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fashion blogger Stephanie of FAIIINT wearing Catarzi fedora, Barneys Originals draped leather jacket, Chiara fashion denim shirt, River Island asymmetric skirt, Rick Owens wedges, Balenciaga city. Dark fashion, all black outfit, tailored, androgynous.fashion blogger Stephanie of FAIIINT wearing Catarzi fedora, Barneys Originals draped leather jacket, Chiara fashion denim shirt, River Island asymmetric skirt, Rick Owens wedges, Balenciaga city. Dark fashion, all black outfit, tailored, androgynous.fashion blogger Stephanie of FAIIINT wearing Catarzi fedora, Barneys Originals draped leather jacket, Chiara fashion denim shirt, River Island asymmetric skirt, Rick Owens wedges, Balenciaga city. Dark fashion, all black outfit, tailored, androgynous.

Catarzi Fedora / Barneys Originals Draped Leather Jacket / Chiara Black Denim Shirt * / River Island Asymmetric Skirt /
Topshop Leather Gloves / Rick Owens Wedges / Balenciaga City Bag

Do you ever get dressed in the morning & feel really pleased with your outfit, only to step out of the front door & have others take the piss? That happened to me with this one, the kids at the bus stop loudly whispered, laughing to each other ‘who’s funeral is it?!’ & ‘maybe she’s a witch!’ and then when Ollie saw it, he told me I looked like some kind of Amish goth! I guess it must be the combination of the shirt & the hat? Whatever, I loved this outfit, so I’m just going to take them all as compliments! Besides, I’ve definitely had worse!

I’d been looking for a nice denim shirt for a while, so when Chiara asked if they could send something, this was an obvious choice. It’s the perfect faded, blackened blue colour, in a thin cotton chambray and with those little pearl buttons that remind me of vintage work shirts. I’ve been wearing it a lot super causally, with jeans, Converse & my biker jacket, but I love it even more worn like this, it’s a nice alternative to my smarter black shirts.

Party Season

Covet

FAIIINT Wishlist Christmas Party Dark Style Black Draped & Tailored Outfit

Acne ‘Ceylon’ Dress / Malene Birger Cropped Jacket / Chaca Rope & Spike Necklace /
Kurt Geiger ‘Gia’ Crossbody Bag / Giles & Brother Railroad Spike Bracelet / Joomi Lim Spike Bracelet / Noisy May Chiffon Asymmetric Dress /
Mango Snake Jacquard Jacket / Religion ‘Atom’ Print Dress / Topshop Studded Shoes

This past week my inbox has been flooded with Christmas party invitations and festive lookbooks & newsletters, and I’m suddenly reminded that we’re getting pretty close to December now. This year has gone far too quickly, and though I’m not exactly a very festive person when it comes to this time of year, I do love any excuse for a party!

You may have guessed I’m not a sequined party dress kind of girl, instead I prefer to stick to more luxe versions of what I usually wear day to day. My standard party wear is a draped silk dress, or a paneled bodycon number, paired with a good fitted jacket, heels & some statement jewellery. You can never have enough party dresses & top of my wishlist for this year is Acne‘s beautifully simple silk version. This is the type of dress I’d be happy to spend a lot on, because I know that I’d still be wearing it & getting complimented on it even 10 years from now, a truly classic piece. I am trying to be curb my spending at the moment though, so I think I’ll be going for Religion’s grungy printed ‘atom’ dress, or the chiffon dropped hem version by Noisy May, which I think both look much more expensive than their tiny prices suggest.

I keep saying I have too many black jackets and telling myself I’m not allowed any more (23 at last count!), and yet every week I find another that I want to add to the collection. When it comes to clothes, they are my weakness, especially cropped or tux styles which this version from Malene Birger blends together so perfectly. It’s the ultimate jacket for throwing over a casual outfit & feeling instantly dressed up & put together. This snake textured blazer from Mango is another. I hadn’t been into Mango for the longest time, then a few days ago I spied this beauty in their window & found myself having a crisis in the changing rooms on whether or not to buy it. I left it behind, feeling quite proud of my self & my willpower, but I already regret it & I’m seriously considering going back for it…

Next SS14 Press Day

Life

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Next Spring/Summer 2014

On Thursday I made a little trip down to London to do a few press days, Next was first on my list & as you’ve probably guessed from my last post, I have been so impressed with their collections lately & SS14 looks even better still! They always know how to put on a great event, and I was treated to the yummiest wild mushroom risotto, macaroni cheese & fresh coffee whilst I browsed & caught up with some familiar faces, the perfect relaxed start to my day.

Ollie couldn’t come along, so he lent me his 7 year old D200 to take with me (he wouldn’t trust me with his newer babies!) & left me to my own devices! I have been practicing a little with it recently, but I am definitely no photographer, so sorry that these are not up to the usual standards around here! It was good practice though, and I feel I am starting to get to grips with it a little more now. I even quite enjoyed it too!

The products were laid out in little sections by trend, and unsurprisingly I immediately found myself drawn to the rail of black, grey & white pieces. A few people I spoke to called it ‘the Steph rail’ & I’d have to agree, I wanted almost everything on it! There were so many things I would have happily taken home with me, but the ones that stood out were the silky, leather trimmed sports jacket on the mannequin and the mesh grid skirt, the ribbed jersey biker jacket and the black & white smokey printed shirt. Lots of nice black on black texture detailing & layering going on, I really can’t wait to get my hands on some of these come Spring. I also loved the heels with the subtle asymmetric fronts, I just wish they had a chunkier heel or were wedges!

Although the items were set out in little trend groups, the influences of these trends are quite subtle & all of the pieces are things that you will come back to year after year, not fast fashion pieces that will be thrown away next season. I love that Next are giving their image a much needed update with younger, fresher silhouettes & fabrics, but they’re also sticking to what they do best by making these items classic, great quality, seasonless pieces that will become staples in anyones wardrobe & I think that’s something the highstreet definitely needs, especially at this affordable price point.