STELLA McCARTNEY, JIL SANDER & CHLOE THE NEW MINIMALISM........But my first love Giorgio Armani has never left me!!

The understated look has reinvented itself again. For me timeless classics that are free of embellishment just work over and over again.

But this season the pared back look just has got a lot softer, a sort of feminine minimalism.

When I first worked in fashion one of my icons was Georgio Armani. With his impecable tailoring, clean lines and beautiful fabrics it was a look I dreamed of wearing and owning one day. I loved walking into the  Brompton Road store with it's oh so stylish staff  dressed head to toe in Armani, looking so chic, they all could of walked off the front cover of Italian vogue. The clothes beautifully presented and displayed in a way that only Armani could do it.

Flash forward a few years, and  sadly I never did get to own a piece of Georgio Armani (well except for a pair of his jeans) but the legacy of his clothes has always been with me. I love classic tailoring, the sense of calm and confidence it gives you the wearer, and the ease of dressing in a minimal way that just makes you feel so cool and uncomplicated.

SS13 and this seasons new minimalism is music to my ears.

Lets start with the Queen of clean.........Jill Sander




Jill Sander ss13





Jill Sander ss13





Jill Sander ss13


 

Chloe ss13





Chloe ss13



Stella McCartney ss13




Stella McCartney ss13




Stella McCartney ss13


Ok.........so unless you are married to a Russian Oligarch, or footballer, most of us can still only dream of owning such beautiful pieces.

 BUT here is where the clever bit comes in. The glorious HIGH STREET AND THE INTERNET!!








 Zara Coat £69.99 Mixed with a Stella oh so this season orange









Zara Dress £39.99 Again a take on Stella McCartney's dress








Mango Dress £59.99




River Island Dress £40 A little nod to Stella






Cos Dress £69 A nod to Chloe










 Asos Dress £45


Add a few well chosen accessories and you will look and feel amazing.......







River Island Bag £55


 Next Kitten Heels £28







River Island Cats Eye Sunglasses £13



It's the trying hard, to look like you have not tried too hard, if you get my drift that makes this look work!!

And as a special friend of mine once told me.

She was just walking out of this boutique in Milan (ARMANI) when this immaculately dressed handsome man held open the door for her - she said thankyou, and he said Ciao Bella!
........then she double take, it was the main man himself Georgio Armani. 

WOW!! she thought.

 But then at the end of the day he is just a shopkeeper keeping his client's happy......how understated, laid back and cool is that??




                                               



X X X

H & M and My Best Sunday!

There is something about a Sunday,

 that always throws me into a dilemma?

Now my kids are big people, 
I can sometime's afford the luxury of a lie in...... 

And you know it's going to be a good one when your VHM  (very handsome man) gets the papers, picks up some lovely brunch nosh for us, grind's the coffee beans all whils't singing to himself in the kitchen!

 Brunch In Bed from here

You see my dilemma is that Sunday should and sometimes is for the above. But it's also one of the few day's that I have the chance to go to real shops! I love the fact that if you get to the stores early, you get the tidily restocked rails and neatly folded piles of clothes making it just so easy to find what you want.

H & M, is just one of these shops that I run to as it's opening on a Sunday for a little splurge from their freshly picked stock.

Leave it to 3 p.m. on the same day, and I loose the will to shop or live for that matter!!

I adore H & M, not just because of their prices (for all you Primark fans out there) H & M offer something a bit different and for just a few pennies more.

A couple of Sunday's ago I picked up these little gems.....

    

               
H & M Printed Jeans £14.99 

           

 H & M feature them with the matching jacket, but personally I find that too much of an overload,  and as I don't do a lot of pattern anyway,  just this nod to print is much more my look!

 Navy Jacket £29.99

I have worn this jacket loads since getting it in my wardrobe, it's just such a good spring look.

H & M Loose fitting Tee Shirt £7.99

                                                                                                                         

Batic Print Jeans £14.99

I love the fit of these jeans. They do start pretty tight, but loosen up quickly by what feels like a whole size. But as with a lot of H & M jeans they do come up really small so I would probably suggest buying one size up, even then they are tight just wear and wait for them to give.

