What Should I Wear This Winter?

There is a hint of winter chill in the air. The temperature has noticeably dropped a couple of degrees here in London. All fashion magazines have been featuring key looks for AW10 for a few months now. But not until it is cold enough the fashionistas cannot start wearing their newly purchased hiker boots or shearling parka. Now the time has come, girls and boys!

I have been going through my stored-away winter clothes today and pulled out pieces that I can put together to create looks that are relevant for this winter. I realised that the most economical way is to buy good quality clothes and recycle my wardrobe by mixing and matching with a couple of key pieces or accessories each season. All the pieces that I show below have been members of my wardrobe for a few years already.

1. 50's charm - waisted full skirts and prom dresses.


photo source: Vogue UK

I have this Marni dress that I absolutely love. It can help me to pull of this full skirt dress look for this winter.


2. Mannish trousers

photo source: Vogue UK

These front pleated Marni trousers are perfect mannish trousers. I will sure be wearing them a lot this winter. To emphasise the look I also borrowed my husband's white shirt to complete it. Usually I am not a shirt person but I actually like this shirt. It has a pleated placket down the front. I might sneakily take it over!

Compromise

For most people, myself included, life is about compromising and prioritising. I cannot have everything I want in life. I was planning to buy my Burberry ankle boots this month but we need an armchair for the living room. So I had to let go of my boots, needless to mention the pain of letting go (teary!) Who knows! They might still be available once I saved up again.

We bought this cute little 50's vintage armchair. I love it especially the two tones! It is not too big and just the right size for our small flat. I think I will be looking for an ottoman to make it more comfortable to sit on with the leggs up. In addition to that we also bought this wooden trolley originally from Germany. It has the glass table top and glassed doors as a display cabinet. Not sure what to use it as yet. We just love the weaving details. There is also a handle that you can push the trolley around!







Although I am still upset about the boots. However practically speaking it is impossible for me to walk around London in the 13 inch heels. They would probably end up sitting in the shoe box most of the time :(


Photo Source: Style.com

I think I have made the right decision.....

What's your shoe story?

Tonight is the opening night of the new shoe galleries in Selfridges. I am so excited! Apparently it is bigger than the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall (well...so it says on Selfridges FB page) and it has the biggest shoe collections in the world!

I really wanted to have the first peek tonight. But after 12 hours of working and non stop London rain all day, I had sensibly decided against it. It can wait for another day.

Here is a sneak peek from the Selfridges website for those girlies that cannot make it tonight either!

It will definitely be my regular hang out now. Heaven!







Photo Source: Selfridges.com

AW10 Wish List

It is always very exciting for me to plan what to buy for the next season. AW10 stocks are starting to flow onto the shopfloors now. I found August/September is usually a good time to buy for Autumn/Winter gears. If you wait till October all good coats or jackets would have been snapped up already. So better be quick ladies!

Here is a list of what I wish to have for AW10-

1. Burberry Shearling ankle boots.
High heeled hiker boots or biker boots are still stealing the lime light this winter. I have had my eyes on this Burberry pair since the AW10 Prorsum runway show. Hopefully I will be able to own a pair!



2. Lace Dress.
I like the juxtaposition of different textures or prints in one outfit. There are a variety of lacy looks from AW10 run way shows. I particularly like the white lace dress from Marc by Marc Jacobs. It would look nice with a pair of biker boots and a leather jacket!



3. Fur Gilet.
I have been looking for a fur gilet for a long time now. It is very difficult to find a decent one with a reasonable price tag. They are mostly out of my price range. Will keep looking. I might get lucky this winter! I like these two gilets from Helmut Lang.



4. Animal Print Coat.
Same story with the animal print coat. It is very difficult to find one with a reasonable price tag. There are always a lot of variations from high streets but they all look very artificial and cheap. Probably will have to look through vintage shops as well. Here is a beautiful animal print coat from Gucci.



Photo Source: Style.com

More From My Favourite AW10 Collections

In addition to the three favourite AW10 collections that I mentioned in the previous post, I also love the following pieces.

There's obvious 80's influence in Bottega Veneta's AW10 range. I am not a big fan of the leather power suiting, but do love the two looks below - smart and edgy.



Love the quirky chunky knitted coat from Prada and the wool coat with fur contrast from Miu Miu. If money was not a problem I would definitely buy both! I love coats and would move to Norway just so I get to wear a coat every day!



Dries Van Noten has been delivering consistantly good collections season after season. His clothes are timeless and they can't go wrong! I particularly love the juxtaposition of the animal print with the Baroque influenced print and the casual military fabric with suiting.

My Favourite AW10 Collections

I can notice the difference in my spending pattern since I started planning what to buy each season with the set monthly budget. I had only bought what I planned to buy for SS10, well...with only one tiny slip of buying two extra items as mentioned previously. Considering this was the first attempt to a better spending behaviour, I think I have done very well! And I will carry forward this responsible spending pattern to the next season, AW10.

As for SS10, I have put together my dream wardrobe for AW10.

My favourite runway collection from AW10 would have to be Rag & Bone.

I love the layering of the different textures - the tweed tailoring with the heavy knit, and with the military camouflage.



My second favourite collection would have to be Isabel Marant. Love the mid- calf turned up jeans matched with either the bomber jacket or the boxy coat. Very much French chic at ease without trying too hard.



This winter, shearling jackets and fur trims are going to be huge! Burberry is definitely one of the best representatives of this trend. Can't wait to get my hands on a pair of the Burberry shearling ankle boots!



All stores are starting to roll in their AW10 collections. It is definitely about time to start saving up before my favourite pieces hit the shop floor!

Photo Source: Style.Com

I bought my blazer!

I am so happy that I bought the blazer that I have been looking for all summer! The best thing is that it was under my budget of £300! It was the Helmut Lang blazer that I had my eye on. I was so happy when I saw my size still available in the sales from the Liberty online shop, and it was half priced from £435 to £217.50.

I had never been able to find anything during sales that would have my size left. Not sure if it is due to the bad economy in London that there are still heaps of goods left on sale. Under the 'normal circumstance' if you didn't buy the things that you'd like quick enough you would have missed out. Anyhow I am just thrilled! And all the waiting around and time spent searching for the perfect blazer had all been worthwhile :)

I have put together 4 looks with the blazer and my existing wardrobe. This blazer will definitely go a long way for me!