AW12 Trend - The Midi Skirt

Its been around for a few seasons now but this Autumn I have finally discovered The Midi! By The Midi I'm of course talking about to the super-flattering calf-skimming skirts that have pervaded both the catwalk and the High Street! The Midi comes in lots of shapes and styles - floaty and feminine, pleated, A-line or my personal favourite, the pencil skirt!

The Midi, http://www.asos.com/Women/Skirts/Midi-Skirts/Cat/pgecategory.aspx?cid=12906

The Midi is super versatile! Dress it up with heels or down with ballet flats. They're cute with bodies and crop tops and look fantastic with this season's other big trend, The Peplum!

Pull-on dogtooth check pencil skirt, Primark, £11 | Pull-on textured pencil skirt, Topshop £20

Pull-on green flock spot pencil skirt, ASOS, £20

 My favourite way to wear The Midi is with a cropped tee or bralet, bare legs, chunky socks and my lovely Topshop ankle boots! Autumn chic!

I'd love to hear about your favourite seasonal trends!

Xx

Brocade Shorts, Beautiful Lipsticks and Blakes Coffee House, Newcastle.

Do you ever have those days when you have nothing much to do but doing nothing seems like waste? I do and on such days I invariably end up shopping, its sort of my default activity. Yesterday was just such a day and so I decided on a trip to Newcastle for a little cheeky shopping with my lovely friend Amy-Lea. Here are a few of the things I treated myself to,one day I'll learn just to browse...

I'm in love with this seasons trend for all things Gothic and glam and so when I spotted these gorgeous high-waisted brocade shorts in Topshop I couldn't resist! The party season is very nearly upon us after all! Brocade Shorts, £30, Topshop.

I've had my eye on MAC's lipstick in Rebel for a while now, ever since I saw the lovely YouTube Beauty Guru Tanya Burr sporting it in one of her Monthly Favourites videos (did I mention I love her!) Although not for the faint hearted, Rebel is the perfect grown-up, berry-red Autumn/Winter colour! Rebel Satin Finish Lipstick, £14, MAC Cosmetics.

Spending money really take it out of you and so Miss Amy and I headed to Blakes Coffee House on Grey Street for a little post-shopping Afternoon tea. Although Amy had been before, this was my first visit to Blakes. This little coffee house with its miss-matched chairs and tables has bags of rustic charm, although in my opinion a few squashy sofas or armchairs would add to the cosy factor! Blakes has a lovely selection of what looked like home-made sandwiches, quiches and cakes and an extensive breakfast menu served till 2pm, I've been reliably informed by Amy-Lea that the American Pancakes, Bacon and Maple Syrup is out of this world! They also have a great range of coffee and loose-leaf teas, always a winner in my book! I opted for a pot of Earl Grey and a Toasted Teacake, which came to just less than £5. Definitely one to add to my list of Newcastle haunts! Find Blakes Coffee House at 53 Grey Street,  Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE1 6EE.

Xx

Old Friends, Autumn Boots and Anna Karenina

Have you ever noticed how its always your oldest and dearest friends that you spend the least time with? At least it is for me! So last night, with a little get together long of due, my oldest friend (who just happens to be the lovely Hannah of Raspberry Kitsch-fame) and I decided that a trip to the cinema (and a good old gossip) was required! This seemed the perfect inaugural occasion for my latest Topshop purchase, a gorgeous pair of heeled ankle boots, perfect the oncoming Autumn weather!

As fans of a good costume drama, we opted to see the latest adaptation of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, staring Keira Knightly and Jude Law (sporting some very un-sexy hair).

   I'm not going to lie, Anna Karenina isn't the best film you'll see this year, basically its depressing in a way only great Russian literature can be! However this movie is lavishly and beautifully filmed and the costumes are outrageously gorgeous! In fact, the picture above makes me want to hunt out Mama C's vintage furs and wait for Winter to arrive...if only I had the diamonds too!

Topshop MIGHTY Black Leather Zip Boots, £45. Available from http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=1&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=5934280&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208544&parent_categoryId=208492&pageSize=20

L
Xx

Spring Denim Wish List

Happy second day of Spring! (I was supposed to post this yesterday but best laid plans...) Denim is massive this season and I'm in love with all the gorgeous pastel shades and acid washes so this seemed like the perfect time to blog about a few of the denim goodies that I'm lusting after!  

