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OOTD: Countryside Chic

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Mac* – Red or Dead | Top – Topshop | Jeans – Topshop | Boots – Topshop | Bag – Primark

How do you dress for a rainy, cold weekend in Wales? Well! Thankfully, after visiting Wales more than a handful of times, I have honed my skills in this department. First off I make sure I’m wearing a decent coat that will keep me dry and warm, but not too big as I don’t want to be travelling with anything too heavy. Next up, a pair of decent boots and trainers because the Welsh countryside is certainly not the place for stilettos (when you walk as much as I do anyway). A good pair of jeans always comes in handy because they can easily be dressed up in the evening. Finally, a selection of cute tops that allow me to show off my personality, without losing any comfort or warmth.

Yes, it may not be very glamorous but sometimes you really do have to combine fashion and function.
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Wish List: Joules

Joules is a brand I associate with countryside chic. A lot of my friends who live in the country wear it and so by osmosis I have slowly become a fan of the brand myself, even though I’m a city girl. After donning one of their waterproof jackets this weekend (thanks for the rain Wales) I decided to browse their online store. Consequently I ended up falling for several of their new arrivals I decided to pick out a few of the items from their latest collections that caught my eye, and share them with you all.

Stripes! Did you expect anything else from me? In fact I scaled back on here and have even more striped goodies from Joules in my own personal wish list (in my head). Their selection of lovely Summer dresses this year really caught my eye too, and have left me quite sad that I don’t have any weddings to attend. Unfortunately the British weather also seems to have other ideas and I think my selection of items reflects my eagerness to plan ahead. Still, with gorgeous items like these on offer you can’t really be too upset about Autumn coming sooner than planned. My plan for A/W this year? Colourful jumpers, comfy brogues, warm dresses and accessories galore.

Create your own wish list at Joules.

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This post is in collaboration with Joules but all views and words are my own.

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Designer Spotlight: Elena Saraceni

I really feel like up-and-coming designers aren’t given enough love, so when I happened upon Elena Saraceni at the Red Vatican press launch I knew I had to dedicate a post to her work. Elena’s designs called out to me personally as I loved the intricacy that had gone into her pieces. Not only are her designs painstakingly hand-embroided but they call out to the woman who prefers something with a bit more attitude. The woman who grew up being called a ‘tomboy’ when really she just felt sexier in an oversized leather vest. Biker jackets, skirts with skulls on, studs and one effortlessly chic clutch bag. Need I say more?

I contacted her and asked if she wouldn’t mind telling me a bit about herself and her designs.

DESIGNER NAME: Elena Saraceni

ORIGIN: Born in Argentina, raised in Venezuela with Italian, French, Argentinian and Venezuelan heritage.

DESIGN BACKGROUND: Graduated from Central Saint Martins, London College of Fashion and Instituto Brivil. Holds a BA, Graduate Diploma and an Masters in Fashion design. She has worked between Paris, London and Caracas with Oscar Carvallo, Consuelo Zoelly, Maria Grachvogel, Alexander McQueen and her own brand and projects.

DESIGN SIGNATURES: It would be more a language than a stamp. Balance between contradictory elements, making sense out of a paradox.

BRAND PHILOSOPHY: Find potential in the ordinary, find beauty in the unexpected.

CULTURAL INFLUENCES:  Music, art, travel, everything. And there’s also cinema, a movie has art, photography, style, philosophy, attitude, music and video all in one.

LATEST COLLECTION: The Amish Outlaw Collection ’14

“An Amish girl gets shunned by her family after she falls in love with a biker that was passing by and runs away with him. Now, she’s trying to figure out how to belong to her new family without letting go of her religious beliefs.”

Inspired by Amish country and outlaw motorcycle clubs, the collection features hand-embroidered themes taken from the artisanal Amish quilts and Biker visual identification and adornment, to create quilting for textured leather and workwear cotton. Mixing textured and flat fabrics, handwork and machine work, leather and quilting and melting them with a concept that joins antagonistic elements together. The magic happened in the in-between as always. Making sense out of the senseless. Looking for similarities in apparently different ideas. Making sense out of a paradox through the alchemy of concepts diluting them in a bricolage of styles and materials.

