The Small Bag take Over

Forget your oversized folded clutch, as well as your all your shoppers and totes, it’s all about the baby bag boom!

This season has seen a miniscule twist when it comes to the bag style to be rocking this season. Little bags are the latest ‘It’ bags to take the world by storm. Autumn winter has presented a fine array of ickle bags for which many designers have coincided the new bag shape with food fashion inspirations which have included the likes of Anya Hindmarsh and her crisp bag, Moschino fires and drinks bags to Chanel and their milk bags. Fendi however tapped into the trend by transformed their existing range of bag styles into micro versions, which alone has totally made this trend worth being born.

For those of us addicted to carrying around everything including the kitchen sink this will be a somewhat hard transition to make because I’m convinced my purse is even larger than these micro pieces! The small bag is not a clutch or a purse with a strap, I’m talking your traditional shapes in XXXS versions! Although these styles look as though they’ve done a shrinking trick similar to that of putting a crisp packet in the over, these mini pieces are the statement makers.

Celebrity style icons can’t get enough of them either, Rhianna the fashionista who is the gold standard for all things cool and Alexa Chung the darling of British style are all over the shrunken bags. 

The miniature bag is for sure the must have piece for the season, not just because it will enhance any outfit you pair it with, but because they also have the ability to help  you to evolve personal style by taking your looks into new depths that are elegantly chic with great versatility. The itsy-bitsy bags can be appropriately worn with looks that are sartorial inspired to off duty casual looks .

I know I’ll be rejuvenating my wardrobe and looks this season and investing in the mini bag seems like the most effortless way to go. The ten reasons below should be enough to make you want to whip out the card and splurge, while pondering on how you ever lived without on of these cute little treats in your life before.

One: Givenchy- www.lindelepalais.com

Two: Saint Laurent-www.net-a-porter.com

Three: Michael Kors-www.farfetch.com

Four: LYDC-www.bankfashion.co.uk

Five: Givenchy- www.net-a-porter.com

Seven: Louis Vuitton-http://uk.louisvuitton.com/

Eight: Sophie Hulme-www.farfetch.com

Nine: Mini Chain- http://www.youngbritishdesigners.com

Ten: Tory Birch- www1.bloomingdales.com

Which style of bag would you most like to have?

Image Source:http://pmchollywoodlife.files.wordpress.com, http://www.spottedfashion.com, http://dressmeblog.me and http://www.pinterest.com/

The Faux Fur Coat Edit

Fur is back! But this time it’s all about the faux fur kind. Love it or loath it, the morality of wearing real fur has been hot topic of debate for a few years now.

Celebrities like Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian have all faced the backlash of wearing animal skins and furs, rocking everything from python, rabbit, fox, and chinchilla’s and even hamster fur. If your philosophies in life are not that of a vegan or vegetarian, wearing fur seems no worse than eaten a venison burger.

The fur debate is a controversial subject. On the one hand you have the cruelty notion with the taboo of wearing fur surrounded by the way in which animals are treated and killed in order to source their fur. The fashion industry can be regarded as accountable for the fur farming boom which has seen many animals kept in cramped squalor conditions leaving them in psychical and emotional distress.

While many animals are bred for their fur, many are caught in traps. The traps are extremely vicious, where the animals are often not found for days, animals that do escape have bitten of their own limbs in desperation of escaping but then end up dying quickly after from the loss of blood, fever or eaten predators. It gets worse. The actual killing methods are horrific, the animals face a doomed death of either being poisoned or electrocuted in the anus.

Angola fur has been a preferred source of fur of recent, the Daily Mail online revealed the shocking way in which Angola fur is really sourced, the fur is yanked out by hand then the Rabbits are left to bleed in their cage, this barbaric action is repeated every three to five months.

With this in mind, you could argue that unless you live in the Antarctic wearing real fur can never be right. But on the other hand fur in fashion is an art spectacle for many as stylish pieces ooze instant and effortless glamour and sophistication for the wearer. Other real fur options can be found in Vintage style’s which is the better option to consider compared to a purchase of new fur coat buy as the profits of vintage styles don’t directly contribute to the profits of new fur farms.

