Clothes For A Slow Day

For some reason I have almost zero energy today (no, not even a hangover), so all I could muster up was a simple no effort required outfit for a day of reading magazines, ordering wallpaper samples and watching the last few episodes of Justified and first new ones of Dexter. 

Shirt - H&M

Skirt - Zara

Belt (worn as necklace) - Chanel 

Shoes - Christian Louboutin 

Can They Be Sea Snakes?

I have had some very attractive bites on my shin from an overzealous insect that got me last week when I was out at dinner. This is the main reason for much trouser wearing over the past few days. But they don't look so horrific now, so back to shorts and some classic nautical stripes. Yay! 

Top - H&M

Shorts - Whistles 

Belt - Charity Shop 

Shoes - Russell & Bromley 

Acne Inspiration

I think on Saturday I may take a little stroll down to Dover Street and have a long overdue scope out of Dover Street Market and the new Acne store.


I love browsing in Dover Street Market, but I rarely buy - I find the whole place slightly restrictive, the way that shops get when they concentrate too much on being trendy rather than actually selling stuff to people who have money in their pockets. 


I am especially looking forward to seeing the Acne town house, mostly because I have become a serial buyer of the brand in Liberty and getting to browse a more complete range will be a treat. If only the shop had opened earlier I might have got to see these jeans in the flesh.

I am obsessed with the C3-PO style knee details of the S/S10 trousers. A great deal of thought has gone into how I can re-create this, but other than shacking up with a metal worker I am at a loss. 

However, hope lives on when it comes to Acne. Thankfully in their A/W10 collection there is another great idea that I'm going to have to explore...

No, not the great big silver forehead, but the chunky bracelets on the ankle / leg. I have 'ladies ankles' so this might be a physical possibility, but if it all goes pear shaped expect to see a woman walking around London with a stupid combination of cheap bracelets in search of the above mentioned metal worker to get them taken off. 

I will take this moment to add that I have prior experience of such things, having got my head stuck in the RAILINGS OF A BRIDGE in Central London when I was 3. My Mother had to call the fire brigade. I was truly a child prodigy. 

All photos from Style.com  

T-Shirts & Trousers

Another day, another pair of Zara trousers, this time paired with my Rodarte 'Radarte' T-shirt from Opening Ceremony online. I love this shirt, but every time I wear it I get a twinge of sickness remembering the customs bill that came a few weeks later - I hate it when you get caught by Fed Ex...that bargain from the States suddenly feels so much less so. 

I love these shoes - they are a charity shop buy that are sadly a touch too small - I've been dutifully stretching them with lasts for the past year, but they still aren't comfortable enough to wear for more than an hour. It has been suggested that I wet them and stuff them with newspaper, but I'm hesitating over doing this because they are suede - any ideas? Let me know!

T-Shirt - Rodarte 

Trousers - Zara 

Belt - Zara

Shoes - Charity Shop

Dsquared2 Jacket Of Dreams

I'm not usually that enamoured with the brand Dsquared2. For a start that stupid name, but also the aesthetic is a bit 'Italian' for me.  I've always lumped Dsquared2 along with Miss Sixty, Diesel and Energie as Italian clothing that holds pretty much zero appeal to me - too brash, overly detailed and let's face it, a bit dumb. 

But I love LOVE LOVE this jacket from their A/W 10 collection. And I'm willing to take back some of my negative feelings if they give me it for free. 

Photo from Style.com 

Take One Pair Of Zara Trousers...

Top

T-Shirt - Abercrombie & Fitch 

Trousers - Zara 

Belt - Zara 

Shoes - NW3 by Hobbs

Middle 

Denim Waistcoat - H&M

Trousers, Belt & Shoes - same as above

Bottom 

Top - Oasis 

Trousers & Belt - same as above 

Shoes - Christian Louboutin

Out Of This World

I found these trousers in a charity shop near Westfield last week. They are silk (so already I am ignoring my plea to self to not buy any more of the fabric because of my dry cleaning bills, but hey) Topshop Unique from a sample batch as the sticker inside states - I saw these in store last year and thought they were interesting, but not interesting enough to spend £75 on. For under a tenner they had me sold - they even have little space ships on the zips around the ankles. 

I think they'd look great for an evening outfit with high strappy black heels and a simple black top, but for daytime I'm dressing them down with a rather scummy old tee - I'm on the hunt for good t-shirt basics, so far no real luck. 

T-Shirt - American Apparel 

Trousers - Topshop Unique via Traid Charity Shop

Shoes - ASOS

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Fantasy Shoe of The Week - Tsumori Chisato

These are the stuff of dreams. Tsumori Chisato boots from Opening Ceremony online - they only have one size left - mine! Can I sell a lung or something? 

After Balmain...

Balmain has become hugely influential over the past few seasons. The silhouettes and finishes have popped up all over the high street - and a good thing too - Balmain charges about £800 for a t-shirt and a couple of grand for a denim jacket. I personally think it's pricing scale is more than a little obscene. Often you can see where the money goes with designer wares, but with Balmain it's just expensive for the sake of it...still, it seems to work for them and Alex Curran et al who actually spend six grand on harem pants. Last year I bought this homage to the Balmain S/S 09 collection, a great t-shirt with little studs all over it - much more comfortable and practical than walking around dropping and crunching sequins all day, but still sparkly enough to lift your mood. 

