Hankering after for two weeks now.

O-M-G. Sometimes I am just so fashion, Anna Wintour should just adopt me. Honestly. I’ve truly outdone myself this week. On two separate occasions I have worn two different denim shirts buttoned all the way up to the top. I know, right? So fashion.

I bet you’re sitting there reading this right now thinking ‘but what did she wear it with’? Ok, I’ll tell you…the first light denim shirt that I buttoned all the way was teamed with a pale pink, pleated skirt and a cropped blazer which (and I’m waiting on my adoption forms being signed now) is just so on trend right now. Spring/Summer ’12 is alllll about those pastels ladies with a little bit of pure girlyness for added effect a la Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton. I bought a top last week which is an almost exact replica of the dress Kate Moss wore at the end of that show (you know – the white, laser cut/daisy lace patterned dress with the white feathers for added dramatic effect) except it’s a top rather than a dress and it was about 5,480EUR less that the one it took it’s inspiration from. God love intellectual property rights.

The second denim shirt that I wore today was tucked into black, knee length, half circle skirt which I simply accessorised with a gold hair band. “Oh hi, Mumma Wintour”.

Despite the success of these two outfits, I’m currently fretting about my wardrobe for next week. My work is setting it’s employees a challenge: five days, five outfits, one pair of jeans. This is, as some of you may be aware, in aid of World Water Day – which hits us on Thursday 22^nd March – where we are being asked to wear our jeans for five days straight without washing them so that we can appreciate the vast water consumption that our jeans go through during their entire life cycle. Ok, I’ll stop being all corporate on yo’ass now and get back to the matter at hand. What am I going to wear?

I’ve chosen the lucky pair of jeans - a dark wash, tapered leg – and have reorganised my wardrobe so that my top’s all hang neatly beside one another to ensure maximum comparison potential. (Wow, try saying that fast five times in a row). So, while sticking to my new mantra of being prepared for work my weekend looks like this: deciding on my five outfits that will see me go fashionably from 9-5 wearing the same pair of jeans and buying that skirt from Zara that I’ve been hankering after for two weeks now.

Over and out. xx

I do not want to be a Liverpudlian WAG

When I was 5 years old, I would love to play ‘The Dress-Up Game’. This honest-to-god amazing game would involve me running around my house wearing a ghastly pair of Lion King printed leggings, a bandanna and my mum’s blazer – because this is what I though business women wore – and pretending to be a grown up.

Now that I am (OMG) a grown up – ok, not quite business women: I’m just a ‘yo-pro’ right now – this game is not quite as fun.

I read an article over a weekend which discussed the personal style of the latest Alexa Chung wannabe who said “Never dress in a rush. Plan your outfit the night before and you’ll be prepared”. Well, Little Miss Fashionista 2k12, I have news for you. Some of us are drop dead tired at night time and don’t fancy standing in front of our wardrobes, zombie like, thinking a) what the weather will do tomorrow, b) what colour of soup one will have at lunch (in case of spillage on a white top for instance – shock horror) or c) if we’ll be sitting at our desks all day in which case yes, we will wear a pair of heels.

I wish I had a fashion fairy godmother who each morning would sing a happy tune inspiring me to ‘dress for the job you want, not the job you have’. If my FFG (Fashion Fairy Godmother) had been there this morning I very much doubt she would have been thrilled by my outfit choice. Jeggings, a leopard print top and fur jacket might be considered the norm in Liverpool on a WAG, but on me the results just made me feel like a ho – not exactly the state of mind you want to have when you meet the CEO of the company you ‘yo-pro’ at. Merde.

Maybe I ought to google the weather for tomorrow and then think of an outfit. S’lataaaa xx

PS…just read that over and would like to point out that I do not want a job as a Liverpudlian WAG.

Animal Rescue Shelter

Ahhhh, the three words every girl wants to hear from her boyfriend: “You’re kidding, right?”. Yup, those magical three little words that can completely shatter your love of something – not the boyfriend, don’t worry, I am in fact talking about a skirt.

I bought a skirt and top for a very special upcoming event and was soooo looking forward to wearing it. In a moment of sheer delight and excitement I tired the outfit on and got that response. Now my boyfriend and I are like chalk and cheese: he hates vegetables and I live on them; he likes country and Indie music, I idolise Boyonce and Gaga, so really I should have known better to think ahead and realise he would hate it.

If you’re an avid reader you’re probably sitting there thinking “I’m siding with the BF, this girl always gets it wrong”. But wait, hold that thought a second and let me win you over. It’s a dark nude colour, pleated with a black waistband and from Zara. I thought it was cute, flirty, on trend and rather inoffensive. But when the BF described it as something he could imagine a grandmother wearing, it completely ruined it for me. Now it sits in my wardrobe with its tag still on looking up at me like an abandoned puppy at an animal rescue shelter.

