Handbag shopping is a favourite past-time of mine (obviously). It’s up there with finding a “must buy” when I’m Styling away at Bicester Village… so being able to combine the two gives a real glow to the cheeks even on a cold day such as today!
When in the village I always pop into Anya Hindmarch to see what fab pieces they have in…and on one particular Friday before Christmas, I spotted the most wonderful electric blue “Maxi Zip Cross-Body” bag. After establishing that they only had 2 left I asked a member of staff to keep one for me until I could snap it up after work…
*My best Bicester advice would be to not leave anything on the shelf that you really love… as undoubtedly by the time you’ve deliberated over lunch and decided to go back for it, it will have gone! Definite unhappy face 😦
Anyway, I was SO pleased with my purchase, it was a fantastic price and a classic Anya style, but I decided that it needed a bit of “pimping-up”! So off I dashed to their Bond Street store to get my leather sticker fix! If you’ve not had the good fortune of visiting their boutique then you’re in for a treat… It’s so much fun and currently it’s stickers galore!! In a moment of insanity, I took my boyfriend with me – I don’t know what I was thinking… he didn’t get it at all. I had to ask the lovely assistant to whisper me the prices, as he definitely wouldn’t have understood the £45 price tag! However, I walked away happy with my sticker stash, especially the crazy eye-balls which made me smile 🙂
Then yesterday, after several weeks of fiddling with combinations, I finally took the plunge and… I’m thrilled with the result! I hope you agree.
Maxi Zip cross-body bag (here with the additional shoulder strap)
I can’t wait to open my bag sitting across from people on the tube… Eye-ball alert!I definitely love it!
My “stand-off” with high-heel shoe shopping finally came to an end the other day. For the past couple of seasons, if you’re 5″7 or over and you venture into any shoe store such as Kurt Geiger, Topshop or Aldo, there are only about 3 pairs of high heeled shoes to choose from that don’t make you look like a “man-in-drag” – as practically every pair of dressy-ish shoes or ankle boots have a built in platform and 10 inch heels with the only other choice being some lame-o pair of kitten heels that make you look like Kate Middleton, pre-engagement announcement!
Why is it that there are no in-between height shoes that you actually want to wear i.e. that don’t make you look like a bridesmaid? It’s not that I don’t like high-heels it’s just that I want a choice… Firstly these giant shoes make me really, really tall and secondly, I have very narrow feet, so I often struggle to keep these skyscrapers on. I have to spread my toes out in the vain attempt to stop them slipping off or I have to wear heel grips which make them a size smaller and therefore very uncomfortable. All in all I’ve seriously been struggling to buy shoes for ages now. I feel rather bad saying that as I’m a personal shopper but I’ve had exactly the same issues with my customers too – of the trendier styles, it’s drag-queen/lady of the night or nothing!
Anyway, last week I was going to a “black-tie do” and I had to buy some new shoes… so Monday PM therefore found me heading to Selfridges shoe heaven, sorry, I mean shoe galleries, to begin my search (www.selfridges.com). I tried on several styles but there were very few I could actually keep on, as they were all crazily high and they were pretty “blah” looking to be honest. I then came across a pair of STUNNING Corso Como Kurt Geiger Fashionistas that I’d seen in all the magazines for the last couple of months and here they were in my size, half price in the sale (www.kurtgeiger.com)!
