The Statement Coat - 3/3 Black

Coat: here - c/o Marks and Spencer. Blouse: here (in the sale!) Shoes: here - c/o Dune. Trousers: here. Red Stole: old, alternative here. Bag: Chanel - alternative here. - - - 
Black; the final installation of my statement coat series. I'm sure you don't need reminding that a black coat in any form is one of the most timeless, classic pieces you can (and should) own. This particular one is M&S's take on the classic, with a military style and maxi length. The quality is impeccable and the understated but detailed military accents mean that this can be thrown over almost any outfit - day or night! (I must also be honest and mention the fact that when I refer to this coat as maxi in length, I mean it. I'm 5'9 and wearing heels here, and it's not too far off the ground. So - if you're a lady of little proportions, this particular style may not be for you.)
I also paired with it a piece that belongs to one of my more recent obsessions; fun/coloured faux fur accessories. This red and purple ombre, stole had been sitting in my wardrobe for a couple of years until it tumbled out whilst I was rearranging a few things, so I decided to resurrect it. Although it's old, fear not - I've linked a few alternatives below if it takes your fancy. 

It seems strange writing this whilst looking at the photos of me all bundled up in London, as I'm currently writing this to you from sunny Singapore! If you'd like to see what I'm getting up to you can  take a look at @arabellagolby on Instagram and Twitter.
Are you a fan of fun faux fur? Do you have a black coat that goes with everything?

The Statement Coat - 2/3 Red

Coat: here. Jumper: sold out/not online - alternative here. - both c/o Marks & Spencer. Boots: here. Skirt: Zara - £16 alternative here. Brooch: Chanel. Earrings: Dior. - alternative here.
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Next up; red - the second installation of my 3 part Statement Coat series. Brightly coloured coats are something I find quite timeless - as long as the style and cut is classic. This jewel toned M&S piece is certainly an eye catcher and encapsulates everything I love in a coat; statement lapels, bold colour and a maxi length. I wanted to go for a sort of smart casual, Parisian vibe, so I paired it with a striped roll neck and a Chanel brooch with deep red jewel details.
Do you have any super colourful coats in your wardrobe?  

The Statement Coat - 1/3 Russet

 Coat (in the sale!): here. Blouse: here. Bag: here | all - c/o Marks & Spencer. Shoes: Russell & Bromley. Trousers: here. Earrings: Dior - alternative here. 

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Merry Christmas everyone!!

 'Tis officially the season, and by 'the season' I mean the season for shamelessly updating your coat collection. I am, and always have been a complete coat fiend. I am that person who has a rail exclusively for coats, and this is something I'm mostly proud but also a little ashamed of. 

Statement coats are my particular weakness because they are, in my mind at least, an entire outfit in themselves. Throw on a pretty basic outfit and top it off with a bold, eye-catching coat and you're good to go. My favourite failsafe combo is a blouse or polo neck jumper teamed with a pair of leather trousers. 

Marks & Spencer has been a longstanding and rather unexpected favourite of mine when it comes to outerwear, and many of my oldest coats that've stood the test of time are from M&S - my personal fave being this pinstripe one I wore to fashion week a couple of years ago. I've also found that my answer to the question 'where's your coat from?' is met with the most surprise when I reveal it's from M&S. Literally, I don't know why this isn't public knowledge. M&S do great coats and I've always thought so. So, when M&S offered to help revamp my winter wardrobe my response was... oh my god YES. I picked out a few, a russet one, a red one and a black one, which I'll be sharing with you over the next week or so. This one is almost certainly my favourite (FYI it's also reduced from £129 to £90.30) The russet colour is so striking and unusual, which contrasts perfectly with the jet black collar. I'm also really pleased with how well it's photographed - I think the rich, warm colour really comes across wonderfully. 

What do you think? Do you like wearing coloured coats or are you more of an 'all black everything' person?

White Shirt / Longline Waistcoat with Fur Detail / Leather Trousers - A Trip to Columbia Road Flower Market

 Shirt & Waistcoat: Zara. Trousers: Topshop. Shoes: M&S. Sunglasses: Miu Miu.

