track star stripes 2018

Stripes never go out of fashion or out of style, but some seasons the humble stripe works harder than your basic breton tee.

This season sees stripes being reworked in different strokes, with colourful hues and will prove to be one of the most striking trends of the season. But it’s also one of the most wearable trends and a cinch when it comes to styling.  

It's not just about a stripey piece of clothing this season, it's how you use the stripe that matters. It's got to have a sporty undertone to the piece of clothing or the look. The look is no longer French Parisian chic, it's sophisticated smart sports style. The strength of the trend for a stripe down the side of a pair of trousers has been gathering pace for a few seasons. This is proven by the extensive fashionista's and bloggers on pinterest posting their looks.

Now if you go on any high street retailer they have them in every different colour, cut, leg shape and fabric imaginable - I counted 30 on Zara alone. We can finally ditch the jeans in favour of these side stripe trousers, as we have an understanding of how to style them so women are now buying them. Style them with shirts, blazers, sweaters, logo tee's - anything goes! As for your footwear, it's not just limited to white trainers, heels elongate your leg and make your outfit look less gym-like and more insta-like.

Athletic-inspired women's wear isn't going away anytime soon, so now is the time to embrace the stripes across other items of clothing. Other sports style stripes are joining the trend and can be mixed and matched in the same outfit. This Summer you will see wide stripe dresses and skirts, but the easiest way to wear the trend is buy styling a jumper / sweater / top with a new updated stripe on it and your look will look fresh and upto date!

For more inspiration follow my pinterest board - sporty stripes

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See how I have styled my check trousers from ASOS with a sporty stripe down the side.

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Shopping for stripes

1. Stripe Blazer, Mango £79.99

2. Stripe co-ordinate, Monki £25.00 each

3. Stripe belted dress, Studio by Preen, Debenhams, £75.00

4. Colour block pleated skirt, Hush £89.00

5. Jumpsuit with sports side stripe, Reserved, £39.99

6. Side stripe leather trousers, Whistles, £349.00

7. Saff Richmond cross body stripe bag, Kurt Geiger, £99.00

8. Check trousers with double stripe, Zara £29.99

9. Tricolour openwork sweater, Mango £29.99

Style rule breakers: how to wear navy and black together

Recently I have been asked a lot by clients and friends for inspiration on how to style navy. What other colours can it be worn with and the ultimate style question is can you wear navy and black together? The answer is YES! It has long been considered a winning colour formula, dark navy and black and both from the same colour category (Winter), so sit tonal well together. But if you are still hesitant at this coupling of colours, then read on and take note.

If you’ve ever found yourself staring in the mirror asking, “Can I wear this navy blazer with these black trousers?” or “What colour shoes and tights go with this navy dress?” You’re not alone.

However, the old sartorial rule that cautioned against wearing black and navy together, has no real merit. The truth is, most neutrals look great together, like white and beige, black and white, white and navy … You get the idea. These colours usually make up the foundation of our wardrobe, so it’s only natural that we’d wear them together.

Whether in a single garment or combined in a head-to-toe look, black and navy blue look ultra-sophisticated together. It’s dark without being gothic, and sleek without being too stuffy. Adding the dark blue shade can soften the look of a harsh all-black edit, whilst still nailing a cool winter style. Consider it as low maintenance styling at it's best as you most probably own both colours in your wardrobe, all you need is some styling inspiration. Follow my pinterest board for more style ideas - Navy & Black

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Shop for black and navy

1. Blouse with neck tie, Zara £39.99

2. Wool sweater with silk insert, Sandro £209.00

3. Peacock sequin embellished dress, Reiss £350.00

4. Rokka Navy mid heel boot, Kurt Geiger £169.00

5. Navy velvet tux jacket, Jigsaw, John Lewis £230.00

Disco jumper fever!

Sequins, embellishment, embroidery and glitter - anything that sparkles and shines on your jumpers should be your mid-season purchase.

At this time of year, I usually spend most of my day scrolling relentlessly through every party dress the high street has to offer. Granted, it is part of my job to find clients the perfect dress, top, skirt or outfit combo for their Christmas social occasions coming up. But from the beginning of the Autumn I feel there has been a shift into the day-to-evening jumper and just about everyone has one to offer. 

The knits I’ve been coveting in place of dresses are a whole lot more decadent than your run of the mill chunky cable knits. In fact, I’ve christened them "disco jumpers" because they look like they’re made for just that – dancing the night away. In both comfort and style, I might add. And when Gucci starts a trend luckily it gets embraced wholeheartedly by the high street and now, the Gucci pipe dream has been replaced by the entirely more feasible likes of Topshop, Uterqüe and &other stories.

