Oh, the weather outside is frightful

Walking through the rainy streets of London this weekend, I realised it is now official...winter is coming. We are currently still at the stage where we can be lulled into a false sense of security by a peek-a-boo sun in the sky, but the reality is....it bloomin' cold. So to keep you warm and of course stylish, I have chosen a couple of the best coats to wear this winter - perfect for a blustery walk in the park, an evening out watching the fireworks or just to keep you warm so you can continue to eat ice cream year round...no? Just me? Anyway, here are my favs...

Boyish Shape - Comptoir des Cotonniers Palette Coat, £300 (www.comptoirdescotonniers.co.uk)

This is without doubt my ultimate buy of any AW collection. The Palette coat - favourited amongst the likes of Millie Mackintosh who purchased one this month - is the perfect mix of so many top trends: tweed, oversized, masculine tailoring, leather. This gorgeous coat gives a masculine and broad shoulder, sweeping into an oversized double breasted tweed coat, with a touch of leather at the collar to give added feminine luxe. At £300 it is pricey, but will last you beyond this winter. So really, there is no reason not to right? Well that's what im going to say to my bank anyway....

Cape - Bershka Shearling Lined Parka, £59.99 (www.bershka.com)

I am a HUGE fan of the cape, but understand that it can be a little difficult to do, well anything at all to be honest whilst wearing one. Luckily the lovely people at Bershka have created this stunning cape with arms!!!! Hooray I say! Shearling lined for extra warmth, with the look of a cape/biker jacket, you really cant go wrong. And with a price tag that is under £60, you are free to shop for more winter wonderland goodies. DELIGHTFUL!

Parka - River Island Grey Faux Fur Lined Parka Jacket, £95 (www.riverisland.com)

Parkas have come on a lot since the days of Kenny's orange one... River Island for example do a fab one that has a faux fur lined hood and added zip detailing to make it prettier and more feminine...something we generally strive for, like, all the time. Also, it has a great cinched in waist which means you don't have to look frumpy or shapeless. 10 out of 10 in my book!

Duffle - New Look Mink and Brown Faux Fur Trim Hooded Duffle, £44.99 (www.newlook.com)


A little retro duffle action is never a bad thing. I love toggle detailing because I think it is a pretty addition to a plain coat. This mink and brown version from New Look is great as it has leather piping, big pockets (for our chilly mitts!) and a pretty faux fur hood. So lovely and SO CHEAP! I will take 3.

Fur - ASOS Faux Fur Coat with Cat Ears, £80 (www.asos.com)


Perhaps with cat ears, a little extreme for most of us, but none-the-less still a winter staple. If you live in London it seems this is your day to day attire, slung over jeans or leather - which by the way is actually a great way to play down fur. If that's too much for those who don't wear glitter on their face to get noticed on the tube, then keep for evening. I am not a fan of real fur, but luckily for me the fake versions are very passable and a hell of a lot cheaper!

Biker - Oasis Colour Block Leather Biker, £160 (www.oasis.com)

 

Bikers rarely go out of fashion, which means it is of the utmost importance that you chose the right one. Oasis have loads, from leather to floral, so head there for a wealth of choice. My fav has to be this colour block version which will go with anything. A little bit on the pricey side, but you have to ask yourself - what is that cute guy staring at you and your new jacket on the bus worth? Wait, how many colours can I get this in?

 

So there you have it, my top coats. To be honest I could go on and on with this - checked, shearling, pink, leather, longline, dropped waist....but I don't want to overload your fashion brains and unload your purses... Just choose well and remember that a decent coat should be a little more expensive. After all it needs to keep you warm whilst you are dragging your bestie round the shops...

Dress Like Victoria Beckham ....but by spending a lot less cash and eating a lot more burgers.

Hello!

How is everyone?? I took a little break from blogging because working is hard and I was tired when I got home...welcome to the real world right? But I am back and ready to annoy you all again. I had a wonderful birthday filled with friendship and love. I received a camera so I can take pictures of stuff I think is cool. To start with, I bought a few random pieces of clothing and will show you them!!

