'Practical' Winter Dressing - Striped Faux Fur / Maxi Coat

Faux Fur Stole - here. | Coat - here. Earrings - Dior, alternative here. | Shoes: Russell & Bromley, sold out, alternative here. Bag - Chanel, alternative here. 

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Another failsafe monochrome outfit to share today, snapped on the day before my birthday whilst picking up a couple of presents and jazzed up with my new favourite winter accessory; a striped faux fur stole from Reiss. The fact that the light stripe in the scarf isn't white, but a beautiful grey-lilac, avoids the potential 'style inspo: Cruella De'Ville' situation. I picked up this coat (which makes me feel a bit like I'm in The Matrix so that's great) after realising that I actually didn't own a plain black coat - only black capes, and quite frankly my lower arms were growing tired of always being cold. So, I decided to get myself a warm, practical, versatile coat with actual proper arms. I'm not always the best at dressing practically for the cold, I tend to peer out of the window and think 'nah, it doesn't look that cold, I'll just wear a light jacket.' This decision is swiftly followed by regret. Shivery regret. Because of this, I've really been enjoying making use of these two new winter-appropriate pieces.

My Favourite Faux Fur Stoles:

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What I'm wearing:

My Birthday - Afternoon Tea at The Mandarin Oriental

Cape: Asos (sold out - alternatives here and here.) Blouse: M&S (old - alternative here.) Shoes: M&S (old - alternative here.) Trousers: River Island (old - alternative here.) Earrings: Chanel. 

Hello all and Happy New Year!

On December the 1st - now technically last year, I turned 23. This year, I've vowed to up my game on the organisational front and so posting this a month after my actual birthday doesn't bode too well. Let's just say this one doesn't count. The leaf of organisation has been turned over from this moment - ok? We're all agreed. Good. 

On my birthday, I always spend the day with my mother. I enjoyed birthday celebrations with friends either side of my birthday, but truly, my mother is my best friend and so I always choose to spend the day itself with her. 

On the day, we devoured a ridiculously indulgent afternoon tea at The Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge. We nibbled on delicious mini-sandwhiches (small rolls instead of the traditional finger sandwich which we found rather thrilling) and miniature patisserie treats exploding with flavour, accompanied by floral teas and the best iced latte I have ever had. After this point, we were satisfied, but it wasn't over. Oh no, not by a long shot. Next, we were presented with miniature scones with a selection of jams. They were utterly divine and so we struggled through - if you can even use the word struggle to describe such a mouth-watering torture. The waiter then made a joke about 'cakes on the way' and we all laughed. This turned out to be entirely serious. LITTLE CAKES ARRIVED. I failed to photograph these cakes as I was so overwhelmed. Is it possible to drown in food? 

Finally, accompanied by a rendition of 'Happy Birthday' I was presented with a surprise mini cheesecake topped with a candle on a beautifully iced plate. It was so unexpected and lovely I even had a tear in my eye (perhaps also because I knew I now HAD to eat this cheesecake.) I can confirm the cheesecake was delicious and I proudly ate 80% after begging my mother to have a few bites. I cannot stress how incredible it was - the food, drinks and service were all second to none. If you're looking for an afternoon tea experience in London - I can't recommend it enough. When it was all over we genuinely considered rolling across the road to Hyde Park and lying on the grass just to get over the amount of food we'd eaten.

Scroll down if you wish to see. Be warned - mouths may water. 

(I should also like to say, as I always do, that this is in no way a sponsored post - we chose the venue entirely out of our own free will and paid the same price as everyone else.)