OOTD: 08.05.19

We had such high hopes after that scorcher of a Bank Holiday last month, but annoyingly, ever since, my newly packed away winter clothes are one by one returning at pace, and I’ve intermittently had the heating back on! HOWEVER, these gloomy mornings and random downpours shall not rain on my parade or ruin my lewwwk – mainly thanks to this ALEXACHUNG vinyl hooded trench coat.

Waterproofing and insulation aside, I love the pale blue colour of this trench, which can be worn over separates or even styled as a dress (like it was on the runway), and it has a real retro feel to it, which I love.

I paired the trench with a Maje snake print mini skirt (I know, I’m usually a leopard lass through and through, but this chic skirt unsurprisingly slithered its way happily into my wardrobe), a sky-blue Jacquemus ribbed-knit top and some white ankle boots, the perfect transitional accompaniment for any season. This particular pair of much loved and worn boots are pretty old, but there are still some great options available, and I will pop some of my favourite alternatives below. I also recently discovered Sarah and Sebastian, ethical jewellers from Sydney, and I love their gorgeously delicate gold vermeil, petal-shaped Rosa pendants.

SHOP TLC’S LOOK…

And now, EVERYBODY…

Photography: Frances Davison

Hair: Taylor Taylor London

Dressed by Net a Porter

Net a Porter AW'18 Sale

If you (like me) have been unusually disorganised with your Christmas shopping this year, fear not! With the always epic Net a Porter sale starting this week, our disorganisation might just have have paid off!

To save you some time, I’ve scoured the entire site and created a small edit of my favourite pieces (some of which you may have already seen me wearing over 2018…)

Tried and Tested: Over-The-Knee Boots with Selfridges (Ad)

I must admit, rightly or wrongly, I have always associated wearing over-the-knee boots with being overtly sexual and Cabaret’esq, so have steered away from them, given ‘sexy’ is not really my go-to style.  In fact, I’d always rather a compliment over some eclectic ensemble I was wearing from a stylish woman than a wolf whistle or a manly leer, any day.  An ex (clearly!) boyfriend once told me my look was ‘moooore demure than sexy,’ and despite the intentions of his remark, I was incredibly appreciative!!  Give me Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Portman or even bloomin’Jane Austen over a Kardashian any day!  HOWEVER, my head was turned last Winter when I saw a few bloggers I know, and supermodels I don’t, wearing over-the-knee boots with dark jeans and it looked… well, kinda chic!  SO… Never one to not try something new, I decided to grab a pair from Selfridges and give them a wee whirl, making sure to adapt them to my own style, and not the other way around.  I, yes I, was going to wear these boots, they were not going wear me!

Let’s do this...

Firstly, I decided to pair some suede Carvela Sammy over-the-knee boots with some skinny, dark Diesel jeans and an oversize woolly jumper from Alexa by Alexa Chung (a beloved ambassador of the all things anti-sexy, in her ruffles and glittery flats!) and a Manu Atelier suede bag.  By pairing the boots with these winter textures, they instantly became softened and far more appropriate for daytime.  In fact, with the addition of my sharp Jess Collett Milliner fedora, the overall look felt pretty kick ass!  Yup, I definitely could hear some Beyonce playing in my head with each step (*finger snap, hair swish…)

For my second outfit, I paired the Carvela over-the-knee boots with a zippered Kitri shirt dress and the dinkiest of current It Bags, a Simon Miller Bonsai Bag.  I definitely think this is the kind of a look I would wear to Fashion Week, and although with certain wider strides, there were some good old fashioned thighs on display, the long sleeves, and length of dress counteracted any unwarranted incitement on the streets!

In summation, I still think these over-the-knee boots are pretty sexy, but not in the original, possibly negative way I had first imagined.  With the right, balanced outfit, these boots actually make you feel pretty damn empowered too.  Demurely sexy, some might say...! 

