Magpie tendencies: Things I need in my life

The minute I start seeing sequins and glitter in the shops, I come over a bit silly and start wanting to buy EVERYTHING - I blame Miu Miu this season for the influx of sequined clothing and accessories. I have somehow managed to limit the edit down to the best seven items to update your wardrobe - don't wear them all at once!

(Clockwise from left)

Sequin dress, ASOS Revive, £150

Gold heeled pumps, Miu Miu at Net-a-porter, £370

Blue sequin vest, Topshop, £30

Black glitter loafers, Aldo, £55

Black sequin satchel bag, Dolce and Gabbana, £910

Embellished collar, Miss Selfridge, £18

Gold shorts, Warehouse, £55

Images:

http://www.net-a-porter.com/

www.asos.com

www.topshop.com

www.missselfridge.com

www.warehouse.co.uk

www.aldoshoes.com

Bag Lust

So I was doing a little Sunday morning (online) window shopping earlier and came across this stunning pink leather satchel bag from Urban Outfitters - a good quality high street version of my current object of affection, the Mulberry Tillie bag.

Urban Outfitters, £48 

Mulberry, £1,050

Needless to say it is making its way to me this week :) can't wait to wear it with a chunky camel jumper, black trousers and matching lipstain. Love Sunday morning shopping!

Images:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/

http://www.mulberry.com/

Style inspiration: DKNY

Another favourite show of mine this season was DKNY - certainly one of the more wearable collections of the season, dubbed the 'New York Mods', it epitomises the effortless style of New York and the girls who live and shop there.

The collection had the androgynous touch which pervades many an AW collection with chunky shoes, trilby hats and boy-fit blazers but there were still flashes of girlishness in pleats and 60's style collared dresses.

Colour is fresh and similar shades are placed together for a subtle colour blocking look. Bright knitwear is key, I love the fox-orange oversized cardi and the pink and red colour block jumper (N.B - F&F at Tesco do a great version of this for under £20!).

The standout piece of the collection for me was the colour block coral, orange, black and tan pleated maxi dress, dressed down for the show with a polo neck but would look amazing with heels and and some costume jewellery for evening, a la Olivia P.

The details of the show are easy to incorporate into your AW look: chunky coloured knits, mini skirts, chunky ankle boots and natural, just washed hairstyles.

For me, DKNY gets stronger each season and this is a great collection for the style-conscious big city girl with cash to splash.

Catwalk images from http://www.style.com/
Olivia Palermo image from http://www.zimbio.com/

Alexa (still) rules at PFW

If there's one celebrity that a designer would want to attend their show, its Alexa: if she's wearing your label, chances are many Alexa-wannabes will follow suit. So it's no surprise that she makes numerous appearances during the various fashion weeks, looking fresh faced and naturally stylish at every one. As disappointed as I was that she didn't attend London Fashion Week, she more than made up for it in Paris and New York sitting FROW at various shows including Miu Miu and Chanel, obviously.

 (L-R) In Mary Katrantzou at a Vogue Eyewear event in New York, in clashing pink and red Valentino Resort 2012 at the Valentino SS12 show, a YSL Resort 2012 cocktail dress at YSL SS12 and ladylike Louis Vuitton at the Louis Vuitton SS12 show.

Alexa wasn't the only one on fine fashion form at the SS12 shows, other notable stylish ladies include Leigh Lezark at Sonia Rykiel SS12, Clemence Poesy at Chanel SS12 (both in Paris) and the lovely Olivia Palermo navigating the cobbles at our very own LFW in a stylish tux and maxi skirt combo.

Can't wait for AW12 now!

Images from http://www.zimbio.com/

Coat Time

The weather at the beginning of this week may have been positively baking by the average October records but its getting chillier every day now which can mean only one thing... its time to buy a coat!

Coat shopping both excites me and stresses me out in equal measures - what style to go for, what colour to buy it in, what will it go with, etc etc. This season I've made my mind up to go for a coat in a masculine style, as seen all over the AW11 catwalks and one of the classic looks of the season. Look out for longer than normal length coats with a deep collar line (like the gorgeous blue Diane von Furstenburg one, below), oversized boxy blazer styles and anything with a simple cut to it and minimal fuss when it comes to detailing. Go for a classic black/navy or a block colour over prints and wear undone over almost anything.

My favourite is the cyan blue double-breasted ASOS number - the perfect colour injection for my wardrobe.

Diane von Furstenburg aw11

L-R ASOS £120, Warehouse £75, Dorothy Perkins £69, Topshop £75

Catwalk image from http://www.style.com/

Other images:

http://www.asos.com/

http://www.warehouse.co.uk/

http://www.dorothyperkins.com/

http://www.topshop.com/