Belted Coats perfect for Spring Summer

I know it’s kind of sad to be just thinking about what I'm going to buy for my spring summer wardrobe. It can quite understandably be regarded as superficial I know, especially when there are critical world affairs going on all around me and you. But a spot of retail therapy treating oneself to a YSL bag never hurt anyone.

I’ve got my eye on more than a few treats but one wardrobe essential I can’t get enough of at the moment are coats. I was completely torn on what style I was going to buy, I didn't know whether I was going to opt for a trench, parker or bomber.  But now I've nailed it, the one item I will most defiantly be investing in this spring summer is a nice light weight belted overcoat.  Light weight coats are going to be a huge trend for S/S 14, which is quite unusual for this season where we normally tend to get this array of styles mostly in autumn winter collections.

The belted coat has really caught my eye this season because its a good way to experiment with your style and subtly change it up. I love the way this style of summer coat fastens, the belt feature is far easier than messing with a load of buttons.

The belted coat is a worth while investment piece. Its a wardrobe basic that will work well with the spring summer trend of layering where you can complete a style aesthetic that is sartorial inspired. This style of coat tends to be designed at longer lengths which is practical cut to have as it will help to keep you warm on nippier days. 

This coat style provides good versatility because if you want you can dress it down for the day and channel a sports luxe look which is a super stylish look to go for on the weekend. Or if you’re like me and like to go for the cheeky drink after work on a Friday, then a belted coat style will keep your style fresh taking you effortlessly from day to night.

The belted coat is well and truly a good all-rounder, it goes well with accessories, as well as being a piece that transitions well in-between seasons.

I’ve picked out the best 5 styles this season has to offer…

One- BikBok.com-£69.95

Two- Whistles.co.uk-£495

Three-MaxMara-£1,080.00

Four- DSquared- £871.65

Five- Liska-£4,804

With any coat the cut and fit matters. You want the sizing of your belted coat not to be too oversized but fit snugly with enough space to wear either a blazer or a statement sweater underneath. With so many stores to shop from and array of styles and designers on the market it’s always hard to know what size will fit you well. It can become frustrating when you have to constantly Google size conversion tables. But thankfully it seems that Googling conversion tables will now be a thing off the past, thanks to Farfetch and their size guide widget. The Farfetch size widget will tell you what size your are over a good cross section of brands.  Check it out and get the perfect size fit for you.
Created by Farfetch There you have it my Top 5 belted coat styles. Is this a style pick you will be trying out this season?



Image source: www.pinterest.com
Image source: www.thehautepursuit.com
Widget: http: www.farfetchassets.com/size-widget

The Rise of the Couture Trainer

The couture shows are always guaranteed to generate their fair share of sartorial buzz and the Chanel shows are always an impressively theatrical affair; but this year was different. The spectacular show was completely different to what fashion lovers have come to expect from Karl Lagerfeld.

The Grand Palais was transformed once again, this time into an elegant, paired back space with two dazzling white sweeping stair cases. The set alone was enough of an indication that you were about to see something unexpected but I don’t think the audience was imagining models to skip down the stairs wearing… trainers.

Flat footwear has been on the rise with Celine showcasing their fluffy sandals last year; Dior sent their models down the runway in slip on trainers as did Schiaparelli. It seems clearer  than ever that Lagerfeld has an innate ability to tap into the sub-consciousness of pop culture to present a collection that is totally relevant and fashion forward without forgetting its heritage.

Karl undoubtedly garnered the most interest when it came to footwear. With his muse Cara Delevingne opening the show in bejewelled trainers and each model that followed similarly fitted out with a luxe pair of sneakers. 

‘I had a feeling the girls would love them. The way they ran down the staircase – I didn’t even ask them, they did it naturally’ explained the designer. The trainers came in blush, tweed, metallic and pastel shades with delicate laces made of chiffon; perfectly co-ordinating with the models outfits.

The show really captured a young sporting spirit with some of the models even in matching knee and elbow pads. Karl noted that ‘it gives a new modern attitude to couture, flexibility’, we couldn’t agree more but Chanel’s newfound ‘flexibility’ unfortunately doesn’t make them any more affordable.

With each pair of trainers estimated to cost around 3,000 euros you’ll still have to save up for a little while before you can add these babies to your wardrobe. Not to mention that that you can’t buy them unless you buy the entire couture look alongside them, we can only imagine how much that would set you back.

What do you think to Chanel’s new direction, are you a fan or do you prefer their more classic looks?

