From Catwalk to High Street: Alexander Wang Fall 2013

     

Images from Style.com

One thing about fashion that I always find confusing is how to connect fashion seasons to weather seasons. As lovely as it would be to wear some of the fab items that graced the catwalks of spring/summer 2013 catwalks last year (many of which are beginning to trickle into the shops), right now it’s just not practical! Of course you can layer up and adapt the outfits to the current climate but why do that when you can just pick a fashion season, which matches the weather?

Yesterday, designer-of-the-moment Alexander Wang revealed his ready to wear Fall 2013 line in New York. His designs were full of lush furs (loving the mittens!), comfy wools, zip-embellished leather and oversized outerwear - all things totally weather appropriate for now. I literally could imagine wearing his collection everywhere; it was so practical and yet so chic! So, inspired by Mr Wang’s fabulous set, I’ve put together a wearable high-street interpretation for you! Enjoy!

Fashion Union
£25

H&M
£14.99

New Look
£4.99

Asda
£18

Monki
£12

ASOS
£7

What do you thing of Alexander Wang's collection? Do you think you could you wear it now? Let me know!!!

Ciao for now ;-) HMLDN xx

What To Wear To...A Winter Graduation

My sincerest apologies for my recent absence from the blogsphere! Life has been totally hectic since my return from holiday. I started my internship this week after 3 months of working from home (largely in my pjs!!) so am struggling to get back into the swing of things.

Anyway, yesterday marked an important milestone in my life (and one which if I'm honest, I didn't think I would reach!) - my Master's Graduation! After what was quite possibly the hardest and most miserable year of my academic life, I somehow managed to pass and live to tell the tale! I knew that this graduation would differ quite a bit from my undergrad graduation in many ways but as usual, my main concern was with the weather. Dressing for a summer graduation is definitely a piece of cake in comparison to dressing for winter, particular one which has for the last couple of weeks been referred to a the big freeze! It took my half an hour yesterday morning to dig the car out of the inches of 'light snow,' I dread to thing how bad it must have been for those coming from outside of London. But like true troopers, everyone managed to beat the weather, looked lovely and it was a fab day overall! See below for what I wore...

My top tips for dressing for a winter graduation:

• Tights are a must, even nude ones. It is just not practical to be walking around outside in -1ºc temperatures without tights! (...at least not anymore :-D!)
• A good pair of ankle boots or shoe boots keep the feet warm while still looking professional. I lost count of the amount of ankle boots I saw yesterday!
• If you follow the above tips then with dresses/skirts, anything goes. You might not want to go for sleeveless if you get cold however, it is important to remember that it can get pretty heated under the gowns so if your a naturally hot person go for comfort. I am a naturally cold person so a 3/4 length cottony dress (above) was the perfect amount of coverage for me. It was also a bargain at only £15 from Dorothy Perkins in the sales!
• This is really a minor but don't forget to consider the colour of your gown when picking your colours. Our gowns were green and black so I went for teal to complement it.

Have you got any tips for professional winter attire? Let me know!!!

Ciao for now ;-) HMLDN xx

What to Wear When Travelling - Cold Climate to Hot

I hope everyone is by now fully recovered from a fruitful Christmas and preparing for the New Year! A quick little post here for anyone hoping to catch some winter sun and escape the dreary winter weather!

I always struggle when deciding what to wear travelling with the comfort vs. style dilemma constantly at the forefront of my mind. When a flight or journey is short term (say a couple of hours) this is not so much of an issue, existing in slight discomfort in the name of fashion can be done. However, when a 9 hour flight is awaiting you after an already longish 1 and a half hour drive to the airport, a onesie is the only thing that I want to wear! However tempting this may be, it is not an option! There is, however, a meeting place between comfort and style in which neither is compromised and that allows you to reach your destination without looking a hot mess!

