Mrs Fashion believes that the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas can be culled to a simple six (clothes-wise of course, she'd still love to get five gold rings please). Here are the outfits that will see you through the festive season in impeccable style.
Work's Christmas Lunch
Sitting down to dinner means the focus should be on your top half with rich jewel tones, but keep your outfit appropriate with a demure neckline - you're still in office hours remember.
Satin top, Principles.co.uk
Earrings, Como Blonde at AstleyClarke.com
Trousers, Chloe at Net-a-porter.com
Bag, Mulberry.com
Shoes, Marc Jacobs at Net-a-porter.com
After-work cocktails
Catching up with pals you haven't seen since Summer is de rigeur before the big day. Make sure you outshine them in lashings of sequins and bright, bold accessories.
Dress, See by Chloe at My-wardrobe.com
Ring, MissSelfridge.com
Satin clutch, JimmyChoo.com
Sandals, Officeshoes.co.uk
Opaque tights, Falke at sockshop.co.uk
Last minute shopping
So you're still short of crackers, tinsel, stocking fillers and er, something for Mr Fashion. What to do? Brave the West End in easy layers and flat shoes (it's the only time you'll catch me in them).
Blazer, Principles.co.uk
Check shirt, TopShop.com
Slouchy trousers, TopShop.com
Tote bag, Vaness Bruno Athe at Net-a-porter.com
Scarf, Accessorize at Monsoon.co.uk
Suede pumps, Faith.co.uk
Drinks with your neighbours
Just because it's a low-key soiree with shop-bought mince pies and mulled wine in mugs doesn't mean you should skip the effort of dressing up. Pick simple jewel-details and your stand-by denims.
Top, Hoss Intropia at Net-a-porter.com
Jeans, Acne Jeans at Start-London.com
Watch, Longines at Ernest Jones
Shoes, Marc by Marc Jacobs at Browns
Clutch, Warehouse.co.uk
Christmas Day
One needs to reference the glamour (and ethnic origins) of the occasion while keeping comfy and cosy (you're likely to be lazing around with your family eating double your body weight in turkey, right?).
Cardigan, TopShop.com
Ikat-print dress, Oasis-storesco.uk
Gold clutch, Chloe at Net-a-porter.com
Woven belt, Monsoon.co.uk
Ruby necklace, Robindira Unsworth at AstleyClarke.com
T-bar shoes, DorothyPerkins.com
The Boxing Day Walk
Wrap up warm and prepare to brave the great outdoors in several layers. If your traditional walk tends to end up in the local a cute cardi-dress (+ thick rib tights) will make sure you never have to queue at the bar.
Tshirt, Splendid at Net-a-porter.com
Cardigan, Toast.co.uk
Check coat, TopShop.com
Wellies, Hunter at My-wardrobe.com
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Shopathon
Friday, December 28, 2007
Shoes + Jewelry = Shewlrey
The forward thinking people at Shewlrey.com decided to take every woman's two vices and combine them together. Shoe's and Jewlrey, now you say "no chance", well I say "THANK YOU!"
Prada Spring Collection - Less is More
Spring is quickly approaching, which means less skin needs to be covered and brighter colors are a must. Fortunately, Prada took both of the above into consideration when developing its spring line of footwear. Thanks to Manolo's shoe blog, I was able to catch a sneak peak of a few of Prada's Spring 2007 shoes.
In our opinion, the new shoes by Prada are fabulous. Prada has done a great job of capturing style and grace with less material, which is no easy feat. Big designer brands like Prada typically set fashion benchmarks for the entire industry, which means we're likely to see more shoe designers working bright colors into ballet flats and strappy sandals this spring.
Your gym shoes don't have to be ugly
Here's a bit of shoe advice for the athletic fashionista: your gym shoes don't have to be ugly. Seriously! They don't—in fact, they shouldn't be.
There's a common misconception that solid colored Reebok "old school" sneakers are acceptable for wearing in the gym. Contrary to popular belief people do pay attention to what your wearing in the gym, especially if you have any intention of turning heads. However, if you're more interested in not being noticed and prefer rocking a polyester jumpsuit laced up with a pair of black high tops, then more power to you.
If you're not one for wearing Mom's—or even worse, Grandmom's—shoes to the gym or while jogging in the park, we have some suggestions for you. Try one of these, or if you have a better woman's gym shoe suggestion drop us a line.
Pastry shoes—don't worry, they're not for baking
Think pink in a pair of women-specific Nikes
Get back to your roots in a pair of Adidas Originals
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Must Buy Monday? Blue Monday
In the midnight hour navy is my standby shade. Never mind purple's prominence this season or black's desperate attempts to be the shade du jour. Again. Navy looks subversive on a young(ish) body (although in twenty years time I see myself steering away from the staunchly establishment shade), it stands out in a flock of raven LBDs and looks refined amongst slivers of cheap lame. Just one of these pieces will instantly chicify your look. Shop on.
