Topshop: I love you!

Yet another day of glorious weather...and I'm not complaining!

With the skies painted blue and the sun gleaming over the city, it's moments/days like these you just want to go out shopping! From finally re-arranging our wardrobes for spring/summer '14, and keeping all those autumnal clothes at bay...it really is a wonderful feeling!

On my way travelling home this evening, I took a little detour down Oxford Street! It was, of course, not originally planned...but then I realised my daily fashion fix was clearly over-due. (Any excuse.) 

...And there I was, in all my merriment and glory briskly walking down my all time favourite London shopping hotspot! Making the most of it, I went across all my typically favourite high street stores, in which Topshop certainly left me stunned! My love for pastels (as blogged about previously), was finally coming to life, and I actually had the chance to come across some really beautiful and original pieces...here's my pick of  a few! Check them out!

Alongside the pastels, big bold logo's and floral prints are definitely a hit this season! Topshop's SS14 collection really embraces the very dainty and feminine look with the classic midi A-line skirt and pencil skirt. It's all very hip and youthful, and the amalgamation of pastel colours and maximalist bright 'pop' colours are favourable for this season too. I particularly took this picture because the all time favourite drape around the shoulders is a yet again a very sensual look to wear. We last saw this with the boyfriend coat and all that autumnal layering, but layering is just as essential this season too.

 This gorgeous pastel yellow knit is so pretty for the spring, and I chose to add this on here because I absolutely love the intricate embellishments detailed around the shoulders. This jumper would look fabulous with a pair of denims or even a pair of duck-egg blue chino's. Love it!

I thought this skirt would look great for both the spring and summer, and can even be paired with a pair of black denier tights during the colder months of the year. I chose to add this because I love the box-square design, as opposed to a typical tartan skirt. It's great for a holiday getaway when paired with a crop tee! And the bright pink colour gives that fresh flash of colour to your wardrobe. 

 This winter was all about the fluffy knits, and the trend has definitely followed through to the spring too! I think this duck-egg blue fluffy knit is versatile enough to wear whatever the weather, and particularly great for the spring/summer given its cute cut off sleeves. I did, however, find the jumper in itself a little plain, and decided to pair this necklace with it to give it some overall warmth!

For that graceful afternoon out in Sloane Square to a plush bar in Soho, this vibrant orange lace midi-dress would look great for a spring day and evening out. The floral design and bright colour work extremely well together to create a very feminine and sensual spring/summer piece. It's definitely edgy and different, which is why it's displayed here! Pair it with a pair of sling-back ankle heels and a pair of floral drop earrings and thats the outfit ready! 

I wouldn't necessarily take this satchel bag around with me everywhere, but I think it's the perfect eye-candy for a casual day out to even a day out shopping. The colour is definitely one of my current favourites and I love the rose-gold detailing in the buckle and straps. It's a classic piece that should definitely be worn from time to time. I've always deemed it essential to change your arm-candy bags regularly. It's refreshing!

Spring, sun and splendour!

Yesterday, March 9th 2014, the weather was incredible! Ok, slight exaggeration, given the fact it hit a maximum high of 17 degrees here in South London! But, for me, that was in fact pure bliss! After blustering cold weather and storms taking over pretty much of January and February, it feels great to be finally heading out on a weekend to 'enjoy' the blossoming weather. Now, I know you don't want to exactly read a blog post about the weather (do you?), but since the weather was generously warm yesterday, I thought it would be worthwhile doing an outfit post?!

I very rarely have a chance to do one of these posts on here, because I'm either too busy working, or I don't have a good enough selfie...such is life! However, on this occasion, I managed to get myself snapped up and all ready in my outfit for the day, and hence thought it would be worthwhile sharing it with you all.  

From raiding my wardrobe for all things spring, I left the pastels for a warmer day post  March and decided to stick to crisp whites and denims for a polished casual look...

Selfie of the day - sunglass ready! 

Tinted sunglasses - River Island

Kensington Palace Gardens...blue skies! 

Afternoon at Hyde Park - Lido Restaurant

#OOTD - Red lace vest, sheer white sleeveless blouse,

denim blue skinny jeans, and ballerina animal print pumps

I chose to stick to denims for the day because it wasn't exactly boiling-hot enough to wear a pleated skirt or a pair of shorts! But casual blue denims look great for a brisk walking day out. Whilst I was pretty set in my mind about wearing these jeans, it did take me quite a while to decide what exactly I'd pair them with. I went from wearing a pastel cami-top with a chic denim jacket, a floral print top, which seemed a little too striking, to this minimalist casual sheer blouse looks - for an understated and tranquil look!

There is absolutely nothing over-powering or out of the box with this outfit, but its super comfy and simply stylish for a day out in the spring sun. I chose to wear a pop of red beneath my sleeveless boyfriend blouse because it goes fabulously well with blue jeans, and serves to bring in that minimal ounce of colour and freshness to the overall look. 

 Vibrant Red Vest - H&M 

I particularly love the lace detail! 

Minimal designs have a big impact when everything is put together!

This boyfriend blouse pictured below is such a great spring/summer overlay! Its sheer white colour makes it perfect for the weather, and its boyfriend oversize design enables it to be incredible free-flowing on the body - you do feel so liberated and comfortable! This white blouse can be paired with almost anything too, even a crop tee for the summer. I personally think its a must have for your wardrobe this season! 

 Simple button up sleeveless blouse - Topshop 

Free-flowing design, perfect in the heat! 

A really effective garment that can look great with almost anything.

Classic camel croc design ballerina flats.

