Diva Diana

Danish Designer Peter Jensen is known for his cool, off-beat designs. Each season he chooses a different Muse to inspire his collections and this season, he has teamed up with artist & illustrator Julie Verhoeven to create a new collection inspired by legendary pop Diva Diana Ross. Why Diana? Jensen felt she "stood for a good time, a chance to dance away the dark". The playful 1970s inspired pieces feature everything from cool printed t-shirts to metallic party dresses reminiscent of the iconic Studio 54.

The piece I was drawn to from the collection was this gorgeous little sweatshirt. Made from breathable sweat fabric, it features a crew neckline, three-quarter length sleeves and has a cropped, slim fit. A stunning print of Ross, her big, soulful eyes and her dramatic red lips adorns the front.

I paired the cool sweatshirt with my much loved, much worn Zara denim shorts and a great pair of Topshop ankle boots that could cope with a muddy Countryside walk.

Get The Look:

Top: Peter Jensen 'Julie' Sweatshirt in Diana Print

Shorts: Zara Denim shorts (similar)

Shoes: Topshop 'Ambush' Ankle Boots in black (similar)

Bellini On The Beach

Let me introduce you to the latest addition to my Emma Manley hoard; the 'Lee' Dress from Manley's A/W14 collection. Isn't it simply beautiful? The 'Lee' dress has become the stuff of legend since the gorgeous, talented Amy Huberman wore the silver version on Ireland's Late Late Show. It sold out immediately, is now known as 'The Amy Huberman Dress' and has subsequently become one of Manley's most sought after, signature styles with a subtle reworking of it appearing each season. To say it is the perfect dress is something of an understatement.

An A-line shape, it features 3/4 length sleeves and a contrasting leather yoke and collar. The collar is hand cut with a scalloped edge. It has button detailing down the front, an invisible zip at the side, pockets at hip level and ties on the side seam to give the dress some added definition. I wear mine with cute ankle boots or flat brogues for pottering about during the day and add heels and an oversized clutch for a great evening look.

I am very lucky to have this beautiful dress in two other colours, the silver version (blogged here) and the black version (coming to a blog near you soon). This one is a little extra special though thanks to the oh so unusual peach and champagne colourway. It reminds me of one of my favourite cocktails, the Bellini, a delicious champagne and peach juice combination. In fact I call it my Bellini dress as it suits it so perfectly; simple and classic with a glamorous, sophisticated flair!

Get The Look:

Dress: Emma Manley 'Lee' Dress in peach/champagne (coming soon; similar here)

Shoes: Christian Louboutin 'Mad Mary' Studded Mary-Jane Shoes in cream (similar)

Photographer: Kate Carpenter

Picture Perfect

Sugarhill Boutique, a family run brand established in 2006, create their fantastic designs in a seaside studio in Brighton. Their easy to wear creations are fun, feminine, rich in detail and come at affordable High Street prices. Often featuring exclusively designed prints, their classic styles with modern twists are pieces that work with current trends but will take you way beyond them.

The 'Picture Perfect' top is as cute as a button. It is one of those invaluable pieces that I keep going on and on about in this little Blog; it can be dressed up, dressed down and dressed every which way in between. A loose fitting, half sleeve top, it comes in two colour-ways, in palest green (as worn by me) or in a rich, deep blue. It features their super-cute exclusive hand-drawn camera print. It's a popular print this season, also appearing on a beautiful little dress (the deep blue dress will be coming to a Blog near you soon!)

I styled my top with an ancient pair of white denim shorts; I have no idea where they are from and when I re-discovered them recently I was surprised I'd ever stopped wearing them. It didn't take long to remember exactly why; the zip keeps coming down! I spent the entire day tugging and pulling at it and getting very peculiar looks from passersby! I've been on the hunt for a new pair and oh my word it's been difficult. All I could find were 'ass munchers' and 'nana shorts'! A girlfriend pointed me toward the lovely H&M pair in the link below; I've ordered them and I'll let you know how I get on with them as soon as I can.

My old, much loved, almost worn out Karen Millen ankle boots (oh how I wish I'd bought a second pair when I had the chance!) and a sweet, minimalist makeup (all Bobbi Brown products) completed my look.

Get The Look:

Top: Sugarhill Boutique 'Picture Perfect' Top in green

Shorts: Vintage White Denim Shorts (similar)

Shoes: Karen Millen Stack Heel Boots (similar)

Something Old, Something New

A very talented friend of mine recently up-cycled some old furniture. Like an Alchemist turning lead into gold, he magickally transformed an ordinary 1930s sideboard into something very special and unique. I was blown away by his beautiful handiwork and it got me thinking about all the old dresses I still have from years ago that I no longer wear. I wondered if I could up-cycle some of them.

I went rummaging in Narnia (my wardrobe) and one of the first potential up-cycling pieces I found was an old Karen Millen dress that was literally rolled up in a ball on the floor. I'd not worn the dress for at least ten years as I've put on a good stone in that time (I was skin & bone back then; it was not a good look). I could barely squish myself into the dress and no amount of force or holding of breath was going to get the zipper up and over my curves. So I took it to my Tailor to see what kind of magick he could work on it. The dress was a very unflattering length, somewhere between 'midi' and 'wrong', so he shortened it to a much more elegant length and used the excess material to let the dress out around the chest and upper body area. He literally transformed the dress and it only cost me £20 for all the alterations.

In a gorgeous pewter colour, the silk Oriental style dress features a cute Mandarin collar with a deep v-neck, cap sleeves, beautiful floral embroidery on the chest, back and hem and pink corset lace detail at the back to nip in the waist. My old dress has been given a new lease of life & I seriously believe I will wear it more now than I did ten years ago when it was brand new. I'm already hunting through my dress archives for the next up-cycling project; this is going to save me a fortune!

I styled my dress with the most fabulous new shoes. It was my birthday in May and this perfect pair of nude, patent, Christian Louboutin shoes were my favourite present. Aren't they gorgeous? They will definitely feature in many more blog posts... MANY more... as they go with absolutely every single piece of clothing that I own.

Get The Look:

Dress: Karen Millen Oriental Corset Dress (similar)

Shoes: Christian Louboutin ‘Pigalle 120’ Shoes in nude patent leather

Manley Dungarees

Dungarees are set to be a big thing this season. You can get them in cute summery shorts styles, full length trousers or you can rock the look the feminine way with a dungaree style dress.

The 'Austin' dress, by one of my favourite Designers Emma Manley, is a fantastic take on the trend. In a neutral silver colour, it is anything but manly; it features a leather bodice (a beautiful, unexpected change from the traditional denim usually associated with dungarees) with a single pocket detail to the centre front, snap fasteners at the hip, strap fastening to the front and a fully lined skirt that sits slightly longer at the back.

I styled my dress with a very tailored crisp white shirt. Sticking with the muted colour of the dress I added metallic heels and a bright red lipstick added a lovely pop of colour. My treasured Chloe mini 'Paddington' bag to carry all my essentials completed the look. 

The styling possibilities for a piece like this are endless; it can be teamed with a feminine, girly blouse, a cool t-shirt or a cute crop top for a great 90s throwback look.

Get The Look:

Dress: Manley 'Austin' Dungaree Dress in silver (similar)

Shirt: Hugo Boss 'Linot' Shirt (similar)

Shoes: Dior 'Extreme' Shoes (similar)

Bag: Chloe mini 'Paddington' Bag (similar)