I'm currently wearing mine with a white denim shirt also from H & M, and an old (Yes 15 years) but cool DKNY taupe washed leather jacket...........This jacket has certainly been investment dressing, there isn't a week goes by in all the seasons that I don't use this, I have even worn it in the summer with shorts!!

P.S. I am going to do a post later with pic's of all the clothes in my wardrobe that have stood the test of time.

Let me know what clothes/Items you have in your wardrobe that have been a favourite friend over the years?

  

H & M Dress £24.99

This I have bought ready for a Christening I am going to in May, so hope by then I can wear it with bronzed (fake of course) bare legs and my new shoes from Zara!

St Tropez Wash Off Self Tan £15.50

This very natural looking spray is brilliant for a superfast dark tan, that washes off with soap and water.

The beauty of this, is that it is non transferable,  which is so important when wearing something like this

 little white number above!

SO A SPRING CAPSULE WARDROBE 

FOR UNDER £100

Now that can't be bad, can it?

Gosh! Look enough change left for this pretty Barry M Nail Polish in a great Nude shade

Nail Polish £2.99

And still time to get back to my VHM, who now has the

 lunch ready.........Bless him!

X X X

WHY DO I ALWAYS RUN OUT OF TIME?...... And finding the perfect white tee!

                        

In an ideal world I would be dressed and primed fed and watered and out the door in ample time to stop off for a leisurely coffee (free every morning to My Waitrose card holders by the way), maybe a pain au raisin, browse the papers etc, before serenely gliding into work calm collected and ready to take on the day.

No, no, no. It just doesn't happen. Why?

I think my panic button doesn't kick in till the last half an hour before I'm due out the door.

 It's not that I don't get up early enough, my horrible Nokia "Destiny" ringtone drags me into the real world pretty early.
But from then on and for the next couple of hours I go at a snails pace, only firing into action when Lorraine Kelly switches from one sofa to another, and the countdown of about 45mins to empty dishwasher, clean the loo, put out rubbish, return my Mums call, pay gas bill, starts..........PLUS I have to make myself look pretty damn respectable too!!

It seems as if I have never learn't the measure of time. So where did it all go wrong?  Both my parents were admirable timekeepers. I was always the first at school, my folks were first one's there for parents evening, and any dentists/doctors appointments meant at least an arrival half an hour before due time, plus statutory wait from said doctor or dentist of another half an hour. And the annual excitement of our holiday abroad was always marred by the hours of a long wait. We would arrive at the airport not two or four hours ahead of time but often half a day!  My Dad used to say he liked to get there in plenty of time plus, he could watch all the planes take off and land. Imagine what that felt like to a ten year old who just wanted to get her ice cream and jump into the pool (maybe not do both at the same time though)!

So I guess my parents good timekeeping has gone against the grain with me.........SHAME!
         
 

SO here are my top tips for a 45mins EXPLOSION of how to get out the door looking somewhat groomed...........!

 

                                                      

THE MULTI TASKER.

 Cleanse me 4 in 1wash,  is a gentle, soap free wash  that is suitable for use on hair, face, hands and body.
 

This mild, soap free wash contains naturally soothing Aloe Vera, Green Tea Extract and New Zealand 16+ Active Manuka Honey to gently cleanse hair and skin without drying. Combined with a fragrant blend of balancing essential oils this foaming wash is designed to be used morning and night to cleanse and refresh the skin

Smells divine.

 Cleanse Me 4 in 1 Wash  £9.50

 

HAIR CHEATS

If time is really running short...
 
You can’t beat dry shampoo for a quick hair fix. The Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk (£6.95, 01582 820165) has many famous fans, including Kirsten Dunst, Chloe Sevigny and Kate Moss. Quick and practical to use, it is one of the most effective dry shampoos, leaving hair feeling fresh and clean in seconds.

The 50ml is an ideal handbag size!

                                                        

Klorane Dry Shampoo £2.32 


FASTER BLOWDRYING.

I Love KMS FREE SHAPE quick blow dry spray. It has added thermal heat protectors, and the styling spray smooths your hair, whilst boosting shine. This innovative spray works by reducing drying time by up to 50%! Hair is easier to style and you get almost perfect salon looks every time.

Kms California Quick Blow Dry Spray £9.00

ALL OVER GLOW.