What have I learnt from this experience?

Today I did something very unusual, bazaar even. It was a moment of despair and panic as I had slept in slightly and wasn’t full awake. While the trend has been around for quite some time now, it was always something I was apprehensive of, double denim – I had never seen any of my friends or peers at university wearing an entire denim outfit – but working for a denim brand I thought perhaps I ought to try it on for size so to speak. That was my reasoning at seven fourty-nine when I got changed, anyway.

When I say double denim I didn’t do one tonal denim. No, no. Instead I wore my pink boyfriend jeans with a standard blue denim shirt teamed with a black blazer (which really wasn’t required in the twenty-plus degree heat).But by the time I got to the metro I felt like an absolute prat. The pink jeans on their own are relatively garish – and ironically to be called a ‘boyfriend’ jean, my boyfriend doesn’t like them (as we’re living in different countries right now he thankfully didn’t get to see my fashion disaster du jour). And by the time I got to work I felt like a clown. No one asked to juggle the oranges in the lunch queue though or craft them a toy balloon.

So, what have I learnt from this experience? In the event of dressing in a hurry do not attempt to re-vive or re-interpret a trend that was over three or four seasons ago. Period.

You Deserve It

The other night over a, erm, couple of white wines, I was telling the BF about my absolute love for the Beatles. Over the years they've brought us iconic album covers that are now considered works of art, fashion trends that have sparked - what I presume to be - millions of teenage boys to grown their hair and embrace psychedelic dressing for trips aboard Yellow Submarines, and of course countless hit songs that will truly stand the test of time.

Anyway, as well as their collective success as a group, I also confessed my admiration for them individually. John Lennon - need I say anymore than Imagine? Ringo Starr narrated Thomas the Tank Engine - my favourite pre-school programme. George Harrison gave us the absolute anthem 'Got My Mind Set On You'. But I salute you, Paul McCartney, for bringing Stella into our lives.

Ok yes, with McCartney as a second name you're probably destined to go places. But when you produce tailoring like this, goodness is it destiny. For the last 10 years she's been gaining some seriously fashion credentials in the industry but with people like me toooo! She's a vegetarian! Of course there are probably many fashion designers out there with a non-meat-eating-policy, but none as vocal as Stella. By committing herself to no fur nor leather in her designs, she's just blooming brilliant.

I dont think I can express how much I loved her latest collection...so just go check it out on net-a-porter and then go find Daddy's credit card. Go nuts, spoil yourself...you deserve it!

Disaster

Is there a trick to getting changed in a hurry? Sometimes I feel that I should have an emergency outfit on a hanger for days like today where I spent a good half hour dancing around in my underwear to One Directions new song on repeat (amazing btw).

So while most other mornings I pluck out about eight different items from my wardrobe and try them on in varying sorts before I finally decide on something that probably makes me look like a Boring Brenda, today was a real struggle. Realising at 8.34 AM (with 8 minutes until the metro comes) that I'm still singing along and have only managed to tame my locks and put on a face full of make up, picking something for work was a hard task. I'm actually cringing right now at the thought of todays outfit. Mortified even.

Pink jeans rolled up, white top (which I then spilt yoghurt on at lunchtime), beaded cardigan and black pumps. Bloody hell. I'm embarrassed I just told you that. I genuinely looked like a riot.

To make things worse, you need to be prepared for all eventualities on the continent. Yes, it may be 27 degrees outside, but it can still rain like its monsoon season and have Gail force winds. I left with no jacket, no umbrella and not even a brush to re-tame the locks. Disaster

Priceless

First impressions really count don't they? Gawwwwd. I think I heard somewhere that you make up your mind about someone within 30 seconds of seeing their face, shaking their hand and of course, judging their clothes. So, really, its crucial that you pick the right outfit in order to make friends and fit in.

So imagine if you please, you're me, you've moved to a country that isn't hugely known for its thriving fashion scene and you're about to embark on an internship at a global apparel brand. Picking an outfit for your first day is going to be a little tricky.

Do you suit up and go corporate?

Do you wear heels?

Do you make a wee bit too much effort with the overall look and carry around a briefcase?

These are the questions that ran about in my brain for the weeks leading up to my big move. Luckily I had the balls to ask about the dress code (fairly casual).

SWEEEEEEEEET

Skinny jeans. Check. White top. Check. Blazer. Check. Loafers. Check. Mulberry. Priceless.