Beret Nice: Gucci Geek Chic on the Cheap

It's beginning to look a lot like springtime... which can mean only one thing: it's time for me to come out of #OOTD hibernation. If newborn lambs are braving the April temperatures (albeit in slightly cosier outfits), then so must I.

But before we get to the (recycled) outfit, can we please just take a moment to admire my blurry bricks?! Yep, baby got bokeh! I treated myself to a shiny new lens and (finally) found out that all those proclamations about your lens being "more important than your camera" that I'd dismissed as camera fetishist guff for the past three years were true after all... Well, better late than never.

Moving on. This is my attempt at recreating Gucci's "geek chic" look, using items pillaged entirely from my existing wardrobe. Because the idea that, just maybe, pairing one of the five pin-on flowers I have inexplicably managed to accumulate over the past five years with the beret I have only plucked up the courage to wear once in all that time could completely revitalise my wardrobe was just too thrilling to ignore. I really do need the clear lenses to top things off though, don't I..?

In other exciting news, I have just been signed up to blog for Yahoo! Style and, handily enough, my very first post will equip you with everything you need to know to create your own Gucci moment (just in case you don't happen to own a pin-on corsage for all occasions). P.S. All my posts for Yahoo! will also be published on the all the new Sam Muses Tumblr...

Beret: Accessorize, Blouse: Boohoo, Skirt: ASOS, Shoes and Earrings: Both Primark, Corsage: Not a clue...

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Prints Charming: Styling my First Editorial...

A peek behind the scenes...

I'm sooo excited to finally be able to share the results of my first editorial shoot! Before starting at LCS - I'll be honest - the thought of styling men had never really crossed my mind, and the editorial work I'd come across by former students had left me feeling a little daunted, to say the least - could I ever hope to match that level of creativity? So the sheer amount of fun I had putting this look together came as a very big, but very pleasant, surprise (not to mention the sheer level of obsession which consumed virtually all waking (and sleeping - I genuinely dreamt of paisley) hours between brief and shoot.

My Mood Board

The brief was "Pattern Clash" - beyond this, we were free to take our creative vision wherever our imaginations might roam (whilst ensuring we remained within the remit of "fashion" by taking current runway and editorial trends into account). Three weeks of scouring street and web, despairing at the high street's dearth of printed menswear, setting my alarm to nab vintage gems on eBay and tarring (well, OK, glue-gunning) and feathering my favourite fedora later, and my Aristocrat on an Acid Trip look (inspired by a combination of influences from '60s psychedelia to Etro's paisley-centric rebel-luxe aesthetic) was complete. Now I just had to hope and pray for a model with long hair...



Result! Nevs sent over the lovely Henry Ashton, who carried off paisley-on-paisley-on-paisley-on...paisley with aplomb... with a nice little tonal gold-on-gold-on-gold touch courtesy of his luscious locks coming in as a bonus.

I think, however committed you are to your creative vision, it's tough not to second-guess your own work when it comes to the crunch, and lots of niggly little last minute doubts crowded in as the shoot approached - Does this really work with that? Is that just too much? Cravat or pussybow? Should I tilt his hat a fraction more? - to the effect that I was filled with equal parts excitement and trepidation in anticipation of the final images...

Photos: Cicci Feinstein

So for our lovely principal, Wendy, to tell me she could see this shot in a magazine, right now... I was over the moon and back! And really rather tempted to do a bit more with menswear... Do you think, if I try really hard, I can make paisley-on-paisley-on-paisley-on-paisley mainstream..?

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SS15 Lookbook: 7 Ways to do '70s Style

For my first lookbook vid, '70s style was always going to be the obvious choice... a decision reinforced by the complete hair-over I was given by Schwarzkopf yesterday, prepping me to model their '70s/festival inspired "Hippi Glam" look on this season's UK Essential Looks tour... eek!

I promise you more non-'70s outfits will be in the offing shortly, but for now please enjoy my latest fusion of new finds (pink paisley dungarees, anyone?) and old favourites (yep, I've managed to wring a few more looks out of my kimono!).

Sneak preview of one outfit (and the new 'do!) below, but you'll have to watch the vid to see the rest...

Dress and Shoes: Both Primark

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The £1 Dress

Every couple of years, I manage to snaffle an outfit for less than the cost of a takeaway coffee... Yep, this little print-clashing neon-beaded monochrome lovely was reduced to £1 in the Primark sale, and it's been my go-to runaround number ever since... a true season-to-season, day-to-night stalwart, and (like most things I've invested in recently) perfect for tuning into this season's '70s vibe (today's neckwear styling c/o Mummy Muses - apparently we '90s kids didn't invent the choker - who knew?).

Dress, Jacket and Hat: All Primark, Choker and Necklace (sold together): Topshop, Boots: Forever 21

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M&S Suede Midi Dupe: 3 Ways to Wear

So, the skirt of SS15, backed by Olivia Palermo, Alexa Chung and even Vogue itself, hails from good ol' M&S! But... the chances of actually laying hands on one without gaining a black eye in the process seem low... it's £199... and it's made from the skins of poor ickle animals *sadface*.

But... rather brilliantly, they have also produced a faux-suede dupe of their own product, available at one-fifth of the price, to satisfy not only my new season wardrobe, but my bank balance and moral conscience too! They're selling out as fast as they drop, but I managed to pick up this little beauty online, one lucky morning... Just perfect for easing into the tricky trans-seasonal period with a rollneck and boots now, and embracing summer's '70s mania with floaty blouses and crop tops, stacked heels, mules and fancy flats as it warms up... Here's how I've worn mine so far, cannily managing to incorporate a couple more of my recent faux suede wonder buys: helloooo £29.99 fringed H&M jacket and £10 lace-up Primark flats!

Fringe Appeal

Skirt: Marks & Spencer, Top: Miss Selfridge, Jacket: H&M, Shoes: New Look (Past Season)

Ace of Lace

Skirt: Marks & Spencer; Shirt, Hat and Shoes: All Primark

Crop it Like it's Hot

Skirt: Marks & Spencer, Top: Nicole x Missguided, Mules: New Look

Will you be investing in "the skirt of the season" or its little sister, if you get half a chance?

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