This season has been all about exotic furs and colous, with many styles in a disco meets a grunge style aesthetic. Marc Jacobs, Helmut Lang all paved the way for faux fur fashions while Altuzarra, Custo Barcelona and Libertine pieces are all just as visually captivating, looking just as great as though they were the real McCoy.

Altuzarra, Custo Barcelona, Libertine 

Check out my top 10 faux fur style picks of this season!

One: My Wardrobe- £442.00

Two: Farfetch-£416.17

Three: Atterley-£146.00

Four: The Outnet-£108

Five: Dorothy Perkins-£69.00

Six: The Outnet-£110

Seven: Very-£79.00

Eight: Whistles- £275.00

Nine: Choies- £34.00

Ten: Chicnova-£33.00

Will any of these faux styles be making there way into your wardrobe?

Image source: http://en.vogue.fr and www.thetrendspotter.net

Jackets: The Ultimate Transitional Piece

Outwear is key in completing a stylish look, investing jackets and coats opposed to constantly buying basic clothing and just having the odd couple of pieces of outwear will always help you to translate a better wardrobe.

Unlike separates, coats and jackets are that investment piece in which you can actually get a great cost per wear out of as it’s a piece you can team with multiple looks. Jackets in particular are the trusted transitional piece you can really rely on for dressing in-between seasons. 

The key piece to any look is usually outwear, shoes and bags can be introduced to enhance the aesthetic. The great attribute of a classic jacket is that you are not just limited to wearing the piece with casual looks, you can have the option to dress them up with heels and statement jewellery for fashion forward look.

Jackets unlike coats are not as nearly expensive and this season the high street has presented a fine array of uber cool styles. Christmas is just around the corner, so this month seems to be a good time of month to make those investment buys and go full throttle on the splurge because it won’t be long until the pennies need to be saved for all the Christmas shopping, and let’s not forget the Boxing day sales.

I’ve been on the hunt for the most stylish jackets around, ones that won’t pull on the purse strings too much while being versatile enough to rock to the office or for a spot of downtown shopping…

One: Forever 21-£45.50

This grey moto jacket is a versatile little number which is smart piece that you can rock with heels or statement sneakers.

Two: Free People-£500

This waxed coat is the style to be investing in this season. The style plays homage to racer and actor Steve Mcqueen. The design sees the jacket covered in pockets in a durable fabric that wears well overtime looking even more stylish. This is timeless jakcet would look awesome with anything from worker boots or Dr Martins.

Three: FashionPrescription-£25

This piece will hardly keep you warm for the oncoming months but it certainly is a style in which you could layer up. This piece is completely translucent with the most intricate floral print overlayed onto a fine mesh like fabric. This piece is an absolute bargain, wear it with your most torn up jeans or a simple dress.

Four: Nasty Gal-£300

This is a standard oversized black bomber that sees bows adorned around the jacket. This piece is super versatile where you could team it with literally anything giving your look that understated feminine attitude.

Five: River Island-£85.00

This season is the season to bring out your fur where faux furs are the most coveted style picks of the season. This faux fur jacket is in the most striking stripped design with a centre zip fastening.

Six: H&M-£69.99

This metallic gold puffer jacket will keep you cosy this winter. This coat is perfect for channelling ghetto luxe which is a new trend making its way out this season. 

Seven: Chicnova-$75.00

This imitation sheepskin coat is an ideal winter warmer that will keep you looking effortlessly stylish this season.  Team this with a pair of skinnies and a pair of chunky platform boots for a edgy street style look.

Eight: Asos Marketplace-£20.00

This vintage bomber jacket in purple features gold studded detailing on the upper of the jacket. The oversized cut lends well in completing a cool casual urban aesthetics. You cam pair this jacket with all your wardrobe favourites, a pair of neon Reebok kicks would work well in completing a retro look.

Nine: Choies-$62.99

This red shearling lapel coat is a statement number that will for sure elevate any look you team it with. This acne inspired number would look just a stylish with either a oversized knit dress or a pair of ripped skinnies and a stylish pair of ankle boots.

Ten: Yes Style-£71.12

This jacket is in a super cool cut, it follows the traditional style of a bomber except it has a long cut. This jacket would look awesome with a boyfriend tee and skinnies paired with stiletto pumps or slip ons.

There you have it, a top ten edit of the best jackets around this season. Which style would you like to to wear the most?

