LFW: What My BlackBerry Saw

Shows seen: 26, taxis taken: 7, glasses of champagne drunk: 3, BlackBerry photos taken: 105, BlackBerries broken from over-use: 1, AWOL photographers: 1, near-nervous breakdowns: 2, reviews edited: a million.


For the full run-down of what I got up to at fashion week, check out the behind-the-scenes diary I did for the Matalan blog here.

What I Wore: Day Three LFW

I wore: Leather trousers, leopard-print faux-fur coat, Topshop Unique lilac suede heels, grey marl sweatshirt and Charlie Le Mindu pink heart-shaped bag (embellished with pastel-pink human hair!)

Charlie, you're my favourite.

Photo: Me and Melissa Carew, taken by Cristine Leone after the Charlie Le Mindu show.

What I Wore: Day Two LFW

My first behind-the-scenes at LFW post is up for Matalan! Check it out here.

On Day Two I wore: vintage fur, black Zara blazer, red cropped Zara trousers, leopard-print River Island sandals, black leather T-shirt from Claudia Ligari, jewellery by Bjorg, Rolex watch and Alexander Wang Coco bag.

Photos: Cristine Leone

What I Wore: Day One LFW

Good God, I'm tired. You can find me writing here, editing here and tweeting here and here.

*falls asleep mid-sentence*

Image courtesy of Arianne @ Fashion Foam

Fashion Week Essentials

US Vogue and new nosy website du jour, The Coveteur, have just collaborated on a project to photograph various style insider’s fashion week essentials; a creative marriage that has resulted in some of the most deliciously voyeuristic pictures that I’ve seen in a while. One part useful to two parts fantasy, these images are the ultimate ‘what’s in your bag’-style shoot – but what, other than intravenous Starbucks and an ability to forgo food, do you really need in your fashion week armoury?

Perhaps most importantly, you need a fabulous bag within which to stuff show invitations, Blackberry chargers and flat shoes for when Tommy Ton’s not looking. Large, hardy and (let’s be honest here), expensive; your handbag should serve as a fashion week Swiss army knife – compact and polished on the outside, tardis-like and infinitely useful on the inside. Jil Sander’s neon pink market bag is ideal; it’s shouty, it’s on-trend and it’s eminently pap-worthy.

A great pair of sunglasses are an invaluable weapon when it comes to fashion week, having the twin benefits of hiding tired eyes and making you feel impossibly glamorous and enigmatic. Equally crucial are an endless supply of business cards, handed out from an ultra-chic case like Smythson’s duck-egg blue style, naturally.

Next in your survival kit is a killer heel, the more avant-garde the better. Bonus points if you can barely stay upright. Camilla Skovgaard’s sculptural cage-style sandals will act as a sartorial siren call to Scott Schuman and his ilk.

And for those days (usually towards the end of the week) when your feet just can’t handle another cantilevered minute, statement flats like Christian Louboutin’s studded Pigalles are the only acceptable alternative to 6 inches.

Schlepping from show to show, not to mention queuing outside for hours, requires a warm coat, and Burberry Prorsum’s military style proves that you can stay chic as well as toasty.Its navy hue will beautifully complement the pale shade of blue your toes will have turned in your open-toe sandals.

But what about when you’re finally inside, sitting down and bookended between botox and boobs? No fashion week arsenal is complete without an ultra-covetable notebook in which to jot down your wish list for next season. Or, you know, actually make notes on the collection. Hermes is the pinnacle of stationary providers for these occasions, followed closely by Smythson and Moleskin.

Lastly, remember to pack an umbrella, some bronzer and your sanity. Enjoy!

Originally published for Ly.st

Frow Stars

That’s right, Fashion Week is upon us again. Time to stock up on Berocca, apologise to your feet and, most importantly, try not to trip over your Kirkwoods as you run from show to show piecing together the upcoming trends.

Here’s the other thing, though. It’s actually disproportionately about eyeing up everyone else, specifically the Front Rowers, or FROW for short. Yep, catwalk trends are all well and good, but we all know the real runway’s outside. And the stars? Well, there’s always a few choice hero pieces that get the street style photographers in a kerfuffle. I predict that it’s these 5 key items that will be all over the blogosphere before you can say Tommy Ton...

1. The Celine Boston bag

Not a new kid on the blog, per se, but still a major contender and infinitely chicer than the *whispers it* commonplace Mulberry Alexa. I’ll be playing Boston bag bingo with these outside Somerset House, no doubt.

