Fur Real?

(Image via Harvey Nichols)

So it is that time of year again, when my thoughts turn to spending a lot of money on a dress that I might only wear once. Yup, it is Christmas time, and more specifically Christmas party time. I have two work Christmas dos this year. One is casual and starts with some ice skating so I will be going for cosy chic and the other I suspect will be a bit more dressy. It is at our offices in Lytham, near Blackpool so I'm guessing, and I might be way off mark, but I'm guessing that they might go all out. I think there might be some DRESSES, do you know what I mean? I think there might be more than the odd sequin in town. I mean we will be practically within spitting distance of the Tower Ballroom and if there is one thing that Blackpool loves more than a donkey ride and a drunken stag vomiting on the promenade it has got to be a sequin.

Of course I am a contrary beast. I always crave being out of kilter with the general flow, I like to swim against the current. So while I might tend to be over dressed most of the time when a dress code requests you go all out that is the point I tend to hang back,  to want to be a bit more nonchalant, a bit more, you know, Parisienne. I want to look as though I am not trying too hard.

So while I was looking at delightful black sequin dresses in All Saints

(Image via All Saints)

and LK Bennett,

(Image via LK Bennett)

with maybe a loose fitting tuxedo jacket thrown over the top, what I am actually more drawn to is a black trouser, flashing just the right amount of ankle, a short sleeved top of some kind (maybe white lace) and a really shit hot pair of shoes.

I was drawn to something similar to these

(Image via Telegraph Fashion)

 

which I think are awfully sexy. But I while looking for something similar I fear I have lost my heart to the Sophia Webster pair at the top. Aren't they to die? I truly would feel like the silliest and sexiest girl in all the land. Sequins be damned!

Black as Pitch

(Images via All Saints)

Now that I'm pretending to be a tough girl I feel the need for a tough girl pair of sandals for summer. I have never owned black sandals other than flip flops as I feel they are too brutal and harsh for summer. But with my pared down look that I am attempting to pull together I really want a pair and quite fancy this pair from All Saints.

What is even weirder though, is that I am also thinking about a black handbag from them too. And that just seems to be going against everything I believe in in terms of seasonal fashion.

But if I base my summer wardrobe around black and white with the occasional pop of colour, particularly if it is neon, then I think it just might work. Would you agree or am I off the mark?

Dressed to the Nines

(Via All Saints)

I know that I said I had given up and would wear something for new year that I already owned, but I can't help myself, if I have an occassion I want to buy a new dress for it, I'm just built that way.

And this little number has taken my fancy. It is jersey so it would be super easy to wear. It is terribly flattering with the gathering, but is fitted at the back so it doesn't make me look as though I am wearing a sack and the straps are awfully flattering on my shoulders, back and arms.

I would like to wear it with thick black tights, maybe the librarians and lots of black eye make up. I think I love it. I think it must be mine...

Hat Trick

I am a grown woman. And a grown woman needs a grown woman's hat. Not one of those floppy beanies that looks like it has fallen asleep and slipped half way down the back of your head (those boys with deep v t-shirts, low slung skinny jeans and leather jackets can keep those).



And I have decided the grown up hat for me is the fedora.



And I have chosen this one from All Saints to be mine. Isn't it the most? I will be both warm and chic from this moment forward. Just thought you'd like to know.

One Small Step For Man

I often think that for men to try to hard to look good is vain and unsexy. Unless it is for a formal look, suited and booted, or a DJ, but otherwise being understated is infinitely more appealing.

The opposite? Well, the look that is grossing me out most that men are sporting at the moment? That All Saints jeans and worker boots with a deconstructed jacket and chunky scarf look. (Shudder!)



Am I alone in this?



I don't want a man who is more interested in how they look than I am. Double standard, I know. And it isn't even that I don't like a man to be into fashion, or want to look good. But there is a fine line. And this look really crosses that line. By like a mile.



So if my opinion is of any value at all, put the worker boots down, or at the very least untuck your jeans from them, you are upsetting me.

Shades of Grey

(Via Kurt Geiger)

Have you ever been in a shop and tried on shoes only to find that only one of them seems to exist in the shop? No? Well that exact thing happened to me yesterday. Gah!

I was in pretty urgent need of some cheering up and so I thought NEW SHOES! Obviously.

For some reason these tickled my fancy. But they only had one shoe in my size. Which is probably just as well, because I am not at all sure about the grey strip at the bottom. I heard a couple of girls comment on how hideous the bottom was, and while the shoe is lovely in every other way, terribly comfortable and good with both skirts and trousers, I think I might be inclined to agree that the grey spoils them. I was willing to be swayed, colluded, but I chose to see the absence of the other bootie as a sign to leave it well alone myself.

I also tried on these bad boys


(Via All Saints)

Sheesh! The very definition of directional, no? And they looked so f'in awesome on. My legs looked better than in any other pair of shoes. But dear God they are uncomfortable. I was in excruting amounts of pain within about 30 seconds of having them on my hoofs. And how exactly you are meant to walk in them is quite beyond me.

It is slightly perverse that despite these fairly fundamental flaws I still kind of want them.

All Tied Up

(Image via Handbag)

Wow! Isn't this dress awfully pretty? It's from All Saints which strikes me as unusual, as it isn't

a)black,

b)leather or

c)deconstructed.

But honestly, what does that matter when it is as adorable as this?

Saint or Sinner?

(Image via All Saints)

Actually, I am generally on a bit of an All Saints kick at the moment. I have always thought they were over priced and too you know, hardcore, trendy, Antwerp-style torn up for me. But with this bad girl thing I want to start rocking I am starting to really feel it.

I really love this dress. It seems quite Westwood to me. Do we like it?

Single White Female

Darling, I lost a few pounds while I was away. And I wouldn't suggest that there isn't still quite a lot of me, but I am feeling quite a lot more confident at the moment. And I am fairly determined to keep the weight off and keep on going.

So I bought some very tight skinny jeans from River Island, which I love, as a way of ensuring that the weight doesn't creep back on. I also bought some Nike burgundy quilted high tops which look amazing with the jeans. (They are tasteful, I promise you, you would love them...)

But I find that I might be cloning your style, because all I want to do is wear grungy mean girl t shirts with my skinnies and lots of silver jewellery and lots of black eyeliner. If I had any hair to speak of I would want to be bouffing it...


(Image via All Saints)

Is this ok? I want to swap my pink nail varnish for steel. I want to wear check shirts and a sneer. I want to put away my pretty dresses and just, you know, be nasty!

What's going on?