An Unprecedented Passion for Pastels

It's weird how lifelong fashion prejudices can change just like that. Trends don't dictate my wardrobe, though of course they seep into it, but it's odd how, when there's a proliferation of a certain thing that you've always been completely averse to, you can see it with brand new eyes, so to speak.

Case in point, pastels. I'm the least pastel-ly person ever; it's a whole colour palette that's always made me shudder and has never been spotted in my wardrobe. The pastels that are around for this season, though, I'm finding truly delectable. There's a freshness, a vibrancy and just a general ice creamy loveliness about them. The current issue of Fashion156 is dedicated to them, and it's a real treat for the eyes.

Pairing pastels with nude tones works for me, as does teaming them up with pure brights.

Any outfit featuring an ice cream works for me.

It's hard to believe I'm liking candy pink trousers, but I do...

All images taken from the current issue of Fashion156

Exploring ASOS

I may be about to make my first purchase from ASOS (well, aside from some polka dot flip flops and a cliched skull-print scarf circa 2005). It's rather annoying that the spotting of this blouse took place approximately 0.35 seconds after deciding that I was going to halt all fashion-related purchases for the time being to aid the procurement of a Samsung netbook. I thought to myself, should I really even be here, when I am emphatically NOT buying any new clothes for at least a few weeks? But I reasoned that I've never been taken with anything on ASOS enough to buy it (though the odd thing does take my fancy now and again), so I was safe. I didn't bargain on this pretty peach double-breasted blouse.

It's in my colour of the season and ripe for pairing with a nude palette a la Christopher Kane S/S09, or maybe sleek and shiny black.

I browsed on a bit further to see if I could find anything else covetable; predictably, most of these came from the accessories departments or the designer collections (which I tried to exclude for the most part, because that seemed like cheating).

(L-R, Top - Bottom: Woven Track Pant/ Neon Trim Across the Body Bag/ Body Con Mini Pencil/ Markus Lupfer Corset Shadow Applique T-Shirt/ Bow Front Sandal) - You can click on the image for a bigger version.

Hmm, slightly regretting my further foraging, because as well as the blouse I want the shoes and bag now, too. Oops.

All pics from asos.com

EDIT: Can't decide now whether I like this blouse, or actually think it's gross. Either way, I'm really holding up on the not buying any new clothes - it's been a couple of days now! I'm much more excited about making a visit to Comet this afternoon to futher investigate the purchasing of the netbook! (I'm a computer geek, and I just don't care.)

Colour Lovin'

As previously touched upon, I currently have a raging appetite for all things ice cream-coloured. This Vivienne Westwood purse is, to continue the theme, making my mouth water. I especially love the way it teams brights with neutrals, which is one of my major fashion loves. The bag version is a little too much for me (or is it? I'm having second thoughts on that), but the wallet I could happily imagine residing within my own, more neutrally-toned, bag.

Vivienne Westwood Harlequin Wallet

Pretty Holly

When you fall in love with a beautiful shoe, and then find out that it is not just fabulous but your namesake, well, it's a sign, isn't it, surely, that they're meant for you. Now, if only I was meant to have a £380 shoe budget.

Georgina Goodman Holly Shoes - £380

Actually, it would have to be more like a £1140 shoe budget, because I couldn't possibly decide between the three colours. My love for brighty coloured accessories has extended, though, into a current passion for all things in ice cream colours, of which I'm sure they'll be plenty around for Spring/Summer. So, while, if pushed, I would probably plump for the green Hollys, a wealth of other beautifully-hued shoes will be around for the picking. And a more affordable pair of shoes that I'm also admiring can be found at ASOS. The awful styling of their clothes normally puts me off even looking at ASOS, but they do their accessories a favour by just picturing them solo, so I don't get distracted from a cool pair of shoes by the cheap-looking styling. I'm actually quite impressed with their shoe collection, and in particular these platforms:

Asos Premium Leather Sporty Platform Sandals - £64

Grey and yellow has always evoked the 80s for me (not particularly sure why), but on these shoes the colour combo seems really fresh, and I am quite besotted with them. The shoe fest is still continuing...

Bags

Bags are probably the one accessory where I don't really go in for quirky or playful. That's not to say I don't have any that fall into this category (my favourite being a little black sequin one shaped like a cat's head), but I mostly favour sizable bags that are fairly classic and timeless. Browsing the web, I spotted these ones, by Rachel Vasnik, which definitely fall into that category.

