AllSaints Shirt / River Island Asymmetric Skirt / Topshop Studded Belt / Finsk Wedges / ASOS Spiked Bangle / Balenciaga City

This outfit is pretty much a mixture of old favourites. You’ve heard me raving about this River Island skirt too many times already, I wear this Topshop belt constantly & I’ve had this AllSaints shirt dress for years now. When I brought the dress I remember wondering if I’d actually get much wear out of it, but now I don’t know what I’d do without it! Isn’t it funny how a total impulse buy can become one of those things you go back to year after year. It’s a little on the short side, so its strictly leggings or thick tights only as a dress, but I think it works just as well tucked in as a top. It always reminds me how much I love this gauzy cotton lawn as a fabric too.

These Finsk wedges are slowly starting to give my Rick Owens ones a run for their money in terms of comfort. The leather is very thick & stiff on these, which I love for the architectural quality it gives them, but it meant they rubbed a little in the beginning. They’re feeling more comfortable each time I wear them though & the height makes them such perfect everyday shoes.

How perfect is my new ASOS bangle too? A super skinny gold band with a little spike at either end, it’s exactly the type of understated accessory I’ve been after for a while. Plus, it’s solid brass too, so it’ll stay nice & gold with no flaking, peeling or discolouration. I don’t know why other stores don’t make use of brass for their jewellery too. It’s such a good, cheap, alternative to gold & is so much better than the plated base metals you can buy for similar prices that only last a few wears.

FAIIINT / Ruched / OUTFIT

Umberto Barone for Bambi Magazine vol. XIII

I came across this editorial a few weeks ago whilst checking out the latest issue of one of my favourite online magazines, Bambi. Their editorials always kind of blow me away, but this one really grabbed me, perhaps for quite obvious (nerdy) reasons.

The beautifully stark black & white photography paired with the sharp, geometric backgrounds & the femme fatale styling make the whole thing look like it came straight out of a neo-noir style graphic novel. Sort of a high fashion take on Sin City. What’s not to love? It makes me want to dress like this every day & want almost everything featured, but especially the black jackets. Oh, and the harness, the thigh high boots, that amazing paneled skirt… I’m even craving a short, sharp black bob…

Also, if you’ve never checked out Bambi Magazine you really ought to. It features some of the most beautiful editorials & has such a strong personality too, they describe it as ‘Sex, Couture and Rock an’ Roll‘ & every editorial is just dripping with it. So, if you liked this one, it pretty much a guarantee you’ll enjoy the others too. Plus, you can browse the current issue, in full, along with all of the previous ones online at your pleasure. Great for when you need a hit of inspiration.

FAIIINT / ‘Elena’ Umberto Barone / INSPIRATION

Glamorous Dipped Dress c/o MeeMee * / H&M Knotted Belt / Angie Gooderham Bangle / ASOS Leather Bangle / Rick Owens Wedges / Balenciaga City

I’m finding myself really drawn towards simpler shapes at the moment. I’m not sure if it’s because the weather is finally warming up & it’s nice to just be able to throw a simple dress on or if it’s more of a reflection on where I am at the moment. I seem to be cutting a lot of the unnecessary fuss out of my life, and maybe my clothing choices are subconsciously echoing this?

This Glamorous dress from MeeMee is a perfect example of this, a simple shift dress, but the dipped hem gives it just enough detail to keep it interesting. Here I’ve worn it belted with this super old H&M belt that I recently re-discovered & now can’t stop wearing, but I’m looking forward to wearing it even more simply when it gets really warm (fingers crossed!) – on its own, loose & unbelted with just a pair of flat sandals.

I’m sure you must be sick of these Rick Owens wedges by now too, I think I’ve worn them for the past 4 posts? But the fact is, now my toes aren’t getting frostbite from wearing them, they are my comfiest shoes & it’s getting all too easy to just throw them on. I actually can’t think of another pair that have been a better investment than these, they have been worth every single penny. I really should get around to getting another pair soon…

FAIIINT / Dipped / OUTFIT

Last Sunday we were very kindly offered tickets by the lovely Fleur at Voucher Codes to go & cover Alber Elbaz’s ‘The Dream & Reality of Fashion’ talk as part of the 2013 Vogue Festival. I am a huge, huge fan of his work at Lanvin & so of course I jumped at the chance to go along.

I had no idea what to expect of the festival as I had never been before, but I must admit that having been going to music festivals since I was a teen, the word ‘festival’ conjured up in my mind something a little bigger.