2. The hot pink Jil Sander trousers

Nothing says ‘pap me’ like shocking pink tailoring. With their electric hue, It-status and cheeky sensibility, they’ve got Anna Dello Russo’s name written all over them.

3. The silk Equipment shirt

The stealth star. Quietly unassuming but winks knowingly at those insiders who count. Emmanuelle Alt rocks these to a T with her skinny, rolled-up Isabel Marant jeans and Balmain blazers.

4. The apple-print Miu Miu maxi skirt

Miu Miu’s novelty apple-print maxi skirt and matching flares have both got acres of pap mileage woven into their very seams. They might hail from the cruise collection, but are still guaranteed to pack a powerful punch come Fashion Week.

5. The leather-sleeve Burberry Prorsum trench

Paging Miroslava Duma! This ultra-covetable coverup is perfect for the Russian FROW stalwart. Or failing that, me.

Originally written for Ly.st

Whooga and me; The True Story of a Woman and her Uggs

I’ve never exactly been an ugg fan. In fact, I’ve always been pretty vocal about my, er, displeasure at seeing girls (and – quelle horreur – boys!) walking around in what Disney Roller Girl once aptly described as resembling sad sandcastles...

Image: Caroline's Mode

And regardless of whatever I’m about to write here, I still maintain that there is nothing worse than seeing that collapsed club foot effect unique to uggs - the foot within going one way and the sole beneath having entirely different ideas. It’s a look that says; we hereby surrender – I, to public decorum and my shoes, to the idea of being worn anywhere uncarpeted. If Dante’s Inferno had had 10 circles of hell instead of 9, the final would surely have been a sartorial one, reserved only for those who wore a disfigured ugg and a Juicy Couture tracksuit.

That all notwithstanding, this is largely a repentant love story - albeit a slightly reluctant one. I’m not sure I’ll ever be an ugg evangelist, but I’ll consider myself a born-again wearer - not to be taken lightly considering the sceptic I once was. It all started when I got an email from Australian ugg company, Whooga, asking if I’d like to do a review of their boots. Now, I always thought that unless they said ‘ugg’ on the back, they were essentially ‘fake uggs’ and not to be considered. Nope, just marketing spin – ugg is a generic term for sheepskin boots which have been around for years. Good stuff, Whooga, but I’m a 6-inch-heel girl – you might have to do better than that. Reading on, they boasted a tougher heel panel. What, you mean they won’t sag around my ankles before entirely giving up and looking like they’re attempting to biodegrade whilst I’m still wearing them? Hmm, interesting. Do go on. A thicker merino fleece lining than the rest, you say? And a reinforced sole? Why that means they’re more than essentially a glorified slipper – winner! Send me some, I’ll try them out.

That was about three weeks ago. We’ve been inseparable ever since. I’m genuinely annoyed whenever I have to take them off. We’ve even been on holiday together to Paris where I wore them into Hermes. The Boy asked if they’d let me in wearing them but I JUST DIDN’T CARE. That’s love, people. A love that was cemented by me accidentally slipping them on, sans socks the other day. Oh! – the sheer joy! I take it all back. There’s something to be said for unadulterated comfort. What's more, I'm pleased to report that they haven't fallen into pools of melted sheepskin at my ankles, despite having to deal with a pretty hefty rainstorm in Paris last weekend. Impressive.

They are available to buy online here on their ultra-informative website - it tells you everything from how your feet will be warmed in temperatures as low as -30 but kept cool in the summer thanks to the thermofleece, how they form to the shape of your feet within a week which gives major comfort and how they contain Lanolin which increases blood circulation and is a natural moisturiser.

So if you see me at London Fashion Week on Friday and I'm wearing my Whoogas, you'll know why. And if you have any sense, you'll be wearing some too.

Valentine's Gift Guide

Just incase you didn't think this blog was becoming cloyingly saccharine enough, I decided to fully embrace the frou frou within and do a Valentine's Gift Guide. Enjoy!

