It's all about Tailoring...

Blouse - Me+Em 

Trousers - Me+Em

Jacket - Alexa for M&S

Bag - Fendi @Very Exclusive

Sunglasses - Fendi @Very Exclusive

Shoes - Gucci

Style Theory: When clothes are tailored well they are so flattering, skimming your lumps and bumps and making you look slimmer and just a little taller (I need help with both). I fell in love with Me+Em tailoring a couple of years ago when I bought a swing dress for Christmas Day, it hung perfectly, was made of beautiful fabric and was incredibly flattering..I was smitten. So here is my edit above and below of my favourite Me+Em pieces....

I am slightly obsessed with the stripe trousers above, they fit the 'sports luxe' trend perfectly and are so flattering. They are made from beautiful fabric that hangs perfectly, I have a tummy and they amazingly disguise this. The perfect work to weekend trousers, they can be worn with heels or trainers, they will work hard for you. The silk blouse is pure indulgence, the bow makes a statement and the colour is subtle and calm. Both the blouse and the trousers are a size 10 (my normal size), I sized down on the Alexa M&S blazer to a size 8 as it is pretty oversized.

Dress - Me + Em (sale)

Bag - Aurora London

Trainers - Superga

Camo Jacket - Primark (old season)

Sunglasses - Fendi @Very Exclusive 

This dress is currently in the Me+Em sale, it is made of silk crepe de chine, hangs beautifully and does not crush. It can be worn during the day, styled with a casual jacket (I went for my camo jacket) and sneakers or in the evening wear with tan high sandals and a contrasting bag for the perfect wedding outfit. I sized down on this as it does come up a little big, this is a size 8.

Jumper - Me + Em

Jeans - J Brand Selena Kick Flare

Lace Blouse - &Other Stories (in store in sale)

Bag - Zara (in store) 

Shoes - Zara

The perfect pink sweater, in a swing shape so keep bottoms tight and fitted. It is the most beautiful shade of pink, it is a fine knit so can be tucked into the front of jeans (perfect for hiding a tummy like mine) I will be wearing it with my cut off denim shorts and flat tan sandals in the summer and dressing it up wearing it with my stripe trousers above and heels for a smarter look.

This season tailoring is working for me, good tailoring is always a little more expensive in which case I make it 'work' hard for me, dressing it up with heels or dressing it down with a pair of trainers, a tee and a khaki/camo 'shackett'. I really believe in not keeping best clothes for 'best', I wear the items again and again from random trips to the park to press events, I need to get value and time goes too quickly to keep something to only wear once (apart from at home where I live in PJ bottoms!). 

What are you tailored must-have's? Do you tend to keep nice clothing aside for special occasions or do you wear them whenever? As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, until next time Fran xxxx

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Spotlight on Warehouse

Streetstyle photos via Pinterest

Style Theory: I had not been into Warehouse for a while but whilst I was in London last week I popped in and was excited to see so many beautiful items, from dresses to cool blouses, their new collection looked good.

Here are my favourite pieces with a little inspiration on how to style..

The Gingham Shirt

Gingham Blouson Blouse £39

A gorgeous blouson blouse, in this season's gingham. It has a tighter, almost belt like section at the bottom that makes it perfectly blouson. I tried in on (below) this is my normal size but I would be tempted to size up as it was slightly tight across the bottom. It is lovely!

How to style..

Style with 'Mom' jeans, a belt - belts are back in (love the Gucci one above but it is too spendy!) Throw on a trench and a pair of loafers..perfect.

The Dress

Silk Floral Bird Print Dress £95

Oriental Floral Midi £59

Floral midi dresses are having a moment. Perfect to wear during the day with trainers and a biker or denim jacket. Or for a wedding or formal event wear with a pair of bright coloured heels (pick out one of the colours in the print to match) add a contrasting, unusual bag (again one or a couple of the colours in the print) 

Love the strappy shoes, fun clutch and matching sunglasses, a perfect look.

