September Squares

It's that time of the month again where I pimp out my Instagram feed and recap the month's events through carefully arranged collages.  I've been away a fair bit, which has made the weeks go even faster and I'm trying to get used to the arrival of Autumn and putting my summer dresses away for another year.

Goodies at The Apartment - FNO haul - I want a Cath Kidston house takeover please

Some of the JW Anderson bits I kept - Obsessed with the new Diana Vreeland book after watching the film - Marni shoes at the Farfetch Digital Dress Up event

Acne heart jumper love - CDG purses at My Wardrobe HQ

A hearty breakfast - The new Krispy Kreme range went down well in my house

A surprise picnic for Carrie - Healthy yet addictive treats at the Aussie pamper day - A midnight (or rather 3am) feast

Who will win Street Fashion Week? - Deckchairs in Portmeirion - Wales through a train window

Kindness in colour - Ashish does geek chic - Surprise fireworks at Bestival

Loved everything about this tent - Twinsies - Hello Isle of Wight

Finally worked out that Everything Everything sing a few songs I know - A pool party in The Portico Rooms

Saying goodbye to the cottage - Matchy Matchy - Random tartan nails

I'm on a boat! - Making the most of coastal views

alixcherry - garypeppergirl - oliviapurvis

londonlottie - camtyox - thecoveteur

To change things up a bit, I thought I'd start including a few of my favourite Instagram accounts to follow.  Mixing the seemingly mundane with interesting outings and inspiring arrangements, these users manage to provide snapshots into their lives that you wouldn't usually see, all with a carefully chosen filter.  Do you have any particular favourites you'd like to recommend?

Remember to follow me @fashionknitsta to see my pictures as and when they happen.  There's a few exhibitions I'm determined to see (Chanel and Biba) plus a few new restaurants I want to visit.  I'm excited for the months ahead!

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Just Cos

I'm a bit of a COS addict these days.  The shopping experience is always a pleasant one, with perfectly ordered rails and the right mix of forever and 'this season' pieces at a price that isn't too out of reach.  COS prices are the kind of prices I wish certain other stores would emulate, namely Sandro, Maje, The Kooples, Whistles and Jaeger, the list goes on.  They're enough to make you feel that you are buying an elevated product but still affordable so that you are able live off something more substantial than baked beans.  For my sole day of fashion week, I ended up wearing a helluva lot of the brand purely by accident.  If you cast your minds back to last year, you might remember the start of my search for a trench coat. I spied the COS version when it first came out back in March and practically leapt into the shop once I'd realised it was on sale.

Trench, Jumper - COS

Skirt - c/o Very

Name Necklace - Tatty Devine

 Low smart shoes - c/o Spartoo Shoes
Ring - Weekday

Bag - Mulberry

Is anyone else completely failing at trying to tackle head-to-toe print?  I ended up returning all of the matchy tops in my J.W Anderson for Topshop order and decided to keep a few skirts to wear with what I already have.  I first spied this cosmic pattern in one of Stella's outfits and was determined to follow suit with the jumper instead of the shirt.  Alas by the time I'd got around to purchasing, the trousers were nowhere to be seen and I had to make do with just a neck to hip print instead.  Still, I love how the design incorporates two of my favourite things, a striking yet understated print and good old knitted sleeves.  For fashion week, footwear-wise I'm now all about comfort and my new Vagabond flatforms were the ideal choice, fitting perfectly from the first wear and handily providing those extra few inches of height.  I do end up stumbling in them a few times but that's mainly due to my own concentration, rather than the design of the shoe. 

Some of the lovely ladies I snapped, which has kick-started my Winter coat envy

Seamlessly moving from one fashion week to another, you might remember that I mentioned that I was taking part in Grazia's Street Fashion Week.  There's been a few articles about the whole people-waiting-to-be-photographed thing at fashion weeks and as much as I love the images of extravagant editors, sometimes I like to see something a tad more relatable and how people dress for a typical day.  Often I'll stumble across some extremely well-dressed strangers out and about (a few weeks ago I even took a candid snap on the Overground of a girl as I loved her effortless combination) so now I finally had a legitimate reason to document these kinds of things. On Monday it was my turn to roam the streets of London and I managed to find some cool outfits, despite the rain, wind and general failure of the weather to cooperate.  It was interesting to go through some of the motions of a street style photographer and work out whether I liked the mixture of clothing and accessories enough to approach someone (I had to restrain myself from stopping everyone who was wearing flatforms).  You'll spy all of the people I snapped on the microsite, including a fashion designer, music journalist and off-duty model with her own appreciation Tumblr!  It's amazing the people you can find on the streets of London and how friendly people can be when they know you love something they're wearing; I definitely got a few shopping ideas and can't wait to find out which city might win!

