Press Day Circuit

As part of my job as a stylist I attend press days. These events take place a little while after the catwalk shows and showcase what each brand will be selling for the forthcoming season. So last week I headed out in the the relentless rain dressed for lots of pavement pounding to see what's new for AW14

Dressing for comfort in H&M, Uniqlo, Topshop, Jaeger and Miu Miu

First up was Arcadia whose brands include Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins and Wallis. The statement necklace trend seems to be sticking around for AW14.

This pleather two piece from Miss Selfridge in winter florals was an eye catching outfit.

This unstructured jacket from Topshop has my name all over it!

Saying goodbye to the loveliness at Arcadia I headed over to Oasis. What a spectacular set up! The theme was 'Fun At The Circus' and it was like stepping into another world full of bumper cars:

And the cutest knitted fish and food props.

This striking orange coat was my favourite item from the collection, what better way than to cheer up a dreary winter day than with a citrus cover up!

I also had my first cronut, very delicious but I could feel my arteries clogging up.

My final stop was Kurt Geiger where I made a mental shopping list of all the shoes I want for winter. These berry brogues and starry flats are gorgeous and practical.

These studded boots are on my shopping list.

Kurt Geiger also showed some great bags. I adore animal print and this roomy shoulder bag is a perfect statement day bag.

Look out for more press day fun next week!

Jean-Paul Gaultier's World

A fellow freelancer friend and I took advantage of our unscheduled working hours and visited the Jean-Paul Gaultier exhibition at The Barbican last week and what an educational treat it was. I remember JPG from his days as presenter on the brilliant Eurotrash which I was allowed to stay up late and watch with my Dad, which was way before I realised JPG was a designer!

Remember Spitting Image? JPG bought his puppet

The exhibition is quite large, spanning his career from the last extraordinary 40 years. 

If I smoked I would so carry my cigarettes around like this!

Along with key outfits from his couture and ready-to-wear collections the show features iconic editorial images featuring his designs, catwalk clips (my favourite ones were from back in the eighties), a catwalk show and details of which celebrity has worn what (you come face to face with Madonna's cone bras). 

You can get super close to the outfits and it's incredibly interesting to see the thousands of tinny tiny beads and intricate details only inches away. 

The faces projected onto the mannequin's heads that wink, sing and flirt are a little disconcerting at first but you get used to them after they blow a kiss at you! 

The exhibition runs until 25th August and is well worth a few hours of your time.

Weekend Scenes

Another three day weekend! Yay! It kicked off in a very pro-active fashion on Saturday morning with a Capital Tri Duathlon race at the Olympic Velo Park, and I didn't come last! If you like cycling I wholeheartedly recommend visiting the track for a zoom around. 

Looking happy post race, the lactic acid had yet to kick in!

Post race fuel came in the form of homemade blueberry pancakes. It was the first time I've attempted them and they were incredibly easy and tasty. I substituted the milk for hazlenut milk and added some almonds into the recipe for more protein. 

Yummy Blueberry Pancakes

Much of the weekend was spent lazing around finally reading Grace Coddington's autobiography. What a life Grace has enjoyed! I finished the book on Sunday and love the flame haired super stylist even more than before.

Grace Coddington's memoir is a must read!

Saturday evening we headed to my favourite local burger spot The Advisory for veggie burgers and humungous onion rings. They do a mean bourbon cocktail too!

The Advisory

It was a sort of date night so I decided to wear my new H&M skirt.

Skirt H&M, Sweater Uniqlo, Very Old Boots Topshop, Bag & Other Stories

Over the weekend I finally treated myself to something I've been lusting after for years. And despite it being a wildly extravagant purchase I LOVE it!

My beautiful new Rolex

A girl's got to treat herself right!?!

Enjoy the rest of the long weekend!

In My Bag

It's a bit of a mixed bag this time. I've stepped out of my comfort zone with a few of the items, cropped top, embellishment and there's some colour, shock horror! 

First up, I'm clearly missing the beach. This light weight mini dress with neon embroidery will be the perfect daytime cover up on my next holiday.

Dress £37 Monsoon

I actually bought this top for a job but liked it so much I got one for myself. The style is shorter than I'd normally choose, but it will motivate me to do more sit ups! I love the coated stripe running down the front and it's off white tone make it perfect for cooler summer days.

