Sister Jane

I've been meaning to blog about this brand for a while because quite honestly it's an amazing find. I first discovered it browsing the 'what's new' section of ASOS back in the winter and immediately snapped up a short-sleeved red plaid top with the all-important built-in collar (I have managed to ruin the collar but that is a whole other story). I was beyond delighted to see ASOS expand the range further and even more to discover the brand's own website. It's full-to-bursting with gems and - like everywhere else right now - there's lots of good stuff left in the sale.

The brilliance of this brand is in its detail and statement features, like ruffling, over-sized sleeves, bold collars, lace and unapologetic volume. Here are some of my favourite pieces right now:

This shirt is a fabulous find - I love the ruffled sleeves and the long back. It's buttoned-up but casual at the same time (apparently that's possible) and would look amazing over jeans or shorts (if we ever get a summer, of course).

Blue crush ruffle blouse- Sister Jane - £52.00

Gingham is having a moment and it's taken this dress to wake me up to why. It's simple, but the drama of the details - like the Princess Di-style, oversized lace-trimmed sleeves, and the ruffled neckline - give it a way more expensive and edgy feel than the price-tag would suggest. Long sleeves with the oh-so-innocent gingham pattern and pastel palette offset the length and create something far more stylish for summer and than your average (read dreary) maxi-dress or floral number. 

Checkmate Gingham dress - Sister Jane - £65.00

And on the subject of dresses, I stumbled across this one on ASOS which has gone straight on my A/W pre-purchase list. It's on the Sister Jane site too but I think the ASOS pics show it off even better. Once again, the shape and the detailing blend together perfectly and it would work just as well with bronzed legs and gladiators through festival & summer holiday season as it would with ankle boots or trainers and a leather jacket when the temperature drops.  As with everything from Sister Jane, it looks expensive too. But it's not. 

Portrait of a girl lace dress - Sister Jane - £78.00

Talking of the temperature, it doesn't look like we're due a heatwave any time soon but it's no reason to ignore this gorgeous 'Heatwave' shirt. I don't often 'do' pink (being a redhead and all) but I might make an exception for this one. Especially because the icing on the cake of this particular shirt is its mandarin collar. Completely perfect. 

Heatwave ruffle top - Sister Jane - £48.00

I've got a thing about navy blue (and a thing about ruffles) so this is yet another item that's gone straight to the top of my list. It's truly show-stopping and looks like it's come straight off the catwalk. I'd wear it for day with denim and for night with leather leggings and heels. (It also comes in a nude colour exclusively on the ASOS website, but I personally can't get past the depth and glamour of the blue). 

Lapis Shrimpton top - Sister Jane - now £29.00

This week has been all about sales and I'm feeling very pleased with myself to have bagged this fabulous navy gold-buttoned Zara jacket for the bargain price £39.99 in the Regent St store on Wednesday. There are more sale finds winging their way to me from various places (all to be tried on and to be decided upon) but the jacket is most definitely a keeper.

ASOS is back and order is restored

It went down just when we needed a distraction, but - thank the gods of fashion and frivolity - ASOS is back. After all that work from its technical team in restoring order, it would have seemed rude not to take a quick look at what's new - and - joy - there's a lot of good stuff.

Starting with this amazing find from Y.A.S. It's a gem and the detailing is worthy of far more expensive brands (think Temperley and Self Portrait). I already have a few lace tops along these lines but even with a growing collection, I think this is more-than-justifiable addition:

Y.A.S Ally top at ASOS - £48

I've got a bit of a thing about high necks at the moment (yes I know I bang on about v-necks all the time - it's one extreme or the other for me), so I love this Reclaimed Liquid Lunch top and I've been looking for an opportunity to experiment with gingham, so this is very firmly on the list. 

Reclaimed Liquid Lunch Gingham top - ASOS - £30

I'm all for a bit of drama when it comes to a top and this one has drama written all over it. Brilliant on every level. 

White poplin frill collar top - ASOS - £32.00

My social calendar is looking depressingly empty so far this summer, but if it wasn't, I'd be ordering this incredible Self Portrait dress immediately. I'm considering it anyway - it's that amazing and I've got a (most likely misguided) feeling it might suit me. It's low in stock in my size (12) too so I'm keeping it my basket for a few minutes....purely for research, of course. It's almost payday. Ish. 

