Winter Florals

I really love florals, so I've been on the look out for a floral dress or skirt that will work well with winter wear. I found this floral rose patterned skirt from the Red Cross charity shop a few weeks ago for a bargain £1.50!

Its by 'Per Una' which is a Marks & Spencer range and the features I love are the asymetrical hem and the chiffon type fabric. I decided to toughen up my look with my black biker jacket, boots and studded belt.

Will you be in florals this winter?

Online Shopping @ Koodos

It's great fun to do online shopping, choosing an item at the push of a button and then having it delivered to you is a service that cannot be beaten!! Its even better when instead of scouring up to a dozen different sites, you can browse one site and have a plethora of designers all on one page to compare.

At Koodos it doesn’t matter if you’re looking to pull off the latest celebrity style or want to update your wardrobe to exude timeless designer-chic, because their range of discount designer clothing-including designer shoes, designer bags, jewellery, menswear and kids is alway plentiful and always on sale.

Different designers include 7 For All Mankind, Marc Jacobs, Nicole Farhi, Preen, Karen Millen and DKNY, plus many more besides!! All at bargain prices and with currently up to a massive 80% off in their clearance sale. It's also great to check out for mums to be, as they also have a Maternity section too, featuring dresses, jeans and lingerie.

Here are some of my favourite picks of what they have available:

Emma Cook rope jumper, £140

Aftershock sequin cami, £39

Michael Kors boots, £169

Lou Lou & Law top, £95

They also offer a weekly newsletter if you sign up, receiving seriously special offers and previews of their designer sales.Stock does changes very frequently, so its worth checking them out on a regular basis if you're after that special item-they offer designer chic at bargain prices, what more can a girl want, LOL!!

In Vogue-More Dash Than Cash, The Book

Many UK Vogue readers may be aware that earlier this year, Alexandra Shulman, UK editor, decided to bring back a very popular feature that ran from the seventies called 'More Dash Than Cash'.

It managed and still does, to show stylish ways of dressing and offers clothes and accessories at affordable prices, based on designer trends of the season.

So at the weekend, when I was browsing the charity shops, I had decided to steer clear of clothes and look at the books and DVDs and I found this!!

Its around 20 years old, but the style advice in general is still relevant today as back then and there are some wonderful photos of Naomi, Cindy and Linda doing their thing back in the days!!

There is a lot of useful quotes and advice, one favourite part is 'Spacecraft', the section for keeping all your valued pieces. It reads: 'A wardrobe should be no idle consideration: it should be as much a pleasure as any other piece of furniture in the home. Treasure it, buy it presents, really make it an issue. That way, you'll relish time spent in its company and be encouraged to experiment with it's contents.'

Also: 'What Makes a Great Wardrobe? Versatility is the key word, which means having clothes that cope with every situation, so you don't have to rush out to buy something new the minute an invitation drops through the letterbox. The aim is to extract the maximum of looks from the minimum of clothes with the least possible effort and expense. A clever wardrobe has limitless permutations; will accommodate all the new clothes you do buy and can be worn even when fashion changes.'

One piece of advice I need to act on more often is 'So long as something is beautiful, it doesn't matter when you wear it' Lucinda Chambers, Fashion Director, British Vogue.

Lastly, a quote from Ines De La Fressange, who only last week was voted by 'Le Figaro' The most chic woman in Paris: "I always buy the same things: navy blazers, navy and green sweaters, black turtlenecks, men's jackets, twin sets, white shirts, black pants and black ballerina pumps. Crazy things like plastic shirts, orange jackets and silver pants I end up givng away unworn". LOL, I think most of us have been guilty of something similiar!!

If you fancy a blast from the past and grabbing your own copy, then Amazon are selling it too, for less than a fiver, its well worth the read!!

50s Vintage Original Dress-Now ready to wear!

Well, I finally got my treasured 50s vintage original dress repaired yesterday, a new zip was called for and I was very pleased with the results. This is one of four dresses from my mum that she wore in the 50s and I hope to wear this one every now and then.

The waist on this is very fitted and snug, my mum has offered to take it out a touch, I think if I put on any more weight, she'll have to, LOL!!

I love the colours, very Autumnal and ideal for this time of the year. I decided to mix prints and wear my leopardprint shoes with it!

Fashion Confidential

I've just come across a brilliant website called Fashion Confidential, which is a fabulous Style website dedicated to Designer Fashion and shopping all under one roof.

Its a comprehensive website that features an A-Z of different designers from a selection of Online Boutiques which include Matches, MyWardrobe, Net-A-Porter, Browns and CoutureLab, as well as some independent European boutiques such as Société Anonyme,Gaspard Yurkievich,The Old Curiosity Shop and Gallery.

Also check out Bargain Hunter where you can learn how to Shop A Sample Sale or spy Wardrobe Essentials, which are Fashion Confidentials pick of the best investment sales pieces available at the moment.

They also have an Online Magazine, the latest feature being 'Style Heroes of the Moment'-check out model Clemence Poesy, the actress epitomising French Chic and Style. The magazine also features brand APC, another gorgeous French label. It concentrates on clean lines, simple designs and this seasons collection features some cosy knitwear and a chic on trend trenchcoat.
I loved 'AnkleBiters', featuring a gorgeous selection of ankle boots from Alaia, McQueen, Dries Van Noten and Poltock & Walsh. If you're still hankering after OTK boots, then check out 'Thighs the Limit' which has some divine picks, including boots from Stella McCartney, Lanvin and Alaia.

My favourite areas are Style Report which is FashionConfidentials blog and is a must read daily fix of whats hot in the fashion world. Another area you'll be bookmarking will be the Sample Sale Diary which gives information on up-and-coming fashion events and luxury sample sales usually reserved for fashion insiders. Also another must read is the Designer Q&A, currently showing on my favourite covetable dress label Preen-I've always adored the Power dress-my favourite wishlist modern dress of the moment!!

Check out their website, I was really impressed and I'm sure you will be too!!