When I put the right shoe on it fitted like a glove – unbelievably high but it looked amazing. I asked the shop assistant to get me the other shoe… and of course I loved them! I felt so tall and fabulous – and of course like a “fashionista”. I knew instantly that I had to have them. I asked the guy helping me to stand next to me to see how tall they made me. We worked out I was about 6”1 – I was clearly never going to find a man in these heels!! But what the hell, who needs a boyfriend when you’ve got shoes to die for!! Carrie Bradshaw eat your heart out…
I was SO excited with my purchase, I skipped home and couldn’t wait to wear them the following evening… The night of the event I decided not to put them on until I was just about to step out of the taxi – I slipped them on and looked down – oooh, the excitement… First step, second step… “Stone the crows” I thought to myself, “these bad boys are pretty tough to actually WALK IN”, of course I’d only tip-toed about 3 steps in them on the carpet when I’d tried them on. I had to concentrate so hard to walk it was ridiculous. They threw me forward so much I felt like I was being launched off running blocks with every step! It was a nightmare… I started to panic. I realized with horror… the shoes were wearing me!! My mind was so fixated on my feet I could barely think of anything else. As soon as we sat down to eat I took them off under the table – the relief! But when I had to put them back on I felt like one of the ugly step sisters, I could barely get my feet into them – and when I stood up I was in agony. I spent the rest of the evening walking and dancing like an imbecile. My toes were so cramped, it felt as though they were constantly trying to escape from the torture/hell I was putting them through and my every step was agony…
When I got home in the small hours I kicked the shoes off and swore I’d only ever wear flat shoes again for the rest of my life. The next day my tendons had stretched so much that I could barely even walk down the stairs and as I walked past my beautiful “Fashionistas” lying abandoned in the hall I pulled a face at them. “What’s wrong with bridesmaid shoes anyway,” I thought angrily? They literally were “killer” heels…
EBAY anyone??
P.S. I annoyingly saw a picture of Olivia Palermo sporting the exact same pair in yellow a couple of weeks ago in Grazia and she was wearing them as though they were ballet flats! Grrr… belated New Years Resolution – must learn to walk in skyscraper heels!!!
P.P.S. The yellow ones are even more fabulous than the black ones I bought, have a peek:
On Wednesday I had one of those moments – when you think to yourself, “Why didn’t I come up with that!” after meeting the fabulous “Save your sole” founder Amanda Collins at Fashion Press Week (www.fashionpressweek.com). Save your sole is such a simple idea, but absolutely brilliant and Amanda came up with the concept after giving up her career in banking and going travelling for a year. On her return she decided to follow her passion and love of shoes to start her own business.
Her website sells rubber soles that match colours and shapes of pretty much every designer shoe around – so if your Louboutins or Jimmy Choo’s need a make-over then you’re in luck (of course they work on your High Street favourites too)!
Buy them on-line at www.saveyoursole.co.uk and take them to your favourite cobbler to make your shoes look fabulous again. What an annoyingly ingenious idea – well done Amanda!
I had a great afternoon at PURE at Olympia last Sunday… PURE is a London based trade fair which is held twice a year over three days, where fashion brands show their new season’s collections to buyers, press and trade people. This August there were buyers from Canada, Japan, USA and Russia. The venue Olympia is HUGE, so to actually look at every brand would take some doing – but the hall is split into different areas such as Young Fashion and Pure Premium, so it’s easier to be a bit more targetted and to avoid wandering aimlessly around the place. There are seminars, fashion shows and talks to give buyers an insight into the season ahead, as in fashion of course, you’re always thinking 6 months in advance… the majority of the clothes were for next Spring/Summer 2011.I saw some really fun shoes from Iron Fist (www.ironfistclothing.com) – the stand was amazing… if you like quirky styles, take a look! Though they’re possibly not for everyone…
Black suede shoe-boots from Iron FistMore shoes from Iron First
The Traffic People stand was really eye-catching with a fantastic vintage Mercedes soft-top at the centre of it… The Desigual stand was amazing too with giant flowers all over it and really loud music blaring out… there was no mistaking you were definitely in the Young Fashion area!
The Traffic People standFlowers on the Desigual stand
Yumi was also looking great in the Young Fashion area (www.yumidirect.co.uk) and so too was Sugarhill Boutique (www.sugarhillboutique.com) – I’m looking forward to browsing through their rails in Topshop Oxford Circus this season, as both brands have large areas on their -2 floor….
