LOVE LUST LIKE: Topshop

Showing posts with label Topshop. Show all posts

Saturday, 11 February 2012

Lingerie - An Addiction

Lingerie is without a doubt my biggest obsession, my greatest shopping high. Whether it's a quick bargain in Topshop (easily the best designs on the High Street), or hours of indecision over a splurge in Agent Provocateur, I am almost hypnotised by the heady blur of fragile lace and silken ribbons. I've held back on announcing my addiction on Love Lust Like because I knew in the run up to Valentine's Day I'd roundup the very best of delicate delights. But an actual Valentine is irrelevant, underwear should be enjoyed and cherished all year round, whatever the relationship status.

VAMP

Agent Provocateur corset £345

Agent Provocateur is the high priestess of lingerie. Ever since the first store opened in Soho in 1994, the brand has shocked with controversy and outrageous design. In the early days London Fashion Week was interrupted with a demonstration from Miss Agent Provocateur's holding banners reading

'More S&M, Less M&S' and these stunts, along with lingerie that manages to almost possess women,

have continued to make this label one of the most evocative and successful brands in the industry.

Visiting a store is a naughty, blissfull, indulgent joy and makes women feel at their most feminine.

A MUST for any girl's underwear drawer. Save up for it, worth EVERY penny.

H&M bralette and high waisted briefs with sheer panels £14.99

Dirty Pretty Things leopard print bra £89 and knickers £45

Wacoal black lace bralette £28 and knickers £18

Mimi Holliday red lace bra £52 and thong with back bow £35

Ell & Cee raspberry shimmer lace and black silk chiffon bra £42 and knickers £24

Ell & Cee pink silk body with balack scallop lace cups £58

Topshop black lace body £35

Topshop's bodies are incredible - sexy, delicate, and so much better looking than what you'd

expect from the price tag. The entire High Street, when attempting to launch or design lingerie,

should look at Topshop for the sort of standard that should be the norm.

Dirty Pretty Things black silk nightie with leopard print panels and yellow ribbon trim £145

You wouldn't think that this nightie could get any better...and then you see the back.

Ann Summers bondage-style bra £28 and high waisted brief £18
Topshop full length navy night gown £46
Bordelle black body £130

VIRGIN...well not quite

Made By Niki ivory bra £75 and knicker £65

Agent Provocateur sheer tulle and lace pinafore £245

Yet again AP steals the show with a twist on the French Maid fantasy.

This dreamy little pinny in pink lace is most definitely NOT to be used for domestic chores.

Mimi Holliday polka dot teddy £86

Mimi Holliday is the diffusion line of premium lingerie label Damaris. Loved by every fashionista,

Mimi is overtly girly, fresh and flirtatious, and this teddy is begging to be bought. The brand keeps things

fresh with pop up shops in the most sought after locations, the most weirdly sensual short films

for the launches of new collections (visit the website to watch), and an upcoming range of nightwear

(hot off the press, I think it will launch in AW12)

Fleur of England lace and georgette babydoll £165
Fleur of England lace contour babydoll £250
H&M pink chemise with black bow £12.99

Wacoal Dia hand-finished yellow lace bra £260 and knickers £160 - EXCLUSIVE to Harrods

Wacoal Dia is new to the UK from Japan and exclusive to the Harrods lingerie department

(underwear utopia, please go and ask for Sylvia to measure you!)

This set is the stuff of dreams with its flaxen thread conjuring up images of Rumpelstiltskin.

b.tempt'd nude lace bralette £15 and knickers £9

Wacoal Dia hand-finished nude lace bra £260 and knickers £160 - EXCLUSIVE to Harrods

Agent Provocateur violet and turquoise lace bra £125 knickers £110 suspender £95

Gossard ivory corselette £59

Agent Provocateur ice blue lace bra £125 knickers £95 suspender £95

Lascivious ivory cupless bra £86, knickers £64 and suspender £72

Lascivious creates showstoppers. Underwear to be gawped at, it's so good.

