Vested Interest

After a pretty appalling week, during which my painstakingly completed English coursework was rejected and staple beige school-chinos were splashed with hideously clashy black ink, I took great solace in browsing through the collections on display at New York fashion week.

I was struck straight away by the practicality of many of the collections; the coats, for example, looked stylish yet wearable and comfy, rather than flashy and ostentatious. Perhaps the memory of the recent snowy weather is still fresh in the minds of NY designers? Actually, it is more likely still fresh on their door steps- the snow is a persistent annoyance in the big City.

There is, however, a clever (I like to think!) parallel to be drawn between fashion and the snow. Snow is like a very skinny pair of jeans, or even a tight body-con dress that's just a tad too small. Like the snow, these things- along with many other great but short term garments- are very nice to look at when they're brand new. Unfortunately, like the snow, the novelty of a tight, riskily cut dress soon wears off when you realise you actually have to go outside in it. This illustrates nicely the point I was trying to make earlier: that designers have learnt the lessons of the snow.

Despite dedicating many minutes to scouring through pictures of catwalks, I could see very few of the outrageous, over-the-top designs that usually adorn the up-market catwalks. Instead, luxury was combined with sensibility and elegance. Some brands were even able to achieve the holy grail of womens' fashion: trousers than can be worn on any occasion- from going shopping to going out for dinner.

Rag And Bone's collection stood out to me in particular. Here's why:

Here are two Rag And Bone dresses. They embody the mood of the collection- simple but stunning. The first dress could quite easily have been designed by Mary Quant herself. The black neckline and sleeves go swimmingly with the orange top-bit (as I've expertly named it). The grey which dominates most of the dress is the sort of unexpected stroke of genius one would expect from a NY collection. I can't explain the mighty slit, but I like it nonetheless. The daring lines and bold angles of the second dress also hark back to the Op Look of the 1960s, and the yellow boots to go with look beautifully retro, exactly how I like to imagine Vivienne Westwood's slippers to look like. You might be thinking: 'these dresses won't keep anyone warm in the snow!' And you'd be right: they certainly won't. Of course, I could have shown you some photos of lovely cosy-looking coats (the likes of which were plenty, rest assured) but I thought I'd let you find them for yourself. Sorry to disappoint.

Here are some other looks I really liked:

(lovely shades of red mixed with black. The textures of the leather and wool here clash fantastically. Over-sized jumpers regularly crop (see what I did there?) up in winter trends, and I'm sure this one from Sally Lapointe will be no exception)

(the very stylish Miroslava Duma. I don't know where she got this gorgeous matching-print outfit from, but I adore it hugely. The over-stated necklace and delicately printed blouse look fabulous as well)

(Disclaimer: no copyright infringement intended, all pictures taken from either The Telegraph or The Guardian)

Perhaps its a sign I'm getting old, that when I saw the snow covering the path outside my house on Monday morning, I groaned in annoyance. Still, the one upside of the snow is that it seems to make everything look pretty; at least until the fluffy white icing turns into a slushy brown mess. So, not wanting to waste the opportunity, I donned my warmest parka, jumped into a snow-friendly pair of boots and ventured into the wintery wilderness to take a few snowy snaps.
As lovely as the snow looks, the real star of the show here is a beautiful pair of graphic print trousers, which I picked up for the relatively reasonable price of £50. I say relatively reasonable, because these trousers were designed by Donatella Versace when she produced a collection for H&M- a collection which sold out in a matter of days. I very rarely wear these beauties. Whenever I do, my friends say I turn into a mother with her toddler- overly protective and quick to mop up any unwanted spillages, with my bare hands if necessary.

Still, this was a chance I could not miss. The black and white print contrasts sublimely with the snow-covered landscape. Of course, they stand out in almost any environment- particularly in chav central, Stevenage town centre, where I wore them last- but I think they look extra jazzy in the snow. I wore a skull print scarf, which I think looks like a McQueen's scarf (but for a fraction of the price at £5), to add some consistency to my colour scheme. A sensible pair of black boots, with leopard laces to make them a little more interesting, are a staple item for the snow. And of course the classic parka looks fantastically warm in any inclement weather- wind, rain or snow! I stuck on a few badges, just to add a bit of detail.