Images from the Yumi standMore Yumi images…And some more…Last ones…The Sugarhill Boutique stand
One brand that really caught my eye at PURE this season was Olivia Rubin (www.oliviarubinlondon.com), she does amazing prints and Fern Cotton is a huge fan. In fact if you look at the website loads of celebs love it… I was drawn to the fantastic colours and easy lines of her clothes, plus the prices are extremely purse-friendly. If I had a shop I’d have definitely bought it (they will be releasing their press images shortly so I’ll try and get hold of some). Olivia Rubin has also been featured in the Grazia Fashion Charts – I have a feeling that she’s got a very bright future ahead of her!
I spent quite a lot of time on tubes and trains the weekend before last… And when I’m bored on public transport I have to admit that I do enjoy a spot of people-watching (what am I saying, I don’t have to be bored to partake in a bit of PW!). So with all the activity of everyone getting on and off the trains I inevitably had lots of outfits to look at. It’s funny, I very rarely look around at what people are wearing with a critical eye – but once I start, I can’t stop. And I have to say that it was the boys who were giving me a lot to think about.
Now I can’t generalize and say that all men dress badly because that simply isn’t true, but when I was out and about, I was very under-whelmed by how the majority of the men looked style-wise – there were lots of beige and brown short-sleeved shirts and ill-fitting sports tops with light blue jeans, white trainers and rucksacks! I know this hot one minute, cold the next weather we’re experiencing is hard dressing-wise for the best of us but seriously, it was going from one extreme to the other. There were those wearing short sleeved shirts who looked like they were going to freeze to death (is it really so un-cool to take a sweater or coat out with you when you’re a man??) and then there was one guy dressed head-to-toe in black – black base-ball cap, black hoodie with the hood up, black jeans, huge boots and black gloves and sunglasses! You know when you know that you shouldn’t stare at someone but you literally can’t help yourself… I wanted to ask him where he was going as he looked like he was auditioning for a gangster-rapper video (but he was a little bit too scary-looking so I didn’t think conversation was a good plan, especially considering I had already taken off two items of clothing as it was completely boiling on the tube and he was dressed with enough layers to live at the North Pole in the depths of winter)!
I really do feel badly about singling out the boys but to me, as there is so much less choice on offer, there are in theory fewer opportunities to make mistakes. So really, dressing for boys should be much simpler than for girls. And that for me is the key-word – simple. The answer to dressing well for men is definitely to keep to the basics. Menswear is not a competition for who’s got the best outfit – and for me it’s better to not necessarily notice what a man is wearing, but just to notice the subtlety of how well dressed he is in an understated manner. Basically – don’t try too hard, but make sure you buy good quality pieces that can easily be worn together. Boys – less is more.
An example of a basic smart-casual shopping list would be – a pair of straight-legged indigo blue jeans, some figure skimming knitwear, simple t-shirts and custom-fitted shirts, a blazer and a cotton jacket in a military-ish style for example. Try Zara, Reiss and Nicole Farhi for good basics and Diesel for a great choice of denim. If you struggle with buying jeans, have a look at http://www.my-wardrobe.com/denim-bar/denim-intro – it’s a really helpful guide from my-wardrobe.com going through styles and brands… and if you get confused between your “aged” and “distressed” jeans there’s also a denim “glossary”, if you’re interested!
Also, I found this article which I thought was pretty helpful for men’s dressing: http://mens-fashion.lovetoknow.com/What_Does_It_Mean_to_Dress_GQ. But if all else fails, Robert Pattinson has been voted Britain’s Best Dressed man for 2010 – so get some false teeth, grow your hair and you can give him a run for his money!
Just when I was thinking that everyone had heard of “Personal Shoppers”, two people I was chatting with last week asked me what I did and looked at me as though I had two heads when they heard my reply. The first was a man of about 60 and he smirked at me and said, “You do what? You take people shopping; how funny… I didn’t know people did things like that!” The other was a boy in his late teens and his response from the other end of the spectrum was… “OMG that’s the coolest job I’ve ever heard – I’d love to do that!”
