GAP Styld.by act three: denim with a twist

 

The last of my three part series on GAP's Styld.by is all about denim with a twist, jeans with a little bit if difference. For this series I got to pick three of my favourite current season items and style them within my own wardrobe, mixing them up with my own style. I go to Gap for everything from tees to cashmere but had never bought a pair of jeans. I absolutely love the fit of these tie-dye jeans and they make the perfect alternative to my go-to uniform of skinny jeans and court shoes. Defo recommend especially as they are now on sale at £14.99..

1969 dip-dye always skinny jeans £14.99

Something forgotten

I had completely forgotten about my Sergio Rossi, black patent, block heel boots (bought at the outlets years ago!) so today, in a weekly effort to wear something forgotten, I am stepping back into them once more. I am sure all of you have #somethingfirgotten at the back of your wardrobe so wear it tomorrow..it will feel like something new! 

A pop of PINK

Do you remember me saying that an investment bag doesn't necessarily need to be a neutral colour? Sometimes a pop of colour can actually inject new life to your everyday clothes, making it even more of an investment. For example today, I am wearing my usual combination of jeans and a cashmere jumper but my whole outfit looks much more interesting when worn with my hot pink, new bag. This minimalist Jaeger bag is a clean lines, super chic style and comes in a dove grey too, should you not be convinced by the hot pink. Just something to think about!

Jaeger large Lawrence bag £199

The skirt that rocked my world

I recently did an interview for www.refinery29.com  which I instantly agreed to be in because it was all about closet organisation, and I can't get enough of other women's wardrobe tips! I must admit that, when it was published last week, I skipped right through my interview and passionately read all the other style insiders. 

In this great feature the lovely Olivia Philips (www.newfavouritething.com) writes: "We asked London’s neatest (and most stylish) ladies to open their wardrobes for us, and reveal the storage tips they swear by — from colour-coding to clever jewellry storage solutions. Oh, and there are drawer dividers galore. Ahead, advice from five women who have transformed their closets into works of organizational art, one velour hanger at a time."

Read the entire feature here

For the shoot I wore a House of Holland skirt, teamed with my J.Crew merino Tippi sweater and my Miu Miu glitter pumps. Since that day I have literally not been able to stop thinking about the skirt. It's a show-stopping, red silk,  drop waist peplum skirt that is a fashionista's dream. Not many places stock it yet, but I've found it at Urban Outfitters and I am oh so tempted.. Wouldn't it make the perfect WOW skirt for the upcoming shows. I think so.

 House of Holland starburst skirt £300

WIT mama Friday: Guest post by Greta's friend Coco (and her mummy SarahT.)

Sarah Tomczak is the super talented (stylish and witty) features director at Red magazine, mummy to gorgeous 20 months old Coco and also my partner in lunch-break shopping-crime in Zara kids (and Bonpoint sample sales.. and Caramel, Mini Boden.. the list goes on really). We share a deep love for all things J.Crew, liberty print and of course, our girls. When she showed me photos of Coco's nursery she got me A) wishing I had chosen "greige and pops of colours" for Greta's room B) desperately wanting to share it all on WIT.  I adore her style and we've become great friends - in WIT's first ever guest post she shares ideas and tips on how she put together Coco's sweet nursery. I hope you enjoy it.

When we planned decorate Coco’s nursery, I had visions of a monochrome palette with bits of dusty pink here and there, but my husband had other ideas. He said little babies need lots of colour and playfulness. Of course he was right. So our compromise was a shade of ‘greige’ (that warm grey color) for the walls and then some really bright pops of colour elsewhere. The curtains (which I made myself!) are fabric from the Zoo collection from Scandi brand Mairo  www.scandiliving.com/ - I love that they’re a bit neon! The Stokke Sleepi cot www.stokke.com was a bit of an investment (although we got ours from eBay so it was half price). They grow with your baby so this was originally circular but you add extra bits every six months or so. One day it will even be a little bed! To continue the peppy theme I just kept my eye out for interesting colourful bits, as you’ll see below. My favourite details in Coco’s room are her clothes rail (made using a piece of wood my husband found while we were walking in the woods and some rope purchased in B and Q) and her gorgeous hand-knitted toys, made by her very talented granny. She has a wooden trunk full of toys downstairs, so that's become more of a play area, leaving her bedroom as a cosy, tranquil little space.

