AW15 - Budget Friendly Wish List

Style Theory: Last week I brought you my AW15 dream wish list, this week is the budget friendly wish list, the reality of the things I will be buying this season...

THE CROSS BODY BAG

Mango @ House of Fraser £24.99

Not a bad Gucci Soho Disco bag 'tribute' this is not leather but looks pretty authentic and is a good, neat size with a double compartments. It comes in lots of different colours from fuchsia to mustard to grey, I must admit black is my favourite for the winter.

THE CAMEL COAT

Lauren Ralph Lauren @ HoF £245

A high to mid priced camel coat, a classic shape so would last you year after year. This coat is 60% wool and is beautifully tailored, I think I will be looking at investing in this coat this year.

New Look Camel Textured Coat £29.99

On the cheaper end of the scale, this coat is 90% polyester but is a great shape and an even greater price. There is also a fab camel coat in Primark (not available online but is in-store at the moment) it is £29.99 (I think?) I tried it on and was impressed by the feel and slouchy look, check out SusieSoso's blog for some fab photos (my snaps in Primark were bad!)...

THE SWEATER 

Asos Maison Scotch Logo Sweater £75

Whistles @House of Fraser £75

Not quite Bella Freud but these two sweaters do the 'logo thing' tastefully, wear with coated leggings (below) or a leather skirt and a pair of heeled ankle boots for a rock chic look.

THE LEATHER TROUSERS

Zara Faux Suede Biker Trousers £39.99

I have these trousers as you can see in the photo above. After trying on lots of faux leather trousers I found these fit the best and were not claustrophobic. Lots of the faux leather were like wearing clingfilm but these are soft and have a nice soft lining that does not suffocate your legs. I have just bought the Boden Off Duty Merino Jumper to go with these for a laid back daytime look.

THE DRESS 

Zara Printed Dress £39.99

This dress does not look great in this photo but it does look gorgeous on. Wear with heeled tan knee high boots and put a slim tan belt around the waist for a cool 70s look, or team with colour pop heels (match to the orange/turquoise or jade flowers) and add a similar hue clutch for a stunning evening outfit.

THE SUNGLASSES

Mango Cat Eye Sunglasses £17.99

So reasonable, super chic and if you lose them/sit on them you will not be devastated as they are not expensive.

THE LEOPARD PRINT BAG

Mango Leather Bag @House Of Fraser £89.99

Still a little pricey but this is such a beautiful bag, leather with faux pony skin look. I have this on my wish list, I love the look above with a simple black sweater, distressed jeans and an animal print bag.

THE SHOES

Topshop £46

Very Miu Miu-esque, wear these shoes with ankle length cut off skinny jeans and an oversize shirt for a cool 2015 look.

THE TRAINERS

HM £19.99

Iconic Stan Smiths, seen on almost every fashionista, these are fabulous tributes at a fraction of the price. You can wear these with everything from jeans to leather leggings to skirts to dresses.

THE PERFUME

JO Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt £42

This scent reminds me of holidays, of the sea crashing against the beach, with an musky earthiness of sage. This, like Tom Fords Neroli Portofino, is a breath of holiday.

This is a far more realistic wish list for my budget, I think I may start with the animal print bag, it is one of those items that will 'lift' my current looks and add a little fashion twist.

Is there anything on this list that would be on your AW15 wish list, are you a budget or a designer girl?

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

My AW15 Wish List

Style Theory: I love writing a wish list, it helps me work out what is realistic, what I should be saving for and puts a few frivolous items out there to gawp at. This season, accessories seem to be taking centre stage, with a dream coat and a couple of pieces of knitwear thrown in to add to my ever-growing list. This is a dream list and normally with these list I find similar on the high street, so here are the originals and I will work on the high street versions and follow up with an affordable version..in the meantime I am going to indulge in a little dream retail therapy.....

The AW15 Wishlist so far...

THE CROSS BODY BAG

Gucci Soho Disco Bag in Black £650

A classic, cool, practical bag. Now I can go out without a mountain of baby items (nappies, food, changes of clothes etc) this is the perfect cross body bag I would chose to replace all my old ones...

THE COAT

MaxMara Studio Ninetta Coat @Matches £448

A forever coat in a classic style. I bought a MaxMara coat when I was 22 at my first PR job..I took it back and bought three cheaper coats..err why?? Such an iconic coat..nothing ever quite matches up to it.

THE SWEATER 

Bella Freud @Net a Porter £270

I have said it before but I LOVE Bella Freud sweaters..so cool, would look fab with black skinny jeans and high, spiked heel black boots. 