Off shoulder maxi dress - Self Portrait at ASOS - £290

I've discussed my grey obsession a bit lately, so despite the fact it's technically the wrong season for boots, I'm including these Public Desire Darla Mirror heeled ankle boots - if only because boots have suddenly become a must again because of the monsoon conditions we seem to be currently experiencing. I love, love, love the shininess of these and the mirrored heels are the icing on the cake. 

Grey Public Desire Darla mirrored heel ankle boots - ASOS - £34.99

Footwear is my number one fashion dilemma at the moment with the one-minute-sun and one-minute-torrential-hail-and-thunder. So as the weather can't make up it's mind (and because it's a gym day and I'm slobbing around in gym clothes), I chose my Alexa at M&S yes/no trainers for running around today. 

All we need is love

It's been a strange 24 hours. To balance out the prevailing mood, today's post is all about love. In fashion terms, that means hearts. They're everywhere at the moment and there are lots in the sales. Here are some that are making me happy:

This cashmere knit from Miu Miu is just the tonic, not just for its mood-enhancing colour but for the gorgeous pointelle hearts. In love.

Miu Miu cashmere pointelle sweater - net-a-porter - now £414

I've had my eye on these shoes from French Sole for Liberty for ages and I've only just realised they're in the sale. Obviously I've now realised they've already sold out in my size but they're well-stocked up to a 39.5

French Sole By Appointment to Liberty - red suede love heart flats - now £95.00

Love hearts don't just come in red as this beauty from Christopher Kane at Matches Fashion proves. 

Love-heart black wool sweater - Christopher Kane at Matches Fashion - now £388

Then there's the nautical take like this one from Chinti and Parker

Striped organic cotton-jersey t-shirt: Chinti and Parker at net-a-porter - £90

And let's not forget jewellery. This heart bracelet from Lee Renee at Wolf and Badger is beautiful, simple and perfect. 

Heart bangle - solid silver - Lee Renee at Wolf and Badger

It's not strictly heart-related but this bag from Forever 21 seems a perfect note to end on. It's technically a make-up bag but it looks to me like it'd work just fine as a purse or clutch too (it's got a definite air of the Anya Hindmarch about it but with a considerably lower price-tag). 

'Love' make-up bag - Forever 21 - £4.50

Here's my heart-shaped look for today with my favourite SkinnyDip bag from ASOS (which is still down at the time of writing?!)

Pseudo Glasto

It's Glasto-time (in case you hadn't guessed it from the can't-make-up-its-mind weather). Full disclosure, I've never been near a festival and I can't see myself starting any time soon. That's not to say I'm not drawn to festival fashion though, so it got me thinking (from the safety of my mud-free sofa), about what I'd wear if I did like this kind of thing.

I'd probably start with dresses - purely from a practical point of view because it would be less to carry and less to think about when it comes to building an outfit. This dress from Boho go-to, Free People would be one of my first ports of call. It's got it all from the embroidery detail to the all-important (for me) narrow deep v-neck and the perfect length sleeves. 

Free People Tulum Smock dress with embroidery - £148 - ASOS

This black denim embroidered dress from Mango (in the sale too) is also a great option - especially if the weather turns cooler and being denim it could be chucked into a bag or backpack and still look completely acceptable when you're ready to wear it

Black denim embroidered dress - Mango - now £19.99

As a stylish but practical alternative to wellies, I'd pick these Lakeridge leather boots - also from Free People, because they also do shoes brilliantly and these have a life-span way beyond festival season. 

Lakeridge leather boots - £268 - Free People

I'd choose a cross-body bag to carry essentials - probably something like this one from Oasis

Cross body leather whip stitch bag - £25.00 - Oasis at ASOS

If dresses aren't your thing, there's plenty more to try. Festivals and denim shorts go together like, well, they just do. These denim shorts from Boden are a brilliant option if you want just a bit more coverage as they come in two lengths - 4in and 9in. 

Women's denim shorts - £44.50 - Boden (shown in 9in leg)

And while I'm on the topic of Boden, there's this top (shown here in blue), which would be perfect with either length of the shorts. 

