NEW STUDDED SHOES

I don't know about you, but I've been lusting after a certain pair of Valentino studded flats for AGES. They are perfection, ain't no doubt about it. But perfection comes at a price. A hefty price. So step up the ever-reliableTopshop and their Maisy flats: a homage to the most beautiful flats going (get them here). Yes I fully accept they aren't the same, but they try their very hardest and I am more than happy to welcome them into the fold. 

Here I am frolicking in my new shoes. I have no photographer at the mo - cue grainy photos with irritating phone-blocking-much-of-the-shot detailing. 

I'm sporting these lovely shoes with Topshop waxed black Leigh jeans and denim jacket and a Whistles cashmere jumper.

Oh and P to the S... this outfit would look sweet with the Jimmy Choo Candy glitter clutch I'm currently spending every waking minute lusting after. 

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FESTIVE INSTAGRAM DIARY

Today just seems like one of those days when trying to work is a feat akin to climbing Ben Nevis. So I thought putting together a little blog post diarising the festive period would make me feel a smidgen more productive than sitting at my desk, tapping my pencil every now and then until enough time has passed to warrant making another cup of earl grey. I'm painfully aware I've been neglecting my blog far too much and hope to rectify this very soon!

It has been a lovely few days: Christmas and my birthday at home before taking the train up to Scotland for Hogmanay. I haven't included any New Year's Eve photos in this collection though, I'm hoping to dedicate a post to the evening over the next few days. 

As you can see, I believe in wearing your cracker hat from the minute it is retrieved from its cardboard home until as close to the end of Christmas day as humanly possible. I try to force my belief upon everyone else, with mixed results. 

From left to right, top to bottom: Muppet Christmas Carol, ugly but delicious homemade mince pies, presents under the tree, our venue for New Year's Eve in Scotland (more on that to follow), beautifully wrapped presents if I say so myself, our Christmas table, and what I discovered under the tree: ASOS earrings, Whistles cashmere and Jo Malone.

I hope you had a brilliant Christmas and New Year! 

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A CHRISTMASSY LIST

It's not like me to let nigh on 5 days of December pass by before uploading my Christmas list to le blog. But I've been hideously busy with work and squeezing in a trip to The Pig in the New Forest for my boyfriend's birthday (it was blooming INCREDIBLE. For a spot on review head over to Milly's blog). I have been neglecting my Christmas and birthday montage for far too long. Yes that's right, Christmas and birthday within three days of each other. Pretty darn tough on the joint-present side.

 

Anywho, I digress. Here is my festive montage in all its glory!



 The recurring theme this year seems to be a desperation for cashmere and Jo Malone. I suppose something about this time of year makes me want to stockpile cashmere like a mad person and smell darn good doing it. 

I'm hoping to don the grey cashmere Whistles dress and beautiful jewelled ASOS earrings on Christmas day. Can you think of anything more comfortable?

The Reiss dress found its way on to the montage because this year I'm heading to Scotland for New Year's Eve and would love a party dress befitting the occasion. I've seen this fellow in store and it is uber cool whilst looking something like a wrapped present. I love it.

 

One member of the montage doesn't require much explanation. I would ruddy LOVE to revel in a little Marant for my 25th birthday bash - hint hint to the man in my life!

 

I always enjoy flannel nightwear post-Christmas and this grey check night shirt from The White Company is just the ticket. Unlike most nightshirts it is not ridiculously short. It's what I like to think of as a cosy length rather than a sort of attempt-to-be-sexy length. That's not what I look for in my flannel nightwear. Heavens no. When not in my nightshirt, I'd like to be lounging in front of the Downton Christmas special wearing the navy cashmere Cos joggers.

 

This year I'd also like to get more serious about hair care. I won't lie - after seeing the brilliant Bumble & Bumble video recording the Man Repeller's quest for french hair I had to get my hands on this pomade. So much so that my boyfriend's sister in law in America kindly got hold of it for me and it'll be winging its way to me in time for my birthday. A Parlux hairdryer would also be a dream addition - I've heard only good things and would be ridiculously excited to call this my own. Not to mention at the moment I currently haul a humongous hairdryer around and this compact Parlux one would open up precious suitcase inches for other things.

