Who knew, that come lunch time on a recent fabric trip to Barcelona , grabbing my camera (and a sandwich) I would provide myself with some much needed inspiration!

It turns out, the fashionistas of Barcelona have some nifty little styling tricks up their sleeves!!

I adore the sheer simplicity of this whole outfit! It also kind of makes me miss my long hair.

My absolute favourite!

I’m still rooting for Harlequin.

Amazing what a pair of wedges can do!

Since Yves Saint Laurent  popularized androgyny in women’s fashion decades ago, stealing your boyfriend’s blazer has become the thing to do.

It seems every season, designers bring baggy pants, waistcoats and tuxedo jackets down the runway ,in new shapes and combinations.

 

This season’s mix of masculinity and feminine sexiness is more funky and edgy than the femme fatale look, seeing sharp shoulders, over-sized vests, and long blazers delivered to the catwalk once more.

But where do we go when  we can’t afford Wang, Jacobs or McQueen?

Why your boyfriends wardrobe of course!

 

First out of the closet is, undoubtedly this seasons key piece, the trusted  Boyfriend Blazer. 

Take a look at last weeks blog  ‘The Boyfriend Blazer”  for inspiration 

 

 

Next up, I dug out my boyfriends only pair of  ’smart’  suit trousers. Sexy. 

Roll the bottoms up to show a bit of ankle and team with heels.

 

 

 

 

The oversized shirt appears to be everywhere at the moment. Mostly because it is so versatile and can be worn in a million different ways.

Belted, tucked in, left loose, you can’t really go wrong. 

 

 

 

If you want the shirt to be worn as  a dress, try to find a shirt that’s big enough to be long, but that still fits reasonably well around the shoulders. If the shirt is long but fitted  it can be crisper, while a more oversized shirt will sit better if in a lighter fabric.

 

 

Roll up the sleeves. The hands and wrists are quite a feminine body-part and therefore balance out the masculinity of the oversized shirt

 

 

The Boyfriend Jumper can be incredibly sexy. with a belt, bare legs and heels or tucked into skirt or trousers.

A simple and effortless look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

White t-shirts, oversized, t-shirts with a rock-band on, everything works here. Just make sure it’s not too big. Roll up the sleeves a little bit for that cool factor.

 

 

 

 

When accessorising, don’t forget that a belt can completely change the look. For some other ideas, try layers of bangles, a vintage neck-scarf, or men’s pocket handkerchief. Some tousled bed-hair or a simple pony-tail will set off this look perfectly.

 

Be creative and you’ll see that there’s a lot fun in the mans wardrobe.

Everything that looks stylish on you is just to grab. There’s no rules here, be playful and have fun!

And so,  it looks as though the blazer is sticking around for another season. Whereas a classic blazer is undoubtedly a must have in every wardrobe, this seasons school boy blazer trend is a great and easy way to incorporate the staple suit piece into your outfits.

 

Look to the catwalks for inspiration.

My absolute favourite designer for tailoring is Stella McCartney. Her  slouchy, slightly oversized tailoring captivates and completely inspires me, and has caught on in a big way. 

The longer boyfriend jacket with the strong shoulder and the pushed-up sleeves that she showed in her Spring Summer  2009 collection,  worn over little cocktail dresses or with cropped pants has become a big trend.

Not advisable in these credit crunching times…

but worth a peek at what £1,025 will get you.

If you don’t have enough stashed away for this incredible Stella Original, then fear not. There are plenty of High Street alternatives.

First stop, Ebay. To be honest, there are a lot of boyfriend blazers on there, especially vintage, but due to obvious high demand and popularity now, prices aren’t as barginous as expected.

OVERSIZE BLAZER DRESS JACKET TOP  £39.90

Next stop, Asos. 

They have a good selection Jackets, not a cheap as I would have liked, but worth a look.