Gauzy boho top - £49.50 - Boden

As festival weather is notoriously unpredictable, catering for all eventualities is a must, so I'd be rocking oversized sunglasses like these

Aviator style gold tone and elaphe sunglasses - £245 - Linda Farrow at The Outnet

And a felt fedora like this from ASOS

Felt fedora with bound edge - £8.50 - ASOS

A scarf like this from And Other Stories

Cotton tassel scarf - £19 - And Other Stories

And wellies like these from Rockfish

Rockfish original tall gloss Samba red wellies - £69.99 - Rockfish

Talking of wellies, I could have done with some yesterday when I was putting this together. Instead, I attempted to brave the elements in these. Some people never learn...

Fringe benefits

Tassels, fringes, pompoms are everywhere this summer and I couldn't be more delighted. Luckily for my bank balance, the high street is doing them brilliantly and even better for my bank balance, there are loads of great pieces in the sales at the moment.

Uterque in particular do this kind of thing very well. Even as someone who rarely 'does' necklaces, I'm still recovering from the disappointment of the amazing monkey necklace selling out (I've registered for updates just in case, of course and this is a classic example of where my watch and wait strategy falls down spectacularly), but there's always this beauty and green might just be that bit more versatile (this is how I'm trying to convince myself, anyway...). If the monkey is anything to go by, I'd say snap it up immediately.

Fringed gem necklace - now £44.90 - Uterque

If that's too much fringing for your liking, there's this one from Pieces at ASOS, which, at just £18 is also a snip.

Pieces Benua Necklace - ASOS - £18

Accessories are where fringing and tassels rule, and sticking with a Uterque theme, it's hard to by-pass this tasseled bag - especially thinking about summer holidays. It's categorised on the site as a beach bag, but I think it could easily double as a shopping bag (and if you're anything like me you could probably even chuck a laptop in there and take it to work too...).

Uterque tassel basket - now £39.90

Mango also do a brilliant version of this type of bag, this time in a more beachy shade of blue, but equally lovely and available at ASOS for £49.99

Mango tassel beach bag - £49.99 - ASOS 

Sticking with ASOS, there are some brilliant tasseled shoes around right now and these are probably my favourites. They look like something you'd buy handmade in Italy for a vast amount of money, but they are in fact just £22. They're low in stock though so, as always, don't hang around if you want them.

Filippa leather tassel sandals - £22.00 - ASOS

For a subtler take on tassels, you can't go wrong with these gladiators from Miss KG at ASOS. At £55 they're a touch more pricey, but their neutral colour scheme means they'd go with practically anything, so they're a good cost-per-wear option.

Miss KG Drita Nude Gladiator Tassel Flat Sandals - £55.00 - ASOS

Talking of all these fringes and tassels, the Dodo Bar Or playsuit arrived from net-a-porter (excuse the awful quality picture). I'm undecided - partly as a result of the slightly OTT jangling noise that occurs when I walk around and partly because it's just a bit short in the leg and definitely cut for those who are a little more svelte than me from the back (I'm a true 12 and bought an M but I think I may in this case have preferred it a size bigger). It's gone into the 'holding pattern' that is the inside of my wardrobe with a few other purchases I'm yet to decide on for now, so watch this space. 

The net-a-porter watch-list

Following the last post on 'sale day', I've been making my 'wait and see' list for net-a-porter. It's a little bit like shopping sport to me, watching and waiting for the next lot of reductions and seeing whether anything on my wish-list is among them. So here's what I'm watching right now:

I love, love, love this Self Portrait dress and I was *this* close to buying it yesterday but managed to talk some sense (?) into myself. It's already nicely discounted (at 40%), and honestly, despite the detail, I think it's still simple enough to be really versatile. Did I mention it's not dry-clean-only too - the more I think about it, the more I'm not sure why I didn't buy it in the first place. Still the purchase will be all the sweeter if it's reduced even further and is there in my size at the time:

Self-Portrait guipure lace-panelled crepe mini dress - now £147 - net-a-porter

Coats are something of an obsession for me (if I could wear one all year round, I would), so this Goen J (another brand I've recently discovered and think I've fallen slightly in love with) number caught my eye straight away. It's been years since I had a pale-coloured coat like this (I'm much too messy, obviously), and I LOVE the ruffle and belt details. And those sleeves. It's not cheap and it's only available in large at the time of writing, but a) it might come back in other sizes and b) it says size up and I reckon if you belted it tightly, it'd be a complete winner. This is the kind of garment which makes me question why I don't just save up some money in the first place, stop frittering it on stuff I 'sort of' want and just buy it. I will be watching this one like a hawk:

Goen J ruffle cotton-blend coat - now £445 - net-a-porter

It's not long since I came back from the US and it's safe to say I took advantage of a few trips to Madewell. Again, looking back at this fantastic linen mini, I've no idea why I didn't buy it at the time. But again, I'm making myself hold off. It's tempting though...

