Today's special guests

Well, you're not letting me down, girls. More pics have been coming in of your lovely selves modelling some fabulous looks. First up for today, we have Lucy styling a 'then and now' look - back in the day as a littl'un in her Communion outfit (altogether now, awwww...), and then rocking a similar, if not quite so holy (ahem), look more recently, in her own unique, quirky-cool style. Work it, lady. Loving the red accents.

 

Left: butter-wouldn't-melt. Right: ra-ra romance. We likey.

And next up we have the ever-stylish Catherine (becoming a bit of an It's A Look regular...), in her oh-my-God-are-you-sure-it's-not-Prada number from F&F at Tesco - could it be more on trend for this season? No, it could not. Nice style-stealing skills.

 

Catherine in her Tesco spesh. Above, Prada AW10/11 - de ja ooh!

Catwalk pic: Vogue.com

Double take

I secretly bought a pair of multi-buckle wedges a couple of weeks ago from Primark. Now, do you see what I've done there? By announcing to you lot that I bought the wedges totally negates the secrecy of the purchase. But some secrets are best when shared, no? Particularly when there's a saving of £95 that's been made and clearly needs to be boasted about.

They're black suede (or perhaps suedette is more appropriate for Primarni, in the way that not-real diamonds on QVC are referred to as diamonique, and PVC that looks like leather but we all know that for that price is surely not, is know as pleather). They'll team divinely with my skinny cargo pants, leggings, cropped jeans and tailored trousers, and with dresses and skirts (over opaques now the weather's turned more miserable than a wet cat). I heart them. But the best bit is they're a total de ja vu of Bertie's £110 version, for a mere 15 of your English dollars. Dontcha just love a bit of high-street cloning?

Above and below, £15, Primark

Above, £110, Bertie

Comfy chic

I had a bit of a stressy day yesterday, so I wanted to make sure I was in better spirits this morning. I decided I needed a fuss-free outfit, as minimalism always seems to calm my forever-cuttered mind, and that I also needed to be comfortable. Sort of like clothing TLC, if you will. My first thought was my soft and slouchy grey cotton V-neck jumper from Gap (I seem to head for soft grey cotton when I'm feeling vulnerable, funnily enough - forget dream interpretation, outfit interpretation, anyone?). And as I was to be office-bound, I wanted to smarten it up, so I channelled Stella McCartney's AW10/11 vibe and teamed it with a tailored cropped trouser and a pair of courts. Actually, I moved away from the minimalism a tad by adding a gold chain necklace to bring some colour to my face, and plonking a glitzy cocktail ring on my finger. Also, my black suede courts have their very own 'ta-da!' feature, as the heels are mirrored.

Then I was prompted to do something a little different with my hair, as I spotted a reader in this month's Marie Claire wearing a glitzy headband (the stretchy kind rather than the Alice band type). I'd always wanted to try this but was never sure whether it was very me. In the interests of my very own readers, I thought I'd give the look a test drive today, and you can tell me whether it works or not.

It never fails to surprise me how an outfit can uplift your mood. The psychology of clothes is something I really want to have a nosey into. So for today, minimal, comfy chic has given me a relaxed, unfussy mind and body. Thank you Stella for your inspiration.

Stretchy sequined headband, Peacocks

Jumper and trousers, Gap; courts, M&S

  

Stella McCartney AW10/11

Shoes, M&S

Catwalk pic: Vogue.com

Send me your outfit pics...

... and I'll post them right here on the blog! If you have a new-season purchase (coat, on-trend piece) or just an outfit or item you feel fab in, send it my way by emailing it to lucy@lulabellestyling.co.uk. I'll add them as I get them in. 

Today's entries include Isobel and DoDo with their gorgeous on-trend outerwear (camel and leopard print are bang on the fashion radar right now), and Charlie with a dress she looks divine in, even though she says she was feeling a bit bumpy-frumpy at the time - I think you'll agree the word 'frumpy' does not apply in the slightest. Looking fabulous dahlings. More please, Its A Look fashionistas!

