The Perfect Evening Jacket....and more...

Style Theory: A black, fitted, longline evening jacket, the perfect addition to your capsule wardrobe, can be thrown over skinny jeans and a shirt in the cooler summer evenings and worn with a dress, opaques and heels for a smarter evening look in Autumn.

I have a black jacket hole in my wardrobe which was filled when Gray and Osbourn sent me this longline jacket. It is the kind of coat that looks just as good with distressed boyfriend jeans as it does with tailored trousers, heels and a shirt. I styled it with leather skorts and a touch of denim for a dressed up/dressed down look. 

Jacket: Gray and Osbourn (Gifted)
Faux Leather Skorts: Zara
Denim Sleeveless Shirt: H&M
Shoes: Zara

Gray and Osbourn have some fabulous brands on their website, generally regarded as for the older lady there really are a few gems that would be fabulous for all ages this Autumn/Winter..including a beautiful pale blue coat (my current obsession!) Here are a selection of my favourite items:

Helene Berman Wool-Rich Coat £190

Oui Wool-Rich Pastel Coat £259

Esprit Mohair-Blend Jumper £55

Seasalt Stripe Organic Cotton Top £30

Gray and Osbourn Duffle Bag £110

There are a lot of fabulous and useful pieces in the collection from varied selection of brands, definitely worth a look

Photos of Schoolrunstyle by LasCallesdeBarcelona

Do you have a 'go to' black jacket that it a main player in your capsule wardrobe, how do you style it? 

As always I would love to hear your thought and comments, until next time, Frances x

Summer Blues

Style Theory: This Autumn/Winter, summer pastels blend into winter pastels with blue playing a leading role. Ice blues are mixed with navys and royal blue....layer upon layer of colour, with lots of texture thrown in for good measure, think furs, leathers and glitter...

So let's start with a pale blue coat, here are some ideas of how to style:

Pale blue look fabulous with metallic accessories

Wear with all black for a sleek look

Wear your winter coat now over skirts, shorts or dresses

Be brave with textures this season..mix them up

Blue on blue looks chic, add a hint of camel to finish the look

All images above from Pinterest

I know it seems early to be looking at winter coats but it is a good idea to buy early as the good ones sell out quick. I also like having a winter coat now as you can throw it over denim shorts, skirts or dresses in late summer evenings (or days when it is this cold), so you can get a lot of wear out of it.

I have been debating between a blue and camel coat, I think a camel coat is timeless but when I was in M&S the other day I stumbled across their duck-egg coat in my size and couldn't resist..here it is and how I have styled it:

Marks and Spencer Wool Rich Long Coat Duck Egg £110

Coat: M&S £110
Jumper: Cos
Jeans: Gap (old)
Sandals: H&M

At the moment the M&S blue coat is sold out online but I saw lots in my local larger M&S may be worth checking out if you fancy this one, It is not super thick and the fabric is a little worn looking but I am a sucker for a lovely colour!

Here are some other gorgeous pale blue coats available on the High Street now:

Ted Baker Epine Cocoon Coat £229

Hobbs Hettie Coat £269

French Connection Skyline Wool Coat £195

New Look Funnel Neck Coat £49

Asos Faux Fur Hooded Duffle Coat £75

River Island Faux Fur (detachable) Oversize Wool Coat £90
This look better without the fur collar.

Zara Coloured Fur coat £69.99

This is a bit of a crazy green/blue for coat but I just think it is stunning and was sooo tempted to get it!

serious face....on second thoughts maybe I look a bit aboninable snowman in it?!

Have you thought about or bought your winter coat yet, are you going for a coloured one or sticking with the timeless and stylish Camel or Black?

As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, until next time, Frances x

The Ultimate Cosy Knitwear and more from Esprit

Style Theory: Warm, soft and substantial, my new Esprit cardigan for the cooler summer evenings and days.

AW14 is going to be all about knitwear and this cardigan fits the bill, it is a heavy but very soft knit with a scarf attached for warmth.

Cardigan: Esprit Outdoor Chunky Cardigan with Scarf £75
Camisole: Topshop similar here
Shorts: Gap now £19.99
Bag: TK Maxx similar here
Shoes: Russell and Bromley 

Esprit has been off my radar for a while, but after spotting and ordering this cardigan on their website I realise they have quite a few gems for my capsule wardrobe....

