Leather, love it or hate it its here to stay!

Leather has become a real staple in every girls wardrobe and those who shunned it this time last year are starting to give it a go.  But I have noticed that a lot of my clients panic on how to buy in to the trend so I thought I would show you a few key items that are an easy starting point for a LEATHER VIRGIN!!

For any shape and size I think there is a leather option out there and the easiest way to start is with a trouser... Gasp!  Yes I know your all thinking of the scene from friends where Ross gets stick in his leather pants, but leather or Pleather trousers are not like they used to be.  They have much more stretch and there are even options that are part legging or Trouser rather than full Leather:

Hoss Intropia do a fab option with a relaxed waist for £470, on the expensive side but the waist is worth it!

Or for you gals who don't have to worry about the waistline Zara do these for £25.99 and the leg has quite a bit of stretch.

And for those of us that have more curvy legs these leather panel leggings from Topshop £28.00 are great at slimming the leg, are super comfy and super stylish!

Of you really aren't a trousers girl, fear not as there is an abundance of leather on the high street in skirts and dresses too that will get your wardrobe back into action.  First off are my 2 favourite skirts from the high street:

First is a fab Burgundy pencil skirt from H&M £69.99 that will look super chic for day or night and the colour makes it stand out from the usual leather options!

Then for the more playful girl this skater style from Oasis £42.00 in army green will look great with a chunky gold knit tucked and is super easy to wear! 

Another way to get leather into your wardrobe is to add it into your work wear and I think classic shift dresses with leather panels inserted is a great starting point.  This first dress is by The Fold a fab on line company that specialise in amazing work wear and this Brompton Navy dress £375.00 works a treat and in the Navy gives the leather a much softer feel.

Zara also do a very similar idea with this Houndstooth dress £39.99.  The great thing with these dresses is that if you want to soften the leather you can layer fabulous blouses underneath for day at the office then loose the blouse and add statement jewellery for evening. 

I hope this has inspired you to give Leather a try if you haven't already. x

Trail Blazering..

Menswear is one the parts of my job that I adore as I think it is really easy to create a super stylish look on a guy no matter what the budget!

At the moment I am encouraging all of my male clients to invest in a statement Blazer as it is so versatile and covers so many different outfit options for so many different occasions.  Add a shirt and some dark jeans and your at a restaurant or event, pop a T-shirt underneath and it becomes super relaxed, add in a thin hoody and your looking edgier or add a knit and your can tap in to the preppy vibe!

Here are my top pick Blazer styles from designer and high street that I think will really add clout to any mans wardrobe.

The not so cheap but ideal for any occasion option is from Burberry it's £795 but if you have the budget would look great with a skinny tie, a scarf and T, a smart shirt or a knit!

If like I imagine it will be the Burberry is too expensive then check out this Topman option £150 that can be just as versatile for a lot less money.

The second not so cheap option is also from Burberry £595 but is so bang on trend that I couldn't miss it out! The Velvet and before you guys start rolling your eyes and saying stylists!!  Think about how useful a smarter more dressy blazer can be and how lovely it is for us girls to touch whilst waiting for a drink at the BAR!  In all seriousness a velvet blazer is easier to wear than people think, don't think you have to go super formal with a shirt and tie because the velvet looks fantastic when contrasted with T-shirts.  The only thing that I will say is a must is that you DON'T opt for black, go for a grey or blue as it will soften the look.

If your brave enough to give velvet a go but the price bracket is to high check out Topman's option at £100 which gives a similar affect without the price tag.

I hope this has inspired you guys to check out textured Blazers. 

Get Creative

I recently spotted these fab items in the accessories section of River Island and thought I would share my top tips on how to get them into your wardrobe, with examples of how I have used similar items!

These fab studs are £15.00 and would be great for adding to a last season jacket lapel or shoulder to bring up to date.  Or you could get creative and pop them round the edge of a peplum on a dress instead of opting for a belt!

I really like adding them to a collar and recently did something very similar with an accessories from Republic on a shoot with the lovely Laura from (http://allthetallthings.com blog).

Then I saw these fab shoe gems £25.00 which are great for jazzing up an old pair of shoes, especially if that old pair are super comfy and not going to give you blisters!

The great thing with this is that it gives you inspiration to create your own.. some old bracelets or belts could create the same effect, check out these Burberry inspired ones from a pair and a spare blog.

Then there is the idea of taking an item like this embellished collar £28.00 and rather than just popping it over a jacket or dress, try sewing it onto an item to give that piece real wow factor for the entire season.  I would sew it on to a white sleeveless blouse to take an everyday item to an extraordinary one.  But for a safer bet attach it to a black polo neck or dress for an instant Russian Doll affect.

Here is a picture of something very similar I did to a polo neck for an AW12 photo shoot, the shoulder detail is actually from 2 Indian headdresses which were from Claire's Accessories, but they gave a simple polo neck a bit of drama!

I hope this has got your creative juices flowing!!  Have fun. x

A Season for Separates

As the cold winter months are rolling in we’ve got to start layering ourselves up to fend off the frost bite, but this shouldn’t stop us looking fashionable and chic. Investing in seperates is the best way to do it. Layer them up, mix and match them, dress them up or dress them down – you can have a different outfit everyday just with less of a price tag!

This is a perfect statement dress from Zara £49.99 for this seasons leather fix and a great dress for both the evening and day.

To make it more than just a leather dress bring back some of those pastels from your summer wardrobe and work them into an autumn look – try this orange shirt £55.00 from Cos underneath the dress and then team with this yellow pastel blazer £135.00 also from Cos. 

Finish the look with thick black tights, and some easy to wear boots like these Zara ones £49.99.

To take the dress into an edgier evening look give it a gothic twist with lacey tights from ASOS £9.00, and pop on a statement necklace like this fab creation from ASOS £50.00, a slick of this Wicked lipstick from Topshop £9.00 will ensure you fashion rather than fancy dress!

To really finish off your look step out the box and try layering this gorgeous fur gilet from Zara £239.00 and a pop of colour with this cranberry carry all leather pouch from American Apparel £48.00.

Love Claire and Daisy xx