped with 'Book Club' rather than with the name of a much loved classic or author.  (That said the bag has sold out so clearly some thought was put into it).

If you're really crafty, then why not make one yourself?  There's a fantastic tutorial on DIY blog runwaydiy, which just makes it look so easy!

The finished item, from runwaydiy.com

All that Glitters is Gold

Make like Cara Delevigne in a sparkly gold dress.  Accessories are strictly black-only, the dress speaks volumes as it is.  Biker boots optional!

Cara Delevigne

1.

Sequined Dress - Motel - now £48 was £58, 17% off

2.

Metallic Dress - Oasis - now £30 was £70 , 57% off

3.

Sequin Tunic - Vince - now £168 was £421, 60% off

4.

Sequin Bandeau Dress - Lavish Alice - now £15

5.

Sequined Dress - French Connection - £165

Sweet as Candy

Refresh your spring wardrobe with a new colour palette of pretty pastels.  Seen throughout the catwalks such as at Mulberry and Tibi, this is a really easy trend to follow, and you can simply wear a flash of pastel in the form of shoes or a handbag, or dress yourself head to toe in ice-cream shades.

Tibi Spring 2012

Mulberry Spring 2012

Here's my top 5..

1.   Ballet Pumps, French Sole

2.  Knitted Sweater, Acne

3.  Peplum Dress, Miss Selfridge

4.  Shift Dress, Topshop

5.  Handbag, Oasis

Time to Invest

It's time for the January sales, or in other words, investment time.  It makes economic sense to use these sales, the most extensive and generous of the year, to stock up on your timeless essentials.  I emphasise this because if you are a slave to trends, then now is not the time to max out on a black PVC all-in-one, even if it is 90% off (see the article on this here).

I'm really talking about coats, jackets, boots and handbags, in classic shapes and luxe fabrics.  Although these do evolve with the times too, if it suits you well, and it's not too trend focused, then you can easily pass it off for years to come.  Invest now, and shop around, you should not pay a penny over 50% off at this time of year.

Here are some of my own finds.

Happy shopping!

Trench Coat Jaeger @ Harrods, now £299 was £760, 60% off

Ankle Boots, Bertie, now £59 was £119, 50% off

Clutch, Karen Millen, now £25 was £95, 74% off

Jeans that fit, yes you heard me.

If you're reading this, then you like to shop.  But have you ever considered just how much you take for granted the ease of buying clothes?  You see an item you like, you whisk it off the shelf, head for the dressing room, try it on and quickly deduce whether it suits you or not.  Then depending on your level of self-control, you either toss it if it's not exactly right, or buy it no matter what the fitting room outcome.

However if you're anything like me, there is one item in the wardrobe which is NEVER a pleasure to shop for - jeans.  Jeans shopping has become a once-a-year full day commitment/ordeal for me, during which I will trail every high-street shop, picking out up to 25 pairs to try (I'm one of the few that seem to use those £1 trolleys in TK Maxx...), then I will typically come out of the fitting room an hour later with nothing that even vaguely fitted and so, having little self-control, I leave with a pair I don't want.  I have therefore resorted to always wearing ill-fitting jeans and either pasting them to my hips with a tight belt, or simply wearing long tops to cover up the whole mess.

The problem is that I am of mixed race origin, being one half Caribbean, one half English, and with such a heritage, well let's just say that my behind is a little more prominent than that most of my friends' (or as Levi's tactfully put it, I have a 'full seat').  This has caused me no end of problems when it comes to jeans, as it means that there is always a gaping hole at the back since the jeans are not designed to sit flat on a more curved figure.  However, about a year ago, I discovered a miracle - Levi's Curve ID.  Levi's have measured 65,000 women to make these custom-fit jeans, which are actually designed to fit real women!  And they're not just for the more curvy figure - whether you're full-seated or not, there's a fit just for you.  When I saw the advertisements for the jeans, I thought I'd take a look so I went to my nearest shop, found my size (I take a bold curve fit) and miracle of all miracles, the jeans fitted first time, perfectly.  No gaping holes, no need for belts, no massively over-generous leg length (who decided that 'Regular' would fit someone 6" or over?)  My days of uncomfortable jeans are over.

There is a downside.  Levi's are a bit pricey being £80 - £100 on average, but I wear jeans everyday of my life and so am happy to splash out a little more for good jeans that fit.  Plus, Levi's offer a generous 20% student discount, and Christmas is over so make the most of the sales!

Find your ID now here.

Levi's Bold Curve Skinny - now £64 was £80 - 20% off

Levi's Demi Curve Skinny - now £72 was £90 - 20% off

Levi's Slight Curve Slim - now £64 was £80 - 20% off

Stocking Fillers

1/  Bra, Gossard, now £20, was £29, 30% off

Thong, Gossard, now £9, was £12, 25% off

2/  "Do your good deed for the day with this fairtrade necklace"

Necklace, Manumit, now £9.75, was £15, 35% off

3/  "A simple black clutch is the essential for Christmas party season"

Clutch, French Connection, now £25, was £50, 50% off

4/  Briefs, Anthropologie, now £10, was £26, 60% off

5/  "100% sheepskin to keep your toes toastie around the house"

Slippers, Just Sheepskin, now £35, was £70, 50% off

6/  "Practical, roomy and looks so luxe you wouldn't guess the price tag..."

Handbag, H&M, now £8, was £13, 40% off

7/  "Classic knit, wintery shade, plus you can still text at the same time"

Handwarmers, Topshop, now £10, was £14, 30% off

To buy, just click on any of the above links.

My Little Black Dress - Part 2

You really can't go wrong with an LBD.

1.  Black bead drop earrings, Debenhams, was £118 now £88, 25% off

2.  Knit Dress, Karen Millen, was £160 now £80, 50% off

3.  Silk Clutch, Hobbs, was £79 now £39, 50% off

4.  Ankle Boots, Kurt Geiger, was £265 now £185, 30% off

Simply click the links above to buy.

My Little Black Dress - Part 1

Party season is upon us, so get clicking and you will go to the ball!

1.  Pear Jewel Drop Earrings, Mimco (no longer available)

2.  LBD, Dorothy Perkins (no longer available)

3. Lauren Bag, Coast, now £19, was £55 (65% off)

4. Animal Print Bracelet, Kenneth Jay Lane, now £46 was £115 (60% off)

5. Spike and Diamente Heels, Sam Edelman, now £135, was £180 (25% off)

Simply click the links above to buy.

Top 10 Animal Inspired Heels

Take a walk on the wild side with this super-cool collection of animal print heels.

Peep Toe Platforms with Ankle Strap, was £150 now £75, 50% off by Carvela

Peep Toe Platforms, was £150 now £100, 1/3 off by Ted Baker

Platform Court Shoes, was £25 now £20, 20% off by Barratts

Bow Detail Heels, was £179 now £99, 45% off, by Kurt Geiger

Wedge Ankle Boots, was £180 now £119, 1/3 off, by Kurt Geiger

Satin Pumps, now £137, 30% off, by Kate Spade

Pu Crinkle Platforms, was £24.99 now £10, 60% off, by Desire Clothing

Platform Courts, was £80 now £40, 50% off, by Dune

Court Shoes, was £195 now £95, 50% off, by L.K. Bennett

Peep Toe Heels, was £100 now £36, 64% off, by BCBGeneration