 

Outrageous  aspirational gifts aside, I always love adding to the old DVD collection and after reading a (admittedly rather a trashy chick-lit) novel about Meryl Streep films this summer, I'm anxious to see Heartburn (I've just finished the book) and Kramer vs Kramer. I also recently discovered Natalie Duncan on Weekend Wogan (I love radio 2 - don't knock it it's my thing) and am eager to add her album to my collection.

You may or may not know, depending on whether you follow my nattering on twitter, but I'm a quiet, closet, behind closed door fan of the Real Housewives. Specifically OC and NY if you're curious. Partial to a bit of Beverly Hills too though. Given this, and my new found love for Carole Radziwill, I'm keen to read her New York Times Bestseller: 'What Remains'. You can probably tell I'm not a literary snob - I just like to read what I'm drawn to and that can range from aforementioned chick lit to serious reads the likes of which one wouldn't be ashamed to bring up at a party. (My sister has been known to say I only read things with cupcakes on the cover. My reputation has never recovered).

 

Last but not least, I'd be overjoyed to receive a Garance Dore poster. I just know it would look brilliant framed in my flat - there is something so lovely about this caped girl.

 

I hope you're enjoying compiling your Christmas lists and enjoying the joys of December in general. It really is the best time of year in my humble opinon.

 

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UP AND RUNNING

There are quite a few new additions that I've been very keen to share on le blog but just keep not getting round to! It's shameful. 

So in the spirit of rectifying this situation I thought I would share my new trainers. They were love at first sight when I clapped eyes on them on Man Repeller. My feelings for the shoes multiplied at the thought of them with pea coats and leather trousers. I don't mind taking total inspiration from Leandra (or nicking her suggested look if you like) because I find I'm most sartorially inspired by other people's outfits - hence my near-obsession with personal style blogs. 

In fact, truth be told, in a lot of instances I fall in love with clothes or shoes or bags that I see on other people. Yes I pick things up in shops because I'm drawn to them without having seen them on anyone else and my personal style streak is alive and kicking, but it is probably not confidently individual enough to go it alone. I appreciate the inspiration of others - and love it when seeing something on someone else that you love can breathe something new into your wardrobe and evolve your personal style.  

I think if you can take bits and pieces of inspiration from other people and slot them into your own style your conscience should be clear! Tis most likely how the world of style goes round and round.

I know lots of bloggers have been getting into their New Balances, but they are my boyfriend's shoe of choice at the moment and I simply refuse to go down the matching footwear route. Also I prefer the shape of these fellows - there is something mean and pointy about some New Balance trainers. 

They are, as you'd expect, the most comfortable things going. After years and years of suffering for the sake of footwear (mostly winter over exposure in ballet pumps) these new kicks made walking a veritable walk in the park. 

I see their role in my wardrobe as stylish errand runners - popping to the supermarket, collecting dry cleaning, strolling along by the river having a natter. 

I paired them with a Gap navy blue peacoat and grey sweater and ancient Topshop leather leggings.

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BOOTY CALL

My replacement Report boots finally arrived! (After ordering what I thought was a UK size 3 from Piper Lime I belatedly discovered the sizing was a tad on the ambitious side and had to go up one. Piper Lime had sold out by then but luckily Nordstrom came to the rescue! So all's well that ends well.) They're stupendous. 

I'm sorry about the frankly crappy quality photographs - there is no hiding the fact I took them with my phone - the evidence is staring you in the face rather isn't it... 

This is how I wore said boots on their first outing - with a Topshop denim dress and boyfriend coat and some jazzy H&M earrings. 

Yes that's right, I employed the use of my webcam for this photo, before returning again to the trusty iPhone-mirror combo...

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THE PERFECT BIKER BOOT

Clemence Posey in her Madewell numbers [image from Splash via Daily Mail]

I've been searching for biker boots for what seems like forever. It's not an easy job - they can be too clumpy, too tall, too short, too goth - the list is endless. My mother's favourite thing to point out whenever I show her a potential candidate is that the toe turns up too much at the end. It is only recently that I realised pretty much all biker boots do, so I patiently took her through photograph after photograph to illustrate this point. She remains unconvinced. She's not easy to please given that she favours gortex and hopes to combine this pathologically unglamorous material with an elegant shoe. Which is not. EVER. Going. To. Happen.