The reason I love these jumpers so much is that you can put them on with jeans or a pleated midi skirt for a jazzy daytime outfit that also works for drinks in the evening. A stylish but also comfortable outfit will be music to your ears! So now your jeans and jumper combo will look anything but basic.

Let the shopping commence....

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1. Ruffles tricoloured sweater, £78.00, Uterque

2. Renata stripe jumper, £70.00, Boden

3. Graduated roll neck jumper, £36.00, Topshop

4. Sweater with coloured sequins, £39.99, Zara

5. Fashion sparkle jumper, £285.00, Bella Freud

The big coat edit

The clocks have gone back, the nights are darker and it's finally getting chillier! It's not all bad news though as you can now wear your winter coat, scarf and hat and style out the Winter months confidently. The other good news is that there is loads of sales on at the moment so it is the perfect time to buy a new Winter coat for the season.

Coats are a weakness of mine and a good coat can update your style very easily. In the northern hemisphere it also, sadly, happens to be the piece you will end up wearing most from October to March. So with that in mind, it is really important you spend time thinking about what you really need and want out of your coat. Practically speaking, there are two main issues that need to be considered when buying a new coat: one, as this is a big wardrobe purchase (possibly the biggest of the entire year), it has got to be spot on. I’m talking goes with everything, fits like a dream, is warm but not bulky and, importantly, looks a knockout. The second is getting all of that without spending the sort of money that would buy you a small car. Style speaking, think about colour, shape, trend and remember one size does not fit all - you're leopard print fur coat might be someone else's poison!

So to help you here is my AW17 winter coat edit with 5 new season's styles to pick from, including discounts where I could get them! Buy now and you will love wearing it everytime you put it on.

Follow my pinterest board for more coats inspiration - 2017 Coats Style

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1. CHECKED COAT

If there is one coat that sums up the season, it’s the double-breasted, checked, tailored style. A smash hit among fashion editors at Paris Fashion Week, this is all about 2017 power dressing. Try Whistles or Zara for crombie check coats or French Connection for smaller checks. This large check coat from Marks and Spencer currently has 20% off if you have a Sparks card.

Check coat £99, Marks and Spencer

Over-sized check coat, Zara, £159.00

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2. RED COAT

Red is the fashionable colour of choice this Autumn and I would suggest that a fabulous coat is one of the easiest ways to wear it. Check out M&S and Jigsaw (its signature wool “Grace” coat is pricey, but something you’d have for ever).  Fantastic for chucking over jeans or a grey jumper, as famous fashion designer Bill Blass once said, “When in doubt, wear red.” This Mango masculine coat is currently in the mid season sale for £39.99 - what a bargin!

Masculine structure coat, Mango, £39.99

Neon Rose Cocoon coat, ASOS, £75.00

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3. STATEMENT COAT

The beauty of a statement coat is that you can be wearing any old tat underneath it and no one would know. If your coat smiles, the rest of the world smiles along with you. And for this reason, this season’s panache for bold, jazzy coats is great news. If you’re not into the aforementioned red, then have a go at pink (this pink one form Boden has 25% off with code - DW33X4L4), green or colbalt blue. Or there’s my personal favourite, leopard print, always a great statement.

Suki British tweed coat, Boden £250.00 - get 25% off with code - DW33X4L4

Colbalt blue boucle coat, Reserved £59.99

Leopard print coat, Reserved, £49.99

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4. TEDDY COAT OR FUR COAT

My vote for comfort coat of the season goes to the bouclé slouch coat, aka “The Teddy”. Knobbly, bobbly and oh so cosy, this has a whiff of the 1960s, but has a very new-season nod to texture. Fur has also made a triumphant season return with this season seeing it being bolder than ever. Fun, colourful and not traditionally classic, faux fur is a great eveningwear alternative that will add a little wow factor to the plainest of looks. Check out Topshop and Zara for their Teddy coat's and Mango for some fun colourful furs. This tabacco number from Warehouse looks very appealing and has currently 30% off it online.

Teddy Faux fur coat, Warehouse £71.20

Faux fur coat in maroon, Mango, £79.99

5. THE POSH PUFFER

The coat that defined 2016. Although puffer coats might not be quite as significant as this time last year, they are sticking around and for good reason – they are incredibly toasty. If you’re worried about looking like the Michelin Man, then check out Whistles forest green velvet puffer, which is easy on the puff-factor, but still fabulously warm. Currently is on discount on House of Fraser, from £159.00 to £127.20. Or REALLY stand out of a crowd with this metallic gold puffer jacket from &other stories.

Velvet Iva Puffer Jacket, Whistles £127.20 House of Fraser

Metallic gold puffer jacket, &other stories, £125.00