Coco's room is pretty small which means less is more. Alongside her Stokke Sleepi cot www.stokke.com is  a midcentury armchair, which we bought from eBay (we've spent a LOT of time in it!), with a cashmere blanket for those chillier nights. You can also see those Mairo Zoo curtains www.scandiliving.com

Here are Coco's beautiful knitted zoo animals, alongside a trio of Liberty suitcases featuring Hello Kitty (perfect for trinkets, hair clips and to store swimwear/sun hats in the winter). The paper honeycomb pom poms are from Petra Boase www.petraboase.com– you can choose from around 18 shades so great for colour coordination!

Coco's hanging rail was a DIY job and is so easy to recreate. It's also a nice chance to show off her lovely clothes (I covet her closet!). The suitcase below is Marrimekko and the wooden bunny was a gift from New York.

These book shelves are actually super cheap picture shelves from Ikea – and such a good way for little ones to select their bedtime reading. My husband made the stool in woodwork class at school(!!). The lamp I LOVE. It's vintage, snapped up at a French flea market last summer and was a snip at 30 euros. I'd been lusting after the porcelain animal lamps at Jonathan Adler (www.jonathanadler.com for about ten times the price so was thrilled with this find.

Inside Coco's cot… another knitted cat from Granny (she was prolific!) and Coco's favourite giraffe named Bo (her choice). The bed sheet is actually a muslin from Aden and Anais www.adenandanais.co.uk I got tons of them when Coco was born and still use them to death.

I like the idea of Coco having extra special things in her room and these both count – the Jack and Jill print is an original piece of art for Coco's 1st Birthday from my very talented friend Eleen, the paper fan is actually an old map and was one of the decorations at another good friend's wedding.

Another special print, this is a seaside themed alphabet from a local Kent artist (where I grew up), and was a gift when Coco was very tiny. The shiny windmill was a treat from a blustery sea walk with Grandad.

Sarah's and Coco's address book for a fun day out in London

This week we showed Laura and Greta some of our favourite London spots...

The National Army Museum, just off the Kings Road has a lovely little soft play, which is still a well-kept secret. It's clean, safe and perfect for toddlers. It's also never too busy, thanks to a strict booking system. It's only £2.50 a visit but sign up for a place online and get in their early!

nam.ac.uk/kids/kids-zone

In the basement of the Science Museum in Kensington there's a dedicated area for little ones to explore with a great water area, giant Lego blocks, musical instruments and glove puppets. Best of all, it's free!

http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/Plan_your_visit/exhibitions/the_garden.aspx

We also love the V and A Museum. Coco's dad is a photographer here so the staff spoil her rotten (it's very Eloise at the Plaza!). We always stop in for afternoon tea and cake in the beautiful ornate restaurant and in the summer can while away hours paddling in the water in the museum courtyard.

Finally Hyde Park is hard to beat if it's not drizzling. In the summer Coco loves the giant pirate ship and sandpit in the Diana Memorial Playground and just a few weeks ago we wrapped up warm to visit the Winter Wonderland and loved every festive minute of it.

A great buy

I bought this skirt at the beginning of the season and it's been a great investment. I treat my leather skirt like a pair of jeans and pair it with my favourite sweaters (this is a Boden cashmere crew neck), flat a or heels. Today I'm doing my favourite black and navy colour combination with a little touch of leopard print in the shoes. 

No WIT today sorry..

I had a date at soft play with my biggest love! 