Hello all!

Photo spam alert. Last Sunday I visited the world renowned Columbia Road Flower Market with my friend Bianca, which is tucked away in the East End of London. The usually rather average looking street comprised of cafes, pubs, antique shops and galleries is transformed into an unimaginable rainbow of colours and noise, with flowers piled high everywhere you turn! So, for this reason I hope you'll forgive me for the slightly unnecessary number of photos. (It was an instagrammers heaven I'm slightly ashamed to say..) I'm also extremely glad I remembered to take my hayfever tablet or it may have turned into a rather unpleasant, sniffly trip. Before visiting the market I also learned that interestingly, the market itself has been running every sunday since 1896 - how incredible is that? 

I saw several people buying bunches of flowers wrapped in brown paper, strapping them into the basket of their bike and cycling off! How I would've loved to be one of them - the cocktails that awaited me that evening meant that any flowers I may have bought would have had to survive through the rest of the day & evening, and would've possibly be left on the bus/tube after a drink too many..  

My outfit was perhaps a bit lacking in colour for the occasion, but the weather man had assured me that it was going to be a rather dull and drizzly day! Although as you can see, the sky turned blue for our rooftop cocktails above Trafalgar Square where our two became four when we were joined by the lovely Maggie and Emmy. We then headed to The Diner where we consumed a shameful amount of cheesey fries. Such elegant behaviour, as always..

I feel my outfit served me well that day - it's rather hard to dress appropriately for a visit to a market followed by drinks later that evening. I think I managed it though, I didn't feel too ridiculous at either ocassion which can only be a good thing.

Have you ever visited Columbia Road Flower Market? If so, did you enjoy it? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Tea Blouse / Floral Midi Skirt / Cobalt Blue Courts - Topshop's Spring/Summer Preview and Boohoo's Press Day

 Blouse : Topshop. Skirt : Coast. Necklace : ZARA. Shoes : M&S. 

Hello all!
It is I, Arabella, the adult who has finished university and is no longer in education. How is this possible? So much happened in those 3 years (good & bad, such is life!) and yet, it seems like it's been such a short time since I was trying to decide what on earth to do a degree in. 
This was the outfit I wore to the Boohoo A/W Press Day and the Topshop Spring/Summer Collection Preview hosted by Reward Style - I've added a few images of both events above, so I hope you like those. Becca kindly took these pictures outside the incredible venue for the Boohoo press day, where we snacked on canapés and cocktails whilst enjoying browsing the clothes, some of which I've already dedicated a place in my wardrobe to. We then went on to the Topshop event, where there were several rails of beautiful clothes to peruse, yet MORE cocktails to drink and sushi to eat. Clothes, cocktails and sushi. These are a few of my favourite things. (insert reference to The Sound of Music here)
On to the outfit; more from Coast! I feel like Coast is such an under appreciated brand. You might already know from my previous London Fashion Week outfit & my instagram that I'm a fan of their voluminous midi skirts. I saw a preview of this colourful one in a magazine a few months ago, and since then I've been a woman possessed until the moment I got my hands on it. It goes with a surprising amount of things - which I didn't expect; this little white tea blouse, a cobalt blue roll neck & also, a black ruffled bralet. It's definitely a statement piece and not something I'll be wearing to pop down to Tesco (but actually knowing me, I'm not promising anything..) but even though Coast pieces like this aren't exactly inexpensive, they're always so well made and of such high quality - so, to me, they're worth spending a little bit extra on. I also can't see a day in the near future when I'll go off this piece - which is important too. 
Well, well, well, my dear blog pals - I've now got absolutely no excuse not to post more frequently, so you'll be seeing a lot more of me! It's actually quite strange how much more I'm enjoying even just writing this, I've not got the little voice in the back of my mind saying 'ARABELLA YOU SHOULD BE DOING UNI WORK!' anymore. I feel so fortunate to now be able to call this blog, something I adore so much , my part-time job. Hooray!