“This season is all about exploring self-expression and style personalities.
Natasha Poly effortlessly embodies the multi-facets of today’s women. Be bold, fierce and experimental.”
-Creative Director, Rebecca Farrar-Hockley
Introducing, the AW16 Kurt Geiger Advertising campaign, featuring Natasha Poly. The campaign itself is pure Kurt Geiger - bringing sexy, chic and powerful shoes and accessories to the KG girl.
For Women’s Fall Winter 2016 collection, Kurt Geiger introduces elevated soles with 90’s soft leather ankle platform boots, knot details across satin mules, polished knee-high boots, hybrid loafers, slouchy ultra-soft over-the-knee boots, bold velvet sneakers, bespoke brocade mid-heel boots, feature heel boots and midnight hour embellished evening heels in glittering constellations.
Modern elegance continues this season with the introduction of the Britt - a soft but structured everyday handbag to join the iconic London tote and Penelope hobo. The London tote is beautifully crafted in autumnal blue and moss green Saffiano leather while the Penelope hobo now comes in new proportions from mini to XXL.
The collection is complemented by fun heart-shaped cross-bodies for extra special adornments available in high shine and leopard finishes.
“I really enjoyed being part of the Kurt Geiger Autumn Winter campaign. The collection is all about having the freedom to wear what you want, whatever your mood.
In this day and age there is no rule book! Express your identity through the power of fashion and have fun!
-Natasha Poly
Self Portrait // Whistles // ASOS // ASOS Premium // Topshop // Zara
This season, I’ve grown very partial to the jumpsuit. Honestly, I never thought I’d be able to pull one off – I always thought they only suited skinny, 6ft something ladies with no curves. But, I decided to give one a go, and I haven’t looked back.
Heck, I may even wear one at my hen party in a few weeks!
Here are a few I've spotted on the high street recently.
The only thing I will recommend, is making sure you’re with someone you trust if the jumpsuit has a zip – it can be quite a tricky situation to be in if you need someone to unzip you when in the ladies. Trust me, I’ve been there.
Today’s post is all about my favourite florists I’m inspired by. I get most of my inspiration via Instagram – I prefer it to Pinterest and I find it less overwhelming as well!
Below are a few accounts I follow. If you can think of any other florists I should be following, let me know.
Flower Girl NYC
One I always swoon over without fail. Flower Girl is based in New York and has very quickly grown a huge following. Effortlessly cool, creating some gorgeous arrangements, for private clients and brands such as Chanel and Marc Jacobs. They have two majorly chic stores in Manhattan and a helluva lot of followers over on Instagram.
Ivy Florence
UK-based, Ivy Florence was set up just over a year ago and has grown very fast. Owned by a very lovely friend of mine, Jenna creates beautiful arrangements and bouquets for all occasions. Her instagram is full of pretty flowers and setups and is perfect for brides to be who are looking for inspiration, or a florist for their wedding!
The Flower Show Presents
@katiesflowershow
Taylor Tomasi Hill
Maxi Dress // Military Jacket // Denim Jumpsuit // Sequin Bomber Jacket // Floral Culottes
ASOS is the ultimate online store. With thousands of pieces available to purchase, and so many brands aside from their own, it is a perfect place to shop if you don't like heading out at a weekend and battling the crowds of shoppers on the high street.
Check out my favourite pieces above - all currently in my 'saved items' I'm having to resist temptation until payday!
Check out my favourite pieces above - all currently in my 'saved items' I'm having to resist temptation until payday!
This Summer I decided to step out of my 'comfort zone closet' and try something new.
Whilst doing my usual Sunday evening online browse session, this Warehouse stripe jumpsuit caught my attention and I decided to give it a whirl. I've always been put off by jumpsuits, thinking that they only suit the 6ft slim ladies out there but, I've been pleasantly surprised how often I've worn this.
The perfect day-to-night outfit, and although it's slightly tricky to get out of when you need a wee it is definitely one of my favourite pieces of the moment.
The last few weeks have been a tad busy. I've been here, there and everywhere and now I'm on full wedding countdown, it doesn't look like it's going to slow down anytime soon.
It's always important to look after yourself - even at the busiest of times. I try and take an evening off from the screens in my house (including the phone) and relax. It may sound harder than it is, but I have the perfect pamper routine that will get you in the zone.
Rub-a-dub-dub
Run a bath and pop in your favourite bath product. It could be a bath bomb from Lush, or some relaxing bath salts (I use L'Occitane Aromachologie Relaxing Bath Salts). I'll also be lighting a couple of candles and dimming the lights - who says you need to go to a spa for the ultimate relaxation experience?
