Autumn.

Chalayan Wrap Maxi Dress | A.P.C. Waffle Breton Top | Cutler and Gross Tortoiseshell Sunglasses | BLK DNM Leather Motorcycle Jacket | Carven Lace Poplin Top | Pamela Love Talon Ring | Surface to Air Two Tone Zion Boots | Lena Erziak Tortoiseshell Marcel Box Bag | J.W.Anderson Leather Panel Tunic | 3.1 Phillip Lim Danny Chelsea Boots | Maria Francesca Pepe Double-Joint Ring | Folk Marl Wool Pod Coat

I am so ready for Autumn. The promise of Summer's intoxicating smell of Calippos and suncream (read: fake tan) is alluring as soon as the snow has turned a disgusting mixture of soot and wet, but the novelty wears off the moment people are politely reminded to keep their tops firmly on when going to the supermarket. In Britain, there's mass hysteria when people realise our week-long rays of sun are on the way, and it results in disposable BBQ sales rocketing and a lot of neon clothing. If there's a heatwave, not only is it front page news, but it becomes the public's excuse for dressing like they've come straight from V festival, only with curly blows and less mud. Now it's time to put that bum cleavage away, because it's leather weather.

I'm not entirely sure whether my above selections have been swayed by pre-destined trends decided by magazine editors over a good cuppa about three years ago, but all I know is that as the weather turns colder this year I'm looking to jewel tones, stacks of jewellery, and tortoiseshell accents. You'd think (I did, at least) that after finally taking the plunge and investing in a leather jacket I would be content with that, however I've just discovered BLK DNM's Karen Elson-fronted campaign and wouldn't mind adding the one I picked out to my collection. Other wardrobe staples include chelsea boots (I still miss my favourite pair) and a breton tee, but I'm trying to add more texture in the form of leather and lace to add interest to the muted palette which comes hand in hand with the colder months. I'm still on the lookout for the perfect winter coat too, so here's hoping I find that one pretty soon as it's set to get chilly as October rears its head. And, you know, any excuse for a hot chocolate is a good thing in my books.

Post written in collaboration with Avenue 32. All wishes for these to be in my wardrobe my own.

Read more

I'm just sitting watching flowers in the rain.

Trench coat: c/o Laura Ashley. Blouse: £4.50, Jack Wills, via charity shop. Pencil skirt: £1.50, Jigsaw, via charity shop (I know, I need to sew the hem up!). Chelsea boots: £8, Bally, via charity shop. Umbrella: mum's (similar here). Necklace: c/o Laura Ashley. Rings: Topshop and vintage. Nail varnish: rainy day, Topshop.

This blog is slowly but surely turning into a series of weather observations, but when you're British that's hardly surprising - it's a bit soggy, isn't it? Although I can never be bothered to carry an umbrella round as they're so encumbering when wet, sometimes I'll have to admit defeat, particularly when I came across my mum's old Mary Poppins style duck umbrella. Underneath its boughs (or, um, metal rods) I wore a classic trench coat, which Laura Ashley asked me to style up, along with four other bloggers. It's hardly difficult to decide what to wear with something as classic as a trench, particularly as the camel goes with pretty much everything. I chose a completely charity shop ensemble (coming to a grand total of £14!), keeping the palette muted to show off the piece I entitled my "raindrop" necklace. I mean, if you're going to go with a theme, you might as well go 100%.

I also had a chat with the Laura Ashley girls about the new furniture collections a while back, so feel sure to click through and listen to me rambling about chandeliers!

Read more

Wearing my sky blue Lacoste and your knee socks.

Leather jacket: The Kooples. Denim smock dress: £36, ASOS. Customised leather half-pint bag: c/o Brit-Stitch. Contrast knee socks: £5.40, ASOS. Anna boots: £76.50, Topshop. Necklace: won in Dina's giveaway, Toujours Toi. Lipstick: Topshop Really Ruby.

Never one to pass up an Arctic Monkeys reference, the knee socks have been back with a vengeance over the past couple of weeks. Paired with my trusty leather jacket, I felt rather toasty as I headed along the Jubilee line on my way to Wimbledon to meet Camilla and Jazmine for dinner at Aubaine. However much I love Wimbledon, it's not an area I very often explore, and the last time I visited was for Jazmine's birthday. This time she knew I was coming, however, and when Camilla arrived she showed us around the village, and led us straight to the charity shops! Is there really a better combination than good company, food, and some of your favourite ladies?

Smock dresses are a relatively new thing for me as I tend to belt everything, or at least have something that's vaguely flattering, but sometimes it's nice to wear something which you can just throw on and not worry about how much you've eaten for tea (or the McFlurries I picked up on the way to my friend's later that evening). I've been living in this little asos number recently namely because my wardrobe is currently behind a box that requires a lot of effort to move, but also as I've seen both Lisette and Lizzie pull it off admirably. Despite having made it my bag of choice recently (read: there's too much stuff in it to transfer the contents daily) my brit-stich half-pint bag has only just made it into some outfit photos. When asked if I wanted to trial their new 'Make-Your-Own' feature, I toyed with the idea of pastels for about two minutes before reverting to my failsafe navy and white combination - just imagine it with a striped tee! I've also noticed that Brit-Stitch are running a competition on their facebook page to win your own customised bag, so good luck if you enter!

Read more