Browse and shop The Amish Outlaw Collection at Elena Saraceni, and in-store at Red Vatican.

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I like pretty, shiny things…

Necklace and Earrings – Azendi*
 
Although I’ve toyed with gold in the past, silver has always been my number one choice for jewellery (when platinum isn’t available, darling). It’s effortlessly chic and goes with pretty much everything. In recent years I veered away from silver (apart from my rings) and I wore a lot of loud statement pieces. However as I see my personal style evolving yet again, I have rediscovered my love for the more minimalistic things in life.
Azendi sent me this sterling silver necklace and earrings to add to my ever growing jewellery collection. I couldn’t even believe the effort that the store had gone to with the packaging. Encased in a lovely big presentation box were two smaller boxes, individually wrapped up in beautiful paper and tied with a big purple ribbon. Presentation is so important, especially when you’re gifting jewellery to someone. Now I know that if I wanted to send an item from their site to a friend or family member, it would arrive looking picture perfect. The quality of the items is priority though, and I was really impressed with what I received. The silver was polished and without tarnish – silver can oxidise incredibly quickly and leave a nasty yellowish layer on top when not looked after properly (always keep your jewellery out of direct sunlight and in a box, if possible). I think Azendi’s jewellery is an absolute steal, with amazing prices for their pieces in silver, rose gold and semi/precious stones.You can buy these and more at Azendi.

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OOTD: Stay Sunny

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Shirt: Primark | Slip Dress – Primark | Shoes* – New Look | Sunglasses* – Oasap | Necklace: Tatty Devine

Wandering around East London can sometimes feel like you’re in your own personal fashion show, as you exhibit the latest addition to your wardrobe. I love that you can feel proud of what you’re wearing and that others won’t judge your clothes. That and the fact that you’re always going to find someone dressed more outrageously than you. Now I wouldn’t say my personal style has evolved into something that exactly turns heads, but it’s good to feel comfortable in your own skin and I thoroughly believe that East London allows me to do that. Some might think the area is pretentious, and at times it can be, but I’ve never once felt that I had to live up to others expectations…although I do sometimes wonder if that’s purely because of my mind set. Either way, I love this part of town and will continue to flaunt it until I can no longer do so.

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South Beach Swimwear Summer Event

South Beach Swimwear Summer Event

Last week I attended the South Beach Swimwear Summer Event. It was held at one of my favourite Shoreditch hideaways – The Love Shake. The bar has a 50s pin up, all-American vibe, making it the perfect place to host a bikini extravaganza. I was lucky enough to spend the evening in the wonderful company of V.A, her friend Mai and Lorna. We browsed South Beach’s latest collections, whilst sipping on delicious milkshake cocktails (yes they are a thing, and yes you MUST try one) and nibbling on hot dogs (ketchup and mustard on mine, thanks). All was done with perfectly manicure talons – thanks go to Rosie who decked out our nails in designs inspired by some of the bikinis. I went for a red, blue & white striped combo, reminiscent of Jean Paul Gaultier and Summer’s spent frolicking by the French Riviera.

Now I could hardly tell you about the event and not mention the wonderful designs that were on show during the evening. South Beach have outdone themselves with bikinis, shawls and bags to make any beach lover drool. My personal favourite was the parasol print above, that also came in a underwired bikini top (Davina Top) with matching high-waisted bottoms (Dulcie Brief). The 50s film siren inside of me is desperate for them. South Beach get another thumbs up from me as they allow you to purchase your bikini tops and bottoms separately. That means there won’t be any size blunders for those of us who aren’t one size all over. It also allows for some creative input; so if you’re not the type to go matchy matchy, you have the option of playing around with prints and colours.

I also found out during the event that South Beach sell loungwear as well. I fell for one cheeky little number in particular that looked as sexy as it did sweet – yes those two can definitely go together. Unfortunately it isn’t up on the site yet, but once it is I shall make sure to share it with you all.

You can visit South Beach for all your bikini needs this Summer, trust me.