Fur Coat, No Knickers

My ongoing search for a wedding-appropriate outfit took me to Westfield this weekend, which was quite good fun. I generally give Westfield a thumbs up – I’m not a great fan of shopping malls, but Westfield does what it’s supposed to do very well. Going on a Saturday afternoon was never going to be a calm, serene shopping experience but it had more interesting shops than I expected – COS, Prada, Urban Outfitters, Jaeger, John Lewis – and an incredible array of places to eat. It actually felt like there were more food places than shops, it was a world away from ~The Oasis~ at Meadowhall, home of so many teenage adventures.

Anyway – I didn’t find anything very exciting to wear, but I did get a remarkable River Island belt which owes quite a lot to 80s Versace. Always a good thing, right? It’s thin black velvet, bedazzled with gold, crystal-embellished leopard heads. It’s hideous, quite frankly, but just the thing to cheer me up after a disheartening afternoon’s shopping.

I can’t find it online, but it was £20 and there were loads in-store!

I like an Olsen as much as the next girl, but hadn’t been entirely convinced by Elizabeth’s style credentials until this week. I mean sure she’s pretty, she’s talented, she’s presentable… but where’s the bananas gene? The mad nana aspect? So far, so pleasant.

A delight, then, to see her in this Topshop Tiger Sweater at Sundance this week. A rococo masterpiece, all black and gold, chains and tiger print. I particularly like the tigers standing proudly by a pile of foliage, which kind of resembles the dismembered corpse of a dinosaur. Or is that just me?

On the subject of tigers;

Awesome tiger-themed letter [click to enlarge, of course].

Dream Versace shoes that still haunt on my mind.

And another Versace tiger offering – a dress dating back (is that weird to say?) to 1994. Gianni at his finest.

I know everyone has seen these new Marni looks already, but I do love them dearly so here they are again. Inspirations include golf, rockabilly and deco shapes, and I am a card-carrying member of the Marni fanclub, so really it’s a no brainer for me.

Classic silhouettes are given a slightly bananas/art teacher twist with juxtaposed fur, plastic, neon and – obv – lots of neoprene and print. Click on the pictures to really gorge yourself in the hi-res details: that resin bow! The tiny tasteful star between the round beads! The tassels on the zips!

I’ve talked before about my fear of the art teacher look – it’s such a perilously fine line between Marni quirk and batshit crazy person on the bus with a problem. I know some people look at Marni layering and automatically freak out, but to me the above is a masterclass in how to do it, and do it well. Look #1 and #3 are just works of art to me.

Dreamy, the lot of it.

… Well, kind of.

There’s up to 70% off in the final sale clearance at My Wardobe now, and I have an extra 20% code off so… that’s basically 90% off, right?

Still not enough to make this Alexander McQueen Shearling Cape within my budget, but there’s tonnes of stuff for less than £100 and that’s before my sneaky extra discount.

Sale ends midnight on Monday – type in SALEEXTRA20 at the checkout for your extra discount.

It probably shouldn’t, but this 1967 Seagram advert warning about the dangers of drinking and driving got me thinking about my continued search for a Clueless-style checked skirt suit.

The risk is you look like an overgrown schoolgirl, the payoff is you look awesome.

ASOS Premium Collarless Textured Jacket and Skirt, £90 all in

Vintage Tartan Suit, $48

Pendleton Plaid Wool Skirt Suit, £65

Any size check, small or big… any length skirt, jacket… any colour… Just still can’t find one that totally does it for me.

I posted this on Facebook just before Christmas, but in case anyone had the misfortune to miss it…

Here’s me as a dazzling blonde in my favourite sheep jumper at some point in the 80s.

Princess Diana wore something very similar in 1983, but I don’t think my mam knitted mine in homage – she’s not a royalist by any stretch of the imagination. I imagine Woman was stuffed full of Di-inspired knitting patterns at the time though, so perhaps that’s where she found it. I was obsessed with sheep at this stage in my life so it was a very thoughtful gift.

Finally, here’s the See by Chloe sheep jumper which everyone went bananas for last Christmas.

Funny how things turn out, I’d kil for my sheepy sweater now.

Earlier this summer I bought the Whistles Alex Denim Skater Dress, and it’s fast become one of the most worn items in my wardrobe. Its lack of collar makes it perfect for layering and it’s exactly the right neutral shade of denim to go with just about everything. The one I bought is also a little big which, again, makes it great for layering – especially with jumpers come winter. I didn’t realise Pippa Middleton had it until I Googled for a picture just now, but haters gonna hate, whatevs – it’s just a supremely wearable denim dress that is going to work perfectly next summer as well as seeing me through this winter.

Since I bought it, here are some of the items I have worn underneath it and around it. This was going to be an outfit post but it’s just too dark all the time so… soz. This also serves as a revolting reminder of the amount of shit I’ve purchased recently although there is a bit of artistic Polyvore licence at work in some outfits…

Diverse eh? I can do everything from demure to predictable-goth with this bad boy. The good news is that the Alex is now £60 on Whistles but they only have a couple of sizes. It’s available in a wider array but for money at ASOS and John Lewis.

At some point in the not too distant future, Twin will be abandoning us for a new life in the Sunshine State.

When I saw the Jenni Kayne Spring 2012 collection today it seemed like the kind of stuff I envision Twin wearing once she’s set up and working in LA. Preppy, pink, twin-sets… It even matches her bike. You can’t really argue with this neat, breezy style – “Country-club chic combined with urban athleticism,” is how Jenni described the collection – how I long to be so well-presented.

Getting the visa may be a struggle, but at least I’ve got your working wardrobe sorted, eh?