TRAINER MANIA!

Early doors: my Puma trainers from a couple of years back.

Unlike most girls, I didn’t grow out of trainers when I left secondary school and instead continued to wear Nike hi-tops and Converse throughout my teens and well into my twenties, which means I'm more excited than most about about spring/summer 13's love affair with sporty shoes.

The 'sports luxe' trend which has been going strong for the last few seasons, first welcomed hi-tops into the luxury fashion remit (hello Isabel Marant’s wedge trainer phenomenon and the much coveted Pierre Hardy beauties), and then it was Opening Ceremony’s collaborations, first with American classic Keds, and then last summer, street-wear favourite: Vans x Kenzo that gave trainers cult status. 
And so it seems this season the trainer trend shows no sign of waning... and the new sporty lace-ups on the fashion block? Brightly coloured running inspired shoes!

Moschino Cheap & Chic sent them down the runway for their spring/summer ’13 collection back in September and it wasn’t long before style mavens from New York to Milan were street-snapped off setting their super chic tailored looks with a pair that wouldn’t look out of place on a treadmill! 

Lucky for me, I already had these colour-popping Puma’s tucked away, and let’s face it they were never going to get any action at the gym! 

Another pair of trainers I’m currently obsessing over, are at the other end of the sporty shoe spectrum, these metallic gold moc croc ‘London’ plimsolls new from Kurt Geiger London. Their cool, slip-on style are just what my boyfriend jeans have been calling out for...  

Kurt Geiger London's 'London' trainers.

To shop Puma’s running shoes click here, and for Kurt Geiger London’s bling plimsolls, click here.  

CAT PRINT PURRFECTION!

Me wearing: Gap's new cat print shirt, with a Benetton cardie and 'Vienna' jeans by MiH Jeans.  

As I’m sure it’s pretty obvious by now, I love cat prints, so you can imagine my delight when I got this preview of Gap’s new collection and this navy and white cotton shirt! 

There are lots of fab prints in Gap’s ‘Spring’ offering (which hits stores on the 4th of February) but all pale in comparison for this cat lover!
It looks great both tucked into a pair of high-waist jeans and worn loose with skinnys, I also love the idea of the cat shirt collar peeping out from a crew neck sweater or layered with a dungaree dress. ...The purrfect in-between seasons buy. 

Up close: Gap's new cotton cat print shirt, layered with my Benetton cardigan. 

To nab a Gap cat print shirt of your own, click here. 

TOPANGA! THE A-LINE JEAN, BY MIH JEANS!

Me wearing: my new 'Topanga' jeans by MiH Jeans, with a Preen sweater and Rupert Sanderson shoes.  

Yes, honestly, these are my legs... I never thought I’d see the day either! But the geniuses over at MiH Jeans have convinced me to stray from my faithful addiction to skinny jeans for the first time in ooh... about seven years!

Well that’s not exactly true, I do own one pair of Boyfriend jeans: the ‘Dylan’ by Citizens of Humanity, one pair of  Current/Elliott's signature ‘slouchy skinnys,' and a pair of straight-leg ‘Roadtrip’ jeans also by MiH Jeans. They’re all blue washes and I wear them in the summer by day, unlike my thirty plus pairs of skinny jeans which I wear a.m and p.m, all year round!

I still don’t think I could do a proper pair of flares, but there's something about the Topanga’s A-line leg, combined with their cool cropped length that really grabbed me and whilst they're a striking silhouette, the lack of volume south of the ankle makes them a manageable one for me. Plus, I love the high-waist vintage fit and traditional non-stretch denim they're cut in. And the best news is they only work with added height, ideal for ensuring I stick to my 2013 style resolution to wear more heels. 
Right now they're best with shrunken sweaters but come spring and summer I'll team my Topangas with a tucked-in shirt and stacked sandals.

P.S These jeans terrify my boyfriend, which means they’re a sure-fire fashion hit!

To snap up a pair of the Topanga jeans by MiH Jeans, click here.

MY 2013 STYLE RESOLUTIONS!

In collage: my 2013 style resolutions.

