Tag Archives: fashion

The Weekend in Pictures

Posted in Family Life by

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{I went for a walk on Saturday morning and snapped these lovely daffodils}

Isn’t it amazing what a difference a bit of sunshine can make? We have had glorious weather this weekend and somehow everything seems so much easier when the sun is out, everyone is happier (including the normally grumpy drivers in London!) and even food seems to taste better when it is eaten outside, underneath bright blue skies. I wonder if it’s just because nice weather is such a rarity on these shores. I’d love to know – if you’re lucky enough to live in sunnier climes, does it still boost your mood or do you just get used to it?

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{The outdoor furniture could do with a good clean but it was blissful to sit outside with a cup of coffee and a magazine, listening to the birds chirping in the trees and the children arguing over the football (oh well you can’t have it all!)}

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{Lady in blue: Me up in town this morning wearing my blue pumps from New Look (bought five years ago), a white and blue scarf (bought in Sweden), knitted jacket by Odd Molly, jeans by Paige Denim and sunglasses from Oliver Peoples}

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{We try to go up to the Swedish Church in Marylebone twice a month so the children can go to Sunday school and practice their language skills. Afterwards, there is always coffee and plenty of cakes – during Lent they serve traditional Swedish semla (cakes flavoured with cardamom and filled with almond paste and cream) – sooo yummy!}

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{It looks like it will be the perfect week to fit in a few power walks and trips to the park. No doubt the rain will return at some point so I intend to make the most of it!}

Now the kids are all in bed, the washing up is done, my blog post is written and I think we have time to squeeze in a couple of episodes of House of Cards. We’ve almost watched all of the second series so have to find another one soon…

Hope you’ve all had a great weekend. X

Dreaming of Chanel

Posted in Fashion by

Chanel Collage

Tonight, my dear friends, I am dreaming of a classic, quilted Chanel flap bag. Nonchalantly thrown over the shoulder it would be the perfect accessory to set off my spring wardrobe. I like it best when it’s paired with a casual outfit like the ripped jeans or slouchy sweater in the pictures above – the juxtaposition of polished and dishevelled gets me every time…
The price tag may be steep (to put it mildly!) but a classic Chanel bag will always be in style. And if your appetite hasn’t been sated by these pictures, there is of course a Pinterest board with even more inspiration – check it out here

Which accessory would you love to own if money was no object?

Five on Friday

Posted in Five on Friday by

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{Some of you may remember that I was lusting after the Narsissist eye palette by Nars a few weeks ago. Alas it was not to be – I had planned to buy it with my Space NK vouchers but as the eye palette was exclusive to Selfridges here in the UK, I didn’t feel I could justify the £55. So instead I bought the Narsissist cheek palette which was stocked by Space NK and comes with a blusher, highlighter and bronzer.}

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{I’m loving my coffee table books at the moment. They make great home accents and I like to flick through them for inspiration. My most recent additions are the Alexa Chung book ‘It’ and a beautiful Chanel book filled with images to drool over.}

The best laid plans as they say…

This week hasn’t turned out quite how I wanted. On Monday Casper came home with a sore ear and he hasn’t been back at school all week. We went to the doctor who diagnosed a viral ear infection so antibiotics wouldn’t help, all we can do is try and reduce the pain with Nurofen and Calpol. It’s not too bad during the day but at night it is very painful as the fluid in ear builds up and he has trouble sleeping. So pretty much everything has been cancelled this week – from playdates and after school activities to my hair appointment and lunch date. While I hate to see him suffer, it has been really nice having him at home. With three children it’s not always easy to find one-to-one time, especially with the boys as they are at school all day. He has had to amuse himself with Lego and the iPad while I’ve been working but we have also had time for nice chats, board games and baking.

Hopefully his ear will improve as we head into weekend. The weather is set to be lovely – with temperatures of 17 degrees forecast for Sunday! – so I’m looking forward to sitting out in the garden with a cup of coffee to soak up some rays.

Hope you have a fab weekend! X

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{The clear-out at my parents’ house continues and this week I saved a silk clutch, that my dad bought in Japan for my mum in the late 70s, from going off to the charity shop. It’s not my usual style but I think it will look good with a cream summer dress or just jeans and a simple tee, with gold heels and jewellery.}

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{Cameron looked great in his Sherlock Holmes costume for World Book Day yesterday and I’m happy to report that my Burberry returned home unscathed.}

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{It’s been a busy week but I managed to take a few minutes out to read the interview with SJP in this month’s Harper’s Bazaar. And of course, you can’t have a proper break without coffee and chocolate biscuits!}

World Book Day – My Recommendations

Posted in Daily Musings by

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As anyone with school age children will no doubt be aware, today is World Book Day. My eldest scooted off to school this morning dressed as Sherlock Holmes in my old Burberry mac (under strict instructions not to leave it behind on the football pitch at break time!) as well as a deerstalker hat, pipe and magnifying glass hastily ordered from Amazon on Express Delivery a couple of days ago.

