The lust list (featuring the best pair of boots on the High Street)

If it's possible to be bored of shopping at the moment, I think I may be. It's the end-of-sales feeling that's behind it I think, so I'm on the hunt for fresh meat when it comes to my shopping endeavours. Luckily, I've found plenty this week.

In my quest to get a grip on my shopping and finances I've been avoiding the Zara website like the plague. What a mistake. There is some truly brilliant stuff on there at the moment and top of this is this unbelievable pair of boots - of course they're already sold out in my size, but of course, I've signed up for an update if and when they're restocked. I'm astounded at the price given the fact that they're 1) truly over-the-knee - even on the model and 2) they're actually close-fitting on the legs, which, as anyone else with size eight feet will know, is a rarity as mostly they end up fitting like wellies. Just stunning and I know from the several pairs of OTKs I already own that they'd be bizarrely wearable for something so show-stopping.

OTK High Heel Boots - Zara - £55.99

Because I became very obsessed with these very quickly, I spent quite some time trawling the Zara site to see them styled with something else to check the fit more closely. I then came across this gem of a coat. I do love a yoke and the embroidery is subtle enough to keep this really wearable. Oh and then there's that collar. And just look how it looks with the boots. I need all of this immediately. 

Coat with an embroidered yoke - Zara - £119.00

Ladylike is my favourite look of the moment and Gucci just keeps on delivering - especially in the shape of this amazing jumper. I love pointelle, I love ruffles and I just love this. 

Pointelle ruffled wool-blend sweater - Gucci at net-a-porter - £725

However, as part of my new approach to trying to be sensible about shopping, I've looked around for High Street alternatives and my favourite is this one from ASOS: 

Pointelle sweater with ruffle collar - ASOS - £25.00

I've been living in espadrilles and trainers since the weather got better, so I'm craving a bit of footwear variety. On my hunt for what's-new-and-needs-to-go-into-my-basket, I found these from the ever-brilliant Uterque. I'm not sure what would happen to them in the rain but there's always Uber so who cares? Utterly amazing (and they're grey too - hooray). 

Ballet flats with knot - Uterque - £80.00

In other news, the Goen J coat from net-a-porter arrived and is every bit as fantastic as I hoped it would be. Very pleased with myself for making myself wait to buy it! 

Tied up in knots

I'm not one for belts, unless they come attached to a coat. They just don't look right on me somehow. But I've spotted an alternative that's everywhere at the moment - the tie front - (specifically the over-sized, sleeve-like, sash-like, tie front) and I can't recommend it enough. As usual, ASOS is leading the way in harnessing this trend on the High Street and there is loads to choose from.

This dress was one of the first things that caught my eye. It's navy for a start and the length looks spot-on. Long sleeves mean it'll transition all the way through to winter. It would be massively versatile when it comes to where you can wear it, as its just the right side of casual. It looks expensive too, which is of course a bonus (especially because it's not).

Tie detail midi dress in self stripe - ASOS White - £75.00

I'm completely in love with this jumper from the same range and would wear it almost exactly as it's styled here with leather leggings or skinny jeans or trousers (the skinnier the better as it balances the shape beautifully). Again, it's a total bargain even though it screams designer.

Tie detail top in self stripe - ASOS White - £45.00

Sticking with the leather leggings/skinnies theme, this - from Noisy May at ASOS - caught my eye. ASOS describes it as a dress. Clearly it's not, but it would be a dream over said leather leggings, etc. Plus, it's black, so it would go with everything.

High-low tie front sweat dress - Noisy May at ASOS - £20.00

Speaking of black and because I'm obsessed with jackets, I couldn't go past this one from Lavish Alice at ASOS. It's perfect on so many levels (the collar, the sleeves and of course the tie). So perfect in fact, that it's sold out in anything above a 12, so don't hang around.