Sod my body, it was my wardrobe that needed a detox this January and having weeded out a lot of stuff that a) I hadn’t worn in ages and b) wasn’t really my style anymore, I have a much more concise wardrobe to deal with. But my work’s not done: I'm going to continue to regularly purge my wardrobe so it only contain things that not only look good but that I actually wear more than once in a blue moon! Sounds idiotically simple but it’s so easy to accumulate stuff if you're not disciplined about having a proper clear out every couple of years. 

So in light of a fresh start this month I have decided to focus on five style resolutions for the New Year, and they are as follows: number one, I will wear heels more often in the working week- after all it takes up 80% of our time and it's always worth making the effort, even if you're tired, stressed and running late!
Number two, I will up my accessories ante by ensuring I ‘finish’ my outfits each day by popping on an unnecessary-but-oh-so-pretty headband, belt, standout necklace etc.
For number three, as mention above, I will continue to ‘trial’ items in my  wardrobe and edit out anything that isn’t up to scratch. 

Number four, I will keep things varied by making the most of the gems I do have, appose to falling into the trap of  wearing similar outfits each week out of habit. 

And finally, resolution number five, is to invest only in what my wardrobe is missing or lacking and not more of the same, i.e. no matter how much I love Breton stripes and mannish cardies, there are limits! 

It’s all simply enough, and doesn’t require any extra money, just fresh thinking. Stay tuned to see if I can keep my 2013 style resolutions up!

ON THE TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS... A 'MAKE IT HAPPEN' CHARM

My ever growing Astley Clarke charm bracelet.

Whilst I’m not going to bore you with all my New Year’s resolutions, there’s a few things I’m keen to achieve in 2013 and although I’m not particularly superstitious I’m thrilled with the labradorite charm my mum bought me for Christmas from Astley Clarke. 

They’ve coined it the ‘MAKE IT HAPPEN’ charm, after the stone’s association with 'transformation, intuition, and it’s ability to help with understanding difficult situations.' 
All of which will certainly help me on my way with my 2013 goals. 

The detachable charm can be worn on a chain to create a pretty pendent, or be attached to a link on your favourite bracelet. 

I’ve added mine to my ever-growing Astley Clarke pearl charm bracelet, which I wear every day. 

To see and shop Astley Clarke’s full charm collection, click here.

So that's it, the last instalment of my Twelve Days of Christmas posts, we're a little shy of the actual twelfth day of Christmas (January 6th) but I took my tree down today and the decorations are all packed away until next year. 

I'm back to work on Monday when my attentions will turn to spring/summer '13! 

I hope you had a good one, thanks for reading! 

ON THE ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS... ASPINAL'S PERSONALISED DIARY

Fresh start: my new personalised Aspinal of London diary.

It’s the second day of 2013 and time for me to open my new diary! It's been waiting in its box for today to arrive and for me to start filling it in, in my neatest possible writing of course (January is after all about good intentions!)

It took me ages to find a diary that was both pretty and practical enough, without costing the earth and I’m thrilled with this A5 one from Aspinal of London. 

I love the ‘violet’ colour which is perfect for all seasons, whilst the ‘lizard print’ calf leather, and gold gilt edged pages give it some added glam factor, not bad for £69! 

Plus, the fact that you can have your initials embossed on the front totally sealed the deal! 

To buy an Aspinal of London 2013 diary of your own, click here. 

ON THE TENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS... A PAIR OF STELLAR EARRINGS

Me wearing: my new Katie Rowland earrings with an Emma Cook dress on NYE last night.

Perfect for New Year’s Eve, these amethyst and smokey quartz earrings by Katie Rowland have a lovely stellar quality to them and are an ultra-modern alternative to chandelier earrings. 

New, from Katie Rowland’s latest collection, they’ve replaced my trusty gold Wright & Teague hoop earrings, as my go-to for some instant sparkle and bling. 

Up close: My Katie Rowland earrings, with my Anya Hindmarch 'Engraved Marano' clutch.

To see and shop Katie Rowland’s gorgeous jewellery, click here. 

Happy New Year everyone and thank you for all the NIETO NOTICED support in 2012!