Sorry!

Normal blog posting will resume shortly! A combination of moving flats, getting used to commuting again and then starting a new job in the last two months has left me a little bit swamped to say the least. However, I've just started a new role in the world of online retail marketing and am more than ready to get inspired again.

More Zara

So...despite an expensive month of flat moving and the fact that I own more black Zara heels than I can actually fit in my new ridiculous large wardrobe (6 doors...really!) I found myself taking these babies home with me yesterday. I didn't really plan to keep them but after trying them on I'm pretty sold. The mid-heel is super comfy and they will be perfect for both work and play once June gets its act together weather wise. Plus they are only £29.99 which I think is amazing so such a good quality shoe.

Get them here.

Make & Believe

Last week the lovely Danielle from Daniella Christina kindly lent me one of her lovely dresses from her Make & Believe collection to wear out for the night. The dress I'm wearing is the dinner dress, created from black and teal satin. The dress had an elegant nip-flare shape to the waist and is also the perfect length - not too short as I find most skater-style dresses can be. Danielle's Make & Believe collection is features a range of items designed using vintage pattern cutting techniques and British heritage fabrics to achieve sustainable, quality design. Make & Believe is driven by Danielle's passion to make unique and individual clothes for women to bring back vintage class and elegance.

Dinner dress (currently on sale!)

1950s evening dress

Vintage pin trousers and waistcoat

Make & Believe is available made to order from her website and also via ASOS Marketplace.

Leather + skirt + Whistles = perfectness

Is it just us or does it feel like a leather skirt day? bit.ly/13FSw7x #leather
— Whistles (@thisiswhistles) May 21, 2013

I think it is! I've always loved a leather skirt and it has become quite the staple in my working wardrobe. Just team with a simple luxe jersey for daytime and a silk blouse for evenings and you'll get it right every time. I've owned a little a-line Topshop number for about three years now and I'm still not sick of it. That being said, Whistles (that shop again!) have gone and introduced a collection of the most amazing leather skirts I've seen for some time. Yep, they're pricey but if I get as much wear out of one as I have with my old one, then it's probably just worth it (I'm ignoring my screaming bank balance). 

Wrap skirt £250
Circle skirt £325
Stretch skirt £295
Embossed skirt £295

Above, are a couple of their skirts that have really taken my eye and below are some of Whistles rather simple but effective styling ideas.

If you're looking for more inspiration head over to the Whistles website for their feature on leather skirts.

Blurred Lines

Forget 'Get Lucky.' This new track from Pharrell is at the top of this week's playlist. Loving the video too and its excellent styling. If only we could all get away with plastic pants and spice girl trainers #miaow.

Summer Sandals

Currently craving a simple pair of black celine-esque sandals for my summer jaunts. Must have an ankle strap and a low chunky heel perfect for skinny jeans and dresses alike. Currently I have the pairs above from Cos and Whistles on my ever-growing summer wishlist.

Zara People

Zara People is a great campaign from the high street giant who is stealing a fair amount of my salary at the moment. Each season they start afresh and ask people to submit a photo of their look with at least two items from their seasons collection. If your photo is selected then you receive £300 for your collaboration - clever huh? I love browsing the galleries for a source of inspiration and think it's a really clever initiative as I believe that people are more likely to buy an item if they see it on a real person rather than a model. Above are a few of my favourite looks from their most recent May collection. A couple of items have even found their way into my shopping basket so the campaign must work! I bought the white Zara skirt last month and love seeing how other people style it up. 

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Weekend Wantsie

 

Whistles Leopard Print Espadrilles - £110. 

Topshop Unique Pre-Fall

If like me, you're a big fan of Topshop's Unique collection, you'll probably be equally delighted that they've launched a pre-fall and resort collections. Their pre-fall collection launched today and after having a quick perusal online, I can feel a distinct Celine influence with lots of tailored, silky pieces, which can only be a good thing of course.  Unfortunately, as the popularity of Unique increases so have the prices. I do think the pieces are quite unique but still would have longevity, so it could well be worth infesting. I particularly like the silk organza dress and black clutch pictured above which I can see fitting quite happily into my wardrobe. Shop the full collection here.

