Zara love

Ah, Zara... Every season you spoil us, and this upcoming season is no different. I popped by the Knightsbridge branch today to while away my lunch hour, and thought I'd died and gone to AW10/11 heaven. Not that I'm ready for the summer to end, you understand, but because they've hit every new-season trend on the head. I'm talking lace, camel, country-heritage tweeds, leather, suede, flat boots, shearling jackets, fluffy knits, fine knits, Alpine knits, pencil skirts, capes... A veritable feast of seasonal treats. And so it was that I came away with a snuggly, down-filled, belted snow-bunny jacket with a high padded collar to keep out the chill, ready for whatever winter throws at me. I love the pearl colour and the softness of it, and how it makes me feel so protected and ready for the slopes! Obviously it's no bad thing that it resembles Chanel ski wear, and has a lot of luxury French outdoor brand, Moncler, about it too. But for £79, I'm quids in!

Top: Pearl-coloured belted down-filled puffa jacket, £79, Zara

Below: White down-filled puffa jacket with black trim, £549, Moncler at Harrods

1 maxi, 6 ways

I'm slightly obsessed with my maxis this summer. They're so versatile - which is handy really, as you can never count on the weather. I discovered this at the weekend when I put together a couple of looks with just one jersey dress. So, in the aim of research - and with AW10/11 just around the corner, meaning we'll need to make our summer pieces more trans-seasonal - I've been working a handful of maxi looks for you, to show just how far you can take these little beauties. Dress them up with wedges, keep it slouchy with a hoody and lace-ups, and layer up or down depending on whether the sun is shining or not. Which is your favourite?

Khaki jersey maxi dress, New Look; Straw trilby, Primark; Sunglasses, Foster Grant; Pink scarf, gift; Grey woven belt, H&M; Bronze gladiators, New Look

Grey hoody, Uniqlo; Grey lace-up pumps, Primark

Long grey cardigan, New Look; Rope necklace, Accessorize; Tan belt, New Look; Snakeskin platform wedges, Matalan

Striped top, River Island; Wayfarers, Ray-Ban; Tan loafers, Primark

White thin cotton T-shirt, Banana Republic; Tan belt, New Look; Bangles, Primark; Espadrille wedges, from Spain

White and pale blue pinstriped shirt, Ralph Lauren; Tweed hat, New Look; Tan belt, New Look; Tan ankle boots, Peacocks

Easy outfits

If ever I have a manic morning and don't have time to think about what I want to wear, my usual failsafe is a pair of skinny jeans, a Tshirt or top, a blazer and a pair of ballet pumps. It always looks smart but casual, and can take me near-enough anywhere. But when the weather's warmer, jeans are too hot and a blazer just too much. So today, while it is still a bit of a joke to call it 'summer' this week, I needed my failsafe outfit but one that was lighter and more seasonal. I swapped my skinnies for leggings and threw my husband's shirt over the top, for that smart/kind of tailored look you get from a blazer but cooler and more 'breezy' and summerish. I stopped it drowning me by adding a thin, tan leather belt (seriously, these babies pull EVERY outfit together), popped on my brown leather loafers to keep that smart edge (sometimes leggings can bring an outfit too close to lazy territory), and took a light trench along in case of summer showers. Easy, comfy, minimal, job done.

Men's shirt, Next; leggings, Oasis; Belt and loafers, Primark

What I learned from Grazia this week

I've been drowning in magazines this week (what a way to go...), so it's taken me a while to get round to reading The Bible. I have two Marie Claires, an InStyle and half an Easy Living to get through and then I may treat myself to this month's Vogue and Harper's. And maybe Red. Hmm, slightly obsessed. The flat's turning into a doctor's waiting room (albeit an up-to-the-minute and very stylish doctor's waiting room without the smell of Dettol or anyone coughing in your ear).