 

This Laura Mercier shimmer bloc is brilliant. I use it for a healthy glow, and a highlighter on my cheekbones. It looks pretty on eyes too!

Golden Mosiac is my favourite shade.

               

Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc £31 at John Lewis.


FIVE MINUTES LEFT.

Slick of mascara, bit of lip gloss, and pop on your perfect WHITE TEE under leather jacket or blazer.................. and RUN!!


   


TOP NOTCH TEE.

If you have got the funds.........





T byAlexander Wang Classic Tee  £67



CASH STRUCK. Always!

Cos does a really good copy for £19, and good old Primark for less than £5.







 
                                               
2nd Day Assymetrical Zip Blazer £250



 ON A BUDGET. Aren't we all?

                                          

Warehouse Faux Leather Jacket £55

                                       FINISHED.

           And still time to pick up my free Waitrose coffee!

Link to get your My Waitrose card

                     
                        


 Time after Time Cyndi Lauper

                   


                                    

                      NOW LET'S JUST HOPE THE CAR STARTS?

                     


    

      

 

Wrangler cellulite busting jeans.....myth or magic?

6.45a.m. this morning, text message from friend.  Had I heard about the new cellulite busting Wrangler  jeans?

 Well as much as I love her, I did think she had probably just woken up from some utopian dream where all women and their backsides were perfect. Besides I was more concerned that I hadn't had my first cup of tea yet.

So later on today, and a bit of investigation later, she was indeed spreading the love, because as we girls know, searching for the perfect jean is the most eternal sartorial quest.

LIZZIE Jagger is the model for these jeans which are infused with moisturising and slimming ingredients. There are three skinny leg styles, three waist cut's (low, medium, and regular) and three finishes: AloeVera, Olive Extract, and Smooth Legs all styles are £85.

 The Smooth Legs variety makes the biggest claim, and that is to help reduce the dreaded orange-peel texture of cellulite. It has algae extracts, retinol and caffeine, it has been clinically tested by the Institut Adriant in France, and after four weeks of wearing the jeans eight hours a day, five days a week over six weeks, 69 per cent of the panel claimed that the appearance of their thighs had improved! WOW.

I can't imagine the lovely Lizzie Jagger suffers from cellulite! Asos Wrangler jeans £85

THEY SAY IT TAKES THREE HOURS TO FIND THE PERFECT JEAN!!

TOO MUCH STRESS!!

 To find a pair that flatters your bum and make your legs great, we are apparently prepared to go to any lengths to find the perfect pair.

According to a survey last year by Which? magazine, the average person spends twice as long shopping around for the right pair of jeans as they do choosing a current account - almost 40 per cent of those surveyed spent up to three hours choosing jeans.

SO how do you find that X Factor jean? Getting it right can make you feel ready to take on the world!

Q. What is the best shade?

A: If you can only buy one pair of jeans make it very dark denim it is the most flattering.
However, if you like a more distressed finish find a pair with some lighter shading down the front of the thigh this can give you a much longer leg line!

 Q.I don't think i can wear skinnies?

A. Be open to trying new shapes, it's all about the styling, i.e. how you wear them. If you are a pear or hourglass wear a top that stops in the middle part of your upper thigh

Q. My legs that aren't quite long enough, hips that I would love to shave an inch from and a bottom that just about squeezes into size 30 jeans, my hunt revolves around finding jeans that will make me look thinner?

A. A relaxed fit, or straight leg are your best bet, with a bit more room in the hips and thighs, but not too baggy. Go for a dark wash.

Hourglass. Don’t hide…
Go ahead and show your figure! A pair of slim fit, straight jeans is a great way of accentuating those curves whilst still looking natural.

Full Curves. Easily handled…
Get a pair of slim fit, boot-cut jeans. Go for a darker wash.

Short Legs. 
Elongate your legs and accentuate you figure in full-length, skinny jeans.

Classic blue wash skinny fit.

Asos Cheap Monday jeans RRP £50 NOW £30

                                                                                    

Next Sexy High

 

New Look  Turn Up Boyfriend jeans on sale £14.99!

“I have often said that I wish I had invented blue jeans: the most spectacular, the most practical, the most relaxed and nonchalant. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes.
” Yves Saint-Laurent

Next Sexy High Waist Slim jeans £28













LYRICS Forever in Blue Jeans