'Totes Amaze'

Ah, the tote bag.  God's gift to stylish women who carry around more stuff than men can even fathom.  All 'essentials' of course.  The wait for this Sacha London bag to go online has been a long one but FINALLY it's available to buy.  

Oversized?  Check.  Wear-with-anything Tan?  Check.  Bottega Venetta-esque weaving?  Check!  And don't even get me started on the luxurious, clunky tassels.  Perfection.

Buy Sacha London here

Mensday Wednesday - AW12 Edit

I love boy's clothes.  I love shopping for them, I love borrowing them, I love the way men can throw on a chunky knit and look instantly more fanciable...seriously, it works.  In my hunting and gathering for the new season I've come across some great bits for blokes. Colour is key - deep, autumnal hues look great on everyone and I'm pretty sure texture makes girls want to touch.  All you boys need do now, is wait for the cold to get these key pieces on.

Fashion

Smart Turnout canvas and leather backpack

H&M varsity jacket

  

Smart Turnout Preppy Jumper

Aubin and Wills A jumper

I love the preppy look.  

Reminiscent of that chic geek who carried your books for you between lessons (had we have all grown up in an American movie), these letter sweaters add a touch of Americana and a whole lot of style.

Wolsey fairisle jumper

H&M charcoal jacket

Topman chinos with contrasting turn ups
How brilliant are these?  Turning up hems or sleeves always adds style points.

Smart Turnout Document Pouch
No more plastic wallets.  Enough said.

Soviet 'Princeton' shirt
Our Legacy star shirt at Mr Porter
My favourite find - a smattering of stars on a perfectly worn denim.
Brave.  Admirable.  If a bit too much, the collar and cuffs poking out
from underneath a smart, lightweight knit will do nicely.

River Island oxblood chinos

H&M chunky knit 

Soviet breton grandad top

Girlfriends WILL steal either of the above.  Fact.

H&M pea coat

ASOS bobble hat

Kangol tweed flat cap

Tweed will be everywhere this Autumn Winter.  This flat cap screams Burberry Prorsum, 

the coolest show of the season, and will look great in town or country.

Ted Baker desert boots

Converse plimsolls at ASOS

French Connection weekend bag

Gentlemen of England.  This is a public service announcement.  

Please don't carry sports bags.  Please.

American Apparel socks

Topman socks

My housemate James adds a playful twist to his suits with chic, coloured socks and

 come laundry day our banister is laden with wool in all the colours of the rainbow.  

Such a charming and gentlemanly way to dip your toe, quite literally, into fashion.

ASOS stars and stripes handkerchief


Grooming

Something is happening with facial hair.  Yes we've seen beards on male models at the shows before, but Autumn Winter 12 seemed to be the season when they were sported most frequently.  We're seeing them much more regularly in the public eye too.
If you're going to dabble, I applaud you....
(I'm secretly harbouring a little beard crush.  I don't know where this has come from.  It's unexpected.  But I'm pretty sure Tom Hardy has something to do with it.)
Guys, below you will find the guidelines.  These men are your muses.*

* Please note, LOVE LUST LIKE is in no way encouraging the goatee.  

They should be banned.  Forever.    

Times Are A Changin'

Hark.  I hear the changing of a season.  The day back to work after the August Bank Holiday is kind of like the first day back to school after the Summer break.  And so with fresh stationary, and newly sharpened pencils I await the Autumn Winter wardrobe with baited breath.  And upon opening the September issue of Red today, I had my first swoooooooon moment.  An actual inhalation caused by sheer love at first sight.  Styled by Sarah Clark, the Autumn's Urban Uniform shoot is perfection.  It portrays everything I love about this season.  The layering, the return of 'smart' after Summer, the palette of black, grey, navy and just a few 'colourful' shades of smokey green.  The shot below is my favourite.  My inspiration.  My aim.  This incredible coat is from Topshop and at more than £300 I'm already calculating how many Starbucks I have to forgo to purchase.  A great pair of boots and the deepest, darkest opaques.....I can almost feel that crisp London chill of a morning commute that I love so much.