My favourite places to look at lingerie:

Coco De Mer - on Monmouth Street in Covent Garden lies the naughtiest of all shops.

The underwear is to DIE for - the shop stocks brands like Mimi Holliday, Damaris, Lascivious,

Stella McCartney and its own label - and look out for the racy library at the back.

There is so much theatre in this store and just when you think it couldn't any more decadent, nestled in between the two changing rooms is a 'boyfriend booth'. Whilst she tries on her goods she can

reveal a peep hole from behind a gilt framed painting, and give him a little preview. Genius.

Selfridges - a fabulous lingerie department. I could (ok, I have) spent HOURS there.

Myla - my favourite of its stores is on Portobello Road, a convenient halfway stop when you're visiting the market. Beautiful little delicates encased in beautiful little bags.

Strip - blending lingerie with bikini waxes, this brilliant concept has become wonderfully successful and Strip bars are popping up all over London. The brand is even set to launch its own lingerie line.

Happy shopping xx

Sunday, 29 January 2012

Baby It's Cold Outside

We're faced with a very chilly week. Temperatures seem to have plummeted and only the warmest apparel will do. If a snow day is round the corner (and it often is in February) we will be faced with not just the troublesome commute but also the choice of whether to dress practically or fashionably.

But you can blend both. People grumble about the Winter - about the cold, about the darkness at 4pm. But Winter is undoubtedly my favourite season. Don't get me wrong, I hate the rain and only find it acceptable when I am tucked firmly under a duvet, but those crisp, cold days when the sun is shining are my idea of bliss and there is nothing I love more than facing it in layers and layers of knitwear.

Olivia Palermo certainly knows how to look chic in the freezing cold and here are some of my pieces of choice for the upcoming chill.

I love any coat with a masculine military vibe, they toughening up dresses and skirts. These are both thick, lined and luxurious and will be really cosy when facing the cold.

Zara padded coat with fur

ASOS lined parka with fur

Replace the belt the coat may come with (and wear it with other outfits) and use a

different one for a variation in texture like leopard print or studded.

New Look studded double row belt

Topshop leopard print belt

Hats and ear muffs look great, and are a great way to introduce fur or print into an outfit. Men's accessories on the high street are really strong so don't be afraid to explore the boys department occasionally!

Accessorize ear muffs

Topshop trapper

Topman bobble hat

Long, comforting socks keep you warm under jeans, over tights and look really cool peeking out of boots. Brora is an indulgence but they are still in full January sale swing so splurge on some

discounted cashmere while you have the chance.

Brora cashmere folk socks

Brora cashmere marl socks

No one should risk the possibility of falling on slippery snow or ice for the sake of wearing nice shoes. Hunters are still the wellie to get and I LOVE the quilted version! Team with opaques, leggings or jeans.

Hunter quilted wellington boots at ASOS

I love the child-like humour behind mittens - so much cuter than gloves and, if you're prone

to losing things, stringing them through the arms of your coat like your mum did on

your first day of school gives you a little insurance!

ASOS fairisle mittens with string

COS woolen mittens

Finally, with cold often comes dazzlingly clear sky and sun. Throw some shades,

and remember eyewear is worth an investment. I love these classic aviators.

Silhouette aviators

Topshop sunglasses case

Thursday, 19 January 2012

Statement Necklaces

To think I spent so long with a naked neck? I never wore necklaces, opting instead for bangles, friendship bracelets and rings. But last year I discovered how amazing they look against a basic jumper, how decadent they appear on top of metallics and how much they satisfy my magpie tendencies.

Dannijo is the most incredible jewellery label with necklaces that make me feel slightly weak at the knees. The two sisters from New York who design the pieces blend a rock vibe with Aztec influences, and often there is a final flourish of unnerving spikes and chains. The result is simply sublime.

Ok, so they're extortionate. But just LOOK at them!!

By no means, however, do you have to splurge to get great statement jewellery. The High Street is a mecca of 'wow' pieces to add some pizazz to a simple outfit.