WIT mama Friday: GAP holiday buys

Have you been in GAP lately? I always LOVE their stylish and affordable kids wear (as well as cashmere and jeans for me!) and close to the holidays they always have so many cute things for children. 

So today's WIT mama Friday is also a bit of a "Have you been in... GAP lately?" post too with my select of the best holiday and party-inspired buys like the chicest velvet brown dress and gold glittery ballerinas. But also cute outerwear and the cutest fair isle jumper and snow boots that Greta may already have.... Happy shopping!

Duck Boots £39.95
Glitter flats £16
Fair isle sweater £22.95
Sparkle beanie £9.95
Sparkle mittens £9.95
Starry sleep set £17.95
Velvet dress £16.95 
Headband £4.95

Have you been in... Jigsaw lately?

Jigsaw 'A' jumper and skirt, Tilda March bag, Chanel heels, Fendi sunnies

I'm guilty of not having updated WIT in almost a week but boy I was struck with a horrid flu and you do not want to see pics of what I looked like in the past few days! Luckily last week I had a little dress up session with Petro at my office as we got first dibs on Jigsaw's new luxury capsule collection called 'A' line and took this pic I thought I would show you today. The thing is I love the High Street, I really do, but since hitting my 30's (and starting Wardrobe ICONS) I realised that I didn't want a wardrobe made up of "look a likes" and cheap alternatives to items I covet - rather I wanted to take my time, save up and invest in great quality pieces that I will look at and love forever. The great thing is when the High Street allows you to have that same designer experience at more accessible prices - don't get me wrong, still expensive but much more obtainable. So many High Street brands are clocking up on this (look at Top Shop Unique, Whistles Limited Edition, J.Crew Collection, Marks and Spencer's Best of British and even Mango in now doing a luxury cashmere line!). I've had the opportunity to touch, feel and try on the pieces myself and we are talking about 100% cashmere coats, really beautiful silks and impeccable tailoring that has nothing to envy to Rag & Bone or Carven. The collection is made up of 40 limited-edition pieces sourced from the finest mills in the UK and Italy and that are all classic, long lasting pieces. I think you should take a look at it and see what you think. I got the culottes and they definitely look and feel line a forever buy. 

Have you been in... Madewell recently?

Tassle scarf dress $158 from Madewell

A few weeks ago, in The ICONS Update, I sang the praises of Madewell, J.Crew's little sister and my latest obsession for affordable, quality essentials (you can visit my ICONS page here). If, like me, you have a thing for J.Crew you will also love Madewell, just think J.Crew but with a more casual vibe, a tighter edit and cheaper (yey!) prices. 

Just before the weekend I received my first order (delivery to the UK will be available from August, until then you can shop it from Net-a-Porter), and I've been so excited to try my new items. I actually ended up wearing what can only be described as a beach dress with my wedding shoes on my anniversary date (I just had to wear it straight away), and I haven taken off the woven flats and monochrome Antonello bag. 

Sandals $108 from Madeweel and cotton bag $520 from Antonello

There's lots for you to look at, so explore the website, the monogrammed bags and some of their fabulous guest brands. Here are some more of my favourite pieces... feeling lucky that a friend of mine is going to NYC because I'm ordering all, and for once, go GBP!!!

Off the shoulder maxi dress $158, fringed tote $78, and woven sandals $158 from Madewell.com

distressed denim shorts £75, Cotton T-shirts £25, Broederie playsuit £150

Cotton blouse £90 all from Net-a-porter

WIT andJ J.Crew in Paris part two: Saint Germain des Prés

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 last Tuesday of the month  as I play dress up in my favourite J.Crew items. 

This month I'm wearing one of my favourite combos of all times: sequins and denim. I almost exclusively wear sequins in the day, I find that dressing them down with denim is much cooler, so I chose I bright yellow sequin knitted sweater (in store soon) and wore it with my favourite boyfriend jeans rolled up for added 'nonchalant' effect. 

I added my black strappy pointy shoes (sadly no longer available and to this day one of the best buys of the season) and a spring summer must have cover-up: an ultra-classic trench coat made with bonded cotton for a sleek, sculpted look. And since sightseeing requires some hands free action, I also chose a compact leather cross-body bag that fit all of my essentials. I wondered around the streets of St. Germain, and even found a bunch of flowers to match my outfit...

If you missed my previous Paris post check it out on March the 30th and April the 1st -

See you on Tuesday the 26th May of part three!

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  

My trip to J.Crew in Paris

I've often asked myself why I love to wear J.Crew  so much and the not-so-groundbreaking conclusion is that it's a brand that I identify with: it suits all aspects of my lifestyle, from the working fashionista to the more practical, off-duty mum I become at the weekend.

In J.Crew I can shop for anything that tickles my fancy: a neon pink featherweight cashmere sweater, a pair of diamante and tassel earrings, an embroidered peasant blouse and even a bejewelled shirt - but also for key items that have become the underpinning of my wardrobe. Tippi sweaters in every colour of the rainbow and Vintage Cotton V-neck tees are just a couple of the key staples that I could not survive with in my closet. I wear them over and over again and I never tire to recommend them to my friends.

I also love J.Crew because it's a brand that inspires me - the "Looks we love" feature on the website never fails to give me new and fresh ideas on how to style new and existing items. Each season I wait with anticipation to see what Jenna Lyons and Tom Mora are going to show in the next collection: will it be sequins with denim? Yellow and beige? Track bottoms with heels? I often see the new collection and find myself coveting all sorts of things I didn't even know I needed - and why? Because J.Crew makes them wearable and most times more affordable than designer pieces.

I've also had the great pleasure of meeting the people behind the brand: from Jenna to Tom Mora (if you missed it read my interview with Jenna Lyons from The ICONS Update by clicking here), and I have gained a deeper understanding of the brand's philosophy. I love how they source their fabrics in the best factories around the world and how each item is so lovingly made.

So when the team in New York asked me to head to Paris and 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 des Tuileries, follow me every last Tuesday of the month on a little journey through Paris as I play dressup in my favourite items.

We start this journey in the J.Crew Rue Malher store, where Eva K.Salvi followed me taking pictures of every single detail I loved - I hope you enjoy the tour and don't forget to log on tomorrow to see my first outfit at the Jardin des Tuileries, the same one I wore at the Chanel show.


 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  

Have you been in... Warehouse lately?

Warehouse top £32 and denim culottes £42

I spend a lot of time trawling the net for Wardrobe ICONS - I mean a LOT! From time to time I stumble on a website and I think: "Oh wow! how many nice things!". Last week this website was Warehouse. I've made my purchases from Warehouse in the past (I loved my cashmere jumpsuit this winter), but I don't remember the last time I was actually excited by their collection. There are some amazing pieces on there at the moment: denim dresses, relaxed shirts, boho tops all with a really polished and grown up feel and at super reasonable prices.

I remember going to their press day last season and thinking that the quality and design of their SS collection was really amazing and coveting lots of pieces. Some of them are now in store adnd I wanted to flag them up. I've just ordered the off-the-shoulder Gypsy midi dress £28 (above), the Green trousers £38 and this Ruffle sleeve top £36  for my Summer box. I went through the entire websites (so you don;t have to) and here are my favourite pieces.

Denim dress £42

Shell top £35

Utility jacket £48

Gypsy midi dress £28

Belted shirt dress £48

Relaxed stripe shirt £32

Arrow earrings £4

Flare jean £42