Outfit of The Month - August

London-based brand Rixo, famed for their prints, have designed an ultra-cool merch style t-shirt...and oh boy do I love it! Designed originally to coincide with LFW, earlier this year, the tee has been brought back due to popular demand. I'm a huge fan of this type of tee, as they can be styled several ways and they seem to get better with age. So with this as my starting point, I began building a look around it. Mini skirts are my wardrobe failsafe, and I loved the classic grey check and silhouette of this little number from Ganni. As soon as the apparel was sorted, I knew exactly which direction I wanted to take the outfit in - 90's baby! I've not necessarily been one for the 90's nostalgia trend, even though I myself am a millennial, but I knew this apparel combo would look perfect with a pop of neon and some seriously ugly old-school trainers. The Balenciaga 'Triple S' trainers are the shoes that everyone loves to hate, but people wear them anyway because they are 'sooo fashun darling'. Crossbody bags have being hanging around for the past couple of seasons now, so finding this one from Karl Lagerfeld was a perfect amalgamation of two trends. The fluro green, really picks up on the hint of neon in the lettering on the Rixo tee. Completing the look, are a pair of sunnies from eyewear brand 'Dusk To Dawn'. Available online at Asos and Superdown, this trend-driven unisex brand delivers the hottest 'must have' eyewear styles. This style is the 'Ariana' - can we please just take a minute to appreciate the rainbow lens! 

Phillippa x

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Fall 19 Trend - Cowl Neck Slip Dress

The classic 90's slip dress is back with vengeance for 2019. One of the more feminine and sophisticated pieces we are seeing for 90's revival trend, the slip dress was a firm favourite of the 90's supermodel (think Kate and Naomi). Whist at first glance it may seem like a sultry evening wear piece to spice up your wardrobe, you might be surprised by just how versatile this style of dress can be. Sure thing that this silky satin number is perfect for evening attire, with it's low cut cowl neck and figure-skimming silhouette. Some styles, as seen on the runway, even come with daring thigh high splits and lace up back detailing. Team with an open-toe heeled sandal for the ultimate leg-lengthening look, accessorise with lashings of opulent jewellery and perfect a slicked back updo. 

For me however, i'm all about versatility when it comes to my wardrobe. I want pieces that can easily transition from day to night and be worn year-round with simple varying style tricks. Slip dresses make for a great layering piece. You can wear a basic tee underneath, to make the the dress more daytime appropriate, and style with a pair of trainers or boots and a blazer to add a touch of masculinity to the overall look. These dresses are widely available: you can shop pastel colours for summer or gorgeous shades of merlot and champagne for Fall. 

Key Designers: Versace, Cushnie, Atlein, Jonathan Simkhai, Priscavera

Phillippa x

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On Trend Now For SS19 - Bucket Hats

The bucket hat is well and truly back baby...well for this season at least. So much more than just a practical hat to protect you from the sun...it's a fashion statement darling! Now I don't know about you, but I was majorly rocking one of these bad boys back in the 90's - a baby pink one to be precise. So at first glance of this trend I wasn't convinced, reminding me too much of my 7 year old Spice Girl loving self. But the more I thought about it, I somewhat warmed to the idea (what is wrong with me?). Remember the glory days of Brit Pop, when Rkid (aka Liam Gallagher) was a Kangol bucket hats' no.1 fan? Well maybe that's a vibe I can get on board with. Fast forward two decades and the humble bucket hat is everywhere right now - from the catwalk to the high-street to the sidewalk. In part due to the 90's revival trend which is still present and in part due the macro athleisure / sport luxe trend. There's various takes on this trend: You can go old school (see Megan Ellaby and Rita Ora for street style inspo) in classic fabrications, holiday ready in print (Anna Sui and Etro), sophisticated chic (Sportmax and Sonia Rykiel) or make like Bella Hadid and opt for a monogrammed vinyl number - because who wouldn't want a sweaty vinyl forehead? (no but seriously I wouldn't go for the last option). So whatever vibe you are chasing this summer, you better be owning it with a bucket hat firmly on your head.

Phillippa x

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Fall 19 Trend - Heart Print

With Fall collections timed perfectly to align with Valentines Day, is it any wonder that heart prints made their way onto the trend list for A/W 19? This was romance, but with an undeniably 'cutesy' spring in it's step. Graphic, block printed, red hearts adorned layers of silk and chiffon. At Rodarte and Brock Collection, so subtle were the heart prints you'd be forgiven for mistaking them as simple polka dots. Whereas over in Milan, MSGM went unashamedly bold with oversized heart print dresses with over the top ruffled sleeves. On the runway, hearts print motifs were fashioned for evening wear, but over at the premium end of the high-street 'affordable luxury brands' including HVN and Rixo have created wearable daytime pieces - think basic tea-dresses and classic cut shirts. Who said romance was dead?