The Shirt

Ticking Stripe Grandad Blouse £35

A good basic shirt, perfect for work with blue chinos and flat gold pointed shoes, for the weekend pair with jeans and trainers and in the summer with shorts..see inspiration looks below..

Loving it with the long shorts..

The Denim Shirt

Denim Ruffle Denim Shirt £45

A twist on the basic denim shirt, I like the victoriana style neck, it looks a little different and will look great under a maxi dress or pair of dungarees.

The Ruffle Blouse

Jacquard Ruffle Front Blouse £25

It is all about ruffles this year, this is such a good prices, a way to dip your toe in the trend without speeding too much.

The Sweater 

Woven ruffle sleeve jumper £45

I would size up on this sweater and wear a little on the large side. It will look fab with black skinny jeans and Stan Smith trainers for a cool laid back Spring look.

The Metallic Skirt

Metallic Leather Skirt £195

This is super expensive but I had to include it as it is pretty amazing. Metallics continue to reign supreme, this skirt ticks all the boxes, metallic, leather, a-line - very cool. Perfect to dress down with a grey sweater and trainers for an edgy daytime look.

The Shoes

Suede Buckled Heel Shoe £55

I have bought similar sandals to these the last few summers, the straps are super flattering on and they look great with a blouse, oversized boyfriend jeans with a turn up.

I love a plain top, baggy jeans and a coloured shoe, it looks so eye catching and nonchalantly dressy.

So there are a few pieces that caught my eye but have a look through the 'Tops' section on the website there are loads of fab blouses and shirts.

Are you a fan of Warehouse, have you checked them out recently? Until next time Frances xxx

*this is not a sponsored post, was just walking by and popped in!

Archive By Alexa at M'S - The Best Bits...

Archive By Alexa at M'S  - The Best Bits...

Style Theory: There is no doubt I am a sucker for a collaboration especially if it involves Alexa Chung, she has such an eye for wearable fashion. Her incredible style joined with M&S prices make the new Archive by Alexa range very exciting

So how did it look? Well, the quality was good, sizing slightly hit and miss and the prices reasonable. The design details on each piece were very Alexa but as she is incredibly tall and super slim I wasn't sure how this would translate to a 5ft3, 41 year old woman who had seriously indulged over Easter. So I had a try on session in Marble Arch M&S today in between meetings to see and here are the results..

The Harry Blouse £35

This was always going to be my favourite piece in the collection and I must admit I love it. I bought a size 10 and found that it did come up a little small, it is really tight across the top of my arms (but I am a bit chunky there at the moment so with less Easter eggs it may be ok) I didn't size up as I am quite narrow across the shoulders and thought it may be too big..so plumped with the UK10 and the hope I will lose weight/the blouse will stretch! I prefer the pink colour over the white as I am a big pink fan but the white did look good.

The Ada Blazer £49.50
The Ada Trousers £39.50
Shoes - Gucci Marmont 

The blazer and trousers were a surprise hit. The blazer looks fab on, I sized down to a size 8 and it fits well at my shoulders and is a good length, I have a cropped blazer but was on the look out for a longer one and this fits the bill. I was slightly nervous about the serious 80s styling but I think it works. 

The trousers were also fab on, these are a size 10, they were quite tight across the waistband but as I said earlier I am definitely slightly bigger that normal so I think in normal time they would be ok. I love the button detail on each side of the waist with pockets. They are super high waisted so although they are cropped dont make your legs look too short. This whole look above is a fab work look, slightly 80s power suit but done in a 2016 way. 

The Eliza Dress £45

Again, I was surprised this looked nice on, I thought it would be too short but I really like it. It will be perfect for holiday with flat tan strappy sandals and for now I think I would wear with black opaque tights and my gold shoes above. The fabric is a linen-like feel but quite thick so it keeps it's shape. This is a size 10, again it was tight at the top of my arms but pretty loose everywhere else so I would say if you have slim arms to size down. I bought the 10 as did about 10 girls in front of me in the queue for the till!