GAP Styld.by act two: cashmere and sequins

I love GAP. I have to admit that I rarely walk out of the store without having bought something, being it for me or for Greta. Gap is accessible, it's a bit preppy but also has amazing gems that have often become the pride of my wardrobe. So when I got asked to take part in a bloggers collaboration for their website www.styld-by.com I jumped at the occasion. 

Gap cashmere hoodie £149.00 worn over  Gap shrunken boyfriend gingham shirt £16.99 with my own Zara sequin skirt, Christian Louboutin shoes and Other Stories clutch

I got to pick three of my favourite current season items and style them within my own wardrobe and mixing it up with my own style. The second  look of this three part series is all about cashmere. I love to mix high and low, sporty and dressy, day and night items and for this look I wore a Gap cashmere hoodie  over a shrunken gingham flannel shirt and my own  Christian Louboutin lace-up heels, Zara sequin skirt and  faux fur Other Stories clutch.

Here's how to reproduce the look with some bits available online

Don't forget to book your tickets to come and meet me and the Red fashion team at the Red Loves GAP reader event taking place in London on Thursday the 6th of February at the Oxford Street flagship store. For more info click here

The amazing J.Crew jumper

Keeping it sime this Monday morning with black cigarette pants, printed courts and my amazing new J.Crew jumper. Oh, and road testing fluro hair barrettes too.

WIT mama Friday mini magazine: the Boden edit, Greta's ragu and a tripto the Zoo.

Welcome to the first of a monthly series of WIT mama Fridays mini magazine, featuring some of my favourite finds, shopping ideas and mama related things. I hope you enjoy it!

.....

Mini Boden

I'm always excited when the Boden catalogue comes through my door, and since having Greta I love it even more. The new S/S styles are out and I got there early as I often find myself disappointed when my favourite styles sell out. This year there's a lot of what I love: liberty prints, hints of neon and a little bit of sparkle. Here are my recommendations and a few things I bought for Greta for the coming Summer.

All available from Boden.co.uk

New favourite toy

My sister gave Greta this wooden toy for Christmas and she can't seem to get enough of it. It's a wooden box with four holes where you can either push or knock through the coloured  balls with a hammer. It's  bit loud but she loves the action!

Goki Catch the Ball

 New brand alert: Woodstock

My friend Sarah told me about this gorgeous brand and I am now obsessed with their liberty print bows, pom pom clips and gorgeous alice bands. I also realised that the pom pom headband I bought in Paris last fall, thinking it was an exquisite French find, was infact from this British brand. Get ready for hair accessories heaven.

www.woodstocklondon.com

Zulily

I've talked about Zulily before, the daily deals website where you can find anything from Marie Chantal to Amelia up to 70% off. Their email update comes to my inbox every morning and whilst Greta has her milk in our bed I love trawling through the day's deals. It's totally hit and miss but this week they had some great  brands. I got Greta this sweet dress down to £19.00 from £56.00

www.zulily.co.uk

Mum uniform update

 

Whilst I was on maternity I established  a practical meet style on-duty uniform and to this day I pretty much stick to this formula: jeans and a cashmere crew neck. A cool logo jumper, being it a slogan or a fun logo is the perfect on trend update for your daily jeans.

Chinti and Parker Love-intarsia cashmere sweater £350

A fun day out

A bit of an obvious one, but good for a reason. I will never forget Greta's face when she saw a real Giraffe for the first time! Perhaps wait for the warmer weather and team with a pic nic in Regent's Park though.. Admittedly a January trip to the zoo wasn't the best of ideas.

London Zoo

Greta's Pasta al Ragu'

I can't take credit for this recipe as Greta's nanny (who is Italian and amazing cook) has come up with it under my strict guidance of no salt, no sugar and lots of vegetables. Greta loves it so I thought I would share it with you.

