Prewitt

Isabel Marant is the Queen of laid-back Bohemian chic. Her Etoile line offers a slightly more youthful, relaxed, purse friendly collection that always remains true to the cool, boho aesthetic of her main line.

The semi sheer, chiffon 'Prewitt' dress is the kind of style I love to wear; it is lightweight and feminine with that laid-back, edgy, Parisian feel immediately associated with the brand. In a burgundy & rose colourway, the dress features long sleeves with buttoned cuffs, an all over leaf print, a cute ruffled skirt, sexy shoulder cut-outs and a back keyhole detail with button closure to the neck. It comes with an optional, matching self tie making it a very versatile, easy to wear piece.

I wanted to style the dress in a very relaxed, casual way so I paired it with my Marant-a-like ankle boots from High Street brand Karen Millen. I love this outfit, it is so 70s. I'll always be a bit of a Hippy at heart and I love to reflect that in what I wear.

Get The Look:

Dress: Etoile Isabel Marant 'Prewitt' Dress

Shoes: Karen Millen Stack Heel Ankle Boots (similar)

Manley Traits

I've blogged about this beautiful skirt by Emma Manley before (see here). With it's perforated leather & silk panels and cool stud embellishment, it is a firm favourite and is worn time and time again; it was inevitable that it would feature in another Blog post!

On this occasion I styled it quite casually, pairing it with another great Manley piece, the 'Dakota' Horse Shoe Jumper. It is made from a light marino wool & linen mix and the big collar is the same soft, perforated leather as the skirt. It too is embellished, with two gold horse shoe studs. I wear this top with jeans, shorts and all kinds of skirt shapes; it is tremendously versatile!

My accessories include the red satchel that comes virtually everywhere with me these days, a beautiful over-sized Michael Kors watch & the most fantastic pair of manly brogues. I'm really into flat, androgynous footwear at the moment. Pairing them with this pretty skirt gives them a playful, flirty twist and the two-tone, colour block design really makes them stand out. They compliment this cute, quirky look perfectly!

Get The Look:

Top: Manley 'Dakota' Horse Shoe Jumper in navy

Skirt: Manley 'Dakota' Studded Skirt in navy (similar)

Shoes: ASOS 'Marky' Brogues in black/white

Bag: Cambridge Satchel Company Classic 11'' Satchel in red

Watch: Michael Kors watch in gold

A Load Of Bull

The latest addition to my ever growing collection of Natalie B Coleman pieces is this gorgeous bull print dress. It's the kind of piece you would expect to see on the Olsen twins in an issue of Vogue or Tattler; it is impossibly cool.

The dress is from Natalie's stunning A/W13 collection 'I Belong To Me'; she says she came up with the exploding bull print in different scales and colours, inspired by Cubism and Hopper’s Hotel lobby colours, with some pop art colour references thrown in. It is featured on a number of great pieces in the collection. I fell in love with the print as soon as I saw it, not least of all because my birth sign is Taurus, the Bull!

The dress is made from a luxurious, heavy satin and features the digitally printed bull design to the front, voluminous bat-wing sleeves in a 100% wool mix, an absolutely stunning butter soft lambskin leather back in brushed gold and is finished off with a gold zip, tailor made in Italy. Natalie's great attention to detail & a sophisticated finish means that even the lining is special; it is her own special jacquard weave of gold lace bulls. The dress also has slit pockets to the side & you all know how much I love a pocket!

This is the perfect day-to-night piece & for it's first ever (daytime) outing, I styled it with my much loved satchel & simple flat brogues. It can easily be dressed up for a glamorous night out by adding some chunky gold jewellery & towering metallic heels. It also looks great styled with a skinny belt, a great way to show off a tiny waist & give the oversized dress some structure. Versatile & gorgeous; I'll be wearing this dress forever!

Get The Look:

Dress: Natalie B Coleman Bull Print Dress (same dress, different print)

Shoes: ASOS 'Marky' Brogues in black

Bag: Cambridge Satchel Co Classic 11" Satchel in black

Trick Or Chic

Happy Hallowe'en! We will be celebrating with friends tonight & although we won't be wearing fancy dress, it seems only right to mark this special day in some way. So, I will be wearing the Casper Skeleton Print Mini Dress by Daisy Street; the perfect Halloween dress to get your spook on!

The dress, in a flattering body-con fit, is made from a fish-net style mesh material and features a white skeleton print to the front, a round neck line, long sleeves, a slinky sexy mini length and it simply slips on.

To complete my Hallowe'en inspired look for this sneaky little shoot, I styled the dress with my favourite black Christian Louboutin studded shoes, a cool skull clutch and an Autumnal berry lip.

Wishing you all a very magickal Samhain!

