Camouflage: Parisian Style

What can I say about this outfit? It is 100% me, my favourite kind of laid back Summery look. Even better, it was a late, very unexpected extra birthday present from my lovely Husband! It was my birthday last weekend & to say it wasn't the happiest birthday ever would be something of an understatement. From rowing with a friend on the day to my birthday present not arriving on time to getting the worst bout of stomach flu ever, it was a disaster! Birthday days & nights out fell by the wayside as I took to my bed and coughed, sneezed & puked my way through a rather miserable week. When I finally recovered and ventured out into the world again, an impromptu trip to Westfield Shopping Mall in London resulted in this wonderful surprise birthday present!

The camouflage shirt, in an unexpected shade of blue rather than the traditional camouflage green, and the blue crepe shorts are both from cool Parisian label Maje. Created for a woman who is "a lover of bohemian, feminine fashion", me & Maje are a match made in fashion heaven! The shorts and shirt look great together and each piece will go with dozens of other bits and pieces in my wardrobe.

I styled my Maje gifts with a pair of masculine brogues from ASOS. They add a playful, gamine look to the outfit, which I really like. I am almost always in towering heels, at 4 foot 11 inches I need all the help I can get, but the classic brogue deserves a place in every girls wardrobe; they are comfy, practical and a much cooler alternative to the ballet pump.

And so you see, in the end, thanks to my wonderful Husband I actually had the happiest late birthday ever; and it's still going strong! Happy birthday to meeeee!!

Get The Look:

Shirt: Maje 'Slide' Camouflage Shirt in blue

Shorts: Maje 'Currity' Shorts in blue

Brogues: ASOS 'Match' Leather Brogues in black

So Sue Me

Isn't this dress just fabulous? It's another great piece by one of my favourite Designers, Emma Manley.

This is the 'Sue' dress, an unexpected soft/hard mix of jersey and leather; the creamy coloured vest top is a light, stretchy jersey material and the attached skirt is the softest, palest blue leather with silver rivets all over. An incredibly full twirly skirt, it is the epitome of cool!

I styled the dress with Karen Millen ankle boots, some of my favourite silver baubles from Tiffany & Co and a very pared down make up. I then proceeded to swirl & twirl my way through this Blog shoot, much to my Husband's amusement!

Get The Look:

Dress: Emma Manley 'Sue' Leather Dress (similar)

Boots: Karen Millen Ankle Boots

Jewellery: All silver jewellery available from Tiffany & Co

Here Comes The Sun

Dear ol' Blighty has been teasing us with some Summery weather, just the odd day here and there but it has been enough to inspire me to buy some bright, sunshiny, Summery clothes; and they don't come brighter or more sunshiny than the aptly named 'Summer' dress by Savannah.

Made of 100% cotton, in a fantastically dramatic mustard/yellow colour, 'Summer' features a cool scalloped edge at the neck and hem and a gathered waist with a flared, girly skirt. It has a hidden zip at the side and three buttons on the shoulder.

Styled with gorgeous Miu Miu shoes in a wonderful contrasting turquoise colour, a feather clutch from ASOS and delicate gold/silver accessories from Alex Monroe, this is the perfect Summer date night dress!

Get The Look:
Dress: Savannah 'Summer' Dress
Shoes: Miu Miu Snake Effect Shoes in turquoise (similar)
Bag: ASOS Feather Clutch
Jewellery: Alex Monroe Daisy Chain Bracelet & Ear-Rings

Americana

When I saw this dress on the ASOS website the other day it reminded me immediately of Isabel Marant's A/W12 collection which was heavily influenced by the Wild West. This dress was of course a fraction of the price; thank you, good ol' ASOS!

The cute navy dress features a contrast panel with fabulous floral embroidery to the front and back, a light coloured collar, a button through front, long cuffed sleeves & it has a loose, relaxed fit. It is girly Americana at it's very best; a touch of cowgirl chic with a little bit of 70s hippy thrown in for good measure!

For a Saturday afternoon shopping spree, I styled it with comfortable Karen Millen ankle boots and my new obsession, my gorgeous satchel from The Cambridge Satchel Co. My red satchel is turning heads everywhere I go and adds a great pop of colour to this cool, comfortable outfit.

Get The Look:

Dress: ASOS Country & Western Shirt Dress

Bag: Cambridge Satchel Co. 'Classic' 11" Satchel in red

Boots: Karen Millen Stack Heeled Ankle Boots

Free Spirit

The 'Free' shirt is another gorgeous piece from Winter Kate's stunning S/S13 collection. It is a perfect example of the brands bohemian aesthetic; a style reminiscent of the 60s and 70s that I love so much.

Dip dyed in a delicate cream/peach colourway, the shirt is made from a soft silk/cotton blend and features button through fastening to the front, cuffed sleeves and a fluid, flowing shape thanks to the cape-like, slightly longer back that billows behind as you walk!

Styled simply with denim shorts and neutral toned ankle boots, this is 100% me; it is the perfect laid-back Summer outfit!

Get The Look:

Shirt: Winter Kate 'Free' Dip Dye Shirt

Shorts: Zara Denim Shorts

Boots: Karen Millen Ankle Boots

Sunglasses: Chanel Bow Sunglasses

Bag: Chloe 'Paddington' Bag (similar)

Baby Doll

OASAP is a global online store dedicated to High Street fashion. The website is a cornucopia of beautiful clothes, bags, shoes, beauty products & jewellery. They update with more than 600 new products weekly and they ship free worldwide!

I spied this cute dress as I browsed the site. I loved it's baby doll shape and retro, new vintage look. In a lovely apricot and cream colourway, it features a turn-down Peter Pan collar, zip closure to the back, long sleeves, an A-line skirt, high waistline and a single breasted front with cute button and pocket detailing.

I wanted to stay true to the retro look of the dress so I styled it with strappy platform sandals for a cool 70s look.

Get The Look:
Dress: OASAP Sweet Turndown Collar Dress (similar)
Shoes: Reiss 'Cedar' Sandals (similar)