Like a Glove

Bardot frills + block-heeled ballerinas for £30 all in? Well, 'tis the season... Sadly, I didn't have the nerve to hold out for these oh-so-Céline glove shoes to be reduced to their current price (harumph), but at least I saved £500 or so on the designer version. And at £13 full whack, you can't really argue with the price tag on this beaut off-the-shoulder midi dress now, can you? Until it's reduced to £3 next week, of course...

Dress: Primark, Shoes: Stradivarius

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5 Style Hacks I'm Stealing from London Fashion Week (And a Couple I'm Not)

London Fashion Week is renowned for styling sleights whose recreation outside the rarefied confines of Brewer Street NCP would see their proponents running the risk of a lifetime Tesco ban. But it's also an inexhaustible source of inspiration for those of us who fancy a little wardrobe shake-up... And nothing need stop you receiving your Ocado delivery in glittery pyjamas, eh?

Here are my Fashion Week-inspired resolutions for 2016...

1. Discover New Layers

L-R: Topshop Unique; Fyodor Golan; Mother of Pearl; Simone Rocha

Skirts over trousers: Yawn. Skirts over... skirts? I'm listening. Skirts over suits? *Yelps with excitement*

2. Try the New High/Low

L-R: Peter Pilotto; Mother of Pearl; Preen; Preen

Sports/luxe: done (over and over and over and...) But prim/prairie, demure/disco and sports/vamp, on the other hand...

3. Ruffle Some Feathers

L-R: Erdem; Mother of Pearl; Paul Smith; Huishan Zhang

Or, at the very least, some neck and hemlines.

4. Pop Some (Statement) Collar...

L-R: Burberry; J. JS Lee; Osman; Roksanda

After 400 years in the fashion wilderness, could 2016 see the return of the ruff? Roksanda (incredibly) put forward a pretty convincing case... But, whilst I muster the requisite courage (and wait for Zara to rustle up a copy), I'll be following Burberry's failsafe formula: fun fur + parka + peppy prints + preppy accessories = trans-seasonal style perfection.

5. Jazz Up My Hosiery

Clockwise from L: House of Holland; Osman; Mother of Pearl; Ryan Lo

And once I've finished rifling through the darkest recesses of my sock drawers in search of those Burberry-alike textured tights, I solemnly swear to finally try out the socks-and-sandals thing... Before investing in some new-style pom pom-adorned accessories (because, come next season, a bag charm just isn't going to cut it) and (*squeal*) some glittery tights. The '80s party dressing trend is going to be the best Crimbo gift an adult woman ever received.

And 4 I Won't Be Trying At Home...

Gareth Pugh; Ashish; Christopher Kane; Mother of Pearl

1. '80s power suiting? YES. Contouring using tights? No.
2. Glittery pyjamas? Yes (please). Hair of Marge Simpson and Krusty the Clown's lovechild? No.
3. Bag-for-life-based millinery? Call me old school, but I think I'll be sticking to umbrellas for the time being.
4. Skirts-over-skirts? Intrigued. Skirts-over-trackies-over-socks-under-slippers? Baffled.

Need to Know: Your LFW Crib Notes

• The Hottest Colours: Olive Green, Yolk Yellow, Rose Pink
• The Greater Spotted Prints: Gingham, Houndstooth, Florals
• Most Referenced Decades: '60s, '70s (yes, I know), '80s
• Most Commonly Credited Concepts: Fading Beauty, High/Low
• Most Unexpected Trend: Corsets over everything...

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Going Off-Track: How to Wear Running Shoes

Yes ladies, it has officially been proclaimed the season of the flat... on one hand, my poor heel-abused feet are rejoicing, but on the other, I've been scratching my head as to how to fit the latest "fashion flat" styles into my wardrobe... I've been a wedge high-top wearer since the beginning, and my glittery lovelies eventually pulled me on board the Converse-style pump train, but, thanks to Chanel and New Balance, statement running shoe-style trainers seem to be where it's at for AW14...