Get The Look:

Dress: Daisy Street Casper Skeleton Print Mini Dress

Shoes: Christian Louboutin 'Pigalle' Studded Shoes in black

Bag: Diamanté Skull Embossed Clutch (similar)

Meet The Boyfriend

I hate shopping for jeans. I can never find a pair that fits me properly and I always come home empty-handed & utterly disheartened. It's right up there with bra shopping! But, I wanted a pair of boyfriend jeans, so there was nothing for it; I took a deep breath, ate some chocolate for Dutch courage & went jeans shopping! My first stop was my local Donna Ida store.

Donna Ida is the brainchild of self-confessed denim addict Donna Ida Thornton. She opened her first store in Chelsea in 2006 and there are now four fabulous boutiques and an online store. Donna Ida is regarded at THE place to go to get the perfect pair of jeans. And let me tell you, they didn't disappoint! The lovely girls listened closely to what I was looking for and advised that a true 'boyfriend' style would drown someone as little as me. They suggested a relaxed 'skinny' style, in a size larger than I would normally wear. They immediately produced three pairs of jeans that at least looked perfect. So far so good. I tentatively entered the changing room and believe it or not, the very first pair I tried on was absolutely spot on!

'The Roller' jeans by Current/Elliott are everything I was looking for in a boyfriend style; the perfect relaxed (rather than sloppy) fit, a low-rise (I have a short torso so this is vital for me), rolled cuffs & a distressed denim in a great mid-blue colour. The ever so slightly tapered leg works particularly well on my skinny legs and I simply couldn't be happier with them!

For their very first outing, I styled the jeans with my favourite t-shirt; 'Philou' by Parisian brand Maje. Cut for a boxy fit, the tee features rolled short sleeves, a cotton back and a silkscreened Tiger print front. It goes with everything and I will be wearing this cool top until it literally falls off my back. I added simple Jimmy Choo heels & a black skull embossed clutch for an effortless, laid-back look.

Get The Look:

Jeans: Current/Elliott 'The Roller' Boyfriend Jeans

Top: Maje 'Philou' T-shirt (similar)

Shoes: Jimmy Choo 'Eros' Shoes in black (similar)

Bag: Diamanté Skull Embossed Clutch in black (similar)

I'll Cover You In Flowers

I am having a deep and meaningful love affair with High Street store Zara at the moment and it is showing no sign of abating. My most recent purchase (in the sale, yaay!) is this beautiful floral dress; it is so pretty, it makes me smile every time I look at it! We were at a wedding a few weeks ago & I wanted to wear something a little bit different to the usual strapless cocktail dresses that most wedding guests seem to favour and this dress was perfect!

In a figure flattering pencil style, it features three quarter length sleeves, zip closure to the back, a sexy split at the back of the skirt that shows a subtle flash of leg as you walk and a gorgeous, colourful floral print against an ecru background. Because of the cut of the fabric, the position of the flowers varies on each dress, making each piece quite unique.

I wanted to keep my look very simple and classic so I teamed my pretty flowery dress with a great pair of black Jimmy Choo pointy court shoes, an Ally Capellino clutch bag and a bright red lip.

Get The Look:

Dress: Zara Floral Print Dress in ecru (similar)

Shoes: Jimmy Choo Classic Pumps in black (similar)

Bag: Ally Capellino 'Rose' Frame Clutch bag in navy (similar)

Battle Born

I've only recently become aware of terrific Australian brand Cameo The Label and I have very quickly become a huge fan. Launched in 2010, the brand now has a cult following all over the world. Cameo Designers Kathryn Forth and Siham Elmawey combine their love of drawing & dressmaking and visual art is always at the forefront of their minds as they create the label's bold, polished collections.

Their 'Battle Born' skirt  has already achieved iconic status in the fashion world; it is a cool, modern take on the classic denim skirt. Featuring a mid-high rise with uneven panels, made from durable denim with a vintage finish, it is one of those wonderful pieces I know will be wearing forever.

I styled it with a great white t-shirt I bought online last Summer from Donna Ida. The cut-out shoulder detail and the glimpse of a tanned shoulder takes the outfit from casual to just a little bit sexy! It's the perfect tee and goes with every pair of shorts, jeans, trousers and skirt that I own. I wear it a lot!

I finished my look off with a red satchel from The Cambridge Satchel Co and the coolest shoes on the planet, the studded 'Pigalle' pumps by shoe God Christian Louboutin.

Get The Look:

Skirt: Cameo The Label 'Battle Born' Denim Skirt

T-Shirt: Zoe Tee's Vintage T-shirt with cut-out shoulder detail (similar)

Bag: The Cambridge Satchel Co. Classic Satchel in red

Shoes: Christian Louboutin 'Pigalle' Studded Shoes