S.U.N.

All the above images are old street style images taken by Scott Schuman that I really like.

The vibrant, floral dress is beautiful and her belt is amazing. I really like the above two playsuits and yet they are totally different. Every year I post the above, top left image just to be amazed by the combination of the woman's shoes, rolled-up blazer and bag.

I'll post images of some summer items I've bought recently, but honestly I've either been too picky or just out of luck because I haven't had that "Wow" factor for any item within my price range.

How to work with...

vanessa jackman

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Stripes: the unavoidable classic summer trend.

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I like how the above looks venture out from the nautical look, even though they are wearing stripes in summer.

Weekend inspiration.

OH FASHION MODEL/The Sartorialist.

Pink/green/brown; and a leather jacket under a trench coat...who would have thought it?! All the above looks, minus the editorial image with shorts, have attitude in their images which adds something to their already cool sense of style. My sister once said I have attitude/seriousness in my looks...hmm...I hope it's cool like the above images, not scary/unapproachable attitude.

"I have a woman's body and a child's emotions." -Elizabeth Taylor (I can totally relate to this at times, particularly when I'm forced to dress smart and I just feel like acting like a total idiot; but when you dress smart people, do take you more seriously which kind of forces you to act the role you're playing -yuk!)

Have a great weekend!

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The film that made me fall in love with Elizabeth Taylor was Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958); she's an amazing actress -I have to also credit Paul Newman (pictured above) and Burl Ives in the film.

I think it's very sad that she's died, but she lived a long life if you consider how much pain she spent most of her life in, from being married and divorced several times to the number of critical illnesses she was battling.

Anyone else have a favourite film starring Elizabeth Taylor, or Dame Taylor to be more precise?

I love summer!

garance dore (top images) and unknown.

Bright colours/nude shoes/vests/wearing skirts without tights/I'm so getting boy fit jeans!

There was an abnormal amount of sun today and I can't help but think of how amazing summer will be. I'm currently craving to go visit Vienna! :)

Floral.

All the images except the top left image are from Erdem's summer 2011 collection.

I'm in love with the summer dresses; from the way they flow, the lightness, and the floral balance is just right....I want an Erdem style summer dress this summer!

I know I haven't been the best of bloggers, but I've been really busy lately. I really appreciate the fact people even follow my blog let alone read what (little) I write. :)

This was his moment.

Fashion's gift to man: macro-subtlety yet micro-detail.

I like what the above men are doing with their style; it's masculine yet fashionable. When we (women) have to judge whether a runway look will look as good as it does on a 5ft 10in., size zero model; men have to judge whether they can reinterpret a runway look to look less camp. Ultimately, both men and women have to guess whether a runway look is practical for their everyday, mundane life.

I like the the burgundy gloves, the textures (leather and wool!) and they all look comfortable and warm (I love practical fashionable people). I'm going to rush to my wardrobe now, and see how an oversized cardigan over a blazer looks!

La collection.

La collection courtesy of French Connection.

Spring/summer style advice: patterned playsuits, combining soft/light colours, cropped knitted jumpers for cold nights and a white/light coloured top goes well with a heavy colour or a patterned skirt.

I really like the grey skirt and the light pink shorts! There's a random blue dress in the mix because I've started thinking about what to wear for my graduate ball (ah!), by the way, I do like the dress (I'd happily wear a maxi dress over a body con style dress), but I think it's a bit too low cut plus I'm trying to avoid purchasing a blue/black/grey dress.

Edit: forget low cut, I just saw the dress on the Asos catwalk thing and it looks even better.

Summer skirts

own image and vanessa jackman.

I was so happy when I found the above vintage polk dot skirt (it's not from Topshop); I've been wearing it for the past few months but it's actually a summer skirt, because the material is like silk and basically annoying to wear on windy days. I'm currently on the look out for the perfect forest green skirt; I like the above two skirts.

I think everyone has a comfort zone with skirts, I know I'm not the sort of person to wear a tight skirt (no way!), or a skirt as short as Jourdan Dunns' (bottom, left image) and without tights. It's partly because I don't really like male attention from strangers, plus I strongly believe in leaving more to the imagination.