Tie front split sleeve blazer - Lavish Alice at ASOS - £70

If black is your thing and you want to future-proof this trend for your AW wardrobe, there are some beautiful wool tie-front numbers on net-a-porter - like this amazing dress from MM6 Maison Margiela.

Wool tie front dress - MM6 Maison Margiela at net-a-porter - £370

There's a jumper in the same range too...

Tie front wool sweater - MM6 Maison Margiela at net-a-porter - £290

And for wool without the price tag, try this from Whistles - the perfect weight and colour for the AW transition.

Sleeveless knitted dress with tie sleeve front - Whistles at ASOS - £120

If you're after something to wear right now (eg: while summer hangs on in there) you can't go wrong with this dress.

Tie front shift dress in natural fibre stripe - ASOS - £45.00

It comes in a plain blue too which once again punches way above its weight in the style stakes:

Tie front shift dress in natural fibre - ASOS - £42.00

Then there's this one from Warehouse - a brand which seems to be having a 'moment' season-after-season right now. Be quick though as it's sold out online and only available in stores.

Tie front cotton shirt dress - Warehouse - £45

I realised today (after scraping the barrels of my wardrobe all week), that I don't have any summer clothes, so in my quest for picking up something suitable at the end of the sales (hello net-a-porter extra-20%-off-the-sale), I bought, yes, you guessed it, a coat. Because a coat is always useful in 30 degree heat. In my defence it was the Goen J beauty I've been eyeing since this post and I'll be sending some other bits back (well, that's what I'm telling myself to justify it). It looks as though the 'watch and wait' strategy paid off (it was one of the 'extra 20% items'!), but I will report back when it arrives...

A shady business

Speaking as someone who got horribly sunburnt this past weekend (you would think as a fully paid-up redhead, I'd have learnt by now, but apparently not), this is a post I should have written weeks ago. Predictably, it's about sun-hats. My take-out is this - I should carry one at all times when the temperature gets above 20C. Luckily there are lots around to choose from, starting with this one from ASOS which continues on nicely from the last blog's bow theme.

Raw-edged oversize floppy bow hat - £18 - ASOS

My main sun-hat inspiration comes from a fixation with the amazing Eugenia Kim hand-embroidered range of sun-hats, now only available in the US (but let's face it, when did such a thing as international borders last stop me?).

Eugenia Kim 'Wish you were here' sun-hat - $485 - Saks Fifth Avenue

Happily, given the price and the logistics of getting your hands on this, there are some similar versions on the High Street, like this one from Oliver Bonas:

Hello Sunshine floppy hat - £24 - Oliver Bonas

And this one from ASOS if you want a cheekier take on the theme:

Where's my beach at straw hat - £20 - ASOS 

As previously discussed, pom-poms are everywhere this summer and hats are no exception. There are some lovely options around, like this one from Sensi Studio at net-a-porter:

Pom-pom embellished toquilla straw Panama hat - £100 - net-a-porter

I especially love this one from Yosuzi at Matches Fashion:

Simea straw hat - £260 - Yosuzi at Matches Fashion

And for pom-poms without the price-tag, ASOS has loads, including this gem from Catarzi:

Catarzi black & white pom-pom straw hat - now £22.50 - ASOS

Finally, if full-on straw hats aren't your thing, this is a brilliant option from Uterque which combines a pared-down, structured felt hat with a straw Panama shape:

Straw & felt hat - now £29.90 - Uterque

Talking of hats, and despite the fact it's approaching 30C outside, I found myself wandering around the shops yesterday where a winter hat just happened to 'fall' into my basket in Fenwick at Bond St, from hand-made Spanish-made hat brand Big Aristote. I almost can't wait for the temperature to drop so I can wear it. Almost. 

Asos

Beautiful bows

It started with this top from Toga which I stumbled across browsing the Matches Fashion sale (all in the name of research of course).

Bow-embellished short-sleeved top - Toga at Matches Fashion - now £136

A bit of deeper digging (this time on net-a-porter) led me to this beauty from Moschino and so an obsession with bows has begun. Elegant, polished and strangely understated when they're done right, they're an instant outfit uplift without going OTT. The bonus is that, like collars, they create an impression of making an effort, even when you haven't done anything of the sort.

