Primary Leopard

Autumn is probably one of my favourite seasons.  I find it hard to dress for other seasons but autumn brings me berry shades, trench coats and fabulous footwear.

The leopard print coat has been doing the rounds forever but I have always kept it at a distance but this year I am buying into it.  It's loud, camp and oh so Pat Butcher.  In my mind it's a pretty versatile item, smart, casual, it's there.

So what am I going to style it with?  Well, I just can't see past teaming it with bold and bright colours.  In my case, red and kelly green.

Leopard Print Jacket: ASOS

Smart Leopard - Trousers:H&M; Clutch bag:ASOS; Top:H&M; Studded boots: Topshop

Casual Leopard - Stripe dress/top: French Connection; Cambridge Satchel: ASOS; Wellington boots: Hunter

What would you style it with?

Outfit of the Night - ROX Gold Moet Christmas Party

Since I posted my ROX party face of the night , I have managed to get a hold of a photo taken on the night that shows my full 'outfit of the night' ... such a naff title for a post really, don't you think?

Anyway, the ROX photographer was working the room and as guided by Toni he ended up taking some pics of a very reluctant not so style fairy!

The photo surprised me as my higglety-pigglety outfit turned out better than I expected.  Having had a complete dress dilemna before the party, I ended up just throwing something together last minute that was more comfort and practical than glam and dolled up although it did have elements of the latter.

I finally decided on my Christopher Kane for Topshop embellished dress which i have had for a while now with some thick black tights to keep me warm in the Scottish baltic weather conditions.  New Look platform booties were still comfortable even after an evening of standing around schmoozing and sipping (read: knocking back) cocktails at the bar.  I accessorised with a chunky silver/diamante chain necklace and bracelet, making sure to keep it as minimal as possible given the dress is heavily embellished.  Finally, a French Connection clutch finished the outfit off ... simply because it was the only black bag I could find as my taxi sat beeping away outside!

I find I can't handle bare legs and shoulders in the cold weather unless I have at least 3 layers to wrap in on my way home, which isn't always easy on a night out.

How do you look glam in the cold weather or are you just braver than me? ;)

x

She wears a short black leather skirt

Over the festive period, I hardly think there was a night that I didn't have a party to go to or a gathering to attend. Needless to say my liver will need some time to recover as will my muffin top.

A small gathering at my place called for a relaxed glamour that included leather (naturally) and sequins.
Sequin Tee: French Connection (sales purchase); Faux Leather Skirt: Miss Selfridge; Black suedette wedge heels: New Look; French Moustache necklace: Cherry Loco (as seen in a previous post)
Accessories were simple again, once I was a bit of a magpie but I have toned down my costume jewellery in fear of looking a little bit tacky ... of course, a bit of tack can be good in small doses though. I stuck to a couple of bangles and my gorgeous new turquoise ring which was purchased recently in Egypt. It has become my replacement for the YSL ring since I decided not to buy it.
My make up look has been quite samey for the last wee while, as mentioned in my favourites post I have stuck to the Estee Lauder Extravagant Gold palette and this night was no different. I used the bronze shade from the palette all over and the darker brown to add definition and pearlised shade for highlight. I added MAC lashes in no.34 ... wow, are these impact lashes ... pretty full on while remaining demure at the same time.
Illamasqua Erzule was added to Nars Laguna to create another bronzed cheek and MACs Sun & Moon as blush, this time with MACs Belightful to highlight. A simple lipgloss again with Estee Lauders Extravagant Ruby pure colour gloss.
Again, I had my hair in a top bun ... it's the easiest hairstyle to pull off when you are out as many nights on the trot ... no fussing or overstyling although I am looking forward to letting the hair down again.

x

French Connection wishlist ...

I popped into French Connection last week to have a look at their new collection and picked out about 20 lust after items. Unfortunately for me, I am moving house this week so I couldn't splurge but give it a few weeks and I will be hotfooting it back to the store .... i've made up some polyvore sets of what I would love and how I would wear them ...

Nude seems to be the trend for spring ... usually I shy away from colours that are too pale/light but this is a trend I am really loving. Aside nude lipstick (which I have never been entirely sold on), I find that nude always looks so chic.

