KIMONO

This colourful silk kimono jacket is one of my favourite items. 

It feels a little bit out there and somewhat different for me - but I've always loved vintage-look pieces as part of a simple outfit.

I find the best way to wear this is in a laid back, very simple way - with a grey t-shirt, black skinny jeans and black ballet pumps. I hope it works. 

The jacket flows beautifully, so in real life has much more movement than you perhaps get a feel for from these photos. Regardless, I wanted to share it, it's an outfit I love. 

I bought it on one of those days when you're struck by sudden inspiration - you recognise the item isn't part of your usual style, but you're irresistibly drawn to it. Of course it's important to keep yourself in check upon such occasions, otherwise you can end up buying all manner of bizarre things that felt so right and fun at the time, but end up abandoned at the back of your wardrobe, mocked by all your other clothes. But sometimes (and on this occasion I did) you have to allow yourself to be taken over by these moments and let your style instincts take over!

Luckily this kimono hasn't suffered the back-of-my-wardrobe fate - I wore it the night I bought it to meet friends I hadn't seen for months, and it felt perfect.

Do you have any every day items that somehow just feel special? 

IRO JACKETS

I really like French label IRO's jackets. They have that air of Parisian cool in spades, and felt perfect for me when I was lusting after all the Isabel Marant jackets from seasons past. 

So sorry for the poor quality pictures - my photographer is having his day off today! 

These jackets are cut so well, with lovely narrow arms.  For SS11 IRO have done a few leather jackets - I've yet to try them but if the cut of these is anything to go by they'd probably be rather special!

I kept the raw-edge navy blue one with slight metallic threading, but took back the grey/white one as the shoulders were slightly off where they should have been on me!

Will post more outfit pics of this jacket soon to show it to you properly!

RUNNING IN HEELS: FLORAL FAVOURITES

From Charles Anastase and Antonio Berardi to Erdem and Jason Wu too, the S/S 2011 catwalks burst into bountiful bloom this season. With the runway awash in bouquets of fresh colours – peony pinks, shocking fuchsias, daffodil yellows and tea rose pinks – what a spring awakening it is set to be.

So whilst you wait for the weather outside to catch up, enjoy this pick of our favourite floral beauty products. Inspired by the season just around the corner they are guaranteed to bring the promise of spring to your dressing table, bathroom and beyond!

And where better to begin than with a floral favourite: the rose? For the most indulgent and beautifully scented bath, try Ren’s Moroccan Rose Otto Bath Oil. Whilst this award winning product boasts the stress relieving, skin softening properties one would expect, its brilliance lies in its quality. Heralded as the queen of flower Oils – Rose Otto oil is one of the most expensive essential oils in the world. If this isn’t enough to ensure you luxuriate appropriately of an evening, it’s worth bearing in mind that the petals are even harvested at dawn. A totally natural, uplifting and undeniably luxe product. Follow up with Jo Malone’s iconic Red Roses Body and Hand Lotion to lock in the moisture the oil affords.

Emerging delicately from a rose scented bath is one thing, but how wonderful would it be to hop skip and jump from there to fresh, crisp, floral sheets? Pretty darn wonderful I hear you cry. Kai Linen Spray holdsthe key to a wonderful night’s sleep in a bottle. This Hollywood fragrance has nothing less than a cult following – counting Kate Bosworth, Jennifer Aniston and Sophie Dahl (a perfume critic for Vogue no less) amongst its numerous devotees. Gardenia, tuberose, jasmine and lily make up this wonderfully clean scent which will work calming wonders on your bedding. Oprah has described it as a ‘bouquet in a bottle’ for bed linens. It is exotic yet fresh, and never overpowering – simply spray lightly onto sheets or around the room to conjure up sweet dreams of Spring.

Diptyque are known for their wonderful candles, and their floral offerings are amongst the best in their collection. So often scented candles can be cloying and smell utterly unnatural, but this is never so with Diptyque. Their wonderfully natural-scented candles are a pleasure to burn all year round and fill a room with their perfume. RIH’s favourite has to be Mimosa. These little yellow blossoms are found on the French Riviera, and the Parisian artisans at Diptyque say they aim to conjure up brimming mimosa flowers dotting the hills leading down to the sea. An idyllic image for an equally idyllic scent.

