Grazia and my Whistles Carrie skirt

I have to admit when I first laid my eyes on the Whistles Carrie skirt I suspected there would be a flurry of excitement when it hit stores purely from the buzz on Twitter. I managed to get my hands on one of the last size 8 skirts in the country (and I suspect the midi version never actually existed in stores)!

When Melanie Rickey of Grazia and Fashion Editor at Large tweeted that she was looking for girls who owned this pretty pink concertina skirt, I tweeted her my recent blog post of me wearing my skirt with all an all black ensemble. The next day I met Melanie and her Street Style photographer to shoot the below feature on what Grazia have called the "cult skirt" of Spring 2011.

Get your own Whistles Carrie skirt
The skirt is restocked nationwide on 10 April but you can get hold of your own in pink and yellow midi-length, £110 from 29 March - 3 April. Either head to Selfridges, Oxford St and show them your copy of this week's Grazia, or email thecarrieskirt@whistles.co.uk with your name, phone number, colour and size.

Good luck! NHG x

Gone snowboarding...

I've been a little quiet lately on the blog front and the reason is clear below...I'm currently in Ischgl on the Austrian/Swiss border. While I was planning to ski (because it looks far more sophisticated and grown-up) I ended up quitting my ski leason half way through, partly due to frustration, and partly due to the fact that I much prefer to snowboard.

Today I was back on the snowboard and my legs are certainly paying for it tonight! I spent an Australian Summer in Virginia, USA nearly nine years ago and in between "socialising" I managed to pick up a few skills. Beginner skills at that...Although I must say that the Wellness Centre at our hotel is more my scene these days! NHG x

Wardrobe Essentials - silk shirts

I recently mentioned that I have silk shirts on my Wardrobe Essentials wish list. This week I found a lovely 100% silk shirt from River Island. I wouldn't normally associate buying a silk shirt at this high street chain, but they have a range of silk shirts and vest tops in their new SS11 range. At £39.99 it's a whole lot cheaper than the Equipment version (£200+) worn by every second stylish blogger at London Fashion Week. 

I also recently spend a night destroying re-inventing five tunic dresses into tops/shirts and I plan to wear them tucked into a high waisted skirt this Spring/Summer. 

Now...if only I could arrange my shirts like the below wardrobe as featured on mode d'amour instead of squashing them into my bulging wardrobe! NHG x

Outfit details: Blush pink silk shirt, River Island; Rings (worn together), Sportsgirl and Topshop; Jeans, Topshop; Nail polish, Essie, Eiffel Tower vase, The Vintage Shed, Tyabb; Coco Mademoiselle perfume, Chanel.  

Image from mode d'amour

Style Inspiration: Gemstone jewellery

I've recently noticed that gemstones are really having a fashion moment. From Topshop in London to Sportsgirl in Melbourne, it seems that semi-precious gems have made their way to the high street in a big way.

One of my favourite Australian blogs, Gary Pepper Vintage, sells a beautiful range of raw cut amethyst rings (see below) from Moorea Seal in her stunning online store. I've also found a wonderful range on Etsy and my favourite stones include rose quartz, amethyst, seafoam geode and citrine. These beauties are definitely on my wish list for SS11.

The only problem is what stone to go for? Let me know what colour you would chose as I can't decide! NHG x

  Images: Gary Pepper Vintage and Celeste Lauren Designs and AstralEYE on Etsy

The Whistles Carrie skirt challenge...

I recently blogged about the fact that the Whistles Carrie skirt was on my Spring/Summer wish list. I didn't think I was actually going to get the skirt as it was limited edition, and I'd read a lot of hype about it (especially on Twitter). This week I finally got my mitts on this lovely neon pink skirt and I couldn't be happier!

I had to order it from the Oxford store (London stores had sold out) so it was delivered to work ...my male colleague Ash who has the joy of sitting next to me day in, day out, gave me his usual shopping interrogation and after eyeballing the skirt asked, "How much did that cost De*?" When I told him it was £95, I quickly added that it was about "cost per wear, so really it was a bargain".

Normally he just laughs at me and gives me grief over the daily packages that seem to land on my desk, but instead he challenged me to wear it as much as possible between now and the end of Summer. He's even gone as far as sticking up a tally on his desk!