Nude FC by saskiathesalsafairy featuring French Connection

The sequinned dress really makes me think 'Studio 54' and instead of being quite an 'in your face' sequins, the nude tones really make it stand out as a little bit classier than your usual blingy attire. The other dress really reminds me of a Lanvin dress, I would love to wear this for a family wedding I have coming up. I would team both with smokey eyes and coral lips ... another spring/summer trend ... but when is coral never on trend for Summer?

Billy Boy

I adore this little skirt with bow belt. It is such a soft material, it can be worn dressed up or down. I am also in love with the bag and the gladiator sandals in the middle ... not sure I can justify another bag or pair of gladiators though .... but watch this space!

Jumpsuit - FC by <

I love love love jumpsuits and the Bella jumpsuit above is no exception! I think it would look gorgeous with the shoe boots and the trouser leg slightly tucked in. The floral bag girlies it up a bit. I think it would look great with smokey eyes and this time a nude lip (shock horror).
The sequinned top again has that 70's disco look, and if you don't already know, I love me a bit of d.i.s.c.o! I think it would look really cool with the harem like cropped trousers and dark berry lips!

That's just some of my picks from French Connection. I have also found a lot of lovely pieces in Zara and H&M recently too ... hopefully I can get a 'haul' in soon!

What shops are you loving at the moment?

x

French Connection Spring/Summer 2010

Regular readers of my blog may have noticed I love French Connection. It's my absolute favourite brand for any occasion ... so as you can imagine I was excited to see their spring/summer 2010 offerings.

For the coming season they not only have another fantastic collection that will leave me beg, borrowing and stealing but the new ad campaign to accompany it looks set to be as iconic as the legendary FCUK campaign from a few years back.

The uber cool new ad campaign is thought provoking with a tongue-in-cheek analysis of 'the man' and 'the woman'. Handing out advice through witty slogans written in 'Franglais' shall we say, while models showcase the spring/summer collection. The visuals are simple yet provocative and the message humorous yet keeps the collection as the focus. These are the kind of images I would frame and put on my wall - thats how much I love them!

The MAN


The WOMAN


Campaigns like this really bring out the geek in me (I studied Advertising at Uni) and i'm looking forward to hearing what everyone else thinks of it .... and the collection itself. I am already lusting after the Bella Jumpsuit, the Mister Magic Jacket and not to mention FC's infamous strapless Wizard Dress in yellow! Love.

What do you think of the new campaign, love or hate? And what are you lusting after from the Collection?

x

Zoolander!

Just before Christmas I was hankering after some faux fur and luckily enough came across this little belter in French Connection.

The Zoolander jacket! On name alone I was sold (love the movie!) but it also reminded me of a jacket I used to own from Mango that I deeply regret donating to a Charity Shop many years ago. It was mine.

Now, I have to say, my husband isn't a fan of it - he thinks it makes me look like Bollo "I gotta bad feelin' about 'dis!" from The Mighty Boosh (he is a Gorilla for non Boosh fans!)

I don't care, i do love it and it is so warm! The faux fur seems to trap the heat so it has been great over this very very cold winter. I have hardly had it off my back whether I am out pubbing and clubbing or at the Supermarket buying groceries.

I thought I'd show you 2 looks I go for most often when wearing my Zoolander jacket. One is a daytime, relaxed, no fuss look and the other is more glam but still chilled.

Zoolander by saskiathesalsafairy featuring French Connection

On a casual basis, I usually team with skinny blue jeans, sometimes bootleg, and with flat studded boots it gives a little bit of a rock chic look but still practical and comfortable. A casual studded bag and some bangles brighten the look up.

For night time, I usually team with leggings (although my legs are never as skinny as the polyvore set, tut!) and some shoe boots and my newly acquired snakeskin vintage clutch which i love! I usually glam my hair and make up more for any night out too so it looks pretty edgy but keeps me warm in the taxi queue!

As for underneath, I stick to printed t-shirts and sometimes a floaty blouse to wear with leggings. I keep it as simple and low fuss as possible!

So that's how i've been trying to stay stylish in the cold weather, although a lot of days, I just grab as many layers as I can find and go!!

x

A dress for all occasions

The festive season is pretty much Party Time! Most years, I have bought new dresses for each night out I have or at least wouldn't be seen dead in the same outfit at different parties!

This year, I decided it was time to be sensible. I bought 1 dress. That's all.