I digress... I failed in my search for the perfect biker boot last year, and now the rain and chill have once again set it, the search is back on with a vengeance. It is normally sparked by seeing those folk lucky enough to snap up those Gap biker boots many moons ago sauntering past. They are such a brilliant wardrobe staple if only you're lucky enough to stumble across the right pair for you. Off duty models have been showing us for years how practical and stylish they can be for a multitude of scenarios - not least when the rain seems to have set up camp for good over the United Kingdom.

So my heart skipped a beat only a few days ago when Olivia Palermo stepped out in her very own biker boots. 

Image via Zimbio

My love for Miss Palermo's style knows no bounds - even if I would have ditched the beige gilet here - she is perfection. And here she was, striding purposefully across a New York street in what I quickly recognised as (what had to be) my new boots. I embarked on the usual mission to track down who made her boots - given my endless search you have to understand it was no good in this situation simply to be inspired by Olivia's style - I had to find the exact boots because they just looked so right. After exhausting the internet's usually very informative outfit identifiers I came away none the wiser. Yet another biker boot dead end! Until I scrolled through google images and found Olivia Palermo recently sitting in front of a table of bits and bobs at Piper Lime. A hop, skip and a jump over to their website, a cross comparison with the photograph of Olivia in New York, and the deal was sealed - I'd found the boots. And they were discounted!! What a coup. 

Report Jude biker boots at Piper Lime

This is the most tricky thing about biker boot shopping - from this picture I would have worried about the clumpy element (and I'm sure my Mother would have pointed out the upturned toe), but having seen them in the photo above on a real person, I'm much more convinced. They are winging their way to me from the good old US of A as I type and I will, of course, report back to let you know if the search has finally, finally drawn to a close. I am hopeful!

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NEW IN [PLUS A LITTLE RAMBLING THROWN IN FOR FREE]

I have been busy amassing my autumn/winter wardrobe. My shopping style has changed a tad according to my new found student-hood (again!). It's tough but the student discount sweetens the bitter financial pill.

When all is said and done I shop a lot less and plan a lot more. This is all well and good - BUT - it has made me an uber hesitant shopper. If shopping were a driving test I'd fail repeatedly. My hand darts back and forwards to the rail, I walk purposefully towards the till before slowly retreating, my breathing becomes strained, my eyes dart left and right. I then walk straight out of the the door (putting the item back first of course, what d'ya take me for). 

After months of the aforementioned behaviour, I have actually managed to complete a few journeys to the till and now proudly have the carefully selected items below hanging or siting in my wardrobe as we speak. Primed and ready to go. 

- Etoile Isabel Marant Monty jacket: a delightful autumnal cardi-jacket which will step in where my spring/summer Haca jacket has performed so perfectly.

- Topshop coats nattered about here and here

- Topshop wooly hat

- JW Anderson Bat jumper - I LOVE THIS!! Milly of Milly Fell Into The Wardrobe's glee upon bagging hers was all the encouragement I needed.

- Reiss Grey Sweatshirt (Mine is actually a Gap one in the sale. Hugely useful and inspired by Laura at Wearing It Today)

- Topshop Faux-Leather skinny trousers

- Topshop Denim dress

- Nike Free Running trainers - I'm very, very excited about these. Ever since Leandra of Man Repeller mused about wearing these with leather trousers and a pea coat I practically had to be restrained. This idea sounds so perfect to me and I can't wait to try it out.

- Isabel Marant Bazil sneakers - these will truly come into their own come Autumn. I plan to wear them with denim and dresses. They're just achingly cool. 

- I've been after an evil eye necklace for aaages. This one is Aamaya by Priyanka, but I found a beautiful tiny one on Etsy. It's been a pretty permanent fixture since it arrived with the postman. 

Despite my new shopping habits being a little tricky, I do think they make for a better wardrobe overall. Each thing I buy, I love. Rare mistakes are quickly ebayed and expenses recouped! 

 I also have my eye on these three little fellows - I've been on the look out for more evening things on account of the fact my 'drobe is sadly lacking in this department! And lovely heels for £16 aren't to be sniffed at. Wouldn't you agree?

Topshop full skirt, Matalan heels, ASOS clutch

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