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...

Reiss Tailored Jacket and Frilly Collar - Mixing Old and New Pieces.

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Jacket: Reiss. | Trousers: Topshop (old - alternative here). | Blouse: M&S (currently sold out - alternative here).  | Shoes: M&S (old - alternative here). Ring: c/o Denise Manning. | Earrings: Dior - alternative here. | Bag: Chanel. - - -
Why hello!
When it comes to style and dressing myself, I don't place a huge amount of importance on having new things. I don't believe that in order to look good or 'current' every component of an outfit must be new, because honestly I don't think that's a sustainable way to live or a particularly healthy thing to promote. I don't really care if something is last season or 2 years old - if I still like it, I'll wear it. 
So with this post, I'm presenting a perfect example of how I love to mix old clothes with new ones, similarly to how I enjoy mixing 'designer' accessories with high-street pieces. I wore this outfit to the final day of London Fashion Week a couple of weeks ago but never got around to photographing it on the day. The jacket and blouse, from Reiss and M&S respectively, I picked up in the last few weeks. However, the shoes are about 2 years old and I've featured them numerous times. They're perfectly comfortable and add some vibrancy to an otherwise monochrome outfit. Now, the trousers are at least 3 years old. You wouldn't know, but the shoes have a stain on the inward-facing exterior from where I dropped a frappe latte on my feet, and the trousers have grazed knees from when I slipped over on some ice walking down a hill from university about 2 years ago. 
Of course, like most people, I definitely get a buzz out of picking up a few new things here and there - but I always try to mix those new things in with my pre-existing wardrobe. Sometimes I feel a little pressurised to only feature new items on my blog, because if they're not current it means that if you see me wearing something you like, you can't easily go out and buy it - which makes me feel rather like I'm taunting you; 'Ohhh look at this beautiful jacket I love it so much... btw it's 3 years old so you'll never get it, soz guys' but I also feel like I should at least try and be a 'good example' (bit cringe) and not constantly wear head to toe new-in. It's not necessarily about being a good example,  but about being honest. I always want to give an honest representation of my life, and this is it. Yes, I love getting my hands on new pieces when I can, but I also wear stained shoes and ripped leather trousers.
I think there's quite a strong pressure to continuously wear new items and to not be an outfit repeater (if you got this Lizzie McGuire Movie reference award yourself 10 points) but there's really nothing wrong with recycling old pieces and wearing things again and again in different ways, and if you want to be an outfit repeater, you do it - I know I am!

Sleeveless Trench / Striped Trousers - Lunch on Brompton Road

Is anyone else feeling as though their wardrobe is thoroughly unprepared for Spring? I am. My summery dresses, skirts and sleeveless tops are still folded stuffed in perspex boxes in the spare room. A few weeks ago, here in the UK we had a good few days of what is by our standards, tropical heat, and now we seem to have settled into a sunny-but-chilly weather situation, and I can deal with that, for now. Every time a new season comes around I seem to entirely forget how to dress for it. I was only just getting into the layering swing, now all the clothes are coming off.
 This was a last minute 'oh my god I have no spring clothes, all I have are jumpers and leather trousers' outfit that I put together the morning before I headed to Knightsbridge for lunch with Becca and Rupert the pug. This sleeveless trench has quickly become one of my new favourite pieces. It's so well-made and heavy, but not in a way that'd make it too warm. It's so easy to throw over a multitude of dull outfits.  I was quite pleased with this outfit in the end, I feel I look a bit like a spy or a detective. Or both. A spytective. I'm not really sure of any discernible differences between a spy and a detective in terms of job responsibilities, although I imagine a spy is more tough to get a hold of. 
(Oh, and these beloved shoes of mine have just been marked down in the sale! Click on the photo below to take a look.) 

Flutter Sleeve Blouse / Pinstripe Trousers

 Shirt: Forever 21 (sold out, I'm sorry!) Trousers: ZARA (alternative here). Cape: ASOS. Shoes: c/o Dune. Earrings: Dior. Collar: ASOS.

Hello everyone!
Now, if there's one thing my wardrobe was lacking, it was a pair of striped tailored trousers. Please sense my passionate sarcasm. I already own about four pairs... but you don't understand. These are different. So different. They might not look like a traditional pinstripe, but in fact - when you get closer you'll see that they are actually made up of one thin burgundy stripe, two white and two black stripes in a row. This kind of detail is very important for the numerous times a day that people's faces are inches from my legs. To be very serious, they're also very bendable and stretchy - which is important to me in a trouser - who's ever tried on a pair of trousers which doesn't allow you to bend your legs more than a tiny bit, so you have to shuffle around like a malfunctioning but stylish robot? I have, and I call this the justification for my trouser-purchasing actions.

Sleeveless Trench / Striped Shirt / Dior Pearls

Click to product - Shirt: Zara (old) Alternative here.  Sleeveless Trench: River Island. Shoes: Russell & Bromley. Trousers: Topshop. Bag: Chanel. Earrings: Dior (Asos alternatives here). Sunglasses: Miu Miu.

Hello, hello and good evening to you!

Is there anything lovelier than glorious weather, excellent company and good food? Well, that's exactly how I spent a recent spring day; cafe-hopping between venues and perusing markets in Notting Hill with Bianca. I'd chosen what is in my opinion, a very casual, dressed-down look for the occasion - with the sleeveless trench (my new favourite piece!) perhaps giving away my denial over the actual, realistic temperature. I also added these gold, military-style buttons to the shirt myself don'tcha know? I'd also ordinarily opt for flats whilst 'exploring' but as much of the day consisted of sitting and eating, I thought I'd struggle through *insert sarcasm here*. One of the most picturesque places we visited was a charming 'Biscuiteers' - as you'll see above.
Truly, this day and these photos are really enthusing me for the transition into Spring! What is your favourite part of the changing seasons?