Absolutely Nothing To Wear : Meeting the Headmaster with Zara

I’m having one of those weeks. Nothing seems to be going quite the way I’d like it. I’m hugely tired, thanks to two snotty toddlers, feeling rather overwhelmed by both work and everyday chores and all of these things are having a weird and altogether unsettling effect on the way I’m dressing.

I keep getting it totally wrong. And this weather, heat wave in September / very nearly October, isn’t helping one bit. It doesn’t feel right to be wearing Summer clothes on  the 29th September yet it’s far too hot to be wearing any of my Autumnal acquisitions. Which leaves me in that horrid in between season limbo where nothing feels quite right and I keep leaving the house in totally the wrong things. Admittedly I don’t see that many people out here in the Countryshire but this only makes it all the more important when I do.

Monday was a disaster. I turned up at nursery around Midday to a whole group of chatty, groomed Mummies all wearing t-shirts, vests, pretty dresses, sandals, capri trousers…..you get the idea….whilst I (already somewhat the black sheep in the crowd) appeared in jeans, a tartan flannel shirt and my Tallulah and Hope navy cape. Now, I can barely think up small talk at the best of times but even making eye contact was a struggle through the searing heat of the playground. I couldn’t get out of there quick enough.

Tuesday was a work day and although I did succumb to a dress rather than jeans, I still couldn’t do the complete bare leg and summer shoe thing so I opted for ankle sock and brogue.  I looked like I should be going to school rather than a grown up office but at least I was cooler (temperately) and could hold a better conversation (ish).

So Tuesday afternoon I did what anyone would do in this situation, I went online and shopped. You see, I knew that come Thursday lunch time I needed to have this nonsense sorted out, as we were due to meet the Headmaster at my 3 year olds’ soon to be new school. My husband had even committed to wearing a shirt and leaving his hat at home, so I knew I needed to make some form of effort and get it right. First stop ASOS.com, but all I wanted on there was knitwear and parkas so off I went to Zara.com. What a lovely website, I’d never been there before but I could have snapped up all kinds of things but this was neither the time or the budget so I focused on what would get me presentably through the next couple of weeks while the sun continued to shine and was suitable for school, work, home and headmaster meeting appointments.

I came away with 2 stripey tops. Boring? Yes, maybe. Useful and comfortable? Very. Both can be worn with jeans and smartened up with trousers. Both involve navy rather than black, which works perfectly in this un-seasonal weather weirdness and best of all they arrived this morning and in the nick of time.

I now had the perfect wardrobe update for a trip to meet the Headmaster of a very lovely little country school – stripes are ALL the rage round this way. I wore the navy, white and red one with my smartest dark blue jeans rolled up just above the ankle, with my red flat pumps and carried my Celine chocolate tote. A nautical inspired relaxed sort of look and if outfits could speak, I’m sure it would have said something along the lines of  “I’m always well turned out whatever the weather and my children are clean and well behaved”.  And when accessorised with a one year old in almost exactly the same outfit and a husband with clean hair, I’m hoping it was just the ticket.

Thank you Zara, I’m feeling much calmer now.

Headmaster T-Shirt, Zara, £15.99

Stripe knit with elbow patches, Zara, £19.99

Fashion Dilemma : Ankle Socks, part 2

I did it. I wore them. I even gave them a costume change half way through the evening. They started with my Louis Vuitton burgundy heels, worn with my navy blue COS dress to a lovely dinner with my husband and finished with my Celine navy satin ankle boots for party dancing in to the early hours.

Quite a night out for a humble pair of socks you may think, but these weren’t just any old socks. They were the couture of socks. Navy blue, cotton, hand finished ankle socks purchased for an embarrassing price from Tabio, “The Socks and Tights Speciality Store” – yes, really. But they worked beautifully and  shall be worn again and again and again until they pay me back every single penny and worried minute spent.

Egyptian Cotton Ankle Socks from Tabio. Crazy expensive.

Louis Vuitton Burgundy Heels

Fashion Dilemmas : Ankle Socks

I used to suffer from daily fashion related dilemmas. Now they’re more of a monthly occurrence and all the more torturous. My most recent is quite a simple one really and it involves, dresses, socks, and high heels.

