PLAY IT AGAIN SAM

Apologies to sound like a stuck record, but I am fast becoming obsessed with Topshop's new season offerings. The latest recipient of my love and devotion? Another coat. 

Well, a coatigan to be precise. A coatigan of mushroom-boucle-wondrousness. It's so effortlessly cool that Topshop have even named this a 'throw-on' coatigan. You're that freakin' laid back and pleased with your personal style that you just 'throw it on' before leaving the house. Fussing is not for you, heavens no.

God I'm boring aren't I. But I never seem to find coats that work well for me, and end up wearing just one that I'm not 100% happy with all Autumn and Winter and hating my lack of style and finesse. So this year I'm overjoyed at the prospect that this might just be the season where everything changes. Where people say, "here comes Olivia, in another stupendous coat. Pfff." (It's our dreams that sustain us, people.)

But in all seriousness, this is a LOVELY coat and I thoroughly recommend you getting your mitts on it too if you can. Perfect weekend attire, evening stroll attire, polished, effortless everyday attire. You get my drift. 

P.S. yes I did turn the cuffs up when I tried it on. I seem to do this on everything. My boyfriend knows when I have stolen his jumpers/coats/everything because this is the evidence trail I leave in my wake.

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TOP-HOT

See what I did there? Topshop is on fire for Autumn/Winter. The first new season bits and bobs started appearing over the past few weeks and they're soooo good. 

During that recent spell of Autumnal weather, people in London were starting (tentatively and begrudgingly) to break out their new season pieces. But then the sun came back and it was back to high summer. I for one like to save my precious Autumn purchases until the time is really right. 

If I had a beautiful antique trunk, I'd put my recent purchases into said trunk. 

It's no secret that often the best bits of the chilly season come out during the summer and it pays to pre-buy even before the leaves start to fall and the drizzle sets in for good. And there are certainly a few key pieces I'm keen to bag asap.

You saw my new coat in my last excitable post - I'm still very pleased about it and shall be for some time. Whilst in Topshop, making the coat my own, I was rather keen to add a few more items to my shopping basket, but financial restraints have to be considered and hammered home by loved ones at all times and so I could only give in to the coat. I'll be adding the below to my Autumn would-be-trunk soon I hope. Very soon.

Spike necklace, denim dress, bead necklace navy jumper, lurex thread jumper, faux fur gilet, charcoal woolly hat, western denim jacket with shearling-ish collar, wine Jamie jeans

If I were only to get one thing from this list - who am I kidding - it would be the denim dress. Deceptively simple but it is the perfect denim dress that I've been looking for forever and a day. My boyfriend is dubious, he hates denim in any other incarnation than jeans and even has a fear of the pearlised buttons found on denim shirts... I'm not overly sure what his problem is but it's deep rooted. Regardless, so good is this dress that I simply don't care. I'm going to wear it with woolly tights and my Isabel Marant black sneakers with my new boyfriend coat casually thrown over the top. The thought makes my heart flutter. It really does.

The fur gilet will be the queen of wardrobe layering. I want to do it in a nice way though, over khaki and with boucle jackets, NOT extensions and fake tan. The jumpers are just chic, pretty and easy and I'm drawn to the denim jacket because I think it is something a bit different and will be a tonic to all the khaki jackets with leather arms that are going to be multiplying before our eyes rather soon.

Lastly - a word on the jeans. Yes they're in a delicious deep burgundy colour, but the best part is that they are the high waisted, ankle grazer Jamie jeans. Jean nirvana, I kid you not. Some Jamie jeans are not cut this way - be warned. So when I come across them it's a sprint to the till. They fall precisely on the most flattering part of the ankle, are stretchy (allowing for knee bending and proper circulation for health and well being) and are high waisted without being too high waisted if ya know what I mean. It means denim wearing does not become a constant hitching marathon every time I wish to move, or say, reach across the table for a biscuit. My dignity in these jeans remains intact at all times and because of all the above, they are comfortable. Not always a given with skinny jeans.

I urge you to dash to Topshop soon - brilliant bits are hitting the rails on a daily basis. 

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IT'S IN THE BAG

Do I look happy? A little crazed? A little over excited? A little myspace? Well. I'm pretty pleased with myself. I have "bagged" my winter coat. It's freaking August - that's forward planning at its finest. 