1: Tunic by Principles; 2: Patent 'Carker' bag by Anya Hindmarch at Net-a-porter.com; 3: Sequin top by TopShop; 4: Patent courts by Rupert Sanderson; 5: Skirt by RM at Net-a-porter.com; 6: Lurex coat by Dorothy Perkins; 7: Velvet jacket by Marc by Marc Jacobs at Net-a-porter.com; 8: Pleated dress by Moschino at Net-a-porter.com; 9: Clutch bag by Warehouse; 10: T-bar shoes by Christian Louboutin at Net-a-porter.com
Down Boy.
Agent Provocateur have collaborated with Kurt Geiger on a new line of sexy shoes, taglined "Good Enough To Lick". The range will include stiletto heels, beaucoup de patent and over-the knee boots. Prices are around £275 apparently.
In the UK the range will be stocked at Harrods, and selected Selfridges and House of Fraser stores. Abroad you can find the fetishistic footwear at Printemps in Paris and Kurt Geiger's concession at la Rinascente in Milan. Of course there's the brand's website too. (AgentProvocateur.com).
And I thought that pole-dancing platforms were over. Silly me. In store October 24th.
Picture of Rie Rasmussen, admittedly not a shoe, but still looking quite foxy, from British Vogue.
Prayers. Answered.
You may or may not have realised that I like handbags. And you may or may not have realised that I quite like denim. Therefore is this not the most perfect amalgamation of said fabric and said accessory? It's a Bayswater, by Mulberry. And come Spring it will be firmly nestled in the crook of my arm. Come to Mama.
I'd also like to point out a couple of looks from their clothing collection. It's the first time I've ever looked at the pieces and seen a design origin other than Mulberry's own brand of idiosyncratic Englishness (or perhaps generic Ossie Clark-isms) and was rather suprised by.
This zippy frock - rather Balenciaga-ish, no?; denim shorts - hello Marc by Marc. The whole collection looks street-tough (there's even a denim boiler suit in the Spring lookbook!) but also slightly derivative - they seem to have lost the waftiness of previous collections (considering the amount of waftiness we'll be seeing in Spring perhaps it wasn't a good season to do a U-ey).
However on the whole I do believe the change of style to be a good thing and, if the prices are affordable (yeah, right), I could see a lot more of the young set appearing in Mulberry clothing (rather than toting their totes) instead of the forty-something fashion directors who always order blouses and pretty frocks for the office.
UPDATE:
Big Glasses Girl: You screengrabbed the dress image above and posted it one thefashionspot.com which is totally fair enough. Thanks for the semi-credit as the source (although a link or correct spelling - I don't use a dot after Mrs - would have been awesome!)
But, FYI, if you wanted some more info re: the image source you were welcome to email me and ask where I got the shot. It wasn't from "neimen (sic) marcus or something similar", it was from Mulberry's Spring / Summer lookbook.
And in other news: I'm an idiot
I know I should have done this in August - but I didn't. Now I'm totally stuck with only myself to blame (although I am trying to shift the blame onto anyone else in the near vicinity). What on earth am I talking about? Buying a Winter coat of course!
The weather has changed. It's cold and I am currently trundling along my rat-run commute with only a light layer of cotton protecting me from frozen fingers and chilled bones. It's not working! Of course now that I'm ready to part with my hard-earned I can't find anything I want to actually buy but, I have to admit - just like my search for Summer sandals, I'm being a bit picky.
The criteria:
*I want something more akin to a long jacket than a coat so I don't feel smothered with fabric. However the length must cover the top of my thighs (*whines* it's not my fault I don't have any junk in my trunk - it's called being fashionably thin).
*I don't want cropped sleeves - hello, I'm buying a coat to keep warm!
*Dark colours (navy, charcoal) are best but I'd rather steer clear of black (or prints or plaids). It must look different but not distinctive.
*The coat must last several seasons without looking dated (so classic styles are best) and without pilling or wearing through (therefore I'm searching for a tough wool).
*I'm hoping that the bigger the spend the better the coat (it's been the case with my previous purchases) so the budget is £500
Would you like to see my rejects?
Burberry £675: It's over budget but I could s-t-r-e-t-c-h for this one. Love the hood (will keep my lugholes toasty) although the wide flappy sleeves are a little incongruous.
Dries Van Noten £690: The empire line might kill my figure but this is a sweet coat that I could feasibly wear next year without feeling dated (mainly due to it's sombre shade). But is it too dull? And perhaps a little too femme for me?
Fendi £790: Neat but not too sweet. Good sleeve length and good derriere coverage too. However it's still black and it's still over budget!
Fendi and Burberry from Net-a-porter.com; Dries van Noten from Brownsfashion.com
Marc by Marc Jacobs £345: That's more like it, price-wise! But the gold buttons look tacky, cheap and possibly irreplaceable while the puff shoulders are too twee for a grown-woman to carry.