After doing my usual troll online for solutions (and with a little help from some very helpful polyvorers!) The below outfit worked a treat as a presentable but extremely comfortable travelling outfit. Here are a few travel friendly tips when dressing for flights or long journeys:

• Layers are your friend! Looking remotely presentable leaving London on a not so sunny day in December for an extremely humid evening in Barbados was totally dependent on layering. I noticed that many people did not utilise this incredibly useful fact and ended up in 27ºC evening heat in boots, jeans and shirts. Not comfortable and not a good look! A simple tank under a shirt of blouse can add warmth in the cold while being your basis for your warm weather outfit. Alternatively if it is not to cold you may be able to get away with just a t-shirt/blouse under a thick jumper, easy to remove and very comfortable.
• Footwear can often be a tricky choice when changing climates (as described above!) which is why I tend to go for ballet pumps with a pair of sandals in my hand luggage. In the cold, teaming the pumps with black socks, or tights if you are wearing a skirt or dress, keeps your feet toasty and comfortable without looking too outlandish. Then a quick switch before landing ensures that you are totally comfortable and your feet are not on fire once your land!
• Accessories are everything, but just make sure that you don't overload on the metal! Nothing is more annoying than having to strip of all your metal items at security and then having the re-dress yourself afterwards. It's just long! This time I avoided the hassle by wearing wooden earrings and putting on my statement necklaces before landing as I was wearing a scarf on the journey. Also jeggings over jeans are both more comfortable and avoid the belt issue at security...[UPDATE: maxi skirts/dresses with tights or leggings underneath are also a good alternative!]

Here's an interpretation of what I wore...

Items: Wooly jumper (I got a similar one from Primark) , scarf, body warm/vest/gillet, pumps, tote bag, jeggings, blouse/top, statement necklace, earrings, nail varnish (for the toesies!), sandals/flip flops.

Do you have any travel outfit tips? What do you usually wear when travelling? Let me know!!!

Ciao for now ;-) HMLDN xx

Dress for Success - Interview Outfits for the Cold

Hi guys! Apologies that it has been a little while since my last post but I am back!

So, today I had an interview for an internship with a fantastic music organisation and really wanted to make a good impression. I was totally thrown however when I check the weather and much to my horror, the 'feels like' temperature was showing 1°! I roughly knew what I wanted to wear as a while ago I purchased a bunch of peplum tops in different colours from New Look specifically for this type of occasion, but definitely found that I had to weather-proof for the hour journey there and back.

Weather proofing strategies...
The stretchiness of the top and the fact I was wearing a blazer on top meant that I was able to conceal an ultra-warm black long sleeve top underneath. To eliminate the draft from my 3/4 length sleeves under my coat, my trusty arm warmers came into play. Finally to avoid looking like I was wearing leggings with my super cosy Primark tights, I went for the weather technology ones which are slightly lighter but still very warm (sadly these got caught on my boot zip on the way home and laddered!!! :-( ).   I was particular undecided about footwear as it had originally planned to wear low-heeled black pumps.  But a combination of not being bothered to carry flats and wanting to keep my feet warm led to me trying out my new ankle boots from Dorothy Perkins. They worked a treat and definitely didn't detract from the professional look I was going for.

Results...
The final result was definitely a winner! A professional outfit which kept me super warm and GOT ME THE INTERNSHIP!!! Although I did feel very overdressed compared to the other candidates, it does show that it pays to dress for success. See what I wore below, a few items are old but some still available to buy...

Bag - Ollie and Nic (old) | Earrings - JCPenny (old) | Peplum top - New Look - £8.99 | Belt - Forever 21 -£2.40 (mine actually came off an old dress) | Skirt - New Look - £15 (I got mine from Forever 21 for £2.99 in the summer sales!) | Blazer - H&M - £15 (I bought mine a few years ago) | Boots - Dorothy Perkins - £32. 

Speaking of dressing for success, Dress For Success is a great charity which helps women who are not as fortunately as many of us to be able to dress for job success. They accept donations of "high quality work-appropriate clothes in all sizes," so do spare a thought for them next time you do a wardrobe clear out :-)

Have you had a job interview recently? What did you wear? Let me know!!!

Ciao for now ;-) HMLDN xx

Dressing for the Weather 101: 10°c and under

Apologies that I have been M.I.A. on the posting for a while but have been super busy! But I am back with some sound, tried and tested fashionable weather advice for you guys!