I saw it online, tried it on in store, decided to go home and buy it online (online student discount perk). Got home, sold out in my size online. Horror. Hot footed it BACK into central London the next day. Nabbed it - negotiated the student discount despite my expired card. Hence my happy post-coat-purchase poses. I particularly like the one that suggests I've just finished a rap. 

It's the perfect throw-on coat - light, but woolly, nicely oversized and slightly Stella-esque cut outs. It's SOOO cool. 

Contrast Raglan Tweed Boyfriend Coat from Topshop.

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GONE... TO BRUGES

Last week I hopped on the Eurostar and headed to Bruges (or Brugge, whatever floats your boat). It was such a quick and easy journey - the lack of flying somehow takes it out of you less - which is great when you're on a short city break. 

It's a lovely, lovely city with beautiful old buildings, quiet backstreets and  a m a z i n g  chips (Bruges is famous for them, along with chocolate, waffles and beer). 

Tom Ford Cary shades, Monsoon striped dress (incredibly accommodating of waffles and chip over-consumption)

Whistles blouse, Topshop Jamie jeans and sandals

De Republiek's courtyard

Despite my wardrobe planning (see below) the weather did a u-turn and that pesky jet stream finally decided to get a shift on just in time for our trip. So the weather went from rainy 17 degrees to beautifully sunny 30 degrees! This was brilliant of course, but meant my carefully planned packing list had to be scrapped. In place of light khaki jackets and Isabel Marant sneakers were my staple broderie anglaise cotton blouses, striped dresses, sandals and shades. 

I'd thoroughly recommend Bruges as a destination for a short break - it was beautiful in the July sunshine and heat, but I have an inkling that it would be pretty darn special in Spring or early Autumn and downright magical in December.

MY FAVOURITE THING TO DO: Riding a bicycle

Everyone cycles around Bruges, tourists and residents alike. Cars are shockingly respectful and it's a great way to get around. We hired bikes for the day and cycled out of the city alongside the canals nearly reaching the border with Netherlands apparently...! Oh and the 30 minute boat ride around the canals, though touristy, is not to be missed.

MY FAVOURITE BAR: De Republiek 

Sint-Jakobsstraat 36

Such good music, lovely atmosphere and stupendous drinks menu. Waiters take your drinks order from your table which adds a nice touch to proceedings, wouldn't you agree? By the end the waiter knew we were there for the Amaretto Sour and Gin Fizz cocktails and very little else. 

MY FAVOURITE RESTAURANT: Malpertuus - t'Voske

Eirmarkt 9

This restaurant served my favourite meal in Bruges, the Flemish beef stew served with chips (what else?!). We sat outside the restaurant looking out upon a mini square and looking up at the hot air balloons passing overhead. 

Next time: We missed out on two restaurants I'd been very keen to hit up because they were BOTH closed during our stay:  Bistro Den Huzaar, Vlamingstraat 36 and Kaffe Pergola, Steenhouwersdijk City Centre

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Oh and P to the S.... The Bazils STILL haven't had their first outing because of the sunny weather - the fact they're still in their box is breaking my friggin' heart - I'm crying inside - so I'm taking them out for steak frites on Saturday. They deserve a treat. 

CITY BREAK WARDROBE PLANNING

I'm off to Bruges in a couple of weeks, and so naturally my mind has begun to wander about what to pack. We're only going for 3 nights so technically, I only need 3 or 4 outfits. I don't think I really need anything dressy. For evening I'll thwack on a pair of razzy earrings, or throw a jazzy clutch at the problem and call it a night. I think casual-chic is mostly the way to go? I might be wrong, I've never been there before!

CLOTHES TO PACK

 

From L - R, starting at the top: Topshop army jacket, Isabel Marant Haca jacket, Jaeger navy jacket, MiH stripe top, Whistles Lisa blouse, Topshop jumper, Topshop Neppy tee, Topshop jeans, Isabel Marant Bazil sneakers, Isabel Marant Dicker boots, Converses, French Sole ballet flats

The weather there seems to be pretty similar to London at the moment - drizzle ahoy - and high-teens-barely-breaking-into-the-twenties temperatures, hence the emphasis on useful little jackets and a light cotton parka to throw over outfits whenever I need it, and a jumper! Also note the shoes - all walkable. Yes, some more walkable than others, but the wedge on the Bazil sneakers (screams quietly with utter joy at how much I love these shoes!!) and the heel on the Dicker boots are definitely of the walkable variety. No tottering around for me - it doesn't suit. Converses are a clear must-pack, and pony flats courtesy of French Sole are perfection. 
All the shoes are mostly interchangeable with any of the potential outfits and each piece will marry up well with the khaki army jacket when necessary or one the the little jackets, which of course can be whipped off if the sun decides to come out. 
It's not quite city break style sudoku, but you get the idea! 