Denim Pinspot Tie Dye Body, Topshop, £25  

MOTO Coral Dip Dyed Hotpants, Topshop, £34

Ditsy Denim Bralet, Topshop, £28

Pink Marbled Denim Jacket, Topshop, £30

The above can all be found at

http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopCategoriesDisplay?storeId=12556&catalogId=33057

New shoes, baking, art and general waffle

A VERY belated Happy New Year!

So I know I've been an unbelievably lazy blogger of late...actually since December! An evil dissertation proposal and the general hectic-ness of the festive season are my only excuse...I started 2012 with the best of blogging intentions...

I intended to post about Sherlock and the general amazingness of Benedict Cumberbatch (His name for a start!)

...the gorgeous new Jo Malone Blue Agava & Cacao Cologne (A Christmas present from my very generous Mama)


...the beautiful BBC adaptation of Sebastian Faulks Birdsong (loving Eddie Redmayne and Clemence Posey)

 my bargain January sales mini haul (courtesy of Urban Outfitters and Topshop) ...and Lorraine Pascal's yummy White Chocolate Fudge Cookies and Nigella's scrumptious Carrot and Walnut Cupcakes (just some of the goodies I've been baking!) I'm afraid they were demolished before photographic evidence could be taken! 

Alas...somehow I never quite got around to any of that! But today I'm getting back on the blogging-bandwagon...

Introducing my latest ASOS purchase...gorgeously Spring-like lilac Hi-Tops...I must admit to feeling slightly Fresh Prince when I wear them, but who doesn't love that show anyway! Continuing my Spring wardrobe update, I spent last Sunday hacking up some old Tees...

A few weeks ago I went to a preview party at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art where they're currently staging two shows featuring the work of American artist Andrea Zittel and British artist Elizabeth Price.

Andrea Zittel's Lay of My Land is an exhibition of two half's. The main space focuses on Zittel's work at A-Z West in the Californian desert and the Utopian structures she calls 'Wagon Stations', which explore what humans need for survival in different ways...I'm going to admit that this is the kind of contemporary art that I don't get...however the other part of Zittel's exhibition is more up my artistic-street...

...these crocheted works, which include garments, pictures and streamer-like strands which loop across the room are beautifully and intricately constructed and speak of the baron desert environment in which they were produced!

 Here showcases Elizabeth Price's immersive video installations which use digital moving images, text and music. Again, I have to admit that I really have no clue what these works are about...User Group Disco could be about how we categorise objects and how everyday objects impact our lives...at least I thought so until Ah-Ha's Take On Me started playing and then I was lost again...Choir seems to be about the architectural features of a Church Choir, which I get...how that relates to an fire in a Manchester Woolworth's in the 1950s I don't know but it sort of doesn't matter! These works, shown in a pitch-black room with the volume turned up to the max, are totally immersive, surreal and disorientating...which I suspect is the point!

Lay of My Land runs until 20th May and Here until 27th May 2012 at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.

And finally...cos I've waffled on enough...I went to see The Woman in Black last week...if, like me, you're sick of horrifically gorey horror movies and fancy less blood and guts and more truly terrifying scares then this is the movie for you...just don't go alone!

L
Xx

New shoesies!

Introducing my beautiful new shoes from Topshop! They're the black suede Saffi Mary Jane Platforms I featured in my previous blog post and I'll admit that I'm slightly obsessed with them...for obvious reasons :)

http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=0&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=2614787&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=208542&parent_categoryId=208492&pageSize=20&refinements=Colour{1}~[black]^category~[209960|208542]&noOfRefinements=2

P.S. I know my last few posts have been a bit lazy but I'm heading to London this weekend so expect some exhibition reviews soon!

xx

Topshop Lust List

(From upper left) Milano Pencil Skirt in Navy Blue, Animal Print Zip Bralet, Structured Skater Dress in Ink, Elle Star Embroidered Slippers in True Leopard, Hand-Knitted Cable Jumper in Pink, Saffi Mary Jane Platform in Black Suede.

Just a few items that have re-ignited my love for Topshop! Think I'll be treating myself to the black suede Saffi Mary Jane Platforms (lower far right)...I'm a sucker for Mary Janes'...plus they'll be perfect with my new ASOS playsuit! Alas at £70 I don't think my waitress's salary will accommodate the pink hand-knitted jumper but a girl can dream!

http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopCategoriesDisplay?storeId=12556&catalogId=33057

xx