Face time
When I plan on having a long soak in the tub, I use that time to give myself a DIY facial. I always remove my makeup beforehand with my trusty Bioderma Micellar water and then give myself a double cleanse with my Eve Lom Cleanser, followed by a light exfoliation and a face mask which I choose depending on how my skin has been acting recently. This time I used the Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Face Mask as it helps unblock pores. I wait until I'm out of the bath before applying an overnight moisturizing mask which I grabbed a load of from Sephora when I was in NYC back in March.
Relax
If the above hasn't relaxed you enough, then hopefully the next part will. This is when I give my nails a bit of a spruce followed by a paint. I don't tend to paint my nails that often - mainly because I can't be arsed to sit still and wait for them to dry, and I quite like having them done at The Final Nail in Brighton. However, I was recently sent the Red Carpet Manicure Kit and although there's a fair few steps to do, it lasts a lot longer on my nails than regular nail polish and saves me the money I would've spent on having my nails done.
Finally
To keep with the 'no screen / tech' rule, I grab the book I'm currently reading, slap on my overnight face mask and curl up on the bed. At the moment I'm reading The Girls by Emma Cline which is a fairly intense story but I also have Lean In 15 by The Body Coach on my bedside table as I love to have a flick through and plan the meals I'm going to be making that week. (If you haven't got this cookbook, I highly recommend it - the meals are all so delicious)
As I’m sure I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m doing my own wedding flowers - from table arrangements to buttonholes and my own bouquet. As you may have seen in last week's flower related post, I did my friend's wedding flowers in New York and they went pretty well.
I decided that I wanted a bit more practice before my wedding so last month, I booked myself onto a hand-tied Summer Bouquet flower arranging workshop with the lovely Katie from Flower Show Presents. Katie has been working with flowers for over ten years, and has set up flower workshops for people like me who love to express their creativity with flowers and want to learn more on arranging them.
Katie talks you through the steps very carefully, and is on hand if you get stuck. She gave me some great advice for doing my own wedding flowers, which will come in so handy.
- Keep them in a light environment but, not not in the direct sun and heat. This can brown the petals.
- To give them a bit more longevity, trim the stems after a few days and give them clean water.
One of the most timeless pieces in the wardrobe, the denim jacket is a favourite and such a great piece for women and men.
I’m on the hunt for a denim jacket at the moment, and I’d like one that’s a little different to the generic style. The ones above are all from the high street and available online. Plus, they’re all have a little design difference on them – from wash to embroidery to shape these jackets are great if you’re looking for something that stands out.
I’m on the hunt for a denim jacket at the moment, and I’d like one that’s a little different to the generic style. The ones above are all from the high street and available online. Plus, they’re all have a little design difference on them – from wash to embroidery to shape these jackets are great if you’re looking for something that stands out.
I’m in London a fair bit – mainly for work, so on the rare occasion that I’m visiting the city for fun I try and do something a little different.
The other week, I had some time to kill before heading to meet a friend. As the sun was shining, and I had my trainers with me I decided to walk through Hyde Park via the Serpentine.
Each Summer they have an architecture installation within the park. For 2016 they decided to commission four architects to each design a Summer House. The four Summer Houses are inspired by the nearby Queen Caroline’s Temple, a classical style summer house, built in 1734 and a stone’s throw from the Serpentine Gallery.
Yona Friedman’s Summer House (above) reminded me of a huge climbing frame. My inner child was very tempted to start climbing, but I thought it would be best if I didn't. It takes the form of a modular structure that can be assembled and disassembled in different formations.
Barkow Leibinger were inspired by another, now extinct, 18th Century pavilion also designed by William Kent, which rotated and offered 360 degree views of the Park.
The Summer House is constructed from plywood and timber, materials intrinsically in harmony with the looping geometry of the structure.
The Serpentine Pavilion, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), is an ‘unzipped wall’ that is transformed from straight line to three-dimensional space, creating a dramatic structure that by day houses a café and free family activities and by night becomes a space for the Serpentine’s acclaimed Park Nights programme of performative works by artists, writers and musicians.
If you find yourself in the area, go and check them out. Heck, even grab a picnic and make an afternoon of it.
The Pavilion is open daily from 10am to 6pm, with all installations hanging around until early October.
Summer is coming and even though it’s not been a great start weather-wise, I’m still excited to try out all the summery nail polishes on my toes.
