Mango Madness

Head over heels for Mango this season. 

It could be because the monochrome palette appeals my aversion to colour, or the simplicity of the styling, or the heavy duty feel of the clothes, whatever it is, Mango is top of my wish list right now. 

Here are a few of the pieces I'm currently coveting:

From Left: Snake boots, white coat, navy roll neck, grey culottes, black bag, black hat.

From left: Floral dress, grey cardigan, silk top, burgundy roll neck, black boots, sequin skirt.

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.

Stylist Shops : Mango part two

As the season of skimpy dresses and fine cotton layers approaches, I was drawn back into a shop I've already shopped on Stylist Shops, by the amazing summer-wear edit in its windows. 

When it comes to summer clothing I simply can't resist Mango's selection of bohemian basics -  that Isabel Marant feel at high street prices.

So lets see how I got on...

From top left: White Maxi Dress, White Embellished Tunic, Patterned Strapless Dress, Black Rope Detail Dress and White Cotton Dress. 

This white 70s style maxi dress (£117, size 10) is the perfect summer party piece (apart from weddings - no one likes the other girl in long and white at a wedding!).  Casual and understated yet totally elegant this dress runs a little large to size so I would suggest sizing down. It is sold out online but still available in Mango stores.

This black linen dress with rope detail (£29.99, Small) is that easy, throw on dress you bring out every time you don't know quite what to wear.  It comes in a variety of colours so you could probably get away with wearing it at least three times a week without people talking about you behind your back.

It's hard to see from my pictures the delicate beading on this embroidered tunic dress (£49.99, Medium), but it's the kind of detail that makes this dress look way above it's £50 price tag. Throw on with this seasons Birkenstocks, et-voila!

I'm not normally a fan of the 'girly dress', but this strapless floral piece (£19.99, Small) is more 'summers strolling through the lavender fields in a French farmhouse' than frilly princess. And for £20? A no brainer! Fits a little small so I'd suggest sizing up.

The final dress on my Mango-does-dresses-like-no-other Stylist Shops today, is this perfect crochet white tiered sundress (£34.99, Medium) Now, not only do I love it because it is a shameless rip off of this Isabel Marant dress I've ogled all season, but I also love it for its easy-breezy wearability. Can't you just imagine walking the cobbled streets of a Greek island in this dress, carrying a straw basket? 

Now, dresses chosen, it's time to book a holiday.

Shop Mango online at www.mango.com

Check out 5 more magnificent Mango moments....

From top left: Embellished ethnic dress, Red Printed Dress, Black Criss Cross Dress, Paisley Print Dress, White Ethnic Embroidered Dress.

Whata-ya-got Mango?

IT’S SUNDAY SHOPPING!

And here I stand, in Mango, the high street’s new darling, a brand that has gone from blah to wahaaaaaa in recent months by amping up its designs and getting each of the new season trends spot on.

I have decided to challenge myself in the dressing room today by finding one really key Mango piece and styling it up 6 different ways….

So… Today’s items of choice, including first and foremost, said KEY MANGO PIECE - The Long Sleeve Silky Stripey Top. (Size M, £29.99).

Then: Boyfriend Jeans, White Dungarees, Grey Jacket, Patterned Trousers, White Trousers, Stripe Skirt and Grey Skirt. 

First up, we start with the basics - stripe on stripe. 

No one likes a matchy-matchy jailbreak outfit more than me, so I paired The Long Sleeve Silky Stripey Top (or TLSSST for short) with it’s accompanying skirt (Size 10, £29.99), just the way god made it. And I think it’s a pretty darn fine combination. 

Next up the dungarees (Size S, £54.99) which thrown over TLSSST make me feel like a second rate Beano character, but a surprisingly comfortable one at that. Who knew dungarees were so roomy? Stretch denim could possibly be the best thing since the hareem pant.

On to a classic - the boyfriend jean (Size 10, £44.99). I must remark here how well these babies fitted. I’m always on the lookout for good high street jeans and these certainly passed the ‘look-expensive-cost-under-£50’ test. They fit a little large so I’d go down a size. 

Talking of fitting a little large, this next outfit an Isabel Marant-esq skirt (Size 10, £34.99) and jacket (Size S, £59.99) was possibly the smallest thing my body has had to try and squeeze into since my leotard in gymnastics class in year 9. The skirt was so small in fact that I can only imagine they had accidentally labelled it a ‘SIZE 10’ rather than an ‘AGE 10’. 

Mango’s sizing so far has been about as consistent as a British summer.

Print clash time and when clashing prints, it’s all about keeping colours similar. These trousers (Size S, £34.99) although a totally different pattern, are tonally in the same family as TLSSST so work a clashable-treat.  

Final outfit is these amazing white stripe cotton trousers (Size 10, £29.99). The perfect summer trouser; tailored yet relaxed, patterned yet neutral. All together a full stripe look with effortless impact. 

And that’s what summer clothes are all about.