[Trend] Isabel Marant / ASOS Jacket

photo source

Lets be honest, everyone wants a piece of Isabel Marant at the moment. It started with the heeled trainers (that kind of caught on - !) for the general high street, but anyone worth their fashion in gold remembers the prints and the jacquard stitching that Isabel has been doing for years.  The fashion house was one of the first to mix sharp tailoring with that kind of Sienna Miller boho look. At first, it wasn't really me - I brushed my hair too often for a lot of the Marant muses - but when the French Vogue team started wearing more and more of the label I got interested.

Isabel Marant SS13 is a brilliant mix of lightly printed boho basics with startling reds and blues.  Unfortunately for the designer (but arguably luckily for us) getting the Marant look really isn't hard. For example, we all found similar navy pea coats, and cowboy detailed shirts (this one here is a fab 2013  jacket version) in the winter season and searching for similar shoes to a Betty or a Bobby isn't a hard task.  This season is no different and I've found a dead ringer to the runway style at ASOS, below. This little jacket is identical to the ones worn by the models in Marant's SS12 and SS13 shows - and it has the red detailing as in the SS13 show above. No doubt will sell out like hot cakes, I ordered mine this morning... Quick!

ASOS Statement Jacket with Embroidered Sleeves, £60

[Trend] ALLSAINTS SS13

I'm sure any blogger will agree that the last couple of weeks have been absolutely manic.  What with all the fashion weeks (any ones missed have been on constant live stream in my flat/office), evening dos and trying to coordinate meeting friends who are in town for LFW - it's all been a little bit much. Unsurprisingly  as I have the immune system of a gnat (I'm guessing they aren't great), I picked up Cold From Hell along the way and sadly missed a morning with ALLSAINTS last week.

So over the weekend (between moving house, seeing some fantastic rugby and watching one of my best friend's car get towed) I popped into Selfridges to have a proper look at their current collection - and boy was I impressed. Before looking at it, I'd assumed the collection would be a little bit edgy for me... but I really, really loved it. Their team also sent me over a sneak peek at their SS13 pieces - which is equally as strong. As much as they've kept their signature leathers and sharp cuts, ALLSAINTS has gone all grown up.

left Walker Leather Jacket / right Cosby Ashby Jeans, Buckled Jodphur Boot

As you'll know, I'm slightly obsessed with leather biker jackets and royal blue jeans - so those bits (above) stuck out for me.  There are a pair of biker boots (here) with my name on too... In fact I've probably gone back and bought them by the time you are reading this - my willpower after Epic Ebay Selling Session has completely died, helped massively by the £600 made... Definitely recommend giving ALLSAINTS a visit - they're far more than their printed t shirt and grey days. Impressed.

*this is a sponsored post, all opinions my own. arranged by Handpicked Media

[Outfit] Acne Is Good For You

Acne Blazer, £500 c/o mywardrobe / Topshop Dress, £38 / UNIQLO tights, £8 / McQ Shoes c/o Alexander McQueen

One thing I learnt last year was that London Fashion Week provides the two times in the year that you can wear stuff you usually wouldn't.  As you have probably gathered by now, I play it fairly safe with my clothes. Sometimes I wonder if my droning on about a capsule wardrobe is just a meek attempt at trying to validate how much I like wearing my jeans with a white tee and a black jacket... So I decided to step it up a notch this LFW...

Acne Blazer, £500 c/o mywardrobe / Topshop Dress, £38 / UNIQLO tights, £8 / McQ Shoes c/o Alexander McQueen

I shocked even myself with how much I love this Acne jacket - it's bold, it's beautiful and it's all thanks to the lovely girls at My Wardrobe.  I paired it up with my new Topshop denim dress, which I've been living in over the last few weeks. It'll be great for summer on its own, but for now I'm wearing it with jackets, silk shirts and high neck tees...