ASOS Jersey Boyfriend Blazer £40

ASOS Boyfriend Blazer £48.94

If it helps you a little bit more… 

Free delivery on all ASOS orders over £50 using code APRILDELIVER

(during April only)

 

Newlook are considerably cheaper, but I find they don’t always fit as well.

Boyfriend Blazer £30.00

 

My favourite for nailing the  boyfriend blazer trend is loyal Topshop. Completely overpriced but a great match for Stella McCartney

Jersey Boyfriend Blazer £50

I recently dug deep and pulled out of my wardrobe a blazer I’d purchased about 5 years ago.  All it’s taken is a quick dust off  and a roll up of the sleeves, and teamed  with a pair of leggings or layered over a dress and I’m all set for the season ahead…

 

 

 

 

 

Last night I was invited to a private shopping experience with one of my favourite high street shops,  H & M. Yippee!!

  ‘ A Private Shopping Experience’  basically meant they closed their Flagship store on Oxford Street, plied us with champagne, canapes and goodie bags, and let a few of us wander around the shop checking out their Spring/Summer 2009 Collection, allowing us 20% off all their stock. Not bad !!

To be honest, the collections were quite uninspiring. An array of the typical Spring pastel colours, plenty of  frills, peplum skirts and shoulder detailed tops in organza’s, cottons and jerseys. Nothing to really shout about.

So, champagne and canapes in hand, we headed to the changing rooms with a selection of clothes we thought ’suitable for the office’…

This organza shoulder detail top look quite dull and over sized on the hanger, but won us over once tried on and tucked in.

This thin black cotton shoulder detail top was one of my favourite items. However I struggled to like the cotton tie waist skirt (teamed with a plain camisole) Cute, but an awkward length.

Definately my favourite! The colour is gorgeous and despite the dress as a whole appearing quite busy, it’s surprisingly flattering and a perfect summer dress.

This polka dot satin top had cute shoulder detail, and fitted really nicely, but possibly to ‘prim and proper’ for us east end ladies.

This heavy stretch cotton skirt has a few gorgeous subtle pleats on the centre front (hard to make out, sorry). And below we teamed it with a grey wool cardigan, which I loved, but was a bit of a hard length to get used to.

All items were between £10-£25 which, believe it or not, I felt was slightly steep for such flimsy light fabrics. But we managed to kit out my best friend with a new ‘Office’ Spring wardrobe for under £100.

Whats you’re favourite piece?

What’s your best bargain from h&m?

What’s your favourite high street shop for this Spring?

 

xx

 

It all started a few months ago with an MC Hammer inspired Jumpsuit. I needed no convincing with the £15 Primark wonder, and have since been obsessed with the must have Spring trend!

Take full advantage of the Harem style Jumpsuits. Confidence is definitely key to carrying off the look , but once mastered you’re good to go.

First stop is ASOS. They seem to have a good  range of  Jumpsuits in all styles, shapes, lengths and colours. They have a few goodies for under £15 in the sale which are worth a look… Along with a useful 20% off discount they are offering. (type ASOSLOOK at the checkout)

A good start is this subtle Plunge Neck Jumspuit £24.50 (£19.60 with discount)

This casual Jersey Harem Jumpsuit is a a great way to brake into the harem trend.  £29.50 (23.60 with discount)

Definitely my  favourite of the ASOS bunch. This Vero Moda Losse Shirt Jumpsuit is a little pricey at £34.50… but worth considering with the discount at £27.60.

If I’m honest, the High Street appears slightly pricey for their versions of the popular trend. If you type  ‘Retro/ Vintage Jumpsuits’ into Ebay, you’ll certainly find a few hidden tresures there from £5/£10.

Boohoo.com surprised me with their  ‘Fayre Jersey Jumpsuit’, on sale at £20!

All in all, I’ve found the cheaper of the bunch tend to be the more casual looking Jumpsuits. But bare in mind this nothing that a good pair of shoes, and piece of statement jewellery cant fix.

with love xx