The Real Life Beauty & The Beast Castle

Top: here. Trousers: similar here. Long Pearls: vintage, similar here. Short Pearls: Chanel. - - - 
Last week, my mother and I visited one of my favourite childhood haunts, Waddesdon Manor. I distinctly remember coming here as a child to go sledding, wrapped up in a big red coat. The house is breathtaking and to me, looks like a real life version of The Beauty & The Beast Castle, with an interior to match. (I actually filmed a tour of the inside, including all of the history, which you can watch here if you'd like!) I think it's evident that style is one of my main passions, but I also have a longstanding fascination with architecture and historical buildings. I really, really love these photos because I feel like they're combing my two loves!
As for the outfit, I'm sure you're rolling your eyes at my predictable taste. Ruffles? Frills? SOLD. I'm sorry - there's just a small part of me that wants to drape myself in pearls and ruffles like a fabulous old woman. This top is certainly eye-catching but it's versatile too, and now, one of my new favourites! I just adore the rich blue colour, pleats and layered details. 
Do you like visiting National Trust properties? Which ones would you recommend? Also - if you watch the my tour of the house, I'd love to know what you think!

Blossom Showers - Spring Sunglasses with Suuna

 Sunglasses c/o Suuna.
 Coat: here. Shirt: here. Trousers: here. Shoes: Russell & Bromley. Skinny Scarf: here. Earrings: Dior. Bag: Chanel.
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Spring has arrived and it's officially sunglasses weather and I couldn't be happier, so, I've dusted off some of my old favourites and added some new additions to my collection! One of my new additions comes in the shape of this classic, black, cat eye style shade from Suuna. As well as the shape and quality being important, high UV protection is my number one must-have when it comes to a new pair of shades. After, all that's what sunglasses are for! So, I was thrilled to find this pair, not only in my favourite cat eye shape, but with 100% UV protection and for only £33. Sold! 

I also picked up this coat in preparation for my trip to Florence (self promo no. 1: you can watch my Florence vlog here if you're interested) but it ended up only seeing the inside of a BA plane and my hotel room as the weather was so warm in Italy! So I've been doing my best to get some wear out of it here in decidedly more chilly England. I completely adore the colour; it's a sort of soft lilac, dove-grey colour which I've never seen before. It's totally different from anything I already own so I've really been enjoying wearing it. (self promo no. 2: If you'd like to see me style this coat in a few other ways, you can check out this video all about my holiday capsule wardrobe.)

*Please note, this post has been kindly sponsored by Suuna.

Layering Prints for Winter

Photos by Bianca Bass.
Coat: COS - old, alternative here. Shirt: here. Trousers: here. Faux Fur Stole: here. Shoes: Russell & Bromley, old - alternatives here. Bag: here & smaller version here.
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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! 
Do you ever mix prints?
What I'm wearing...

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?

Blue Skies and Wisteria (ft. Rupert The Pug)

Coat: Zara (old) summer-friendly alternative here. Trousers: River Island (old) alternative here. Earrings: Dior - alternative here. Shoes: Russell & Bromley. Top: Topshop (old) alternative here. Bag: c/o Davidoff - alternative here. Sunglasses: Miu Miu - alternative here.

Hello internet friends!

In case you weren't all already 100% done with being bombarded by photos of pink blossom - ready yourselves for a colour scheme change; it's wisteria time (and to be honest - I can't understand these people, who could get sick of looking at completely beautiful albeit slightly repetitive flowers?).
These photos were snapped during a stroll around Knightsbridge with Becca and Rupert the Pug. They often seem to be involved in my outfit photos recently - in fact, Becca has become an expect at taking them, which is excellent as I feel sort of bad asking 'real life' friends who aren't involved with blogging to take outfit photos for me when I'm with them. It's like 'here, can you just take 100 photos of me standing outside this house that isn't mine?' It's all a bit odd, and I appreciate that it probably seems bizarre to non-internet people.
I also feel I should address the fact that I'm not wearing my coat properly... I'm not actually sure if this way of wearing coats is even allowed outside of fashion week, where everyone suddenly forgets how to use sleeves. To me it was a sort of noncommittal 'it is too hot and I regret my decision to bring this coat but goddammit I will involve it somehow' pose... either way, I hope you like it.