What I wore at London Fashion Week day 1

Stella McCartney cape, J.Crew T-shirt, Topshop jeans, Chanel bag and shoes, Jimmy Choo sunglasses

Day one at LFW and I decided to go a bit casual with jeans, a preppy stripe top, my trusted Stella cape and some fabulous accessories. I was lucky enough to be able to borrow the shoes and bags from Chanel and I have to say the shoes are probably the most comfortable heels I've ever walked in - and this is an almost 7 month pregnant woman talking!

They are Coco Chanel's original two-tone slingback designed to create the optical illusion of a longer and leaner silhouette. They are sold out everywhere so trying to get a pair is almost impossible, but well worth being on the waiting list for.

My bag was more or a 'Transformer' than a classic (Chanel does that brilliantly too) and a boy bag with lots of fun applique on it. If you liked my look and wanted to shop for similar items take a look at my shopping list below. 

 

Cashmere cape £625 Joseph 

Maternity jeans £40 Topshop  

Suede pumps £290 A.P.C

Scallopped leather pump £320 Chloe 

Striped boatneck T-shirt £39 J.Crew 

Matte Lip Pencil in Red Square £20 NARS

Chanel bag from a selection at Vestiaire Collective 

The comfort of an oversize jumper

Mango sunglasses, Acne jumper, Isabel Marant Etoile scarf, Joseph leggings, LK Bennett shoes, YSL bag

Very quick one today as I get ready for a beyond busy week this week. As of tomorrow I'm taking you with me to Paris fr 48hours and towards the end of the week we shall be packing for warmer climates together. This jumper is keeping me warm on this sunny but cold day in London and what a brilliant buy it was from last season - totally addicted to Acne jumpers since + resuscitating and old handbag favourite, do you remember the YSL Muse!? It was my first ever designer bag I bought with my first paid job as an assistant.   Happy Monday to everyone!

The LK Bennett / Boyarde bag we've been coveting

Isabel Marant Etoile jumper, Whistles culottes, Jimmy Choo shoes

I went to an LK. Bennet breakfast recently and got given one of the most beautiful presents ever in the form of a little cross body bag personalised with my own initials painted on by hand by amazing artist Boyarde. It was a really gorgeous and unique present, but sadly for the readers a one off that is not available in store.  

You can however buy the little bag on line, it comes in four colours and I've actually noticed on the LK. Bennet homepage that you can enter a competition to win one bag personalised with your own initials, so I thought I would flag it today in case you want to enter. All you have to do is follow instructions here. Good luck!

Mariel Grey Saffiano Crossbody Bag £145 L.K. Bennet

 Or you could always personalise yours with an

  Anya Hindmarch Alphabet textured-leather stickers £35

What I wore yesterday

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.

WIT andJ J.Crew in Paris part four: Tour Eiffel

When the J.Crew team in New York asked me to head to Paris to check out the new (and first) French store in the Marais, it was really a no brainer. My task: head to Jenna's favourite Parisian spots and photograph one outfit I loved in each location.  From the Tour Eiffel, to St. Germain and the iconic Jardin Tuleries you can follow me through the streets of Paris every first Tuesday of the month  as I play dress up in my favourite J.Crew items.  

My journey to the Tour Eiffel started at the iconic Parisian Metro, where I also have the funniest photo of a passer by who decided to take a photo with me that will post it on Instagram later!  For this second to last post of my WIT and J.Crew in Paris installments, I wore a bright yellow mesh skirt with one of my all time favourite Vintage Cotton grey T-shirts and a denim jacket. Yellow is the perfect colour to celebrate July and the arrival of summer, yet wherever I'm going on holiday I always pack (and travel in) a denim jacket. It doesn't crease, it looks good withe everything from a pair of shorts and T-shirt to a sparkly summer dress and keeps air con and chilli summer nights winds away. I finished off the look with a statement iridescent hologram clutch, a delicate pendant necklace, gold bangles  mixed in with my own jewellery and olive green tasselled heels. Some of the things I'm wearing have sold out, but if you click on the links you will find the next best thing available to buy right now. Now I will leave you to some of the pics Eva K. Salvi and I took one cold February day by the beautiful Eiffel Tower in Paris... See you next month with the last Parisian post!

