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I love the changing seasons and the new fashions that they bring.
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Thursday 26 April 2012

DARK SKIES..............WHITE JEANS




I have been in and out of the showers again looking for the perfect pair of White Jeans.







I found them.




These are &Super Squin white jeans from the &Denim by H&M range.  With a low waist and super slim leg, they are made in a 74% cotton/23% polyester/3% elastene material, which gives a perfect but comfortable fit.  They're beautiful.







If only it would stop raining.

Friday 20 April 2012

THE ANKLE

Two key points emerging from this season's fashions are ankle-cropped trousers and ankle-strapped sandals.  With cropped trousers, petites need to be careful about length, shape and fit to avoid appearing shorter.  I find this season's look - a skinny jean, just showing the ankle bone (and of  course the ankle strap) - is fine.


These high-heeled Givenchy sandals with ankle straps and one strap across the toes are amongst the star shoes of the season.  There is a good selection of similar sandals in the shops now at all price levels, from designer to "high-street" and I am yet to make a decision.  Some have more coverage at the front, which is better for toes that are not so pretty. 




There are also lots of flat ankle-strapped or ankle-cuffed sandals.  Topshop and Office Shoes have a great selection of flat strappy sandals.  I bought these from Office Shoes, as they didn't look too heavy on me.








Meanwhile, the April showers are persisting but I am being optimistic about the weather.  Over the weekend I am going to look for some skinny jeans in either white or a pastel colour.



Friday 13 April 2012

APRIL SHOWERS

We really have had April showers over the last few days.  Hopefully, as in the rhyme, these will "bring forth the May flowers" and perhaps also some warmer weather.  I have been out in the showers to look for a lightweight jumper in a pale colour.  There are lots of summer jumpers around in pretty, pastel-coloured cotton or acrylic knits but I settled on this one.

Acrylic/Polyamide Mix Loose Knit Jumper from H&M Divided

I would describe the colour as a beige-pink with a metallic gleam.  I love the shape, which is cropped at the front with the back a little longer and there are slits at the sides.

Sunday 8 April 2012

APRIL IN PARIS


That old song, "April in Paris", composed by Vernon Duke/E.Y.Harburg in 1932, was sung by many famous singers, including Frank Sinatra and Doris Day. It inspired generations to visit Paris in the Spring. It's April now and I yearn to jump on a Eurostar and cross the Channel. Sadly, I don't have a trip booked at the moment.



April in Kensington Gardens.  This beautiful sight reminded me of Proust's descriptions of hedges and trees in blossom in "Rembrance of Things Past", his memoirs of Paris during La Belle Époque. Unfortunately, Proust suffered with chronic asthma and often had to avoid the beautiful trees and flowers that he so loved. In fact, he spent much of his later years inside his cork-lined apartment in Paris.










As for me, I will have to resort to some reminders of Paris and my imagination.

Gazing at a map of Paris printed on a pink background (Paris giftwrap paper from Harvey Nichols), I see the street names Faubourg St Honoré, Avenue de Montaigne and Boulevard Haussmann and I am out and about in Paris looking at the shops.  There's the Louvre on the Rue de Rivoli and I am standing in front of Da Vinci's enigmatic Mona Lisa. Then I come to the Seine and I'm walking along the Left Bank past the Musée D'Orsay and the Eiffel Tower.



 Turning the pages of April French Vogue, with its designer clothes and cosmetics, and I am visiting the legendary Chanel boutique in the Rue de Cambon.  

I'll go out in London and look at Les Jeans de Chanel Nails, a lovely trio of blue nail varnishes developed by Peter Philips for last Autumn's Fashion Night Out.  Coco Blue is a pale denim, Blue Boy is a deep denim and Blue Rebel a darker, inkier shade. Somehow these blues remind me of Paris in the rain - well after all, it is April.  The Impressionist painting by Caillebotte, "Paris Street, Rainy Day" with its umbrellas and blue colours, comes to mind.



Now I'm going to make a good cup of coffee (Café Connoisseur, a "French-style, full-bodied blend" from Marks and Spencer).  I'm sitting in a café in the Boulevard St Germain.  I'll play my "Paris" CD with tracks by "Nouvelle Scene" artists including Paris Combo, Coralie Clément and Carla Bruni.  Nothing sets an atmosphere like music.


Dream on!

IMPORTANT FASHION FACT: The first modern Parisian couturier house was opened in 1858 by Charles Frederick Worth, an ENGLISHMAN. Vive La Topshop!

Au revoir.

Tuesday 3 April 2012

EASTER BONNETS

Easter Bonnet by Penelope (aged 7)

Classic, pretty, small brimmed hat in Champagne from Accessorize
 

An alternative to a hat would be an Alice Band. It could be a jewelled band as shown in the Louis Vuitton S/S 2012 collection, or perhaps a leopard print band would be pretty.

Pearl and Crystal Bow Alice Band from Accessorize
Plastic Leopard Print Alice Band from Accessorize

........and of course there MUST be chocolate!

Lovely Easter chocolates from M&S