Pleats (and Pastel Fur) Please

I admit, I've fallen prey to mass-fashion's predilection for culottes. Not that I consciously avoid trends, but they don't dictate my wardrobe, and this is one I never thought I'd wear. As a staunch believer in the straight/skinny variety of trousers, this is pretty much a sartorial paradigm shift. But damn they are comfy, and I'm partial to the deco/speakeasy-gangster vibe they give off. I bought this micro-pleated pair last year. not whilst shopping for culottes, but whilst fulfilling my want for an Issey Miyake Pleats Please garment. Paired with a white turtleneck, and pastel blue stole (that I like to wear as some sort of pageant sash for some reason), this is an unusually silhouette driven ensemble for me. Apologies to those that hate matchy-matchiness, but colour-coordination is in my blood, and I just had to match my nails, socks, and necklace to the pale blue fur.      

Vintage coat and bag, H&M turtleneck, vintage stole, Issey Miyake Pleats Please culottes, Chloé shoes, vintage jewellery. 

Buttoned Blues

I bought this skirt last winter wanting to try a new silhouette. I loved the slight Chinoiserie of the cobalt/gold fabric but was unsure about the deep ruffled hem/drop-waist. The ruffle is of varying depths, being deeper and more flamboyant at the front, giving you two ways to wear the skirt. I think I prefer the bigger ruffle at the back, giving a bustle effect and leaving a daintier frill to the front.

Here I styled the skirt with an antique blue velvet bodice for a party look last Christmas (not Christmas last week, but Christmas a year and a week ago...I've been busy, oops. I was obviously going through a bit of a blue velvet phase at the time). Not sure on it's exact age, but it has lovely brass buttons all the way down the back and I love seeing the construction of garments like this from the inside. 

Antique bodice, skirt (ASOS), shoes (French Connection), vintage jewellery. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And I wore the skirt in a more casual context for a birthday meal; breaking up the black with a 1920's cream celluloid necklace. Still not 100% sold on the skirt. The perfectionist in me wishes it were higher waisted and a better fit, but it's nice to try something new every so often. 

Black and Blue - part two

Following on from my previous post featuring this blouse in a daytime look, here's a peek at how I styled it for a wedding party a few weeks ago. As the blouse is kinda boxy and fussy, I kept the silhouette streamlined with a basic black pencil skirt, adding black and white accessories in the form of triple-strapped Mary-Janes, Ianthe printed Liberty bag and pearl-rimmed sunglasses. 

Top - Bolongaro Trevor; skirt - ASOS; shoes - ASOS; sunglasses - ASOS; bag - Liberty of London; all jewellery - vintage

Black and Blue

Nearly two years ago I saw raven-haired actress Olga Kurylenko in a powder blue Pucci dress and fell in love with what I saw. She looked stunning with her black hair contrasting against the palest of blue, sparking  within me a slight obsession with the combination. 

I'm yet to find my perfect powder blue dress but I have a lovely fur stole in said colour which I cannot wait to start wearing when the temperatures drop. Whilst the weather is still mild I've been rather attached to this laser-cut Bolongaro Trevor blouse in a lovely pale, almost slate, blue. The intricate cut-outs are pretty amazing and the front ruffle reminds me of those dodgy shirts men wore to prom/disco/weddings in the 1970's. Pops of true red really complement pale blue, something seen throughout the Temperley SS13 collection and those of Valentino and Erdem too (see below). The black and white lace up sandals are another summer obsession of mine. I so wish I'd bought them in silver too. In my next post I'll show you how I styled this blouse for a wedding outfit...coming up soon!

(silly face, sorry)

Blouse (Bolongaro Trevor), trousers (H&M), shoes (SixtySeven)

Olga Kurylenko in Pucci/ Elie Saab Couture SS 2013/ Street style from Elle.com 

Temperley SS 2013

Erdem Fall 2014 and Fall 2010

Valentino SS 2012

Guinevere Van Seenus by Steven Meisel, Vogue Italia January 08 

New Hair, Old Dress

Late last year I chopped off a large amount of hair, after much consideration and procrastinating. I just needed a change and wanted to stop damaging my hair with so much straightening and back-combing. You can see my inspiration board over on Pinterest. I wanted to utilise my naturally curly hair for some sort of nonchalant 20's bob.

Back to the outfit, I wore a vintage royal blue velvet dress for Christmas 2013, complimented with gold accessories. The boat-neck, dipped v-back and a-line skirt all make for a very mid-century silhouette, something a bit different for me, but who could resist such gorgeous blue velvet? The belt is a rather interesting addition to my antique belt collection. It's an expanding design made up of a body of interlocking copper springs woven with thread. The back of the buckle is embossed with 'The Martin Patented' which after a bit of googling tells me this particular design was originally used in men's tennis belts, an example of which can be seen here.

Went for a silver theme on the tree this year, got some cute mini violas (or violins?) and some Fabergé egg style baubles.