Bow-embellished wool sweater - Boutique Moschino at net-a-porter - £230

Perhaps the pinnacle of my quest for beautiful bows; this Saint Laurent sweater is ladylike perfection. Those sleeves. Those shoulders. The sequins. There's the price though so I can only live in hope that something similar appears on a High Street near me soon. I've no doubt it's worth it though.

Sequin bow-embellished sweater - Saint Laurent at net-a-porter - £915

Speaking of ladylike, this Kate Spade cape ticks every stylish box. It's not cheap but it would be so wearable and it's in the sale (with a hefty reduction at that) so there are ways and means to justify it.

Bow capelet, Kate Spade - now £229

My extensive trawl of the Kate Spade website also led me to this beautiful sweater. The fact it is grey makes it even more appealing for someone as obsessed as me with this colour. Once again it's in the sale and once again the discount is a v. v. good one.

Bow sweater - Kate Spade - now £84

Even better is this one - partly because is has polka dots and glitter and, because it's jersey, it can be chucked in the washing machine. Again it's in the sale with a massive discount and comes in under the £60 mark which is a huge bonus. 

Glitter bow sweatshirt - Kate Spade - now £59

Finally, if it ever stops raining and we can ever set foot outside without wellies or at the very least boots, I've got my eye on these amazing Casablanca sneakers from Russell and Bromley. I may just have to arrange an exploratory trying-on session to see if I could squeeze my feet into a 7 which seems to be the biggest these go (in the red, which would be my preference, at least). I will report back. 

Casablanca bow trim sneakers - Russell and Bromley - £175

It's never too early to talk coats

It might sound like a strange time of year to be talking coats, but have you seen the weather forecast for next week? Specifically today I'm fixated on trench coats and there are currently some great ones around.

On the High Street, Zara unequivocally does this best. I've amassed quite a collection in various shades and colours over the years and can't bring myself to part with even one of them - they're that good. I'm a big fan of the cut, the quality and the length of Zara's offering when it comes to coats - they're particularly brilliant if you're tall. While any serious AW stock is yet to arrive, there are a few trenches left in the sale - including this crossover option which is a great buy while the weather still can't make up it's mind. I'm keeping a close eye on the men's trenches too just in case a gem in a small size comes up as there are some seriously amazing bargains in the sale too.

Crossover trench - Zara - now £39.99

Then there's the grand-daddy of trench coats - the Burberry. This one in the net-a-porter sale caught my eye because of the colour (navy - yes, I'm obsessed), the length and the gold buttons. It's selling out fast though and there are only a couple of (small) sizes left but I've never let the fact a coat won't do up stop me if it looks fabulous enough.

Scottswood cotton garbadine trench coat - Burberry at net-a-porter - now £897

Speaking of navy, this one from wonderful Winser London is amazing. It ticks every box - colour, collar, length, fabric. cut and more. It's not cheap but it's a true investment purchase and I could see myself wearing this all year round. 

Midi trench coat - midnight blue - Winser London - £495

Of course for a really classic trench, camel is where it's at. As usual And Other Stories comes up with the goods again and again when it comes to coats and particularly trench coats. I've had this one in my basket for some time now and only the guilt of adding yet another camel trench to my collection is holding me back. Everything about it is perfect and you could wear it right now as easily as you could with a chunky knit underneath when the weather gets colder.

Cotton blend trench coat -  £73 - And Other Stories 

And finally, if its camel you want but you don't know whether to buy a trench, a blazer or a gilet - I give you this amazing By Malene convertible crepe trench, which is all three. Yes really. Look. It's brilliant and even better, its in the sale: 

By Malene Pasinios crepe convertible trench - now £340 - net-a-porter

It's almost tempting to start the AW shopping in earnest but that might have to wait until another day...