[Outfit] Marrakech Weekend Part 1

Last weekend myself and two of my favourite people went off to Marrakech for a couple of days (if you follow me on Instagram you'll already know this and it will feel like old news, sorry). Cannot recommend it enough, we got on a very early flight but were by the pool at 1030am (there is no time difference from the UK) and it was at least 35 degrees the whole time. On the first night we stayed in and enjoyed being away from the hustle and bustle of London and drank our way through a rather larger bottle of vodka and ate in the hotel, but on the second night we headed into the Old Town - which is incredible.

dress, And Other Stories / shoes, LK Bennett £170

I'd been before and tried to explain to the girls what to expect, which is virtually impossible.  The main square is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen - we drank their infamous mint tea and watched the sun go down over the busiest market in the world, watched the calling to the Mosques and then ate more couscous that I thought possible. Luckily, I did it wearing this dress which hides a thousands sins...

shoes, LK Bennett £170

If you've not been, then expect a slap of culture to the cheeks. First up you have the snake charmers, the dentists on the streets (who will knock your tooth out and then allow you to choose from their selection of teeth - laid out on the floor - which one you want to have knocked in to replace it), the monkeys (they steal stuff, FYI) the fresh orange juice for 4p... In a word: amazing. So much so I seem to have forgotten to write anything about my outfit here. 

dress, And Other Stories / shoes, LK Bennett £170

The dress is from H&M's new baby And Other Stories. I've bought tonnes of things from there since it's opened and absolutely love it.  Basic concept clothing with a twist - totally up my street. The shoes were a gift from the lovely team at LK Bennett following their event a few weeks ago. I have worn these to death - so comfortable and 100% recommend. They come in hot pink and I'm trying to resist temptation and not buy them... Won't last long.

[Trend] Topshop Takes On Kenzo's Spots

Kenzo SS13

I may be about 4 seasons late, but I'm all about Kenzo at the moment.  I've just bought a tiger tee in cobalt blue from work and literally cannot wait for it to arrive. My friend in the office has this green and pink floral sweater and I've been pining after the matching trousers which are (but given as though we already have about 100 things in common I think dressing in such a bold print might be a bit much, no?). I've been keeping an eye out for pieces in the blue/yellow print as they pass by my desk, but so far the only thing is this jacket which is a little too big.

Kenzo SS13

But (as I blog from the airport gate, we are delayed by 2 hours - FUN) I just stumbled upon this option from Topshop. Delighted - so similar to the vest in the top picture.  Camis seem to be making a bit of a come back (anyone else try this in the 90s, or am I a geriatric blogger?) - they cause bra nightmares (obviously has to be strapless, and all these low-back styles mean anyone with a bust needs to don reinforcement rather than underwear) but when you find one that works it looks awesome.  Possibly the easiest thing in the world to wear - put on some jeans and heels (craving these ones at the moment, Sam Edelman how you slay me) and you're all set. For £25, it's a bargain.

Topshop Leopard Print Cami, £25.

I'm on the fence about how similar the high street should be allowed to be to the runway collections - having read Grace Coddington's book over my holiday I kind of feel that the entire concept of designer fashion has changed... Essentially, fashion weeks now act as 'trend alerts' for the high street to duplicate - fashion has to be fast and accesible and the only way to do that is through the main stream stores... It's a tricky one, and I don't like it when you get blatant rip offs - but something with 'a gentle nod' to a runway piece should be considered a compliment, right?

[Feature] Vestiaire Collective's First Birthday

This week we at work celebrated the UK site's first birthday, and as part of it I thought I'd write a little post about Vestiaire Collective in case you didn't already know... We're a luxury reseller. So what that means is that you can buy pre-owned designer fashion at up to 70% off.  Simples. I first heard about it from Briony and Dearne over lunch 2 years ago, and have been hooked ever since.

Rayban Map Sunglasses, £83 / Isabel Marant Cowboy Shirt, £250 / Kenzo Tiger Jumper, £236 / Isabel Marant Bobby Sneakers, £252 / Current / Elliott python jeans, £75 / Celine Belt, £205 / Sandro Breton Shirt, £50 / Tory Burch Reva Pumps, £100 / Carven White Dress, £295 / J Brand Shorts, £65

My first purchase was a pair of Isabel Marant leopard print shoes that I bought for about £75, and my friend Rosie ended up wearing them as part of a shoot we worked on together... They looked brand spanking new, same with the box and dust bag... It was actually the first time I'd bought anything that could fall into the 'vintage' bracket (even though in truth, very little of Vestiaire Collective is what I would call vintage... most stuff is current season, or up to 2 seasons old).

the Vestiaire Collective team (Isabelle, moi, Sarah, Freddie, Charlie and Frauke) - minus our boys Henry and Lopez

The love continued with a couple of Kenzo t shirts, a pair of J Brand jeans and an iPad case, and then at the beginning of the year I took the obsession one notch further and joined the team!  I've been selling on the site too, and genuinely cannot emphasise enough how stress-free it is in comparison to 'other' sites.  Your item is even picked up from you when it sells, rather than those horrid post office queues. In fact the pair of Tory Burch Revas I picked out in the edit, are mine. Cheeky I know but hey... I thought I'd try and showcase the kind of things you can get on the site... Like my stuff. Ha.

It's being a bit of an online institution for people, last night at our party we had lots of people telling us about how they check on it every day and have tonnes of alerts set up for when their dream piece comes in.  It's great fun seeing how quick things go... Celine bags sell within 10 minutes, Kenzo tiger jumpers go in a day and the amount of Isabel Marant sneakers on the site never fails to amaze me... Any way, I wish you all an amazing (SUNNY) bank holiday - 3 day weekend, bring it!