Investment Pieces

Is there really such a thing as an 'investment purchase'?

The answer my friends is YES.

I'm not talking about 'cost per wear' or how versatile a piece may be (although these are reeeeaaally important points to bear in mind) I'm talking cold, hard cashback....

Chanel handbags. Chanel handbags are the way forward, yasss! 

Every year Chanel prices go up, way up and they have been since the 1950's (so I reckon that's a long enough research period..)  The iconic/classic pieces are the safest option.  For example the Classic Flap 2.55 in 2009 would have cost around £2,140.

Five years later that same bag would have set you back an eye-watering £3,905.  Today the bag retails at £4,450....

 

 

 

 

So what are you waiting for?!  I might pop into town to pick one up before I collect the kids from school today.....in my DREAMS.  But it is something to bear in mind if you do have a big occasion to celebrate (or maybe a few rolled into one!)  I'd love to buy one now and keep it tucked away (torture I know!) then give it to my daughters on their 21st birthday (actually i'd have to buy 2!)  I'm no mathematician but if the price increased by 5% every year, in 15 years time that really would be quite the investment! 

 

It's not just Chanel by the way....I splurged on Gucci Princetowns in March this year and 6 months later they've increased in price by a whopping 15%

 

 

 

The instafamous Gucci double G belt has also gone up in price over the last few months..

Don't get me wrong, I'm no label lover, 90% of my wardrobe is high street, from high end Whistles and Jigsaw to the more disposable fashion in H&M and ASOS.  Although I do like to sometimes add a designer piece to an outfit to give it a more expensive look. Adding a pair of Chloe Susanna boots to an H&M dress or New Look jeans gives the whole outfit a designer feel. 


Thanks for reading

K x

Miranda Dunn London

I had the pleasure of going to have a look at Miranda Dunn London new season faux fur coats last week. The venue was the Electric House in Notting Hill which was pretty amazing itself but the best was yet to come up in the Library,  the most gorgeous display of THE coats you're gonna want to wear all day errrrday of Autumn/Winter....

Miranda Dunn creates bespoke pieces with faux fur featuring predominantly.  It really is the most exquisite faux fur, amazing quality that is difficult to find in high street faux fur pieces. I have one and am patiently awaiting my second (that sounds like i'm having a baby, NOT a chance) I purchased a navy blue coat last year and LIVED in it, normally dressed down with skinny jeans and trainers but also looks great with fitted tuxedo trousers/cami/heels on a chilly night out.

There are a range of colours from classic black to pale pink, there's lots of options including adding initials on the back or a star maybe, depends how adventurous you are! I guess I went for plain colour as I really do think I'll want to wear this for years to come and wanted to keep it as wearable as possible. This year I've ordered an opal grey plain, a little longer and without a collar (I did say it was bespoke!) I had a little try on of the black with pink spots, which is so cute...

They really are the most beautiful, timeless coats, I can't wait to start wearing mine again shortly!  Oh and the news of these delicious coats has made it's way to the celebs too, Emilia Fox and Fearne Cotton quite clearly being fans...

The cherry on the top of this clothing label is that Miranda herself is the warmest, most lovely lady you could meet and beautiful to boot! Head to mirandadunnlondon to begin your faux fur creation....


Thanks for reading as always

K xx

H&M picks

Every few days I take a look at the 'New Arrivals' section of H&M and Zara. It's an expensive hobby as all the brand new items are in stock in every colour and every size just waiting to be purchased by little ol' me!  I often find the 'trending' items sell out so quickly then you have to deal with the 'ok its on ebay for triple the price which is crazy but I REALLY  need it' scenario! It's a clever ploy to buy up lots of popular items and sell on for a ridiculous price but it's unfair I think and my morals won't allow me to rip other fashion lovers off like that unfortunately!

Anyway, here's some of my favourite pieces from H&M's New Arrivals....

I have this and wearing it just as styled above to a 40th birthday party next week. Also love this silk skirt as an option, works well with the red jumper...

 

 

These jeans are so comfortable and look amazing and on trend with red or black sock boots...

 

 

 

 

Another beautiful chiffon dress, would be a gorgeous winter wedding outfit with heels and a clutch..

 

 

 

One of my favourite things about  London Fashion week is the street style,  it's looking like reds, pinks and blues are the colour of the year... I love these bright blue wide leg trousers...dress up with black heels and black silk camisole top or down with fresh Stan Smiths and an oversize pale blue jumper...

 

This dress with a leather biker and ankle boots would be great for a mid week night out or again dress up with heels for a more dressy occasion...

 

Happy shopping and thanks so much for reading. I'll  leave you with some of my favourite LFW Street Style outfits....(photos Pinterest)

All hail the OP...! xx

 

 

 

 

The 28th Store

"Our mission is to simplify on-line shopping"

I was introduced to The 28th Store by the wonders of the 'gram and was very kindly asked to choose some pieces from their range. I lived in this little dress all summer..

It does exactly what it says on the tin and makes on-line shopping more simplistic... In a nutshell it has 28 items available for 28 days (see what they did there with the company name..) then it refreshes and a completely different selection of items are available for the next 28 days and so on.  The beauty of it is that you don't have to scroll through hundreds if not thousands of items to find what you want.  Now, i love ASOS always have always will, but even with a filter on your search item it can throw up hundreds upon hundreds of items, then annoyingly I often find what I want under a different filter altogether... Anyway you get the jist!

It really is a brilliant idea and all their items are inexpensive, here's some of my favourites from this months selection..