To be honest, I didn't know if it would work. In the end, I sort of set this as a personal challenge to myself. I can be so fussy when it comes to dressing for a night out/party, I truly thought that I wouldn't manage to be happy with 1 dress for multiple parties. But I did manage it. :) *smug*

The dress I finally decided on was the French Connection Wizard dress. Not the infamous strapless version but instead this has 3/4 length sleeves. It's plain black so my thinking was that it could be dressed up or down depending on the occasion and with clever accessorising I could make it look different each time I wore it. It cost £85 which I think is quite steep so I really wanted to get my wear out of it and that I did!

I wore it throughout Christmas and even for NYE! Go me! Here are 3 looks I created wearing the dress for my work Christmas party, Christmas day and New Years Eve.

Christmas Party

Christmas Party by saskiathesalsafairy featuring Chanel earrings

I went for a black and gold look for the Christmas Party with uber tanned legs and these gorgeous little shoe boots from Topshop. I kept it a little bit rock chic with Mac Baby Goth Girl on my nails and a little gold clutch.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day by saskiathesalsafairy featuring TopShop tights

I kept it simple but quirky for Christmas Day. I teamed the dress with love heart print tights and shoe boots from Carvela that complimented the tights perfectly. Make up was kept simple with glossy lips and China Glaze lavender lingo on my nails tied in well with the shoes and tights!

New Years Eve

New Years Eve by saskiathesalsafairy featuring


New Years Eve was spent at a street party with some bar hopping in between so as much as I wanted to look glam, I also had to be warm and wrapped up for the sub zero conditions I faced. Thick tights and shoe boots were the order of the day teamed with a leopard print fur jacket and a gold headband for a retro feel. Make up was smokey eyes teamed with a glossy nude lip!

I love this dress and I am so glad I managed to create so many looks with it over the party season! It also looks great with chunky chained necklaces, a waist belt, slouch boots and also great with a sequinned jacket - not all at the same time though! So many looks can be achieved with this dress and I am even considering introducing it into my work wardrobe at some point!

Doing this saved me so much money, if I can keep making sensible style choices like this in 2010 I should hopefully have a more streamlined and stylish wardrobe as well as a healthier bank balance :D

x

Shoe Haul!

This haul is a bit of a mixed bag on the shoe front but keep in mind it is a collective haul over a couple of weeks (mostly from my holiday).

I'll start with boots, shall I?

I bought all 3 pairs of boots while on holiday in the sun! I found them in a little shop with no name and they were all amazingly cheap. The first pair of boots are these navy suede (imitation i presume) slouch boots with a ringlet detail. They are ankle length with a small heel but can be pulled up the leg further. They only cost around 30 euros and I like that they look a bit lazy but glam at the same time. They are also quite versatile and a few different looks can be achieved by tying the straps in different ways or pulling the boot up. I will wear these with leggings, skinny jeans and with tights and a casual day dress. Next up are more of a night time boot. Purple peep toe ankle boots, in a velvet like material with stud effect detailing on the heel. The stud effect on the heel is printed on - remember I said these boots where cheapies!! :) Again, they cost around the 30 Euro mark. I think these will be nice with leggings or worn with tights and a dress or maybe dressy shorts and if I am brave enough bare legs!
The final of the 3 are much more casual and I now refer to them as my 'bondage boots'. They are a grey suede like material with brown leatherette belted straps across the ankle and foot. They remind me of the All Saints boots but at 45 Euros they are a much cheaper option! I have been wearing these very casual and slouchy with skinny jeans or leggings.
Just before I left for my holiday I chucked out a few pairs of ballet pumps, so of course I had to replace them with something!! Yes, another pair of flats were the answer, this time from Topshop. I love the T-bar and stud detailing which I think set them apart from your average ballet pumps. I bought a pinky nude shade as I figured these would go with everything.
Today on my way home from work, loaded with cold and seriously needing to get back on the couch wrapped in a blanket - I somehow managed to detour past Kurt Geiger. To make me feel less guilty about spending money I made sure I bought something practical - a pair of work shoes. These Carvella black patents with side strap detailing and small heel are great for work and are the perfect combination of sophisticated and sensible.
My last purchase is actually a pair of French Connection trainers. I was drawn to these as they remind of Converse which I love but they were like a girly version with the bronzey gold metallic, ribbon lace and stud detailing. These are perfect for weekends kicking about and keeping it low key.
So now might be a good time to say that I am trying to curb my spending habits. With a new house to think of I need to count the pennies so this may be the last haul I post for a while ... fingers crossed!

x