WIT Search

Friday 31 July 2015

WIT mama Friday: home office



Despite getting all sorts of advice against it, working form home is my absolute favourite thing about  having my own business. I love the flexibility that comes with it, I love having my own, personal space to work in and I love the fact that I don't have to face a morning commute. As with all things, there are a few rules that I’ve had to come up with, especially when I work from home and Greta is around, but aside from this creating and working from my home office has been one of the most fun things ever! My project is far from being finished, so see this post as work in progress, but nevertheless I wanted to share with you some photos of my little working heaven.

My working-from-home rules:

1) Get dressed as if you were going to the office. I’m not going to lie, there are days where I’m just wearing jeans and a T-shirt, but I still make the effort of getting dressed and looking presentable, I do it for myself. I think it helps with my confidence and doesn’t make me feel sloppy.


2) Have working hours. The beauty of working form home is that you can be more flexible than if you were ticking the clock at the office, but nevertheless I try to stick to normal working hours so that at the end of the day I can enjoy some time off with my family. In the mornings I always have a breakfast with Greta and then off I go to the office.


3) Close the door. Greta knows that when the door is closed, mummy is at work and she’s not to be disturbed. It's a simple rule and I've had it from day one, so she finds it normal and accepts it. But there are all sort of other temptations to resist, such as sending a wash or tiding up a shelve. I close the door and that way it's as if I'm not home.


4) Make the space you have work for you. My office is not set in a huge room, I’ve used a portion of our guest bedroom to create my working pace and before buying any furniture I just placed my desk where I thought I would want it and lived with it for a while before figuring out what kind of storage I needed around it. I don’t like for anything to permanently sit on my desk, preferring and empty space, so I have opened for shelves by my desk for the “pretty things” I like to look at and a huge fitted cabinet underneath the bay window to store all the messy things like files and boxes.


5) Organisation is the key to success. I’m a organisational freak and I like to have everything classified and tidy so that my office functions the same as any other office. I have a printer and a scanner, reliable Internet connection and everything I need from stamps to stationer. Oh, and I label everything!


5) Have regular clean outs. Almost on a  weekly basis I will throw away unneeded papers and tick off the various things I added to my “To Do” list. I have it always in front of me on my pin board so that (almost) nothing gets forgotten.


6) Have a "success wall". We all have good and bad work days, especially when you have your own business. I started a "successes wall" where I pin and frame little things that remind me of the good things I've done so far. It can be anything - I everything from my first page I produced for a magazine fifteen years ago to Jenna Lyon's "Good Luck" card she sent me when I started Wardrobe ICONS and funny photos with Petro that remind me of good times. Just a glance at my wall when I'm having a bad day puts a smile on my face!


7) Stick to a colour palette. I'm not an interiors expert and when it come to interiors decoration, I sort of wing it. The best advice I have been given is to stick to a colour palette. I've done just that throughout my flat, and for my office I chose greys with touches of green.

 

 If you like my office's look - here are some of the things I've bought for it, and if I couldn't find the exact same thing, the next best one!


Thursday 30 July 2015

The pink jumpsuit of my dreams

Topshop cropped jumpsuit £95
I clocked this bright pink jumpsuit in Topshop this week and just had to have it! It literally looks like it could be from Roksanda it's so good. It's also incredibly comfortable and forgiving, which is also a plus. I wore it last night to our Wardrobe ICONS summer party and it was a definite hit amongst the girls ;-) Warning: you have to love pink because it's really bright!

Wednesday 29 July 2015

The pale blue shirt I've been looking for

Topshop oversize pocket shirt £36
I've been looking for a smart pale blue shirt for a while and I must admit that I was ready to splash out on it, when I found this Topshop version at a fraction of what I had budgeted for (Topshop shirt £36). I love it when things like this happen! It's a really nice cotton fabric with an oversize fit but really fitted arms that are super flattering. I love it that it's a bit long, so you can wear it over leggings and jeans, but also tuck it in to a skirt. But the thing that I love the most is the pale blue colour, which looks great on just about anyone and with just about anything. Today I'm wearing it with my Whistles leather skirt, Chanel bag and black canvas espadrilles for a few meetings in town.

Tuesday 28 July 2015

Behind the scenes of The ICONS Update shoot this week


It's that funny time of year where despite it being still summer, we are already getting a little bit excited about what to wear in fall. Lots of websites have started landing new season drops and we are getting first glimpses of what we saw at fashion weeks (and in my case earmarked as must-buys), so Petro and I thought it would be a good time to showcase what's on our shopping radars, and what's worth buying now to wear forever. You can see the full thing in this week's issue live on www.wardrobeicons.com but here today I wanted to show your a few fun shots from behind the scenes  and tell you how it all happens!
Ready to play dress-up
First of all we spend a lot of time looking through all our favourite websites in search for the next great buy. It is my job as an editor to look through 256 dresses on Net-a-Porter, but as we  do this we often think: "What woman has time to do this?!". There is an insane amount of choice out there so you really do need an expert eye and a lot of time at your fingertips to shop for something great! Lucky, if your like our style, we do the legwork for you!