Image source: www.pinterest.com

Fashion Forecast: Sources

An Insider's Guide to Blogging

I stumbled across this infographic on blogging yesterday, created by Farfetch, and had to share it with you. It's the results of a survey that questioned fashion, beauty and lifestyle bloggers about their posting habits, how often they update, and which social media platforms they use for self-promotion. Even if you're not a blogger yourself, it's an interesting snapshot of all the planning and commitment that goes into writing one. Even just one post a week requires planning, research, writing and editing - but all the work that goes into it absolutely pays off. There's nothing quite like having your own little corner of the internet to fill with things that you love, so if you're considering starting a blog then maybe this guide will nudge you in the right direction...

Share this Image On Your Site

<p><strong>Please include attribution to The Hero Piece with this graphic.</strong><br /><br /><a href='http://theheropiece.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/an-insiders-guide-to-blogging.html'><img src='http://www.londonisthereason.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/An-insiders-guide-to-blogging.jpg' alt='An Insider's Guide to Blogging' width='720' border='0' /></a></p>

The Best A/W 14 Matching Co-ord set Styles

I’m currently sorting the work wardrobe; I though initially would be an easy task. I was wrongly mistaken the planning and collating of goods has tripled in time for me already. I feel getting the work wear right is important as it’s the clothes that you wear for the majority of the time in your life. I’m at the point of where it still needs padding out a bit more and one of the most cost effective ways I’ve chosen to do it is through matching sets and co-ord style picks.

Whether you’re in bit of rut or just want to enhance your wardrobe staples with minimal or standout pieces, one of the easiest ways to add stylish numbers to the wardrobe is to introduce Co-ords matching sets.

It’s a style that has been around for a fair few seasons now but it’s as prevalent as ever where S/S 15 saw multiple designers adopt this style and featured them in their fashion week. Issey Miyake collections illuminated the runway with light fabrics that ranged from white to beige and even lemon. Many of the styles saw texturized voluminous silhouettes that look super clean and stylishly fresh in looks that saw multiple co-ords in sets that saw trouser jackets and trousers to unusual cut tops with skirts.

Moschino’s fast fashion Barbie inspired collection has got to be one the most memorable and distinct collection to arise out of S/S 1. The capsule collection saw heavily inspired Barbie pieces as part of a capsule collection which you could buy instantly after  the show. The collection saw bright colour pops to that of everything that Barbie would wear with many of the looks made up of matching sets which were either embellished or printed. The collection itself was visually captivating although the pieces were quite basic in terms of its cuts and prints it was compensated by the vast amount of looks which were sent down the catwalk.

Oscar de la Renta was also another designer that incorporated the co-ords into his collection. He was more focused on the intricacy of the cut and design of his flowing dresses. The luxe fashion brand sent the most beautiful light feminine dresses down the runway juxtaposing them with looks that where boxy and in simple cuts.

Investing in designer co-ords is not going to be affordable for everyone but there are plenty of high street alternatives that will give you just as much of a directional fashion forward look which makes this style of clothing one to invest in this season.

Matching sets on the offset can appear to not that versatility as you would expect to have from a wardrobe staple as you would be essentially wearing the same look over. However, with personal style injected into the look you can really create a variety of looks that are unique to you.

Re-inventing a co-ords look could never be easier where you could opt for styling the pieces with slogan tees for a more relaxed look to changing the look up with shoes where most styles would complement the look but androgynous shoe styles would be a great way to tap into one of this season’s most covert trends. The styling possibilities are endless, you can change tops styles from shirts to bralets or pair accessories like turbans and eyewear to really transform and elevate these kinds of looks into stylish ensembles which of course you can wear as separates too!

I’ve listed the top 10 most chic, classic and timeless styles to keep you looking stylishly fierce this season and thereafter.

1. You He She

2. Miss Selfridge

3. Warehouse

4. Yes Style

5. Yes Style

6. Topshop

7. Asos

8. River Island

9. & Other Stories

10. My Theresa

So, for the mornings when you want to sleep through that snooze or just one of those days that your feeling uninspired to dress up in your usual repertoire, you know that you can rely on the trusted matching set style pick that is there to pull out and get dressed in matter no time, while still giving you a look that is enough to make that stylish entrance into the office.

Which look do you like the most and will any of these sets be making there way into your wardrobe?