--SO CLOSE--

I did make that shopping trip in the end (at my own folly, as all I bought was a black t-shirt and some underwear, while losing 5 hours which could have been spent reducing some of my enormous pile of work. And that is no mere saying. I literally have a pile of books, files and loose sheets of paper stacked on my bedroom floor. I was woken from a distracted sleep at 3:41am by the whole thing collapsing, and spent 5 minutes grubbing around on the floor in the dark trying to stack everything back up again before realising, oh no wait, sleep is more important than a tidy room. Glad we got that sorted out.)

Anyway, I mention this shopping trip (yes, I did mention it way back at the start before that massive parenthesis) because I actually came across the perfect pair of faux-leather trousers . They were on a mannequin in the window of H & M (I did an embarrassing cartoon double take when I saw them), and inside the shop they were being advertised, larger than life, in the campaign shot below. Perfect, I thought, with double exposure they're sure to have the trousers in stock.

Apparently not.

This, my friends, is why you don't shop on a Sunday afternoon. I can't find them online either. Now, I feel that my life is incomplete without this specific pair of trousers.Help?

(dailymail.co.uk)

--FROM MY WINDOW--

I don't kid myself into thinking that I'm any sort of great photographer. Still, there are often times when I'm out and about and see something that I wish I could photograph-only, as I don't lug my camera with me to school every day, I rarely have the opportunity to actually cement the image onto my memory card. Things I've noticed over the past week or two are: a weather vane illuminated by golden evening sunlight against iron-grey clouds; a building-sized Beatles iTunes advert, with the sunlight falling just over Lennon's face; the sun setting on a freezing cold day, gradating from blue to pink in a cloudless sky. I can see these things in my mind even if I can't display them in photos.

The view from my window is something I take photos of often, even though it's really not very exciting. It's something that I always have time to snap a shot of before I get dressed; I like how something so familiar can still be new and interesting if you take a step back and really see it, instead of just looking.

(own photos-please credit)

--THE LEATHER LOOK--

I don't own any leather trousers/leggings (mostly because fake leather leggings look uncannily like the rowing lycra in which I spend an unhealthy amount of my time), but I'm thinking they might be yet another thing to add to my growing list of essentials which I feel that my life is incomplete without. (I didn't manage to go shopping this weekend-it's far too cold to contemplate going outside for anything not absolutely necessary). They seem to be a nice compromise between the warmth of thicker jeans and the tightness of normal cotton leggings. Plus they have that bad-ass edge which your favourite pair of skinnies just don't quite attain. (I bet all those indeh rockers were bummed when skinny jeans hit the mainstream-guys in tight jeans just don't quite pack the same punch any more).

(altamiranyc.blogspot.com; carolinesmode.com; ifyouseekstyle.blogspot.com; knighttcat.com; meijias.blogbus.com; carolinesmode.com; vanessajackman.blogspot.com; nyheter24.se; vintagemavens.com)

--ZARA'S LATEST--

These are my kind of evening outfits! Zara is outdoing Topshop in my opinion at the moment-their styling is impeccable. (I just wrote 'their' like 'they're', then realised my horrendous, despicably illiterate error and began berating myself out loud. I need this weekend so badly!). Hope you guys all have a great weekend!

(zara.com)

--AUTUMN SPIRIT--

Temperatures are plummeting here in London, and I'm finally getting into the autumn frame of mind! (Took long enough). Got a lot of work tonight (haven't been home before 8 on any day this week) so just a quick post of photos which capture the atmosphere I'm feeling right now. Almost the weekend now! I'm planning to head out and buy some essential items which my wardrobe's been lacking for all too long-anyone else have anything exciting prospects for this weekend?

(hivennn.blogspot.com; fashiongonerogue.com; coldam.com; fashiongonerogue.com; therewasrain.com; fashiongonerogue.com; inafractionofasecond.blogspot.com; fashiongonerogue.com; therewasrain.com; linadimoda.freshnet.se; pastafrola.net; sandmer.se; etc-alltherest.blogspot.com; fashiongonerogue.com)

--EASY EVENING DRESSING--

My overall dressing style is definitely more towards the casual end of the spectrum. When I go out of an evening, unless it's a special occasion I'll just stick to some leggings or jeans, maybe heels, usually just a normal top because, as I realised just the other day, the only formal tops I own are white shirts. (Note to self: invest in much black clothing and some nice vest tops). So, although in my heart I hanker after floor length wonders, my idea of evening dressing is more like the outfits below. Net-a-porter kindly decided to drop a whole host of monochromatic clothing items in my inbox this morning-see, it is possible to wear black and white without looking like a waitress or concert performer!

Left:
Top-Jason Wu
Skirt-Miu Miu
Clutch-Miu Miu

Middle:
Top-Miu Miu
Shorts-Jil Sander
Pumps-Lanvin

Right:
Top-Aubin & Wills
Shorts-Aubin & Wills
Clutch-Bottega Veneta

(net-a-porter.com)

--BLUSTERY BEACHES--

I think it's a combination of my British upbringing and my parents' love of the outdoors, but I absolutely adore going to the beach during the off season, when it's cold and windy and the wind cuts right through you like a sheet of ice. A few years ago we were in Devon in October, and we went to a beach which lies straight as an arrow for a good 3km or so, with a long ridge of sand dunes running all the way along parallel to the sea. Even at high tide there's a band of flat, perfect sand between the sea and the foot of the dunes. You can only access the beach by car right at the far end; otherwise you have to walk about 2km through sand dunes and grass to get to the beach. When we went it was deserted because of the low clouds that skulked low over the sea, and the wind blew sand everywhere and whipped your hair in your face and stung your eyes.

Beautiful.

(fashiongonerogue.com; models.com; fashiontoast.com; lefashionimage.blogspot.com; turnedout.tv; fashiongonerogue)

--IN TANDEM--

Some streetstyle photography is right up there alongside genuine editorial work with regards to execution and ideas. While it must look a bit weird to see someone crouching down in the middle of the street with a camera stuck to their face, the images that are produced as a result of spontaneity and an eye for detail are often beautiful and brilliant. It just so happened that I had a few photos in the same vein stacked up in one of my many picture folders.

HARRY POTTER IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS WOOO!

(thecherryblossomgirl.com; jakandjil.com; streetfsn.blogspot.com)

--GO THE ALL BLACKS--

I need to stock up on black tees and cardigans from H and M so I can work this look into my everyday style. My lack of a black leather jacket suddenly seems like a massive flaw in my attempt to sophisticatise my wardrobe. (I've worn trackies to school 2 days out of 3 this week...).

(altamiranyc.blogspot.com; carolinesmode.com; ifyouseekstyle.blogspot.com; mrnewton.net; carolinesmode.com; streetfsn.blogspot.com; vanillascented.freshnet.se; nyheter24.freshnet.se; vogue.co.uk)