Whilst floral themed products may find a natural home in the bathroom, their worth elsewhere is not to be underestimated and we have a bevy of favourite products that work wonders for the face. During the day try Benefit’s Dandelion face powder on your cheekbones and brow-bone for an instant, petal pink glow. This iridescent powder illuminates every complexion and will make you look enviously refreshed with just the sweep of a brush.

MAC has recently added a Sweet Orange & Lavender facial oil to its coveted line, and it could not be more perfect for this in-between weather leading up to Spring. After your usual cleansing routine, massage in the orange and lavender oil (a mini facial at home don’t you know) in place of your usual moisturiser. The smell is beautiful, with more than a hint of chocolate orange about it, and is a lovely, comforting way to end the day.

It would be a crime when reminiscing about our favourite floral buys not to pick out a perfume or two. Step up Byredo – one of the best kept secrets of the perfume world. Based in Stockholm the brand specialises in those elusive fragrances that we spend years searching for, eager to claim as our signature scent. Perfect floral offerings make up a large proportion of their perfumes. From woody, oriental, sweet and subtly spicy mixes, they are all utter delights. For Spring we’d recommend both Blanche and Tulipe. Described as ‘simple in structure but extreme in character’, Blanche is based on the colour white. With white rose, violet, neroli and peony it is a truly clean yet captivating bouquet, perfect for Spring. While Blanche is a strong contender, Tulipe takes the top prize for the ultimate seasonal scent. As one of the first flowers to open in the new season the Tulip symbolises the rebirth of spring for Byredo perfumer Ben Gorham. Top notes of freesia, cyclamen and rhubarb dry down to blonde woods and vetiver, encasing the delicate single heart note of Tulip. Trust us when we say, this couldn’t be a more perfect, floral introduction to a season that is getting set to blossom in just a few more weeks.

(An article I wrote for this month's issue of Running In Heels)

WHAT I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS WEEK

These collages from Polyvore are going to become a regular feature I feel. I spotted one over at Mommy Style - (S's one is much better than mine - titles and everything!) and resolved to try it out. They're a brilliant tool to be able to keep track of those pieces you lust after and want to keep close at hand for obsessive referencing. 

So often I might have a burning desire for this bag or that top, and then quickly forget about it, highlighting that it was never something I really wanted in the first place. 

All of the above are things I am keeping an eye on at the moment - except for the boots which I already own but I still think about nigh on non stop! 

I'm try to dress in a classic way - simple, classic style has always been what I have admired most in other people and what I feel best in when I manage to get it right. I think this type of dressing improves as the years go by unless your born with an innate, minimalist aesthetic as some lucky folks are.

 I always love a carefully placed edge to classic staples though - an unexpected bright lip, neon nail or beautiful piece of jewellery. My aim is to build up classic staples - then have fun with little pieces of something different, that add a dash of something fresh if the mood takes me.

Tom Binn's bright jewellery appeals to me a great deal because of this. The pieces are a nice way to incorporate all the neon colours I love seeing at the moment but sadly cannot embrace head to toe. I've loved seeing colour blocking and bright colour popping (what a dreadful sentence!) from Natalie at Canned Fashion, but I know it's something I could never pull off. 

p.s. These earrings by Low Luv by Erin Wasson are rather lovely, and definitely worth a look. 

p.p.s You know how I am feeling about the PS11 so I shall spare you another detailed explanation there...

PS11

Yes, I think it is fair to say that this beautiful photograph by Garance Doré has helped nurture my growing obsession with the PS11.

Photograph by Garance Doré

I wonder why I always do this – notice a photo here, a photo there, of a beautiful bag, and then when I start those few tentative clicks to find out the designer, if it is too ‘It’, how much of a hole it will burn into my bank balance… it disappears off the face of the earth. Only to reappear every now and then, mocking me with it’s lack of availability.

The exact same thing happened with the Edie Bow Bag, I thought it the loveliest bag I’d ever clapped eyes on, with just that right amount of edge. I tracked it down to Colete, but was alas, too late. Then one morning, with no warning it appeared on Net-A-Porter. I had spend months trying to track it down, staring misty-eyed at photos of Rachel Bilson with hers, and there it was. I panicked about the price naturally, and that moment of indecision cost me – it sold out that morning. But we all know how the story ends (if you don’t click here) – the customer service team saved me and the bag was mine.

