Notes from my Gap talk: four items every woman should own

At the Gap shopping event last week I spoke about four items every woman should own in her wardrobe, and  picked my favourite styles from Gap's new collection. As many of you couldn't attend, here are some of my notes on what these four essentials are and a little overview of my favourite styles. 

1. THE WHITE SHIRT

 

MiH The OVERSIZE Shirt EXTRA LONG SHIRT £146.00 

• Possibly the most versatile item in your wardrobe.
• Choose a style with a longer panel at the back - perfect with skinny jeans or leather leggings.
• Tie with a belt and use as the chicest beach cover up.

2. THE DENIM JACKET

 
Paige Denim Vermont Havana Jacket £207.00  

• It's just timeless and comes back in fashion all the time.
• Choose boxy shapes and from established denim brands - it's a staple worth investing in.
• I always take my denim jacket on holiday with me - it doesn't crease and it''s  the perfect emergency cover up too.

 3. THE GREY MARL SWEATSHIRT

J.Crew weekend sweatshirt £59.50 

• It's a modern staple and here to stay.
• It's the perfect alternative to a knit or a tee.
• I love it to offset a statement skirt or luxe fabric- the perfect item to adapt evening wear for the the day

4. THE ANKLE GRAZING TROUSER

 

Whistles Campbell tailored cropped trouser £125.00

• It's a style that suits every body shape
• It leaves just the right amount of ankle cleavage exposed that it looks good with flats or heels.
• Wear it winter, summer, am or pm.

Scrap book of my #RedLovesGAP shopping evening

Gap jeans and shirt, Karen Millen shoes and Other Stories bomber

Last night was the day of the much anticipated Gap and Red reader event which sadly got moved from February to March due to a tube strike. Nevertheless more than 130 of you turned up to enjoy an evening of champagne, canapes, shopping and a little fashion talk by mois! Here's a little photograph scrapbook from the night..

By late afternoon I was all decked out in my favourite Always Skinny Gap jeans, "lived in" denim shirt, leopard print pumps and a coat of coral lipstick. I headed to the Marble Arch flagship store to look at the space, check that my styled mannequins all featured the my styled outfits and rehearsed my talk with Fiona, the head of European Communications for Gap.

I leave all my things in he locker rooms and take a little peak at the goodie bags that all guests will receive together with their £10 voucher to spend in store on the night. Thins includes beauty products, chocolate and a fab Gap clutch. Not bad for a Thursday night! 

Champagne is being poured and fabulous American style mini canapes are starting to come out..

It's 6pm and everything is ready to go!

The area where we are hosting the event on the third floor is all decked out with my hand picked favourite buys (complete with swing tags), and the four mannequins sporting the four must have wardrobe essentials I will illustrate during my talk.

 

We are almost ready to go! Here I am with hero piece number two (the grey marl sweatshirt) and hero piece number four (the ankle grazing trouser).

It is a wonderful evening and I'm overwhelmed by how many lovely Red and WIT readers come to talk to me afterwards, it is simply amazing to meet them all and get a chance to talk about all things fashion. Time for a group photo with the Red team and hopefully see you all at the next event!

The slouchy leather trouser

My week in flats continues and today I'm stepping back into my Top Shop leather boyfriend style trousers which are the most comfortable bottoms ever. I bought a size up for a really slouchy effect which I pair with a shrunken sweater to balance the look out. A coat or red lipstick and my bright orange Top Shop coat to finish the look off and I'm over to a morning shoot and the rest of the afternoon in the office. 

Leather Peg Trousers £180.00

Statement flats

I'm back in my everyday life and the one thing I've been looking for is wearing flats. A few months ago I had the tremendous pleasure of meeting the designers behind a new-ish brand called Aquazzura and then fell in love with their Belgravia flats. There's a whole new trend going on of statement flats, which essentially are just as fabulous as heels. I'm sold on it!

Aquazzura Belgravia lace-up suede point-toe flats £440

Paris Fashion Week round up

Photo courtesy of www.buro247.hr

I only spent two days in Paris, but yet somehow it felt like a week. It's funny how the shows suck you up into a magical parallel universe where time becomes almost irrelevant and your role of wife/partner/mother/friend cease to exist. 

My Top Shop dress on day one

Show season in Paris is like a world of its own: the venues vary from the tent in dreamy Jardin des Tulleries, to the most luxurious hotels in the world and although the dress sense is deceptively laid-back, everyone is actually wearing their best pieces. There's a sea of Celine bags and perfectly tailored navy winter coats, and everyone who is anyone is out, from Rihanna at Lanvin to Gisele who walked for Balenciaga. I too pulled out one of my most precious items: a Jil Sander fluro pink maxi skirt which I wore with Gucci ribbon lace-up courts, Other Stories black jumper and Jil Sander black clutch bag. There is no over-dressing in Paris!

Street style photo courtesy of www.whowhatwear.com

The Dior show - hosted in a tent in the gardens of the Musée Rodin - was a spectacular triumph of block-colour dresses that I literally cannot wait to wear; starting with the pink asymmetric billowy gown (I felt right on trend at the show in my pink skirt!)

 

Between one show and another presentation I managed a quick stop at Monoprix for some Boutch'Ou gems for my daughter Greta Zita, if you are ever in Paris it’s a must.  Then I enjoyed a late lunch at team Red’s favourite Angelina with my colleague Emily Gegg.

Choosing macaroons at Angelina

Before I knew it it was time to head home on the Eurostar and even though I couldn't wait to see my family and wear jeans and flats, I will miss my parallel universe life as a fashion editor in Paris.. till next season!

Silver platted room service... not part of my daily life!