LFF TALKS STYLE CLASSICS

In attempt to de-clutter my minuscule London bedsit, I've been having a wardrobe detox. I've decided to be ruthless - giving away or selling clothes that I haven't worn in the past 6 months. Sorting through my wardrobe has made me realise that I acquire far too trend-driven pieces that don't stand the test of time, and how freeing it would be to only invest in timeless fashion. With that in mind - I've compiled the below edit of wear-forever buys: 

1. A classic breton tee: blue/navy colour combinations are best
2. Mid wash blue skinny jeans: a classic wash and cut

3. Anything grey marl: t-shirts, sweaters, converse - grey marl oozes effortless cool

4. Sequins: will the appeal of sequins ever date? I don't think so. The desire to dazzle is timeless 

5. Leopard print: a style classic, best when injected through accessories

6. Statement jewels: A bold statement necklace will always look chic

7. Converse: the ultimate off-duty shoe, it's their comfort factor that makes converse classic

1. Hope stripe top, Joules, £29.95.
2. Masaya mid-wash jeans, Whistles, £95. 
3. Petit Bateau grey marl sweater, Atterley Road, £70. 
4. Erdem floral & sequin skirt, Matchesfashion.com, £1,090.
5. Alana leopard print courts, Hobbs, £159. 
6. Pina vintage necklace, Cinderela B, £125.
7. Converse high-tops, ASOS, £50. 

ps. I forgot the black ballet pump definitely a style classic in the LFF world too!

Collaborative post

THE LFF HALLOWEEN FASHION EDIT

With Halloween just around the corner, it's time for the seasonal LFF edit. You need a bit of kitsch around All Hallows' Eve - but some of these buys have mileage post 31st October too. I bought a J W Anderson for Topshop ghost print jumper last year that I wear all year round and I think Forever 21's faux fur bat jacket (no.2) would work as a cool winter cover up. For collectable design classics, you can't go wrong with Charlotte Olympia footwear, I love her pumpkin flats (no.3) and bat motif courts (no.5). Lulu Guinness's Wild Cat Clutch (no.4) is another great designer investment that just happens to work on the Halloween theme. Plus it's payday time, so there's no better excuse to (trick or) treat yourself (see what I did there?! sorry.)

1. Pumpkin t-shirt, New Look, £7.99.
2. Faux-fur bat jacket, Forever 21, £27. 
3. Charlotte Olympia Trick or Treat Flats, Net-a-porter.com, £495.
4. Lulu Guinness Wild Cat Clutch, Coggles, £175. 
5. Charlotte Olympia Bat Print Desiree Pumps, Net-a-porter.com, £545. 
6. Lace Cat Eyes, Topshop, £7. 

LFF'S CINDRELLA MOMENT WITH WISH WANT WEAR

You may not know that I work in the fine jewellery business in my day job. Last month I was invited to an industry event - The Professional Jeweller Hot 100 party held at One Marylebone - a lavish affair that celebrates the hottest movers and shakers working in jewellery on a annual basis. These events tend to be extravagant dripping-in-diamonds occasions, so I knew I would need a special outfit for the party. Luckily the kind team at Wish Want Wear - the online designer dress hire UK specialist came to my rescue. 

LFF EDITS: LEOPARD PRINT FOR AW13

Debenhams recently offered me the opportunity to pick a couple of pieces from their website that summed up London Fashion Week for me. Whilst the main event at LFW is what's happening on the catwalks - a big source of my sartorial inspiration also comes from off the runway - I love to style stalk the fashion editors and see what they're wearing for the shows. One key street style trend I noticed amongst the sartorially gifted this season was the heavy influence of leopard print. The pattern may be nothing new - but the way to wear it has definitely changed. Treat leopard print as a neutral basic and style it where you would previously wear a block colour: an animal print court shoe looks great with printed trouser and a pencil skirt would look modern with a Breton tee for example. I picked a lovely lightweight Warehouse sweater (no.1) and a Nine West court shoe (no.6) from Debenhams, but any of the below are great buys:

1. Brushed animal print jumper, Warehouse at Debenhams, £40. 
2. Leopard hair and leather gloves, Warehouse at Debenhams, £30. 
3. Animal skirt, Warehouse at Debenhams, £28.
4.'Lillian' pony slippers, Dune at Debenhams, £69. 
5. Leopard print watch, DKNY at Debenhams, £80.
6. Ponyhair courts, Nine West at Debenhams, £59. 

LFF'S TOP 5 OCTOBER BEAUTY BUYS

Welcome to a new feature on LFF - my round up of my top 5 beauty discoveries that I'll be sharing on a monthly basis. As a blogger I am in the fortunate position that I receive quite a few beauty products as gifts, meaning that I am regularly sampling new and interesting lotions and potions. I am quite picky about my beauty and skincare routine, so a product really has to work and deliver something different to become a new LFF staple. These are the five products that I am loving in October:

1. Nivea In-Shower Body Moisturiser, 400ml £3.55 

New to the market - I decided to give Nivea's In-Shower Body Moisturiser a try after finding it on offer in my local supermarket. The concept is simple: apply it to damp skin post shower gel and then rinse off. Initially sceptical,  I am now ADDICTED - I can't stand the sticky residue some moisturisers leave behind, so this product offers the ideal solution. It also saves vital minutes in the morning, which, as a routine oversleeper is always welcome!

