Coats

Tags

Acne, Carven, Coats, Isabel Marant, Jil Sander, Max Mara, Rochas, Zara

If there’s a new season piece I’ve been obsessing over for the past weeks, it has to be the winter coat. I cannot open a fashion magazine without falling in love with a new coat. There’s such a variety of beautiful colours, cuts and materials. Ahhh… had I unlimited funds and storage space, I’d buy a handful of them!

Here are some of my favourites now in stores (but there are many other beautiful ones still to arrive later in the season… or so the magazine adverts make me believe).

Pinks & Purples

♥ Rochas (so-beautiful-it-hurts) ♥ Jil Sander (so-atemporal-it’s-almost-a-necessity)

Blues

♥ Acne (cool, cool, cool) ♥ Carven (cute, cute, cute. And this one is also cute)

Camels & Greens

♥ Isabel Marant (I need a camel coat in my closet) ♥ Max Mara (I don’t really need a green coat in my closet, but this one is so beautiful and looks so soft, I promise I’d wear it forever and ever)

Greys & Blacks

♥ Zara (useful and classic) ♥ Zara (sleek and classic)

Do you have any favourites to add to this list?

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Old and new

Tags

Accessories, Velvet, vintage, Zara

Two things I brought home from my last visit to Portugal:

A new necklace from Zara.

An old little velvet jacket.

My mother was pretty excited about this velvet petit jacket she found in my grandmother’s wardrobe. It’s in excellent condition despite being more than 30 years old. The most lovely thing about it is that it was tailor-made by one of my grandmothers, who used to be a seamstress (or modiste, as she preferred to be called) for my other grandmother :) Very sweet.

Sadly, not everyone at home was able to see the sweetness of the whole thing. As soon as I put the jacket on my father’s first reaction was something like “Don’t tell me you’re seriously planning to wear that tiny jacket…” My brother, on the other hand, said between laughs that I looked like a toureiro (that is, a torero or bullfighter. Basically, something like this). He might have a point.
Buh, men…

Still, my mother and I believe this is a great little jacket and it’d be a shame to leave it abandoned to rot in an old closet. I’ve already thought of several mix & match possibilities, like for instance…

♦ with a delicate lace top (this is from good old Zara) ♦ with a linen/ jeans longish shirt (this one is from Sandro) ♦ with a striped top (almost any colour and format can work. this black & white one is from Cos) ♦ or simply with a dress (this one is an old Vivienne Westwood jersey dress that I love but almost never wear because it’s skin-tight and requires advanced suck-your-belly-in techniques that I’m usually too lazy to endure) ♦

But there are many more possibilities. It’s not that hard to find a place in one’s wardrobe for a little black jacket.

Now I just need the weather to get a bit warmer…

The black boots

Tags

Massimo Dutti, Zara

(and a Zara dress – a gift from my parents. The boots are quite loose on the leg, which sort of make me regret not having returned them. Oh well. Too late now.)

Christmas list (cont.)

Tags

Aesop, Armor Lux, Aurelie Bidermann, Christmas, Clare Vivier, COS, Eberjey, Gifts, Helmut Lang, Lanvin, Princess Tam Tam, Zara

Here’s part II of the list…

i. Jersey playsuit by Eberjey: Because you know I need to upgrade my nightwear. This little jersey playsuit looks not only pretty and discreetely sexy, but also very comfortable. WANT!

ii. Do Brazil bracelet by Aurelie Bidermann: Because I love bracelets (I told this before) and this one, in this particular colour, is the my kind of understated bling-bling luxury. If that makes any sense :)

iii. Nude ballet flats by Lanvin: Because I love ballerinas. In my book, loafers are transient, ballerinas are forever. And I always, always wanted to get a pair by Lanvin. I mean, I wouldn’t say no to a pair of Chanel ballerinas (who would?), but for me Lanvin is where I’d definitely put my money on. No logos, no tricks. Just beautiful, well-made shoes.