Where comfort meets chic style!

I chose to finish off my look with a pair of these camel croc flats, mix and matching the neutrals shades together. I was originally contemplating whether it would be warm enough to wear a pair of sling-back flats, but I think I did the right thing of waiting to wear them for a warmer day! The pair I had chosen to wear yesterday were in fact the perfect choice for the day. From strolling around various parks throughout the day, I wanted to wear something that was super comfy and equally complimented my outfit. Neutral nudes and camel's are perfect for this weather, and enables you to play around more with your outfit, as opposed to putting all the attention on your feet!

I hope you all had a pleasant weekend too and enjoyed the weather in or out of London! Do share comments and pictures about what you wore too! 

The rise of the sneakers

If there's one thing that Chanel and Dior have proudly embraced in their all new couture collections, its the very sporty trainer-cum-sneaker! From SS14 to AW14, the runway has not just been about the latest in couture clothing, but also about the latest in couture footwear!

Women's couture footwear has often been over-shadowed by the classic court shoe, sling-back stilettos or chic and smart flats (in particular, the oh so gorgeous loafers). However, as of 2014, footwear fashion is stepping out of its comfort zone...moving away from the conventional, trusted pair of heels, to an all new comforting, flat and sporty pair of sneakers! Who'd have thought?! The resilient pair of not so stylish running shoes that were often associated with early-morning gym enthusiasts to those evening park runners have now become a necessity for every woman's wardrobe...the ultimate fashion fix! While sport brands Nike and Adidas can commemorate in the joy of the rise of the sneaker, will you be joining in the rise of wearing the fashionable sneaker too?

While the runway has ushered us into a world of sneaker acceptance, I have also spotted a couple of ladies braving the trend on streets across Central London too. Now, although this all new sneaker trend has influenced me to share this post, I would also like to comment on the notion of pairing a pair of flat lace up sport-shoes with a sophisticated skirt/dress. Let's all take a moment to reflect...

Honestly, when I first saw this style of outfit incorporated in Chanel's SS14 collection, I wasn't sure about how much of a lasting impression it would have. Clearly, I was wrong. Going back to the ladies who I have caught a glimpse of on the high-street, they were wearing their sneakers with a classic A-line skirt!!! Can you believe it? And that's when you know, it's definitely a fashion hit! 

It's hard to say what makes the sneaker the perfect pairing with a sophisticated mid-length skirt, but it does work. Maybe it's just about embracing comfort? I mean runway fashion has always evoked sheer opulence, but equally reminded us that we can't always be in the same fashionable space to wear what's presented to us on the runway. These sneakers, however, they seem to appeal to more than just the runway model or couture enthusiast...they're in our reach, they're practical, comfortable and right on trend. The heeled pump that we apparently labelled 'trendy', 'sophisticated', and 'lady-like' is not necessarily a thing of the past, but somewhat limited to only attracting the archetype dainty woman. The sneaker, on the other hand, dismisses the need of any such approval, and invites you to wear your feminine midi skirt with these robust lace-up's like never before. 

It will of course not tickle everybody's fashion tastes, but when comfort and keeping on trend is key, these sneakers are ideal. Whether you label them sneakers or trainers, it really doesn't matter...so long as you embrace them and wear them this summer! 

Grocery shopping meets couture: Chanel and #PFW

From New York, London and Milan Fashion Week, to the much awaited Paris Fashion Week, the months of February and early March have sure left us crushing over A/W14's couture collections! From those all time classic pastel layerings in Milan to Alice Cicolini's quirky Indian-inspired designs in London, AW/14 seems to have something or the other to whet every fashion enthusiasts appetite. And then there's Karl Lagerfeld's all new ready-to-wear collection for Chanel - classically chic, Parisian and youthful, it leaves majority of us seriously stunned! 

The Grand Palais' exhibition hall was given an all new look for today's show when everything, and I mean literally everything, was transformed into a home-grown Chanel Shopping Centre. From Chanel's very own cereal brand to Chanel's personalised bath salts and more, Lagerfeld merged together the world of high street grocery shopping with luxury couture, enabling his ready wear collection to be a part of this all new everyday runway shopping fiasco. Models strutted down the aisles with Chanel's chain-design shopping baskets, trolley's, and dangerously appealing chain-saws, making a very ordinary grocery shopping experience appear extra, extra, extraordinary.

Dressed from head to toe in stone-grey, camel and candy pink, the classic tweed jacket, tartan prints and dainty pleats, which have very much been at the heart of the Chanel brand, were all given an all new sensual twist. From shopping bags in one hand to the all time favourite Chanel handbag in the other, the AW/14 women's ready-to-wear collection was just as much about these laced up boots and casual trainers too. From pairing a slimline jacket and skirt with a pair of high-gloss skinny's and street-style trainers, to a sophisticated jacket-suit paired with flat-heel leather lace up boots, the collection would be perfect race-day attire, despite coming straight off the catwalk!

And that's not all. From matching crop's with ragged trousers, silver chains and extra long coats, Chanel's much talked about A/W14 collection embraces the all new fresh-face boy-look. That is, little emphasis given to all things feminine curves, and more emphasis given to those straight, figureless lines! Apparently, these autumnal vintage inspired Chanel coats will make for the the perfect over-lay on a day out grocery shopping! And judging from the above, Cara Delevigne sure thinks so too. I love the all new roll-neck crop, especially when paired with a sporty pair of trainers. The perfect tom-boy meets skater-girl look. Karl Lagerfeld impresses yet again!

Now let's go grocery shopping shall we?!