Have you ever seen an item and just thought 'I HAVE TO HAVE YOU' - even if, when you're honest with yourself, you don't really know where you'd wear it, or if you'd even have the confidence to wear it. That was what happened with this dress. I saw it's fluted sleeves and frilled neckline and instantly knew it'd end up in my wardrobe. The only aspects of it I wasn't convinced by didn't seem to matter when I tried it on in my bedroom, but when the prospect of leaving the house in it became real, it suddenly seemed daunting; it's quite figure hugging on top - will people stare? It's a bit short - my Granny won't approve... (and going up the tube escalators would be a dangerous game indeed...) So, over the course of about a month, I tried it on again and again, liked it, but never actually braved the outside world. Red is such a 'LOOK AT ME' colour, and although this might be contrary to your opinion seeing as I put a lot of myself online, I'm not one of life's natural born performers. I don't really enjoy attention. Don't get me wrong - if one of my instagram photos gets over a thousand likes I'll print it out, frame it and bask in the glory of internet validation, BUT, that's not real life attention. If those thousand people were stood in front of me...looking at me... I would slowly edge backwards into the nearest hedge. Quite like that gif of Homer Simpson.
So, the dress hung in my wardrobe, unworn and unloved, until my friend Paige encouraged me to be brave. For the first portion of our day out I did feel quite uncomfortable, I felt like a lot of people were looking at me. I think a lot of people can relate to this when I say that I'm very good at giving advice, but not so good at taking my own. I do think it's important to remember that just because someone is looking at you, doesn't mean they're thinking something bad. More importantly - even if they WERE saying something bad, who cares. A stranger's opinion, especially about something as trivial as a dress of a pair of shoes, doesn't matter.
What do you think? Do you have anything in your wardrobe that you're too scared to wear?
Trench: here. Top: River Island (old - alternative here). Bag: here. Trousers: here. Shoes: here. Sunglasses: Miu Miu (sold out). Earrings: Chanel.
- - -
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?
Jacket: M&S (old - alternative here). Blouse: here. Trousers: here. Skinny Scarf: here. Shoes: Russell & Bromley (old). Bag: here. Sunglasses: Miu Miu (sold out - can't find them anywhere online, sorry!)
- - -
I think this outfit is pretty much a perfect depiction of my style formula; old pieces mixed with new, 'higher end' high street (Reiss/Karen Millen etc) mixed with more affordable offerings (H&M, Topshop etc), topped off with designer accessories. This is my favourite way to dress. For instance, the trousers are new-in from H&M, but the shoes are years old from Russell & Bromley. To me, it makes a lot more sense to splurge on classic pieces that you'll wear over and over again, and use high street shops as your means to stay 'on trend'; for things that you know are more of a phase (I'm looking at you old Topshop harem pants circa 2010).
I utterly believe that one does not have to be fitted head to toe in designer in order to look stylish - and more importantly, a designer label does not necessarily equate to a higher level of quality. For instance, this pinstripe coat. I honestly think it looks quite *premium*- the quality and cut is great, I've had it for about 3 years and it's free from signs of wear, and you know what? It's from M&S. Hell yeah. I once wore it to fashion week and when people asked 'WHO are you wearing?' and I replied 'Marks and Spencer' - people recoiled in a kind of confused horror, then asked me if it was still available to buy so they could grab themselves one. They loved it!
Alternatively, this frilly blouse with contrasting trim is a new addition. You all know I am simply incapable of resisting anything that even slightly resembles the uniform of a musketeer. I like it because it's sheer in a just-about-acceptable way.
I also realise I'm not wearing my coat properly again and in many of these photos I look like I've become detached from arms. WANTED: my arms. Reward if found.
But really, I think a lot of us have just kind of accepted that wearing your coat over your shoulders just looks more *fashion* in photos, but if I walked around like this in real life I'd definitely look like an arse.
Today I wanted to do a little review and explanation of my beautiful new addition; one of Saint Laurent's classic shoulder bags; the 'Classic Medium Monogram Saint Laurent *pauses for breath* Tassel Satchel in Black Crocodile Embossed Leather', or more colloquially known as the Saint Laurent Tassel Bag.