I’d just assumed that being a Personal Shopper was quite a normal thing these days. I thought that as it’s offered in many department stores and because there have been so many styling make-over TV shows over the last couple of years pretty much everyone knew that it wasn’t a service only reserved for the rich and famous…
In fact, it actually must be fairly common to most, as I get so many emails from people wanting to know everything about becoming a personal shopper; from what to study, to what to charge, to how did I get started? And many people I meet all know someone with a daughter or niece who wants to “work in fashion”. I probably get 5 students per week asking if I have any work experience or placement opportunities and I feel so mean when I email back saying “no”. Because studying fashion has become so popular I sometimes wonder who is giving them positions and if there are enough decent jobs to go around, at the end of the work experience, especially these days when it’s so hard to get, if at all!
I was reading the other day about how companies who took on graduates for relatively low-paid jobs previously, are now expecting the equivalent student to work for free, or even pay for their positions – which really seems incredibly unfair. And it’s the whole chicken and the egg thing – how do you get experience if you don’t have any previous experience to prove you’re up to the job?
I didn’t study fashion at university, but “in my day” 12 years ago when I was in the sixth form deciding what to study at uni, “fashion” was not such an obvious choice for students as it is today. When I was at school, you tried for the London College of Fashion if you were hugely talented at art or maybe applied for a graduate training scheme to be a store manager/trainee buyer – but even those kind of careers seemed hugely unknown. However, these days the industry has had much more exposure because of the likes of “Gok” and “Trinny and Susanna” etc. Now everyone wants/thinks they can become a stylist because their mum asks their opinion before heading off to Per Una or because they can reel off some trends from a fashion magazine. Now don’t get me wrong, I totally believe that everyone can work hard and put the time in and (hopefully) achieve their dreams. However, I would like to think that some kind of flair is required for a chosen career!
To be a good personal shopper in my opinion one of the most important attributes is patience, followed closely by being diplomatic and a people person. Although the fashion part is obviously hugely important, being able to make someone feel comfortable and at ease instantly is as crucial. You also need to have up-to-date knowledge of what’s in all the stores from Primark to Prada, because every customer wants something different – someone might want to only shop “top end” and others may want 10 items for £300. You need to know the trends each season but more importantly be able to adapt them to suit the individual customer’s style. Many don’t want to be overly “trendy”; they simply want to know what suits their shape and colouring – and basically they want to look and feel good.
I don’t want to put anyone off trying to be a Personal Shopper but it’s not an easy job – you must be prepared to work hard and be enthusiastic at all times! However, putting all that aside – it is a hugely rewarding career. Seeing the difference in the “style” confidence of a customer at the end of a session compared to the beginning, makes it all worth while… Seeing someone holding themselves differently and feeling less stressed about getting dressed in the morning – makes you feel like you’ve genuinely helped someone! I know I’m very lucky…
P.S. For more information on how I got started have a look at my blog posts from October 09 – The Right Place and the Right Time, Fashion Foundations and London Calling. Also read my below comment…
Tis the season for party-dress shopping… and by golly there are loads of dresses out there – but just to let you know, if you don’t like sequins, jewels or embellishment, you’re in trouble! Don’t get me wrong I love a sequin or two, but this season they are everywhere! I dread asking my clients what styles and fashions they dislike as the usual response is that they can’t stand puff sleeves, bows… or sequins! I know some of my clients are naturally drawn to simpler pieces but often I feel it’s not because they really love the styles but rather because they’re scared by pieces that might make them “stand out too much”… although many of us are guilty of shying away from shapes, styles and colours that are different to what we’re used to.
I often pick out styles that have more of a “personality” to show my clients and many are very quick to say, “That won’t suit me!” (When what they actually mean is “I’ve never tried on anything like that before and I’m a bit scared of what it’ll look like!”). However, I think that life is too short to not have fun with fashion and this season you can pretty much get away with anything (within reason obviously!). So when you’re next out shopping for your Christmas/NYE outfit and about to head for the changing-rooms, grab a couple of show stoppers along with your usual LBD and have a play… Really the most important thing to keep in mind is that an outfit has to be right for the occasion and there are several things to think about when deciding on an outfit: time of day, location, who you’re with (will everyone else be in jeans and a “shazzy” top, when you’re wearing a pink buff-ball number and faux fur jacket??). That reminds me… one of my very best friends used to rock up to the pub in stunning dresses, looking like a super-model when the rest of us would be wearing jeans and she’d say “…but my jeans are in the wash!”.