As a working (albeit part time) and blogging mum of three, I haven’t got much time to read books and when I do get a chance to pick one up I usually go for lighter stuff that you can dip in and out of without losing the thread. I have vowed that I will immerse myself in the classics when the kids are older and I can actually read more than a few pages without being interrupted. Like most people, I read quite a few of them at school but some, like Anna Karenina and Atonement for instance, are still on my list and there are others that I think I would enjoy rereading without having to analyse the content in an essay.

Anyway, I had a hunt around the house this morning (as we only have two bookshelves it didn’t take long!) and for what it’s worth, here are my recommendations for a good read.

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The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty

This was the most recent book I read. Set in the 1920s it tells the story of Cora Carlisle who has been hired to act as the chaperone for a 15-year-old Louise Brook as they journey from Kansas to New York city. It soon becomes clear that Cora is hiding secrets of her own, including the real reason why she longs to visit New York so much…

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Front Row by Jerry Oppenheimer

If you’re into fashion, Vogue powerhouse Anna Wintour hardly needs an introduction. However, while everyone is familiar with her sleek bob and huge sunglasses, the woman behind them remains an enigma. Based on scores of interviews, this unauthorised biography chronicles Anna’s climb to the top of the magazine world exposing how she artfully reinvented herself along the way.

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Elvis has left the building by Tania Kindersley

I read this book when it was first published in 2001 and as I picked it off the shelf today I decided that it is definitely due a re-read. Weaved around the art world, it’s a funny and poignant story about a heartbroken girl coming to terms with the end of a nine year relationship and gradually taking her revenge.

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The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

This is probably the book that I most associate with my teenage years. I studied Sylvia Plath at school and was fascinated by both her poetry and personal life. First published in 1963, the book is as relevant today as it was then, and provides a haunting insight into the reality of mental illness.

Faithfull

Faithfull by Marianne Faithfull and David Dalton

A memoir by the original rock chick which recounts her days in the swinging 60s including her much publicised relationship with Mick Jagger, her descent into heroin addiction and subsequent recovery. A brutally honest autobiography, the book also serves as a captivating cultural history of London’s music scene.

Currently Coveting #18: Stripes for Spring

Posted in Currently Coveting by

Stride into spring wearing classic, crisp Breton stripes. Teamed with skinny jeans, colourful flats and a touch of sparkly jewellery, it is the perfect outfit for channeling that particularly French brand of effortless daytime style. Did you know that the Breton stripe has been a sartorial staple of chic Parisians since 1917 when Coco Chanel famously transformed a fisherman’s top into the iconic piece?

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{Skinny jeans by Current/Elliott at Asos; Amelie Sparkle Bracelet by Stella & Dot; Colorblock Breton Stripe Cashmere Sweater by Vince; Ballet pumps from H&M}

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Here is some more inspiration from my Pinterest board, appropriately entitled ‘Stripes for Spring’!

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Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore!

Posted in Fashion by

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I finally made it to the Isabella Blow retrospective at Somerset House, on the penultimate day of the exhibition. Entitled Fashion Galore! it certainly lived up its name – spread over dozens of rooms on two floors, it was a real feast for the eye with one creation more spectacular than the next. As one would expect, Alexander McQueen was everywhere: from pieces she bought from his graduation show at Central St Martins in 1992 to his famously controversial ‘Highland Rape’ collection in 1995 and video footage of the 2008 “La Dame Bleue” show that the designer dedicated to Issy after her death in 2007. Among the more than 100 pieces on display were also a number of designs by Hussein Chalayan and Julien Macdonald.

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And the hats! What can I say – Isabella was as famous for her headgear as for her blood red pout and each ensemble in the exhibition was complemented by the most fantastical and outrageous Philip Treacy creations. How about a hat adorned with a ship made entirely out of black feathers or another one with cut-out mouths on long sticks jutting out from every angle?

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There was also a room filled with images of the many models that Issy discovered, from Stella Tenant and Honor Fraser to Plum Sykes, although strangely I didn’t see any pictures of Sophie Dahl, who was one of her most famous protegees.

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I never met Isabella Blow but I have friends who did, and they say she was just as amazing and eccentric in real life as interviews and photographs of her would suggest. However, while her life and work at The Sunday Times Style magazine and Tatler, seemed glamorous on the outside, she battled inner demons. I have read the biography written by her husband Detmar Blow after her suicide in 2007 and it bears out reports that her depression was rooted in a difficult early life and a sense of abandonment by her parents.

While there is some mention of Issy’s personal life (mainly in the form of newspaper articles) this retrospective was very firmly focused on her fashion legacy. My friend and I spent a good couple of hours looking at the outfits (and marvelling at how whippet thin Issy must have been to fit into them!) and watching video footage of interviews with her and McQueen catwalk shows.

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The clothes on show were loaned to Somerset House by Issy’s friend and fellow style icon Daphne Guinness who bought the entire collection in 2010 to stop it being auctioned off at Christie’s. The question on our minds as we left the retrospective, which finished yesterday after a four-month run, was: what will happen to the clothes now? These are pieces that were acquired by someone who intended to wear them and enjoy them (as was evident by the scuffed Givenchy shoes and the McQueen coat complete with cigarette burns) so it would be a great shame if they were now left to languish in a storage room somewhere…

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Porter magazine

Posted in Fashion by

I’m a sucker for a glossy magazine and, although I buy fewer now that so much content is readily available online, a tantalising cover will always draw me in. And so it was that a copy of Porter somehow found its way into my possession when I was browsing the shops in Gloucester Road after a meeting last week.

