Holiday Wishlist

Hint Hint...

Waistcoat Topshop, Leopard Shoes Gianvito Rossi, Bag Anya Hindmarch, Faux Fur Shoes Topshop, Dress Phillip Lim, Watch Larsson & Jennings. 

Falling for Fringing

Currently craving anything fringed, and the high street has taken this trend to heart with some amazing pieces available for under the £60 mark. See my picks below - although I couldn't resist breaking the £60 budget by throwing in this perfect blue suede skirt from TheOutnet....

From top left: Skirt H&M, Jacket H&M, Dress Topshop, Shoes Zara, Bag ASOS, Skirt H&M, Skirt Topshop, Bag H&M, Coat H&M, Skirt Tamara Mellon at The Outnet.

GUESS WHO'S BACK?

Yeha! That's right! It's me!

I'm back from the abyss of moving house and life and world, with more bang-for-your-buck content to keep you occupied between 11 and 11.15 on a Tuesday morning when you've finished your coffee, emptied your inbox and haven't all that much else to do.

It's been a crazy summer for me, having bought a house last year that looked like THIS:

And turning it into THIS:

That stuff ain't easy I tell you, hours of walking round with tiles and painted bits of wood looking at them in different lights and mumbling things like 'oh yes a terribly cold colour in a North facing room' because that's what you're supposed to do when you renovate a house dontcha know.

So, although still only partially furnished (one table, one sofa, one bed, lots of echoing) the house is pretty much done and I can get back to focusing on what's really important in life - WHAT TO BUY FOR WINTER?! (and world peace blah blah blah).

I will of course be doing the usual Stylist Shops rounds of the high street now the new season has started to drop, but until I do, here is my current shopping list for you to peruse at your leisure....

Black Skirt Vanessa Bruno, Grey Marl Rollneck H&M, Black Tee Marc by Marc Jacobs, Black Sneakers Adidas, Grey Trousers Mango, Black Skirt Lot 78

Silver Dress H&M, Grey Coat Mango, Silver Sneakers ACNE, Grey Wool Trousers Zara, Black And Blue Skirt Topshop

Finally, the ultimate evening dress, the one that's gonna solve everyone's what-do-I-wear-for-a-winter-wedding crisis - this casually non casual, fringed fantastical slice of perfection from Net-a-Porter's 'Finds' collection.

Insta-Update

Just a few pictures from my Instagram of late. 

If you don't already, follow me @rachelingram14 for one too many pictures of my feet in assorted shoes...

Wearing from top: 

Stripe Tshirt Zara, Leather Trousers Isabel Marant for H&M, Shoes Jimmy Choo.

Tshirt LNA, Jeans Pepe Jeans, Bag Valentino, Shoes Superga.

Shirt Paul and Joe, Jeans Zara, Jacket See by Chloe.

Jumpsuit Topshop, Shoes Jimmy Choo and Valentino.

Coat DKNY, Tshirt Zara, Jeans Urban Outfitters, Bag Lulu Guinness.

Top &OtherStories.

Waistcoat H&M, Top Cos, Trousers DKNY, Sneakers Adidas.

Shirt Uniqlo, Culottes ASOS, Bag Chloe.

Jeans AG Jean, Boots Zadig et Voltaire.

Stylist Shops : Topshop

Hello Topshop old friend. Haven't seen you in a while. Not since you scared me off a few years back with your body con dresses and up-the-bum-denim shorts.

But now I'm ready to re-visit and see if you have anything left for me, a girl in her 20s seeking clothing that looks individual and, at least a bit, expensive.

After a trawl around the Westfield Shepherds Bush megastore and a lot of success in the 'Topshop Boutique' section, I managed to find the following...

From top left: gingham dress, pineapple jumper, black vest, white fringe vest, floral culottes, red skirt, black shorts, white dress, stripe jumper.

And so we begin....

First up, the Boutique print clash. 

This dress (£65, size 10) is AWESOME. It's even better in real life. It's 100% silk, cut perfectly and it doesn't cling to those places you really don't want it to. I love it with this sweater (£45, size 10) also from the Boutique range which looks just as good tied round the waist to give the dress shape. 

This sweater (£38, size 10) is slightly cropped so I'd recommend buying it in a larger size for stomach covering purposes, or else pairing with a higher waist jean / short if that's your sorta thang.

These faux leather shorts (£34, size 10) are just the right side of sporty for a person that doesn't believe in going to the gym.  

ps. I would suggest this hairstyle whenever wearing the sweater out the house. 

Next up is our trickiest trend to date. THE CULOTTES. Please note that if you wore these in the 90s, you simply can't pull them off a second time around.  

So, for these printed culottes (£40, size 10) I've gone as simple as possible up top with a black cashmere blend vest (£20, size 10) which Topshop do incredibly well. Stock up on those bad boys. 

I am not, as you may think, dressed up as a Moroccan souk, this skirt (£36, size 12) is straight off the Topshop rails and I kinda love it. They didn't have a size 10 so it's slightly too big, but it would look amazing with tan leather sandals and a white tee (instead of this fringed top £26, size 10) for a summer work outfit. Plus if you have a trip to Morocco planned....

This dress (£85, size 10) is from the Kate Moss for Topshop collection which there was a significant amount of left in the store this week - almost a month after it was released. 

It's a really nice collection and I would have bought half the rail - but it was so overpriced I didn't - which is probably the same thought everyone else had - and the reason so much of it is left. 

The dress was a little too sheer for my liking, you'd need to wear a slip underneath, but the embellishment and embroidery was great.

 I actually saw a woman today wearing the top in black looking totally cool, and had major clothing envy. So this may be a good alternative to the sheer dress, plus it's £25 cheaper.

Happy bank holiday shopping!

  

Bank Holiday Blues

This bank holiday I threw on my trust boiler suit for a dinner with friends. 

This is an outfit that has truly divided the masses. Simon spent the entire evening cracking British Gas jokes, whereas the girls all asked where it was from and if I'd mind if they bought the same one. I even had a compliment on it from Brit style icon Alexa Chung herself. 

Whether you like it or you hate it there's one thing I think we can all agree on when wearing a boiler suit... 

It's a total bitch to pee in.

Boilersuit Topshop, Jacket DKNY, Bag Prada, Boots Duo, Sunglasses Rayban, Necklaces from top: vintage, Dana Levy, Kabiri.

New Season Shopping...

There's something about this time of year that makes me want to empty my whole wardrobe and start again, stripping back to basics and rebuilding. 

And what better way to start than in monochrome? 

The necessities - Culottes and slogan sweatshirts - this summer's staples, flat shoes, mirrored sunglasses, a simple cuff and the perfect Saint Laurent bag....

Leather trousers Joseph, Cuff Eddie Borgo,  Sweatshirt Stampd, Shoes Aldo, Bag Saint Laurent, Sunglasses Topshop

Here's What I Wore...

...On a Monday in March.

My staple Gap shirt, Asos Jeans, Jimmy Choo slippers and a Topshop Coat.