To marry her prince

It's official, I cried! Today was such a romantic day that I think even the most hardened cynics were probably (at least secretly) moved. 

I can't even begin to do justice to Kate's dress. As i've said on numerous occasions, i'm extremely hard to please when it comes to long dresses - wedding dresses being no exception - and i'd be lying if I said that I hadn't been dreading some completely OTT Diana-style meringue. I'm not Kate's biggest fan, but she looked absolutely breathtaking.

I had been rooting for Sarah Burton, so of course I was delighted when I learnt that it was none other than Alexander McQueen. I saw it as something of a tribute to the late designer, which just added to the overall beauty of it. Her dress was appropriately traditional without being frumpy, and the combination of the shape and the lace (soooo Grace Kelly!) made it the epitome of elegance. I loved the neckline, and the proportion of the train was spot-on. Beautifully simple and understated. And what a tiara!!!

I thought Pippa looked great in McQueen too, the simplicity of the dress perfectly complimenting her sister.

And of course, for the fashion world this wedding was just as much about what the guests were wearing as it was about William and Kate!

The highs...

I fall more and more in love with Victoria Beckham each day. This dress, one of her own creations, is just the perfect choice for Victoria who is in the late stages of pregnancy. I love the simplicity of the shape and the neckline is beautiful. Don't even get me started on David...he couldn't have looked better, and Ralph Lauren works so well for him.

Although I wasn't blown away by Sam Cam's Burberry dress, I loved the fact that she kept her look so simple. But my favourite thing about the outfit? NO HAT - what a star.

...and the lows

I wasn't sure whether or not to put this section in because I prefer to celebrate fashion rather than bitch about it, but I think my observations below are more than justified.

When I saw Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, my first thought was 'oh dear god', and my second thought was, what the hell were they, Vivienne Westwood and Philip Treacy thinking?! Beatrice looks ok if you ignore everything above the waist - she's at least tried to be a bit on-trend with the pleats and nude palette (although the colour really doesn't work for her). I'm afraid I can't be quite so diplomatic when it comes to Eugenie. I've never really liked Vivienne Westwood's designs, but for me, this dress is  the nail in her coffin. Why would anyone admit to having designed that?! And the hats speak for themselves.

Chelsy Davy, what a state. Did she just roll out of bed or something? She's not pretty enough to wear her hair like that (although i'm not sure she even brushed it), and the Alberta Ferreti dress and jacket combo is an absolute disaster. Oh dear.

Today was a beautiful day. From the trees lining the inside of Westminster Abbey to the smile on Kate's face, it couldn't have been more perfect. I can only hope that one day that will be me!

xo xo

About a boy

One of the things I hear a lot when people talk to me about my blog is that I need to do some pieces on men's fashion from time to time (mainly from my guy friends of course!). So today I want to show you that when it comes to guys, simplicity really is the key. There's nothing I hate more than when boys feel the need to wear everything under the sun in a single outfit because they think that makes them fashionable, or that everything they wear has to be quirky and original. The same stands for girls...look how well a simple shorts and T-shirt combo can work!

On another note, my apologies for getting a bit behind on my blogging. Unfortunately the law has been keeping my day full from start to finish over the past couple of weeks, but hopefully from now on i'll be able to devote a bit more time to my beloved blog! Coming up...THE outfit post I promised (although it will need to wait until i'm back in Oxford so that someone can take my pictures...I just can't bring myself to go back to those mirror shots); a piece on nail varnish, as requested by my good friend Hannah; and of course, my thoughts on the dress of the year, even though if I have to read or hear the words 'royal wedding' one more time, I am quite frankly going to strangle someone.  

It's good to be back!

xo xo 

How low will you go?

I tried this one out yesterday - no bra/very pretty bra; shirt dress buttoned down to about 2-3 inches above my belly button; long necklace...

I can practically feel your shock, just as I saw the disapproving stares from the vast majority of women over 30 yesterday; and trust me, I thought long and hard about whether or not this was blog-appropriate! But you know what...this is about fashion. I'm not trying to be slutty or risque or anything like that - I just happen to think it looks insanely cool, and I bet you won't disagree with me after you've seen the photos below. 

This is certainly not one for the faint-hearted, and it probably only appeals to the more 'Z&V-minded' among us, but here are my top tips on how to work the upside-down triangle.

