Raindrops are falling on my head: part 1

Well it's been a bit rainy recently, and I shouldn't complain, as I was getting fed up with the snow, to be honest, so at least it's milder. But rain comes with its own sartorial problems, and you have to follow a few rules if you don't want to end up entering the office like a drowned rat of a morning. So I thought I'd take the opportunity this week to cover a few rainy day style basics, today focusing on hat hair, in case, like me, you like to sport a stylish piece of headwear (see Hat weather).

When it's rainy and blowy out there, a hat can be a good option if you don't want to be dragging around a sopping brolly that blows inside out at the mere hint of a breeze. However, as stylish as sporting a hat can be, the resulting hat hair when you take it off is less so. Therefore, I recommend the following tricks when donning a titfer:

Penelope Cruz braves the rain in a stylish trilby

1. Always carry a can of dry shampoo in your bag. After removing your hat, a quick spritz through the roots and a run-through with your fingers while shaking your head upside down should regain volume and rid your barnet of flatness and dents. Alternatively, spray some through the roots before putting your hat on then just massage it in after the hat comes off to bring the volume back.
2. If dry shampoo isn't to hand, dampen your hair in the loos then do a quick root blow-dry with fingers or a brush underneath the hand drier (check for said hand drier before wetting your hair, though...).
3. Think about your hairstyle: if you're wearing your hair down, a centre parting will get flattened against the sides of your head under your hat, so wear your hair parted to the side (you can always change your parting once you take your hat off). But if you don't want to worry about restyling at all once the hat comes off, a good 'do is wearing braids pinned up onto your head like a head band. As the plaits sit close to your head, they won't be flattened by your hat. It's also a big look for SS11.

Batiste dry shampoo spray

Braids at Emanuel Ungaro SS11

 Pictures: Barcroft Media, Vogue.co.uk

When clothes go bad

As I was putting away some washing last night (one of my least favourite things to do, alongside hanging up socks to dry - dulldulldull), I realised there were quite a few things about clothes that annoy me. So I thought I'd share them with you, in the hope that maybe there are other people out there who get disproportionately irritated by similar ridiculous, totally trivial things:

Clothing that's out to get me

• Coats without hooks with which to hang them up - where are they supposed to go? There's no room in my wardrobe and no space in my hallway for a fancy coat stand.
• Skinny jeans that are too big at the waist and gape at the back. The smaller size won't go over my thighs and wearing a belt just makes the waistband bunch up. Annoying.
• Tights that start to inch their way down your crotch as you walk along the street, leaving you with three options: grin and bear it until you get to a place where you can discreetly pull them up; waddle along uncomfortably with such an awkward gait and frustrated grimace that you scare small children; or throw dignity to the wind and hoik up your hosiery in full public glare like some mad old granny.
• Leggings that bag at the knee after you've sat down in them more than once, making you appear to have oversized kneecaps. Attractive.
• Sweaters that bobble under the armpits due to arm-chafing. Looks like you're cultivating a crop of miniature fur balls.
• Coats that are ever-so-slightly too tight on the arms, so that the sleeves of your top are always forced uncomfortably up under your armpits every time you put said coat on - ooh, and while I'm at it, thin-knit cardigans with the same problem: sleeves too fitted so that the top you're wearing underneath rolls up and leaves a big bulge underneath. Hate.

• Any item with a detail - buttons, bows, belts, ruching - at the back of it that's positioned just in the wrong place, so that it digs into your spine every time you lean against the back of a chair. Didn't they do a test run?
• Skirts that twist around during the day, so that the seam/zip/back split ends up at the front and makes you look like a crazy woman who got dressed in the dark.
• Trousers that are ever so slightly too tapered at the ankle. They look great when you're walking around, but once you decide to stand up from a sitting position, they cling to your mid calf like a needy toddler, so that you are forced to bend over and pull them back into place. Every. Time. You. Stand. Up. Argh...
• Long necklaces that decide to slide secretly to one side during the day, neatly lassoing one breast and thus demanding everyone's attention is drawn solely to that area: 'AND HERE IS MY LEFT BREAST, EVERYONE!'

Ah, that's better. Right, enough complaining, it is Friday after all. Back next week!

Bump watch

I'm starting to struggle a little with my existing wardrobe now that my baby bump's starting to get bigger. It kind of takes you unaware, and all of a sudden the trousers that fit you two weeks ago don't do up at all and you're stuck in your bedroom with minutes to spare before heading to work, panicking about what the hell you're going to wear. Or at least I have been this week. So far, I've been coping with stretchy jersey dresses (top marks to Primark's stretchy knitted dresses in a variety of colours for £12 a pop - I'm wearing my stripy one below), not-too-tight leggings and jeans given an extra bit of waistline stretch with a sneaky hairband wrapped around the top button. This seems to be reaching its limit though, and I think it's time to start purchasing some proper maternity items, rather than cheating and being uncomfortable. Also, maternity clothes are cut to fit around your bump and still flatter the rest of your figure, whereas just wearing something loose from my current wardrobe often makes me look wide and feel hideous.