Miu Miu £625: Great shape, perfect length but it's sky blue! How am I going to keep it clean when traversing the Jubilee line? (As seen on Kelly Osbourne too. So that's a no, then).
Both from Net-a-porter.com
Then these are the possibles
Balenciaga £990: It's a little short but I've fallen in love with the styling - so idiosyncratic, so this season and yet so timeless. Good investment pieces will last and last, however I might have to do some serious begging or possibly drugging of Mr Fashion before it arrives chez nous.
Whistles £195: A great classic and it would quickly become my signature - there would be plenty of dosh left in the budget for fripperies such as party frocks too! The deal-breaker? There are Whistles logos on all of the buttons. NOOOOO!
APC €350: Great price but I don't think I can splash out on something so obviously Autumn '07. Every time I look at it I can't help thinking "bandwagon", "hipster", "jumping", and "on". Brown's so not my colour anyway.
Balenciaga from Brownsfashion.com; Whistles from Whistles.co.uk; APC from APC.fr
So, have you bought a winter coat yet? Do tell. I bet you're way more organised than me!
How to walk in High Heels
For work I love to wear heels. It's quite difficult to stride into meetings, looking important and purposeful in a pair of flats so as soon as I reach my desk I slip into skyscrapers. When the work experience girl wistfully told me she wished she could wear heels like me I did feel a surge of pride. I'm currently lusting after... lots. Especially with the extra lift a platform sole affords. Enjoy.
Jimmy Choo
Christian Louboutin
Brian Atwood
Roberto Cavalli
Alexander McQueen
Stella McCartney
A blaze of glory
I've seen lots of chic girls looking sharp and pulled together at press days in Spring's freshest reinvented classic: the blazer. I'm not talking about the sleeveless interpretations at Saint Laurent, more like Miami Vice versions from the high street circa 1987. Reiss had especially slick versions at their show on Tuesday night (in steel grey) and M&S showed a nipped-in white 3/4 sleeve piece that I will invest in come March. I think I'll search out a little soft frock with flou to offset the jacket's structure and meanwhile will take inspiration from the following shows:
Alexander Wang
Versace
Maxmara
Bottega Veneta
Phi
Shopathon
Mrs Fashion believes that the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas can be culled to a simple six (clothes-wise of course, she'd still love to get five gold rings please). Here are the outfits that will see you through the festive season in impeccable style.
Work's Christmas Lunch
Sitting down to dinner means the focus should be on your top half with rich jewel tones, but keep your outfit appropriate with a demure neckline - you're still in office hours remember.
Satin top, Principles.co.uk
Earrings, Como Blonde at AstleyClarke.com
Trousers, Chloe at Net-a-porter.com
Bag, Mulberry.com
Shoes, Marc Jacobs at Net-a-porter.com
After-work cocktails
Catching up with pals you haven't seen since Summer is de rigeur before the big day. Make sure you outshine them in lashings of sequins and bright, bold accessories.
Dress, See by Chloe at My-wardrobe.com
Ring, MissSelfridge.com
Satin clutch, JimmyChoo.com
Sandals, Officeshoes.co.uk
Opaque tights, Falke at sockshop.co.uk
Last minute shopping
So you're still short of crackers, tinsel, stocking fillers and er, something for Mr Fashion. What to do? Brave the West End in easy layers and flat shoes (it's the only time you'll catch me in them).
Blazer, Principles.co.uk
Check shirt, TopShop.com
Slouchy trousers, TopShop.com
Tote bag, Vaness Bruno Athe at Net-a-porter.com
Scarf, Accessorize at Monsoon.co.uk
Suede pumps, Faith.co.uk
Drinks with your neighbours
Just because it's a low-key soiree with shop-bought mince pies and mulled wine in mugs doesn't mean you should skip the effort of dressing up. Pick simple jewel-details and your stand-by denims.
Top, Hoss Intropia at Net-a-porter.com
Jeans, Acne Jeans at Start-London.com
Watch, Longines at Ernest Jones
Shoes, Marc by Marc Jacobs at Browns
Clutch, Warehouse.co.uk
Christmas Day
One needs to reference the glamour (and ethnic origins) of the occasion while keeping comfy and cosy (you're likely to be lazing around with your family eating double your body weight in turkey, right?).
Cardigan, TopShop.com
Ikat-print dress, Oasis-storesco.uk
Gold clutch, Chloe at Net-a-porter.com
Woven belt, Monsoon.co.uk
Ruby necklace, Robindira Unsworth at AstleyClarke.com
T-bar shoes, DorothyPerkins.com
The Boxing Day Walk
Wrap up warm and prepare to brave the great outdoors in several layers. If your traditional walk tends to end up in the local a cute cardi-dress (+ thick rib tights) will make sure you never have to queue at the bar.
Tshirt, Splendid at Net-a-porter.com
Cardigan, Toast.co.uk
Check coat, TopShop.com
Wellies, Hunter at My-wardrobe.com
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