& Other Stories (again)

I blogged about the latest addition to the H&M family before they opened at the beginning of the year, but like their sister chains Monki and Cos, I've tried to avoid looking at their collections too much as I didn't actually have access to a branch in person and they limit online shopping to a handful of countries.  Now that I'll actually be able to potentially shop there though, I had a quick browse and compiled a mini-wishlist.  

Leather Shoulder Bag

Claire Judge silk playsuit

Leather brogue boots

The bag is potentially the perfect black everyday bag to replace my knackered Zara one, the playsuit is the sort of silky, indulgent loungewear I always aspire to but never manage to actually own, and the boots could be a good compromise between clompy army boots and mannish brogues.  I'm also completely obsessed with their collection of nail varnish, which has names like Moire Green and Shoddy Pink.

New

Just thought I'd share a few bits bought mainly in the dregs of the sales in the last few weeks.  They manage to quite nicely sum up my current obsessions of pointy, 60s style shoes, delicate jewellery and lace everything. 

Pink (again)

I thought my pink obsession had subsided somewhere over the course of the summer, as suddenly as it came on last spring. Even the flood of it in every hue imaginable in magazine editorials had left me indifferent, as I thought I was once more safely ensconced in my navy/grey/black bubble. And then I came across the above image on tumblr and decided that what I actually reallyreally want is a coat the exact colour and texture of candy floss. In addition, obviously, to all the other coats I've posted this season.  I think my autumn/winter wardrobe will mainly consist of lots of outerwear and nothing to wear under . Makes a change from a rubbish coat I don't much care for covering up the carefully planned outfit underneath...

Style Crush: Lolita Jacobs

I originally stumbled upon Parisian style consultant Lolita Jacobs on Vanessa Jackman's blog, and a quick google search revealed that she was the impossibly chic Frenchie I had seen photographed (multiple times) ages ago by Garance Dore.  I rather love her palette of navy and black, and her feminine take on androgeny.

 

CPH Fashion Week

I know I'm a bit late to the party, but I'm rather loving all the photos I've been seeing from Copenhagen Fashion Week.  Everyone just looks so... unfashiony.  The women in most of the photos I've seen were wearing trainers, ffs.  Obviously they're all Scandinavian, and therefore two metres tall, but still...  It's so refreshing to see people looking at ease and like they've just got off their bicycle, rather than tottering precariously on heels through cobbled streets, or preening for the ever-present street style bloggers. 

Chelsea Boots

As I get older, I've realised that my seasonal searches tend to be less for something new and exciting and more for the perfect version of a long-standing obsession.  I mentioned in my previous post how I had let the perfect pair of Chelsea boots slip through my fingers a few years back.  Obviously, I've been searching for a similar pair ever since, to no avail.  Every autumn, the high street is awash with every possible variety of Chelsea boot, but none have been quite right.  I did find the perfect pair in Massimo Dutti, of all places, last summer, but resisted buying something so wintry in the midst of a heatwave and, of course, by the time I was ready to buy them they had long since sold out.  I ended up buying an oxblood pair, also from Massimo Dutti, and whilst I love them, I'm still hunting for the holy grail pair I want to believe is out there.  This year I'm starting early(ish) and compiling a list of possible contenders.

I instantly fell in love with this pair when I stumbled upon them in my search for something entirely unrelated.  But they're white, which I suspect would leave me still craving the perfect black pair.

Portamento boots

These are, without a doubt, pretty near perfect.  They also cost £500 and are sold out in my size.  *sniff*  I'll just gaze on this photograph adoringly and try not to imagine how I would happily wear them every. single. day.  and how much better they'd get the more battered they became.

Balenciaga boots

I'm intrigued by these Dr. Martens ones, but, pleasingly stompy though they are, I'm not sure I wouldn't prefer lace-up boots in this cut.

Flora boots

These Acne boots are probably my dream boots- they've got the perfect heel height, and look like they would fall at the perfect just-above-the-ankle spot.  If I had had £500 going spare last autumn, I would have bought them the second I laid eyes on them.  As I didn't, I've now resigned myself to searching for them on ebay for all eternity.  There's currently a pair in a size 3 starting at 99p here. 

Zara A/W '13

I know I'm not the first to discover the amazing-ness of Zara's A/W campaign images, but I couldn't resist posting a few of them.  I've rather gone off Zara in recent seasons, mainly because my local branch is becoming increasingly crap and they don't offer online shopping to Greece, but also because the quality seems to be decreasing whilst their prices are increasing.  With my return to London hopefully imminent though, I look forward to being able to see this collection in the flesh and see if it's worth the hype.  In the meantime, I've decided I absolutely need to own a pair of pointed chelsea boots (still mourning the Repetto version I passed up a full FOUR years ago) and lots of lacy slip dresses.