Never to be deterred by a clothing conundrum, I picked up this neon-piped pair from Primark and set out to experiment... According to the catwalks and Pinterest, literally anything goes, but I found that ensembles combining girly and sporty elements with pops of bright colour worked best for me...

Where to start? It had to be with a Cara D-inspired suit/kicks combo...

Trainers: Primark, Floral Suit: Boohoo, Top: H&M 

Followed by a tonal-blocking prom-queen-meets-track-star mash-up...

Trainers: Primark, Black Top: Missguided, Pink Top: Topshop, Skirt: Coast

Are you hopping on board the trainer train? How are you wearing yours?

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Mallzee Must-Haves (or 3 Ways to Wear a Fedora)

A little while ago, a little birdie told me about Mallzee, a personal shopping app which gathers the wares from tons of top online, high street and designer outlet brands together for your retail pleasure... Disclaimer: it's a tiny bit addictive. You can customise your browsing by brand, item type, colour and budget (as well as tapping in specific search terms yourself), save and share your faves, and even receive alerts the minute anything from your wishlist drops in price so you can snap it up on the spot! Genuinely probably as close to carrying a teeny tiny personal stylist in your pocket as is currently possible...

In fact, if you're having trouble ticking any troublesome items off your AW14 must-have list, I defy you not to find them on here, whether you're still desperately seeking the perfect pink coat (or you've turned to tangerine instead)...


or a touch of tartan is more your bag/umbrella/hairband...


So... just for fun*, I decided to bring a few of my must lust-have Mallzee finds together to create fantasy outfits representing three of the key looks I'm championing this season: '70s folk, the triple check and vintage winter pastels (fedora-fest entirely unintentional... just. could. not. resist...)

'70s Folk

Dress: Ghost at John Lewis, Gilet: Miss Selfridge, Boots: Dorothy Perkins, Hat: River Island (All via Mallzee)

Yep, the over-the-knee boot is back... and I am itching to give mine a bondage-to-boho makeover with a folky smock-style frock like this one...

Just Triple Checking (Again...)

Coat: River Island, Blanket Cape: New Look, Shirt: Monsoon, Mom Jeans: Miss Selfridge, Trainers: Lacoste, Hat: ASOS (All via Mallzee)

Always on the lookout for new ways to mix and match my favourite prints and pieces, I loved the idea of layering this tartan blanket cape over a checked crombie coat, throwing them over clean-cut, relaxed separates to max out the effortlessly chic borrowed-from-the-boyfriend vibe...

Vintage Winter Pastels

Dress: Glamorous, Jumper: Miss Selfridge, Hat and Coat: Both River Island, Boots: The Outnet (All via Mallzee)

It may be autumn, but, on Mallzee as on the catwalks, florals continue to bloom, and pastels to proliferate... The perfect pairing to embrace when getting involved in this season's '60s love-in, with a roll-neck layered underneath your mini-shift and duster coat to keep out the chills... and, yep, thanks to the powers of Mallzee, I even found a pastel fedora to tie in with this look... time to say goodbye/hello to the winter blues!

Have you tried Mallzee? Which trends are you trademarking this season?

*and for the purposes of entering Mallzee's blogger competition...

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Baby Blues: The Midi Mac

The eternal autumnal quandary for the midi-lover - finding a hemline-appropriate cover-up to throw on top - has finally been solved for me by my discovery of Collectif's "Dietrich" trench. Having trawled through Brighton's piles of ancient furs and dirty Converse in an attempt to purchase some genuine vintage, I have to admit to breathing a sigh of relief upon coming across some lovely new, clean, animal-free gems in this heretofore-undiscovered vintage-repro store! At £47.50, reduced from £95, this was a bit of a splurge for me (albeit a great value one!), but I'm considering it my 29th (eek!) birthday present to myself... It's also available in classic beige, black and navy, but I couldn't resist the statement baby blue shade - perfect for getting some extra mileage out of my summer wardrobe now, and cosying up with pastel tights (or seamed stockings!) later on...

Coat: Collectif, Top: New Look, Skirt: Matalan, Shoes: Boohoo

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