iv. Breton top by Armor Lux: Because I love marinières and cannot have enough of them. I heard about this brand in Hannah-Rose’s blog (do you know it? If not, please check it out. She writes soooo well, and has such a good taste) and cannot wait to add it to my collection. Ah, by the way and since we are on this topic, I also love Lapin de Lune’s tumblr dedicated to “la mariniere”. Endless inspiration.

v. Rejuvenate Intensive body balm by Aesop: Because I love its scent. It might not be the best body balm moisturization-wise (that prize goes to my beloved Crème de Corps by Kiehl’s) but its scent is so good that I want to make sure I always have it in my cupboard.

vi. White drape back shirt by Helmut Lang: Because I cannot have enough white shirts (just like breton tops, black booties, ballet flats…) and I love the draping detail on this shirt. However, I’ve to say that this one by COS could also do the same job very well. In fact, I’m anxiously waiting for the sales to jump on it :)

vii. Little black lingerie set by Princesse Tam Tam: Because I’d like to get some new and pretty lingerie and I love almost everything by Princesse Tam Tam (which, by the way, now has a UK online shop. danger).

viii. The New York Times, 36 hours: Europe by Barbara Ireland: Because I like long weekend escapades in Europe and I always read the NY Times travel pages when I’m preparing my trips anyway. Having it all compiled in a single book would be brilliant. NEED this!

ix. Wool snood by COS: Because a good scarf/snood in a neutral colour (and this is a great one!) is a must for Winter.

x. Suede slippers by COS: Because I not only love socks, I also love warm slippers (I’m the kind of person whose feet are perennially cold). Just looking at these slippers from COS makes me feel cozy and warm.

xi. Suede handbag by Zara: Because I want a suede handbag and this one from Zara is almost perfect. And it is also affordable.

xii. Cool knit by Helmut Lang: Because I love the pattern, the colours, the length (not too short, I cannot do short knits), the material. It’s sold out, but Santa Claus is magic and can find anything he wants.

xiii. Clutch by Clare Vivier (and here): Because I’ve wanted a clutch from Clare Vivier for ages. (I’ve talked about my fascination for this brand here, by the way.) I’ve had the chance to buy one, but for reasons I cannot explain I think this is the type of stuff that needs to be gifted, rather than bought. I don’t know, it’d be kind of a charming, cute, chic gift, wouldn’t it?

Ahhh… and that’s it!

At this point you might be thinking that I love everything: I love ballet flats, I love white shirts, I love Breton tops, candles, sock, cashmere, jumpers, slippers….
How many things do I love? I love many things indeed. I’ve got a very big heart! :)
In fact, I could actually carry on making Christmas lists because I quite like spending hours browsing the internet looking for items that make my heart sing… But I think 2 lists, consisting of 21 items is more than enough inspiration.

Happy Christmas shopping everyone, by the way!

1-2-3

Tags

Gap, Massimo Dutti, Today I'm wearing, Whistles, Zara

Outfit of the day in 3 steps:

(let’s all just ignore that I cut part of my feet off in the last 2 pictures and be happy)

 • Gap shirt • Whistles skirt and jumper • (veeery old) Faith (?) boots • Massimo Dutti trench coat • Zara handbag •

Black & White

Tags

APC, APC Madras, Zara

I don’t know why but I’m in a very black & white phase as you could guess from the last post.
Here’s my b&w outfit of the day…

 

APC top (old collections, bought in 2006 or 2007)

APC Madras skirt (also from 2007)

Zara suede boots (brand new)

I try to avoid Zara UK as much as I can because (i) I know I will always fall in love with something I clearly don’t need and (ii) its prices are exactly the same as in Portugal, with the difference that they are in £ instead of € (which, at the current exchange rate means a 26.45% markup. Honestly, no kidding!).

But, well, I’m a weak-willed person (does this adjective really exist?) and yesterday I couldn’t resist pop in the Covent Garden branch during my lunch break just for a peek at the new collection.
Obviously, the Zara prophecy came true and as soon as I entered the shop I felt an unconditional love for the suede boots above.
I tried to convince myself that I don’t need any more black boots (see below) or that I could wait and get them next time I go to Portugal (possibly only in 2-3 months. Maybe by then these boots wont be available anymore… the drama!), but it didn’t work. I bought them and I’m wearing them today (they’re very comfortable, by the way).