Back to Grazia. This week, alongside some lovely AW10 sneaky-peaks, I learned:

• That I have developed (rather late) a mini style crush on Blake Lively and am berating myself for not having got on the Gossip Girl wagon yet (just shameful). DVD box-set alert! She's like the new Carrie. p12
• That 'granny chic' will soon be upon us - mid-calf skirts, sensible shoes, long socks, matching knitwear and kitsch accessories. Marc Jacobs AW10 is a particular fave. So this means that drinking endlesss amounts of tea and always having biscuits on the go counts too, right? p30
• That the Grazia girls also have Hangover Shoes. Of course they do. p25
• That I may become dangerously obsessed with Chloe's AW10 leather cape. Oh. My. God it's gorgeous. Just to touch it... And coming in at over £9k, touching it will be all I can afford. p69
• That Willow Smith - daugher of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith and the most achingly cool nine-year-old I've ever seen - employs the assistance of two stylists. Not just one, but TWO stylists! At NINE! If only they were around when I was nine. And that my parents had been as rich as the Smiths. p53
• That pencil skirts are coming back next season. Which is handy, as I bought a houndstooth high-waisted one last AW from Zara and haven't really worn it yet. Must work out some outfit combos in readiness. p83
• That NeuroTrim drink is the new Vita Coco, from a no-seriously-this-drink-will-make-me-slim point of view. Hmm, do natural-appetite-suppressant drinks actually work? Who knows. Will I still drink them? Well obvz. p95

That's all.

From Grazia 16 August 2010

Glam wellies

Did anyone see the Wedge Welly on Dragon's Den last night? It's on my mind as the heavens have opened here in London this morning and rain always throws me into a footwear dilemma, particularly as it's still 'summer' (apparently) and too warm for winter boots. Sandals would lead to instantly wet toes, ballet pumps would soak up all the moisture and stay damp and cold all day, then there's my Converse, but that means a whole different choice of outfit. Seriously, when you start with the footwear, your whole outfit needs to be re-thought...

Anyway, back to wellies. As practical as these gummy boots are, they're hardly the most glamorous of footwear (even my pink rose-print pair - I had to, I was staying with friends in the New Forest and there would be walking, I was told). The main reason for this is that they force you to walk like a flat-footed duck as you shuffle through the mud and puddles. However, add a heel (and no, I don't mean a normal heel or stiletto - have you seen heeled trainers and flip-flops? Ugh...) and suddenly you've regained height and have stopped scuffling around in an unladylike manner. Et voila, the Wedge Welly! Much more outfit-friendly than your standard gumboots. My faves are the Man Eaters. Check out the website, I think they're on to a winner there. 

www.wedgewelly.co.uk

Style icons

I just had to share one of my recent holiday reads with you. There's nothing I like more than picking up a magazine or five when I'm in another country, and North America has some crackers. Aside from being OBSESSED with Lucky magazine, I like to pick up their local Hello! And while I was in Canada recently, Hello! Canada came up trumps with their Style Icons issue. Ooh.

So, after poring greedily over the glossy images, I thought I'd pick out my favourites - and not just because the images are divine, but because they are my favourite 'icons' and I have a personal reason for loving each and every one. They each encapsulate the magic of their time, but while showcasing the fashion of their day, they have maintained eternal style. And as Coco said: 'Fashion fades, only style remains the same'.

Coco Chanel: Timeless elegance. Coco Chanel broke the rules and brought mannish tailoring into womenswear, as well as those obligatory strings of pearls, monochrome, breton stripes and the fabulous Chanel 2.55 bag. I didn't feel right until I owned one (in white, since you ask).

Christian Dior: The ultimate in feminine couture. Dior brought the hourglass silhouette to the world at a time of postwar austerity. Dubbed the 'New Look', it was all about waspish waists and full skirts. Just to think 'Dior' conjures up the idea of glamour and luxury, and I always felt glamtastic when I wore my oversized black Dior sunglasses with diamante trim. Sadly, I lost these glasses recently, sob...

Grace Kelly:  The epitome of poise, sophistication and beauty. The Hollywood starlet and Princess of Monaco was style personified, and I love dipping in and out of the book A Touch Of Grace, bought for me by a very good friend. I knew my Maggie Sottero wedding dress was The One when I felt all Grace-like while looking at myself in it in the mirror. And when the stylist that was dressing me also mentioned Grace's name, that gown was coming home with me.

