Summer Vibes and ice cream colours

Yesterday was probably the last sunny day of the year and I ended up on the south bank drinking beer and watching the sun go down. I've been more into autumnal clothes recently, but as a last nod to the dying summer, I got out some ice cream colours to wear and put on some orange lipstick. The great thing about autumn light as opposed to summer light is that it's so much lower and warmer in colour, so if you combine that with hot weather you get dreamy pictures like these ones of the bridge and the London skyline. I know, it's a really close up picture of my face - it freaks me out a little too. 

Peach t-shirt: Primark

Pink shorts: Opening Ceremony

Lipstick: MAC Morange 

Details: Plain metal jewellery and sequins

Just a couple of things that I seem to be wearing all the time recently; plain gold metal jewellery from H&M, my favourite grey t-shirt (AA), blue sequin skirt from Zara and monster shoes from Viktor & Rolf that I hardly ever get to wear, but absolutely love.

OIL SLICK - Autumn textures

 

The cooler weather makes me think about different textures - smooth silks and satins, soft wool, tough leather and cool metal. Came across this dress the other day while having a clear-out - it's Kate Moss for Topshop, and I love the shiny effect it has in the photos, it almost looks oily. The bag was an ebay find, the knit is a hand-me-down in 100% lambswool, and the choker is a recent find in H&M. I'd actually wear most of them together - pairing the dress and knit in particular would be very Alexander Wang AW11.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Everyone has their style icons that shaped what they thought was cool when they were growing up. Some can cite iconic looks such as the girls from Clueless, or maybe Molly Ringwald (or in fact any of the kids from The Breakfast Club) as being the look that they idolised. For me however, it was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Between the ages of about 9 and 12 (and maybe secretly for a while after that) I thought that Buffy, with her clompy shoes, too-tight dresses, bootcut trousers and bad highlights were THE HEIGHT of sophistication. Didn't she wear a lot of lilac?

While much of the fashion on Buffy is utterly awful, some of it ticks the 90s comeback boxes in a big way. The crucifix trend of 18 months ago? If you're Buffy the Vampire Slayer you HAVE to have a crucifix - it's literally life or death. Crop tops too - I defy you to watch any episode of the first 3 series of Buffy and not spot a crop top. More recently we've been seeing plenty of split skirts (both mini and maxi) and spaghetti strap tops (a Buffy staple) in silk or velvet. Alexander Wang has just based an entire collection around the latter. Looks like she had the right idea, doesn't it? Apart from the lilac, which as everyone know, does not look good on blondes. Or anyone really.

The catalyst for this Buffy-related post came the other day after a trip to the Monki concession in Selfridges. I came home with a pair of chunky heeled boots, a pair of pink shorts and a scarf. As I was putting on the boots the next day, they suddenly struck me as exactly the sort of clompy boots that Buffy herself would kick vampire ass in. Chunky heel, platform, ankle length - it's got the slayer written all over it. I'll be wearing mine with a side split skirt from Carin Wester, and my favourite (incredibly Buffy-like because it looks a bit like animal print, and is also slightly sheer) vintage t-shirt. I'll also be asking for the box-set for Christmas.

Boots - Monki

Skirt - Carin Wester

T-shirt - vintage

The Trouble with Flares pt. II: Palazzo Pants

I'm still pretty much on the fence regarding flared or wide-legged trousers, but went for these Primark ones because a) the print pleased me and b) at £12 it seemed like a fairly harmless introduction to this particular genre of trouser. They are however, pretty tricky to style, and the best I've so far managed to do is to pair them with summery clog-style sandals (you have to wear them with a heel or you really do look like a hippy) and a super-plain grey t-shirt. They're also surprisingly weather-dependent; aside from the fact that they soak up rain, they also look bizarre in anything less than blazing sunshine. The print also makes accessories impossible, and you have to be careful with hair and makeup to avoid looking like you're going to a 70s themed pool party. Having said that, if anyone wants to host a Boogie Nights themed bash, my costume is competely sorted.

Trousers from Primark, clogs from H&M, t-shirt from AA