2. Smooch Black Lash mascara, £8.95

Mascaras always tend to find their way in to press goody bags, so I have tried quite a few in 2013 - with hit and miss results. This bold black lash mascara by Smooch is my latest discovery and, given the full and thick lashes it creates, I'm quite suprised to find it is priced at an affordable £8.95. 

3. Color Club Nail Polish 'Reign in Spain'

It's no secret that I love a bit of neon - so this day-glo nail lacquer, shade 'Reign in Spain' by Color Club is a big hit with me. The team from Birchbox UK kindly gave me the polish to trial at The Apartment during London Fashion Week and it has been in circulation with my favourite nail colours ever since. 

4. Avon Nailwear Pro+ 'Viva Pink' £4

I love the shade of this Avon nail polish - it's a true Barbie pink for those days when you want to feel unashamedly girly! £1 from the sale of each of bottle is  donated to Break Through Breast Cancer too, making it an guilt-free beauty buy. 

5. Liz Earle Energising Body Lotion, 150ml £18

I was introduced to this fab product in the HandPicked Media lounge at London Fashion Week. Despite being branded 'energising', I actually like to use this Liz Earle body lotion before I head to the land of nod. It has a yummy herbal scent that I find really soothing and it sinks into skin instantaneously to leave skin smooth and supple. 

6 OF THE BEST: EMBELLISHED KNITS

I've spotted a little micro trend going on right now for embellished knits, studded with twinkling jewels to decorative effect.There's a lovely sweater/ t-shirt hybrid in Banana Republic right now that I will definitely be purchasing when my bank balance permits (I'm saving for a Macbook and on a strict no-shopping ban) but as the temperature in the UK is rapidly falling, a jeweled knit will make a wise investment for the coming months. I say investment because an embellished sweater is a versatile piece - dress it down with denim or leather in the day and add a dash of brocade for an opulent look after dusk. Which is your favourite?

1. Deep berry knitted jumper, Topshop, £46. 
2. Markus Lupfer floral jewelled knit, Matchesfashion.com, £347. 
3. J.Crew Crystal embellished cotton sweatshirt, Net-a-porter.com, £170. 
4. Black bug embellished sweater, New Look, £22.99. 
5. Grey knitted embellished jumper, Topshop, £46. 
6. Plum gem cable jumper, Dorothy Perkins, £35.

LFW SS14 BORA AKSU SHOW: IN LFF TEN

Bora Aksu was given the privilege of opening London Fashion Week SS14 with the 9am scheduling in the Somerset House show space. Normally, super early show times can lead to empty seats (fashion bodies aren’t  know for being early risers…) but the Bora Aksu show was packed – indicative of the dedicated following the London-based Turkish designer has inspired.

LFF EDITS: NEW LOOK AW13 COLLECTION

I'm still enjoying the SS13 trend for all things monochrome - especially if there's a geometric print involved. New Look asked me to compile a wishlist from their AW13 collection so I've put together an edit of some of the monochrome buys online at the moment. There are some stylish formal dresses at New Look right now - I love the graphic look of this AX Paris dress. There's also a beautiful pair of beaded shorts and a quilted paisley jacket that have that insouciant Parisian vibe going on. Any of the below buys are enough to convince me that there's still plenty of mileage in the monochrome trend for AW13

1.AX Paris monochrome shift dress, £25.
2.Beaded shorts, £22.99. 
3.Monochrome paisley jacket, £29.99.
4.Monochrome panel slippers, £19.99.
5.Black flocked t-shirt, £14.99. 
6.Frosted rope choker, £7.99. 

Collaborative post with New Look

LFF OUTFITS: THE F&F DENIM CHALLENGE

F & F at Tesco recently invited me to take part in their 'Denim Challenge' and style up a piece of denim to celebrate the launch of their AW13 collection. At first I was dubious – supermarket chic is not usually for me – but with a billboard campaign and a recent feature in Vogue F&F is looking distinctly on-trend right now. I went for the light wash boyfriend jeans, £14 because they were available in a longer leg length, necessary for my 34” pins. When the jeans arrived I was pleasantly surprised with the wash, it had a look of more expensive denim. The waist was a little slouchy for my liking, but the tapered legs created a nice shape around the ankle. I styled the look with a lovely and cosy F&F mens lambswool jumper , £20 – I like the slouchy fit of men’s knits -  and a pair of indigo blue pointed courts that look much more expensive than their £22 price tag. Will you be checking out F&F denim?