In collaboration with Selfridges

Photography: Francis Davison

Hair:  Taylor Taylor London

Nails:  Sophie Gass

Trend: The Cold Shoulder

I love how both designers and the high street are all flooding our Spring full of off-the-shoulder tops.  Made popular in the 1960’s by the beautiful Bridget Bardot, and now a sunny staple for TLC style faves Olivia Palermo and Alexa Chung, the iconic, Parisian shoulder-baring look is nonchalantly sexy, yet still demure and sweet. Its popularity has made way for a plethora of cut-away jumpers (my favourite being the Dias jumper by British designer Zoe Jordan), shirts, dresses and jumpsuits, in an array of prints and colour, making this flattering look so versatile and approachable for all body types. 

TLC TIP:   Invest in a good strapless bra for this particular trend (Marks and Spencer, RRP. £18.00), and make sure to apply a big, healthy, shimmering sweep of bronzer across your décolletage (Tom Ford, RRP. £48.00) to get you perfectly cold shoulder ready for Spring.  Zara and H&M have some affordably chic cut-a-ways, and you can click on the below edit for links through to my current favourite off the shoulder tops... 

Photography:  Ella Sadika

Jewellery:  Missoma  /  Monogrammed Mug:  Anthropologie  /  Amelie Jeans:  River Island

Archive By Alexa Chung

The klaxons for London’s SS’16 Fashion Week were sounded by Alexa Chung, kicking off proceedings at a party hosted by the British Fashion Council to celebrate her latest design collaboration with Marks & Spencer.  The 31-piece collection, inspired by the brand’s past designs from the 1940’s through to the 1980’s, features wide-leg trousers, mini dresses, a trench coat and THAT ruffle-necked shirt (seen in the promo shot above) that will more than likely cause in-store customer casualties upon it’s Spring release. 

With full access granted to the high street store’s vast 70,000 items deep archive, Alexa has reimagined previously popular classic designs with new colourways and modern fabrications. With a distinctive and internationally recognised style, Alexa, “pulled from stored garments, in-house magazines and TV adverts from various points in the history of Marks & Spencer to create the collection that I believe looks every bit as relevant today as it did then."

The range, launching in April, will cost between £19.50 - £89.00, with the most expensive item being the trench coat which Alexa herself wore to the event, and which I have my eye firmly on!

Below:  Featured in the Evening Standard, accessorising my off the shoulder Marks and Spencer shirt, with stacking rings from Gemporia and a yellow gold Boundary Necklace from Georgina Boyce Fine Jewellery.  My fish tail plait was created by the fabulous Tatiana Karelina (33 Holland Street, London, W8).

Shop TLC's Look...

The Met Ball 2015

This week saw the annual star-studded Met Ball once again mark the grand opening of the Costume Institute’s fashion exhibition at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.  This hugely anticipated, glamourous frock frenzy, seen by many as the fashion industry’s Oscars, saw many of the most famous faces (and bottoms, as the case seemed to be!) appear on the red carpet attempting to bring this year’s exhibition theme to life, ‘China: Through the Looking Glass.’  

Sarah-Jessica Parker (in H&M) and Rihanna (in Guo Pei) attacked the theme with predictable aplomb, both wearing outfits celebrating all things Chinese.  Despite SJP’s stand-out, bejewelled Philip Treacy headpiece being likened to a firey emoji and Rihanna’s sweeping canary yellow train being likened to an omelette, these ladies cannot be faulted for their bold and creative looks. 

Below:  Supermodel Karen Elson’s elaborate Dolce & Gabanna gown was phenomenal and definitely one of my personal ‘WOW’ looks of the night.

Below:  Our gorgeous Brit Chicks were out in force and representing on the red carpet, with Sienna Miller (in Thakoon), Georgia May Jagger (in, albeit more Japanese-inspired, Gucci) and Alexa Chung (in Erdem) all looking low key, comfortable and very, very cool. 

