Stylist Shops Zara

Stylist Shops is back in the changing rooms bringing you the best - and potentially worst - of the current in-store haul. Let me take the hassle out of shopping by trying everything on for you so you can decide what you want from my awkward mirror selfies and simply buy it online.

Now first of let me warn you, it ain't pretty out there this close to christmas. Not only did I have to fight an aggressive Spaniard for the last pair of knitted culottes, I also had to sell my soul for an 8 item allowance in the Zara changing rooms, but it was worth it good people to help you find your perfect winter wardrobe. 

And so, to Zara...

So first up, here it is, the love-of-my-life knit. 

The soulmate I've been searching for all these years, the yin to my yang. 

What in the world could be better than a grey, oversized, super chunky knitted roll neck with voluminous sleeves (£45.99, Small)? What I ask you? 

NOTHING. 

And by jove it was in my wardrobe before you could say 'why bother trying on those boring grey trousers (£25.99, Small), couldn't you find anything more interesting to try on in the whole of Zara?'.

Next in line is the long-top-and-culotte-tonal-combo. Now I'm not gonna lie to you, I never do, this looked way more promising on the hanger.  The top (£59.99, Small) was great. A heavy duty wool mix tunic with a great slit at the side and the back - and how promising, I thought, with those mustard culottes (£39.99, Small) worn tonally underneath. But how wrong I was. They were slightly too long and slightly too cheapy-looking, creasing in places you really didn't want them to crease. 

This top would be a total winner instead paired back with cigarette pants or straight leg jeans and a nude strappy heel.

Next we have the little black dress, with a lacey overlay and a layer of guipure lace around the sleeves and hem (£39.99, Small). The dress fit perfectly but was super short so I would perhaps suggest sizing up for length and decorum. Not a particularly wintery item but one of those dresses that feels like it would become a year round staple and an especially great addition to any holiday wardrobe.

Nothing says A/W14 like a rollneck jumper, and this deliciously warm short sleeved knit (£45.99, Small) was overpriced yes, but it's one of those you won't want to take if off all winter long. Paired with this geometric print midi skirt (£59.99, Small) this is an outfit that would look totally professional for a day in the office with heels, and totally fun worn on the weekend with a pair of Stan Smiths. 

If November weather means all you want to wear is chunky knitwear, why stop at your top half? These knitted wide leg cropped trousers (£35.99, Small)  are the ultimate winter-warmers (aside from the whole cold ankle thing) and make a cool alternative to a pair of jeans. They fit slightly large, I rolled them up once at the waist to make them fit properly so you may want to size down. 

After falling for the jumper in the previous outfit I had to try it on in black too (£45.99, Small) and unsurprisingly it fit exactly the same but it was blacker, and maybe even more perfectly essential to my wardrobe. 

You can wear this outfit with heels as in the pictures below, but we all know that it's going to be worn with my Adidas Gazelles as soon as I get these items home. 

I'm not one for formal dressing so I always find it hard to find outfits to wear when I go out at night. This black, embroidered, fringed camisole (£29.99, Small) is the perfect solution for me. It still has a bohemian edge but it's sexy enough for a night out especially when paired with these faux leather trousers (£35.99, Small). The trousers are a real staple and will go with everything in your wardrobe, for both day (knitwear / denim shirts / roll necks) and night (silk shirts / camisoles / tunics). 

So, there we have it, a shop at Zara in 15 minutes without leaving your desk.

What did you like? What did you hate? Is there a shop you'd love me to tackle? A trend you want road tested? Let me know in the comments below.

Now go shop!

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.

Stylist Shops : Free People

If there's one brand that personifies the girl I want to be for summer, it's always American bohemian brand, Free People. 

Floaty dresses, perfect lace and 'picked it up at a vintage market' designs - Free People simply churns out those 'where did you get that?' pieces all season long. 

I've always seen Free People as a bit of an industry secret and stocked up each time I visited the States for shoots, but the secret is out and lucky for the UK they recently launched their new .co.uk website. With a huge selection of product shot on gorgeous models, the site offers free delivery for orders over £75 plus (the best part) no duty charges at all. 

So, in honour of this, I headed over to their stunning head office hideaway on a mews street in Marylebone to shop the collection for you....

First up, a summer staple for me, the peasant blouse (£138, small). Although slightly pricey, the design on this is great, it looks authentic rather than 'high street vintage' and it also has an elasticated neckline so can be worn off the shoulder too. The cut off denim shorts (£58, 26) fit like denim shorts aughta - slouchy and unevenly frayed like you chopped them up yourself this morning.

If there's one thing I love, it's a white summer dress, and no one does these better than Free People. I totally fell for this beautiful lace dress (£168, small) with victorian detail, the perfect holiday throw-on. 

Next up, the printed jumpsuit (£98, small), yet another thing I fell in love with from Free People which is pretty impressive as I normally steer well away from prints. 

It fit slightly slouchy up top with a drawstring waist to size, and was light enough that you could throw it on over a bikini on holiday to venture out for lunch. 

This off the shoulder printed dress (£98, small) would look perfect stretched out on a picnic blanket in the park this summer. It's got that throw-on easiness that I'm always looking for in summer dressing. 

For days when your sartorial inspiration is Princess Jasmine, only this jumpsuit will do. A low scooped back keeps it feeling sexy (rather than The Genie) and the print is a perfect vintage washed paisley. It sadly isn't online yet, but I am assured it will be on there within the next week or so - so keep an eye on the What's New tab!

My final try-on at FP HQ was this amazing midi length white dress (£138, small) in the softest cotton with perfect intricate embroidery. Paired with this season's ubiquitous Birkenstocks, this would be the ultimate weekend dress.

This week also marks the launch of Free People's June campaign featuring one of my favourite models - Erin Wasson. Having recently interviewed Erin myself for Glamour magazine, I am a super-fan of her laid back, tomboy attitude and totally amazing style - so the pairing of her AND Free People is a dream!

She told me when we spoke how she loves shopping in vintage stores all over America from LA to Austin (and Brick Lane market in the UK) - so it's no surprise she's such a fan of the brand. 

Here are a couple of snaps of Erin rocking Free People to inspire you to make even more summer purchases...

Shop Free People online at www.freepeople.co.uk

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!