Hmmm...

Now i'm not sure about you, but I have fallen in love with this belt. Yet again, its Topshop and will only set you back £30. The only question is... how long does it take to do up?

Coral and Grey

I know that my recent entries have been about colour, but this really warrants a mention. Today I saw a girl on the train and she looked really amazing. She was wearing a grey jumper dress, a coral coat, a grey beret and coral nail varnish. Not only was this an inspired colour combination, it was transitional. It might not be exactly the time to be thinking about transitional fashion choices whilst the temperatures still don't get higher than 5*C during the day, but this girl had it spot on. Injecting an on-trend spring colour with a dove grey base means that she looks as though she is anticipating the good weather to come, and it got me doing it too. I love it when other people's outfits lift my mood. It also gives me another excuse to buy those Topshop shoes... another plus!

Also, check out this coral cotton cashmere mix lovely from Uniqlo Men's section only £19.99. Not a hugely manly colour, but definitely something to "borrow" from the boyfriend.

The colour wheel way of dressing...

You remember colour wheels. The principles of colour simplified to a single circle. Primary and secondary side by side. We are taught about complimentary colours, the ones directly next to each other, and contrasting, the opposites. When it comes to observing street style and trying to find the trends that tie those fashionable and cool individuals together I have found the following to be true: bold colour clashes instantly make your outfit an attention grabbing affair. The best way to approach this dressing system is to keep the colour wheel handy. Try to wear at least two bold colours a day, if you fancy really pushing the boat out add a third.

How? Chances are you already have some of these colours in your wardrobe in some form or another. You should own at least one bright coloured pair of tights already. If not, they are the best place to start. Invest in a blue, red and a yellow pair. With tights it’s best to stick to the primaries as they can create a good base for adding and clashing with. Tabio do the best tights in my opinion. At £12 they aren't cheap, but they last for years, and never ladder.

If not tights then a bright pair of jeans – not neon mind you, just bold. Uniqlo do a great range. After this it is all down to accessories. Invest in a pair of red shoes, a green bag, a purple statement necklace and an orange hair band (not recommended if you’re a red head). Also a bright blue jumper or even better, a yellow one. If you only buy one colour it should be yellow.

It sounds awful, and obviously you wouldn’t wear it all together. But once attempted its far easier than clashing prints, which can end up looking a little too boho-teenage rebel. Start off with clashing accessories and then once you’re feeling the vibe move on to clothes. Block colour clashes are for the brave, but also require subtlety. Remember to keep the rest of your outfit grey or black to prevent people from requiring sunglasses to look directly at you. As summer approaches ever so slowly, the blacks can be replaced by nudes and still the colours will keep your outfit alive. Trust me, it’s the way forward.

The £2 shoe dilemma...

Today whilst taking a lunchtime peruse at Primark, amongst the usual £8 jumpers and £12 dresses I stumbled upon something which was truly cheap. Not in a tacky Wag type of way, but actually truly inexpensive. A pair of simple white plimsolls. Practically impossible to get your hands on come summer time due to their timeless appeal, and yet they get horrendously dirty very quickly (white does tend to) and then when they are no longer washable we throw them away. At £18 a pair this could be a slightly expensive form of disposable fashion, so the Primark £2 is an ideal.

It looks the same, feels the same and I'm sure smells the same, but there's something which makes me question how a person can justify paying that amount for a shoe. Unlike the justification for spending £400 on a shoe, it is the human cost that worries me. I could be happy in my disposable shoes, even buy another pair when they bite the dust, but will the people who made them even see a fraction of that price?

Maybe this is the first sign of a conscience. Or maybe I'll go back and buy them, but I've realised that this is something that I really should be thinking about...

Irrationally wanting one of these...

Meet Charlie. This gorgeous bag is the result of the wonderful talent of Mimi Berry, a St Martins Graduate who has gone on to run her own business and make these wonderful bags. Charlie is the perfect bag for now. The dove grey being a transitional colour and the chain strap is something that never goes out of style (Just look at Chanel). Big enough to be used as an oversized clutch, and beautiful enough to put over your shoulder every day, it justifes its £155 price tag, every penny.

When the high street comes through...

Yes. These Saharas by Topshop do resemble the Luella heels I'm after quite impressively. Vintage inspired and will go with any number of outfits, from tea dresses to jeans. So they don't have the exact colours I wanted, or have cute cut out hearts, but they are definitely a copy that I may have to sink my teeth into...

Parisian school girl chic...

Although mostly a joke, it is how I aspire to dress every day. I've totally ripped this from the APC website, but it gives me a point of reference... the whole website pretty much does (being Parisian and all). But to look naive, pretty and yet have a knowing look takes a lot of work for an English girl.

Irrationally wanting a pair of these...

Oh so cute! There are no other words to describe them really... if i find a spare £280- £320 i'll be popping into Luella very soon...

The new way to carry your bag…

For this coming spring, its not about what bag you've got, its about how you carry it. We know that in these cash-poor times that it is almost impossible to get your hands on any of the coveted new designer lovelies. Where once we could have justified that once a year splurge on a gorgeous Mulberry or Chloe or even Balenciaga (If you don't work in media). Now is definitely not the time.

Lucky for us then that designers felt that they would for once make an inclusive trend, one that all women are more than able to follow, and the ultimate day-to-night switch… the bag as clutch trend. No less than 25 designers had their models carry bags neatly tucked under their arms, or scrunched in a fist, straps flying free. No bag was too large, no strap was too long. Dolce and Gabbana and Vuitton even embellished their straps with beading and intricate decorations, which render the strap useless, but as it is only for show this season, all the more reason to make it look lovely. Even totes were given the B-A-C treatment at Michael Kors and Graeme Black where they were super sized and then neatly folded in half. Prada my personal favourite, had super soft scrunched leather bags which were carried sideways (see above) perhaps they did look a tad silly, but one look at the leather and you’d be wanting to carry it in your fist too.

So what it comes down to is: is this do-able? Completely. Practical? Potentially tricky, especially if you do it a la Prada. Super super style forward? Definitely.