There was a cafe, shop, mini studio (for Vogue cover portraits), 3 beauty stands (including Dior eyes, YSL lips & a braid bar), plus mentoring panels that took place twice each day with Vogue staff, which we sadly missed. The beauty stands seemed to be a real hit & they had constantly large queues, but this is something you can get done in any department store & not something I really wanted to wait in a huge line for. The ‘Vogue cover portrait’ section also proved very popular. Getting to dress up in Chanel clothing & accessories to pose for photos, then have your face printed out in the style of a Vogue cover was a really fun idea & made for a great souvenir to take home from the day.

We thoroughly enjoyed Elbaz’s talk, he was funny, down to earth & full of inspirational words. The whole talk was peppered with his brilliant one liners, leaving the audience furiously tapping away on their phones, to which he responded “I can see you tapping away, I hate Twitter!” and was met with roars of laughter.

Born in Casablanca & having grown up in Israel, he shared that women were what what first inspired him to design, “It was not the story of design or clothes, it was the fantasy of women that made me want to work in fashion.” He recalled that as a school boy he “sketched all of my teachers outfits everyday in my notebook, then gave it to her at the end of the year.” He also felt that coming from nowhere & nothing was a huge advantage to him as it allowed him to fantasize about fashion, instead of it being something that he took for granted.

After being fired from YSL he took a break & briefly considered becoming a doctor but it was “too many years work.” He wanted to miss fashion, to have the courage to do it his own way, only with people he liked & to stop worrying about what the editors thought. After all he said, “What is more important, to be worn on a magazine cover, or to be worn in real life?” He likes his clothes to make women feel beautiful but it’s equally as important to him that they’re practical too – “I like a women to be able to sit, to have a pudding, to get out of a car & to be comfortable.”

He is also full of contradictions, but this just adds to his quirky charm & is something that really comes through in his designs, making them both extremely covetable & so wearable – “I like first class, but I don’t like first class people, I prefer the people in the normal coach.” “I like fine restaurants, but I don’t like the portion sizes or the taste. I prefer McDonald’s!” and “I like to be perfect, but I don’t like perfection – I think it’s dangerous. There is nothing after perfection.”

I left feeling incredibly inspired & absolutely charmed by Alber. However, I must be honest & say I do feel that the ticket prices are a little steep, especially considering that it’s around £40 for one, roughly one hour long talk. To make a full day of it & do the other talks also, to get the full ‘festival’ feel, would be quite expensive. The place was packed though, with barely an empty seat, so I guess this isn’t such a problem for everyone.

“Don’t be scared. Be good, talented, try hard & you will make it. It’s not about who you know, who you know can only get you to the door not to the ceiling…”

FAIIINT / Vogue Festival 2013 / EVENT

Bench Stripe Cardigan * / Eksempel Leather Look Dress / Topshop Studded Belt / Galibardy Teeth Necklace / AllSaints Cateye Sunglasses / Rick Owens Wedges / Balenciaga City

One of the first pieces of clothing I spent a large amount of money on was a coat from Bench. It was was made from a thick, cream coloured jersey with a huge funnel neck, it hit just below my knees, had a hidden zip & little holes in the sleeves to poke your thumbs through. The thumb holes were my favourite part. It taunted me everytime I walked past it in the shop window, I wanted it so badly & eventually I ended up spending virtually every penny I got for my 13th birthday on it. It seemed like a massive splurge at the time, but I wore it to death.

This cardigan is not something I ever imagined would have come from Bench, I assumed they were still all sportswear & massive logos, obviously things have changed. It’s the softest viscose jersey, drapes beautifully & I cannot get enough of the subtle black on black stripes, I just love pieces with this kind of low-key detail. They do still make the jersey jackets with the thumb holes though, and I do still kinda want one…

FAIIINT / Slight Stripe / OUTFIT

FAIIINT Cropped Leather Jacket / Georgia Hardinge x River Island Printed Dress / Rick Owens Wedges / Balenciaga City

Last Sunday we went down to the Southbank Center for the 2013 Vogue Festival, we got there a little early & so decided to kill some time by taking some super touristy outfit shots. It seemed like it would have been a shame to not use the beautiful backdrop of the Southbank whilst we were there, even if we did have to fight for a spot amongst all the other tourists.

I can’t even begin to describe how much I love this dress. I’m not much of a print person, so I never usually like to buy different items with the same print, but I loved both this & the leggings I featured few weeks ago so much that I had to get them both. Well, the H. R. Giger inspired print was just too me to pass up & I think the alien influence is even more apparent on the dress. I love the way the pleats curve in around the waist, it’s super flattering & it’s so 3D looking it’s hard to believe that it’s just a print. I was stopped so many times by people asking for photos of it whilst I was walking around, it’s definitely an attention grabber. You can just see a glimpse of my vintage black diamond earrings here too, I don’t have many pairs, as you rarely see them underneath all of my hair, but these are easily my favourites.

