Jump To It

I thought my days of wearing jumpsuits were over until I spied this little beauty in Topshop. I tried it on, still felt a little unsure but bought it anyway, then took the plunge and wore it the next day to a shoot. To my surprise I received more compliments and "where is it from?" comments than I have had in a very long time. The thick slinky fabric ensures flattering coverage over the derrière, it's navy so I automatically love it, the cuffed ankle and wrist are a great detail and it's super comfortable (allow a few extra minutes when going to the loo though). 

Jumpsuit Topshop, Bag Prada, Sandals Topshop

I wore mine with simple flat sandals, but I intend to wear it with a strappy high heel and a bright clutch bag for evening or a leather biker jacket and some slip on trainers in cooler weather. It's a versatile wardrobe essential that I will be wearing again and again in the coming months. Here is a round up of some other jumpsuits to entice you to add this versatile item to your wardrobe.

The perfect weekend jumpsuit, wear with trainers or tan sandals.

Zara £59.99

The perfect holiday jumpsuit (with boning for added support), just add a tan and long gold necklaces.

Topshop £60

The perfect wedding jumpsuit, pair with a blazer and metallic accessories.

 

Reiss £245

The perfect workwear jumpsuit, add brogues and simple graphic jewellery.

COS £135

The dream evening jumpsuit, wear with a metallic high heel and gold cuffs.

Stella McCartney at Net-A-Porter £1,435

Images: Topshop, Reiss, Zara, COS, Net-A-Porter, 

Weekend Scenes

What a wonderful weekend. I love the sunshine and blue skies are a definite mood elevator. We started the weekend on a productive note with 5km Parkrun and I managed a personal best!

It was finally warm enough for me to wear my MiH stripe dress.

Dress MiH, Sandals Birkenstock, Bag Chanel

My new Gazelles arrived and made me feel like a Jamiroquai loving teenager again! I opted for grey, more summery than black and the neutral colour will work with 99% of my wardrobe.

Trainers Adidas

The beautiful sunshine encouraged me to paint my nails in the most summery tone I could find.

Nails Topshop

The balmy evenings called for alfresco dining.

The BEST guacamole & tortilla chips from Wholefoods

Sunday night BBQ action

I also introduced the boyfriend to Twin Peaks. He's hooked and it's as good as I remember. Watching one too many episodes is why I'm feeling less than fresh as a daisy this morning!

Twin Peaks

Tips From The Pros

Through my job I get to work with some amazing hair and make up artists. I find it mesmerising watching them at work and am always interested in the products in their kit. As such I thought it only fair to share the insider knowledge with my lovely readers. So here goes...

The wonderfully talented Andriani Vasiliou studied Fine Art at esteemed university Central Saint Martins before embarking on a career in make up and honing her skills at Glauca Rossi School of Make Up. Andriani has worked with clients including Australian Vogue, Tatler, Elle UK and celebrities such as Tom Daley and Sheridan Smith. Here she gives us an insight into the Top 10 beauty products she couldn't do her job without.

When it comes to foundation it has to be Vitalumiere by Chanel. This applies easily, looks flawless and Chanel has the best colour range for every skin tone.

I usually hate face powder but Secret Brightening Power by Laura Mercier doesn't sit on the skin instead it brightens rather than dulls the face.

Le Blush Creme by Chanel is genius, I've never seen a blusher like it! It goes on like a cream (blend on with your finger), sets and stays put.  The formulation means you can layer it on and build it up depending on the look you're going for. 

Matt Bronzer by Lancome isn't too orange and doesn't look false. It's great for olive skin, I even use it on myself. Also there's no shimmer in the powder making it perfect for contouring.

Rejuvacoat by Duri is a nail treatment polish you apply every day for 7 days to get rid of splits and cracking. I'm always recommending it to models because it really works.

Thickening Dry Spun Finish by Bumble & Bumble creates the same effect as a dry shampoo, adding texture and volume, but without the powdery feel. It's perfect for creating the Kate Moss party hair look, just tip your head upside down, spray on and work in with your fingers.

Le Rouge Lipstick by Givenchy creates velvety, matt lips without drying them out. The packaging is also exquisite.

I'm not loyal to mascara at all, but if I had to choose a favourite, at the moment it would be Smokey Eye Mascara by Bobbi Brown. It gives the lashes volume without any clumps. The wand is small making it great for lower lashes and getting to the roots.

When it comes to concealing it has to be Touche Eclat by Yves Saint Laurent. There have been so many imitators but nothing comes close! 

The one product I couldn't live without would have to be Illuminator by Nars. I use it after moisturiser but before I apply foundation on practically every job. It dries to a matt finish but gives a fantastic glow to the skin making it look brighter and more dewy. And dewy skin is my signature look!

Thanks Andriani, more things to add to my beauty bag now!

Andriani's portfolio can be viewed here.

Images: Chanel, Bloomingdales, Lancome, Amazon, Bumble & Bumble, BeautyBay, House of Fraser, Bobbi Brown, ElenasFinds, Stella Creative Artists

More Press Day Fun

Despite the miserable rain last week I wrapped up and headed out for some more press day action.

First up Boden. This British brand has been enjoying a renaissance with the fashion crowd for the past few seasons. For AW14 it showed lots of gorgeous embellishment, chunky knits and quirky prints. Here's what I was loving.

The most beautiful embellished flat shoes

Navy and gold dotty jumper from the younger Johnnie B line

The perfect brogue

Cute display cabinets at the press show

H&M showed their high end Studio collection in Paris this season and the press day gave us a chance to see it all up close. The collection is filled with rich, moody colours in a mix of textures. These items were my favs.

The perfect colour combo of navy and black on this jacket

The mule shoe trend looks set to continue

A stunning sequin sweater

I then popped over to see the lovely press team at Russell & Bromley to see what shoes we will be wearing come autumn.

Pointy toes, snake print and embellishment, yes please!

My dream shoe

The perfect day to evening across body bag. This is on my shopping list for AW

Only a few more weeks of press days to go now so I'll be updating the blog with all my finds again soon.

Weekend Scenes

This weekend was wonderfully peaceful and filled with lots of naughty sweet treats including the best croissant I've ever sunk my teeth into from Albion (seriously go there and eat one of these as soon as possible!)

Yumminess from Albion

And this surprisingly easy to make, but incredibly flavourful Ventian carrot cake (recipe here). I used Amaretto instead of rum and served it with Ameretto spiked mascarpone. 

In between rain showers I spent some time on my little terrace planting up a herb trough filled with mint, chive, tarragon, parsley, coriander and thyme. I am completely non-green fingered so let's hope I don't kill them all!

Please don't die!

During the week I got soaked in the rain and emergency purchased these jeans as I couldn't turn up to my meeting looking like a drowned rat. I love them. The slightly faded wash, the clean rips and the muffin top concealing high waist means I've lived in them all weekend. They also do a pair in white that I've got my eyes on.

Jeans Topshop, Top Peter Pilotto for Target, Trainers Russell & Bromley c/o

Have a happy Monday everyone!

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!