Special Edition Moet & Chandon champagne set with gold pen

Coco de Mer pink 'Tease' gift set

Diptyque Limited Edition Roses mini candle: Liberty

Swarovski-studded pink lips clutch: Lulu Guinness

Foil-wrapped heart-shaped chocolates: Matalan

'Marry me' calligraphy ring: Solange Azagury-Partridge

Moschino Cheap and Chic heart-detailed belt: My-wardrobe.com

Love pillowcases: Not On The High Street

Hot-pink soft-cup bra: Sexy Panties and Naughty Knickers

Malachite-embellished diamond-shaped ring: Prive

Solange Azagury-Partridge red enamel lips ring: Net-a-Porter

Red quilted vintage Chanel bag: Atelier Mayer

Bouquet of roses: Quintessentially Flowers

Heart-embellished gold ring: Pandora

B-Temptd black and white lingerie set: ASOS

Cookie cutter for two: Amazon

J'Adore pink leather notebook: Smythson

Red 'meow' eyemask: Agent Provocateur

Biscuiteers sweeties biscuits: Not on the Highstreet

Occo jasmine, chamomile and blossom honey body lotion

Red Yves Saint Laurent Palais peep-toe pumps: Matches

One To Watch: Molly Bakes

Now, I know how you lot feel about a good bit of cake porn so I've been relishing the thought of unleashing the following post onto your unprepared little minds. Yes, sponge-lovers, the following creations are all, in fact, cake in all its moist, crumbly, someone-put-the-kettle-on glory. Cake shaped as a doughnut masquerading as a lollipop, to be precise. And that's not even the best bit. The outside is dipped in chocolate and the whole thing tastes shut-up amazing. No, really. Seriously.

Ah, the futility of words. You'll just have to try them for yourself. Molly Bakes is the culinary genius behind them and you can find a selection of her mini masterpieces in Selfridges Food Hall.

Cake sprinkled with kitsch? I'm all over it like a gluten-induced rash.

What do you think would make a good cake pop? I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Hello Kitty!

Check out Molly Bakes' blog, Cake and Couture and follow her on Twitter here.

The Basics

With 'maximalism' being the buzzword of late and the banana-print bandwagon heading full throttle into Spring, I thought I'd write an ode to those quietly unassuming staples that we fashion folk like to call perennially chic. Or, in moments of desperation, investment pieces, if we need to persuade ourselves that a four-figure sum is reasonable for a handbag. A phrase which drives The Boy (an ex-economist) crazy with semantic anal-retentiveness; "It's not an investment if it doesn't increase in value!" *bangs head against wall*. To which I reply, "Look, sonny, if it's Chanel, it's a sodding investment." Or words to that effect.

So here I am gadding about on a local golf course, trying not to get hit in the head by a rogue ball in the name of blogging. My basics are a Burberry trench, RayBan aviators, a chunky gold Rolex, a Breton-striped T-shirt, some comfortable black ankle boots, classic indigo denim (say hello to my new J Brand Love Storys from My-wardrobe.com) and a timeless (read: investment) black leather shoulder bag like this one from Lanvin.

Staples like this are the sartorial equivalent of Chanel No5 or the perfect red lipstick; they should form the lynchpin of every girl's capsule wardrobe, regardless of season, trend or age, and become go-to classics that you know will always be in style. That's my kind of investment.

Oh, and before I forget - the lovely Claire over at Style Clone, a fab site incorporating everything from celebrity style tips to fashion news, featured me here if you want to check it out!

Shoe Business

New shoes cure everything. Fact. The right pair of heels can lift your mood, make you look thinner AND update your whole look. Now if that's not an excuse to go forth and buy with gay abandon, then I don't know what is.

Behold:

Paintbox palette? Tick. Studio 54 silhouette? Tick. Perfect with Palazzo pants, denim flares and flirty sundresses alike? Tick tick tick.

How many bloody ticks do you need? Go go go!

Orange sandals: Miss Selfridge

Blue sandals: Prada

Pink sandals: Casadei

Red sandals: Casadei

Doll Parts

A bit of Friday frivolity for your delectation. Who knew Barbie was such a bitch?

Photography: Mariel Clayton

Colour Blocking

Who: Me, The Boy and some old friends for my buddy J's birthday

Where: Brunswick House, a stunning listed Georgian manor in Vauxhall occupied by architectural salvage firm Lassco and the location of a fabulously eccentric restaurant in amongst the for-sale bathtubs and chandeliers.

Wore: Pink Silence & Noise blazer, red Zara trousers, white COS T-shirt, Leopard-print River Island heels and Mogil oversized clutch.

Ate: 'English tapas' courtesy of J's friend the chef; roasted Jerusalem artchokes with hard-boiled egg, haggis, rare roast beef slices with mustard leaves, chunky homemade bread and many, many blood orange and Campari cocktails.