If you missed my previous Paris post check it out on March the 30th and April the 28th by clicking on the links.

See you on Tuesday the 2nd of August for my final Parisian post!

x

Find the J.Crew Marais store at:

12 Rue Malher, Paris‎ - +33 1 44 54 57 50

Shop the collection online on 

www.jcrew.com

Photos Eva K. Salvi  

Camel and denim

It's winter again today - go figure. Having said that, I'm quite chuffed I get to wear my Max Mara camel coat which has been locked up in storage all winter. I'm rushing around today, so just a bite size of outfit inspiration for tomorrow's outfit for you to try. I sometimes find it hard to wear beige and camel, it's a bit of a granny colour unless it's a super expensive tan. To make it easier for myself, I like to pair it with denim, it's a smart equation that gives less of a "granny" touch to beige.

Paris flashback

I know I have yet to update you on my Paris fashion week outfits, whilst I was out there I worked with J.Crew on a  project that I can't wait to tell you about, but in the mean time here is one of my outfits entirely out of my "summer box" (I was going to save everything and surprise you but I just couldn't resist).  I took these photos in-between shows with my friend and photographer Eva K. Salvi outside one of my favourite Parisian spots: the Louvre. It was a bit of a magical moment and I had so much fun shooting it!

I can't wait to wear my Etoile dress this summer when it's not freezing, but for shows purposes this outfit actually worked fine. My Gianvito Rossi sandals are surprisingly comfortable, and by Chloe bag fit the look perfectly. I've also recently discovered the smart power of a white coat - who would have though that something so unpractical looking good be such a versatile buy. I've been wearing t constantly, with jeans and leather leggings and what I love the most about it is that  it it gives me an instant tan every time I wear it! 

Étoile Isabel Marant Dante oversized woven coat £385

Chloé Drew small textured-leather shoulder bag £1,060

Étoile Isabel Marant Cassy crochet-paneled cotton-blend voile mini dress £340

Gianvito Rossi Suede sandals £515

How to buy a designer bag

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Back in January I got an itch for a new handbag. I realised that it had been years since my last investment purchase (a black YSL Muse in 2007 and a Chanel Jumbo as my 30th birthday present), so I  decided I was in the market for something new. I started researching and soon realised that this could be good homework for a feature in The ICONS Update, because let's face it: where does one start with so much choice? 

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Personally, I wasn't after a forever buy, I wanted something a little bit "in fashion" actually, so I ended up buying a Chloe Drew, which despite loving very much, is a bit small and will probably get sold on Vestiaire Collective in a few years time. However, going back to my search - I happened to walk across the Louis Vuitton concession in Selfridges and was astonished by the amazing, grownup, iconic selection of handbags they held. How could I have missed this? Could it be because I am a little intimidated by designer boutiques, so never really set foot in there? But everyone was so nice, and helpful!? I tried on a Lockit, an Alma, the Palais Chain (in red in navy and in blue) and then realised that if I was making an investment buy today (damn Chloe Drew), it would hands-down-no-doubt be a Louis Vuitton handbag. Why? Well, I faced my fears, put on a frock and went to New Bond Street to tell you a story... Read it in this week's issue of The ICONS Update.

 

 

Photos by Eva K. Salvi

How to wear a red bag

Gap shirt, Joseph gilet, Marks and Spencers trousers, J.Crew shoes, Smythson bag

 Of all bright colours, I find a red bag the most neutral and versatile of all. Think about it: it goes beautifully with all neutrals such as navy, whites, beige's and black without screaming "Colour!" and works equally well with greens, blues and pinks (love a colour clash). I've had my Smythson red bag for years now and I never tire of it.

Smythson red bag

 Once you've build a capsule collection of great day bags in black, navy and neutrals do think about a red bag because you will get a lot more wear out of it than you think. 