Peter Pilotto for Target

There’s nothing worse (in the sartorial sphere, at least) then a designer collaboration which is out of your reach. As much as we’ve loved H&M’s recent efforts with Maison Martin Margiela and Isabel Marant, which brought two of our favourite designers into the affordable realm, we were still bitter that we couldn’t get our hands on Phillip Lim for Target last year. For those of us in the UK, our only option was scouring eBay for pieces listed at way above store price – which completely defeated the whole point of the collection in the first place.

So it was big, exciting news for us when Target announced that a selection from their latest designer collection would be available to buy online from the UK, via Net a Porter, when it drops on February 9. And the designer in question is Peter Pilotto, known for his kaleidoscope prints, jewel colours and powerful silhouettes. His shows are among the most revered at Fashion Week and he regularly dresses the most famous women in the world, so we can’t wait to get our hands on it.

Luckily for us, Christopher De Vos and Peter Pilotto (the designers behind the label) haven’t toned down their signature aesthetic at all for the Target collection. There’s plenty of colour, collars and interesting details – I’m especially obsessed with this eye-grabbing jacket and co-ordinated shorts. Definitely worth buying now and holding on to until spring arrives.

There’s even swimwear and accessories – beach totes and rectangle clutches – if you’re after a holiday wardrobe with extra pop. But it’s the smarter pieces that really win me over. This dress mixes three different prints together but somehow avoids looking chintzy or old-fashioned, and I love the subtle cut-outs at the shoulder.

Want more good news? Net a Porter are running a competition to win their edit of the collection plus a £5000 shopping spree. Just follow this link to enter!

I can’t wait to see which pieces Net a Porter will be carrying (unfortunately it won’t be the full line), but hopefully we won’t be left too disappointed by the online selection.

Make sure you’re poised by your laptop on February 9 when these pieces hit the (digital) shop floor – Pilotto has a lot of fans in London and this collection is already hotly anticipated. Expect it to sell it out as quickly as any of H&M’s designer offerings.

Available from February 9 2014 at netaporter.com – prices start from £15/€18.

Get in touch if you buy anything from the collection, we’d love to know what you go for!

To Tommy from Zooey

To Tommy from Zooey might read like the first line of a love note passed between a couple of teenagers but it’s actually the name of Zooey Deschanel’s debut capsule collection for the American designer Tommy Hilfiger.

Deschanel’s is somewhat of a sartorial marmite; you either love her style or you hate it, but the collaboration between herself and Hilfiger makes a lot of sense. The collection will comprise of 16 sixties-inspired dresses each named after a friend of hers. 

The New Girl actress and designer met last year at a mutual friend’s house in Santa Monica and they got talking about vintage fashion. Hilfiger recalls; ‘she was wearing this vintage jumpsuit. I complimented her on it and she told me how she loved vintage. Somehow, the conversation went from loving vintage to possibly doing a capsule collection with her.’

This April will be the unveiling of the fruits of their partnership. Hilfiger told WWD that the collection is made up of ‘a lot of red, white and blue, but done in a Zooey way with interesting detail and flirty fabrics. They are very Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy’. 

Deschanel admits that she and the 62 year old designer share a lot of the same inspirations including old-school music, classic films and old Hollywood icons. Hilfiger is quick to praise the actress in return noting; ‘she is the epitome of (a Tommy Girl) – all American, youthful, fun and funny, yet she has a sophistication and worldliness to her that’s very endearing’.

Deschanel has even coined her own word, Modical, to describe the collection which combines Mod and Nautical style. 14 of the 16 flirty dresses will be available to buy from the department store Macy’s on April 14 with the full collection set to be available from Tommy.com on April 21^st.

The collection will retail from £59 to £120 each.  What do you think about this designer collaboration? Are you a big fan of Zooey’s distinctive style?

Craig & Karl for Le Specs

We might be in the middle of a very bleak January, but there’s still call for a cool pair of sunglasses. If you’re hiding a hangover, jetting off in search of winter sun, or just need to shield your eyes from bright winter mornings (they do exist) then check out Craig & Karl’s new collection for Le Specs.

They’re completely unlike anything we have in our current collection of wayfarers, cat eye shapes and last year’s souped-up reflective lenses – at first glance they look more like something out of a cartoon. Squiggly lines and bright, sugar sweet pastels aren’t the most obvious choice when it comes to sunnies, but there’s something about them that’s still completely wearable. You just need the confidence to pull them off.

