OOTD – Edgy Minimal

Happy Sunday my lovelies! I hope that everybody had a nice weekend. Today, I just confirmed another very exciting project so stay tuned to find out what it is! This February and March, fashionbarbieblog is going to document a dream come true for me (and that is as much as I can say for the moment). So, that’s all my news for the week and on that note here is a blogpost on today’s outfit.

Do you ever find that if you are looking for something (in particular an item of clothing or specific coloured accessories) you can never find it?! Well, this seems to be the story of my life. I have been on the hunt for a monochrome knitwear dress with a funnel neck since before Christmas. I am ridiculously fussy when it comes to knitwear. Unfortunately my skin is very sensitive to wool so I have to be careful, hence why I have to be so particular. I have to opt for a wool combination which is usually a synthetic and natural fabric blend. A viscose-cotton mixture is often a safe bet for me. Also, my neck and torso are not long enough for polo neck jumpers so a funnel neck suits me better. I found one in River Island and you can check it out here. It is incredibly comfortable, soft (100%cotton) and versatile. I would layer this over leather leggings or trousers with a waistcoat, with complimentary contrasting vertical lines against the horizontal stripes. I will mostly style this dress on myself with black opaque tights, ankle boots and a fedora hat. This is one of my uniform looks for a day in town with my girls. I’ll be wearing my signature Topshop leather jacket too. Taking it from day to night, throw on a statement necklace and an arm stacked with bangles and swap your satchel bag for a metallic clutch.

Today, it was far too cold for just my leather jacket so I wore my Zara single breasted coat with a detachable faux fur collar. I was channelling my inner Andy Warhol with my black bug-eye sunglasses from Penneys last summer. To complete my ensemble I wore my over the knee flat suede boots. I have searched high and low for a link but both my coat and boots are no longer available on the Zara website for Ireland. In my Polyvore picture above my boots are not even an option. They were the closest match to mine so apologies for the false advertisement. My coat however seems to be available so you might be able to purchase it.

Referring back to what I said earlier, when you are going looking for something in particular it is almost impossible to find! Working in retail, many of the personalities that you meet think that this is an urban myth. I live by this! Case and point – I only purchased my coat and boots Christmas week and have no links to allow you to shop for them! So guys and gals, my advice to you is to buy something that you fall in love with when you see it. I am not saying ‘YOLO, buy the shoes’ but there is nothing worse than buyers remorse for a shopaholic. As the saying goes, “Nothing haunts us like the things we didn’t buy”.

 

 

 

 

 

OOTD – Skinny Khaki Biker Jeans

My Skinny Khaki Biker Jean

Seen on the runways of Roland Mouret, Sacai and John Galliano for Paris Fashion Week the end of last September, it is no surprise that khaki is on report as a major SS15 trend. Luckily for me, I have invested in my seasonal staple already. New in and available at Karen Millen in store and online, I bought these skinny khaki biker jeans. Shop them here: http://m.karenmillen.com/skinny-khaki-biker-jean/clothing/karenmillen/fcp-product/051PV0282 I’m a huge fan of khaki as it is so versatile. Worn and styled for the appropriate season, whether its khaki shorts for a summer festival or your go-to jacket for returning to college. There is a wardrobe addition to suit your personal taste.

I’m not letting go of the skinny jeans even if flares are the all the rage. These skinny biker jeans are just the right amount of smart casual to dress them up or down. A mixture of urban meeting bohemian chic, these earthy tones are key to unlocking your personal style. On Tuesday evening, I had a menu tasting at a restaurant in Dundrum Town Centre. I wore my biker skinnies to work and this is how I styled them for the evening.

I teamed them with my oversized pastel pink Karen Millen jumper, Aldo shoe and bag (tan with gold embellishment) combination, my Warehouse taupe wool trench and my A-Wear (sob) skull printed scarf. Neutrals and pastels are my favourite with khaki. I think black is too harsh a contrast. I prefer neutrals and some pastels (the warmer blends) to warm it up and compliment the colour. Try blush pinks, ivory and taupe. Tan and camel are predictable but they do work very well together. For example, when trying on the trousers at work, I kept it simple and sharp with an ivory jersey top.

This picture emhasises some of the detail in the jeans. The pockets are underlined with zipped slits, two on the left and one on the right. They are more for detail than for function. What you can’t see is the ribbed detailing above both knees. This detail captured the biker element of the style. You can faintly see it in the picture below. (Mental note: will snap this detailing the next time I wear these pants!). The below picture is how I styled it going out to dinner. Pairing it with neutrals and greys and a pop of colour with my Primark heels. The top is a sleeveless ivory knit from Karen Millen‘s AW13 collection (it has the same ribbed biker detail as the jeans) and current season Oasis stripe fringe wrap cape. Shop it here online: http://www.oasis-stores.com///oasis/fcp-product/5320068305

We saw the biker jeans in full swing last season in the leather and faux leather style. This season it is softer with the bohemian vibes. A definite must have for the season and the ultimate addition to your wardrobe.