My year 13 leavers dinner dance (or 'prom' as everyone seems to call it) may not be until May, but, as the saying goes: the early bird catches the worm (or, in this case: the best prom suit). Prom is one of those occasions where it's of the utmost importance to get the right outfit. It's important also, to remember that a prom suit is not just for prom- true, it may only be worn on prom night, but the photos will linger for the rest of your life; particularly if you end up being a celebrity and journalists are actually paid to scour year books and school photo albums to find the most embarrassing pictures of you.
A bad prom outfit can scar you for life. In 20 years time you could go to a school reunion, and the only thing your ex-classmates will remember you for is that awful neon pink tie you wore to prom, or the shocking yellow shirt poking out from underneath your grey pinstripe blazer, or, if you're a girl, the daring monochrome dress that just stuck out a bit too much. I certainly regret the boring dark suit I wore to my year 11 prom, so I'm keen not to waste this opportunity to redeem myself. A straightforward black tux would be far too predictable. A white tux with shiny black lapels would at least stand out from the crowd a little more, but it's still a bit too wedding-meets-casino for my taste.
As much as I'd love to turn to top-end designer labels like McQueen or Prada, my budget sadly limits me to the high street. I can't deny that I was feeling somewhat optimistic when I began my quest- I went into Topman's flagship store in Oxford Street just before Christmas, and was very pleasantly surprised to find some lovely tweed jackets, monochrome blazers and brightly coloured two piece suits. Hence I was disappointed to find that, by the time I thought to look online, most of the suits I liked the look of had already sold out in my size in the Sales. Fortunately, however, my disappointment did not last when I browsed quickly over Topman's new range.
It really is a fantastic collection of very on-trend garments, but what really stood out to me was this blazer with matching chinos. What really drew me to it is that it's full of surprises. When I first saw it I thought 'ooh, that's a pretty floral pattern!' Then I thought it was paisley. Then, when I looked even closer, I realised it's more like a sort of graphic print. Then I realised there were subtle differences between the blazer and chinos: the first being the fact that they're actually different colours (maybe this was actually a fairly obvious difference, but it was only a small photo!), the second being that the pattern on the chinos looks slightly more condensed.
My friends recommended wearing black trousers with the suit, but I think wearing double pattern is a little more risque. I might make a few small changes- some skull buttons wouldn't go amiss in place of boring black, and maybe I could add some plain lapels, just to highlight the edge of the blazer. Of course, these are just ideas- the combo is still fantastic just as it is on the Topman website. In terms of what to wear with it, I'd have to try the suit on first, but I'm sure anything plain and dark (maybe even with a contrast collar) would do the job nicely. Add a few bracelets, a fancy homemade tie and some dark brown Chelsea boots, and my prom suit is complete! I'll be sure to post some pics when I get it!

(blazer- £90, Topman)

(chinos- £44, Topman)

(this is the contrast collar I was talking about)

(shirt- £28, Topman)

(Chelsea boots- £22.99, Shuperb)

In all honesty, I was, at first, a little disappointed with the River Island Winter sale. On Boxing Day, I devoted about an hour to trawling through the websites of the staple high street retailers (Topman, Ark, H&M- you know the ones I mean), searching out the best buys and bargains. My disappointment, I must admit, was by no means limited to River Island. Aside from a very reasonably priced pair of bright green coloured skinny jeans, the menswear sale at H&M was hugely inferior to its female counterpart. The only fruit yielded from my Topman search was a pair of white tees for £12- which I only bought because I had some dye to use up. But River Island topped the lot- I couldn't find a single thing I wanted enough to buy when I had my first glance through their online sale. After the third page I gave up and resorted to looking through designer outlets, in the vain hope of finding a McQueen skull scarf for £10. Perhaps my thinking was a little to wishful. No; it definitely was.
Fortunately though, due to a past purchase, I receive regular e-mails from River Island. Usually, my enthusiasm for a company fades almost as soon as I find out the item I ordered has been sent- my interest is then transferred to the Royal Mail. Then, when the item arrives safely, I move on the the next craze, and I soon begin to regret my subscription to regular notifications from the company which, as I've explained, I have lost all interest in. But now my attitudes have changed.
As I was saying, I received this e-mail from RI telling me that the sale contained items which 'now had up to 70% off!' Being as financially apt as I am, I thought 'Ah fantastic!' and decided, in my bargain-finding wisdom, that the sale deserved a re-analysis- failing to realise that such an offer usually means 'one item with 70% off, the rest with a few pence knocked off.' However, such was not the case with the River Island sale, which I am now ashamed to admit I skimmed through so thoughtlessly on my first inspection.
Perhaps my initial dissatisfaction can be explained by the fact that I only looked at the first three pages of about twelve... Never mind though, the point is that my second examination was both more thorough and much more enjoyable. Some of the bargains on offer in the sale really are spectacular. I only wish I could have saved a little more money from my immediate post Christmas spending spree. It may be only the dregs of the sale that are left over now, but if anything, this seems to have highlighted the true gems of the sales- the items which are a little more risque,lingering still, after the popular fads have been bought up by the average mindless consumer. Here are some of those:

A cute little studded bracelet for £3? Yes Please!

The 'Navajo blazer'. £25 down from £80 (!!!!)- speaks for itself really! Looks kind of fleecy, good for a smart winter look I'm sure!