I was kindly sent the new Morgan Taylor Street Beat collection, and over the last couple of weeks I’ve been giving them a good old testing.
With six new shades including a crisp, striking coral, powerful pink pearl, fierce teal, wild style yellow orange crème, and more.
The collection is made up of six new shades– two crème, and four with contrasting shimmers all are very vibrant and perfect for the Summer. Here’s the lowdown on each one;
B-Girl Style
A Barbie pink neon colour, with a blueish-purple shimmer. I love wearing this on my toes
Cou-tour The Streets
A bubblegum pink crème, this colour is very soft and a nice break in the collection from the other bright colours.
Give Me A Break-Dance
A teal colour with a slight pearl shimmer. I tend to stick to my usual pinks / reds / nudes when it comes to my nails. This shade is gorgeous when applied but, not for me.
Street Cred-ible
A sunflower yellow colour, although it is more neon than a sunflower! I’d say my least favourite of the collection and also the most difficult shade to apply.
Hip Hot Coral
This beats Essie’s Lounge Lover hands down! A hot coral colour with a golden shimmer – the perfect Summer shade!
Tag, You’re It
A hot neon pink polish with a slight blueish shimmer. Perfect for the toes but, I wouldn’t necessarily wear it on my fingers
The collection is definitely one to try if you're looking for some new Summer shades to add to your collection.
The Morgan Taylor Street Beat Collection is available from here now.
I’ll let you into a little secret - I’ve always dreamt of being a florist, and recently I’ve decided to try and have a little go at it. For the next few weeks, I’ll be doing a ‘flowers on Friday’ post on WLDN – it may become a permanent fixture on this little corner of the internet so keep your eyes peeled.
Back in March, I went to New York for my best friend’s wedding. I offered to do her wedding flowers - mainly because she was getting quotes back from florists over there that were more than my rent! But also because it was a great opportunity to start my dream.
I was lucky enough to be staying at a hotel right next to the New York City Flower Market on 28th Street. Home to what feels like a tropical oasis in the middle of a hectic NYC, the flower district is offers beautiful blooms, plants, shrubbery and all things green. The streets are lined with tall plants and trees making you feel like you’re hundreds of miles away from where you actually are.
Here are a few tips I picked up along the way;
- Arrive early, the market actually opens at 5am but that is when many of the “big deal” event planners/ florists go
- Everything is sold in “bundles or wraps” we bought Ranunculus and Roses in bundles of 30 stems
- A few of the vendors require an account but most of them will sell to anyone
- Prices are pretty consistent, and don’t seem to vary too much
- Do your research prior - go with an idea of what you’d like. Otherwise you’ll get completely lost in the flowers!
- Don’t be shy…there are no prices on anything, so you must interact with those who work there.
- When it gets closer to 11am, try and do a little negotiating. The vendors may give you a reduced price on flowers that are close to their shelf life expiring
- It is totally self service, you walk in, see what you want, and there are these large metal shelves where you put your items as you shop, that is standard
- They will wrap them up in brown paper and off you go
A few ideas Sara had for her big day:
- Simple, yet chic
- English country garden
- Daisy's. Daffodils. Peonies. Green. Roses
We got there at around 8.30am, which we found was the perfect time to go as it wasn’t too busy. After a bit of browsing in a few stores we found one that would sell to us and off we went! We then headed to a shop called Jack's - sort of like a £1 shop but way better to pick up some tubs, and jars.
Then, I got to work in my hotel room, using the shower cubicle to store all the flowers in!
And the finished pieces I came up with are below.
Unnerving at first for any amateur, handpicking flowers with my best friend the day before her wedding (slightly jet-lagged) was a very magical experience and gave it that little bit more of a personal touch.
Whistles is one of my favourite stores on the high street. Although it may be a little expensive, the quality is brilliant and, if you're into the transitional wardrobe like me they have some seriously stylish pieces for this season and beyond.
With this in mind, I've decided that this weeks edit is dedicated to them. Great for work, play and nights out, Whistles is the perfect go to brand for chic, wardrobe staples. Most pieces I've purchased recently from the brand, are perfect dress-up/dress-down numbers – the best excuse for splashing that little bit more cash.
I’ve lived in Brighton all my life, and one of my favourite times of year in the city is the start of Summer. There are various events taking up residency across the city, giving it a new lease of life. Colour starts popping up everywhere making Brighton that little bit brighter...even on a rainy Summers day.
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