LFW

It's a few days into London Fashion Week although I seem to have avoided seeing teeny fashionistas stumbling nonchalantly on the cobbled streets as I am in my little bubble of an office in Liverpool Street, the area of London seemingly unaffected by the fashion frivolities. However, I have been keeping abreast of all the LFW highlights and the various trends that are in style at the moment. I especially enjoyed the Orla Kiely's presentation, which showcased waifish models sitting at typewriters, in nostalgic knits and twee separates. Peter Pan collars, A-line mini skirts and cute cardigans was a nice contrast to Rihanna's controversial collection with River Island which, let's face it, was never going to be demure. I loved the 50's/ 60's influence with the models exhibiting beehive hairdos and feline eyeliner flicks - it all added to the whimsical, retro ambience!

Although I would love to be able to splash out on the Orla Kiely range, it's not exactly within my price range (one day...) but there are a number of equally whimsical accessories on the highstreet such as these accessories from Hobbs, which are both currently in the sale!

The teacup earrings were originally £29 but have been reduced to £8 and the gorgeous bow brooch is a bargain at £13

February lust list

From top left:

Fox bag from Temporary Secretary

Apocalips lip glosses from Rimmel (I want the one in nude for everyday wear)

Urban Decay eyeshadow primer

Check shirts!

Black flatform/ wedge sandal from Dune

Stephen Fry's autobiography, The Fry Chronicles

Hobbs tan leather brogues - on sale!

Cat eye sunglasses with pearl detail from ASOS

Any rose gold jewellery with spikes/ studs...

Fashion obsession: ankle boots

I have gone through a countless number of black ankle boots but I can't seem to kick the habit. These are my latest. Chunky heeled Chelsea-style ankle boots from New Look.

It's clearly been a productive day at work...

Fashion prints

I have been meaning to give my room a little bit of a revamp for a while now. Apart from the fact that it's in a constant state of chaos, the walls are bare and in need for some art. One thing I've always loved is fashion in art, especially from the 1950's and 60's. I've been browsing the Victoria and Albert Shop website for some much-needed inspiration and am drawn to these two beautiful prints below.

The first black and white print is a photograph of model Tania Mallett in a stiffened net hat with leather gloves and some form of stole around her neck. The lighting accentuates her impeccable bone structure and the photo exudes elegance and sophistication. The second is called 'Le Jugement de Paris' and was actually published in 1924. I love the use of colour - the warmth of the yellows and oranges - and the stylised silhouettes of elegant women wearing flapper-style dresses. Both prints are £15 for a standard size so I would probably buy frames separately and put these up in my room to brighten the place up. Not too shabby, methinks.

New Year

It's over a week into 2013 so I'm pretty sure many are already turning their backs on the well-intentioned resolutions they made last year. Indeed, I'm suffering from the 'must be thinner/ more interesting/ more intelligent etc.' January mindset. But alas, we must plod on.

Anyway, in fashion terms, we are still very much in the winter season which is great for me. Finally purchasing a winter coat before my short break to Edinburgh, I thoroughly enjoy wrapping up with copious layers and thermal leggings (yes, I'm sad) on my commute to work. There's something incredibly comforting about it.

Although one of my resolutions is to be far more careful with how I spend the old pennies, this hasn't stopped me from doing a little 'window shopping'. I usually partake in a bit of this every few hours when I feel I can no longer use my brain at work and instead, quite fancy looking at pretty things for a while. The other day, I came across Markus Lupfer collaboration with ASOS Black where he acts as one-off designer creating a capsule of leather pieces. I've known about Markus Lupfer for a while but his collaboration really caught my eye, with its beautifully gothic, high-fashion pieces. As expected, they’re pricier than the normal bits and bobs you get on ASOS but as they’re 100% leather, that should go without saying.

A favourite of mine is this gorgeous leather dress with a digital kaleidoscope print (leather + prints = amazingness), coming in at £175. It’s in a skater style which makes the look a little more feminine and the geometric cut-out to the chest adds a cheeky flash of skin and propels the dress to designer status. This would look absolutely amazing with deep plum lipstick, bold eyebrows and black ankle boots...

Festive fun

It's nearing December and the radios have already started blaring out the same tired Christmas songs. And as is the case every year, retail stores are focusing on what to wear for the awaited 'office party.' For me, this conjures up images of Granddad dancing, awkward conversation and David Brentisms. But for many stores, it's little black dresses, high heels, faux fur jackets and sequins all the way.

It's a time when you're *allowed* to go all out - you know, wear that turquoise eyeliner you've always wanted to but not quite built up the courage to... who cares about the photographic evidence?!! Throw caution to the wind.

I bought a midi black dress with lace panels at the waist which give the illusion of an hour glass shape - never a bad thing! However, the extreme side slit which I've noticed is featuring more frequently this year is something I'm not entirely comfortable with.

I would probably spend a lot of my time making sure I'm not indecently exposing myself which is not really the ideal way to spend the Xmas party. Also, I think it can look a little 'Strictly come dancing' and can easily become tacky. So I've sent that ASOS number back.. despite loving the lace panels...

Looks like it'll be some last minute shopping for me then...

Burgundy love

Burgundy's a big colour this season, if you hadn't already heard. As a fan of rich jewel tones, I've gone a little crazy on the burgundy accessories front. Usually I hate matching stuff but I am so in love with my new suede burgundy bag from Karen Millen and my burgundy pashmina is super easy to throw on to combat the chilly morning commute. Please ignore the messy desk - I work in organised chaos, obviously.