My Key SS13 Trends For The #NextGuestBlogger Competition Posted by Unknown |

Spring/Summer '13 is looking like a whole lotta fun and I think I can already feel it in the air. Trendwise there's a lot to choose from – print-clashing, sports luxe, the 60s, blue, voluminous silhouettes, lace and graphic florals to name a few. Where to start? Fear not, as part of the #NextGuestBlogger competition I bring you my SS13 trends edit taking inspiration from Next's Spring/Summer '13 collections. Take a look, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!  

Shop the monochrome trend

Monochrome
You just can't go wrong with a black and white combo – it's an amazing mix of laidback cool and statement, both at the same time. So striking in its appearance, with monochrome you have a number of options – channel a 60s vibe (a strong SS13 trend) with scallops and polka dots, go wild with snow leopard print, cover your iPad with a floral laser-cut case (bottom left) or get all sophisticated with printed trousers (middle left & right) and a boucle jacket (middle top) – this jacket is so amazing, I've already featured it once before.

Shop the graphics trend

Graphics
The world's your oyster here, and you can build your outfit around your chosen graphic piece. I adore the forest blouse (top middle), the green is so fresh and perfect for spring. Camo is another great choice for spring – it's doing the rounds on the fashion blogs right now and is failsafe when teamed with denim. The giraffe print on the heels (top middle) is perfectly club 80s and also ties into the monochrome trend. And every girl should have a NY-London–Paris cityscape tee (left middle) to her name.

Shop the leather trend

Leather
Leather is everywhere this spring and so the biker jacket will reign supreme. Though the biker is cropping up in all sorts of brights (coral, acid green, pink) I can't help but think the best option – style and sensible shopping-wise – is to stick with black, that way keeping your outfit options much wider. Next has some fantastic bags right now; I love the tan bucket (right middle), definitely a forever piece  and for something structured but not black, the navy tote (left middle) is perfect – a fashion blogger friend had such great success with this, everyone thought it was designer.

A Visit To My-Wardrobe.com's Showroom For The SS13 Preview Posted by Unknown |

This week I braved the rain and headed over to mywardrobe.com's gorgeous showroom to check out their SS13 arrivals. I was the last to arrive and spent a wonderful half hour being shown around the collections with the whole bright white space to myself. Bliss! Everything looked fabulous – bright eye popping colours, lots of leather and white, graphic and clashing prints, 60s silhouettes and voluminous shapes. For me though, I fell in love with a monochrome oversized cardigan by By Malene Birger – part of the Danish label's 10-year anniversary collection. As I reached for the beautiful angora-mix knit, it fell to the floor, I swept it up in my arms, up and over my shoulders and... I am fallen, hook, line and singer. So it stands to (fashion) reason that By Malene Birger is pretty much my new favourite label. Other stand-outs for me included beach-fantastic dresses by Mara Hoffman, animal print (spirit of the eagle/cheeta – yes!) swimwear by We Are Handsome, knits by See By Chloe and a peplum top and tweed trews by MSGM. Oh, and, the Sophie Hulme tote, of course. (You can shop my SS13 edit below.)

// shop my ss13 edit below //

What I'm Wearing: Mama Style Link Up Posted by Unknown |

Sweater - Topshop
Jeans - Free People
Booties - Sam Edelman

Ok, this is fun! Eight US style & mom bloggers are running a Mama Style Link Up this week, posting their favourite looks and items essential to being a mama. And all those mama bloggers of us around can join in too. You need to check out the hostess's style posts, follow their blogs, create your own style post including your mama style essentials and include the link up button from one of the posts – this is all more clearly laid out on the hostess posts :). Then they'll pick their favourite three. The link up runs through Friday, February 1st. The hostess links are:

1. isobel of holdenonbaby //

2. casey of the wiegands //

3. the ladies at small fry //

4. cara of cara loren //

5. jen of deep in the hart //

6. anna of in honor of design //

7. bridget of tales of me and the husband //
8. ascot friday // 




My Mama Style
I wouldn't say my style has changed massively since becoming a mum, it's more that I need to be able to throw something on superquick that is comfortable and warm (the winter has been too cold!). So my wardrobe staples are skinny jeans (of course!), oversized knits and walkable, ideally runnable, shoes – these come in the form of low heel ankle boots and my all time favourite pair of trainers Nike Air x Liberty. Plus I've been throwing my faux fur on top of it all for instant glam-up and keeping super cosy outdoors.

