s'il vous plait

Loafers: £70, J W Anderson for Topshop

I posted about the first J W Anderson for Topshop collection a while back, more specifically detailing my love for the tortoise print (I never did get my hands on any of those pieces, sad face).
Needless to say I was therefore super excited about the launch of his second collection for the High Street Mecca, and after being inspired by a brief conversation with the boyf about how I don't actually own a pair of sturdy 'go with everything'* shoes**, I've decided these are perfect.

*Silver goes with everything, right?
** I own pretty flats and flimsy flats and black boots that I seem to live in, but not a 'proper' pair of shoes.

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an outfit

Top: Romwe.com // Gilet: Diesel Jeans // Earrings: DANNIJO 

Bag: Chloe // Skirt: Topshop // Boots: Balenciaga

Just a bit of Sunday evening outfit inspiration for you all. Alternative titles could have read "What I wish I was wearing but can't afford it" or "What I wish I was wearing... but it's not weather appropriate".* I decided, however, to go for something a little more blatant and a little less self indulgent... but I guess I went there anyway, huh?

But in all seriousness, some of my favourite outfit components feature here: a slouchy top (part of my style uniform... more on that at a later date), fur, black leather stuff, suitable bling and the ever lust-worthy Balenciaga cut-out boots. All brought together by a skirt that makes me think of something Marie Antoinette would have worn if she were around today and decided to slut it up a bit**. Which of course means that I need it in my life ASAP.

*Yes, England has finally jumped on the snow bandwagon.
**This view might be slightly influenced by the sugary sweet colours of the Sofia Coppola film.

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s'il vous plait // feathers - the encore

Marabou Feather Bag: £50, Topshop

Oh Holy High Street: Topshop, you've done it again!

If I could go back in time and rewrite this post, this bag would definitely take centre stage.

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J. W. Anderson X Topshop

iPad Case: £19.99 //T-Shirt: £19.99 // Skirt: £39.99 // Jeans: £49.99

All J. W. Anderson for Topshop

I know what you're thinking: that's a hell of a lot of tortoise.

But that then begs the question; can there ever really bee too much tortoise? Not when J. W. Anderson is about, in my humble opinion.

Seriously, though, whilst the rest of the collection is undoubtedly perfection, this kitsch lil' tortoise print was love at first sight for me. I would quite literally get hitched to it and run away with it to the circus. And then have lots of little tortoise-printed babies. Or not. Although, a babygrow in this print would be beyond cute.

incoming...

After declaring to myself and a few friends that in the month of January I wouldn't shop... and that in 2012 in general I wouldn't shop at Topshop so much... well, I've failed on both counts.*

In my defense, I specifically said that I wouldn't buy any clothes... And after much deliberation, I decided that the following doesn't fall under that category:

You see, I just need it. I really do. I've wanted a Zana Bayne harness for the longest time but just haven't been able to afford one (I'm horrific at saving money). But until then... this is a far more affordable option. It kind of pisses me off that Topshop are copying her work, but I guess it's lucky for me, as it's a more affordable option until I can commit to the real thing. Which will hopefully be sooner rather than later.

Rant over: Isn't it pretty?! And all mine some time before Friday. Woop.

*However...8 days of not shopping when the sales are on is pretty impressive... is it not?

s'il vous plait

Anyone that knows me well will tell you that when Autumn/Winter comes around, I prefer to dress as some kind of furry glitter ball. I am not joking. Sequins and any kind of beading/fur/feathers become my go-to features of clothing.

This playsuit is amazing, if purely for the fact that it's so embellished that it kind of looks like something furry got frozen and subsequently attacked with a can of bronze spray paint, and this is not something I have a problem with! Can you imagine dancing in this thing? Amazing.

Now just to find £200 from somewhere... hm.

Playsuit: here.

Happy Halloween!

Topshop 214 Magazine

Now, I'm gonna start by saying that I generally don't see myself as someone who is a slave to a particular brand. Despite having preferences, there isn't any one particular brand I would deem as a favourite and you'll never really see me in an outfit that's entirely from one highstreet shop.

Having said this (and I realise that I'm going back on myself a little here...) Topshop is the one brand/high street shop that if someone had a gun to my head, I would probably pick as my favourite.* It just fits my style aesthetic pretty damn well.

Alors... Needless to say when Topshop released their 214 magazine as a guide to the new season, I was pretty very excited, although slightly skeptical, as sometimes these freebie Magazines come across as exactly what they are: one big advertisement.

In my opinion, 214 Magazine cleverly avoids this, despite at it's heart being nothing more than a lookbook. The editorials are slick; the articles are insightful; the content is what people want (even though they may not realise: Hello Kaya Scodelario, I'd forgotten about you). They dig under the aesthetic and take a look at things that influence personal style. It's just generally well thought out and accessible to everyone.

So, without further adieu here are my favourite bits:

The perfect lip colour on the cover

 Taken from an article on vintage. Love.

The (somewhat) forgotten Kaya Scodelario (sorry!). 

Final page of print.

And just one more thing: I love it when magazines include pages such as the one above, because I think that it's easy to forget just how much work goes into a fashion show. I read these stats to a friend on the train (who isn't quite as interested in fashion) and she could hardly believe it. My reply was something along the lines of if this is what goes into a Topshop fashion show... imagine the stats for a Chanel show. Insane.