250g Organic lean mince beef

half a small onion
1 small carrot
1 small courgette
Organic "passata di pomodoro" (available from Waitrose)
A few leaves of fresh basil

2 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil

On a medium heat saute the finely chopped onion in the olive oil until soft, if necessary add a little water. Add the chopped carrot (I make my pieces really small to avoid risk of chocking), courgettes and the raw meat, stir until the meat is brown. Cover with the liquid tomatoes passata, lower the heat and cook for 3 to 4 hours stirring occasionally. When all the water has evaporated and the sauce looks rich take off the heat and stir in some fresh basil. Let it rest until it cools down. The secret with ragu is that the longer you cook it for the tastier it is!

GAP Styld.by act one: layering the unexpected way

I love GAP. I have to admit that I rarely walk out of the store without having bought something, being it for me or for Greta. Gap is accessible, it's a bit preppy but also has amazing gems that have often become the pride of my wardrobe. So when I got asked to take part in a bloggers collaboration for their website www.styld-by.com I jumped at the occasion.

I got to pick three of my favourite current season items and style them within my wardrobe my mixing it up with my own style. The first  look is all about layering the unexpected way: I love to mix high and low, sporty and dressy, day and night items and for this look I wore GAP's wool Moto Biker Jacket over my Miu Miu red lace dress and accessorised the lot with my Christian Louboutin lace heels, YSL grey patent bag and topped it all off with my favourite beanie.

Here's how to reproduce the look with some bits available online

Coast red lace dress  £59.00

Gap Moto Biker Jacket £42.99
 

Nicholas Kirkwood Lace-mesh and leather sandals £645

Joseph cashmere hat £115

Saint Laurent Cabas Chyc medium leather shopper £1,540

I shop from my shoots

One of the promises I made myself when I started WIT was that I was never going feature anything I wouldn't recommend buying or buy myself, though admittedly sometimes that is in a distant won-the-lottery fantasy world! I see a lot of amazing clothes, bags and shoes and resisting the temptation is at time is really hard. Recently I found myself lusting after some of the clothes I used in my shopping pages and some that I wore in my shoots, so today I thought I would highlight some tried and tested items that I have invested in... and I'm afraid that from the March issue there will be more!

 

It was love at first sight with these Sophia Webster shoes from my January Style Essay, but at full price they were well beyond my reach. I bagged them at a sale and cannot wait for the weather to get better to start wearing them with everything from pencil skirts to frayed jeans. Sophia Webster shoes £180.00 

One of the things I love about fashion is that it's fun and experimental, six months ago I didn't think I would like to wear a bomber jacket but as I was compiling Red's "Try something new" page for the January issue, I fell in love with this wool navy bomber jacket which I suggest to pair with a feminine dress or a statement skirt. 

I loved the jeans I wore for our February denim challenge, especially the ankle skimming length and the comfy fit which makes them perfect for my Friday's with Greta and week ends. Finding a pair of jeans that look good on me (I'm short and everything is a bit long on me) is a holy grail so I had to make the investment.  GENETIC DENIM The Shya skinny mid-rise jeans £255.00

Don't forget to enter a competition that will give you and a friend the opportunity to win a Selfridges Denim Lab voucher worth £360.00 to spend in store or on line on two pairs of jeans!

To enter the competition all you have to do is:

1) Ask a friend to style you in an outfit wearing your favourite pair of jeans 

2) Tweet your picture to @redmagdaily  or Instagram it to @redmagazine 

3) Don't forget to hashtag #IstyleU

4) Cross your fingers and hope I pick you as the lucky winner!

Good luck!

The fashiony faux fur collar

Do you remember this sensational Prada show? It was Spring/Summer 2011 and models strutted down the catwalk in banana print peplum skirts, stripy clutch bags and brightly coloured fur scarfs. I loved this show so much, and since then I've been regretting not buying something from the collection. However my sisters made my dream come true and for Christmas gave me a faux fur orange and blue scarf from the commercial collection (a great Outlets find). Today I'm wearing it over my grey coat and flared high waist jeans for a glamorous commute to work.

I realise this thing is not everyone's cup of tea and possibly not the most wearable for everyday life, so I've compiled a little shopping list of great faux collars, snoods and collars of more subtle colours. And if you are super lazy, you can even get a coat with a modest navy fur collar attached!