Samples have arrived
 Secondly we "call everything in". That means that we call press offices and we aks them to send us samples to try on. This is because it's important that we see what things look like in real life, we like to try them on, walk around in them, and really get a sense on what these items are worth. Only what we really love makes it on The ICONS Update (and when that happens, often in our own wardrobes).
Here I was asking Petro: which shoes - flats on heels?
We go through a lot of samples, but not everything makes it in. For this shoot I called in a designer jumper that I thought I was going to love, but the fabric was a bit so and so and the fit not great so if I don't love it, why should you? Other times we don't even get to samples and simply feature things we already own and love (like my Chloe fringed shoes and Petro's Gucci bag) - in those cases we are already convinced they are great!

Here I was just being silly as Greta would say
When we try things on we really try and think about what we are going to say about them - we all have our hangups and body issues so in our description we tell you a little bit about why we think think they are great and in which way you can style them.
More silliness
 When we found the things we love we shoot them with our resident photographer Eva K. Salvi. We often do this at home or in the office, just to give you a sense of what they look like on real people. For this shoot we tried everything on the day before the shoot in Petro's dressing room - I won't lie, we have a great time!

Looking at photos with Eva
In the next few days Eva sends us the photos get to us and  we pick our favourites which are the ones you see in The ICONS Update! This week it's all about the new season drops that are worth bagging now and loving forever. Here's a link to the issue, I really hope you enjoy it and like my recommendations.

wardrobeicons.com

Friday 24 July 2015

WIT mama Friday: "Just-add-a-skirt" challenge day FIVE"

When your skirt becomes a hiding place and the most fun game ever!
Happy WIT mama Friday ;-)

Love,
Laura and GZ




I've had lots of fun wearing all my 'forgotten skirts' this week, Greta decided to join me in these pics and since it's WIT mama Friday I thought, why not! She loves to hide under my skirts, and after we took these photos she insisted on trying the skirt on herself!

Thursday 23 July 2015

"Just-add-a-skirt" challenge day Four

COS T-shirt, Topshop skirt, Jimmy Choo shoes

Oh this skirt! It was another pregnancy buy (I must have really missed having a waist line when I was pregnant), and I have quite a good story attached to it. I was on maternity leave when I got a call from someone at J.Crew inviting me to a lunch hosted by Jenna Lyons to celebrate the upcoming opening of the first London store. I was still breastfeeding and was in a total maternity bubble, but I decided I to go, after all you don't get an invitation from Jenna Lyons every day and my life up to that point had been pretty boring! I didn't have any sort of childcare in place and had never left Greta for more than an hour, so Petro came over with her son Jacob to babysit (she later told me that had to cry her to sleep she was so upset). In a  bit of a sweaty fret I went to the lunch (arriving really late) only to be disappointed by the fact that Jenna had already left. After lunch we got taken to the J.Crew pop up shop in King's Cross and I was later told that Jenna spotted my skirt and said: "Who's that girl with the neon skirt - would like to meet her". And the rest is history ;-) Funny how clothes can have such special memories attached to them.

With Jenna Lyons in May 2013
Forgotten skirt: Topshop neon lace pleated skirt. 
Number of times worn: max 5
Reason of not wearing: Despite being inexpensive I'm afraid of ruining it - I love it so much I save it for special occasions.
Verdict: I will keep on saving it I'm afraid - one day maybe Greta can wear it and I can tell her all the stories attached to it.

Wednesday 22 July 2015

"Just-add-a-skirt" challenge day THREE

www.wearingittoday.co.uk

This skirt is actually not so much a forgotten one, I love it and have worn it on many occasions. It also holds some precious memories attached to it as I wore it for a J.Crew shoot when they first came to the UK and that time also marks when I relaunched WIT and came back from maternity. I'm also wearing it on Wardrobe ICONS profile photo, that shoot was so much fun with Petro! I remember thinking: "What's an outfit that will withstand  the test of time but still feel fun and me?" So I wore a statement skirt. 


I think every woman should have an animal print skirt in her wardrobe, you won't wear it every day but it will never go out of fashion and you will cyclically wear it again and again. Dress it down, keep makeup to a minimum and opt for longer chicer, longer lengths (I've been in search for a maxi for years!). I have a few meetings in town today so I have to be honest, I'm swapping these super high heels for a pair of espadrilles after breakfast!