Madewell embroidered linen mini - now £90 - net-a-porter

Possibly the part of the net-a-porter sale I get most excited about every time - and particularly at the end of the sale - is the accessories. I've unearthed many an amazing find, from a beautiful Missoni Wool shawl reduced by 80% in the winter sale two years ago, to a Solange Azagury Partridge 'Love' ring which was discounted by 70% and reappeared on the site right before the sale closed. Amazing. So I've got a v. v. close eye on this particular section of the site and at the very top of my wish-list are these incredible oversized Lanvin red and fuschia tassel earrings. I cannot get enough of these and it's all I can do not to put them in my basket right.this.second. [Update 22/06: they're sold out - nooooo!]

Lanvin enamelled brass tassel earrings - now £210

Finally, after my jaunt to Whitstable last weekend I couldn't leave out this brilliant canvas clutch from Clare V. If it goes to even 50% off I may just have to succumb

Clare V Printed Canvas Clutch - now £95

And after all that browsing it was only right that my order from yesterday arrived today to satisfy the need to actually buy something. It was the Dodo Bar Or playsuit so I'm planning to give it a try tonight. The rest of the the day has been mainly about good hair after a pitstop at Blow Ltd on my way to work. Definitely my kind of way to start the day

Sales, sales and more sales

I remember this day clearly from last year as I was on holiday, on a terrible hotel wifi connection, attempting to shop the net-a-porter sale until my battery finally gave out. Imagine my delight to wake up this morning to see an email from net-a-porter announcing the start of this year's summer sale. Obviously I abandoned all thoughts of coffee before leaving the house and used the time to shop. I'm on a fast wifi connection after all.

One of the things I like most about the net-a-porter sale though is the element of fashion risk  - the lure of holding off on the things you might want to buy because they might go down more, but not knowing whether they'll sell out in the meantime. On net-a-porter, we're talking 80% off at the end of the sale, so it is well worth holding out if you've got the nerve (more on this in another post - I have a shortlist for just this purpose...). I was conflicted this morning however, because, after all, this is the one and only sale that I've seen which features Dodo Bar Or so I was quick off the mark to snap up my first 'bargain' - the playsuit I've been lusting after since I bought the Mandy dress - even though it was only 30% off (which I don't consider a bargain in my book). Common sense told me to buy the black (which is gorgeous), to mix things up a bit, (and given that the Mandy dress I already own is red), but my heart won out and a red version is currently winging its way to me. I'm already picturing myself swanning around in it on holiday come September so let's hope it fits.

Dodo Bar Or tasselled eyelet-embellished cotton gauze playsuit - net-a-porter - £168

Here it is in the black (for comparison purposes only, of course!). Since I looked this morning, all but five items of the Dodo items on sale have sold out so don't hang around if you've got your eye on any of it: 

Dodo Bar Or tasselled eyelet-embellished playsuit in black - £168 - net-a-porter

After an extensive trawl of the net-a-porter sale, I moved onto sister site, The Outnet. Their summer sale has an additional 40% off loads of great stuff that's already heavily discounted (and fabulous) - what's not to like? I quickly zoned in on some staples from Petit Bateau (which until about 3 years ago, I had no idea did adult clothing. But oh my goodness, they do it well). I'm not one for sleeveless dresses usually but I couldn't resist this one. I like the boxiness of the cut across the top and, if it's anything like other Petit Bateau dresses I own, it'll be made of super-soft, super-thick jersey and it'll never go out of shape. 

Petit Bateau jersey sleeveless mini - The Outnet - £24.75

I thought I was done, and then I saw this. I'm a big fan of cropped jackets, a big fan of Marni and a big fan of navy blue, so it practically put itself in my basket. And I'm glad it did as it's sold out (for now). I can see myself wearing it over long-sleeved marineres and summer jumpers or even over a dress (maybe even the Petit Bateau). I'm hopeful it'll be as versatile as a denim jacket, so I'll report back...