Rachel Vasnik Tabitha bag, $346, available from Refinery 29

Unfortunately, they're a little out of my budget, though I think something like this could definitely be considered an investment piece. Anyway, once I'd got thinking about bags I decided to showcase my own. I don't switch bags all that often, carrying the same one around for probably at least a couple of months, only switching if I'm going out in the evening or something. So, this is the current holder of the random mix of essentials and not-so-essentials that I carry around with me every day.

The Bag
This bag was a present from my parents for my most recent birthday. It was the end of a life-long aversion to navy blue when I fell in love with this bag.

The Contents
And here is what's inside at the moment. I literally emptied my bag and this is what was in here today. The only editing I done was to dispose of the old sweet wrappers lurking at the bottom.

My phone (a Sony Ericsson W800i, I think. I've had it a few years now but I couldn't bear to replace it, I love it so!); my keys, completely lost in amongst the crazy amount of keyrings attached to it; a Topshop purse; yummy lemony flavour sweets my mum brought back from Belgium for me for Christmas; this month's pay slip, which is just one example of something that has been shoved in my bag and forgotten about until it re-emerged today; a compact mirror and a tiger bracelet that were both gifts from my cousin; a little wooden box with an elephant on it that my brother and my future sister-in-law brought back from a holiday in India for me, and which I always carry around with me; a No 7 SPF stick for lips; a hot pink string bag from M&S for groceries; a pair of Primark sunglasses that I don't really understand the inclusion of, seeing as how it hasn't been sunny in forever; my old 2nd Gen iPOD, an 18th birthday present, and my new yellow iPOD nano; an in-car iPOD charger; hair grips; and Palmer's Cocoa Butter hand cream (yummy!). I'm not sure it's entirely surprising I get back ache.

Oui Encore

A while ago, I was enthusing about my love for the Dior Fine Jewellery 'Oui' ring. At around £400, it would require some serious saving up for. I was considering getting a 'oui' necklace made up by Tatty Devine, using their name necklace service, but now I've come across this cool Alex and Chloe necklace.

Don't Say 'Non' silver necklace, £46.00, by Alex & Chloe at kabiri.co.uk

Fun and youthful (and affordably priced), I'm particularly taken by the bright pink version, but unfortunately that's currently out of stock. The silver one pictured above is available, though, and the rest of the collection is also very covetable, I think. Though I favour reasonably classic and simple clothes as the basis of my outfits, I really like quirky and playful jewellery and accessories. The Alex and Chloe collection is right up my style street.

Headwear Happy

I think it was the awesome Judy Blame headpiece sported by Mary-Kate Olsen in the September 08 issue of Elle UK that sparked off my love of fun and unusual headwear.


Photo: http://www.olsen-files.com/

Then I spotted Cate Blanchett looking cute in a Ryan Styles for Piers Atkinson pom-pom headband in the January 09 British Vogue.


I photographed the magazine, so excuse dodgy photo quality.

And I had fun on Christmas Eve and New Year's Day wearing an over-sized black sparkly bow-adorned headband from Topshop.



Now I have my eye on these fabulous headbands by Jennifer Ouellette. I especially love the turban-style pieces:

Wide mustard satin turban hairband and dark blue metallic turban hairband, £60 each at Liberty.

These are definitely going on my list of special purchases to make (part of a new shopping ethos of only buying things I really really love - more considered spending).

Miu Miu and Marc by Marc Jacobs also do cute ones, but these are much more simple. And I definitely prefer to make a bit more of a statement with my headwear!

High Street v High End

Photo: brownsfashion.com

Though I am not one for New Year's resolutions, if there is one thing I would make up my mind to do in 2009, it's to buy less but better. I checked my bank statement for the period since 10th December and the amount I have spent on the high street in less than a month would easily buy me a dream pair of Nicholas Kirkwood shoes (pictured above) - currently in the Browns sale at a price I baulked at until I realised I'd spent about the same amount in Topshop in the last three weeks. (Of course, I could just stop spending so much money full-stop, but I really don't think that's something I'm capable of.) Anyway, as fond as I am of my Topshop purchases (and, boy, do I heart Topshop), I'm sure the fashion-tingle I would get from these purple/blue beauties would be incomparable. So, can I do it, can I actually go for quality over quantity? Hmm...

Oui, s'il vous plaît

Quite a long time ago, I saw a picture of Victoire de Castellane's studio in a magazine. I loved it and I love her jewellery. I am absolutely besotted with the Dior Fine Jewellery 'oui' ring (yellow gold for me, please!). Sigh. If only...