It is currently, if it hasn't already, approaching winter in London. With temperatures generally moving up and down around the 10°c degrees mark, it can be tricky to judge how much wrapping up is really necessary. For example, Wednesday was visibly a beautiful day. Sun shining, not a cloud in the sky but  with temperatures just about reaching 10°c. As a paranoid weather dresser, I was prepared for this and dressed for the temperature over anything else, which definitely did the trick! Below are a few of my hints and tips for outsmarting the somewhat deceptive current climate...

Perfect example of Winter Sun in London!

• Do not be deceived by the sun! With the evenings drawing in earlier, any heat generated by the sun (which in all honesty is not much!) during winter will ultimately disappear once it starts to go down. If you are going to be out and about after sunlight but begin during daylight bring extra layers such as hats and gloves for when it starts to get dark. You will appreciate them! For ideas on some cute hats, see here...
• Although 10°c is chilly, it is not freezing, so save your hardcore winter clothes for colder temperatures. Lack of sun and excessive cloud can definitely make is seem colder than it is (and of course, the opposite warmer) so check the weather forecast for the 'feels like' temperature too before making those all important fashion decisions. Don't forget to factor in the wind which can also make a considerable difference both physically and fashionably. Above 15mph is generally breezy (check out this fantastic yahoo answer breakdown of wind speeds!)  Dressing for what it feels like definitely trumps dressing for what it actually is and is a much smarter choice!
• Weather apps are your friend! I cannot literally not leave the house, let alone plan an outfit without consulting both The Met Office and The Weather Channel phone apps first. Both display 'feels like' temperatures and also break up the weather by hours/time periods so its easy to plan your outfit for the whole day. Very useful for avoiding deceptive sunny times, particularly if rain is forecasted later in the day...this has often saved my shoes more than anything else!
• Everyone's body reacts to temperatures differently so its important to know your own personal temperature limits. For me, 10° is too cold for pumps without socks or tights but definitely not UGG boot weather (I save those until at least under 5°!). I do however revert to the winter jacket as it is a bit chilly for the cape, especially after dark. Test different amounts of layering for short trips out to see what your temperature limits are, it definitely makes planning outfits a lot easier once you know...

H&M and Primark are totally my go-to shops for weather accessories to have during these kind of temperatures. See below for a few of items which are on sale right now on H&M's website!

Protection from the Winter Sun!
£1.99

Matching scarf!
£4.99

My must have autumn/winter accessory
 of all time
£2.49

Do you have any particular weather habits you stick to? Let me know!!!

UPDATE: I'm not on bloglovin' so feel free to...Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Ciao for now ;-) HMLDN xx

Farewell Jacket Weather from Nelson Mandela and I...

Today was absolutely freezing!!! Autumn seems to have come out of nowhere and winter is fast approaching. It seems that in a week the leaves on the trees have turned from green to yellow, the temperature has drastically dropped and the seasons have completely changed!

For me, this sadly means that it is time to say goodbye to my leather jacket, my trusty accomplice for the last few months of dodgy and unpredictable weather. But fear not, for my other trusty goto - the cape! - has come out to play. Perfect for days like today when its not cold enough for the winter coat (I'll probably wait for it to get to 10°c or less) but is definitely not jacket weather (which to me is 15°c or above); a woollen cape is a total Godsend for days like today!

Today, a simple misunderstanding (on my part)! had me standing in the middle of Parliament Square for over half an hour in the wind, rain and cold! As much as I enjoyed the company of Nelson Mandela, had I been stood next to the correct Nelson Mandela statue (warmly located INSIDE of the Southbank Centre) then I would not have had to unnecessarily endure 11°c without shelter! Needless to say the cape saved the day again, and I live to tell the tale...

Here's what I what I had on...

Asda
£18

Dorothy Perkins
£17.50

Accessorize
£30

H&M
£7.99

H&M
£4.99

Jane Norman
£28.50

The tights I had on are from Primark, they have a great deal of a 3-pack (one black, one teal and one burgundy) for £3. The best things is that they use heat technology that adjust with the heat - so they warm you up when it's cold and keep you cool when it is hot! Definitely my top pick weather bargain!

What are you wearing right now? Let me know!!!

Ciao for now ;-) HMLDN xx