This was partly the subject of one of our features in this week's issue of The ICONS Update - Petro and I looked at the most amazing and covetable bags there are and realised that many of them were infact red. Have a look at it and see what you think - our cover star this week is nothing less than the amazing Caroline Issa so lots of juicy reads for you to enjoy at your next break.

1- Valentino £780

2- ASOS clutch £25

3- Chloe £875

4- Sophie Hulme £595

5- Saint Laurent £1,325

6- Elizabeth and James £330

7- Gucci £535

My new Accessorize fringed tote

Off to a shoot today and wearing my new  Accessorize bag from their new real leather collection. Click on the link in this week's WIT Style Tip to see the full range. 

More fabulous High Street buys

This past couple of weeks trawling the internet for great High Street buys for our latest issue of The ICONS Update have been sooo tempting... I've caved in to a few buys that I'm so in love with. First is the ASOS bag that I've also featured as as an icon on Wardrobe ICONS - it's a black, oversize clutch with tassles on one side. It's much bigger than I expected it to be so I've been wearing it during the day too. 

I also got this this green utility jacket from Topshop and the Jamie Flare I'm wearing for our Topshop competition. They have a super snug fit (I got a 26) and are quite short so they look perfect with flats or smaller heels.

If you want to be one of four winners of a pair of jeans of your choice and a grand prize of £300 to spend with one of Topshop's personal shoppers in store, all you have to do is Regram my pic above from our Instagram account  and follow instructions below. Good luck!

Who wants to be that girl?

Chloe's Drew in tan

I haven't bought a new designer handbag since my 30th, and when my friend DB (you might remember her from our ICONS Update feature in her mesmerising wardrobe) showed me her birthday purchase (a black Chloe Elsie) it got me thinking that I would quite like a new everyday hand bag too. 

My birthday is (sort of) coming up so I thought I would cheer myself up by starting to research early (any excuse to trawl the Internet really!). In terms of iconic bags I'm doing pretty well and have all the ones I've always wanted: a black YSL Muse, a Chanel Jumbo 2.55 (they don't sell them online but Vestiaire Collective always has them on their website) and smaller evening number like the Anya Valorie.and the classic black Jil Sander oversize clutch. I was flicking through Vogue at the weekend I saw this bag... and I immediately wanted to be that girl!

Chloe's Drew at Selfridges

I'm funny with handbags - I was telling my mum as we were shopping in Selfridges (they have a fabulous and extensive selection of bags all under one roof) that a bag really needs to speak to me. There is no rhyme or reason as to why I fall in love with a bag, I just do. I love Smythson, Chanel, YSL and recently two bags did speak to me... one is from Louis Vuitton and it's called Pallais Chain, the other is the Chloé Drew. Either would be a big purchase so I'm sitting on it for the time being but I am really considering it... they both keep on calling me...

Other on my wish list...

Clockwise from the top:

Valentino studded Rockstud

Smythson Berkley

Saint Laurent Sac Universite

Louis Vuitton Pallas Chain Monogram

WIT mama Friday: weekend bag

J.Crew sweater, Mango sunglasses, Topshop trousers, Karen Millen boots, Anya weekend bag

I've come to the conclusion that any holiday with child (and without help), is not really a holiday, as lovely as it is. Over Christmas I was Greta's chaperone/cook/driver/nanny leaving very little time for my husband and I to spend any quality time together - so well before Christmas I booked us in for a weekend away in the country to just... relax! I filled "my" Anya Hindmarch weekend bag with beauty treats, all my favourite magazines, cosy knitwear and a special outfit for a candle lit dinner, and off we go to the Cotswolds for some non mama time!

1. Boden jumper £49 I'm wearing a J.Crew one and so many of you asked me about it but sadly it's out of stock - so I found this one that is really similar (and affordable too)

2. Anya Hindmarch weekend bag £950

3. Mango sunglasses £12

4. Topshop trousers £36

5. Karen Millen boots £99