Forgotten skirt: J.Crew, pony skin animal print pencil skirt. 
Number of times worn: up to 10
Reason of not wearing: Laziness!?
Verdict: I love it with dressed down touches like my Ray-bans and lace up espadrilles - will definitely wear more often!

Tuesday 21 July 2015

"Just-add-a-skirt" challenge day Two

Cos T-shirt, Zara skirt, J.Crew shoes
This is great! Getting dressed in the morning has never been easier, I really should do this more often. So many of you wrote in to say that they are also going to #justaddaskirt this week, which is great because giving you "a little bit of fashion inspiration" is exactly what WIT is all about. Today's skirt was a pregnancy buy, I bought it when I was really pregnant with Greta and I missed wearing skirts so much. I love wearing something glitzy in the day so I've always worn this skirt dressed down, with fine knit jumpers and a denim jacket. Today I'm pairing it with a white T-shirt, strappy heels and hair pulled back for a day at work. I've also found a similar blue style from French Connection, and a more versatile metallic from Topshop which you might like. 


Forgotten skirt: Zara, cobalt blue sequined pencil skirt. 
Number of times worn: max 3
Reason of not wearing: the length requires heels and also you kind of have to be in the right mood for sequins in the day.
Verdict: I think I'm going to shorten the hem of a few cm to make it wearable with flats too.

Last recorded wear January 2014

Monday 20 July 2015

"Just-add-a-skirt" challenge day One

COS T-shirt, Stella McCartney skirt, Mango shoes
So I had two friends over for dinner a few weeks ago and as I was showing them my new wardrobes one of them said to me (in a rather shocked voice): "But I've never seen you in this! And in this! And this!?!". It so happens that she was holding all my beautiful skirts, and she is right - for some reason I wait all year long for tights-less appropriateness and then come summer (and tanned legs) I still wear trousers and jeans?? So it's got me thinking, why don't I wear them? Well, a little bit has got to do with the practicality of trousers, but mainly it's because I can't be bothered to think about what I'm going to wear on top. But surely most of them would look great with a simple white T-shirt, and as I thought that I had an idea. So here goes my five days "Just add a skirt" challenge day one, and an encouragement to do the same tomorrow with one of your forgotten skirts!

Forgotten skirt: Stella McCartney, neon jaquard pencil skirt. 
Number of times worn: max 2
Reason of not wearing: must be worn with heels + only looks good bare legged
Verdict: I wish I had worn it more and actually, it would look great with metallic flat sandals too.

Last recorded wear September 2nd 2014

Friday 17 July 2015

WIT mama Friday: denim shorts are the new jeans

www.wearingittoday.co.uk

I usually only ever wear denim shorts on holiday, at the beach - it's kind of all I wore on my recent holiday in Italy. As I got home to London and unpacked my suitcase I didn't put them away in my beach box as I would normally do... I kept at a hand's reach thinking: "Maybe at the weekend?". So here I am today, breaking all my own rules and wearing my MiH denim shorts (70% off on Net and lots of sizes left - click here) sort of at the weekend on my WIT mama Friday. I won't be heading into town, but to run a few errands and take Greta for an ice cream locally they are just the most comfortable option!

To make them city-appropriate:
- choose slightly longer lengths (mine are from MiH and are called The Phoebe and are on sale too)
- pair with long sleeved tops
- wear with trainers or smaer sandals
- cut off an old pair of jeans that you don't wear anymore to save money!
or
 Check out The ICONS Update for four more ways to wear yours + lots of juicy buys

Thursday 16 July 2015

What I wore yesterday

www.wearingittoday.co.uk
Coast dress, Chloe shoes, Mango clutch

Yesterday was a beeeeeeeezy day, so much so that I don't even come around to do an outfit post. Also, I had one of those days where you walk out of the house and instantly regret what you are wearing - it wasn't right in any way, not smart enough, not chic enough and way to covered up for a hot, muggy grey day. So I did what any fashionista would do and bought something on my way to breakfast to quickly shake things up ;-)

With Petro and Zara Simon, the fabulous woman behind my Z jewellery obsession
 Much better to show you what I changed into for a lovely work dinner with the Monsoon team to celebrate the Monsoon Heritage collection and a new boho-chic range by Jessica Simon, that we are all going to LOVE! Think Burberry A/W15 collection but at affordable prices. The collection won't hit the stores until August but I will be sure to let you know when it does. First outing for my Chloe shoes teamed up with a high street fav dress from last year from Coast and my beloved Mango clutch.