Speaking of dresses, I spent last New Year’s Eve in a bar/club in Liverpool and I remember when I had been trying on my chosen outfit in the shop feeling a little conspicuous – it was a fluorescenty yellow one-shoulder dress (it sounds hideous but it was actually quite flattering… but only with several applications of fake tan!). Anyway, I don’t go out in Liverpool very often these days and I’d forgotten what it’s like. Initially I felt a little “bright” but after a closer inspection of the outfits of my “contemporaries” in the loo queue, I felt quite at home. In fact, I might as well have been in jeans and a t-shirt in comparison to what others were wearing! One girl had on a floor-length bejewelled evening gown and another was in sequined hot pants and a giant puff sleeved top, with her hair back-combed to oblivion (seriously I couldn’t stop staring at her – she’d taken Patsy from Ab-Fab’s bouffant to the next level!).
Bib-necklace from Freedom at Topshop
You had to hand it to them, all the girls looked amazing (in their own inimitable way) and had made such an effort – and why not? When times are hard, it’s freezing outside and we’re feeling a touch under-the-weather, I think a little “bling” can go a long way to cheering ourselves up! So I think that if sequins would normally send you over the edge – why not give them a try and turn up the glamour this A/W 09. It could be as simple as adding an amazing necklace to an otherwise simple dress. I bought this necklace recently from Freedom at Topshop for only £18! I wore it over a plain t-shirt and it looked so effective (www.topshop.com).
Shu Uemura eyelashes
Or how about jewellery for your eyelashes! When I was on the 3rd floor in Selfridges (London) last week I came across the Shu Uemura Tokyo Lash Bar (located opposite their new jeans wall). I could have stayed there all day… the lashes are AMAZING! The staff were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable and with prices starting from £12 (up to £55) I think they’re a fairly guilt-free treat (they also apply them for free)! I fell in love with these gold ones with Swarovski crystals… they’re like a work of art (www.shuuemura.com)!
One of the only annoying things about being a Personal Shopper is when people ask me what I do. One summer’s afternoon a couple of months ago, I was with friends in my local pub having Sunday lunch – I was fairly hung-over and not feeling my best. The weather wasn’t great that day so I’d slung on my bleached boyfriend jeans and a t-shirt. I looked fine, but as I say to my clients “not every day is a fashion parade”!
Well, the next thing one of my friends tells me is that a crowd of her friends are coming down to join us. They arrived and the usual introductions ensued and then the question came, “So Fi, what do you do?” And I told him what I did…. Now I don’t know whether it’s because people get a bit defensive when they know you tell others what to wear for a living – but the familiar response came back to me… “Oh I haven’t made an effort today – I just flung on the first thing I could find that was clean. I don’t usually look like this…”
Can I be honest? I really don’t care less what people are wearing unless they are my clients, or if a person has specifically asked my opinion on something (well that’s a bit of a lie, I do notice people, but usually it’s because they look fabulous or dreadful. For example if I see a photo of a celebrity in a magazine on the “Red Carpet” wearing a bad dress then I will probably say to myself “Sack the stylist!!” But I don’t notice what the average person sitting opposite me on the tube has on!). Anyway, back to the guy in the pub… he then said to me, “Oh you’re a personal shopper, well let’s see what you’re wearing then!” He made me get up and do a twirl – can you imagine! I actually wanted to say “Well I’m a bit hung-over and I really couldn’t be bothered today”, but I couldn’t because people assume if you’re a personal shopper you’ll always look fabulous! But really that’s double standards – I can’t judge him, but he can judge me. He and his friends then quizzed me about shopping and fashion for the next 2 hours (can I mention they were all men!) – no wonder I exaggerated my hang-over symptoms and made my excuses to leave before they moved on to the next pub, I was mentally exhausted!