I compare many a purchase to that experience – I’d been thinking about it for so long, that when the opportunity arose, I was pretty damn certain I had to buy it. It was no impulse purchase that’s for sure.

Anywho – back to the PS11. The same thing is happening with this little fellow. I yearn for it in the saddle brown, as in the photo above, but it’s available in the black on NAP here. The quality of the leather looks perfect, it’s beautifully discreet (no names anywhere except the silver embossing under the flap), with that perfect mix that gets me every time - achingly cool and utterly classic.  

Photograph from NAP



I’m in no position to buy it now – handy as it is not available to buy anyway – but having just sold my Alexa, I am beginning to save the pennies in a pot marked PS11.

What do you think of the PS11? Are there any 'have forever' bags that you're lusting after?

HAPPY FRIDAYS

What I wore yesterday:

(very shrunken) Uniqlo wool jumper, Topshop blouse & jeans, Isabel Marant boots, Reiss necklace

SPRING CLEAN

Recently I have become mildly obsessed with the quest for the perfect new bed linen. I think it has all to do with Spring - making the flat feel fresh with crisp linen and beautiful throws that are at home with the colourful daffodils, hyacinths and tulips that I keep bringing home and having to haphazardly arrange in any spare jugs and pots.

My quest thus far (for it is nothing short of a quest I can tell you) has seen me settle on the White Company and Velvet Ribbon as the answers to my spring cleaning resolutions. Of course it won't have escaped many people's notice that The White Company do beautiful bed linen and stock exactly the kind of thing I'm after. My favourite has to be the Devon Seersucker duvet - I fancy it wouldn't be out of place in a lovely cottage by the sea, with scrubbed floor boards, Barbours over breton tops and a dash of Emma Bridegwater crockery here and there... (nor in my much simpler, less Boden-esque catalogue abode in Richmond!). 

In a perfect world I'd pair it with this beautiful 1920s-19430s welsh quilt from Velvet Ribbon.

Velvet Ribbon Floral Quilt

Devon Seersucker Bed Linen

Velvet Ribbon have a constantly updated selection of exquisite vintage quilts and eiderdowns, all carefully sourced and wonderfully maintained despite the years of service they've seen! Their website is not to be missed - a lovely collection of bits and bobs for the home - cushions, glass jars, a Fortnum and Mason wicker picnic hamper and large model sail boats (what bathroom should be without one?)

Velvet Ribbon Vintage Bottles

Velvet Ribbon Vinatge Sail Boat

Do you like to make any changes to your home as Spring approaches? What are the interior finishing touches that you've been lusting after?

All images from www.velvetribbon.co.uk and www.thewhitecompany.com

I'VE GOT MY NEW SHOES ON

Zara top, Topshop skinny jeans, Isabel Marant boots, Essie 'Exposure' polish

Well, this month I made rather a big purchase, it has to be said. Despite my smug face, I sadly cannot pretend such splurges are de rigueur in my life - one day, one day! I had seen the Isabel Marant 'Dicker' boots (I know, I didn't choose the name) on Net-a-Porter whilst I was on holiday in Spain, and I knew that they would sell out in the click of a stacked heel. And sure enough they did! 

I trawled the internet searching for said boots and at last came across them in Australia at The New Guard in Adelaide (http://www.thenewguard.com.au/). 

The lovely sales people shipped them over, dealt with my every panicking question about customs charges and VAT (suffice to say, belatedly, I found out these charges were extortionate and will NEVER be doing this kind of thing again) and solved my every whimpering post-discovery-of-charges questions. Their patience could not be surpassed! 

But all's well that ends with a pair of Isabel Marant boots. Taupe suede, with a perfectly walkable heel (this from a girl who carries a change of shoes to work) and somehow they do just go with everything as everyone promised, Dead Fleurette included! 

I shall be wearing them to death in Parisian-esque simple outfits day in day out. 

EDIT: Despite seemingly having sold out everywhere, I stumbled upon a new stockist today - Ruby and Tallulah