Animal Magic

I have a rather childish obsession with faux fur and knitted novelty animal hats, scarves and gloves. I realise that they sometimes do make me look like an over grown toddler, but I really don't care! My husband is well aware of this obsession, and tried to take it upon himself last year to choose an animal themed pair of gloves from Anthropologie - or what he thought was a pair of gloves. Bless him, they actually turned out to be two knitted puppets. A story, which has gone down as one of his best moments yet! Oh well, he tried, and now he knows only to go for ones, which I have already noted ;o)

Yes Darren...they are obviously puppets!

Every winter, I keep my eyes peeled and always seem to add a selection to my birthday and Christmas wish lists. I don't know what it is about them, but I just find them so cute and cosy. They also make me feel all Christmassy, which is an added bonus!

I love how the high street have picked up on the Spirit Hood phenomenon. If you're not aware of Spirit Hoods, check out my write up on them, which I did last year, here. You can now treat yourself to a snug bear hood, cosy teddy earmuffs, cute owl bobble hats and loads more.

I have done a round up of some of my favourite pieces below, and yes, I will be putting a couple on my Christmas wish list. Maybe not the Spirit Hood though, as they can set you back over £100!

What do you think of the animal accessory craze? Will you be putting any of these on your wish list? Enjoy x

Teddy bear hat M&S £19.50

Animal print earmuffs Accessorize £18

Bear earmuffs £13

Hood scarf New Look £14.99

Fox hat Accessorize £17

Animal hood River Island £32

Owl hat M&S £19.50

Brown rabbit Spirit Hood £126

River Island's Coat Collection

Now that it is officially a wee bit chilly, and the leaves are turning and starting to fall, and Oxford Street have put up the Christmas lights, I think it's safe to say that autumn is here.

I love this time of year, it always feels so romantic - wrapping up warm, going for long walks and coming home to a cup of tea in front of a cosy fire...sigh...who needs summer eh??

With that in mind, and with my birthday being just over a week away (whoo hoo) I've been scouring some of  my favourite high street retailer's coat collections. A good coat is always so valuable, as it will be your friend for many winters to come - unless you are a fickle fashion follower and only go with what is on-trend that particular year. It's always best to go for something classic, with perhaps a touch of cool individual style, or a flavour of what is on trend that particular year. This season, it seems to be all about PU or leather details (especially the sleeves or pockets) faux fur collars and trims and military/boyfriend fits. All of these styles, if worn in classic colours - blacks, browns, khakis, camels etc, will work really well this year, next and beyond.

With that in mind, I headed to River Island, where you really can't go wrong, to check out what they had in the way of coats and jackets this year. I've put my favourites below and have even asked for one for my birthday...try to guess which one! If you like any of these, hurry up and snap them up soon, as the best styles tend to go before the real winter hits.

What do you think of River's coat collection? Have you bought your new winter coat yet? Enjoy x

Military boyfriend coat £80

PU fallaway jacket £60

Herringbone boyfriend coat £75

Tartan faux fur collar coat £85

Grey boyfriend faux fur collar coat £85

PU sleeve long sleeve coat £75

Patch faux fur fallaway jacket £100

Grey longline blazer £55

Orange tweed boyfriend coat £80

PU sleeve trench coat £85

Faux Fur Collars

I do love a bit of faux fur. At work it's become a bit of a signature look of mine. I love teaming faux fur with girly dresses, lace, sequins, whatever. It adds such a cool twist!

I used to stick to gilets and hats, but this year I discovered the power of a good faux fur collar, and as such I've been stocking up! My usual haunt for a good collar is H&M, but when I was compiling my list for Santa, I discovered two collars from ASOS that I HAD to add to my collection.

I was checking out the website this evening and discovered, much to my utter delight, both collars were less than half price in the sale! So...I treated myself to both! I love them because they're such great collars, a dark, gothic green (almost black) and a gorgeous bright turquoise, which is perfect for injecting some colour into your wardrobe for winter and spring.

I'll post outfit pics of them once they arrive, but in the meantime, the images from ASOS are below.

What do you think? Are you a fan of a faux fur collar? Would you wear a brightly coloured one? Enjoy x

Spirit Hoods Make the Christmas Wish List

Dear Santa,

Continuing with the Christmas wish list countdown, I want to tell you about Spirit Hoods.

If you know your stuff, you might have noticed that animal inspired hats and accessories are everywhere at the moment! Cute bear hats, paw mittens and fake fox stoles. Well, I have discovered la creme de la creme!

Handmade in L.A., Spirit Hoods faux fur accessories transform the wearer into the animal spirit that best describes their personality. Take your lead from an ever expanding celebrity fan base, and pick from loyal huskies, adventurous tigers or mysterious wolves. I am completely in love with these hoods, and although they come with quite a hefty price tag, they do look worth every penny! Enjoy x

For some reason my iPad isn't letting me upload images, so to check out these amazing hoods, check out the website here.

In Love With Topshop's AW11 Look Book

I love it when a brand releases a look book on their website. It's a great way to showcase their best pieces in their collections and it gives the customer inspiration of how to put key looks together in a fun way. You would think that every brand or designer would adopt this simple yet extremely effective extra, but strangely, they don't. Hopefully it is something that they will all do eventually, but, in the meantime, I thought I would share with you some images from one of my favourite look books; Topshop.