Jumper £65 & Other Stories

I seem to have a thing for skirts recently, two have made it into my shopping bag. This skirt came to my attention on Instagram via The Frugality and it was love at first sight. Grey, just below the knee, scuba fabric, embellished and an excellent price point. It's a little more feminine than I normally choose but I'll pair it with some boots or simple sandals and a plain navy sweater or white tee to tone it down.

Skirt £39.99 H&M

Skirt number two is also cut below the knee and in scuba fabric. The dropped peplum detail make this a fantastic dress up or down skirt and I will wear it with strappy heeled sandals for evening or my Miu Miu skate shoes during the day. 

Skirt £55 ASOS

While at the airport on my way to Oslo I decided to save some money in Zara and buy these jewelled flat sandals in duty free. Super comfy and I love the mesh and black embellishment detail.

Sandals £29.99 Zara

Hei-Hi From Oslo

I am lucky enough to travel quite a lot as part of my job. Last week I visited Norway to style an advertising campaign for a regular client. It's my sixth time in Oslo but sadly we usually just arrive, work in a photography studio then head home again. This time we were shooting on location and the weather was gorgeous (this is the first time it's been sunny when I've visited!) We were based just outside Oslo and tramped around fields and bogs to get the perfect shots.

The office for the day

The location van minus a loo...oh the glamour!

The team at work in the woods

My favourite place to eat in Oslo is The Nighthawk Diner. Great burgers (even veggie ones for me), the most attentive staff and the reason I always want to go back, the cherry and chocolate milkshake. Heaven in a glass!

The Nighthawk Diner's Milkshake

On the last morning I had about 30 minutes to wander and came across Kate Moss by Marc Quinn. 

I also found Ahlens, a great interiors store selling everything from chevron rugs, to striped straws. If I'd had more time, and suitcase space, I would have done some shopping.

Cute frogs at Ahlens

Candle sticks from Ahlens

Bye Bye Oslo! Hope to see you again soon....

Weekend Scenes

After spending the week working in Oslo (more to come on that) and then having to work on Saturday, my weekend was restricted to only one day. I still managed to cram in another open air swimming session at London Fields Lido followed by the best hot chocolate in London and the most delicious cheese and marmite rolls and nutty brownies from my favourite local cafe Albion.

Delicious baked good from Albion, plates from Anthropologie

We decided to play tourist for a few hours, heading to the super bustling Millennium Bridge to enjoy the views across the Thames.

I love London!

We then headed to Tate Modern for a wander. I studied Picasso when doing my A levels many many years ago so it was a treat to see one of my favourite paintings by him in real life.

Picasso's Three Dancers at Tate Modern

And sadly it's Monday again and back to work...

Fuggly Sliders

I love the current trend for sliders. My boyfriend doesn't understand why I'd want to wear footwear that is slightly wrong looking, but the comfort factor and being able to pick up a pair reasonably cheaply makes me want a shoe cupboard full of them for summer. 

Nike Benassi £16

My collection began with these Nike Benassi's I got a few months ago. I wear them to potter around the home, take them swimming with me and wear with a rolled up jean. Super comfy and cheap as chips.

Zara Sliders £29.99

Continuing the monochrome theme are these little beauties from Zara. They are far more elegant than my Nike's and would work well with a smart trousers or midi skirt for day.

ASOS Fracture Leather Sliders £25

Yellow and grey is one of my favourite colour combinations for interiors and now I can have it for my feet with these bargain buys from ASOS. I love the slightly sporty sole and would wear these with denim shorts and a stripe top on a summer weekend.

Calvin Klein Sliders £80

What's not to love about these sliders? The grey geometric print, the velcro fastening and the excellent price point. These are definitely in my shopping bag.

Givenchy Floral Sliders £545

If I had a money tree I would pluck off some notes and happily spend them on these Givenchy beauties. I've tried them on, they made me smile and I tried to justify buying them in a cost-per-wear way that I normally employ when purchasing a designer bag. Alas, back on the shelf they went. But if you do have a money tree I recommend these with all my slider loving heart.

Images: Zara, ASOS, The Outnet, stylecaster.com