If you’re not familiar with the names behind the collection, Le Specs are a known for statement sunglasses with an irreverent edge to them. Alongside charcoal wayfarers named after Al Capone and quirky frames cut in plastic, the Australian brand offers fashion forward shapes that we haven’t seen anywhere else. Case in point: the Rudeboy sunglasses, with diamond lenses set inside wire circles. Overlook the impracticality of them, and concentrate on how great they’d look in a street style shot.

Craig & Karl, their collaborators, are known for creative projects with a pop art feel: they’ve worked with Google, LVMH, Vogue, Nike and Apple and had their art shown across the world. They even came up with this portrait of Barack Obama for the cover of New York Magazine. So as fun as these sunglasses are, there’s some serious artistic talent behind them too.

I especially love the Lost Weekend frames, pictured above - a tongue in cheek design that comes in baby pink or glossy black. Their hyper contemporary styling will brighten up the most dreary winter days (and refresh tired outfits just in time for Fashion Week next month). Make a playful statement without saying a thing, and grab a pair now.

Available from the Le Specs online shop.

S/S 14 Trend: The White Shirt

I love a good old white button down, they are a wardrobe basic that every girl should own.  A white shirt might not seem like much but it is the style pick of the season with the likes of Keira Knightly to Alexa Chung are all rocking out this trend.

I’m not talking about the kind of white shirt you once wore to school, but amazing cool new styles that have interesting cuts and stylish detailing. The white shirt this season has truly been reinvented, the options of styles is endless. White shirts have appeared in all style formations from sleeves to no sleeves, collars and no collars to cool buttons and transparent fabrics with everything in-between.

RTW S/S 14

Preen

Creatures of Comfort

Veronique Branquinho

You can look chic for the office with a white shirt where you will get great cost per wear from this style pick because the white shirt is great is such a versatile little number that you can make up lots of great sartorial looks with.  You may not have considered it before but the white shirt is well worth bringing out to team with your weekend wardrobe, the white shirt looks especially good with denim jeans and pointed pumps stilettos.

In celebration of this hero piece, we have listed the top three ways to rock the white shirt trend...

Denim

Wearing a white shirt with denim shorts or jeans is a sophisticated way to dress on your day off. Introduce a statement necklace or brightly coloured accessories for an on trend stylish summer look.

Shorts & Skirts

Shorts and skirts both go well with a white shirt. The white shirt will look its best if you team it with brightly coloured garment pieces to contrast with whiteness of the white shirt. White shirts also provide the good opportunity to wear prints where the white of shirt will balance out any print perfectly. Introduce printed skirts or trousers, printed skirts suits look awesome teamed with a white shirt.

Luxe

If you want to add a luxe and texturized feel to your style, compliment the white shirt with fabrics like leather and velvet for a glamorous chic style aesthetic.  With the white shirt you can go all out because whatever you team with it you are pretty much safe because the shirt is essentially a blank canvas.

What do you think of the white shirt transformation, will you be giving this trend ago?

Image source: Preen, Creatures of Comfort and Veronique Branquinho - www.style.com

Image source: Denim, Shorts & Skirts and Luxe - www.pinterest.com

Sarah Jessica Parker’s debut shoe collection

We’ve waited long enough to see these babies…

When we found out last June that Sarah Jessica Parker and George Malkemus, the CEO of Manolo Blahnik, were going to be collaborating on Parker’s first ever line of shoes we were absolutely over the moon.

It’s a pairing made in shoe heaven if ever there was one. Well, it’s been months since the announcement and we almost forgot that there was ever to be a shoe line at all. Until this week!

The lovely ladies at the Coveteur managed to get SJP and editor-at-large of O Magazine Gayle King in one room together for a first glimpse of the stunning shoe collection. And what a collection it turned out to be!

The collection looks to be everything that we would have come to expect from Parker with classic feminine shapes and vibrant pops of colour. There was everything from taffeta embellished flowers to multicolour straps and sumptuous materials all whilst not being too overbearing.

It’s one of those collections that only SJP could have designed, and we can imagine becoming wildly successful go-to options for any city girl.

Parker stated back in June that the shoes were going to range from $200 to $300 which we think is a fairly decent price for a pair of beautifully made shoes. There is not much fuss or over-the-top intricacies, they’re shoes that can be worn for almost any occasion and it’s more about the bold colours than anything else.

What do you think of the Sarah Jessica Parker’s debut collection of women’s shoes? Will you be forking out for a pair or are they not really your style?

(All photos courtesy of The Coveteur)

The Top 5 Fitness Sites for Women

Christmas is over, New Years has come and gone and it is no longer legitimate to eat Celebrations for breakfast. It is no longer acceptable to eat six to seven large meals a day and no; lifting the remote to change the channel between Home Alone 2 and Elf did not count as exercise.