You Say You Want a #Leatherlution Posted by Unknown |

1. Bag by Sophie Hulme
2. Cuff by Lara Bohinc
3. Trousers by Vanessa Bruno Athe
4. Tee by Zoe Karssen
5. Ear cuff by Free People
6. Boots by Jeffrey Campbell
7. Earrings on Etsy

There's going to be a lot of leather around this spring and thus a lot more to choose from in addition to the usual bags and shoes. So, how about a pair of leather trousers for you, madam? The right fit and they'll be a forever piece as well as a brilliant alternative to jeans. I love a playful outfit mixing up tough-girl leather and spiky studs with a sophisticated handbag and feather earrings all tied together with a luxe causal tee. I've chosen a pair of slim fitting mocha leather trousers by Vanessa Bruno (long-lasting classic chic), an eye-popping blue tote by Sophie Hulme (I am in love with her bags and have eyes for no other) and these in-your-face Jeffrey Campbell round-toe studded boots. For more, search #leatherlution on Twitter.

A Late Christmas Present - Lorna Syson Cushion - Kitchen Inspiration Posted by Unknown |

A lovely late Christmas present in the form of a gorgeously white Lorna Syson cushion with two little tits (British made using sustainable materials) has inspired me to give our kitchen a bit of a rethink. There's nothing major we can do – we've got a little dining table space which is also home to a huge hulking dresser, a mis-matching bookcase and an upright piano. It's pretty tight in there. But what I can do is rethink what's on display (basically whatever doesn't fit in the dresser) and how to make it look a bit more intentional rather than the kind of nice, but ultimately very bric-a-brac, look it's got going on at the moment. Anyway, this cushion (soon to be matched with another) with its fresh whiteness is the starting point. Step two is to replace a set of favourite bowls by Dutch homeware brand Pols Potten – lovely little dotted and stripy bowls you really do want to have on display. I'll let you know how I get on.

Vanessa Paradis Face of Conscious for H&M SS13 Posted by Unknown |

Love these spring campaign shots of Vanessa Paradis for H&M. She's the face of their Conscious collection which will coincide with the launch of H&M's garment collection initiative at the end of March. The plan is for customers to trade in unwanted clothes (from any label) for H&M vouchers at select stores. One voucher per bag, and no more than two bags a day! I'd be really interested to know more about how this will work as it sounds pretty good. By the look of things the collection is all romantic, whimsical and floral and includes a cropped jumpsuit and a floor length dress. It is also made from more sustainable materials such as organic cotton, recycled polyester and Tencel (had to Google this; apparently it's made from the natural cellulose in wood pulp, is economical in its use of energy and natural resources and is fully biodegradeable). I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the collection. Do you have any favourite sustainable brands at the moment?

Sale Purchase #3 - Sam Edelman Petty Booties in Black Posted by Unknown |

My third and final sale purchase. I first noticed these Sam Edelman Petty booties on a music journalist pal who'd spent some time out in LA, in leopard print (on sale here). And then on a super cool LA blogger – in brown, black, leopard – and they've been on my mind ever since. After a quick Google sale search I found them online here at Cruise, who coincidentally I'd been writing about the day before. I snapped them up and they arrived today. Can you believe my husband neglected to mention their arrival? At least two hours passed before I discovered them nestled in their tissue paper. Different universes. (Ok, I may have been napping but I would have alerted me immediately on waking...!)  Anyway, it's not that I don't have my fair share of ankle booties, some of which are my favourite shoes. But these are nearing perfection. The heel's just a little bit lower, and therefore cooler, than most. The design is just a bit more simple and streamlined with longer curves. Basically it's the kind of boot you could see yourself wearing in the middle of the desert stretching your legs while the tour bus cools down. Not that I really like tour buses – from my limited experience they're pretty awful – but, you know, the carefree come-what-may rock n' roll attitude is what I'm reaching for here. I hope you like the photos. Next on my wish list are snow leopard and tan...