Sheer Chiffon Polka Blouse £29

This is a fab little blouse, the sheer fabric ensures it hangs well and the blouse is gathered at the bottom, perfect for disguising a tummy like mine. I would wear this with skinny ankle length jeans and a pair of flat leopard print pumps or heels. Mixing spots and animal prints makes the look subtly edgier.

Edc Stretch Ankle Length Jeans £55

The knee detail of these jeans makes them a little different from the basic skinny, it adds a biker look to them without being too full on. The dark indigo wash is flattering and I am a big fan of ankle length jeans..I have been chopping all mine to make them the right length this year leaving the bottom frayed.

Woolly Cape £150

On the Autumn/Winter 14 catwalks capes were featured heavily (again!) This one would tick the trend perfectly.

Suede Wedge Ankle Boots £75

Love these suede boots, they have a concealed wedge inside therefore lifting your leg a little higher out the boot for a more flattering look, elongating your legs and making you that little bit taller. Perfect schoolrun boots.

All fairly neutral colours, but mix them up with the palest pink or pale blue scarves to bring this season's colour palette into your outfit.

Is Esprit on your radar, have you bought anything from there recently? I have no doubt I will get lots of wear out of my cardigan, it has been so useful so far through these chilly summer days we have been having, seriously where did the summer go?

As always I would love to hear your thought and comments, until next time, Frances xxxx

Photographed by LasCallesdeBarcelona

Cosy And Chic...The Oversized Cardigan

Style Theory: Cosy and chic, a comfy, soft oversized cardigan to wrap around you as the evenings become colder or to make coming back from a hot summer holiday just a bit easier.

Oversize knitwear is hot news for AW14 and cardigans are perfect for the end of the summer and into the Autumn. They look as good over denim shorts as skinny jeans, and work over a chic tailored dress. Cardigans will certainly play a big role in your 2014/15 wardrobe.

Here are a few ideas of how to style:

Love the gold belt wrapped round this cardigan

Stunning muted colours blended together

A grey cardigan look great over a white cotton blouse and skinny jeans.

Wear your grey cardigan with white jeans for a chic look...

A cardigan looks fab thrown over a denim dress.

All images above from Pinterest

Now for the best on the high street to wrap yourself in the cold evenings:

Topshop Festival Cardigan £45

This is a perfect transitional cardigan, the colours are gorgeous and it is so soft. It would look fab with a grey marl T-Shirt, distressed denim shorts and sandals.

Topshop Stretchy Slouchy Cardigan £48

Love the flattering length of this, again it would look fab over shorts and in the winter over ankle length skinny black jeans and pointed flat shoes.

Zara Hooded Cardigan £35.99

The hooded detail on this cardigan and pockets make it super cosy. Wear now over white skinny jeans and a grey tee.

Jigsaw rice Stitch Cardigan £119

Blue will be a major player this Autumn/Winter, layer this beautiful dark blue cardigan under a pale blue coat with white jeans for a beautiful, tonal look.

Warehouse Boucle Coatigan at John Lewis £65

Pink was featured again on the AW14 catwalk, this cardigan will work with summer pale greys and whites as well as over a black sweater and skinny jeans in the winter.

Asos Aran Cardigan in Longer Length £32

A classic Aran cardigan in a longer length, it looks fab over a summer ditsy print floral dress. Wear with distressed boyfriend jeans in the winter.

Asos Longline Cardigan in Brushed Check £45

Check again reigns supreme in AW14, love the large check on this cardigan in muted colours.

Hush Cardigown £95

A super cosy, thick cardigan that you can style with almost anything from tailored black dresses to jeans.

After a few years of knitwear being all about jumpers, this year cardigans are really making a comeback and I will most definitely be investing in a few...will you?

MY STYLE:

My style since returning from holiday....It has been all about keeping warm, lots of layering..

For drinks in Wimbledon village with friends

Jacket: Zara
Shirt: H&M
Jeans: Gap
Sandals: H&M
Bag: Spain
Scarf (in hand): Becksondergaard

For a spot of shopping with the kids..

Top: Cos
Blazer: Zara
Jeans: MiH Paris
Shoes: Russell and Bromley

For an evening out, drinks at The Shard followed by a meal at Barbecoa, can highly recommend to any steak-lovers, it was delicious!

Dress: M&S
Shoes: Nine West
Jacket: Asos
Bag: TK Maxx

And tonight it is my husbands birthday so we are treating him to Pizza Express (lucky him?!!) it is the kids favourite and as they are guaranteed to eat their dinner there..Pizza Express it is!

Are you looking to knitwear now seeing as summer has deserted us? As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments...until next time Frances xxx