The Misty Dress £45

This is a beautiful floaty dress but I was just too short for it. It comes up big so definitely size down. It would look fab with high strappy sandals for a spring/summer wedding.

The Elsie Dress £39.50

This is cute but I felt I was a bit old for it. This was a size 10 and fitted true to size.

The Myrtle Jumper £29.50

I love the colour of this sweater but it was thick and fitted. This is a size 10, not quite my style, it would look great on someone taller and slimmer (and not wearing a navy bra!)

The Frances Trench £89

I ordered this trench, firstly because I love the colour, secondly because of the name! They only had larger sizes left in store so I didn't try it on but will hopefully collect it tomorrow so will let you know how it looks.

All in all I thought the collection was really lovely and well priced, unfortunately the styling online really does not do it justice, it looked fab on Alexa Chung of course but I was glad when I stumbled across it in store. Hope this gives you a little bit of an idea of what it looks like on a 'normal' person.

Have you bought anything in the collection, is it your style or do avoid the hype? As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, until next time Frances xxx

5 Key Items to 'Lift' Your Spring Wardrobe

Style Theory: A few key items in your wardrobe will update your look, refreshing your outfits and giving your Spring style a 'lift'. Here are my five key items for this Spring...

THE CAMO/KHAKI JACKET

One of the most useful pieces of clothing you will buy all Spring, this jacket covers all outfit eventualities from laid back weekend dressing to throwing over your going out outfit. It gives all outfits that cool edge, slightly nonchalant, a little rebelious and so very 2016. It works as th eperfect layering piece, wear under your bomber jacket or winter coat now and in the summer wear over your tee and denim shorts or boho white dress, buy one and I promise you will not regret it..

From Left to Right 

Hush Military Jacket £65

Topshop Camo Jacket £45

Topshop Lightweight Shackett £39

Bershka Cotton Parka £29.99

The Chic Blouse

The blouse can dress up any look in a flash, wear with jeans, fitted trousers, shorts, the blouse will see you through seamlessly from day to night. It looks chic and elegant and can be worn through every season. Definitely an item to invest it, it will work hard for you throughout the year..

From left to right

Maje @NetAPorter £175

Me+Em Crepe de Chine Blouse £148

&OtherStories Silk Blouse £65

H&M Lace Blouse £29.99

The Ankle Length Jeans

Such a good Spring jean, the cropped kick flare looks great with trainers, boots, ballet pumps or heels. The flared bottom really flatters your ankle making it look thinner and also balances out thighs and hips. I invested in the JBrand Selena jeans and have worn them non-stop. 

From left to right

J Brand Selena Jeans @VeryExclusive £220

Asos MiH Jeans £225

Whistles Crop Kick Flare £95

H&M Cropped Kick Flare £19.99

The Ballet Pump

The ballet pump is having a resurgence, it is such an easy little shoe to slip on, looks ladylike and delicate, flatters ankles and looks amazing with skinny or crop kick flares. If you are like me and have a habit of hoarding you will probably have quite a few pairs of ballet pumps stored in your wardrobe, if not here are a selection of my favourites..

From left to right

Russell & Bromley £155

KG Kurt Geiger £89

Boden Leather Flats £38.50

Asos Glamorous Pumps £20

The Comfortable White Trainer

The best trainer to wear with every outfit from boyfriend jeans to a denim dress to shorts. Stan Smith trainers are incredibly comfortable, they flatter sunkissed ankles and now there are so many versions on the high street. without a doubt my 'got to' trainer. I pop sheepskin insoles in mine for added comfort and warmth on the colder days..

From left to right

Stan Smith (white on white) @Office £99.99

Adidas Stan Smith @Asos £70

Adidas Stan Smith Red Pony detail @Asos £72

H&M Trainers £16

There are my 5 keys items for this Spring, you probably have quite a few of these, if not all already in your wardrobe, pair them together for a fabulous SS16 look, all are so versatile and can be mixed and matched with last year's trends along with wardrobe basics.

Do you have these items already, is there any of these your have not yet bought but have your eye on? As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, Fran xxxx