Monster

Whilst I still get myself to properly think about what I'm wearing now , I can quite easily build a fantasy summer wardrobe in my head and at the moment I'm having a serious discussion with myself about which of these shoes would fit into my imaginative summer wardobe?

I have a soft spot for chunky and somewhat clumsy looking shoes, some might consider those as a bit of a fashion monstrosity but simplicity and practicality always seem to come first on my list, so no wonder I'm slowly becoming captivated by this trend and whilst I really can't see myself jumping on the Birkenstok-mania that is slowly unfolding, these sandals from Zara are certainly tick the boxes as to the type of sandals I can see fit for my imaginary summer wardrobe. 

The fashion snore

My lack of posts recently can only be explained by the fact I have now officially entered that phase of the year which I call the 'fashion snore', I experience this every winter just after Christmas when the shops are still full of last season's sale items and all you wish for is to see something bright and new that hints that in a few months time spring will come. By now my fashion snore situation is so bad that I can't even look at myself in the mirror in the morning after I get dressed simply because I know that seeing myself wearing that black roll neck again might send me back straight to bed.
To keep it short, I'm feeling a bit fed up with my dark wardrobe, the same boring black dresses and solid jumpers that I've become so used to in the last few months, I just feel that I'm in an urgent need of a colour and print injection but deep inside I know I'm not brave enough to make that switch yet, so I find myself scouring the internet for the most eye-popping prints and colours in a hope of finding something that will finally help me conquer my craving for a little bit of colour and print and save me from this fashion snore.

Sensible summer shoes? Not for me ...

Clearly a pair of shoes worth 500 pounds wasn't what my mum had in mind last night when she begged me to find at least one sensible pair of shoes to bring with me when I go to visit them this weekend. By that she meant something affordable that I can actually walk in in the heat, not a pair of designer shoes I can only dream of , but oh well, since I can't find a pair of shoes I really like , I think I'm allowed to at least browse and dream of a pair I would love to have, after all there's nothing better than a bit of fashion fantasy.

Summer prep

I honestly haven't lost my mind , I'm aware that it's only 5 degrees outside and it's pissing down and miserable which meant forcing myself to try on summer clothes for my visit home next week was the last thing I felt like doing today.
In general getting dressed for summer is probably not something I really enjoy, I always feel much more comfortable with a couple of layers on and a pair of black tights and luckily British summers are perfect for that most of the time, however back home it's another story, with temperatures easily reaching 30c in March layering is not an option so I had to dig out some light items and base my outfits around two lightweight black cotton skirts that would work nicely with a t-shirt without too much messing around. I'll also probably add a couple of simple cotton LBD's that I can dress up or down to save space and avoid carrying too much weight (I hate overpacking!).
Now, the only item I wish I had was a nice pair of sandals which I have yet to find (there's plenty of options but nothing that I'm particularly excited about!) but I guess I'll be able to live for a few days without them.

On shoes and changing tastes

If someone told me three years ago I would develop a mad crush on pointy shoes one day, I would probably laugh and cringe at the thought. For me pointy shoes for a long time symbolised a fragment of the 90's I wanted to forget about but I noticed recently how my heart is warming up more and more towards pointy shoes. I don't really know if it's age but I can certainly tell my shoe preferences changed considerably over the last two or three years and pointy shoes certainly have found a place in my heart, especially over the last year. I think this is also why I'm not entirely surprised I developed a slight obsession recently with flat d'Orsay shoes. I've been looking for a decent pair of shoes for the summer when I found those gorgeous Phillip Lim and Jenni Kayne shoes, they're way off my budget obviously but I really love the way they look, simple, light but still elegant and can probably work great in either a casual or elegant outfit. I love the fact they can be placed somewhere between a shoe and a sandal and  wish I could find a pair that would be within my budget to help ease my summer shoes vows. 

Favourite summer looks, Iro - Spring/Summer 2013

 The winter doesn't look like it's going to end  any time soon and new pre-fall loobooks are slowly springing all over the interent but the thing that makes me happy the most at the moment is seeing new spring/summer lookbooks. This one by French label IRO has to be one of my favourite spring/summer lookbooks. I  love IRO , they've been my brand lust for some time now and I've been lucky in the past to snag some gorgeous IRO items so this lookbook really warms me up and makes me look forward to the summer, it's the perfect combination of cool and casual, gorgeous prints and luxe basics which I really love. So I think it's time to finish with all this winter business and bring on the summer !

Bedtime inspiration - Carven Spring/Summer 2013 collection

I spent a good hour or so playing and then replaying this video of the Spring/Summer collection by Carven. I'm not going to say much apart from the fact that this is definitely one of my favourite Spring/Summer collections for the year because of the elegant and simple feminine cuts , the amazing details and the fact that all of the items look accessible and simple enough with no over the top details.

I would totally love to run around in one of those gorgeous suits or dresses in Paris this summer, guess dreaming of this would be just as good! ( I also really wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of the incredible necklaces and collars the models wear)

Getting ready for the summer with American Vintage

Looking at the new Spring/Summer lookbook from American Vintage on this gloomy winter morning had definitely brought a much needed cheer.

American Vintage is one of my favourite brands for smart and chic quality casuals and the Spring/Summer lookbook definitely looks promising with a mix of prints and soft fabrics and silhouettes , this collection made me sigh for a few seconds while the rain was thumping on my windows. Funnily , I'm really not a big summer fan usually but right now the only thing I wish for is to hang my winter coat , put away my jumpers and put on a nice and soft printed skirt and a soft t-shirt and walk around in the sun. American Vintage just made me spend a morning of day dreaming about the summer and possibly a cute American Vintage skirt :)