'A' thinks I'll only wear it around six times (so around £15 per wear) but I'm determined to wear it a lot more than that....I've already gone through my wardrobe and can definitely come up with a number of different combinations to mix up the look. My first combination is a 'work' outfit and I think it's appropriate for this chilly weather!

I'll be documenting the challenge on here so stay tuned! NHG x

*I recently realised that not even the lovely ladies I talk to regularly on Twitter knew my real name. My name is Dearne (pronounced Dee-arn) so most of my friends call me De or Dee, however you want to spell it!

You can see all my 'Carrie' skirt outfits and inspiration here

Outfit details: Leather jacket, Whistles; Heattech top, Uniqlo; Carrie skirt, Whistles; tights, H&M; patent leather heels, Siren; handbag necklace, Pilgrim; leather bag, Mimco.

Weekend wardrobe essentials

I recently wrote about the fact that I am missing a lot of key wardrobe essentials. Well, I've been filling in the gaps and I think I'm nearly there!

In Melbourne I picked up a few key essentials from highstreet store Sportsgirl, such as these black skinny leg jeans. I have been searching for a pair that actually fit and hurruh, I finally found them and for only $99!

Just before I left for Melbourne I also bought a Cos striped Breton-style top which I have been wearing non-stop ever since. I have no idea how I every survived without one in my wardrobe before... I also finally found a pair of ankle foots from The Outnet that are full leather and actually fit me (I'm a UK 4.5). Another item to cross off my wardrobe essentials list!

Today I went out for a Yum Cha lunch and on the way home spotted these colourful macaroons in the windows at Tavola Delicatessen on Westbourne Grove. I knew they were just what I needed to brighten up my afternoon...How long until spring arrives? I'm starting to get really impatient. NHG x

P.S I've edited my photos using a 60's filter. I quite like it as I'm sick of the cold, winter light at the moment. What do you think? I promise I won't turn all my photos 'vintage' from now on ;)

Outfit details: Wool hat, H&M; Breton top, Cos; vintage faux fur jacket, Portobello Market; Black jeans, Sportsgirl; Suede/leather ankle boot, Mea Shadow from The Outnet; Rocco bag, Alexander Wang; Necklace, Mulberry.

 

NHG loves: Paris vs New York

I first heard about the fabulous blog, Paris vs New York from Evie from One More a few months ago, and have been following it ever since. Paris and New York are by far my favourite cities in the world and I love the iconic imagery that the two evoke in my mind.

The best thing about this blog is that you can actually purchase the prints for your wall here. Only question is, which one to buy? I'm leaning towards the Tabac vs Nails below...

On the topic of favourite cities, this year I have some exciting trips planned, all of which I plan to feature on here. I'm heading to Innsbruck, Austria at the end of this month for my first European ski trip and then I'm off to Porto, Berlin (my tied 3rd favourite city with Budapest), Corsica, Sardinia, Copenhagen and hopefully LA too to visit a dear friend. Of course my year would not be complete if I didn't head to Paris, so I'll be fitting that in at some point too! The Eurostar makes it so easy to just pop on over for the day or a weekend.

I'd love to hear what your favourite two cities are so please do tell! NHG x

All images from Paris vs New York: a tally of two cities

Richard Nicoll for Sportsgirl

I am extremely excited about Australian womenswear chain, Sportsgirl's impending collaboration with one of the most talented and exciting designers on the London scene at the moment, Richard Nicoll.

Australian-raised, British-based designer Nicoll has designed a 9-piece capsule collection for the store which incorporates classic British checks with cute hearts and stripes to give the pieces a girly twist. The collection follows on the success of his recent collaboration with Topshop and his recently diffusion range launch, Richard Nicoll Shirt (available on net-a-porter.com).

I adore the collection and think I may need to do a cheeky online purchase...I just hope customs are nice to me as I haven't had much luck lately with import tax! Here are my favourite pieces from the collection. NHG x

P.S Is it me or is Australia launching some fabulous collaborations at the moment? New net-a-porter recruit, Dion Lee, has also launched his capsule collection for Cue this week. The collection made my heart flutter with excitment. If only it were available online!

See the entire collection for Sportsgirl here 

The collection will be online on 21 March and in selected store on 28 March with pieces starting at $80.