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Tuesday 19 January 2016

Layering Prints for Winter

Photos by Bianca Bass.

Coat: COS - old, alternative here. Shirt: here. Trousers: here. Faux Fur Stole: here. Shoes: Russell & Bromley, old - alternatives here. Bag: here & smaller version here.

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Layering prints is something that a lot of us approach with caution, myself included. I do feel that mixed prints often land either end of a scale - really cool, or really awful and I've experienced both myself. 

I've spoken a little recently about the importance of trying pieces on before you make a judgement. As we all know, things can look monumentally different on a human body to how they look on a hanger, and the thing about mixing prints, in my humble opinion, is that there aren't any rules; there isn't a special formula or cheat sheet. Bold prints can work with subtle prints, big with small and monochrome with colour - and sometimes, two prints you'd think match perfectly can look terrible on. You simply have to experiment, and when it works, you'll just know (& when it doesn't work you will also definitely know...) - which is what makes mixing prints so fun! 

To further demonstrate the randomness of print-mixing success, this outfit was an accident. I'd been trying on some new pieces and had rather unceremoniously (and slobbishly) chucked a couple of 'keep' items over my coat rail; a geo printed shirt and a pair of black and white pinstripe trousers - which had landed atop of a ruby red coat from COS. Draped over the end of the rail was my new no.1 faux fur accessory - a striped stole from Reiss. Somehow, it all worked - and of course it's fine if you disagree, as after all personal style is all in the name - it's personal! 

Do you ever mix prints?

What I'm wearing...






Thursday 14 January 2016

The Burberry Trench - 'The Kensington'


 Trench: Burberry; here. | Scarf: Burberry (about 10 years old!) similar here: Burberry - alternative here. Shirt: here. Trousers: here. Shoes: Russell & Bromley. Earrings: Dior. Bag: Chanel.

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I took these photos shortly after my birthday in early December and didn't have a chance to squeeze them into my post schedule before I flew off to Singapore on the 15th, and while I'm there I like to keep everything 'Singapore themed' - it'd feel a bit odd posting photos of myself in chilly London when I was actually in 30 degree tropical heat. So, I asked on Twitter and Instagram if you'd still like to see the post and the answer was a resounding yes, so, your wish is my command... 

The trench coat; timeless and traditional. Arguably, the ultimate capsule piece. Although it's now heralded as a fashion icon, the trench actually dates back to the 1850s. It was originally a military garment, which was further developed for use in the trenches of the First World War - fascinating, right? It was traditionally khaki coloured, but as the style leaked into the trends worn by the general public, other colours were developed and so arrived the popular honey & stone versions we're so accustomed to seeing today. It seems terribly obvious now that I've done a bit of research, and despite the sizeable hint in the name itself, I'd never realised the trench coat had military origins.

Now, I can completely understand why it's a classic. It's the perfect throw-on piece. Since I received my first designer piece (a Chanel bag) on my 18th birthday, I've been slowly building up my collection of long-lasting, classic designer pieces and I'm thrilled to add this coat. Mixing high-end with high street is something I've always enjoyed, and I can truly see myself wearing this long, long into my adult life. (Just make sure that if you see me eating chocolate whilst wearing this, you run up to me and violently slap it out of my hand.)

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Some of my favourite trenches...




Admittedly, I'd always admired Burberry trenches. Then one day earlier this year, my mother and I were walking past a Burberry store and she announced 'we should get you a Burberry trench for your birthday - that'll last you forever' and I thought, well, who am I to argue?! After that, I'd decided that I wanted the classic 'Honey' colour in a long length. 

As you can see, I stuck with the long length part of that decision but the Honey colour went entirely out of the window when I buttoned one up and we all (including the sales assistant who was helping us) went '....errrm... maybe not...' - frankly, the colour was horrendous on me. Although the name sounds pleasant, 'Honey' wasn't doing me any favours. So, the exceptionally helpful shop assistant suggested I tried on the Stone colour, which I'd never really taken a fancy to. I buttoned up 'The Kensington' in 'Stone' and we were all sold. SOLD. Sold to the girl who looked horrendous in Honey. It really reminded me how important it is to try things on - even things you might not necessarily expect to look good. 

Do you own a trench? Are you a fan of the style?

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What I'm wearing...