‘Who Runs The World?... Girls…’ Well, naked girls apparently. Beyonce (in custom Givenchy Haute Couture), Jennifer Lopez (in Versace) and Kim Kardashian West (in Peter Dundas for Roberto Cavalli) decided that less was to be more on the night.  Leaving very little to the imagination, these three curvaceous beauties made a strong case for replacing the side-boob with the side-bum, a trend I believe (and desperately hope…) will not catch on. These looks, in my opinion, were not high fashion, not reflective of the Chinese culture, and actually, not particularly classy.  I could really have done without seeing 8000 pictures of Kim’s belly-button and Beyonce’s butt-crack over my breakfast. Too much ladies… Toooo much. 

Below:  Several ladies (perhaps anxious about the controversial implications of the theme?) dressed down to avoid any risk.  And by down, I mean drearily.  Spending £16,500 on a ticket to the gala and then wearing a sensible dress, however elegant, feels just plain wrong.  I want me some drama!  I want me some tulle!  Despite there being plenty of extraordinary Chinese designers who I’m sure would have been more than happy to design stunning creations for these gorgeous 'schlebs, Clare Danes, Reese Witherspoon, Rachel Weiss, Carey Mulligan and Dakota Johnson* were among many who disappointingly seemed to have missed the ‘Go Big or Go Home’ memo.  (*FYI Dakota, wearing heavy winged eye-liner and holding a clutch in the shape of a chubby Chinese woman is a little on-the-nose dude...!)

SHOP THE LOOK...

Who was YOUR best dressed on the night? 

The 2014 Met Ball

This week the biggest A-Listing schlebs and schlebrutants gathered on the footsteps of the Metropolitan Museum for the 2014 Met Ball, hosted by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and co-chair, the belle-of-every-ball, SJP (below, in Oscar de la Renta).  The dress code this year was ‘White Tie and Decorations’ to compliment the current Costume Institute's retrospective of the Anglo-American couturier Charles James.  As always, there were some style-winners and some style-misses… and then a whole new level of OMG! ('Oh Met God!') established by Kim Kardashian last year (HERE) and owned this year by a criminally dressed Kate Upton… #WhenBadDressesHappenToSuperHotWomen.

Below:  Fresh, relevant and so-very-freaking-fash, these three TLC style-faves NAILED modern elegance in a sea of pouff...  (L-R):  Marion Cotillard wore a classic Dior shape made from a modern, dark ink blue material accessorised with one enormous Chopard diamond earring and an orange power pout. I'm not crazy keen on her Dior Haute Couture heels but they certainly don’t distract from the over all ‘Ooh La La’ of her look.  Emma Stone looked perfectly pink in a two-tone Thakoon dress, carrying a Tod’s clutch and wearing a Disney-princess messy side-braid. Youthful and HOT.  A controversial choice, but I adored Alexa Chung’s ice blue, crunchy taffeta Nina Ricci dress.  Only Alexa, in her bejeweled shoes, with her un-done hair and rock’n’roll nonchalance, could make this dress with its multi-bow accents look so damn cool. 

Below:  Models Suki Waterhouse and Stella Tennant both looking WOW in Burberry.  

Below:  There was definitely a trend for classic black and white gowns on the Met Ball red carpet this year and my favourite of these was actress Anna Kendrick's modernly elegant peekaboo J.Mendal dress worn with Graff diamonds and Brian Atwood heels.

Below:  Couture Couples! Three beautifully dressed ladies with three mighty dapper accessories...  (L-R):  Beyonce looking mysterious and flawless in a beaded Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci gown with husband Jay Z, Diane Kruger looking lovely in lavender in Jason Wu for Hugo Boss dress with her boyfriend Joshua Jackson, and blonde bombshell Blake Lively in a glistening champagne Gucci gown with husband Ryan Reynolds.  