1. The body - no one in the world can pull off every single trend, and one of my absolute pet-hates is people who don't dress with their body in mind. We could all look so great if we only took some time to understand our shape. In my opinion, this is one for those who are, like me, blessed/cursed (delete as appropriate...personally I go for blessed!) with barely there boobs. For me, this trend is much more about that long strip of torso rather than showing off your assets, and anything more than a B/C cup will start to draw attention away from what it's trying to achieve and will undoubtedly look trashy. 
2. The clothes - obviously you're going to need a shirt or dress with buttons from top to bottom, but apart from that, keep it simple yet edgy. I found that wearing a long gold and silver chain necklace really added to the 'rock chick' (I hate that phrase) look, but going bare is just as good!
3. The place - sadly i'm not convinced that the world is entirely ready for this yet, so if you're a bit apprehensive at first, try it where you know you're going to be surrounded by like-minded and fashionable individuals; but by all means, if you're daring enough then definitely hit the streets.
4. The attitude - probably the most important thing of all! Show the world how confident you feel and it'll look a million times better. This is definitely the time to embody that 'I don't give a s**t what you think' spirit!

If you're still not convinced, then don't fear - tomorrow I will do an outfit post showing you how I wear it. But if you want my advice...in the immortal words of none other than Nike...just do it!

Les Petites - tried this on the other day...I NEED it in my life

Zadig & Voltaire

Love ya longtime bitchezzzzzz

xo xo

The Kooples

Dom & Philippine en couple depuis 7 mois...

Ever since The Kooples came to London, i've wanted to do a piece on a fashionable couple; i'm not a massive fan of the clothes, but their adverts are perfection. Dom surprised Fi for her birthday (today, Happy Birthday sister!) with a trip to Colchester and my dream came true! I don't think i've ever known such a beautiful and stylish couple - they always dress well, but today i'm loving the fact that they're both wearing stripes. Although they're different styles, the contrast works brilliantly.

Dom's gift to Fi...watch and learn boys

Until next time...

xo xo

'My business is to create'

'P.S. I Love You' (the film), and Holly's attempt at William Blake:

 '"I must create a..."...something?! "Or be enslaved by another man's"...something?!'

But it's what she said afterwards that really struck a chord with me:

 'All I know is, if you don't figure out the 'something', you'll just stay ordinary. And it doesn't matter if it's a work of art, or a taco, or a pair of socks. Just create something new and there it is. And it's you, out in the world, outside of you. And you can look at it, or hear it, or read it, or feel it...and you know a little bit more about you. A little bit more than anybody else does. Does that make any sense at all?'

Well I happen to think it makes perfect sense. You're probably wondering what this has to do with fashion, but if you think about it, it has everything to do with fashion. Every single day we use our clothes to tell the world a little something about ourselves, whether we realise it or not. If you see me wearing heels then it's likely that i'm in the mood to take over the world; or maybe i'm trying to cheer myself up by restoring that bit of self-confidence and esteem that inevitably comes with an extra 4 inches.

But now i've decided to take the idea a little bit further. A couple of months ago I found two beautiful vintage white cotton slip dresses, and managed to get them for just £5. One would make the perfect white summer dress, while the other would be good for lounging around in before bed on a warm evening. I went to a material shop in London and bought some ribbon so that I can change the straps and maybe add a few bits here and there. I'm not really a vintage person or much of a customiser, so this is a big deal for me! I'm going to make them over the weekend, so watch out for the photos soon.

My tip for the day: find some bargains and get customising...not only is it both fun and rewarding, but it'll stop you from just staying ordinary!

Why don't we: get a ticket, pack a bag, run away, fall in love?

This is one of my favourite dresses of all-time. It's by the one and only Vanessa Bruno and was designed as a skirt, but I always style it as a dress. Here i've teamed it with a jacket from last year's Isabel Marant collection and some heavy jewellery. It's not a really a look for wandering around the garden in but unpractical seems to he the order of the day for me! The great thing about a dress like this is that you can wear it without a jacket and sky-scraper heels for an evening event; like this or with a small biker jacket for smart/smart-casual; and with a Barbour and some Hunters to get the country/festival look. I feel justified spending a lot of money on one item when it can be worn in so many different ways!

DRESS: Vanessa Bruno

JACKET: Isabel Marant

SHOES: Urban Outfitters

NECKLACES: Topshop; Orelia Boutique 

COULD NOT be more excited!!!

OK so this essentially amounts to a feature of a feature of a feature (I think...), but when I woke up this morning, I checked my favourite blog (Street and City Photos...you know the drill) only to find that Wallace Chapman has featured me!!! Thank you thank you thank you to Wallace, I could not be more honoured or excited!

xo xo

I'd rather dance than talk with you...

...I have literally had that song in my head alllllllllll day. So here is what i'm wearing today; a massive jumper with massive shorts and my favourite shoes. Perfect for a lazy Sunday. Enjoy the sunshine!

 

 

JUMPER: Cabbages & Roses

SHORTS: Topshop

NECKLACE: Topshop

SHOES: Urban Outfitters

And it looks like i'm not the only one having a lazy Sunday!!