Lovely Leopard

To follow up on my recent leopard post I thought I would show you how I wear it.

One of my 'lovely leopard' purchases is my Elizabeth and James cross body bag, fab size and great for either day or evening . It's more cheetah than leopard but it still tackles the trend and it's great for jazzing up a plain outfit.

Malene Birger's Cameliu cardi is bang on trend, a bit oversized, a bit of a coatigan and obviously 'lovely leopard'!  Perfect for the current transitional weather! I've thrown it over a plain Zara top with my usual array of necklaces.  I adore these tie-dye Rabens Saloner trousers, and Im a big fan of mixing print and pattern so this works perfectly... in my eyes! I love autumnal tones, especially in light weight fabrics... so as long as you have a big knit to cover your bum if it gets cold, don't shy away from silks and rayon in winter!



WHAT I WORE...
Cardigan - Malene Birger | Top - Zara (similar here) | Trousers - Rabens Saloner (available at ANNA) | Shoes - Philippe Model | Bag - Elizabeth and James (available at ANNA)

Real Denim is Back

How happy am I right now. I love jeans, I don't have fantastic legs so all these skinny 4-way stretch, bounce-back, super-tight jeans haven't been the best look for me. Don't get me wrong, I've worn them, encouraged other people to wear them and endorsed the mere fact that they do suit most people, but, HELLO, they do not make you look a stone lighter than you are! The only thing that can do that is... losing a stone! Do not be fooled! 

I digress, anyway my happiness comes as a result of the old-style jean coming back. Less stretch, or none at all, think Levi's 501. The boyfriend, with or without distressing, and the plain old-fashioned work denim jean. A lot of women might this that they can't do rips and baggy because of the 'age demon', but you can. I love them!

I really like denim with plain shirts or t-shirts teamed with a classic or boyfriend blazer for casual day wear. Skater shoes or high-tops finish the look. To sex-it-up, put on a pair of statement Lucy Choi's, cute little cami and a kimono, and away you go! Also, a top styling tip; the bigger the bag, the smaller you look!

I recommend Pop Vintage by Acne, Phoebe Boyfriend by MIH and for high-street you can't go wrong with Gap for denim, the 1969 Real Straight range is good.

ACNE, Pop Vintage, £179

MIH, Phoebe Boyfriend, £195

GAP, 1969 Real Straight, £44.95

50

I am constantly being told by clients 'I can't wear that, I'm too old'... or too fat! These are the two phrases that seem to dominate the lives of women today. Why? It not only frustrates me enormously but also saddens me that we feel this way. Perhaps I'm lucky as I have sons rather than daughters, some mother/daughter relationships are challenged when the teenager feels her mum is in the same clothes, why not?

I don't feel old at 50, I feel excited, I'm ready for new adventures! I've brought up my kids, one is at uni and the other is finishing 6th form - it's my time now!

I wear what I want, I feel great, I'm happy to say I'm 50 and I'm enjoying the freedom this brings me. Please don't feel that we have to pack away 'Mrs Fun' and bring in the tweed and twin set.

Here are my top tips for looking good and feeling good at 50:

• Detox - I do hot yoga everyday when I'm in London, in the country I run. This totally detoxes my body and makes me feel better.
• Hair - Keep the grey at bay and hair looking good. I use Neil for cut and Stacey for colour at The Salon in Bond Street. They operate a 24 hour service, great if you want a blow dry before a party! In between hair appointments, when I spot those niggling greys, I use a root touch-up by Nice and Easy.
• Skin - I get Vitamin C Facials with skin certicals, from the Cowshed in Primrose Hill, a real treat, but well worth it! In between use their products.
• Youth Pills - Contain a trio of amino acids and marine extracts to boost skin repair and delay signs of ageing. I found these pills so beneficial I decided to stock them!
• Confidence - You looked good at 49, you'll look great at 50+!