THE LEATHER TROUSERS

Hush Leather Leggings £340

These would work hard in my wardrobe with oversize sweaters and chunky boots for the schoolrun or high heeled court shoes and blouses for an evening out.

THE DRESS

D&G @Net-a-Porter £2300

This dress looked amazing on the catwalk, perfectly tailored, full to the brim of style and elegance..a stand out piece.

THE SUNGLASSES

Tom Ford @John Lewis £206

So elegant and chic with a 50s vibe, these sunglasses would make the plainest outfit look cool. Tom Ford is the king of sunglass cool and I love the shape of these, they are so flattering on a round or square face.

THE BACKPACK/BUCKET BAG

Jerome Dreyfuss Alain Leopard Bag @Vestaire Collective £686.19

I am slightly obsessed with Jerome Dreyfuss bags and all things French at the moment. These are chic, understated, the pony skin is the perfect colour and looks amazing with an all black outfit and tux jacket.

THE EVENING SHOE

Miu Miu Shoes @Net-a-porter £515

Pink, glittery with a block heel....what is not to love about this amazing pair of shoes, wear all year round, in the winter for Christmas sparkle, in the summer with cute black summer dresses...absolutely gorgeous...here is how the shoes were styled on the catwalk

THE TRAINER

Nike Flyknit Trainers £130

A little bit of a marmite item but I love these trainers..the colours are gorgeous, the comfort factor is second to none and they look just as good with your little black dress as they would with boyfriend jeans and a sweater.

THE PERFUME

TOM FORD PORTOFINO @JohnLewis £130.50 (10% off price match)

Holiday in a bottle, smells like warm summer evenings abroad, a truly indulgent fragrance.

Portofino Italy via Pinterest

Summer already seems like a long time ago, I miss the holidays, the long light evenings but I do also love the idea of Autumn evenings in front of the fire with a glass of red wine or hot chocolate and I do prefer Autumn and Winter to summer, they are far more exciting!

So there is my AW lust list, a little splash of indulgence as the nights get longer and you feel in need of a little (or big) treat. The majority of these items will never reach my wardrobe but I do have my eye on the Gucci bag and trainers..I best get saving!!

What are your designer loves, do you 'do' designer or do you prefer the high street? As always I would love to hear your thought and comments, until next time (with the more affordable versions of the items above..off to search them out!) Frances xxx

It's In The Stars

Style Theory: All your need to add a little sparkle to your outfit is a healthy dose of stars. Timelessly cool having been given a rock star edge by Kate Moss, a star print will not date, can be so easily dressed up or dressed down and is a super versatile piece in your wardrobe. This season I have fallen for the star print big time...

images via pinterest

Here is my edit of the best online and on the high street..

Red Soul Star Dress @Travelling Bazaar £70

This is one of those 'wear anywhere' dresses, add a pair of spike heeled, black ankle boots and a black fur jacket for Kate Moss glamour (see image below) or dress down with a pair of black opaques and pointed flat shoes. A shirt and skirt in one, makes outfit decisions perfectly simple.

image via Pinterest

Red Soul @Travelling Bazaar £49

I had to buy this top when I tried it on, it is so versatile, I love it under dungarees or with distressed boyfriend jeans and trainers, In the winter I will be pairing it with black skinny jeans, black ankle boots and a tux jacket for a laid back day to evening look.

Realisation Par €172.44

The star dress that started off my star obsession as seen on Lucy Williams. This is a summer dress, but I am thinking with black opaque tights, black ankle boots and a maxi coat thrown over the top this dress would work all year through. It is available for pre-order delivery 20th October..I think it is worth the wait..

Atterley Road Galaxy Silk Maxi Dress £115

Ok, so not strictly stars...this is actually planets but it is along the theme. I love a maxi dress in the winter..a perfect look with knee high black/brown chunky heeled leather boots and throw a biker jacket over the top for a cool look.

Bella Freud @Net A Porter £260

The Bella Freud obsession continues with this gorgeous star jumper. The softest merino wool adorned with silver studs, super cute, super expensive..one for the wish list..

John Lewis Weekend Collection £49

The combination of grey and red is eye-catching, I would size up in this sweater for a slouchy look, wear with a pair of black skinny ankle length jeans and stan smith trainers and a red cross body bag for a perfect autumn outfit.

Hush £75

Almost a classic but one of those sweaters you will wear again and again.

Esprit @Asos Star Scarf £29

Becksondergaard @Asos was £69 now £34.50

I have a couple of Becksondergaard oversize scarves and wear them so much. They are a fabulous size, keep you really warm and look good on. I would wear this scarf with an all black outfit..

I can see my wardrobe being filled with stars this season...do you fall for a star print? Have you got any star print items in your wardrobe already? 

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