Shop my below edit of the best heart printed apparel pieces the luxury market has to offer...

1. Dress - Essential Antwerp £245

2. Dress - HVN £649

3. Dress - The Kooples £358

4. Shirt - Rixo £175

5. Skirt - Alice & Olivia £303

6. T-Shirt - Prabal Gurung £278

7. Trousers - Red Valentino £375

8. Shirt - Emporio Armani £220

9. House of Holland x Woolmark Company £295

Phillippa x

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Fall 19 Trend - Quilting

Oh how we all do love Fall...getting all cosy in comfy clothes and curling up in your duvet - well it looks like the 'Quilting' trend might just be your new best friend. It's like a luxe hug...in a piece of clothing. Typically when you think quilting, you think outerwear and in that sense you are correct. But for Fall 19, quilting transcended this single piece of apparel and also found itself on evening gowns, accessories...and pretty much everything else to be honest. There's no real colour theme emerging with this trend either, it's really anything goes. From hot magenta (Prabal Gurung) to olive green (House of Holland, Mary Katrantzou), blush pink (Rebecca Taylor, Ellery) to ice blue (Byblos, Rachel Comey) - the full colour spectrum gets a look in. For something a little more daring, Unravel and Isabel Marant opted for print. What's great about print is that is actually, in part, disguises the quilting making your garment a less apparent trend-driven piece. Would I personally go so far as rocking a quilted gown (see Oscar de La Renta for reference)? Probably not. I would prefer to stick to the classic jackets, but that's the beauty of trend - you can wear it how you wish!

Phillippa x

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Fall 19 Trend - Tiger Print

We've long seen leopard print as the main 'animal' print of choice on the runway, followed by snake print, but there's a new animal print in town for Fall 19 - Tiger. With leopard being viewed as a 'classic' animal print, which many of us will no doubt have a little piece of in our wardrobe in some way shape or form, tiger print charges full steam ahead to make its mark as the new key print trend. Despite animal prints being nothing new, tiger print feels surprisingly fresh. It's more subtle in its nature, than leopard, thanks in large part to its random/displaced markings - it's not so unashamedly 'in your face' like leopard prints are. On the runway, Anna Sui and Rachel Comey opted for textured faux fur. This was the most daring interpretation of this trend. For something a tad more refined, look to: Ulla Johnson, Maryam Nassir Zadeh and Proenza Schouler (the latter of whom showcased a gorgeous duck egg blue version of the print).

So if you fancy taking a walk on the wild side, why wait until the Fall to do so? There's a plethora of tiger-tastic printed garments and accessories already available to shop, some of which are perfect transitional pieces for summer too. Here's my edit of the best the luxury market has to offer.

1. Coat - Prada £1720

2. Skirt - Rixo £225

3. Dress - Diane Von Furstenberg £242

4. Boots - Attico £1415

5. Top - Realisation £175

6. Sunglasses - Chimi £130

7. Scarf - Rockins £165

8. Swimsuit - Ganni £120

9. Dress - De La Vali £325

Phillippa x

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Outfit of The Month - July 2019

I'm not usually one for neutral colour palettes in summer, in large part due to the fact I have pale skin so the colours can look a tad 'washed out' on me, but this season i've seen a shift in my personal style. I'm becoming increasingly drawn to these more earthy/organic tones, and textures, and experimenting more with silhouettes. This look was built around a slip skirt from Reformation, with subtle leopard print. The slip skirt is a key style for the season and additionally a great way to tick the box of the 'animal print' trend too. Its silhouette means its skims the body beautifully, and in turn is ultra flattering and feminine. On a side note, this is also a great transitional piece for Autumn and would look great with knitwear and an ankle boot. For the top, I had one key style in mind - a square neck cotton-poplin blouse. These are everywhere at the moment, with brands including the aforementioned Reformation having sparked a trend in them. The particular one I used in this edit, is from Brock Collection - another brand who champion this silhouette season after season. Adding to the apparel pieces, I have paired with a loose fitting blazer with tortoiseshell buttons from Khaite. For footwear, I knew I wanted to opt for a mule but one with an extra  element of interest. I chose a pair from Cult Gaia, with an architectural-style spherical heel and resin detailing. Simply beautiful! In keeping with  the architectural theme of the footwear,  I have styled with a structured bucket bag from Staud. You'll notice the tortoiseshell handle complements the tort buttons on the jacket. Finishing off the accessories, I found a gold shell necklace from Aurelie Bidermann. Shells and pearls are a key jewellery trend this season, and are a great way to add a simple trend element to your summer wardrobe.

Phillippa x

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