The Military Look...

Style Theory: The military look is back..not full on military but a nod to the look. Khaki fitted coats with red trim, military epaulette details and striped trousers. Add one piece to your wardrobe to update your look, a military jacket is the perfect item to add an edge to a simple t-shirt, jeans and trainers look. Or wear side striped trousers with an oversize sweater and heels. It is all about juxtaposing the hard military edge with softer, fluid shapes and fabrics...

Cashmere Jumper - c/o Winser London £185

Trousers - Zara £59.99

Bag - Gucci

Shoes - Dune London £75 

I saw Olivia Palermo wearing these trousers and London Fashion Week and fell in love with them. They are the perfect piece to add a little touch of military to your wardrobe, I will be wearing them with blouses, black round neck knits and red puff sleeve tops. They have an elasticated waistband making them incredibly comfortable, they are long though, really long, I had to take them up..alot..

Here are a few other items that have caught my eye on the high street and will be a perfect little Autumn/Winter fashion lift to your look..

Mango £89.99

I have this jacket, it ticks off three trends in one, it is velvet, in the most beautiful deep green colour and military style. I bought the small, it is a neat fit but I will not wear thick jumpers underneath. I have worn mine with a tee, jeans and trainers for the schoolrun and in the evening with my Victoriana blouses, ankle length kick flare jeans and heeled ankle boots. It is worth the investment! 

Zara £89.99

The perfect three quarter length military coat, again in velvet, dress up or dress down, an easy item to wear.

Next £75

Next £75

This are the ideal coat to elevate a very basic look. Sling this coat over jeans, a tee and if you are petite like me a pair of heeled ankle boots - for the taller you are lucky and can get away with trainers. This coat does all the talking so you can keep the outfit underneath paired back.

Zara £59.99

A reasonable coat, ticks the military coat trend in a subtle, chic way.

Asos £35

The cutest military shirt, it is short so it will need a vest top underneath, would look fab with skinny jeans and ballet pumps..love this

Zara £25.99

Loving the red trim on this sweater, it would look fab paired with jeans, stan smiths and a red bag, add a dash of red lipstick for a cool look.

Me +Em £119

These are the perfect military/sailor trousers, I know I bang on about Me+Em trousers and they are more pricey than lots on the high street but the quality is amazing. I find them so flattering, I have a tubby tummy and carry weight across my middle/hips/bottom and these skim across so perfectly. I normally have to take them up (I just do it myself as the fabric is so easy to turn up and sew) Highly recommend!!

Zara £19.99

Reasonable, elasticated waist, loving the buckle detail on the ankle wear with heels..the look below is perfect - different trousers but the same idea..

The military boots...

Marks and Spencer £85

Boots are getting chunkier this season, these leather boots would look fab with a dress to toughen it up. Or wear on cold winter days with skinny jeans and an oversized jumper...sooo cosy!

So are ready to 'stand to attention' in the military look? What are your favourite looks? As always I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions, until next time, Fran xxx

Just a quick thank you to all the absolutely lovely ladies who came to the event days at Quattro Rish and Travelling Bazaar this weekend. It was so so lovely to meet you all and have a chat. Thanks to QR and TB for inviting me down to speak in your fab boutiques, it was so much fun xx

This Season's 'Must Have' tee

Style Theory: Band tees have been around for a long time but this summer they re-emerged as 'the' tee to wear. They are slightly different from the grey marl 'Ramones' look from a few years ago, the new crop are on a dark base and work perfectly to toughen up pleated skirts, mini skirts and mom jeans. Pair with some super chunky black ankle boots and you have a cool AW16 look..

Rough Studio Tee €79.95

This is the tee of the moment, on the expensive side of things but it is the tee all the fashionistas are wearing. Pair with a gold, pleated midi skirt, a pair of heeled black boots and a leather biker....

Isabel Marant £65

This tee has to be my pick of the bunch, I spotted this on the very cool Lindsey from Ropes of Holland and hastily added it to this blog. Just the right amount of rock chic, subtle and totally cool. 

Urban Outfitters £26

Now necessarily a band tee, but cool nonetheless. Pair this with a leather mini skirt (or this season's black PVC skirt, see Mango one below and opaque tights and boots.

Mango £35.99

Topshop £18

Not quite getting the whole 'spliced' idea but do like this tee. Pair with a dark red pleated midi skirt and boots for a cool look.