So, maternity-wear shopping it is! Otherwise you'll really not want me to post any more pics up on here, as I'll just be wearing man shirts/maxi dresses/my dressing gown every day.

Dressing round the bump:

Dress, Primark; maternity tights, Topshop; scarf, Avon; boots, Ugg

Sweater, Zara; trousers, H&M; scarf, Missoni; loafers, Primark

Happy 2011!

Ok, so I know this morning was a bit of a shock to the system, getting up in the dark again, stumbling around, silently (or not so silently) burning with resentment at the world and all its unfairness... But I trust we all had a lovely Christmas and New Year's Eve? And are we all now feverishly planning our first holiday of 2011 in order to have something to look forward to and get us through the gloom of January?!

Well, even though the last thing you're probably interested right now is style-related topics when you probably slung on the comfiest outfit you could bear this morning in order to get through the day, I am now back and will indeed attempt to put together some aesthetically pleasing outfits for you to critique each week. Mind you, saying that, I may be providing less posts per week than last year, as I'm trying to get cracking with a new project, but I'll do my best, faithful readers (not such an easy task with the growing bump!). And in the meantime, why don't you cheer yourselves up with a picture of me at a fab house party on New Year's Eve wearing a silly hat:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Well, the time has come for me to sign off for this year before packing my bags and hotfooting it around the UK to spend Christmas with my family. Hope you've enjoyed It's a Look, whether you like joining in with the style debates, enjoy checking out what outfits the A-listers have been rocking recently or simply get your kicks out of having a nosy at what I'm wearing that day, I'm grateful to all my regular readers. I like to think of the blog as a guilty pleasure – for me and for you, and I hope that's how you see it, too.

So, before I round up and start looking into what 2011 brings (motherhood being the standout event – eek!), I'll leave you with my Top 10 Best Dressed of 2010. From style butterflies who have blossomed before our eyes (Emma Watson and Carey Mulligan, that'll be you); Stateside A-listers who seem to look more and more groomed every time we look (Drew Barrymore, 90210's Gillian Zinser and UK-based Gwyneth Paltrow); faultless first ladies (Mobama – those arms, that outfit coordination! – and our very own super-elegant and ageless first lady, Helen Mirren); to uber-stylistas who know just what they're doing and seem to only get better (Rachel Zoe, Olivia Palermo and Vicky B), I salute you all and hope you continue to provide me with inspiration on all matters sartorial in the new year.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

L

x

Emma Watson: bye bye, Hermione, hello labels

Carey Mulligan: ever-changing hair, ever-stylish wardrobe

Drew Barrymore: looking damn hot right now

90210's Gillian Zinser: cool, quirky, eclectic

Gwyneth Paltrow: one groomed, stylish lady

Michelle Obama: never shies away from colour. Or a belt

Helen Mirren: proving that style is ageless

Rachel Zoe: ok, she's a stylist, but she's never off duty

Olivia Palermo: uber-stylish socialite who does groomed like no one else

Victoria Beckham: with a successful collection of her own and a more relaxed but still-chic style, she just gets better

Pictures: Harpersbazaar.com, Teenvogue.com, Dailymail.co.uk, Vanityfair.com, Hollywoodlife.com, Xposurephotos.com

Happy hands

After being stood on a frosty platform for half an hour waiting for a train at the beginning of this week, I realised I needed some decent gloves. I own quite a variety of gloves, but most of them just look pretty. Apart from my ski gloves, which do the job but make my hands look three times their normal size. And look odd when you're not fully ensconced in ski jacket and salopettes. So really, I'm thinking that what we really need is a a pair for gloves every eventuality – a portfolio of gloves, if you will. And my eventualities, or needs, gloves-wise, seem to be: Warm as Toast, Evening Glam, iPhone-Friendly and On Trend. Here's my round-up:

Warm as Toast: sheepskin-lined, £85, UGG

Evening Glam: metallic, £27.50, John Lewis

iPhone-Friendly: Echo Touch, £25, John Lewis

On Trend: camel studded, £16, Topshop

Signature outfit of 2010

Today I reckon I'm wearing what has become one of my signature looks of the year – a sweater and leggings combo. It's particularly come in handy since my middle has begun expanding and needing a more comfortable outfit. But I just love the simplicity of it. It doesn't sound like much, and could look unbelievably uninspired if it weren't for the odd detail – a just-the-right-size sweater, a wet/rubber-look legging, a red lip, an on-trend ankle boot or wedge, the addition of a print scarf or statement jewellery. It's all about the details. It's personal touches like this that show you've put a bit of thought into it and stopped it becoming yawnsville. Well, hopefully, anyway. For all I know you started yawning at the word 'leggings' and couldn't even bring yourself to read further.

I reckon my main AW2010 catwalk inspirations for today's simplistic signature outfit have been Chloe, for this season's swathe of camel, Stella McCartney, for making a minimalist sweater and trousers combo so chic and smart, yet so easy, and a touch of Balmain for the edgy, rubber-look leggings vibe. I've stolen a piece from each and, as they say, made it my own.

Sweater, Uniqlo; leggings, King's Road; boots, Primark

Chloe AW2010

Stella McCartney AW2010

Balmain AW2010

 Pictures: Imaxtree