COS DRESS

With a chill in the air I can now wear Cos knitted dresses. I have two and they are without a doubt favourites in my wardrobe - simple cut, flattering, comfortable and hard wearing. Cos can pretty much do no wrong in my book. 

Cardigan - Alice McCall 

Dress - Cos 

Necklace - Topshop 

Tights - M&S

Boots - Vivienne Westwood 

CAMO OVERLOAD

I picked up this camo army shirt from a thrift store for $5 last weekend as I thought it would just the right amount of camo loverload to my new favourite shirt  - this fabulous Equipment number that I bought from The Outnet last month. Add a thermal Uniqlo heat tech top and I'm ready for Winter. And yes, my humungous camo padded coat I scored from eBay last year. I said overload and I meant it. 

Jacket - Thrift shop 

Shirt - Equipment from The Outnet

Trousers - J Brand 

Boots - Vivienne Westwood 

SPOTS, STRIPES, SQUIGGLES & SKULLS

Jacket - ASOS

Top - American Apparel 

Necklace - Pamela Love 

Chunky ring - YSL 

Bangles - Topshop & Kenneth Jay Lane

Jeans - Topshop 

Boots - Vivienne Westwood

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD SQUIGGLE PRINT

It might have been years since Vivienne Westwood first introduced the squiggle print, but it still works for me. Someone today commented that it looked like an African fabric print, by which I guess they meant bright and bold. In this colour way the pattern toes the line between garish and classic, an aesthetic I'm all in favour of - you won't get overlooked walking down the road in this top (at least not in the sea of grey / navy / black that is commuter Britain). Plus anyone I'm with can see where I've gone when I wander off in search of something new and shiny in the supermarket (one of my worst habits). 

The other bonus about liking colourful, slightly batty prints, is that they tend to be in the sale because the majority of the population would prefer something a little more safe. I think this Queen Viv top only cost about £60 at the very tail end of the sale in Urban Outfitters. Score. 

Top - Vivienne Westwood Anglomania 

Trousers - J Brand 

Sandals - Zara 

MY FAVOURITE DRESS (THIS WEEK)

This post was a blogger crash casualty. It was meant to go up yesterday. I seem to have all sorts of double posts and weird labelling going on. Oh well. 

I love this dress and I how I feel when I wear it. It's a super simple cut in many ways, and clearly designed by a woman who knows how some dresses feel great on for the first 4 hours, but shitty after you've had lunch and go back to sitting at your desk. This you can wear all day without it creasing too much, it crucially doesn't cling to your stomach and is still fitted enough around the bust and upper torso to not totally swamp you. 

But...the best thing about the design is the fabric. Delicious draping volumes of the stuff that swish as you move. I could not ask for more. Apart from it to also come in black, navy, red and grey. 

Muscly calf shot due to the irresistible urge to play with all that material. 

Chain necklace - Vintage Dior from eBay 

Skull necklace - Pamela Love 

Dress - Cos 

Bracelet - Vintage Dior from eBay 

Watch - Chanel 

Boots - Vivienne Westwood

Bag - Moschino 

Nail polish - Bloom in Daisy from Superdrug 

Do the high heel shuffle

The real reason celebrities and front row fashion types flaunt their bare legs even when it's freezing? It's nigh on IMPOSSIBLE to keep mules, courts or any manner of super high heel on when you have tights or socks on. It doesn't seem functional to freeze, but it sure as heel means you can still rock a killer heel and not have to shuffle (as I did for these pictures and all I was doing was walking from one room to the landing). I changed into flats and added a heavy coat to avoid looking too prim when I went out. 

I bought these Alex Wang mules in the dying days of the Liberty sale for £60. How nuts is that? Considering that's pretty much the price paid for a pair of heels in Topshop these days, I count that as a bonafide bargain. 

Dress - H&M

Belt - H&M

Tights - Tabio 

Mules - Alexander Wang 

Ballet Pumps - Bloch

Coat -Army Surplus from eBay 

Bag - Vivienne Westwood 

Vivienne Westwood for Comic Relief

Comic Relief stated when I was just a kid at primary school. Back then Comic Relief was a chance to dress up in fancy dress for school, watch Lenny Henry on the telly and wear a very uncomfortable plastic red nose all day. 

But, 20+ years on, Comic Relief is a more sophisticated affair all round. Two years ago Stella McCartney designed the official Comic Relief t-shirts, this time it's Vivienne Westwood that are available at T.K.Maxx, so naturally a girl's gonna check them out. I ended up choosing the one pictured below, but there are many other designs available in store and online. Oh, and it's not just Dame Viv who's got in on the act, Liberty have created a waxed canvas shopper and a scarf with a Liberty / Comic Relief design you can buy in both the shop and the website - they are both lovely, but the bag is, I think, more useful. 

T shirt - Vivienne Westwood for Comic Relief from T.K.Maxx

Jeans - Topshop

Boots - KG Kurt Geiger 

Scary pout - All my own

Print Mixing

I've been clashing patterns this week. I was told at work that I'd gone too far when I tried to add a leopard print scarf to one of these outfits. I can't see the problem with 3 clashing prints myself, but others are slightly more minimalist than me. 

Hoodie - River Island 

T Shirt - Topshop 

Black Top - Uniqlo Heat Tech 

Skirt - Diesel 

Tights - M&S

Boots -Topshop

Smock Top - H&M

Grey Top - Uniqlo Heat Tech 

Jeans - Topshop 

Boots - Vivienne Westwood 

Vivienne Westwood Heeled Pirate Boots

Jumper - Whistles 

Dress - Whistles 

Tights - Marks & Spencer

Boots - Vivienne Westwood 

Watch - Chanel

Bracelet - ASOS 

Vivienne Westwood Squiggle Pirate Boots

I got my first pair of Vivienne Westwood pirate boots some 10 years ago. They were the comfiest, most versatile shoes I have ever owned, that sadly gave up the ghost when I was pounding the pavements in New York - the super soft leather ripped from sheer wear and tear. I literally wore them to death. Something that doesn't happen to many of my shoes. I will try and get them mended, but it's going to be a challenge. The loss (temporary, please!) of my favourite boots has meant my squiggle print pair that I picked up 3 or 4 years ago are now getting many more outings. 

Print Top - Marni 

Grey Top - Uniqlo Heat Tech 

Trousers - Whistles 

Boots - Vivienne Westwood 

Bangles - Kenneth Jay Lane and Topshop 

Watch - Chanel