Anyway, the reason I mentioned the above is because I feel a little guilty. After saying I don’t judge people, well… I was walking to the tube a couple of mornings ago on the way to work – it was pretty early so I was in a world of my own. It was pouring with rain (of course) so I had my umbrella completely covering my eye line as my jeans and new ankle boots were getting soaked. But something caught my eye. Ahead of me I saw shoes and then shock horror – there was a lady in front of me wearing 10 denier black tights! The woman was probably in her early 50s – she had a great figure and was dressed nicely but I judged her! I wondered why on earth she was wearing tights that made her look so 90s /a woman of the night. If it had been the evening then fair enough, but for day time they seemed a little bit old-fashioned on her (N.B. I know for some, 10 deniers are making a come-back right now, but they’re to be worn in a “fashiony” way with 80s style polka dots and an amazing pair of shoes for example, not with a red knee-length A-line skirt and court shoes!). It made me think about how such small things like the wrong pair of tights or a tatty handbag for example, can make an outfit look dated or less “polished”. I wanted to run up to her and tell her to nip to M&S and buy herself some 50 or 80 denier opaque tights (taking inspiration from Twiggy’s look in their new advert – I think she looks amazing in her pink military inspired coat and black tight ensemble) and then her over-all look would be so different. Obviously I didn’t, I kept my brolly low and my opinions to myself.
Insider tip –
Opaque tights are fantastic for a number of reasons – they are incredibly flattering, as the higher the denier the slimmer your legs look; they suddenly make an outfit look much more on trend and dressed down – I wear much shorter dresses with opaque tights than bare legs, I just feel less on show (plus you don’t need to shave your legs)!
Who does the best tights? Personally I would recommend Wolford (www.wolfordshop.co.uk) – their satin deluxe opaques as seen in Vogue either in 50 or 80 denier, are amazing! Also head to M&S as they have a great selection of tights too, starting from £3 (www.marksandspencer.com).
It was my birthday recently and my best friends very kindly clubbed together to give me a Selfridges gift card… don’t you love guilt-free shopping! I wasn’t sure what I should spend it on – make-up, a jar of Creme de La Mer or a pair of Kurt Geiger Fashionista shoes? I decided to be sensible! I set myself the task of sorting out my New Years Eve outfit and I had a £200 budget. I’m going to Munich for NY but I don’t know exactly what I’m doing yet so I need a “cover all bases” sort of outfit.
Every time I’d been out with clients dress shopping, I’d made a mental note if there was something I liked but I can’t say I’d seen anything in particular that had caught my eye (within my budget anyway!). There were several sequined numbers by Lipsy that I’d noticed before that were interesting and I’d not seen them on, so I thought I’d give them a go. There was a very bright silver sequined one-shoulder dress (£65) that I really liked, but I felt as if I should be singing in the final of X Factor or something – plus it was a little too “blingy” for Munich (they’re pretty understated there generally!). All Saints, Warehouse, Oasis, Miss Selfridge, Ted Baker, French Connection and Karen Millen all had contenders (I stayed on the ground floor in Selfridges and didn’t even go up stairs to be tempted by the designer dresses)!The poor guy in the changing room must have thought – good lord, not you again! The 5th or 6th time I went in I was trying a selection from Topshop as I’d spotted a couple of Christopher Kane pieces hidden on the rails. I was tempted by one very pretty dress but it was tiny and I could barely get it on let alone off… and then I tried on the lacey one-shoulder dress from his collection. I really liked it but hadn’t noticed there was a mesh panel down the left side which wasn’t totally sheer, but you could definitely see through it. Of course this made me like the dress more as it was a bit different – and for only £50 I thought it was a bit of a bargain!