Welcome to the jungle

Poplin Indochine Print Pyjamas

Charlotte Olympia Clutch
&OtherStories Tropical Purse

Etsy Tropical Cushion

Topshop Jungle Leaf Top

Diptyque

I've always wanted to own a Diptyque perfume (how pretty is the packaging?) and when wondering around Liberty's last week I fell for Eau Duelle, a scent described as 'grown up spicy vanilla.' I really didn't think I would be able to own it for some time due to a disagreement with the price and my bank balance, but last week I remembered I'd won some John Lewis vouchers at work and promptly managed to pick myself up a bottle less than a third of the price.

White out

Despite being an advocate for mono-colour dressing, I've never really considered wearing white from head to toe, partly due to the fact that I am a magnet for spillages and smudges and also incredibly pale. I always thought you'd need to be dedicated to your tanning to make this look work. Alas, this guide from Whistles shows how the trend is actually a lot more wearable than you may think. 

Wild Belle

So, I just started to get into the swing of blogging and then spilt green tea on my MacBook who then consequently died a dramatic death. It was touch and go for about 10 minutes and then we lost him to the Mac question mark of death icon (never use your duvet as a coaster...I learnt the hard way). After a week of deliberating, I finally extracted some savings and got myself a little MacBook Air. My old Mac was considered 'vintage' so I'm still in awe of this little thing and I'm hoping it should make keeping this blog updated a lot more pleasurable. We're even off to Starbucks tomorrow together to write some posts!

On another note, on Wednesday, my new flatmate invited me along to see Wild Belle at the Green Door Store in Brighton. I'd been listening to them on and off after hearing a rather catchy song of their's on Sunday Brunch's Sunday Playlist on C4 (I'm so rock and roll these days). But since seeing them, I've become more than a little obsessed.

We also had a little chat to lead singer Natalie Bergman who was rather lovely and I developed a bit of a girl crush. I love her laid back 70s style and her brother was pretty hot too! Check out a couple of my favourite songs above.

AFT on Spotify

I've recently been building up a carefully curated Spotify playlist, mainly for use at work or when I just don't know what to listen to. If you fancy checking it out, you can take a little listen here.

Photo by Lina Scheynius

Clutch Bags

Currently, I'm very into clutch bags. I like the fact you are forced into taking only your most essential items out with you and it saves my poor back! Here are a couple of my current favourites and one I have 'accidently' purchased in a Zara pay day spend. Can you guess which one?

Maison Scotch @ASOS
Zara Perspex Box Bag
Zara Bracelet Clutch Bag
Zara Metallic Clutch Bag

Weekend Wantsies

Whistles Luna Tie Day Sweat - £65
Maria Francesca Pepe Bauhaus Heart Earrings - £103 @ ASOS

Acne Resort SS13

Acne's Resort SS13 campaign definitely wins my prize for the most original and cutest campaign this season! Combining one of my favourite brands with my favourite dog (My Dad's girlfriend used to have Weimaraners and they beautiful) has got to be a winner. The artist William Wegman has taken the images for the campaign and here are a couple of my favourites.

Jewels

I'm really into simple, understated jewelery at the moment -especially fine, gold pieces that can be worn with anything and everything.

Natalie Marie Initial Bangle
Daisy Knights Small Star Ring
Steven Alan U-Cuff Earrings

Payday

Pay day can't come soon enough this month!

Cos mesh and leather heels
Zara Draped Blouse
Zara Ethnic Clutch Bag
Monsoon Persian Tile Print Jacket

Zara SS13

I'm absolutely loving Zara at the moment and here are a couple of looks which are currently tempting me - I love the origami 'skort' and balloon sleeve jumper.

& Other Stories (again)

I did a post on amazing new label & Other Stories earlier in the week. It was the night before the online shop opened and I only had a few select press images to base my judgement on. Now I've spent far too much time looking around the shop, I can safely say it features lashings of great items at really decent prices (think less than Cos, but a little more than H&M). Unfortunately, due to a huge electricity bill this month and the Mother's 60th, I have to wait until next Friday to indulge. Nonetheless, here are my top choices from their new collection:

Leather Shopper Bag - £145
Y-Detail Blouse - £39
Leather Print Dress £195
Link Chain Necklace - £25
Suede Hexagonal Skirt - £95
Brass Ball Statement Ring - £12