 

 

 

There's a wide range of items evry month, dresses, jeans, coats, accessories... so the next time fancy a little me to me present why not take a minute to check out The 28th Store first before you begin the on-line trawl.... For 25% off your order use code GRANDOPENING25 www.the28th.store/

Swimwear Winwear

We've recently returned from a magical wedding in the tiny little Greek Island called Agistri.  I was so looking forward to going but in the back of my mind for months leading up to it I was dreading the thought of being in swimwear especially as there were lots of other people staying too, lots of different friends and some who we were yet to meet. Anyway after 3 children (2 of which who took residence at the same time..) mixed with the fact I have done almost no exercise in erm 8 years, I decided a sturdy swimsuit was the way forward...

I found the most figure flattering swimsuit by Gossard...

It's 75% polyester, 18% elastine, 7% polymide making it stretchy but firm and holds the tummy whilst giving you a really lovely shape (even after massively indulgent beach lunches a beer, tried and tested!) The bust area is padded giving you a cleavage but quite modest (I'm a 32E/F and my ladies stayed put all day!) There's a detachable halterneck strap which I didn't use as I prefer the look of it without plus strap lines obviously. This is it from behind...

It really is lovely and I felt confident walking around just adding a pair of shorts or a loose kaftan. Also very reasonably priced at just £27.99, the Amazon link is here. There's a few other styles/colours here and here.

I also love this from Multi-way from  Asos..but sizes are very limited.

Of course if you want to splurge on your swimwear, maybe it's your honeymoon or special anniversary or a special trip away with the girls these caught my eye from Net-a-Porter......

Links here and here. Also a dream holiday chill out outfit to be dressed up or down...

Link here.

Hope you have a happy holiday wherever you may be off to and if like me your holiday is already over for this year then lets pray together for some sun!!!!!!

Thank you for reading xx

London Fashion Week Festival

Throw back to this last time last week and I was on my way in the sunshine to London Fashion Week Festival, wearing my new Gucci belt, favourite topshop skinnies and THE most comfortable pale pink flats from H&M. Currently I am in my Bright Company pjs (bought last xmas with matching pairs for the twins thinking it would be super cute, reality is I feel like a complete wally wearing the same as a pair of 5yr olds..) with hair in the wonkiest of top knots and last nights St.Tropez application not looking quite as even as i'd hoped for... However, I had the best time last Friday...

For me the best thing about LFWF was that it wasn't intimidating or pretentious, the atmosphere was  really relaxed and friendly, plus most importantly the clothes in the summer trends category were all wearable and available to buy now!

So it kicked off with the Florals trend, bold and colourful was key, with the gorgeous host Laura Jackson pulling the look off to a T..

 

 

 

This is such an easy trend to wear either dressed up with heels or dressed down with flat sandals, trainers or ankle boots for a daytime look.


Next up was Ruffles....

 

 

 

 

 

This look was my favourite, would be perfect for a summer wedding with heels or I would probably wear gladiator sandals if it was a full day/evening out.  I love this Self Portrait dress teamed with nude heels...

 

 

Finally it was the Cold Shoulder trend, perfect for spring summer. I prefer to wear off shoulder tops with trousers/jeans rather than off shoulder dresses as I think its a better balance but this dress showcased was to die for...

 

 

 

It was all in all such a great experience, the models were stunning without being too horrendously thin and each and every one of them had smudged bright orange/red lipstick on which is a look  I think I should probably avoid.... Thanks as always for taking time to read K xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afternoon Tea Treat

So last week I braved storm Doris and headed to the Covent Garden Hotel for an afternoon of Topshop Personal Shopping hosted by the gorgeous astylealbum ladies Lou and Em.
The wind was head and tail strong, as I finally approached my destination I (thankfully) caught a glimpse of myself in a shop window and saw a deranged scarecrow looking back at me. After a frantic scramble in my handbag and finding no hairbrush I hotfooted it to Vidal Sassoon to purchase their cheapest brush, and I was finally good to go meet the ladies!

Topshop has been a firm favourite of mine for as long as I can remember .... and it remains so to this day. I'm certainly old enough to remember how it used to be...

Lou and Em were super friendly, not to mention utterly beautiful, and totally knew their stuff when it came to the upcoming trends of spring/summer 17. They handpicked some of their favourite pieces from Topshop's new collection.

So first to Lou's jumpsuit. Amazing. I tried it on and loved it but thought it a bit pricey...

Moving onto my favourite, the sports luxe trend. It's here to stay and I'm delighted because you can team almost anything in your wardrobe with trainers from your lounge pants to your best dresses. I love this look as you can pull an outfit together without looking like you're trying too hard.  It's a great way to get more wear out of your dresses you might normally save for lunch/dinners out, especially important if its a pricey dress, get your cost per wear down and it becomes a less guilty buy! The dress Lou is holding below would look fab with trainers and maybe a denim jacket tied around the waist for a daytime sunny spring day out with the kids...

I also love pretty feminine blouses teamed with jeans, these are my favourite pieces from the bits that were on show...

Just add heels, a clutch and a bright lip and voila the perfect drinks with girlfriends outfit! Another pretty blouse option here and here

Topshop jeans are varied far and wide, whatever style you want they're sure to have...

These are just a small selection that were available to try on the day. The cropped 'mom' jean looks amazing with a slogan T and heels for a dress down night out.

I had such a lovely afternoon with astylealbum and the Topshop team and came away with the mindset of being fearless when it comes to outfits, if you love it wear it! If you'd like a personal shopping experience with Topshop you can book it free of charge here.... Here are a few pics, the champagne was more popular than the tea...!

Thanks so much for reading, Karen xx