Beatnik Mrs Blonde: 2013

Crash Course in Layering Correctly

It's that time of the year again. Every fashion forward girl knows that the minute the temperature drops below fifteen degrees, layers are now acceptable, if not vital for winter chic. If it ain't done right though ladies, you may end up looking like a well wrapped sausage, straight jacketed into an array of cable knits and hippie scarves. Not chic!

1. KEEP IT SIMPLE!

Colour is wonderful, I love looking out the window on long journeys, admiring the views, the differing hues in a sunset sky, Asian style bed spreads at Zara Home, but please stop there. Colour and layering do not always go hand in hand, too much of it can turn you into a children's entertainer and completely take away from your 'layered winter style'. I personally prefer to layer with black, on different shades of greys and occasionally a dark blue/green. Keep bold colours for small, statement pieces like your jewellery, handbag, shoes or if you can pull it off à la Abbey Lee, your OUTER coat.

2. Thickness matters.

Keep thinner, finer materials closest to your skin. The more layers your form can take, the better, the thicker the layers, well...no. You want to keep chiffons and light t-shirts at the base, if you can fit two, go for it. Thicker cardigans and jackets should be kept on the outside and dare I say coats.
Think Natasha Poly in January, not Dannii Minogue pre 97.

3. Quality, not quantity.

This is easy. Please do not attempt to sport all of your wardrobe at once. Remember that episode of 'Friends' when Joey threw all of Chandler's clothes on at once? Please avoid this. You'll look bulky, you'll be uncomfortable and you'll look awkward. Your outfit should have a good, effortless silhouette. Not like you've tied elastic bands around yourself.

4. Keep on part skinny.

Whilst layering the top half of your body with serveral layers, it is always best to accommodate this with a skinny bottom. Try cigarette pants, tailored trousers, skinny jeans, leggings and tights.

Lina Zhang

Maja Salamon

Anja Rubik

Paris Take 2

It's been some time since I last posted anything of any relevance, I think living in London has entered me into some sort of double speed time dimension where 6 months runs in a flash.

I've been recently inspired to take a break from the usual working day and evening breaks and wanted to share some cultural experiences I recently enjoyed in Paris. I swore to never write about the same thing twice and reluctantly I will explain why I have decided to write my Parisian experience.
I have seen so much more of the real side of Paris this time and paid more attention to the street art and French bars. Our trip was not very glamorous (given that I was over there to speak on the M6 Boutique shopping channel) and we spent much of it enjoying local patisseries and exploring the more run down areas.

The first time we were in Pairs, we were situated in the central Grand Boulevard area and were lucky enough to be in the centre of everything, we were a 15 minute walk from the main shopping district and a 5 minute walk from the Opera metro stop. This time however, we did not have this luxury. We stayed in the Jean-Jaures area, which was about a 20 minute walk from Gard Du Nord. For this reason, I still felt very lucky to be within some sort of waking distance of a recognisable area, albeit slightly rough. This did mean however, that we were surrounded with amazing graffiti and ugly-beautiful structural buildings and it really was something to take in.

Here are a few photographs I took on our way from the hotel to Gard Du Nord: (this is along Avenue Jean-Jaures)

The second set of photos I took is a collection of streets with interesting layouts. I was really attracted to how the streets formed in relation to the angles of the roads and really wanted to capture the views around those parts.

I also found some for sets of graffiti around the nicer, Monmartre district of Paris, just above Pigalle, which is famous for its seedy shops and bars.