1) Monsoon brown stole £29.00

2) Top Shop lux fur collar £28.00

3) HELEN MOORE Faux fur vixen scarf £68.00

4) Top Shop shaggy oversized faux fur collar £25.00

5) HELEN MOORE Faux fur vixen scarf £68.00

6) Great Plains Glamourama faux fur snood £24.00

7) Sophie Hulme Goat Lapel Overcoat £409.00 Was £682.00 (40% off

Double it up

Who says you can't wear one colour head to toe. I think it looks really striking, just bare in mind two things when you are doubling up on one colour: the hues you are matching must be exactly the same or else similar, but of the same tonal value (for example red and burgundy or dusty pink and magenta). When accessorizing try neutral tones, break it up with a graphic or floral print. Here are three examples on  how I would rock head to toe colour. 

 

Look No.1 Red hues

Christopher Kane Lace-appliquéd mohair-blend sweater £495

J.Crew Petite pencil skirt in Super 120s £128.00  

Top Shop sunglasses £16

Look No.2 Pink hues

Chloé Cashmere sweater £540

J.Crew Collection Falsetto silk printed pumps £328.00 

Top Shop Bubble Jacquard Midi Skirt £48.00

Look No.3 Blue hues

Tila March Ella Messenger Cross Body Bag £217.00 Was £435.00 (50% off) 

Acne Misty zipped stretch-knit sweater £270

Navy Blue Vinyl Pencil Skirt      Was £38.00 Now £20.00

Win a pair of jeans (for you and for your best friend) from the DenimLab at Selfridges

Enter our #IstyleU competition that will give you and a friend the opportunity to win a Selfridges Denim Lab voucher worth £360.00 to spend in store or on line on two pairs of jeans! Read on!

Have you even been stuck in a fashion rut? To be precise, have you ever been stuck in a jeans rut where you always wear your jeans the same way? I know I have tending to wear (mainly) skinny jeans with a pair of heels and a cashmere jumper. So whilst flat planning the February issue of Red magazine I had an idea: what if all of us Red stylist from the fashion department styled each other to bring a fresh pair of eyes to the way we wear our denim? Would we all benefit from a new approach to the way we wear this ultimate wardrobe staple?

And so it went. I styled my friend and colleague, rock chick Nathalie Riddle, in MiH turn-ups and a bouncy blow dry (MIH JEANS Phoebe straight mid-rise jeans £195.00),  whilst my boss Nicola Rose took me to a sporty land I never thought I would explore in GENETIC DENIM Shya skinny mid-rise jeans £255.00

The Frugality's Alex Stedman stepped away from her flats and into sky high heels and skinnies for a Emmanuelle Alt look, whilst Nicola made dungarees modern and wearable (CITIZENS OF HUMANITY Quincey denim dungarees £390.00)

Surprisingly, I ended up loving wearing a bomber jacket and colourful trainers, which got me thinking that sometimes relying on a friend to bring a fresh prospective to your outfit can stir you away from your fashion rut.

It was a super fun day, Alex filmed us in hair and make up and whilst being photographed by the amazing Ezra Patchett and together with her husband Chris (with whom she's launching Lucky No. 13 later in the month, a company that make short videos played to a  cool soundtrack) put together this great behind the scenes video. Watch the video by clicking here and get in touch with Chris info@luckynumberthirteen.co.uk for your next event (wish I had known about it for Greta's birthday).

So now it's your turn get away from your jeans rut and enter a competition that will give you and a friend the opportunity to win a Selfridges Denim Lab voucher worth £360.00 to spend in store or on line on two pairs of jeans!

To enter the competition all you have to do is:

1) Ask a friend to style you in an outfit wearing your favourite pair of jeans 

2) Tweet your picture to @redmagdaily  or Instagram it to @redmagazine 

3) Don't forget to hashtag #IstyleU

4) Cross your fingers and hope I pick you as the lucky winner!

Good luck!

For more info check the website