If like us you’ve had an all-round smasher of a Christmas break then you might now be suffering the consequences. We’ve come to accept that a couple of extra pounds in January are worth it for the month of full on month of gluttony and hedonism that was December.

But now it’s time to face the music. We can’t stuff our faces with mince pies forever (you literally can’t – they don’t sell them after January). We’ve got to get back into the swing of things and get ready for this summer’s bikini body!

Although the thought of getting in a two piece might terrify the living daylights out of you right now, like most things it’s better to tackle these this sooner rather than later. After all; everyone feels happier and healthier when they’re feeling physically and mentally on point.

So we’ve rounded up five of our favourite healthy living websites to help inspire and motivate you to get back into shape. Don’t expect any fat-shaming or silly diet fads, these websites are run and designed for intelligent women and will hopefully have you raring to hit the gym in no time.

One: Refinery29 (www.refinery29.com)

The first site on our list isn’t exclusively about fitness but we had to include it because it’s so much fun.  Refinery29 has a seven different content categories including a Wellness and a Living section that include interesting articles that include ’10 Day Wellness Challenge’ and advice on how to get back to the gym. This website isn’t aimed at work out fanatics so the goals and tips are really interesting and take into consideration your general wellbeing as well. Just all round good advice without being patronising or unrealistic. 

 Two: Operation Beautiful (www.Operationbeautiful.com)

Operation Beautiful is a breath of fresh air in a world where Cosmopolitan magazine thinks it’s appropriate to body-shame women of different weights. If you’re tired of being called ‘pear-shape’ or ‘apple-shaped’ then don’t put up with it any more – you’re a lady not an exotic fruit. Operation Beautiful aims to highlight womens natural beauty and spur them along with positive encouragement! We love it!

Three: Girls Gone Strong (www.girlsgonestrong.com)

Girls gone strong are for bad ass girls who want to…well get strong! Their tag-line is ‘Thou shalt not require assistance moving furniture’ and we couldn’t agree more!  The GGS mission is to educate and inspire women with free workouts as well as nutrition and lifestyle information. So if you’re looking for a community of kick ass women who are passionate about keeping fit then this is the site for you!

Four:  Fit Day (www.fitday.com)

Fit day is a fantastic free online weight loss and diet journal. You can get apps for this but Fit Day includes super useful graphs and pie charts to help you track where all of your calories are being spent. You can give yourself a goal and track your progress. Great app for really seeing how much those crisps and chocolate bars really cost you each month! 

Five: Bliss Tree (www.summertomato.com)

Bliss tree is another fantastic website with tops, workouts and yummy food recipes. But don’t expect and Goop style piousness Bliss Tree is wickedly funny and aimed at real girls which make the whole idea of getting into shape so much more fun. Has everything from embarrassing sex moments to ‘Health lessons from the Girls on Girls’. 

Sale Picks!

Shopping the sales is potentially one of the most exciting past times for any fashion lover. There is some weird thrill that comes with leaving the house knowing that you’ll be sure to return laden with bags full of bargains.

The best way to get the most out of shopping the sales is to do your homework, was there an item that you absolutely loved last season but just couldn’t afford? Make sure to check online to see if any of those sought after items have been put into the sale.

Checking out the sales online first will also help to avoid any rash purchasing. Everyone does it, gets swept away in the moment of sale frenzy and picks up a couple of items that are destined to sit in your wardrobe all year, unworn.

Don’t waste money on these items, there is probably a reason why they are £6 and it’s not because they are wardrobe staples. Remember these hard and fast rules for sale shopping;

·       Will I wear it?

·       Does it go with anything in my wardrobe?

·       Would I buy it at full price?

Hopefully these little questions will help to make the most and re-stock your wardrobe ready for the taking on the New Year in style!

One: Topshop Camo Jacquard Shirt – Was £45 now £15 - http://bit.ly/19a9JeH

Two: Topshop Silver Sequin Pencil Skirt – Was £95 now £30 - http://bit.ly/1icStWG

Three: Topshop Limited Edition Poppy Bomber Jacket – Was £150 now £40 - http://bit.ly/1dcfdqn

Four: Zara Checked Coat – Was £149 Now £99.99 - http://bit.ly/1ac90bA

Five: Sparkle & Fade Longline Duster Coat in Blue – Was £145 now £70 - http://bit.ly/1hsEPkK

Six: Canter High Jodhpur boot – Was £119 now £90 - http://bit.ly/1cyaoFd