Topshop £22

More of a coke tee than a band tee but I have a similar top I bought years ago from Topshop and I literally wear it with everything, from denim shorts in the summer to a navy blazer, boyfriend jeans and heels in the winter. Such a useful item in my wardrobe.

Topshop £24

Loving the tie look on this tee - adds interest, a real rock chic vibe.

Missguided £15

The rock chic look without the skulls, I would pair this with a silver or gold metallic, pleated skirt and trainers, or wear it with the skirt below...

Travelling Bazaar Silk Skirt £158

This skirt is stunning on, it reaches my knees (I am 5ft3) and feels amazing on as it is silk. I would wear it with a band tee, black opaques and boots (see the first photo I posted of The Fashion Guitar above in the streetstyle)

I am going to give this look a try, I will report back and let you know how I get on and what I style it up with. Are you a fab of rocker/band tees? As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, until next time Fran xxx

Boden's Amazing Mid Season Sale - Grab yourself a bargain quick...

Breton was £39.50 - now £29.70

Style Theory: The time to shop at Boden is now, with up to 40% off they have some fab pieces to add to your Autumn/Winter wardrobe, from bretons with a twist to the most beautiful pink coat I have seen in a while...go, go, go!

The perfect building blocks for your wardrobe....

Velvet Lace up Breton was £39.50 now £27.90

This is the most beautiful twist on the breton, I love the velvet lace detail. A perfect addition to jeans and trainers uniform, or dress up in the evening with boyfriend jeans and leopard print heels (love the ones below)

Supersoft jumper was £89.50 now £53.70

Because a grey jumper is such a useful piece to have in your wardrobe, pair with jeans and coloured trainers, with a pleated midi skirt and heels, or tailored trousers and heeled boots.

Abingdon Trench was £140 now £89.40

This is a good looking trench, quite Burberry-esque. A perfect shape that will not go out of fashion and can be worn year after year. Perfect for over jeans, equally as chic over an evening dress for an evening out, timeless and stylish.

Sally Coat was £130 now £97.30

If you are hankering after a pink coat this is a great one, more of a 'car coat' ie. great for Autumn and Spring but will not keep you super warm in the deepest darker winter. However, this is great for layering over a pale pink jumper or grey sweater/hoody or wear a dark red, slim, padded gilet underneath for added warmth. Pink is staying around for SS17 too so this coat is a keeper..

Hayley Shirt was £69.50 now £48.65

A beautiful colour combination, the perfect AW16 work shirt, pair with ankle length cigarette trousers and a pair of leopard print heels for work style with a fashion edge.

Button Jumper was £69.50 now £48.65

A breton jumper is again such a useful item, size up for the perfect cosy winter sweater, perfect for cold country walks then onto cosy pubs. Pair with skinny jeans and Hunter wellies for a cool look.

Lovely Jumper was £69.50 now £48.65

Slogan sweaters are easy items to wear, I would size up and wear slouchy with ankle length crop flared jeans and white stan smiths, easy and cool.

Baseball tee - was £24.50 now £19.60

Ever since my daughter was 1 and obsessed with High School Musical, yes, one and obsessed with the songs and dances from it, I have liked a baseball tee, Zac Efron looked good in his and if it is good enough for him it works for me!

Wave High Court was £100 now £87.20

These are stunning, having seen them in the flesh - Alex from The Frugality has them and they look amazing on her, so elegant. They are the perfect 'go with everything' shoes, they will be just as good for work as with boyfriend jeans for an evening out. If you are off to event they will go with any type of dress, definitely a pair of shoes worth investing in.

Abbey Bag was £150 now £95.40

Navy leather with tan details looks so expensive and great with a breton, jeans, trainers and a navy blazer - the basic combination but always a winner in my eyes.

Those are my favourite picks from the Boden sale, all basic building blocks for your Autumn/Winter wardrobe and all pretty interchangeable, just add a good pair of jeans (try H&M or Topshop) and a pair of trainers - I still love Stan Smiths or Golden Goose and you pretty much have a capsule wardrobe.