This is like an evolved cross necklace- its a necklace made up of lots of little crosses! Looks kind of barbed wire-y from a distance. A must have at £3!

Camo was big in 2012, and the trend looks set to continue. And what better way to continue the trend with this camo print shirt with corduroy collar and elbows for only £15 (down from £40!)

Something about the brown straps with the African tribal-meets-aztec style print just makes this look lovely! Only £8 as well!

Navy brogues for £25. Timeless classics- great for any outfit that won't go with regular brown ones.

Purple denim shorts, cut high above the knee in keeping with the late 2012 trend. They look really authentic- like someone has taken a can of spray paint to some jeans then cropped them neatly around the thigh. Irresistible at £12!

I really have my sister to thank for this outfit. She combined shirt, tie and cardy to create a '1980s preppy' look, and I, her perpetual long-suffering model, actually quite liked it. The shoes I wear very often- a sensible pair of smart-looking brogues are a staple part of my shoe collection, always look good with dark trousers. The skinny black chinos are smart, bordering on casual. The cardigan was a bit of a dark horse. Initially we'd chosen a dark grey blazer to complete the look, but (and not on my recommendation, I must admit) this was replaced by the fuzzy grey cardigan just before I put it on. The messiness of the grey and black always reminds me of the blizzard-like snow screen you used to get on old VCR players, or on analogue TVs when you couldn't connect to a channel.
The relative dullness of the grey and black, which covers almost all of the body, contrasts fabulously with the rich colours of the tartan shirt and broad, vintage style tie. You can't really see it in these pictures, but the shirt, which I found at Rockit in Camden for only £5, is frilled slightly, which looks very snazzy, sort of like (what I have aptly named) 'Highlands meet Disco.'

Another really simple look- casual but smart. It's a nice one to wear indoors on a cold Winters day. The snowy Jumper, which I found for £10 at a local vintage shop, is woolly enough to be warm, and baggy enough to be comfy, but is cut short at the waist via an elasticated waistband so isn't so baggy that it makes you look fat. It's got a kind of chicness to it, particularly when worn with the sleeves rolled up, that prevents it from wandering too far into grandad jumper territory.
The dark colours go together swimmingly; the white print on the jumper really stands out. The burgundy chinos can be found at topman for £15- and I imagine at River Island and H&M for a similar price. I often worry that I rely too heavily on Doc Marten boots, but is that such a crime when they add a sublime touch of class to any almost any outfit? The trick with DMs is getting the colour right. I chose dark green to go with the jumper, and laced up the boots in dark red to match the trousers- just to show that I put a bit of thought into them, rather than just chucking on the first pair I found. I imagine white laces would have worked well too, but sadly I didn't have any to hand.
The necklace is the true party piece of this outfit. It's a beautiful, spike-adorned chain, with exciting cuboid shapes increasing in order of size up to a nice big one, right in the middle, which never fails to catch light at some angle, drawing attention to the necklace. 'Interesting,' 'nice,' 'fancy,' 'lovely' and 'gorgeous' are all descriptors for this necklace that I hear regularly when I wear it to partys, or even just when I go shopping in it. I hope you like it too!

For me, the best part of the year is the very end- that oh-so-familiar post-Christmas period, when there is a bargain to be snapped up around every high street corner and a turkey sandwich to be eaten every lunchtime. It's something of a confusing time for fashion-lovers. A sort of awkward in-between period, the transition from Chrismtas jumper to regular jumper. Fortunately, the Sales provide an opportunity to restock the wardrobe with plenty of fresh winter wear. But this in itself also creates a problem- should you go for the incredibly low priced jeans from last season at H&M, or stay ahead of the game with the inconveniently non-reduced printed trousers from the new clothing range at Topman- for about three times the price of the aforementioned jeans.
The trick is to find the right balance. My suggestion: grab a few timeless items in the sale (eg: patent shoes, coloured skinny jeans, accessories, leather goods, plain leggings etc) then use the money you saved to buy some slightly more risque garments. Personally, I'd head to the highstreet for the bargains, then go somewhere like Camden market to get those fantastic, unique little gems that you never see anyone else wearing. To be honest, there's always a sale on at Camden market anyway- its called haggling!
Anyway, I grabbed a pair of black stretch skinnies at H&M for £10- a very versatile garment, goes with anything light. I found this (fake) Boy London jumper in Camden for £15 (down from £18 after a little persuasion), and got the spiked belt at the same place for £12. The boots I've had for a while, but I know you can get them at Schuh for £59.99 (an excruciating reduction of 40% on the price I paid!).
Altogether the outfits pretty simple- I was forced to throw on a rosary style necklace and colourful bracelets to jazz up the look. Still, I think the grey and black go together very nicely, and the jumper keeps me warm on a chilly winter afternoon. I hope you like it! (here are some more pictures if you do...)