Before I go into it, I just want to make it clear that this was a gift from my parents. I certainly don't want to give you the impression that I'm in the position to be dropping this kind of money on a handbag. I do make some money from blogging - the amount varies from month to month, but again, it's not on the buying myself a designer bag scale. Hell, I still need a few minutes to recover from the shock after paying for a full tank of petrol, and I've done it hundreds of times. I don't want you to think I'm sitting in a fort made of gifted Urban Decay Palettes and lighting cigars with £100 notes. I do however, know that I'm very fortunate, and I am hugely appreciative and am grateful that my parents treat me to the occasional gift.
So, when choosing my next addition, I knew I had to be careful because I can be very fickle; I loved the Celine Tote and the Chloe Drew, but not enough. So, for about 9 months I'd been spying and heart-eye-emoji-ing all over this Saint Laurent piece on the arms of Emma, Sammi & Isabella - all demonstrating it's versatility through different styles and seasons. It's classic and stylish, but a bit more *edgy* than my beloved Chanel. Although *edgy* I am not, I thought I'd just about get away with it.
Mine was purchased from Selfridges - the larger size (the one shown here) is currently out of stock but you can find the smaller size here at Selfridges. Alternatively there is always, of course, the YSL website.
- - -
How I Style It:
If you you'd like to see how I've styled it thus far, take a look at this blog post.
- - -
Dimensions:
The bag is 9.4 by 5.7 inches and 2.1 inches deep.
The chain handle is 18.7 inches and the bag falls just around hip-length on me. It also has a handy interior slot pocket which is the perfect size for keeping your phone.
- - -
Materials:
Made in Italy; it's 100% calf-skin leather with a suede lining. The bag's exterior has been beautifully created in the style of crocodile skin, and I personally favour a textured leather as if you were to scratch the bag, it's much less noticeable. I worry much less about using a textured bag than I would a smooth textured bag.
- - -
Hardware:
All hardware, both exterior and interior, is silver.
It features an interlocking metal YSL signature on the front, with silver chain and magnetic toned hardware. The attention to detail is impeccable.
- - -
Usability:
Now, for the actually useful part; how much stuff can you fit in it? I'll be honest, in my opinion it's not the most spacious bag. It probably looks more spacious than it actually is. Don't get me wrong - all of the essentials fit happily, but I suppose after being so used to my Large Chanel Classic Flap Bag, I've become rather accustomed to be able to take all kinds of unnecessaries out and about with me. For instance, I can't fit my travel sized Tangle Teaser in here along with my make up bag, it's a one or the other situation, which I'm not used to. However, I do fully accept that carrying around a hairbrush is hardly essential. So, I am quite enjoying that aspect forcing me to be more discerning about what I carry around with me.
I am truly loving this bag - but if I was forced to come up with a negative, it'd be the way the bag opens and closes. I want to give you my fully formed opinion, in case you're thinking of treating yourself to this piece and the way a bag opens and closes is actually really important to you.
To open and close the bag, the whole front flaps open and shut, held together by a little round magnet (as seen above). The magnet is VERY strong - and I feel bad criticising this, as I certainly wouldn't want the bag to flap open in the breeze or spilling the contents, but sometimes when I'm trying to open it, I feel like I'm having to be a bit vicious with it in order to pry it open. Secondly, when closing the bag, despite the magnet being extremely strong, it doesn't pop together with great ease. It's not always a smooth closure; you really have to get to know the exact position of the magnet in order to line them up perfectly. I'm used to it now, but initially I did just fold the bag shut a couple of times only to later realise that the popper and the magnet hadn't properly met, leaving the bag not totally secure. Overall, the bag is very sturdy; much sturdier than I expected.
1. Compact mirror.
2. Keys.
3. Favourite Rouge Coco lipstick.
4. Estee Lauder concealer.
5. Antibacterial hand Gel.
6. Concealer brush.
7. Lip brush.
8. Free roaming money - I'm always forgetting to keep change on standby for parking.
9. Card holder.
10. Lip balm.
- - -
Overall, I am of course utterly thrilled to add this piece to my collection. It seems to go with every outfit and works for day and evening looks. I will certainly treasure it for years to come.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!
If you're a fan of this bag but not such a fan of the price, here are some of my favourite, more pocket friendly mock-croc offerings... (p.s. the one that says £65 is actually now only £18!)
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!