I am also going to order a few pieces for my kids, I love their tartan pull on trousers for Jack with a stripy top, and for Jess, the denim playsuit and the gold glittery trainers and stock up on pjs and slippers. I could go on forever buying the kids clothes from Boden because they really do last and wash so well, but they just grow so fast and don't get enough wear out of them I only buy them a couple of things I know they will wear non-stop.

Have you got your eye on anything in the Boden sale, does any of the above pieces appeal to you? As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, happy sales shopping, until next time Fran xxxxxx

Who Influences you in Fashion?

Style Theory: I was so excited to be asked to be part of Endource shoot for 'The Women Influencing our Wardrobes' incredibly flattered and so looking forward to getting my hair and make up done professionally and have the chance to try on rails of clothes..heaven.

Dress - La Redoute £49 (40% off at moment making it £29.40!!)
Boots - La Redoute £99 (40% off makes them £59.40!!)

I fell in love with this dress and had always deemed my legs too chunky to pair with boots, but with some persuasion, I wore these boots and they worked to update the look. They are a great length and hit my calves in the right place. As you know I am a huge fan of ruffles and this dress hides a tummy to perfection, I have since bought both items!!

It was so lovely working with the bloggers below and it got me thinking, as to who influences the way we dress now? I, for one, have seen myself shift from pouring over magazines, reading every page (Grazia, Instyle, Red and Marie Claire were my fashion bibles - as they normally had great affordable, high street fashion) to now finding that I look to my favourite bloggers on Instagram and also pinterest for ideas. Mainly it is because it is quick, easy to find exactly what I am looking for both in style and price range. I still buy all the monthly magazines (along with Grazia and Look) but now I read them days/weeks after I have bought them when I have a spare minute. Fashion is constantly changing, that is why I find it so exciting and the way we interpret fashion has done too.

From left: Mother Pukka, The Online Stylist, Style Me Sunday and Polishing Colors

These lovely ladies I shot with at the Endource shoot, all have different styles, do things their own cool, unique way, that is what I love about fashion, it is all encompassing. You can carve out your own style or follow others, either way is good, it is your prerogative, you should wear the best selling item if you love it and look good in it even if it is all over Instagram or equally wear something completely different it doesn't matter, if it makes you feel good wear it, for me fashion is fluid, it can be as tame or as bold as you dare....

It was fun seeing, all of our different styles merge, I think it works!!

Who influences you in the world of fashion, are you look to blogs/Instagram for inspiration or do go to Pinterest or are you still a magazine fan? I would love to hear what you think? 

If you would like to check out the shoot, our interviews and details on what we are all wearing (my second outfit I was smitten with too) and if you don't already subscribe check out Endource, they are an up to the minute source of the best high street/ high end finds - they are worth a visit - click here

Thank you Endource for the fab day, Caz Wren for her magic make up and hair skills and Dan Williams for his amazing photography skills... 

Have a great weekend and thank you for reading, Love Fran xxxxxx

Breton Heaven

Style Theory: The breton is a pretty remarkable piece of clothing, introduced by Coco Chanel in her 1917 'Nautical Collection' after she spotted the style on a french sailor, and since it's popularity has waivered. It is the perfect go to item, it covers all eventualities from the schoolrun to an evening out on the town. I have an ongoing love affair with the breton..I wrote a Breton feature for Good Housekeeping detailing three ways to wear a bretons and here they are..

First, the smart look with a twist of nautical..

Breton Top - Me & Em £59

Trousers - Me & Em £119

Bag - Anna Pugh Bag £160

Shoes - Gucci - love these ones

Love these trousers, they are so flattering and skim over hips and tummy, they give you a waist and makes legs look longer..win win. Add a chunky poloneck sweater in the winter for chic style.

For a 'dressy' occasion....

Breton Top - Whistles £55

Skirt - Asos £50

Bag - Aurora London £64.50

Shoes - Dune - similar here

There is nothing more girly than a tulle skirt, the breton 'grounds' the look taking it down a notch and making it look more casual.

The breton sweater..

Jumper - Hush £75

Jeans - Old - love these ones

Shoes - Dune £95

Bag - Gucci Soho Disco 

Photos by Victoria Metaxas

A breton jumper is a year around outfit staple, wear with denim shorts, skinny jeans or black jeans and boots in the winter, an indispensable item in your wardrobe.

I love a breton..how do you wear yours? As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, until next time Fran xx

The Good Housekeeping feature is here - would love you to take a look xxxx