Their AW11 look book comprises of four main trends which they have captured beautifully; Bavaria, Glam Underground, New Mod and Prim and Proper. Now, being the kind of girl I am, Bavaria sums up what I love about AW11 the best; textures, faux fur, colour, knits and fun!

So, here are my pick of the best. Enjoy x

images from topshop.com

New Season Fashion Update - The Trends to Try for AW2011

Just when summer has finally arrived and we’re actually getting use of our maxi dresses and gladiator sandals, in the world of fashion, we should already be planning our winter wardrobes!

If the thought of investing in a whole new wardrobe for the new autumn/winter season is leaving you flustered and unsure, then fear not...I have put together a fail-safe guide to get you ready for the new fashion season!

It’s an exciting season ahead with trends ranging from the ever-popular 70’s trend, maxi skirts, bright and chunky knits, animal prints, polka dots and androgyny.

With so many beautiful pieces flooding into the high street stores already, you’re sure to be spoiled for choice, and with my AW11 Fashion Guide, you’ll know exactly what to invest it, which trends to embrace and which ones to avoid. 

First, colour! Gone are the days when dressing for autumn and winter meant opting for black and navy, this season, designers had a field day and the catwalks were awash with beautiful brights! Reds added a contemporary edge to classic camels whilst vivid primary shades broke up black and brightened warm autumnal hues. Burberry showed amazing bright military coats, and Jonathan Saunders mixed every beautiful colour under the sun. Fancy a dip into the colour trend? Why not paint your nails a gorgeous shade from the rainbow.

Burberry

Jaeger, Roksanda Ilincic, Jonathan Saunders

Of course, the other huge colour trend, and something a bit better for the less fashion brave out there, was the monochrome look. When colour wasn’t dominating the catwalk, black and white took center stage. Julien McDonald swapped his signature jewel tones for crisp whites and gothic blacks, and Giles and Louis Vuitton took the gothic inspired black into their collections as well.

Julien Macdonald

Louis Vuitton

Fancy a break from the femininity of summer? Another huge trend for AW11 is androgyny. Suits and oversized tailoring where sent down the runway by the likes of Stella McCartney, Dolce and Gabbana and Celine. Oh boy!

Stella McCartney

Dolce and Gabbana

Feeling brave this season? Try the most out there trend of the minute, photographic prints. Birds, bird cages, flowers, feathers, skylines, you name it as long as its colourful and digitalized, it’s on trend! Erdem and Mary Katrantzou showed the trend best with their bright and punchy mix of prints and colours.

Erdem

Mary Kantrantzou

Although the 70s were huge for the summer (and were still visible on a few AW11 runways), for the new season, it’s all about two time eras, the 40s and Victoriana. Gucci and Mulberry showcased the 40s trend beautifully with tailored coats and Peter Pan collars, and Temperley London and Meadham Kirchhoff brought the Victorian times right into 2011 with lace, ruffles and pearls.

Gucci

Mulberry

Meadham Kirchhoff

Finally, the texture trend is one to definitely incorporate into your life. Sequins, faux fur, velvet, lace and leather were shown all together at Etro and Fendi, creating stunning luxe looks that begged to be touched. If the thought of wearing several textures at once isn’t for you, why not mix a sequin hat with a faux fur waistcoat – a perfect and subtle nod to the trend!

Fendi

Etro

So there you go! I hope you enjoyed my little guide. I know I am most excited about trying out the texture trend this season. What about you? Which ones will you be trying out? Enjoy x

Very.co.uk Excited About Fearne Cotton's New Collection!

I was very excited to be contacted by the lovely Jessica at Very.co.uk last week, who filled me in about all the amazing things coming up at Very. To start the ball rolling, she very kindly let me choose something from the website, and being a bit of a fan of Fearne Cotton's ranges (both fashion and make-up - click here to read a previous review) I decided to choose something from her new AW11 range.

I looked through the collection and immediately fell in love with pretty much everything. I very nearly opted for a gorgeous fishtail sequin dress, but decided to go for something that I can wear over and over again, so I chose her simple yet uber stylish Jersey A-line Swing Dress. This chic little number will look fab worn with tights and boots, or through a furry gilet over the top and some heels to create a sexy evening look, or team with a fair isle knit chunky cardigan, a knitted scarf and some ear muffs for a cute winter look. Like I said, loads of possibilities. I got the dress this morning and cannot wait to start styling it up. I'll upload some images shortly, but in the meantime, here's a picture of the dress:

I've been through the collection and have made a wish list of what I want...as I said, it's a really gorgeous collection and I think there are pieces that would suit everyone, whatever their style or taste! So, here is my edit of Fearne's AW11 collection at Very.co.uk! Enjoy and more to come! x

Bow Detail Sequin Tunic Dress £99

Striped Faux Fur Jacket £79

Fishtail Sequin Dress £79

Longline Tuxedo Jacket £59

Indiana Laced Ankle Boots £40.50

California Multi Strap Sandals £40

Print Jersey A-Line Dress £39

Checked Tartan Cape Coat £75

Vintage Print Maxi Skirt £39

So what do you think? Will you give Fearne's range a go? x