Tuesday 14 July 2015

Summer leather

www.wearingittoday.co.uk
If you live my side of the world, wearing leather in the summer is not so strange... although I can imagine many of my lovely Italian readers will cringe at the idea being so hot down there! But, in the UK, on days like this it's a perfectly appropriate attire. Today I am making my Whistles leather skirt look more summery with a pom pom peasant top that I bought from J.Crew last year (but take a look at this Topshop pom pom top available now!!) and my Mango lace up sandals. My skirt is still available on Whistles despite buying it last year, click here to take a look at it. I think the key when wearing black leather in the summer is giving it a fresh spin, so yes to opened toed sandals, billowy tops and lightweight fabrics like cottons and linens. Oh, and you know who else is wearing leather the summery way today? Our The ICONS Update cover star Eva Chen whom we've interviewed for this months "The Experts" piece. She is SUCH an interesting and inspiring woman so make sure you read her fabulous fashion tips on www.wardrobeicons.com

http://wardrobeicons.com/the-icons-update-archive/

Monday 13 July 2015

Denim Monday

Madewell top, MiH jeans, Chloe bag, Marni shoes
The weather in London today is more October than July, but humid and muggy... so I've had to resort to long trousers and closed toe shoes. Luckily I have my MiH Marrakesh jeans that are always a pleasure to wear, paired with my Madewell top (on sale now 40% off!) and old Marni tan leather wedges (I find that a wedge is the only shoe that looks good with flares). Everything finished off with my Chloe Drew and I'm ready for a casual Monday at my desk. Simple but effective.

Friday 10 July 2015

WIT mama Friday: what to pack for a kids free 24h mini-break


I'm going away with my husband for a kids-free 24h mini-break and I found myself being super excited at the prospect of packing some of my newest buys (hello Prada bag!), a book, bath oils, a pretty dress and heels instead of the usual jeans and T-shirt look that I would put together for a country weekend with Greta. So here's what's in my suitcase for some pool lounging, candle light dining and Sunday paper reading..

To drive over...
My Mother LOOKER cropped frayed jeans £152 with my J.Crew white peasant top that has sold out so I found this Mango beaded blouse £49.99 and fun lace up espadrilles (mine from Mango but again sold out) Castañer Jean canvas espadrilles £130

To hang out...
Topshop off the shoulder dress £36 with my Mango sandals that have sold out so I would gives these Topshop galdiator sandals £26 a look.

To pool lounge...
Going a bit Betty Draper Marks and Spencer £35  with my Valentino Rockstud cat-eye acetate sunglasses £225

To dine...


Thursday 9 July 2015

How short is too short?

Etoile Isabel Marant dress, Antonello bag, Mango sandals
Oh this dress - I remember debating in the Harvey Nichols changing rooms if I was past the appropriate age of wearing something so short and then thinking (literally): "What the heck. You only live once". So I bought it, it went in the Summer Box, I waited and waited and pulled it our for my recent Italy holiday. I wore it for an al fresco dinner in Rome with flat shoes, no make up make-up, hair up in a messy do and loved every minute of wearing it. Yes it's short, but then I'm quite short so it's not too short on me, plus if you style it down (down-down) then it's OK. So my answer to the question 'When is short too short?' is: when you feel uncomfortable in it.  So I wore it again, last night out for dinner and drinks on a terrace. Not quite as warm as Italy so I froze but hey ho, the dress made me feel fabulous. So here are a few more short things I love... all from Isabel Marant becasue she seems to love short too and somehow design them and style them in a way that they are never not tasteful.

Wednesday 8 July 2015

Shop my Instagram holiday outfits

Even when I'm on holiday, I like to share a few pics on my Instagram, it's fun and I love the enthusiasm you have for some of the pieces/outfits I propose. Lot's of you ask me where things are from (remember you can tap the pic for credits), but because Instagram doesn't make it easy to link things through I thought I would direct you to the shops that are still selling some of your most liked items. Some of them are on sale so happy shopping!

In my Madewell blouse and green linen track pants - literally haven't taken these trousers off since buying them and now on super sale!
Sadly this Antonello bag has sold out everywhere but I found a few alternatives from the designer here
My hat got much attention - it's from H&M and sadly sold out but they do a similar version on the website now - take a look at it here.
I couldn't find the dress version but the top is on sale down to £84 from £240 here and a size 38 here
For a 2 week holiday 4 pairs of shoes are more than enough. From the top my Mango sandals, Chanel espadrilles (sometimes you can find one on Vestiaire Collective, my Florence market espadrilles and Madewell sling backs (30% off!)
BEST bikini in the world and such a timeless investment - my Eres Les Essential with Valentino sunglasses
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...