Marni Cotton pique cropped jacket - £207, The Outnet (sold out)

To top it off (or so I thought), over lunch, an email announcing the Matchesfashion sale dropped into my inbox. I ignored it, of course (and bookmarked it for a leisurely trawl later), and just when I thought I might have reached peak sale, I came home to an email about the Selfridges sale, which launches tomorrow. From here on in I may be limiting myself to 'operation hold-your-nerve' and only buying things I love that are truly bargains. Except for the fact that I discovered that my husband's credit card is 'accidentally' still linked to my net-a-porter account after buying a present from there a while back. So that puts things in a whole new light. Plus I haven't even started on the High Street. 

Back to today, after yesterday's blog I was pining for grey so today's outfit was a Halston Heritage 'shoe' t-shirt from The Outnet, Me + Em Italian Garbadine stretch leggings (the 2nd pair I've bought, I love them that much - and they're 70% off in the sale right now too), an old favourite Helmut Lang biker and sparkly silver/grey shoes from White Stuff

The forecast for summer is grey

I've always been a bit of an Eeyore at heart so maybe this explains my obsession with grey (I'm a fan of koalas too, so perhaps it's that as well?). The classiest of all neutrals in my book; grey is so much fresher and more understated than my beloved black. The weather (and maybe the fact I'm writing this in the early part of a long week), has prompted me to realise there's not nearly enough grey in my wardrobe. I don't care that it's summer - I think it works all year round and I need to bolster my collection. Here are some shades I'm lusting after right now:

Grey shoes - especially in a icier shade like this pair - are the epitome of elegance and I've fallen head-over-heels in love with these from Mint Velvet. 

Grey Naomi textured leather pump - Mint Velvet - £89

I can see them looking stunning with a classic pair of super-skinny jeans - especially in a more vibrant blue like these from Victoria Beckham Denim at net-a-porter. The blue would perfectly offset the grey and topped with a slouchy white t-shirt, I think you'd struggle to match this ensemble for effortless chic and casual elegance. If you're going to do pale grey and dark denim though, make sure you spray the shoes with a protector of some kind first so you don't get denim dye rubbing off and ruining their icy perfection: 

Victoria Beckham Denim Power-high high rise skinny jeans, blue denim - netaporter - £160

It's impossible to talk about grey without mentioning cashmere (I know it's summer, but look at the weather). It's what grey was invented for. I've mentioned v-necks before and this M&S number ticks all the boxes for depth and shape (not to mention that at £75, it ticks the very important box of being a bargain - especially if you consider the current £10 offer for the beauty box worth £120 when you spend £40 or more). It also ticks the box of catering to the supremely lazy - like me - as it doesn't have to be dry-cleaned and can be chucked (or carefully-placed) straight into the washing machine. Thank you M&S. 

Marks and Spencer pure cashmere v-neck jumper - £75

If you can't bear to do jumpers when we're half-way to July, the Tilda shirt from Winser London is a stunning lighter option. Think Gillian Anderson in The Fall. I love shirts - mostly how they look on other people (see Gillian Anderson) - but very few actually suit me for reasons I've never quite been able to pinpoint. This is exactly the type that somehow would though - especially with details like the front pockets, the narrow, deep v. neck (that old chestnut) and the beautiful cufflink button fastening. Absolutely 100% worthy of justification as an investment purchase. 

Winser London - 'The Tilda' silk shirt - Dove Grey - £165

I'd wear it with everything from skinnies to pencil skirts, but I think slouchy trousers are the way to go right now and it'd look especially amazing with these sale bargains from the brilliant Me + Em.

Me + Em side stripe trousers - £68 (was £128)

I remembered while writing this that all this talk of adding grey to my wardrobe is slightly more than hypothetical as I purchased these gorgeous dove grey suede Maisy espadrilles from Mint Velvet last week. They're only available online and I had to wait for them to come into stock in an 8 but it was definitely worth it (even if I can't wear them outside until it stops raining). They run really quite small though, and they're definitely on the snug side for me even in an 8 so I'd definitely advise sizing up if you're buying these or their glittery cousin. And you'll note from the picture that grey is not just a theme I like when it comes to what I wear, I've realised it extends to home furnishings - and that in fact I was even sitting on a grey sofa to take the picture. Someone help me! 

Maisy grey suede espadrilles - Mint Velvet - £79