I also found these shoes from Topshop – black suede open-toed sling backs with metal studs, they’re a real statement and only £65 (I wore them on Saturday night and they were actually incredibly comfy). To finish off I picked up a gold and black stripey sequined clutch bag (very annoying to dance with but I’m going to add some ribbon to make handles!). So Topshop came up trumps and all for £143… plus I picked up a Christopher Kane dress without the “designer” price tag! I’m not always keen on department store shopping as it can be fairly overwhelming choice wise, but when looking for something specific like a dress, as least you can quickly see what a lot of brands have to offer, which is very useful. So that’s the outfit’s done – I’ll simply plan my evening around it, roll on December 31st…
Things to remember when going dress shopping:
1. Make time and prepare for your shopping – don’t just run into a shop after work and expect to find the ideal outfit. If your hair’s a bit limp and your make-up is looking tired you’ll automatically think the dresses you’re trying on don’t look good, when it’s not necessarily the dress… So make an effort with your hair and add a bit of make-up and I promise your trip will be more successful
2.
If you usually wear fake tan, apply some the night before the shopping trip, then you’ll see what colours will actually look like against your skin (without fake tan I could give E.T. a run for his money at the moment!).
3.
If you wear heels take some with you, so you don’t have to wander around the changing-rooms on your tip toes like you’re auditioning for Strictly!
4.
The right underwear can make or break a dress and VPL is a NO, NO! Also if necessary invest in some foundation-wear to smooth out any lumps or bumps and take a strapless bra with you too
5.
Look for classic shapes with a twist – and don’t be scared to try something different. If you do want to play it safe, remember you can be more extravagant with jewellery, which can transform your outfit
6.
Don’t automatically go for strapy sandals with evening-wear – by adding a chunkier shoe (like the ones I bought above) your look will be more edgy and less “pretty”, which is much more on trend this season
Is anyone else excited that winter is approaching? I love it when you can wrap up in chunky knits and striped woolly bed socks and not feel guilty about staying in, snug as a bug watching X-factor, instead of venturing out into the cold (I bought an amazing pair of pink and grey striped “slipper socks” with pom-poms last week from River Island, they’re in the “lounge-wear” section on their website www.riverisland.com).
In reality however, as I live in England, winter usually means that it simply rains more… as opposed to being really cold in the lovely fresh way that you get in other countries in Europe. Don’t get me wrong though, I’ve been very happy about the fact that it’s been unseasonably warm recently – for a couple of reasons: saving on gas bills (is it just me or are they getting outrageous!) and, obviously, the lack of rain!
But due to the seasonal nature of fashion I’ve been buying pieces for my A/W wardrobe since August – and I want to get wearing them! It’s now time to get out the scarves, hats and gloves that you’ve had wrapped up all year to keep out the moths (I have those pesky tiny ones that you don’t seem to be able to get rid of – they’re very annoying!) and start layering.
Nevertheless, if the moths have got to your sweaters, panic not as there is some fabulous knitwear around at the moment. It’s interesting though that a client of mine commented the other day that the majority of knits in stores appeared to be either black or grey. Now this isn’t really an issue for me as I love both of those colours (even though apparently I shouldn’t wear either as they are “not in my colour palette” – a very important topic for another blog, so don’t even get me started!). We went into Warehouse on Argyll Street (W1) and there wasn’t much choice colour-wise for knits. However, there was much more on their website. They had a good selection of purples, reds and greens in some really great shapes (check out www.warehouse.co.uk).
One of the most versatile pieces of knitwear I’ve bought this season is this great jumper dress from River Island – of course it’s grey! It was £39.99 and is great dressed up with tights and ankle boots or dressed down with black jeggings and flats (www.riverisland.com).
So have a play around with knitwear this season and don’t just head for the v-neck sweater aisle. An easy item to up-date an outfit is a cardigan-coat. Go for one that’s drapy as opposed to too chunky as they can pile on the pounds… obviously black or grey would be a great investment but I saw a great one in French Connection in purple (www.frenchconnection.com) that would make a real statement even with a simple pair of jeans… and a v-neck sweater!
Insider tip – I was at Bicester Village in Oxfordshire last week (I’m their Style Consultant) and I bought the most stunning pair of Ralph Lauren black cashmere elbow length gloves… a genuine snip at £29.99 reduced from £125!! They had purple and green ones too but get there quick as they won’t last long (www.bicestervillage.com)!
Styling in the City 