I very much like the idea of ankle socks. I’d quite happily wear them all the time with everything. They are the perfect boot accessory as well as being the ideal brogue accessory. They work best under jeans as it means your trouser leg doesn’t get stuck on your socks – nothing more annoying when your skinny jean leg rides up because it’s stuck on a knee-high –  they look fabulous with a dress when worn with brogues and I think they also look pretty fabulous when worn with a dress and high heels…

Or could this be one of those trends which is best left to bright (very) young things featured in magazines and blogs and doesn’t translate well at all, when worn by the common (wo)man. ie. me.

I bought the most brilliant dress a couple of weeks ago from COS. It’s a navy knit with a neat little collar, 3/4 length sleeves, a perfectly wide waistband and flippy, heavy knit skirt. It  is exactly the right side of prim and I wore it recently with ankle socks and my brogues and although I felt a little self-conscious, I also felt deep down that it did actually work. So now, feeling bold, I want to go a step further and team it with navy ankle socks and my Louis Vuitton burgundy very high heels. In my head it appears to be the best look in my wardrobe. It’s preppy and modern and a few years ago I would have happily trialled it on my daily commute but suddenly, some years and a couple of children later, high heels and socks make me very nervous indeed.

Is the dress too short? The heels too high? Are the socks the right length and do they fold in the right place? Will they force me to slip and slide around in my Vuittons thus making both outfit and me a complete disaster? Or, the question I’m really scared of, am I just too old and too neurotic to even consider it?

So that’s my big fashion dilemma on this Friday afternoon. I’m venturing to London this weekend for a night out with my husband. We’re staying in a real life hotel, without the children. This could be the perfect weekend for an ankle sock / high heel outing. I can feign fashion insanity and blame it solely on London Fashion Week. After all, I’ve always said I don’t follow trends, not ever.

So while I’m busy being subliminally affected by the catwalks, here’s a few of my top ankle sock inspiration pics from the Marc Jacobs SS12 show in New York. The perfect sock shoe combo.

Marc Jacobs SS12 Style.com

Marc Jacobs SS12 Style.com

Marc Jacobs SS12 Style.com

London Fashion Week Bloomers : Tennis Bottom by Zebedee Helm

Happy London Fashion Week. Here’s to catwalks full of bloomers.

You can see this and lots more of Zebedee’s wonderful cartoons right here

Absolutely Nothing To Wear : My Autumn Wish List

Ah September. The new nursery school term begins…it’s been a very long 3 months for both me and my 3 year old….and it’s time to pack away the Summer clothes. I love this time of year and I am going to embrace it whole fashion heartedly.

I spent 3 blissful hours in the salon chair this morning (Michael Van Clarke – it was heaven) and am now the proud owner of a fringe and a splattering of low lights – to ease the grey. I spent the entire time reading September copies of Vogue and World Of Interiors (I like a fashion/interior mix) and I now have my Autumn / Winter wish list beginning to take shape. It reads as follows – this is a purely selfish and cathartic exercise for my own pleasure so forgive me if I go on a bit :

Neat collared shirts – buttoned to the top. Uniform staple. White, dark grey and navy.

Tailored crop trousers – I’ve realised this is what my wardrobe is really missing and I need some

Silk pyjama trousers –  I remembered I own some already from many moons ago! Love it when that happens

Wide “men’s” trousers – always been a personal favourite and will remain so I think

Knee length kick pleat skirts – not pencil, not flared, just nice.

Blazers – the deconstructed variety. I never get on terribly well with the tailored ones – I can’t move properly. And I rather like the idea of double-breasted. That might change…

Capes – I can never have too many

My black Celine Crombie – no need to change a thing about this one

Polo necks – so happy they’re back. I love nothing better than a black polo neck.

Heeled ankle boots with socks – I have the best ones from Celine of old (one pair in navy satin and one in black leather) which I shall wear until they wear themselves out.

Chelsea boots – I’m thinking chocolate brown

Opaque tights – dark grey and navy. Am going to stay bare-legged until the last possible moment though – hence the inclusion of socks

Colours – navy, dark green, black, charcoal and a some bright vermilion red, crisp white and pale grey for colour

Satchel – my old fishing bag will do. Bought for school when I was 14 and used almost every day since.

So in conclusion this AW I shall dress as though it were my first day of the new term.

Think Miu Miu circa 1997 – if you dare to remember that far. It was my favourite fashion year of one of my all time favourite fashion labels and the AW collection was the basis of one of my very first “test” shoots at college. Ah, those were the days…..

Miu Miu SS 1997

Photographer : Peter Lindberg

Model : Angela Lindvall

Miu Miu Aw 1997

Photographer : Glen Luchford

Model : Audrey Marnay