I’ve been quite curious about visiting Lucy In Disguise since watching the Channel 4 show Lily Allen: From Riches to Rags, which told the story of how Lily Allen started her shop with her half sister Sarah with the advice of Mary Portas.
Lucy In Disguise recently launched their first collection and they’re all pretty feminine dresses! I wanted to wear so many of the them! I particularly loved these two dresses (picture above).
It’s a lovely shop to be in – the staff is very friendly but not pushy – you feel like you can take your time and really look through all the rails of unique vintage dresses. Some of the dresses are even tagged "Lily’s own."
The nights are drawing in, the mornings are dark and dreary and there are Christmas adverts on TV. That’s right people, winter is here and summer is officially over.
Last night I decided to pack away my summer clothes until next year. My white jeans, summer frocks and embellished sandals, in the suitcase they went. But as I stared into my now empty wardrobe, I felt sad and depressed. I was mourning summer already and almost running to my doctor with all the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
I have to say, I hate winter. It’s not just the being cold part (although I do hate that) it’s the hair; harsh weather conditions do not bode well with my tresses, and the wind? Well I may as well not put make-up on in the morning – by the time I’ve reached work I look positively au natural (and not in a good way).
But I didn’t stay unhappy for long, why? Winter fashion shweetie dahling. I love winter clothes; the abundance of sequins, lashings of leather, a heavy dose of knitwear and a sturdy biker boot to top it all off. Ah bliss! As I dusted off all my clothes from last winter I realised something, I don’t need to buy afresh (good news when we’re in a recession) I’ve already got the goods, I just possibly need to wear them differently.
I discovered copious amounts of lace, which is obviously a huge trend at the moment. I found my gorgeous faux fur coat with pink lining, my old Topshop leather jacket that has numerous zips and a couple of tassles looks better than the day I brought it, I discovered a lot of sequins; hats, tops, dresses, all bedazzled with wonderful sequins – ah you know how much I love my glitz.
So, what started off as a bleak and depressing chore turned out to be a very exciting exercise indeed. I’m now excited for this season, sure I want to buy lots of new things; spotty tights (a la Lily Allen), a shaggy coat (I’ll head to Topshop for that) and a leather skirt to name a few, but the realisation that I don’t need to splash the cash to recreate this seasons trends is a relief to my bank account.
However, all is well looking good but it’s far too cold to have a social life. Now where is my hot water bottle and remote control, I said brrrrr it’s cold in here….
I’m not really a festival kind of gal, I’m a little bit scared of the mud, the rain and the gross gross toilets but I decided to brave it this year, put on my dancing shoes (lace-up brogues) and head to Chelmsford for the V Festival.
Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t camp (don’t be silly!) I went along for one day and for one day only. It was brilliant though and I had such an amazing time.
The overwhelming decision about what to wear to a festival is ridiculously hard though wouldn’t you agree? You don’t want to look like you tried too hard but you really don’t want to fade into the background either. You want to look stylish and chic yet still be comfortable.
In my head I had the perfect outfit, I wanted a little studded leather mini, a black t-shirt and a pair of black plimsolls (I wanted to look a bit Debbie Harry esque) but then the sun came out to play and scuppered my plan.
So I chose a playsuit in the end. I’ve not worn one before but boy do I love my lil Topshop number. It has a gorgeous ditzy floral print on it and it was so comfy I could have done cartwheels if I could remember how to do them.
The weather was gorgeous, the atmosphere sensational and the style on show was fab. Having seen the celeb pictures from the entire festival I think my top three looks from those that went were Rosie Huntington Whitely, purely for her fab hat, Lily Allen for her sheer cami and her toned figure, and Peaches Geldof for her long flowing Woodstock esque hair but I felt fab in my lil playsuit and that’s all that matters.
As you all know, I’m Miss Celeb Obsessed but I have a new style crush this week, it’s the delightful Lily Allen. I’ve never particularly admired her style before, I blame the Ugg boots myself but lately- well, she’s really upped the ante in the style stakes and I do love.
I went to see her perform at Somerset House a couple of weeks ago and she really blew me away, she’s very charismatic when she’s performing and she’s a much better singer than I had expected. She chain smokes on stage, she drinks wine from a cup that attaches to her mic (you have to love that!) and what’s more she had Kate Moss looking on from the side of the stage, how cool is that?
But let’s talk fashion; I loved what she wore that evening, she looked truly fabulous. While we were there in rain macs and kagools, she was decked out in sequins and lace, with high high shoes and a short short skirt. It’s an outfit you can imagine Liz McDonald choosing back in her youth and I for one loved it.
In the past few months Lily has chosen some great stage outfits, she rocks the sequins, the body-con, the leopard-print, the glitter, and of course the array of wigs but she wears it all with a quiet confidence. She knows she looks good and you can tell she doesn’t care if you don’t agree.
Long gone are the days of frumpy sack dresses, trainers and Uggs, all these have been replaced by the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Christian Louboutin who ensure she gets it right on every outing. I’m so jealous.
The future is definitely looking bright for Miss Allen, she’s the new face of Chanel handbags for autumn and she will also have her own jewellery line very soon. We shall know more by the end of the month but I for one can’t wait.
I love Lily Allen’s "Bow Dress" by PPQ from their 2009 Spring/Summer collection and her shoes from Yves Saint Laurent. I also like that she wears just one dress in the video; singers are often expected to have so many different looks that sometimes it’s stronger just to keep it simple.
The Fear reminds me of another song "Great Things" by Echobelly, and I’m not sure why, maybe it’s just the sentiment or attitude of the song…It’s hard to know why one thing often reminds you of another thing.
I'm a fashion stylist and consultant based in London. I'm Fashion Editor at Phoenix magazine, and I've styled for many musicians from Kate Nash to... (more)
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A great day with The Ones To Watch @fashionscout @novachui and Myrza de Muynck! 8 hrs ago
I’m not really a festival kind of gal, I’m a little bit scared of the mud, the rain and the gross gross toilets but I decided to brave it this year, put on my dancing shoes (lace-up brogues) and head to Chelmsford for the V Festival.
I love Lily Allen’s "Bow Dress" by PPQ from their 2009 Spring/Summer collection and her shoes from Yves Saint Laurent. I also like that she wears just one dress in the video; singers are often expected to have so many different looks that sometimes it’s stronger just to keep it simple.
