Double leopard

Diesel denim jacket, Jesire dress, Joseph belt, Karen Millen shoes, Zara bag

Today I'm wearing one if my favourite day dresses and taking it in for a "double leopard" spin with leopard print shoes.  The important thing when doing the double trend is not to go exact matchy-matchy (which is a bit too Royal for my taste), but in this case the the slightly different leopard print patterns work very well together. Try it with polka dots of different sizes, floral prints and stripe patterns too. 

Sequins in the day formula

Whistles black top, Miu Miu necklace, Zara skirt and shoes

 I love sparkle, sequins, brocade, embellishment, metallic and what have you but if I had to wait for the "appropriate occasion" to wear them, I never would! Sadly I don't live in an episode of Downtown Abbey (changing my outfit three times a day is my dream), my life is pretty much home/office/home with the exception of a few (nowadays rare) nights out, so I'm determined to make the most of my wardrobe during the day. The secret formula is actually not that hard to break, just dress things down which is much cooler anyway. So next time you are looking at that sequin skirt  hanging sadly in your wardrobe waiting for its next out, just grab it shove it on with a T-shirt and a pair of flats and wear it!

 Top Shop **Sequin Pencil Skirt by Unique £250.00

The leather skirt worn the relaxed way

 

Whistles leather skirt, Marks and Spencers cashmere jumper, Christian Louboutin shoes

I am taking advantage of this weeks mild temperatures and doing a bare leg for what is likely to be the last time in months. I bought this Whistles skirt as a going-back-to-work item, and today I'm pairing it with a slouchy jumper and a pair of statement heels for a day in the office. There is a huge selection of of leather or pleather skirts in shops at the moment, (mine is pleather) but I particularly liked this one because it's of a good length to be worn with flats or heels. My suggestion is to wear leather skirts  the relaxed way, this because you will wear it twice as many times! Think of it as a pair of jeans, pair it with jersey T-shirts, boyfriend style knitwear heels or flats.

Whistles Bailey Skater Skirt  £85.00

Currently obsessed with: pointed flats

I've been cleaning out my shoe cupboard and I've thrown away most of my old, worn-to-death ballerinas. Ballerinas are a versatile and practical flat shoe, but I've been wearing mine for years and I must admit,  I'm a little bored of them. So what's the new every-day flat? I was in search of something a bit smart, that can be worn with skirts, most trousers and also look good with tights. The answer to this is the perfectly on-trend pointed flats. Perfect for work, has flattering leg lengthening effect and both high street and designer have equally lovely styles.

1) Dune Mala £79
2) J.Crew Viv flat £246.43
3) Boden point flats £79
4) Just ballerinas flats £95 at my-wardrobe.com
5) Karen Millen Limited point flats £110
6) Dolce & Gabbana Bouclé-tweed pointed flats £430
7) Valentino Studded patent-leather flats £545
8) Brigette Point Ballerina  £110.00
9)Dune Mathilda £79

 After much research I bought a classic, black leather pair from Whistles that I had already featured in WIT's relaunch.  As I think they are a really great buy (price wise too) they have now made their back in this week's "Work-Essentials" Star Buys, alongside a wardrobe basic black skirt, and a work friendly Anya tote. Happy Monday back at your desks!

Brigette Point Ballerina  £110.00

WIT mama Friday: The Grace Tales

Photo by Julie Adams

Now that I am back with daily updates, I wanted to dedicate one post a week to us new and old mums, to our style dilemmas and children related interests. Fridays seemed like the perfect day: I'm off work (I work a mum-friendly four days a week) and I can report from on-duty  mummy status. 

"WIT mama Fridays" will be dedicated to all those things that us WIT-mums love: from beautiful, affordable childrenswear, to how to organise the perfect birthday party to the quickest most effective way to apply your make up in under five minutes. 

To kick off this new WIT feature (we've had WIT wedding Wednesdays and WIT baby Fridays so far!), I wanted to introduce you to a beautiful new website launching today called The Grace Tales.

The Grace Tales is dedicated to "the stylish mother" and it's everything I ever wanted/needed to inspire my new-mum lifestyle. Georgie Abay, the beautiful mind behind the website, is the current Deputy Editor/Fashion Features Director at Vogue Australia and mother to Arabella Grace who born in November 2012, and she knows about style: "When I was pregnant, I spent a lot of time on the Internet searching for inspiration for everything from nursery decor to baby clothes to maternity wear. I found a little – but I wanted to find a lot. There are so many great sites dedicated to style and beauty, but what about sites dedicated to the stylish mother?"

"I wanted to see inside the world’s of other mothers. How did they decorate their nurseries? What was their take on motherhood? What was their advice to new mothers? How did they handle the sleep deprivation? Where did they buy their children’s clothes? Where did they buy their own clothes?

I’ve adored fashion for as long as I can remember and don’t think I’ll ever stop, but I’ve entered the world of motherhood and find nursery décor and baby clothes just as fascinating. More importantly, I’m surrounded by countless inspiring mothers and I wanted to share their tales with you.

The Grace Tales covers everything from motherhood to fashion to beauty to lifestyle. It is targeted towards style conscious mothers and we hope the gorgeous tales of each mother we profile will inspire you."

So when for an incredible turn of events I happened to be on holiday with my best friend and photographer Julie Adams (who shoots all portraits  for the website), and she asked me to be in it for the launch, I just couldn't say no.

 

Up to now, I had never published a photo of Greta, but I loved the concept and the incredible thought behind The Grace Tales so much, I made an exception. The result is this beautiful photo shoot that I will treasure forever, taken with my baby girl this summer at my in-laws house in Italy, and this little interview which I hope you will find helpful/inspiring.

Read here to see the full interview and photo shoot with Greta Zita.