T-Shirt - Maje 

Trousers - Zara 

Shoes - Christian Louboutin

Fantasy Shoe of The Week - Givenchy

Photo from Style.com 

Nude But Not Naked

Without a doubt my colour of the summer has been this dusky pink / blush / nude. I have no idea why now, but it feels smart, fresh and less risky than white (if you are like me anyway). I've had this blazer stuffed at the back of my wardrobe for 3 years and am now wearing it every day. 

These trousers were only £9.99 in the Zara sale and had to join my burgeoning collection of nude clothes and accessories. I love the cut of Zara trousers - they are super comfy, taper nicely at the ankle and are never so long that you have to go through the trouble of getting them taken up. 

Blazer - Calvin Klein from Filene's Basement

T-Shirt - Stolen Girlfriend's Club 

Trousers - Zara 

Shoes - NW3 by Hobbs

Watch - Chanel 

Charmed by Snake Shoes

There are some shoes you need - black courts, ballet pumps, trainers, boots...these are always good bets for the sales - both practical and timeless. But sometimes in the sales

 you find something totally bonkers that you need for an altogether different reason - if you pass it up now you may never see them again. 

I think snake sandals fit into this category. 

In black (above) the only had one pair that were slightly too small, but in blue they were thankfully in my size. All I need now is a new pedicure tomorrow in either blue, silver or red to complete the look. 

Shoes - Russell & Bromley 

Party Time

My Grandad worked for Kodak pretty much his whole life so cameras and taking pictures were always part of family life. Growing up we would often put a sheet up in my Grandparent's living room and watch slide shows of all his photos (he liked to shoot slides) and we have thousands of them from from the late 40's until the mid 80's. 


Over the last few years my Dad has been scanning them all in, from trips to The Ivy with Kodak in the 1960's to proper British beach holidays. They are an amazing archive of images of average family life in Britain. 


I love this one - my Dad (in the brown suit) with his girlfriend at the time (in the black and white dress) playing a party game in the late 1960's with friends. 


Photo - by my Grandad 

So Not A Rock Chick

For some reason (possibly because I went to the gym very early this morning) I thought today would be cold. It was only after wearing this outfit for an hour that I realised it was in fact as hot and sticky as any other day this glorious London summer. So the jeans and boots went and pumps and a pencil skirt were quickly enlisted. I used to love these jeans 6 months but looking at them now in these photos I'm not so keen. I can think of only two possible outcomes that are satisfactory - 1) I dye them blackest black, or 2) they go to Oxfam. 

Top - Whistles 

Jeans - Topshop

Boots - Christian Louboutin

Bangles - Kenneth Jay Lane & Topshop

Running In Heels

It's sort of ironic that, as a person who can't run in high heels, I have found myself being profiled on the Running In Heels site in the mystyle section. But then I guess that I do have a lot of heels to practice running in, should the need ever arise. 

From Books to Bargains - Charing Cross Road T.K.Maxx

I first discovered T.K.Maxx in 2002 after a friend raved about it. It soon became obvious that in shopping terms it was a near perfect fit for me - a shop designed to reward the rummager (a skill I have honed through a lifetime of charity shopping), heavily discounted designer goods and pieces that because of the nature of the stock, are less likely to end up on the back of every man, woman or child in town - how could I not love it?


For years I have wished for there to be a West End outlet. I have had to sate my appetite with trips to Hammersmith, Croydon, Lewisham, Newcastle and recently the High Street Ken branch (but I'm not really a Kensington girl, so it's my least visited one). Last month when I heard T.K.Maxx was opening on Charing Cross road I was beside myself, and of course I had to christen it on launch day yesterday. 


Like the High Street Ken outlet there is an emphasis on clothes and accessories (but there is no homeware department - sob) with a number of premium brands floating about from Blumarine, Stella McCartney, Pucci & Missoni to name but a few. However, it still ain't cheap - with these pieces you are still looking at price tags ranging from £200 to £500. So I had a hunt around the rest of the stock and came across a lovely little skirt from an unknown French brand for under £20 and promptly raced home to try it on. 

Jacket - Calvin Klein (from super discount rail at Filene's Basement in NY)

T-Shirt - American Apparel 

Skirt - Deby Debo 

Shoes - NW3 by Hobbs 

Summer Dressing

I haven't really worn any of my summer dresses this year, I've been much more enamoured with shorts for some reason. 

But after an early morning pilates lesson I felt an urge for a bit of a dress up. I don't usually buy Primark stuff anymore - it's  so cheap you end up with piles of stuff you neither need nor wear, simply because the price tag says £3, but this Primark dress is one of my only purchases from there in the last year and cost £13. I couldn't stand the hassle of another silk dress going off to the dry cleaners and paying that amount for a clean (must stop buying silk dresses, totally impractical), so I thought a pretty cotton sun dress was a simple daytime option. 

I only went out on a quick errand and the builders around the corner made no attempt to conceal the fact they were trying to look up my skirt. The reality of fashion is so often a disappointment. 

Dress - Primark 

Shoes - NW3 by Hobbs

A Visual Diary - Paris

The Grand Palais

The YSL retrospective - go!

Inside the Petit Palais Courtyard - the whole building was recently fully renovated, it was just stunning. I can't believe I've never been there before. 

The main hall of the Petit Palais - no photos allowed of the exhibition - sad face. 

After the exhibition I stopped off at Colette. It's always a bit style over substance for me - but I loved this installation on the 1st floor. I want to recreate this in my parent's orchard when my brother has his wedding celebration there this August. 

And you can't go to Paris without nipping in to get some macaroons for the journey home. I am a geek for their packaging. I'm contemplating a macaroon b'day pyramid like this one to the right (but much bigger, because I'm greedy).