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The Usual Sparkle

It's pretty much a given that you are going to get slogans and sequins at an Ashish show, complete with a clear theme executed through the music, styling and even down to the socks.  No stone has remained unturned throughout the designer's archive and for SS13, it was time for geeks to rule again. A muse after my own heart, she prefers to instinctively create random outfits, combining sequins with streetwear before concentrating on quadratic equations.  The colour palette was simpler this time in comparison to last season's extravaganza, with plenty of pale denim and a monochromatic embellished numbers. Although sportswear has been a popular and versatile trend, it's important to keep reviving it with a new slant, so this time we had plenty of splicing, exaggerated hemlines and low backs to keep the surprises coming.  The numbers print and sheer polka dotted combinations towards the end were involved in my favourite looks but what I'm really hoping is that it will be acceptable to wear mismatched socks out in public again.

See the rest of the collection (and bits my camera failed to snap) here and let me know if you're similarly charmed by the numbers print and sparkly socks.

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Exploring the Unknown

In keeping with my mission to discover more of the UK, something had to be done about my knowledge of Wales.  My first and only trip took place when I was a child and Butlins seemed like the best thing ever so I was glad to be given the chance to rectify this thanks to Cath Kidston and to experience the charming village of Portmeirion for myself.  Alas I'm too young to remember the original Prisoner series that took place there, where the village had a far more sinister purpose, so I was seeing everything with fresh unknowing eyes.  There is an other-worldy feel about the architecture, which makes you think that you could be somewhere far more Mediterranean than North Wales if it weren't for the weather, making it the perfect setting for a boutique festival of this sort.  At first the line-up seemed like a sea of names I'd never heard of, but with the help of Olivia I managed to discover three new bands (Summer Camp, Kindness, Beth Jeans Houghton) and get the perfect view from the front of the crowd each time.

I'm slightly gutted I missed some of the comedy acts and other activities on offer, due to exploring all of the hidden nooks and crannies while there was still daylight.  It's pretty much impossible to cover everything you want at the best of times, but when the village boasts an old railway and walks through the woods, you can be prone to moments of indecision.  We decided to explore the gardens to their fullest, browsing the trinkets and chutneys on sale before attempting to watch the sunset by the beach. 

Jacket - Topshop

Jumper - c/o Pure Collection

Skirt - Monki

Tights - Primark

Socks - Cath Kidston

Brogues - Office

Necklace - Me & Zena

It wouldn't be a British festival without plenty of rain and I somehow failed to mirror my Bestival packing skills by leaving my wellies and hat at home.  My favourite brogues are now pretty much ruined but I was already prepared for their demise after noticing a few holes due to extending wear over the past few years.  I think I might have to create a sort of 'Master Packing List' for these sorts of situations so I don't forget important necessities and leave silly things like flatforms at home.  It seems like camouflage jackets are everywhere at the moment, making us into an army of sorts.   Instead of dismissing the trend, I decided to ask for one as a birthday present to put my own spin on and like the idea of wearing it with something unexpected like Jen does here (I'm also extremely jealous of her Phillip Lim t-shirt).   I'm forever on the hunt for quality knitwear to team with my many skirts and dresses, so chose this cashmere sweatshirt from Pure to add an Autumnal touch to any Summer items I'm not ready to let go of quite just yet.

So it looks like that's it for my festival posts and the Summer itself! It's been nice knowing you, slightly-above-average temperatures and lazing around in the park and instead I'll look forward to cosy afternoons in cafés and rediscovering my tights collection again.

A massive thanks to Charlotte at Cath Kidston for such a wonderful weekend with two of my blogger buddies, this kind of bonding needs to happen more often!

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Jump in the Pool

As soon as I stepped into The Portico Rooms for the Tata Naka presentation, I could tell that I was in a surreal version of a late 1950s pool party.  I'm always amazed at how this room transforms for the multiple presentations that take place during a single day and as per usual, Tata Naka were cleverly using the space to shoot lookbook images as well as show off the collection.  You get to observe the process as the models change looks from behind a wall at lightening speed to keep everything running smoothly.  Cut out details were everywhere, adding an element of surprise for typically demure shapes all in saturated ice-cream colours.  This was a pleasant take on the popular retro trend, allowing us to put a 2012 all-knowing spin on what has gone before and seeing the original inspiration of Slim Aaron's socialite photography in a new light.  It was incredibly difficult for me to leave before seeing all of the looks, especially as the soundtrack was perfectly suited with 'Beauty School Drop Out', but luckily I still made it to the next show on time and felt bolstered by such a glamorous start to the day.

My sole day at London Fashion Week was an eventful one; I managed to pack in six shows (hardly an editor's schedule, I know) and whizz around both of the exhibitions before resting my tired feet at The Apartment.  Expect more posts featuring my favourite pieces from the collections I saw and my conclusions of what SS13 might hold.

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