Does Your Style Mature with You?

 Top: here (£19 in the sale!) Trousers: here. Shoes: (£21 in the sale!) here. Bag: here.

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Oh, wow, look at that. A bow blouse. How very original and experimental of me.

Clearly I'm kidding, but my current taste is nothing if not consistent. 

Following on from my last outfit post where things got very colourful and daring, I wanted to even things out a bit by featuring one of my failsafe, go-to outfits; tailored trousers, some form of interesting blouse, pointed shoes. When I think about it, I definitely used to be a bit more wild with my fashion choices when I was younger. Over the last few years, I've found myself gradually pulling back on the things that made my style a little bit more... eccentric, shall we say? I certainly wouldn't say my dress sense is boring, but I might say it's become slightly more 'mature' - whatever that even means. For example, my vast collection of huge, eye-catching statement necklaces and Pat Butcher earrings now sit unworn, replaced with simple pearls and studs. Sometimes I wonder why that is. Your style definitely changes with time, but does it specifically change with age? Have I simply grown out of them or has my style evolved as I've gotten older? 

What do you think? Has your style changed with time/age?

Photos by Paige Joanna.

Blue Suede / Wide Leg Trousers - 'Cool' Tailoring with River Island

Jacket: here. Top: here. Trousers: here. Shoes: here. - All c/o River Island. 

I know the situation - I'm not cool, I never have been. So when River Island contacted me asking if I'd like to put together and feature an outfit I was a bit like '...me? Me, who dresses like an accountant? OK SURE.' I've always considered River Island to be pretty hip, so I took this offer as the fashion equivalent of the cool kids asking me to sit with them at lunch. You might say that I took it as a challenge of sorts. Ideally, I wanted to put together something that still represented what I consider to be 'my style' - tailored & smart, but with an edge of River Island-style cool. I think I managed it.

Being quite firmly within my comfort zone, the wide leg, tailored trousers were the first things I gravitated towards. Once I had that 'safe piece' to build around, I filled out the rest of the outfit with a cage-detail vest, snakeskin strappy shoes and a much-too-trendy-for-me suede biker jacket. You heard it right. A blue biker jacket - with the soft blue detailing of the shoes matching perfectly. 

The trousers were exceptionally comfortable, unrestrictive and soft, so much so that I also maybe possibly might've ordered them in black too. I think they have a perfect 'office chic' kind of look - a look I definitely favour. 

So, thanks River Island for helping me feel a little bit cooler than I actually am.

Pale Blue Trench: Cool-Toned Hues for Spring

Trench: here. Top: River Island (old - alternative here). Bag: here. Trousers: here. Shoes: here. Sunglasses: Miu Miu (sold out). Earrings: Chanel.

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Spring is officially here, and so I thought I would welcome the new season by creating an all blue-hued, fresh looking outfit. Spring for me, conjures images of blue skies and blooming flowers - blue is certainly a spring colour, but this more frosty, cool toned blue I thought would be acceptable for the current weather situation; COLD. I paired this pale blue trench with my blue lens Miu Miu's and silver Chanel earrings with blue stones. I wanted to continue the cool toned theme so my silver Saint Laurent bag seemed the perfect choice!

I particularly love the rough, unfinished edges of the trench and the black contrasting details; I think it's a perfect 'throw on and go' piece - it looks quite slouchy and 'chill' whilst also appearing structured and put-together. I think it's a really interesting piece and different to anything I already own. It's light and oversized enough to allow for layering underneath, but also the cool blue hue means this will still look spring-approriate when the milder weather finally arrives. I can't wait to mix it up with the rest of my wardrobe! 

What do you think? Are you a fan of coloured trenches?

Trench Cape & White Polo Neck - Transitioning into Spring

Trench Cape: here. Jumper: here. Trousers: here. Shoes: Russell & Bromley (sold out) - I'd also wear these. Earrings: Dior - alternative here. Bag: Chanel - alternative here. - - -

By now, I'm sure you'll all be aware of my penchant for capes. Having recently forayed into the world of the trench coat, I knew when I spied this kind of weird but simultaneously beautiful trench-cape hybrid, I had to have it. When styling it, I wanted to keep most of the focus on the cape itself; being such a unique piece. So, I dressed it up with a pair of leather trousers (or what my friend Bianca refers to as 'Topshop's finest pleather') and a white polo neck with button cuff details. 

Spring is obviously the time when lighter colours and fabrics begin make their way into our wardrobes, and trench material is a spring classic. Light, but also durable enough to withstand the April showers and keep the chilly breeze at bay. Or... this would be true, if the 'spring' we're having this year wasn't so dreadfully cold!

FYI: the cape has now been reduced from £75 to £35 - click here to take a peek. 

Heritage Check Cape, Flared Cuffs & Thigh High Boots

- - - Cape: Topshop. Shirt: Warehouse. Boots: River Island. - - -
Why hello!
I am so ready for Autumn. So ready. When this heritage check cape popped up on the Topshop website it really was one of those dramatic '...I MUST HAVE YOU' moments, like in films between the romantic leads, apart from it was between me and a cape. 
I also obviously needed another pussy bow blouse. However, the difference here is that it has adorable little flared cuffs. This makes it unimaginably different from all of my other pussy bow blouses and therefore it was a totally justified purchase. Shh. Shhhhhh. In all seriousness, I really adore that detail. It also has little pleats running down the front which I failed to capture, but they're shown in the product photos I've linked above and below. Small details like that really can make such a huge impact on the overall look of a piece, even if they seem small!
You may also notice that I'm wearing thigh-high boots. (Are they thigh high? Or knee high? I think they're meant to be thigh high but as I'm a rather long-legged 5'9 they've ended up just above the knee.) I thought the frilly blouse and cape combo was all a bit prim (don't get me wrong - I love prim-ness) but I wanted to sort of... rough it up a bit? Make it a bit ~*edgy*~. They're quite different for me, and although I'm almost an entire year late on the thigh-high boot bandwagon, I must say I really rather like them and they're astonishingly comfortable to walk in. When I revealed myself wearing them to my mother and grandmother their reactions were somewhat different;
Mother: Wow! You look fab! Granny: ...................what are they
I enjoyed both reaction equally, and don't worry, Granny came around (if I promised to wear really thick tights).