 

Isobel in camel jacket, Reiss      

DoDo in leopard print coat from abroad; trousers, Oasis; heels, Christian Louboutin

Charlie wearing strapless dress, Monsoon; sparkly shrug, Topshop

NEW-SEASON SPECIAL!: The big cover up

Yes, the nights are drawing in, but what's the best bit about the new season? Apart from stodgy food, period dramas on the Beeb, Halloween, Bonfire Night, mulled wine... Ok, actually there's quite a lot that rocks about this season. But for the purposes of a style blog, I shall be focusing on coats. Because, while baring tanned skin against a summer's breeze is undoubtedly fabulous, there's nothing quite like snuggling up in a winter's coat (especially if it's a new-season buy and you're debuting it to the oohs and ahhs of your workmates). And there are so many options to choose from for A/W10/11, you'll be laughing into your sheepskin lining. Also, there's plenty of transitional fare out there while it's still mild enough to go sans scarf and gloves (lightweight trenches, denim jackets still holding on).

Therefore, in a special new-season post, I've decided to do a call-out to all of you who have either just bought a new coat, or who have a favourite that you can't wait to snuggle into each winter, or one that's a classic and never goes out of style. Take a pic of you in it, email it to lucy@lulabellestyling.co.uk, and I'll post my favourites on the blog. To start you off, I have the lovely Catherine and Louise modelling their new buys, as well as some pics of myself in coats from both this season and last season, including a couple of trusty favourites from a while back that never seem to date. Prepare for the big coat takeover.

 

Top to bottom: Zara belted puffa, £79.99, and below, its inspiration, the Moncler belted puffa, £740; Louise in her on-trend shearling aviator from TK Maxx, £300 reduced to £70!; me in a camel wool and cashmere mix Primark coat, £45; Catherine in her faux fur jacket from Portobello Market, £8!; me in my trusty denim New Look jacket, £20; and in my this-season trench from H&M, £29.99; Catherine in her on-season military number from M&S, £99; me in my favourite scarlet wool funnel neck coat from Gap, via the charity shop, £15; and in my heavy wool huge cocoony funnel neck coat from Joy, £90, which I regularly get a seat on the Tube with, due to its maternity likeness, but I don't care, it's so snuggly - it's all about hiding in the funnel neck!

Dressing for busy-ness

First of all, apologies for it being three weeks since my last post. After the last post on the Zara jacket, I have been off sunning myself in the South of France - camping, no less! But stylishly, of course. Well, as stylishly as you can when you're living out of a bag/car/tent and have no hanging space. But enough of that. I have spent the entire day unpacking and putting things away (photo of my 'unpacking and putting things away' outfit below, complete with new multi-buckle wedges from Primarni that I'm wearing in. Multitasking and all that). This was followed by throwing a few accessories and props together on the bed for a wedding shoot I'm styling this weekend with a friend of mine, Julia Ford, art director for Wedding magazine and wedding photographer for Modern Photographic. For no explicable reason, I thought that after tidying all my camping gear away, I'd then make even more of a mess by getting out a load of inspiration for the shoot! But when your brain's whirring, you've just got to go with it. 

I also dug out some coats and outfits for the new season while I was faffing, so I'll post some pics of them next time for your perusal. I may also have to post a pic of my friend's new military coat, which is bang on trend and just too delicious for words. Be back soon, promise!

I'm looking forward to wearing the (black suede multibuckle) wedges with leggings, skinny jeans, cropped jeans, 3/4 trousers, dresses and skirts, with tights and without. Vest, Topshop; harem trousers, New Look; wedges, Primark; tan, South of France

From beads, baubles and bangles to corsages, head bands, ribbon, lace, sticks of rock and feathers, I thought I'd get a few visuals together to inspire the creative juices ready for the wedding shoot