Acne Blazer, £500 c/o mywardrobe / Topshop Dress, £38 / UNIQLO tights, £8 / McQ Shoes c/o Alexander McQueen

I thought these McQ shoes were perfect with it - kept up a kind of all American sporty thing, no?  Considering the heel height they were extremely comfortable - and I only stumbled once walking over the cobbles at Somerset House (and it was a very good stumble too, someone screamed). The sunglasses were a gift from the Sunglasses Shop over the summer - I've always been a huge fan of Raybans and these are my favourite EVER. Any way, enough of my waffling - this weekend Lopez and I are moving house this weekend and we have LOTS to do before the big day! Have a good week!

Ooooh and as a final note, my tights are from UNIQLO - new surprise find. Warmest things I have ever worn, if like me you're struggling with the cold and want to wear skirts and dresses I firmly recommend buying a pair (here is the link).

Acne Blazer, £500 c/o mywardrobe / Topshop Dress, £38 / UNIQLO tights, £8 / McQ Shoes c/o Alexander McQueen

[Trend] Celine / ASOS Patchwork Shirt

Remember this little gem from 2011?  It's Celine, and it's beautiful. I've been lusting after it for a long time, but at £700 it was a tad too expensive (!!). I love the idea of it, but as I already have a denim shirt it made little sense to buy another, particularly when I am on the house move from a wardrobe space lover's hell (so far, 8 bags to charity and a mammoth eBay purge). However, this week Sarah in the office spotted this little gem from ASOS and I couldn't resist, I'm going to store it in the office to save space!

ASOS patchwork denim shirt, £45

Hope you all have lovely weekends, I'm recuperating after last weekend's LFW and quickly packing up the flat. I don't advice trying to move house, start a new job and squeeze in a fashion week into the same month. March cannot come soon enough...

[Outfit] Peach Perfect in Richard Nicoll

Richard Nicoll dress, £648 at My Wardrobe / Russell and Bromley Rose Gold Heels (old)

It's been a while since I've done an outfit post, mainly because my trusty partner in crime Sarah hasn't been with me (sad face).  But over London Fashion Week this weekend  she came down to stay with me and between the shows, afternoon tea and extremely painful feet we found time to snap some pictures of the pieces we wore during the Most Hectic Few Days Of My Life.

 Richard Nicoll dress, £648 at My Wardrobe / Russell and Bromley Rose Gold Heels (old)

Here is what I wore to the Whistles' post show party yesterday evening at The Arts Club on Dover Street. The lovely team at My Wardrobe kindly supplied me with a few pieces, one of them being this gorgeous Richard Nicoll dress.  After my post on peach and gold jacquard, I've been rigorously hunting for a little piece of the trend. This piece is a My Wardrobe exclusive and ticked all the boxes for me - really easy to wear.

Richard Nicoll dress, £648 at My Wardrobe / Russell and Bromley Rose Gold Heels (old)

I paired it up with my cheeky sale bargain purchases, some Russell and Bromley Sledge 2 heels in rose gold.  I found them in their Bond Street store a couple of months ago reduced from just over £200 to £29. Yay to having tiny feet! There are always shoes left in my size...  You might notice that my hair is looking a lot shorter - I've been spoilt by Sassoon Salons recently and had it chopped off a month or so ago when I popped in to their South Molton Street salon.  It was a little bit daunting but they were totally right to do it, my hair feels so much healthier now... Right enough of my waffling, on to the next day of Fashion Week - wish me luck!

[LFW AW13] Vestiaire Collective Sponsor Zoe Jordan AW13

Some of you may already know that I recently joined the team at Vestiaire Collective in London.  I'm absolutely loving it, being surrounded with so many beautiful clothes is no hard task.  However, for the last few weeks I've had to stop musing over Celine and Chanel as we have been working our little socks off together with Liberty London Girl, Goodley PR and designer Zoe Jordan and her team as we sponsored Zoe's AW13 runway show - which was picked to open London Fashion Week this year. Have a look at our video here:

The show was a phenomenal success - Zoe's collection was absolutely stunning with lovely monochrome pieces with juts of bright orange and hot pink.  My favourite were the little black dresses with Zoe's signature cut out shoulder caps - and her tuxedo blazers, leather trousers, structured basics and metallics sang to my capsule-wardrobe-nature (see below) - Make sure you visit Vestiaire's site for the behind the scenes footage, an interview with Zoe and Sasha's hard work here.

photos via Elle UK

[NYFW AW13] Jenna Lyons' J Crew Presentation

Not that I am excited or anything but J CREW OPENS IN LONDON THIS SUMMER. I'd imagine some other retailers are quaking in their preppy chic boots, as Jenna Lyons and her phenomenal design team really do have a certain cut above the rest...  I was first introduced to the brand a couple of years ago by a friend from the US, and ever since I've been shipping it back to the UK like there is no tomorrow.  Their cashmere jumpers and fun prints are an absolute favourite for me - Jenna makes wearing bold pieces incredibly easy for a conservative dresser comme moi...

Here are some pictures from their AW13 show this week in New York, which debuts the first available collection in the UK later in the year...  I was glued to their Tumblr page which they used to camera roll the presentation as it went on... I cannot wait to get my hands on the geometric print coat in the first picture (far right) and the camel coat with the embellishment on the collar in the picture above on the far left. 

For now, we have to rely on J Crew's online site to feed the urge - shipping is awesome and I love the service... Roll on the summer and the new store!

[Trend] Blue and White China Prints

Elle Street Style from NYFW in Roberto Cavalli / Tadashi Shoji SS13 Show

One look I have been keeping a very close eye on from last year's shows were the blue and white antique/China prints, as shown at Roberto Cavalli, Joseph, Dolce and Gabbana and Tory Burch.  I love  the intricacy of it all and have been patiently waiting to see how this would be accessible to all in stores. So far, only the higher end of the market has picked it up - but I love it so much I think I'm going to invest in something - these colours and prints are 110% up my street.  Here is my selection so far:

Isabel Marant Etoile, £300 / Joseph, £465 / Moschino Cheap and Chic, £450 / Philosophy di Alberta Ferreti, £270 / Cavalli, £520 / Moschino Cheap and Chic, £353 / Cavalli, £1450 /Richard Nicoll, £650

I love the mix of the high tech digital prints from Richard Nicoll against the mock-hand paint effect from people like Marc Jacobs - so many ways to wear it and is a nice, steady move forward from the Breton and stripe pieces in the same colours in previous seasons.  One surprise favourite is from Karen Millen, this Iris print peplum top and trouser are absolutely gorgeous (below)... Lots of denim brands are bringing out similarly printed pieces... the AG / Liberty collaboration, J Crew's styles and Gap's designs are not to be missed - keep an eye out for them!

Iris Print Jean, Karen Millen - £85 / Iris Print Peplum, Karen Millen - £99

[Trend] Beanie Brights at NYFW

It's that time of year again... Fashion Week.  Not sure about you but I'm spending every second of my spare time trawling through Pinterest and ELLE's street style pages to see what the fash-pack are donning.  The February shows are an absolute nightmare to dress for... it's cold and wet and miserable 9 times out of 10. I've started to put mine together, but to be honest if it is still snowing I'm going to be making every excuse to slip into my comfortable knits and flats...

This seems to be fashion acceptable this year, thank goodness.  The New York posse have all been battling against the weather storms in with their flouro beanies to save their hair - and it's reignited my need to track one down.  I blogged a while ago about Rosie Sugden's lovely pieces (here) - she seems to be going from strength to strength and is now stocked on Matches as well as appearing in Grazia's most wanted list a few weeks ago... (you can buy her cashmere orange beanie for 50% off on their site here).

I'm desperately hoping that London's weather improves before Friday... I'm not sure I can face wearing anything remotely on trend if this sleet/rain/snow/hail continues... I love these girls' idea to wear whatever you're comfortable in plus something bright up top.  I'm off on the hunt for a beanie, so far the best I have found are: ASOS for £7, Matches/Rosie Sugden for £43, Topshop for £12 and American Apparel for £17. 