Below Clockwise (L-R):  35 year old Katie Holmes actually hurt my eyes whilst channelling ‘Belle’ from ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in this Marchesa dress. More beastly than belle.  Kate Upton in Dolce and Gabana.  OMG! O.MET.G! This is comedy-bad. WHO is responsible for dressing this majorly hot woman as a frumpy, buxom Austrian barmaid, complete with bonnet?!  Shoot them.  Lupita Nyong’o looking a little more fancy-dress than party-dress in Prada.  With a string of red carpet wins this year, I’ll let her off for this less than elegant flapper dress fail.  Reece Witherspoon looking a little too kitsch and way too ‘Legally Blonde’ in this pink Stella McCartney dress for my liking.  Maggie Gyllenhaal in a Valentinokaftan. A kaftan.  This has nothing to do with Charles James, and no place on the red carpet.  Rita Ora (can we please stop trying to make this woman ‘happen’ now?!) flashed her underwear throughout the evening in garish Donna Karen Atelier and a pair of thigh-high strappy heels. Classy as always...  Aaaand breathe TLC!

The London Chatter for ZOS Magazine

I was thrilled to be interviewed about my style in the SS’14 online edition of the recently launched ZOS Magazine, a seasonal online fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazine aimed at 15-25 year old girls, run by two creative high school students in Sydney, Australia. 

All She Wants for Christmas 2013

We all know that most men fear, dread and loathe shopping so rather than ‘accidentally’ flambéing him instead of the Christmas Pudding as thanks for that last minute, delightfully flammable red underwear he left for you under the tree (“but it’s festive!”) may I suggest you help the poor fella out this year by kindly leaving this page open on his desktop…!  

Above (Clockwise) L-R:  REN Moroccan Rose Otto Ultra-Moisture Body Oil at Space.NK -RRP. £34.00, Finn Lambswool Throw - RRP. £95.00, Frends Layla Headphones at Matches -RRP. £109.00, Hush Vintage Rose Pyjamas - RRP. £49.50, Charlotte Olympia's Cat Nap Set -RRP. £395.00,  Kalita bespoke embroidered knickers at Austique - RRP. £55.00

Above (Clockwise) L-R: Kate: The Kate Moss Book – RRP. £50.00, Jonathan Adler’s Mr and Mrs Muse Mug at Amara – RRP. £24.30, Topshop Rasberry Bow Heels – RRP. £55.00, Anya Hindmarch Girlie Stuff Wash Bag – RRP. £95.00, Princess Tam Tam’s Folie Bra – RRP. £58.00

Above (Clockwise) L-R:  Noble Macmillan Tangerine 2014 Mezzo Diary – RRP. £49.00, J Crew Jewelled Drop Pearl Necklace – RRP. £135.00 £98.00, Lulu Guiness Glitter Lip Coin Purse –RRP. £75.00, Alexa Chung’s ‘It’ Biography at Waterstones - £16.99,  Anthropologie’s Limited Edition Golden Monogram Mug – RRP. £8.00 

Above (Clockwise) L-R:  Dannijo Joanie Stud Earrings at Matches – RRP. £125.00, Topshop Collar Jacquard Dress – RRP. £75.00, Monica Vinader’s Gold Vermeil Stacking Rings - RRP. £50.00 - £100.00, Anthropologie Lady Bugs Dinner Plate – RRP. £24.00, Anthropologie Multitude Hairbands – RRP. £14.00 

Above (Clockwise) L-R: Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes 5 Star Mascara in Glossy Black –RRP. £22.00, Chinti and Parker’s Grey Elbow Sweater with Heart Elbow Patch – RRP. £295.00,  Austique’s ‘The World Is Your Oyster’ Card Holder – RRP. £15.00, L’Agent by Agent Provocateur Marisela Lace-Trimmed Knickers – RRP. £28.00, Graham and Green Metal Letter Lights – RRP. £330.00 each

Above (Clockwise) L-R:  Smythson 'Shoe Queen' Leather Notebook at Matches - RRP. £38.00, Topshop Velvet Sequin Pencil Skirt – RRP. £42.00, ‘Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore!’ at Amazon – RRP. £37.50 £23.25, Limited Edition Diptyque Candles at Space.NK– RRP. £25.00 -£45.00. Graham and Green Ceramic Animal Boxes – RRP. £15.00 - £18.00 

Above (Clockwise) L-R: Pitch Perfect DVD at Amazon – RRP. £6.99, Hope & Greenwood Flying Saucers Jar at The Conran Shop – RRP. £12.99,  Moschino’s Gennarino Bear Earphones – RRP. £28.00, Eau D’Italie Tea & Rose Liquid Soap – RRP. £20.00, Chloé Bridget Mini Textured-Leather Shoulder Bag – RRP. £885.00