Audrey Hepburn: The most well known LBD ever? There are too many Audrey style moments to have to nail down my favourite (Roman Holiday, My Fair Lady, Funny Face), but for most women, Breakfast At Tiffany's is the ultimate, and where Audrey exuded all the class, grace, femininity and polish a girl could ever want in a showstopping look. And, that being one of my favourite films, it couldn't have been more perfect when my now-husband proposed to me in the very same Tiffany & Co in Manhattan. Unfortunately for me, I was wearing a not-so-stylish jeans and Tshirt combo at the time, but it was still my very own Audrey moment.

Diane Keaton in Annie Hall: Mannish tailoring for girls. Unfortunately, the pic in Hello! Wasn't very good quality (left), so I've also posted another, just to show off the preppy masculine look the words 'Annie Hall' immediately bring to mind. I love this look, and often take inspiration from it, particularly for winter workwear. There's something about wearing a mannish trouser or shirt, either separately or together, and with a fab bit of tailoring in that waistcoat to bring it all together. Relaxed but tailored, manly but sexy, and so, so cool.

Sandy in Grease: The Best 'Reveal' moment EVER. When Sandy turned from prim and proper butter-wouldn't-melt teen queen to super-sassy spray-on-leggings and leather-jacket-wearing sexpot at the end of my all-time favourite movie, I was totally in awe, and forever obsessed in the power of the transformation. Whether it's My Fair Lady, The Swan, Extreme Makeover, 10 Years Younger, How To Look Good Naked or any film or show that gives people their very own Reveal experience, I'll be there, glued to the screen, blubbing away, fanning at my eyes and championing the heroine in her moment of glory. It's that special feeling that got me into personal styling in the first place.


Pic credits: Getty Images; The Kobal Collection; MPTV Images; Corbis; Magnum Photos

Running errands

I had some chores to take care of today, so I wanted to wear something comfortable and practical but fairly smart, as I was heading out into town for a few bits and bobs rather than being housebound and therefore getting away with wearing something a bit more loungey. So I took care of the 'fairly smart' side of it with a shirt - a shirt always adds a hint of smart/preppy cool, even in a casual fabric, and it still looks good even if it isn't ironed to within an inch of its life (although that also looks fabulous). But I went for an oversized man's shirt, for more moveability, and wore my collar up ever so slightly, channelling a little Katharine Hepburn in the process.

Following the rules of proportion (fitted top half = looser bottom half; loose top half = more fitted bottom half), I teamed my shirt with leggings, to avoid totally swamping myself from head to foot, and created shape around my waist with a slim, tan belt. I chose my leather-look leggings, just to add a bit of edge, and kept the masculine vibe of the oversized shirt with some brown loafers (also, I needed something a bit sturdier than my usual ballet pumps, as I was going to be pounding the concrete for a while).

So I'm thinking: white shirt, tan leather accessories = mannish-preppy, but with the leather-look leggings and my obligatory Ray-Ban Wayfarers, I gave it a bit of an edge. There's nothing like giving a damn what you look like when your day consists of three loads of washing, posting mail, taking care of admin  and a dentist appointment... Rock n roll...

 Taking inspiration from the stylish Katharine Hepburn. Shirt, husband's; leggings, King's Road; Ray-Ban Wayfarers; belt and loafers, Primark

Sunday slouching

Sundays were made for comfy clothes. Outfits you can slob about in on the sofa with the papers while zoning out to the EastEnders omnibus. Fabrics that comfort your hangover and move with your body as you stretch out like a cat and potter randomly about the house. For me, Sunday is all about either loose and floaty or soft jersey, or both. Today's Sunday Outfit of choice was almost my jersey maxi, but I felt the need to free my legs, so leggings won, with an easy grey brushed cotton vest and a colourful floral scarf wrapped round, skirt-style, to brighten it up and add a bit of interest. I usually tend to go accessory-free during the day at the weekends, so I'm less jangly when I'm doing household chores or just chilling out without any extra fuss around my neck or wrists.

Easy, comfy, and a lot more interesting (and flattering) than joggers and a Tshirt. Right, now I'm off to play with my new iPhone 4 and recover from last night's dinner with friends...

                                            Top, Warehouse; leggings, Primark; scarf, H&M