Back to School: Wardrobe Planning

About this time of year, my mum would always take me shopping to buy my new school supplies: stationery, bag, uniform and shoes. I loved getting all my new things ready for the coming year, arranging all my new pens into my pencil case (remember gel pens? pretty sure I had upwards of 100 of those!) and choosing the all-important school shoes.

When I left school and went to uniform-less sixth form and started buying my own clothes and stationery supplies, this little ritual seemed to fall by the wayside, but I seem to have picked it up again since I've been at uni. I suppose it sort of ties in with me thinking about the big items I want to introduce to my wardrobe for the upcoming season. Winter is always my favourite time for dressing; I love layers, and woolly jumpers, and the dark reds, greens, and blues that always come out during this time of year.

In the perfect world, my winter capsule wardrobe would look very much like this:

1: Rag & Bone // 2: Underground // 3: Vagabond // 4: Zara // 5: Proenza Schouler // 6: Topshop // 7: Topshop

Shoes:

I blogged about these Rag & Bone boots yesterday; they're still perfection. I have a pair of Underground creepers already, but they're bright pink suede and pretty unsuitable for incessantly wet Scottish winters! These leather ones are much better; as are these leather Vagabond flatforms in comparison to my usual suede Topshop ones.

Bags:

The Proenza Schouler PS1 is my absolute dream bag. This has been on my 'when I have enough disposable income' waiting list for a really long time, and will be staying there for the foreseeable future! Perhaps if I manage to clear my overdraft this year it could be a graduation present to myself. The Zara bag is in the sale right now, and I might buy it in the next couple of weeks. While I like to keep my shoes black, I like to inject a little colour when it comes to bags, especially in winter when everything is pretty dreary.

Accessories:

I love leather gloves in winter; woolly ones just seem to cumbersome. I've lost one of my old leather gloves which is such a shame as they fitted perfectly! I have really small hands, so it's quite difficult to find gloves that fit properly. My mum once bought me a pair of children's gloves with little puppets on the end, they're my absolute favourite but completely impractical! This Topshop leopard print scarf is gorgeous. I'm totally for regarding leopard print as a neutral.

1: Topshop // 2: River Island // 3: Topshop Boutique // 4: Burberry London // 5: Topshop // 6: Acne // 7: H&M // 8: Collette by Collette Dinnigan // 9: River Island // 10: Faith Connexion

Bottoms:

Black skinny jeans and a black skater skirt: I like to keep it simple. I've already blogged about my perfect pair of black skinny jeans, but I'm really nervous that they're being discontinued! They're in the sale on the ASOS website but there's barely any sizes left - they'd better keep stocking them or I'll have to go on yet another hunt!

Outerwear: 

A Burberry trench coat is the ultimate classic wardrobe item, isn't it? My granny bought me a well-fitting and comfortable trench from Zara Kids last year, but this Burberry London one would just be the dream. 

Tops:

Love this Topshop boucle cardigan. I find this style is perfect for slipping on in the library or coffee shops during the colder periods; they're super warm and cosy but look a lot more elegant and put-together than a hoody! 

Dresses:

I think it's pretty obvious that I love stripes. This H&M dress is an absolute bargain; the material also contains alpaca which I can confirm is SO warm! I've also developed a slight (read: major) obsession with this Faith Connexion dress. I really really hope it makes it to the NaP sale, or I find something similar somewhere else. I'm looking out for a plain navy dress as I can easily add the collar and buttons myself. Let me know if you see something similar! 

Wardrobe Essentials: Leather Jacket

This is the second part of my Wardrobe Essentials series: the adaptable and versatile foundations needed to build a wardrobe for any occasion. You can read the other parts here.


Leather jackets were first worn by aviators and the military at the turn of the twentieth century; they were designed to protect the wearer from extreme temperatures, which is why some are lined with sheepskin. Throughout the 40s, 50s and 60s the style was popularised by Hollywood and quickly became an immediate way to define a character as 'cool': Marlon Brando and Honor Blackman both wore leather motorcycle jackets in 50s and 60s films and TV. In the 60s and 70s leather jackets were worn by punks and heavy metal fans, leading the item to be increasingly associated with rebellion; these jackets were often accessorised with chains and studs. 

Cropped: Acne // Coloured: Carven // Aviator: Acne // Biker: Topshop

I first began my obsessive hunt for my own leather jacket after seeing off-duty models, especially Kate Moss, wearing them effortlessly in street style photos. I say obsessive hunt, because it is really difficult to find the perfect leather jacket: I didn't want to settle for the first one I found in Topshop, I wanted it to be an investment, with the perfect cut, fit, and hardware. Believe it or not, but I spent three years hunting down my perfect one! I found it in spring last year, a gorgeous Burberry one in the softest buttery black leather, cropped with silver hardware, but it was far too expensive. Fortunately, it made it into the Net-a-Porter summer sale, and I was in a position where I could just about afford it at half price, and I literally bought the last one! 

1: Chan Luu // 2: COS // 3: Topshop // 4: ASOS // 5: Johnny Loves Rosie // 6: River Island // 7: ASOS // 8: ASOS

I now wear it all the time, and I think leather is one of those fantastic materials that only gets better with age! I can't wait for it to start weathering and take on that perfect lived-in look. It can be worn in infinite combinations: to add interest to a simple jeans + tshirt combination, to rock up a pretty floaty dress, making a casual slouchy dress more stylish.

Inspiration: Summer Dresses

It seems a little strange to be thinking about wearing summer dresses in Britain at the moment - so far this summer has been almost a complete washout (quite literally)! The past couple of days have been quite warm and sunny up here in Fife though, and that's more than enough to get me lusting after some pretty new dresses!

Florals: bright-as-you-like multicoloured prints, from tiny ditsy flowers to massive bouquets of Van Gogh sunflowers, seen at Erdem and Mary Katrantzou, of course.

1: River Island // 2: River Island // 3: Sister Jane // 4: Alice + Olivia

White: perhaps not the best choice if, like me, you're prone to spilling cups of tea, dazzling whites nonetheless are a smart and super chic summer addition, seen at Victoria Beckham and Paul Smith.

1: J.Crew // 2: Rare // 3: Topshop // 4: Acne

Maxi: summer isn't summer without a maxi dress. Perfect for throwing on for a saunter to the beach, they're just as easy to dress up for a night out.

1: River Island // 2: Topshop // 3: Chinti and Parker // 4: Coco's Fortune