Brushstrokes .2

Topshop Jacket

|

Choies Top

|

ASOS Jeans

| Zara Bag |

Zara Mules

| Miss Selfridge Hat (old) 

Celine style brush strokes strike again. This top actually forms part of the gorgeous Choies co-ord, but in best effort to not turn my blog into a co-ord-appreciation website I avoided pairing them together.

Any other coloured leather (or faux-leather, in this instance..) is usually a total no-go for me. It brings back horrific memories of be buying this red leather jacket AND matching trousers from the Mary Kate and Ashley collection at Walmart when I was visiting America as a child (let's just say that their collections for

The Row

have come a long long way since their teenage designs in Walmart circa 2001...) 

But pastel leather jackets have been cropping up all over the high-street, and whilst I was totally smitten with the beautifully baby pink jacket in

Zara

, I opted for the slightly more muted, paler pink one from Topshop. A little less Barbie, still pretty and feminine, but retains all the necessary edginess that every biker jacket should have. 

What's your take on pastel leather jackets? Will you be wearing them this season or will you be a black leather veteran?

Brush Strokes .1

Topshop Top |

Choies Skirt *

| ASOS Jacket | Zara Bag (old) | Zara Shoes 

Phoebe Philo is a goddess. Not only has she transformed

C�line

into one of the current fashion landscapes major powerhouses, she's created such strong signature aesthetics that dupes have infiltrated almost all high-street stores. Last season we were all over the

laundry bag check

(I

still

get excited when I walk by the laundrette and see the bag that inspired the trend), but now it's all about

eighties power paint strokes

. Everybody seems to want a piece of C�line's parisian edge. 

The strong, arty, brushstroke prints were inspired by graffiti sprayed out over the inner-city walls of Paris. Well, you don't get more Parisian-edge chic than that without swallowing a Jean Debuffet painting and washing it down with some LSD.  

What I really adore about this print is the strange sort of careful carelessness: the chaotic and sporadicalness of the brushstrokes somehow translate to look neat and immaculate. 

Until my bank balance will take me as far as Celine's arty eighties brush strokes, I'm happy to stick to

Choies

. This skirt screams 'my biro just leaked all over my new white skirt but it kinda looks cool so I'm just gonna go with it'... don't you think? 

Wherever you buy your arty prints from this season (Zara, Choies, C�line), if it doesn't look like an artist threw a paint palette at you then you're just not doing it right.

Sunburst Shades

ASOS Jacket

| Laundry Boutique Dress*

 |

Zara Bag

|

New Look Gladiator Sandals

Orange. Bright, sunburst orange. It's actually a bit of a scary colour, don't you think, being so brash and shouty in all of its

builder-in-a-high-vis-vest 

glory?

But it's so surprisingly wearable, and perfect this Spring if pastels are beginning to bore you. 

Whilst pastels are permeating the SS14 colour palette in the form of girly, feminine midi-skirts and lace crop tops, orange is appearing in more slick, tailored silhouettes: perfect for sports luxe and minimalism look (so what better to pair it with than with this sporty box clutch by Zara?) With strict, clean lines, in a gorgeous crepe style fabric, this shift dress from Laundry Boutique seems to nail summer simplicity.

Did I forget to mention how it seriously intensifies your tan?

Trust me

, my legs definitely do not look quite so brown when I'm wearing anything else... 

Will you be wearing bright orange this summer? 

Take a look at Laundry Boutiques incredibly unique range and use my discount code FASHIONSLAVE10 to get an extra 10% off!

Kate Moss X Topshop: What I really thought

Kate Moss x Topshop Dress

|

ASOS Leather Jacket

|

Zara Shoes

|

Zara Bag 

Unless you've been trapped in a fashion coma, you'd know that the middle of last week was all about one woman: Kate Moss. After four years absence of designing for Topshop the woman came back with a more

sophisticated

and

grown up

collection. 

So what did I really think of Kate Moss x Topshop?

It's alright. It's pretty. Kind of cool, but just a bit... blah (for lack of a better word, just more of a sound...) really.

 It just wasn't my thing. Sure, the whole concept backing the collection was the idea that every piece  was something she would love to wear, inspired by her own wardrobe. But with the big reveal of the full collection online a few months back, I couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed with most of it. Has her style not evolved past suede mini shorts and fringed leather jackets? It's all beautifully made and the quality is great, but don't you think parts of the collection felt a little bit dated? All so Glasto circa 2008.

Ok so key phrase in above paragraph is that I was slightly disappointed with 

most

 of it. Yes,

most

. Because in reality, I couldn't help falling just a little bit in love with this white sun dress. For lack of a gorgeously feminine dress in my own wardrobe, I felt this filled a gap. Sometimes you just have to indulge in a little bit of pure girlishness. So I did. 

And we can't forget the shimmering black

lam� tux

. It was incredibly sexy, the perfect interplay of femininity and masculinity, like a modern, metallic twist on Yves Saint Laurent's

Le Smoking

of the late sixties. If my thighs were about 4 inches slimmer I'd have been

all

over it. And as much as I'm so bored with the whole fringing affair, the silver beaded fringe dress made my heart beat at least 20 times before you could even say the words 'Great Gatsby!'

For me, the issue was more with the fit. Sure, these pieces are going to look absolutely incredible on the worlds most iconic model (let's face it, it is Kate's job to make clothes look good...) but they're never going to make everyone look like a supermodel. Standing at the grandiose height of 5'3 with serious curves I could never pull off the pyjama pant trend without looking like one of those stilt-walking-clowns at carnivals, but without the stilts...

But if it makes you feel like a supermodel, then I guess that's all that matters.

Confidence

. 

It's exactly what these celebrity collaborative collections promise. They promise you a spirit slice of your icon. 

Did I feel like Kate Moss in this dress? No. But I did feel good. So I guess that's all that matters. 

Chelsea Blues

River Island Jacket

|

ASOS Top

|

Topshop Skirt

| Zara Mules

| Zara Bag |

Chelsea Doll Necklace

*

I love statement jewellery. Since I was about three I used to love digging around my grandma's jewellery box just to look at all of the big bright sparkly things. Gran's always have

the best

 jewellery collection! I love sparkle, so I always felt a bit like a pirate discovering a treasure chest. 

Even so, over the years I developed a slight a fear of coloured jewellery. With big statement pieces costing a reflectively chunky amount it's a bit of a pain investing in a piece that coordinates with

every

coloured top/dress that you own. 

Now that's a commitment I'm not willing to make considering how the 'new black' is a different shade every few months or so. 

Silver is safe. If it's just in the form of a twisted plait of chains, gunmetal grey gemstones or pure and clear crystal glass, the lack of colour means ultimate versatility. 

But I  couldn't ignore my growing love for blue hues this season. Pastel blue has washed over my wardrobe so strongly this season that at first glances I'm pretty sure you could mistake my wardrobe for the baby boy section in Mothercare. 

So it just seemed wrong to withhold my water coloured wardrobe the right to a sparkly coordinating companion. 

Sure, I love a slight minimalist aesthetic in the with sleek and tailored silhouettes and simple hues, but my inner magpie simply can't resist adding tiny bit of bling in the form of a giant necklace or a few stacked rings. It lets the jewellery take centre stage, just how it is meant to.

Let the statement piece make the statement.