Above (Clockwise) L-R: DVF Diane Von Furstenberg Lips-Print Iphone Cover - RRP. £30.00£21.00, Wilbur & Gussie’s Penny Clutch - £295.00, Soru’s Double Green Opal Ring in Gold –RRP. £120.00, Beulah’s Shibani Shawl – RRP. £120.00 (10% from each Shabani shawl purchase goes to the UN’s Blue Heart Campaign against human trafficking), Biscuiteers Nativity Biscuit Set – RRP. £35.00, Just Ballerinas’ Leopard Print Slippers – RRP. £139.00

Thank you to actresses Anna Kendrick, Sienna Miller, Tara Summers and Ella Smith,  presenter Louise Roe and fashionistas Savannah Miller, Tanya Semikoz and Natasha Rufus Isaacs, for sharing with The London Chatter their 2013 Christmas wishes. xxxx

British Fashion Awards 2013

Celebrating their quarter century, a whole bevy of British beauties descended upon theLondon Colliseum on Monday night for the much-anticipated 2013 British Fashion Awards.  What I love about the British fash pack, is that they never arrive at awards show looking too over done.  This year (with the exception of Rita Ora and Rosie Hunting-Whitely who perhaps tried a bit harder) the fashionistas arrived ready to let their dishevelled bed head hair down (rose-gold ombre hair in Sienna Miller’s case!) and wearing couture and designer gowns with the perfect nonchalance. These are some cool cats. 

Above: (Clockwise) L-R:  Kate Moss (in Alexander McQueen) and Rita Ora (in Vivienne Westwood), Alexa Chung in Stella McCartney, Laura Bailey (in Roksanda Ilincic) and Rosie Huntington-Whitely (in Antonio Beradi).

Above:  My favourite look of the night was 21 year old Suki Waterhouse who wore a plunging lilac lace Burberry dress, accessorized with a Smythson clutch and a Noor Fares dangling necklace.  The model wore her ash blonde hair in a scruffy up-do.

Amusingly, having scooped the last three British Style Awards herself, Alexa Chung passed the style baton on to none other than Harry Styles!  I wasn't entirely aware that it was fashion that ol'Harry was known best for... Perhaps that's what the kids are calling it these days.  In any event, the award obviously must now be retitled the British Styles Award?!  

Above (Clockwise L-R): Lily Donaldson (in Marc Jacobs), Harry Styles (in Saint Laurent byHedi Slimane), Sienna Miller (in Burberry), Model of the Year Edie Campbell (in Louis Vuitton) and Poppy Delevingne (in Emilia Wickstead).

Above: Kate Moss, synonymous with British style, received a special recognition award celebrating her success in the fashion industry.  Discovered at 14 years old and turning 40 next month, this does beg the question,  why did this take so long?!  Congrats KM!  

FULL LIST OF WINNERS

        Womenswear Designer of the Year - Christopher Kane
        Menswear Designer of the Year - Burberry
        International Designer of the Year - Miuccia Prada for Prada
        Designer Brand of the Year - Burberry
        Accessory Designer of the Year - Nicholas Kirkwood
        Emerging Womenswear Designer - Simone Rocha
        Emerging Menswear Designer - Agi & Sam
        New Establishment Designer - JW Anderson
        Model of the Year - Edie Campbell
        Red Carpet Award - Erdem
        Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator - Lady Amanda Harlech
        British Style Award brought to you by Vodafone (voted by the public) - Harry Styles
        Special Recognition Award - Kate Moss
        Special Recognition Award - Suzy Menkes
        Outstanding Achievement in Fashion - Terry and Tricia Jones, founders of i-D

Above (R-L):  Agi Mdumulla and Sam Cotton, Suzy Menkes OBE, Lady Amanda Harlech,J.W. Anderson with model & Arizona Muse, Simone Rocha and Tim Walker.