This also leads me a random conversation I had with a Maths student (bear with me) in Manchester last week. With the rise of blogging, street style and the high street, fashion is becoming so trend driven that it is at times, entirely disposable. With this being the case, at the rate this is happening it scares me that fashion could move away from being like pieces of art (I'm talking more at the designer end now), to being like a painted postcard an elderly aunt may send you from a random cruise destination. I.e. After a while you throw it away with minimal regret and consequently forget about it. This may seem extreme, but it's sad to think, right?*

Anyway, I've rambled enough for today. Happy Friday everyone!

Images, as ever, scanned by me. Taken from Topshops A/W '11 214 Magazine. Free in-store.

*I'm excluding designer from this, to nip another ramble in the bud before it starts!
*Yes I really did have this conversation with a Maths student. Doing a Masters nonetheless.

a ramble on denim shirts

So, as pretty much everyone is aware, after a long period of being forgotten in  the 90's, the denim shirt made a pretty fierce comeback a while ago: so much so that I think that around 90% of the world's population (probably) has one hanging/folded in their wardrobe (I have 2). And why not? I mean, it goes with pretty much everything, when worn in they are extremely comfortable and now, it is considered somewhat fashionable.

I definitely counted myself as a denim shirt lover, despite a slight aversion to jeans. In my second year at University, I think my uniform of black opaques, black body-con dress and over-sized denim shirt became - for want of a better word - slightly infamous. I became somewhat obsessed with snubbing brands like Topshop (who were selling denim shirts for around £30; I dread to think how much designers sold them for), by finding denim shirts in charity shops: I bought both of mine for £3: a Levi's and a Wrangler which would have cost at least 10X the price when new.

But lately, I don't know... I guess I haven't felt the love. I feel like the denim shirt has been so overdone that I pass over any look styled with a denim shirt. It's almost too accessible. Too generic. Before long I had  retired mine to the the back of the wardrobe without even realising.

But then... the above picture... quite simple styling but wow, an outfit styled with a denim shirt was my favourite out of an editorial! This never happens anymore, especially as some parts of the look are simple, and in my mind, quite commonly paired with a denim shirt (the black trousers, brown belt...). I tend to prefer a bit of the unexpected in an editorial.
There is just something, however, that feels remarkably fresh... I think it makes a big difference that the shirt isn't the focal point... The outfit doesn't say 'wearing a denim shirt = fashionable'. I guess it just has the kind of understated cool that I am constantly trying to achieve!

It also helps that the trousers are fringed and I have serious hair envy for the model! But seriously... denim shirts? Am I about to dig mine out again? I don't know. There also seems to be a slight return of denim on the catwalk for S/S 12, but nothing has really grabbed me. Maybe if I owned that Poncho/Blanket.

Shot taken from French Grazia and (as ever) scanned by me. I picked up loads of French magazines on my trip so expect more from them! Also, thanks to those who wished me well: I had a great time! And also thanks for all the sweet comments on my previous posts, you're all so nice!

recent acquisitions: gold edition

After a recent flirtation with silver accessories (usually jewelry laced with a turquoise stone of some kind), I think I'm firmly back on team gold.

I purchased both these items last week: the harness is from Topshop and brings me one step closer to my dream item (a Zana Bayne leather harness, unfortunately out of my price range), whilst the boots were a vintage find for £6.99. The fact they've had comparisons to fish scales and armor from my friends just makes me love them that little bit more.

s'il vous plait

Topshop

I feel like I've had a red-leather-something-shaped hole in my wardrobe for a while now - ever since I found an amazing red leather skirt in Zara... which of course was sold out in my size.

This jacket, however, may just fill that gap!

Unfortunately at £300, it's a little out of my price range. Oh well, a girl can dream.

got it from my momma

Having recently moved back into my parents house after living with friends for 3 years, I'm currently having to sift through a lot of crap that I've accumulated. Whilst sorting through some old photos I came across this beauty:

Yep, that's my Mum and me, sat on a sand dune.

The thing about this picture is... my Mum looks so cool. Achingly cool. Printed denim cut-offs: check. Cropped top: check. Pumps: check. Gaga/Lennon glasses: check. I literally looked at this picture and said something resembling 'get out of town, my mother was a fox' (although, less Americanised, more British, because, well, I'm English... and therefore don't use phrases like 'no freakin' way' or 'y'all').

When I found that I could recreate this entire look in Topshop (albeit for about 3x the price, go figure), I realised that the 90's are well and truly making a comeback, WOOP! I have to say, this genuinely excites me as I did have some of the best years of my life in that decade (think carefree playing, Barbies, Dolls, 90's boy bands and the crushes that accompany... most of whom are also making a comeback).

So here I am, making a montage to my Mother's 90's fashion:

(all Topshop)

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a pair of shorts identical to those of my mother, which were, in fact, red and white gingham check. Instead I narrowed it down to 3 pairs, my favourites being the fringed ones on the left; imagine the swooshing!

Apologies for the fact that my outfit is not visible in the photo, I know a post dedicated to recreating my childhood fashion would have been preferable (I can tell you it revolved around a dashing pair of lime green 'Spice Girls cycling shorts).

Crowbar

Currently trying to bat away the demons of procrastination with a (metaphorical) crowbar. I'm pretty sure it would help if my room looked a little less like it had suffered an elephant stampede, and more like this:

(Source: Unknown (from a random folder of inspiration pics I started years ago))

It probably doesn't help that I'm writing this, and also that my housemate introduced me to the wonder of Stavros Flatley (Britains Got Talent finalists circa 2009, YouTube them!). I don't think I've ever laughed so hard... seriously!

Also wish I could be flouncing around in the sunshine wearing this:

(topshop.com)

Anyway... My essay is calling. And possibly some more Stavros Flatley. I love those guys.