Top left is a really colourful tribal skirt!! It was from New Look and I believe was about £15. It looks so cute with a white sheer shirt or a champagne coloured sheer shirt tucked in!! Loads of gold jewellery and tan wedges??? Oh, go on then. The maxi skirt is a gorgeous orange and is from none other than my love - Tesco. £12 I think and the quality is wonderful. I wore this with a yellow and white polka dot top and brown ballet flats. Finally the two little things underneath are a black and (although it looks salmon) neon pink boob bandeau!! These are a god send!! I may be a little slow on the uptake, but finally I have arrived at the boob bandeau platform. I LOVE sheer shirts with bras showing underneath...so sexy. BUT, some of us have slightly larger...assets.... than others and a bra on show could be a little terrifying. So instead invest in a couple of these (£2.99 from New Look). They can also be worn under baggy vest tops and things with low armholes. So cute under white sheer shirts though. Just adds that pop of colour needed!!

Also I bought a dress from the H&M Concious Collection. It was a bargain at £14.99 and is made of Lyocell - an eco-friendly manufactured fibre. The collection is really cute so if you havent looked yet...well what are you waiting for?!!!!

I made a completely ridiculous birthday list of things I would never hope to get: Louboutins, Chloe bag, Burberry trench, Louis Vuitton luggage. You know, the staples. It made me think. Am I going to go through life wishing I owned all the designer things I want, get really depressed that I dont have them and spend a substantially amount of money...and shame...eating and crying into a Terry's Chocolate Orange?? NO!!! Well hopefully not. Instead I have been looking up high street copies of all the things I want and dear friends, I will share them with you. Here are my favourites...

(Left) Matalan £14 vs (Right) Stella McCartney £955.

Mirror print is so in right now - Stella does the cutest pair of trousers and a top to go with this as well....

(L) Asda £8 vs (R) Victoria, Victoria Beckham £950 (Net-A-Porter).

Another great print, with just a slight variation in price...ahem. Bring a whole new meaning to crazy cat lady.

(L) Topshop £28 studded slippers vs (R) Louboutin (Net-A-Porter) £635.

Everyone has studded everything. Dont get left behind as the only one who doesnt go off when walking through the metal detector at the airport.

(Top) ASOS £35 vs (Bottom) Jil Sander £1,540

The ASOS trousers HAVE to be mine. I will buy them and I will love them more than anything. Like Kate Moss said - nothing tastes as good as paisley print feels...or something along those lines.

(Top) Zara £39.99 vs the oh so lovely (Bottom) Mary Katrantzou £1,105

I am her greatest fan and I would give the earth to have a piece of her clothing (literally it costs the earth) BUT you can find a whole host of Mary-a-likes at Zara. So look there and try not to cry too much when you walk past the neighbour you have that grows pretty flowers that remind you of MK's SS12 collection. Sigh. You will be mine, oh yes, you will be mine.

And those are my favs at the moment. Look hard enough and you can always find a good look-alike. Its all about being a ruthless...and penniless (boo) shopper. I will bring you more as and when I discover them.

Some tidbits for today before I go:

- In A/W look out for metal toed heels and pumps a la Chanel as these are an extension of the lady-like trend happening at the moment.

- Also look out for heels with see through sides as Beyonce was pictured wearing. These were in a few years ago and I had a gorge pair from New Look, which of course I gave away thinking they would never come back into fashion again. Alas, even I make mistakes.

- Tulisa was voted FHMs sexiest woman... think of this what you may, but she has taken a lot on the chin recently....

- Preen, Jenny Packham (pretty much 50% of Kate Middleton's wardrobe is by JP) and Roksanda Illincic (Colleen Rooney was seen wearing their 'it' dress of the season to the horse racing - it was hot pink and had massive sleeves) have all either done recently or are about to launch collections for Debenhams. They join the likes of Matthew Williamson who has been there for a good while now. Remember that collections such as these sell out quickly so keep your eyes peeled. They are not as heavily advertised as collaborations with H&M etc, so you have to do your research. Or wait for me to tell you and then buy me a gift as a thank you!!

- Tomorrow is voting day!! Remember to make sure you vote for someone you care about or not at all!! Dont just guess as we could end up with some nut job!! Remember fashion is only as pretty as the prime minister's wife that wears it...

Hope you all have had a good day!

Night xx