[Outfit] Feeling Blue...

Apologies for the lack of outfit posts recently, but my lovely friend Sarah has been away which means her super kind SLR has been too. For some reason taking your picture taken with other bloggers is so much less cringeworthy, so when Briony, Dearne and I met up in the New Year we decided to get the camera out and have a little snapping session...

coat, Reiss / trousers, Reiss / handbag, Paul Smith / velvet boots, Topshop

I'd just had my hair cut (by the lovely people at Sassoon Salons) and also just been on a bit of a spree at Reiss. My new oversize coat and I have been firm friends since it's purchase, and the metallic trousers are now an absolute steal for 33 quid. Unfortunately they weren't that when I bought them... being an overzealous sale shopper doesn't always pay off!

coat, Reiss / trousers, Reiss / handbag, Paul Smith / velvet boots, Topshop

We girls had a great time have a natter and a good old catch up (which we don't do enough unfortunately) before strolling off down the back streets of Mayfair and Soho for some yummy thai food. Meeting girls like these have been one of the most unexpected joys of blogging - D and B were little stars for me last year for so many reasons. When I started the blog I didn't know anybody in the industry and these two welcomed me in with open arms. It was love (on my part at least) immediately... Fab.

[Trend] Balenciaga's Ruffled Skirts

I'm not usually that bothered about red carpet fashion, dresses and ornate hair styles just aren't my thing and I'm not a fan of occasionwear (too fussy, too expensive and spends too long sitting unworn in your wardrobe in some weird 'if I own it for a long time it justifies the price I spent on it' manner). Saying that, ever so often the odd piece jumps out. This year its Balenciaga and their ruffled skirts, as worn by Amanda Seyfried for one of the gazillion global Les Mis premieres (yes really, they are still going).

Balenciaga Runway / Amanda Seyfriend in Balenciaga

Balenciaga isn't a name that usually gets me interested. I never understood the motorcycle bags and never will. For a start, why were they called motorcycle bags? Did you ever see anyone on a motorcycle with one? No. Their fashion is often a little bit much (saying that, aren't most Italian names?) for me and I can't ever really imagine myself in it (saying that I spied these shoes at work today which I am a teeny but in love with) But this dress, yes.

Zara Ruffle Dress / Geneva from A Pair and A Spare

Monochrome - tick. Flare bit that makes everything else look smaller - tick. Price - not so tick. Luckily, this style above by Zara is floating around for us mere mortals, and better still my ridiculously beautiful friend Geneva (I mean seriously, the girl eats food and everything and still looks like this. Shoot me now) from A Pair and A Spare has an amazing tutorial for the more patient of you to make your own... Personally her style gets my vote over the original - pair it with a tee and some heels. Sorted.

PS - Geneva has her own book (yay) and I think you should buy it here. FYI.

[Competition] Win a Belstaff Legend

I recently discovered Belstaff and won't be looking back any time soon, the brand are so up my street with their capsule-wardrobe-like outerwear it's ridiculous... Founded in Staffordshire many years ago, the company were the first to use waxed cotton and built their original success making outerwear for the motorcycle market. It wasn't long before people realised quite how useful the jackets are and their Legends series are now the go to staple for anyone after a sturdy, warm and (most importantly) pretty damn good looking coat. 

With a Creative Director hailing from another quintessentially British brand beginning with B, Belstaff's collections have always maintained a distinctly UK feel.  Their current SS13 collection has some fab classics in - the handbags in particular are a little bit wonderful. With a brand spanking new flagship store opening on Bond Street this year, Belstaff are very excited about 2013 and as the Legend jackets are their hero staples, they would like to give all South Molton St Style (boys as well, yay) a chance to win a Roadmaster waxed jacket from the series..!

All you need to do is email me here with your size (women: UK clothing size, and men: chest size) and follow South Molton St Style on Facebook. The winner be selected via a random number generator and announced on Twitter on Monday the 11th of February.