So this is my current ‘ankle’ boot collection… I basically live in black boots during autumn/winter. I’ve also a pair of knee-high black leather boots and the Bazils (ok, they are not exactly boots, but you get the point).

Is there anything you keep buying (and wearing) repeatedly?
In my case, looking at my closet, it’s definitely black boots and white/black t-shirts (long sleeve, short sleeve, linen, cotton, rayon…). The search for the perfect white/black t-shirt never ends… but that’s material for a different post.

Have a great weekend! xx

Edit: I just remembered I also have these F-troupe black boots I bought last year. Uff, 5 pairs is maybe too much…

Yesterday

Tags

Etoile Isabel Marant, Level99, Today I'm wearing, Zara

I was wearing…

Isabel Marant Etoile Capone top + Level 99 jeans (I bought these at Anthropologie and they are by far the most comfortable jeans I own) + (old) shoes from Office + (very, very old) blazer from Zara

One pair of trousers

Tags

Alexander Wang, American Apparel, Fashion, Gap, Isabel Marant, Zara

The sooner I said I wouldn’t pay a lot of money for a pair of printed jeans, the sooner I had to swallow my words…
On the same day I commented on Sue’s blog that I wasn’t sure snake/leopard print jeans were my thing, I came across a pair of Isabel Marant snake-print trousers at 50% off and, guess what?, I thought it was the greatest deal on earth and I ordered them.

Hello coherency! I’d love to meet you…

Anyway, the snake print jeans arrived and I’m torn. They are certainly fun, but they are so, so different from the type of things I usually wear.
My task this Saturday was to think of all items in my wardrobe I can easily pair with them. This is what I came up with…

I can wear it with: 1. American Apparel men’s denim shirt (yes, Giacomo, it’s your shirt) 2. Green silk shirt 3. Grey T by A. Wang tank top
(old Zara suede boots throughout)

4. White shirt (this too, Giacomo) 5. Zara black t-shirt 6. Black t-shirt + military jacket

7. Black shirt from Gap 8. White slouchy linen t-shirt 9. Zara blazer (I love the cut of Zara blazers, by the way)

So, I think I can safely and comfortably pair it with a slouchy, longish top.
However, I’m in doubt… I cannot wear these to work, which makes them essentially a weekend item (and there are only 52 weekends in a year).
Will I still find them fun in 2 or 3 years time? Or will I end up selling them on eBay?

Hmmm, I’ve got two days to decide…

one in, one out

Tags

APC, Forever21, French Connection, Jovovich-Hawk, Manoush, Marc by Marc Jacobs, McQ, Michael Kors, Vanessa Bruno Athe, Zara

No matter how many clothes I give to friends, family or to charity, my closet still keeps expanding at a ridiculously fast pace. (Too much shopping, maybe? Nooo…)

I decided that from now on, it’s one in, one out. Literally. For every new item that arrives, one has to go out.

To prove how committed I am to this resolution I decided to start a small ebay sale with a few pieces that, for one reason or another, I have kept in my closet for too long even though I hardly (or never!) wear them.

So, here they go…

You can have a look at them here, in case you’re interested
(I wear UK size 10, btw)

Home based

Tags

Etoile Isabel Marant, H&M, Topshop, Zara

Hello! I’m back from a short break in Porto with friends and family. I went in search of a bit of early summer weather, but wasn’t lucky. Except for one sunny day, the weather was almost like in London… lots of clouds, fog and even some heavy rain. Oh well, at least Portugal won its last match in the groups stage and we’re through to the quarter finals!

On a separate note, here’s a couple of (very) basic looks I’ve been wearing at home. I love the fact that my job gives me the possibility to work from home a few days a month.

Etoile linen t-shirt + Topshop jeans

Zara tunic/dress + H&M jeans

I’ll come back with a few shots from Porto very soon…