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{Gisele graces the cover of the launch issue}

A brand new publication from the team behind online luxury store Net-a-Porter it claims to be “the fashion magazine for the stylish, intelligent woman of now”. Just as with the retail operation, the magazine oozes pure luxury so don’t expect to find any ‘Get the look for less’ or ‘More dash less cash’ features. The fashion, as one would expect, is nothing short of spectacular with dresses by the likes of Lanvin, Versace and Louis Vuitton (and plenty of POA – price on application…)

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The beauty features are refreshingly down to earth and, unlike some mags, seem to be targeted at a wide age range, not just 20-sonethings with flawless skin. Mixed in with the high octane glamour are some more meaty reads such as an interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario who was kidnapped in Libya in 2011. There is also a 12-page spread dedicated to actress Uma Thurman (who, funnily enough, I had just been thinking about a couple of days before I bought the magazine) and shorter profiles on designer L’Wren Scott and J.Crew creative director Jenna Lyons. An impressive line-up of contributors includes photographer David Bailey (on his banned documentary about Andy Warhol), movie mogul Harry Weinstein (on the allure of silver-screen star Grace Kelly) and shoe maestro Manolo Blahnik who writes about the return of the mule.

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I’m not sure why, or even if I’m alone in this, but I always read the back page of a new magazine first. And Porter magazine doesn’t disappoint: its back page, appropriately if somewhat unoriginally, entitled ‘Last word’, is dedicated to wrap dress queen Diane von Furstenberg.

All in all, as one would expect from the brand headed up by Natalie Massenet, one of the most powerful women in fashion, this is a confident launch that manages to stand out in a crowded market at a time when many are predicting the demise of Old Media. I , for one, can’t wait for the next issue of the bi-monthly publication to hit the shelves…

 

My Spring Wish List

Posted in Fashion by

Spring Wish List

As the first day of spring is less than four weeks away, I think it is perfectly legitimate to start thinking about updating the wardrobe for slightly warmer weather. Here in the UK, we’re not likely to get any really hot days until June at least so layering is the name of the game when it comes to trans-seasonal dressing. In many ways this is my favourite time of year: when you can dispense with the heavy winter coat and warm boots in favour of a light jacket and ballet flats. Just make sure you’re carrying a bag big enough to hold both an umbrella and sunglasses!

Here are some of my favourite pieces for Spring 2014:

1. Printed leather ballet flats, £325 by Miu Miu at Net-a-Porter

2. Grey lace hem skater skirt £20 from Topshop

3. Embroidered Nerine top, £98 from Anthropologie

4. Table Cloth Scarf in Lite Chalk, £149 from Odd Molly

5. Jacket in a textured weave, £29.99 from H&M

6. Grineeh printed bag, £199 from By Malene Birger

7. Zippy Knit in pink ash, £149 by Hunky Dory

Currently Coveting #17: The Many Shoes of Carrie Bradshaw’s Closet

Posted in Currently Coveting, Fashion, Interior by

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As soon as I saw this poster on the fabulous Stalking Beauty blog, I knew I HAD to have it. As any Sex and the City obsessive will know, Carrie Bradshaw’s amazing shoe collection played almost as big a role in the series as the star herself. To me, nothing has replaced Carrie and her gang for pure fashion indulgence (Gossip Girl came close, but still not a patch on the weekly sartorial feast that was SATC) and I still regularly watch my favourite episodes on the box set.

In an ideal world, this poster would hang in my own spacious walk-in closet complete with shelves heaving with Manolos and Jimmy Choos. Sadly, that is but a dream (for the moment at least!) so I will have to find another place for it when it arrives. Wherever it goes I am sure it will provide me with daily inspiration…

The Beauty Edit: OPI + Coca Cola = Happiness in a Bottle

Posted in Beauty by

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It might seem like a crazy collaboration at first glance but soft drinks giant Coca Cola has teamed up with OPI to launch a line of nail polishes. The seven shades are inspired by the iconic packaging of some of our most popular carbonated beverages such as Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke, Sprite and Fanta.

Nail colour queen Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI co-founder and executive vice president said: “These two iconic brands truly deliver happiness in a bottle – whether it’s a refreshing, invigorating sip of Coke or a set of fingers and toes perfectly polished with OPI nail lacquer.”

The new line will hit shelves in June, so this summer we could be sporting cheerful Coke red talons while quenching our thirst with ‘the Real Thing’.

This latest link-up follows OPI’s collaboration with singer and fashionista Gwen Stefani on a capsule range of punk inspired colours. From the hot red Over & Over A-Gwen to the charcoal satin 4 in the Morning and the pale gold Love.Angel.Music.Baby (named after Gwen’s fashion label L.A.M.B), the colours epitomise Gwen’s unique style.


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