ACCESSORIES AND THE REST

Balenciaga City, Bruges guide book, Tom Ford Cary sunglasses, Topshop earrings, Phoebe Coleman necklace, Alex Monroe Pea Pod bracelet, Carmex lip balm, Clinique Almost Lipstick in Flirty Honey, Jo Molane White Lilac & Rhubarb Cologne, Bliss Triple Oxygen Infusing Mask 

At the moment our plans feature lots of beautiful building gazing, beer supping, chocolate chomping and the like. (Can you tell I haven't read my guide book yet?!)

Any tips for places to go or things to see in Bruges please DO let me know! 

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WHAT I WORE

I wore this little ensemble yesterday evening (the first vaguely summery evening all week! The rain is back today natch). We popped round the corner to a lovely pub near our flat for drinks and supper. I hit up the prosecco as I do all too often these days... and then we shared a darn delicious scallop starter before I tucked into sausages and mash washed down with a glass of rioja. Fun was had by all.

A sudden movement there made me lose my hand for a sec... Never fear, all is well.

I wore a Whistles blouse, Topshop 7/8ths jeans, Isabel Marant Dicker boots, Annina Vogel charm necklace and Essie Clam Bake upon my nails. 

This Whistles blouse is a relatively new acquisition - it wandered into my life during a post-exam season mini-spree. I'd been living in an attractive rotating combination of leggings/jogging bottoms/totes/big jumpers for well over a month and to break back into proper dressing was an utter joy. [Note to self: Amass a more attractive range of lounging clothes.] 

I was still mopping my eyes as I'm wont to do when an exam is over, and was by then well into my standard deep and multi dimensional coping strategies for when the news I'd failed by epic proportions was delivered a few weeks later. But it is a testament to the strength of my stylish spirit that I was (between gulps and through bleary eyes) able to clearly spot and decisively pick up this blouse (and another like it) and steer myself to the changing room and onwards to the till in some sort of detached trance. I also advised the mother in no uncertain terms about buying herself a lovely pair of deep red Russell and Bromley ballet pumps to go with her navy chinos. My devotion to lovely things knows no bounds. 

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P.S. Perhaps at this point I should clarify - I did manage to pass all my exams (phew) and so the coping strategies/plans of skipping the country and hitching lifts across the Australian outback with nothing but my wits to guide me are on hold until next summer.)

NEW THREADS

Me trotting around by the fridge at home (where else?) in my new Isabel Marant Etoile Haca jacket. 

I LOVE this little fellow. It's brilliantly quilted. It's cut so perfectly at the wrist. It has just the right narrowness in the arms. It even has a slight biker vibe from the side. Oh it's divine I tell you. I've been enjoying wearing it enormously (as you can see...)

Wearing: Topshop black Jamie jeans and white neppy tee, ancient Converses and Essie varnish in Clam Bake.

I'd had my beady eye on this lovely jacket for quite some time but hesitated initially. I was worried it might be a one-season-wonder. My dawdling of course ensured I missed my chance - it promptly sold out. Even the good people at Matches gently tried to encourage me to let the jacket go - it had sold out everywhere. 


Naturally, therefore, I took it as a sign when one day I was milling around their website and magically my size appeared. And I'm really pleased I took the plunge - it's so special and will only grow more so as time passes. Sometimes it's the best thing to take a little more time over a piece you think you love. Let it go, let the hype die down and then see if you still feel it's you. I always have a fluttering heart about many a thing I see on glossy pages, but it's learning to separate such passing whims from true love that is the key. I'm getting better at it in my ripe old age! 


Incidentally, I wore it last night to the theatre as part of a different ensemble from that above, and a friend said it reminded her of something, she wasn't sure what. I've decided it reminded her of far flung travels morphed with of-the-moment effortless cool. At home anywhere and always ready for an adventure. I'm sure she'd agree. :)


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