South Molton St Style

Thursday

Duchess of Cambridge in Matthew Williamson

Oooh Kate's popped out to the cinema, so the world took a few pictures. Don't get me wrong, I love her Matthew Williamson dress - but it's a little predictable, no? She went to see 'African Cats' and so wore a dress with a bit of a tribal thing going on...

Kate's style is fab, and I love that she wears British designers all the time - but - her styling needs some work. Yawn. Tribal for African themes, Maple Leaf for Canada, green for Paddy's Day, Cowboy Hat for The Wild West... the list goes on. Sorry to moan (I do still remain jealous of here hair, teeth and legs) but I think she could really be pushing the boundaries a bit more... Modern Royal and all... What do you think?

South Molton St Style

xoxo

Oasis do 1920s Glamour

One look that I've been surprised not many have picked up on is the whole 1920s glamour thing - dropped waists may have come in to many collections, but few have followed up on the key looks from the Milan Spring/Summer shows for 2012 last year: black and gold. See what I mean below or read my 1920s glamour post from way back when here:

Etro SS12

Gucci SS12

So I was really pleased to finally spot a piece that ticks ALL of the above boxes (low slung waists, embellished bits, gold, black and flaps with a little bit of thrill involved). Gorgeous - and an absolute steal for £75.00. Perfect for a prom or a sophisticated party - plus the pattern on the body is uber flattering as it draws the eye in! A friend of mine is looking for an outfit for a birthday party drinks - just popped her over the link for this, it's perfect! Just partner up with some red lipstick and simple heels = look done.

Oasis 1920 Flapper Skirt Dress £75.00 - here

South Molton St Style

xoxo

Summer Florals from Warehouse

Back to work this morning was, in a word - painful! But only 4 sleeps till a week in the sun. Which means only one thing - frantic holiday shopping. Even though I already have tonnes of summer dresses I have pulled them all out of the wardrobe and feel like I need something new.

Dropped Waist Floral Dress £55.00 - here

I walked through the Warehouse concession at the weekend in Selfridges, and spotted this gorgeous piece. I love the unusual shape of it - the sleeve length is really flattering, it's also got a little bit of the asymmetric print going on and it's got the dropped waist that's big for the summer. You could pair it up with some neutral pumps like in the photo - but I think I would match it with my new bright orange Dolce and Gabbana heels. Thinking it could even do for the evening wedding I've got coming up in Geneva... Thoughts? At £55, I think it's a billy bargain! Buy it here.

South Molton St Style

xoxo

Karen Millen Lace Skirt / Christopher Kane

Happy Easter everyone!! How happy are you about getting that lie in this morning!?

Anyone who has been following my little blog for a while will know that I have been a little obsessed with both neon yellow and Christopher Kane. Kane's lazer cut skirts have been the ultimate fashion-drool for me over the last few months, with two of my favourite muses wearing it during the shows...

So, you can imagine I was delighted that someone on the high street finally picked up on the craze - yay to Karen Millen! Ok, so it's not the same bright neon colour but that's actually an advantage: there was no neon yellow in the AW12 shows but there was lots of yellow - so you'll be able to wear this right through the year and well into 2013 (Hello, worthy investment). It's £140 - and you'll see why when you view it in person, the quality is superb. Buy it here.

South Molton St Style

xoxo

[The Essential] The Boyfriend Jean

Yolanda Sacristan, Vogue Spain

Gosh, last working day of the week - result! Not sure about you, but for me it's just meant cramming 5 days worth of work in to 1 = stressful. Now, the next post in my Essentials series may be a little controversial in how it is received. People seem to either love them or hate them: Boyfriend Jeans. I seriously think if you style them well then you can make them look amazing...

There seems to be a misconception that wearing boyfriend jeans will make you look massive. This is only true is you are wearing them with the wrong thing, or wearing the wrong jean in the first place. You don't need to go that much bigger than usual - a size at most. The two main looks are above - with heels to create a comfy-luxe look, and with flats/trainers to show off a more grunge/casual theme.

Eling Kling

Crop them a little to show a slim ankle (and who doesn't have a slim ankle... 99.9% of the world's women do so we should show them off) or partner them with heels to balance the height = result is great. They are perfect with the heeled trainers that are everywhere this season (check out my friend Natalie and her minor obsession with her Isabel Marant Willow Sneakers here to get the idea). Have tried my best to give some good examples with images here.

You can go all out grunge and where an equally large top and a trilby too... Also love the idea of slouchy jeans with a tailored shirt or sharp jacket. They're comfortable too, and girls always look better when they're comfortable.

Where to buy your Boyfriend Jeans:

Doesn't take rocket science to get the idea that you should really pinch your boyfriend's to get the look. However, in practice - I've been with mine for years and count the number of times he has washed them with one hand. So I'd rather not.

Good advice I was given by someone was just to go a size up in your regular denims - as you already the general shape works and you can just enjoy them being a little baggier. Topshop, J Brand, New Look (surprising entry, but their denim is fab) and H&M all have fab selections. Good old Gap won't let you down either. Vintage Levis are great too - I bought a pair from Beyond Retro in London for £20 and they are fantastic.

Images all via Pinterest.

South Molton St Style

xoxo

[Trend for SS12] Pyjama Pants

Ten days and counting until my holiday, and I seriously cannot wait. The weather in the UK has been ridiculous, and I am just craving some guaranteed constant sunshine. I've got copies of Elle from the last three months, books I've been meaning to read for months and I'm beginning to mentally pack my wardrobe. One thing I will definitely be taking with me are my pyjama pants, a trend I never saw myself getting in to...

me in my River Island pyjama pants / Christine Centenera in hers

They are so frigging comfortable - perfect flight wear. When I saw the trend, I just thought it was ridiculous and completely ignored it. Being a fairly uptight Brit, the whole concept of wearing night time clothes during the day was only meant for the fashion victims of the world. Then I realise I am one of the fashion victims of the world... Oops. I've been collecting up my favourite pyjama/pajama looks:

Caroline Sieber / Joanna Hillman, Harpers Marketing Editor

Alexa Chung in JW Anderson / Laura, by Vanessa Jackman

picture source

Maria Dueva / Stockholm Street Style via Mr Kate

As you can see from the pictures, you really don't need to buy much less to work the look - pair them up with your plain tees, denim shirts and jumpers (dependent on the weather). With the heavier prints, you can let the trousers do the talking and pair them with plain tops, or go for the all-out print clash look and wear something equally loud. Here are my favourite from the high street right now...