Now the weathers finally getting a bit warmer I’m able to wear my draped leather jacket more often too. Those of you that follow me on Twitter & Instagram will see that I’ve just brought a vintage sewing machine (she’s now called Agyness by the way!), so I’m hoping to re-make a more perfect version of this jacket soon. I’m thinking of maybe doing a suede version too, as I do wear it an awful lot & it would be nice to have a few of them, especially now I have a machine capable of sewing them up!

FAIIINT / Tourist / OUTFIT

Goldie Pewter Collar Shirtdress c/o StylistPick * / H&M Knotted Belt / Topshop Boutique Wedges / Balenciaga City

When these midi length skirts & dresses first started showing up a few seasons ago, I couldn’t stand them, to me they looked frumpy & awkward. I would never have dreamed I’d end up owning one, let alone writing about how I’ve sorta fallen in love with this awkward length.

Maybe it’s because on this Goldie dress it’s sheer, so it feels less harsh, or maybe it’s just that it’s a black shirt dress & I can never get enough of those, regardless of length. It’s the perfect summer shirt dress, light & airy and the length feels so nice swishing against your legs in the breeze. The pewter metallic collar & buttons are just the right amount of embellishment too, I don’t feel the need for jewellery, which I never like to wear when it gets hot & sticky, it’s too fussy & irritating.

It doesn’t look it, because I’m hiding in the shade as usual, but it was actually a lovely warm day. I know last time I said that in a post I jinxed it & it turned miserably cold again, but I’m going to risk it & say I think spring has finally arrived! Hopefully I will finally get to show off some of my spring buys, without having to cover them over with layers of jackets & knits soon!

FAIIINT / Midi / OUTFIT

Catherine Deane Dresses

Catherine Deane Dresses

Catherine Deane Dress / Vintage Seekers Snake Cuff

Vintage Seekers Crucifix Necklaces

Barbour Wool Trench Coat / Barbour Waxed Cotton Trench

Barbour Leather Satchel

Sorry for the lack of posts & the fact I’ve been MIA most of the week, anyone who follows me on Twitter or Instagram will have seen I’ve been a little ill & had some other things going on too, so I took a tiny break to recuperate. Thankyou for all the well wishes & I’m fine now, so normal posting shall resume next week!

Dust PR was another of the offices we visited on our press day visit, there were so many amazing pieces on display here & these are just a few of my favourites. The team were so lovely & welcoming, we loved the relaxed atmosphere & so enjoyed our little tour of the collections.

I had always associated Catherine Deane with evening gowns & a much girlier aesthetic than I like personally. After browsing through the rails though, I was pleasantly surprised to see a whole selection of edgier dresses with laser cut leather detailing & sci-fi paneling. I would happily have taken every one of them home with me, but the black dress with the leather paneled bodice & mesh sleeves was by far my favourite.

The Vintage Seekers jewelery was another highlight, a whole cabinet stuffed with designer costume jewelery, most of which is very hard to find & with lots of pieces having wonderful back stories of the Hollywood royalty that previously owned them. They do not only sell jewelery though, there is also designer bags, clothing, accessories, homewear, rare books, signed film posters, art & even cars. I have since lost so many hours just browsing the website & uncovering all of the amazing pieces of history they have for sale.

I think I have found ‘the one’ in Barbour‘s black wool trench, my dream coat. The slight military feel, the heavy structured wool & the leather details make it both totally classic & yet still still extra special. It’s one of those pieces that you’ll still be wearing in 10 years time & those unique, special little details will continue to get people asking where it’s from. There were lots of perfect checked shirts & of course their signature waxed cotton jackets & coats too. The menswear was also particularly strong, with the Steve McQueen & the beautifully tailored Norton & Sons collections being favourites. I love menswear & I could easily see myself in a lot of those pieces, especially the tailoring which has a wonderful relaxed, loveworn look to it.

Continuing my recently reignited love affair with sneakers, the Supra‘s were some of my favourite pieces. These are being kept tightly underwraps though to stop them being ripped off before release & so I can’t post any to show you, but lets just say the AW13 collection had plenty of black, metallics & black on black texture mixing. I can’t wait to get my hands on a pair!

FAIIINT / Dust PR AW13 Press Day / EVENTS