I used to be all about the jacket.  I would be told off for braving the snow in my beloved leather one - by my mother, or my boss.  But now I can not wait to get a coat.  A great, big, rich, thick, oversized, blanket of a coat.  I can only assume that my critics will just have to scold me for impractically wearing it over my shoulders - the styling trick du jour for outerwear.  Bring it on ladies.  I'll be too cosy to care.

Imagery - Red, September 2012

Lovin' Sunday

  

Imagery - tumblr, a pair and a spare, they all hate us, we heart it, this is glamorous

If only...

Tonight, this is the only place for me.

Image - pinterest

If The Shoe Fits

What's that?  You haven't been introduced?  How rude of me.  Meet Lorenzo.

After a month of umming and ahhhing Topshop's Lorenzo wooden stack heels got the better of me and I finally purchased. The perfect sandal for a bit of 'casual height', and the mahogany-esque heel and platform take it out of the dangerous librarian footwear area.

I'm almost certain I got the last pair online but I have still seen them in a few stores recently.  

Happy hunting! x

Nailed It

Fancied something a bit different.  Enter the Ring Finger Manicure.

Main nail varnish - Block Orange

Ring finger nail varnish - Gold Foil Effects with several coats of Gold Glitter on top

All by Barry M

60 Seconds With A Stylist - Nini Khatiblou

Nini Khatiblou, stylist and fashion editor, has featured on LOVE LUST LIKE before.  This time she's kicking off my 60 Seconds With A Stylist series.  

What are the first five things you do on a working day?

Check Facebook and Twitter before I get out of bed.  Shower.  Eat my daily porridge with agave nectar and drink coffee number one.  Double check the weather forecast and dress accordingly (I'll have planned my outfit the night before).  Catch the bus, generally listening to Kylie Minogue.  Stop by Pret on the way to the office for coffee number two - a skinny white Americano.

What are three things you couldn't live without as a stylist?

Fashion Monitor for all the PR contacts, giant safety pins for tailoring clothes to fit models (better than anything else including bulldog clips) and double sided tape.  My kit bag is an oversized Zara clutch that people always think is Alexander Wang.

What inspires you the most?

Anything to do with France and more specifically Paris. I lived there for 6 months and have never got over how amazingly stylish the French are.  I still get that feeling every time I go back or if I'm flicking through a French publication.

What is your most life changing moment in fashion to date?

Either getting the call to say I'd got the Fashion Assistant job at InStyle which was my break into styling and magazines, or styling an April main fashion story in Good Housekeeping which was one of my first shoots I styled alone.  It's still one of my favourites and makes me really happy everytime I see it.

What is your favourite styling tip?

This is so simple but I almost always roll up sleeves on jackets and coats, and do the same with skinny trousers and jeans. Cropping things always makes them look cooler.

What's your most treasured possession?

My 1930s Rolex which i got for my 21st.  It's been in my family for ages.

What makes your mind switch off from fashion? 

Exercise with my trainer and cooking.  When I'm not doing either of those things I'm almost always thinking of something fashion related.

What's more important - brains or beauty?

Brains.  You can buy beauty.

What piece of golden advice do you offer every intern?

Do everything you possibly can to impress people because you never know when a job might come up. Keep your head down and be prepared to do any task with a smile on your face!  Leave your attitude at the door.

What do you Love?

Rooftop drinks at Aqua.

What do you Lust?

Anything I see Olivia Palermo wearing.

What do you Like?

Sleeping. 

Follow Nini on twitter - @fashionini

Visit her website - www.ninikhatiblou.com

Image - Elleuk.com

Town Mouse, Country Mouse

From this...

...to this.

This weekend I packed my bag and left the big smoke to go to...paradise.

Lots of sun, lots of face paint, lots of fun.  The surrounding fields went for miles and everything looked beautifully picturesque.  We slipped and slid, we smoked too much, we certainly drank too much, and I teamed my tent with a little nightie just to ensure I had a little bit of London with me.

 

 

 

And my welcome wagon back to town - a Fortnum & Mason hamper full of pampering goodies, sushi and frozen yoghurt from my fantastic friend Jen.