Off topic: I really like Kevin Spacey's voice and the background music in the American Airlines adverts; I've been seeing the ads a lot lately but mostly on business websites.

Do you sense the theme?

vanessa jackman; zara; style.com

I've never wanted pink (and green) trousers as much as I do now; they would look perfect in the summer.

A first glance, I thought the woman with the polka dot dress was Alexa Chung. On the same webpage was the street style image of Alexa Chung dressed almost exactly the same; I couldn't resist putting the two images side-by-side. So, who wore the look well?? I'll let you be the judge of that, ultimately, it may just come down to whether you prefer polka dots or stripes.

Have a great week!

silk.

source: oh fashion model; styleclicker; style.com and stylein.

I love the material but it's a nightmare to maintain and control, but when worn well it can instantly make you stand out and look amazing, plus it feels great against the skin. The silk pink skirt is from Filippa K's f/w 2011 collection, the centre image on the bottom row is from Stylein's s/s 2011 collection, the looks on either side of it are from Theyskens' Theory's s/s 2011 collection.

I think if water was a material it would be silk; it's the way it moves when in motion and the feel.

My favourite song at the moment: Radiohead - Codex (Mojib remix).

Delicate.

My sister who is an art student, well to be more precise an illustration student, has a natural style lean towards colours and patterns, but having followed my blog since it began, she said I had inspired her to tone down her style. I was completely surprised because colours and patterns were her thing, and I tried to tell her not to lose her own essence. I'm happy to say she only toned it down moderately, but she definitely still loves her patterns. She recently sent me an e-mail with a link for the above collection by Gretchin Jones, I wasn't amazed straight away because there were a few looks in the collection that made me think '30+ year old, fashion interested woman', and then I saw the above looks which I really like; the subtle patterns, the crop t-shirt (which adds a youthful edge), and the combination of the dark mustard yellow shorts with grey is brilliant.

Back to basics.

source: oh fashion model; unknown.

The great thing about spring and summer is the ability to go back to basics without layering, so a simple blouse that hangs well with a pair of light trousers or jeans can be a great, minimal look in s/s; it's also a great way to get away with being fashionably lazy.

I have to admit, I don't personally think women look great with shirts buttoned up to the top; it just looks uncomfortable in most cases, but Yasmin Sewell unsurprisingly does the look justice. The runway look is from Theyskens' Theory s/s11, I have that exact same silk like black vest the model is wearing but it is slightly a bit too big on me, though I do feel like wearing it now.

Steve Alan s/s 2011

What's there not to like? It's simple, European chic.

I would happily devote my whole summer holiday wardrobe to emanate solely from this collection, particularly since it oozes Margaret Howell, and Samantha Pleet.

Je t'aime: Paul Smith A/W '11

My current favourite items are in this collection: boy fit jeans, grey coat and coloured trousers.

It took a while but I found out who the designer of this collection was. Having browsed the entire collection, I pretty much liked everything. I've only posted my top favourite looks since it's technically not autumn or winter, but I so want to recreate all the looks! The looks are reminiscent of an a/w collection by Margaret Howell but with a lot less of a conservative or sterile feel, which don't get me wrong perfectly suits Howell's collection.

Essential items regardless of season.

Cafe Mode: Golestaneh: stockholm streetsyle: jak & jil.

Grey is the colour you go for when you feel in a good enough mood to not wear black, but the mood isn't quite good enough to tempt you into a more statement defining colour. I have far too many variants of black blazers it's almost irritating: I don't know how I accumulated so many black blazers (in different styles!) and yet not a single one is grey. I have a grey coat, like the first two images above, but a lot more formal -dressing down with it looks great because of the contrast but it's also hard to dress down because of it's strong structure. I'd love to own one of the above two coats, I would use and abuse it to no end.

My uni is taking us all on a trip into the heart of London (more specifically to The Gherkin for a lecture) and I'm kind of unsure as to what to wear: how formal do I go (I'm only a student)? My classmates who are guys will wear suits, so should I wear a suit? I don't feel completely comfortable in a suit, but I don't want to stand out in a dress (particularly as it will require wearing heels and I don't want to over tower the guys, which I will end up doing!). I honestly don't know how women working in the City do it!