Readers, wherever you are, click on through – this retailer ships internationally. 

If I Were In Paris... Posted by Unknown |

1. Jacket - Next
2. Snood - Zalando
3. Jeans - Topshop
4. Clutch - Net-a-Porter
5. Booties - mywardrobe

Today's the last day of the Paris haute couture shows before the onslaught of next month's 'big 4' – New York, London, Milan and Paris. RTW aside, if I had been in Paris this week hopping around the city for fashion fun and games this is what I would have worn... Chic tweed jacket (just £55!), a splash of neon by way of a sizeable clutch, cool bleached denim and ankle booties in snow leopard, natch. I think that would have just about rocked it. :) How about you? Would you have worn something similar?

Sale Purchase #2 - Oversized Knit - See By Chloe Posted by Unknown |

The mywardrobe.com sale. Still going. At least 50% off all items now.

Georgia Hardinge for River Island SS13 Posted by Unknown |

So excited about today's announcement of Georgia Hardinge's SS13 collection for River Island. A good friend – she kindly lent me an incredible dress to wear for an event last year – and extremely talented designer (Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Jessie J and Florence Welch have all worn her designs) the London-based Georgia is the third designer to collaborate with River Island as part of their Design Forum initiative (last autumn they partnered with William Tempest). Mainly monochromatic with whimsical prints and sculpted fit, Georgia's collection was inspired by Swiss surrealist artist H.R. Giger and accessories incorporate metal against white leather. I, for one, can't wait to see more. But, at the moment, we'll just have to make do with this striking white dress. The 14-piece collection will be available to buy at the beginning of April and will be launched by a short film directed by film maker Alex Turvey (his credits include that crazy Fashion Shower music video for Anna dello Russo/H&M) starring model Ben Grimes.

Sketches by Georgia Hardinge for River Island

Obsessing Over Oversized Knits in the Cruise Sale Posted by Unknown |

Wildfox stars (£200 £160)
Gestuz (£60 £30)
St Martins (£60 £48)
Boss Orange (not in sale)
Wildfox coral knit (also in grey here)
Forever Unique (£60 £36)

Ever since my Boxing Day sale decision to buy a plain black cashmere in XL, my obsession with oversized knits has been growing at a frightening rate. Manifesting itself in an exciting sale purchase yesterday – outfit post to come, I promise – to be followed by another today after a browse through Cruise's sale. Were money no object I'd go for the starry Wildfox – I've loved this star knit quite hard for nearly half a year now (FOREVER in fashion) but my sensible self has won out with the gorgeous Gestuz in dusty pink (top right – down to £30! I'm just waiting to hear back if they have it in a size 12...) In case you haven't come across Cruise before, let me tell you, this is the shop where many of my fashion fantasies were born. The white-fronted Edinburgh boutique often saw my teenage self loitering around the rails, drinking up the over-the-top fashion and out-of-reach prices. These days the prices actually look pretty good. With a handful of boutiques dotted around the country (but not London) you can buy online here. You'll find all the above knits in the Mainline collection.

Follow Cruise on Facebook, Twitter and check their blog here.

This is a sponsored post. 

What I'm Wearing - Sophie Hulme Satchel x Four Jackets Posted by Unknown |

Jacket - All Saints (similar here) 

I don't know about you, but when I get a new bag or pair of shoes the first thing I do is have a trying on session with various jackets (for bags) or jeans and dresses (for shoes). You know, just to have that information logged for whenever I need to quickly throw something on. Pre-tried = quick & stress-free dressing. Un-tried = potential disaster. You know, when you're out and catch a glimpse of your reflection and realise that your outfit components are already filing for a divorce and you long for an invisibility cloak. Anyway, I don't know why I'm harping on about this when this post is actually all about my fabulous new sale purchase of the Sophie Hulme plate satchel (full price in blue here). I love this bag. And so does my wardrobe. And I imagine you'll be seeing quite a lot of it over the weeks to come. Btw, did I mention the Sophie Hulme tote?? To. Die. For. (Or da morire, as the Italian fashionistas like to say.)

Trench - All Saints

Blazer - French Connection

Faux fur – ASOS (similar in sale here)