Neil Cornelius, The Salon

The Cowshed, Primrose Hill

Youth Pills

My ultimate tip is to experiment with something new: new clothes, new adventures, new look, new man...oops...sorry, only if you need one of course!

Buying at Chiltern Street Studio

Chiltern Street Studio

Chiltern Street Studio's beautiful courtyard

People often ask me what I do all day… well, if I’m not on the shop floor, I’ll be at a buying appointment, usually with Pascale, my assistant. So I thought I would give you a sneak peek behind the scenes buying at one of my favourite agencies, Chiltern Street Studio!

Usually I spend the whole day at Chiltern Street Studios, they have a host of brilliant collections housed in their beautiful Victorian school house, a listed building, located in the heart of Marylebone.

I get a lot of old fave ANNA brands, like Bellerose and Leon & Harper, from Chiltern Street, but they always have something new to tempt me with. Last season it was Mes Demoiselles, a lovely collection with a bohemian feel, perfect for summer. For SS15 alongside the usual white floaty numbers I picked out a fab black based flower print with lurex running through, the shapes had a real 70’s vibe  , I see the 70’s being big for SS15! My star piece was a beautiful drop-waist embroidered dress with a one off vintage feel. Love it, want to take it home now, an occupational hazard when working in retail!

Buying with Jane

Browsing the collections

Delicious salt cod fritters

Lunchtime at Chiltern Street Studio is amazing, multi-tasking Denise today rustles up delicious salt cod fritters with salad, yum… always great to have a good gossip with Jane and Denise... one can hardly call this work!

Leon & Harper always have a great collection, fab wardrobe staples and brill statement pieces. I was instantly drawn to the lobster jumper, so fun! I saw a lot of sweaters in the showrooms, the sport luxe trend looks set to continue, which suits me down to the ground! Leon & Harper also had a cool faded dungaree, which I just had to try on! I big part of buying is trying on to check the fit and feel.

I think a lot about colour when I’m buying, which pieces will go together in an outfit and how the stores will be merchandised, what the colour story will be... I am a big believer in wearing colour despite age or season, and always look to buy colour… which becomes difficult in winter buys where the propensity is towards blacks and greys.

Leon & Harper's lobster jumper

Choosing colours

Spotted a great aztec sweater by Odd Molly

My essentials!

My buying essentials are:

1. Pascale!
2. My notebook, mine is by Filofax. It’s fluorescent pink, so easy to find under piles of lookbooks and orders!

3. Pens. I’m very specific about the pen I write with, I love Muji gel ink pens. However, I was recently bought a beautiful Mont Blanc pen by my children, which I adore!

4. My Ipad for taking pictures.
5. A vest and big knickers, so I can strip off to try things on!

Fancy a Weekend in North Norfolk?

I always forget how lucky I am to live two lives, weekday a towny workaholic socialite and at weekends I morph into a country, bread making, sea swimming, bore..... joking apart, I am really happy to have both extremes. Let me share a little bit of North Norfolk with you, not the Royal part!

Cycling through Holkham Hall grounds on a sunny day at the end of August, bliss!

I also love running, and I really do this because I love to be outside. I often run to Overy Staithe and jump in the sea and swim across to the island, really invigorating, and if you're up for it I thoroughly recommend giving it a go! If you can't swim/run/walk to Scolt Head Island then jump on the island ferry, quite different from any other ferry, lots of verbal from Peter the ferryman and more expensive than a London cab. But very Norfolk darling!

After all that, head to Burnham up-market... oopps... I mean Burnham Market, and SHOP! You really can get the most wonderful things here. Humble Pie, the best deli in Norfolk, they seem to have every ingredient from Ottolenghi's cook books!

Get locally caught fish from the lovely boys at Gurneys, I get most of my meals there and ALL of the gossip!

And of course fashion.... Isabel Marant from Ruby and Tallulah, Ralph Lauren from Gunhill and not forgetting Norfolk's finest everything else from ANNA!