Happy Holidays WIT readers!

Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini skirt, Whistles top, KG shoes, Ted Baker clutch

Dearest WIT Readers,

www.wearingittoday.co.uk is taking a short break until the New Year, I wanted to wish you all a fabulous Christmas wherever you are in the world and a SUPER New Year! Thank you for following WIT (and in some cases Wardrobe ICONS - don't miss out on our last The ICONS Update tomorrow with lots of juicy content to see you through to 2016) and for being such amazing ladies!

Love,

Laura x

PS. I will still be around on Instagram on @WITblog ;-)

The midi-skirt that looks good on every body shape

J.Crew jumper and shoes, Eileen Fisher skirt, Chloe bag

Eileen Fisher does this brilliant knitted skirt that I have been wearing non stop - I love the midi length and knitted fabric. It looks super flattering on with both more generous jumpers and shrunken fits too and I love wearing it with my knee high boots and closed toe shoes. Admittedly it would look even better on talls, but with a growing bump and less of a waist to highlight it's been my latest obsession as my skirts choices are quickly narrowing down. My jumper is a Christmas buy from last year from J.Crew and the scarf has been a fab buy from Isabel Marant - the bottle green looks great with everything.

EILEEN FISHER Black knitted wool crepe midi skirt £175.00

The all-parties party skirt

Gap Grey jumper,  Philospohy di Lorenzo Serafini and Jimmy Choo lace heels

I was recently on a shoot where I got to wear a fabulous statement skirt, one of those items that from the you moment you put it on you know you could wear it to a dozen different party occasions, from a smart dinner at friends house, to Thanksgiving, Christmas day and even New Year.

It may be because I have already started working on our Wardrobe ICONS party issues or because I've done a few interviews were asked what I will be wearing during the party season, but the moment I clocked this  Philospohy di Lorenzo Serafini skirt from  Luisa Via Roma I thought it would be one of those great little investment/multitasking pieces that I could wear over and over again from everything to jumpers, shirts and T-shirt.

Philospohy di Lorenzo Serafini

I obviously couldn't wait to wear it for something more appropriate so I wore it at the weekend with a slouchy jumper, Jimmy Choo lace heels for a dinner party (I was totally overdressed but who cares!). I love it so much I may very well wear it again this weekend to Halloween party.. very stylishly witchy!

Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini layered tulle skirt £460 

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.

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!

"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.

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

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!

"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

"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

Summer leather

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

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  

The season update: the denim midi skirt

J.Crew top, Zara skirt, Gianvito Rossi sandals, Chloe bag

I even went as far as buying (and returning) the Chloe one (to my surprise, it actually looked quite cheap considering the astronomic price, but it does look amazing on my style crush Tash Seftone Chloe skirt £713), and then settled for this Zara version that I bought whislt out in Spain for my birthday.

Chloe SS15

I like to wear it with all my boho tops, but pair it with sexy heels or else I feel like I'm taking the trend a bit too literally. I just saw that Topshop does a great style and very similar to mine for only £30 Topshop £30. It's a great easy piece to wear in the day, you probably won;t love it forever but I reckon you will be pulling it out from the back of your cupboard cyclically in the years to come.

Topshop £30

WIT andJ J.Crew in Paris part one: Jardin Tuleries

The first spot on Jenna's Paris map was the Jardin Tuleries - a perfect location during Paris Fashion week as many of the show happen in a marquee right by the Place de la Concorde garden entrance. It gets super busy in the day with lots of street style photographers surrounding fashion editors as they approach the shows, so Eva and I got up at the crack of dawn and cought a glimpse of the gardens when there was nobody around, it was so beautiful. On the way there we stopped by a historic cafe and fashion favourite hot spot, Angelina - they serve a memorable hot chocolate and divine macaroons that are almost too pretty to eat. We had to take a few snaps there too as it was so quintessentially Paris.
 

For my first outfit of this series, I chose to pair a simple white shirt (Pique bib shirt £88) with a statement skirt (Collection looped-sequin sweater-skirt £358) and a classic trench thrown over the shoulders (Collection bonded cotton trench coat £298).



Whenever I'm putting outfits together for Fashion Week I still like to feel like me - I don't like to dress up for the sake of it and unless I would wear that outfit in my "real" life, it does work for me. I felt completely comfortable in this ensemble and can see myself wearing each one of these four items with countless other things in my wardrobe, time and time again.

The white shirt is so versatile I ended up buying it - it's made of a really stiff, crisp cotton and has a bit of a tux feel to it with a bib front and long reversible cuffs. The skirt was just incredible - sadly it's currently sold out but I am in contact with J.Crew to see if we can get some back for WIT readers. It was just so gorgeous and sparkly it made me feel like a mermaid!
 

I love pointed pumps and recently my obsession with ankle ties is growing strong, so I had to pick this style with tassel detail (also surprisingly comfortable - Roxie ankle-tie pumps £285). The trench was a great final touch to the look - I often find that a trench gives your look a really smart and grown up edge to it, it sort of "grounds it": it's the kind of wear-with-everything, always-chic piece you'll still have in your closet 20 (or 30, or 50) years from now.

 

I wore my own Chloe Drew bag, minimal make up and just a bright red nail, and headed to the Chanel show moments later. Here are a few more shots from my (freezing) walk around the beautiful gardens. I hope you enjoyed it!

That's it from Paris this month, see you on the 28th of April for my second post from one of my favourite spots in Paris: St. Germain wearing a totally French outfit ;-)

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

High street that looks like designer

J.Crew earrings, Topshop blouse, Whistles skirt, French Connection coat

 For the past two weeks Petro and I have been working at The ICONS Update to bring you a new and improved experience, it's still the same look and concept but now you can click directly on the page to buy items you love (as well as on our "Shop the page" bar) and click on words that are hyper-linked to shop even further of our magazine! We have also launched our Personal Shopping service where we can help to do anything from decluttering your wardrobe, to take you shopping for a day. To celebrate the new issue this week we thought we would kick off with a much asked for High Street issue. 

I love the Great British High Street and despite having always claimed that shoe and bags should (mostly) be investments, I wear high street on a daily basis. So look out for today's issue with lots of juicy buys from myself, Petro and our little frugal guest editor, Alex Steadman from The Frugality. 

Lace trim blouse £36 Topshop

In the mean time I'm wearing a head to toe High Street look today, some old some new but all little gems that I love and with alternatives below.

Lace trim blouse £36 Topshop

Leather skirt £180 Whistles

Ankle boots £125 L.K. Bennett

Cashmere coat (was £450) now £199 Jaeger 

Disc earrings £29.50 J.Crew