Style | Grey Is The New Black

As someone who declares numerous times her love for a monochrome wardrobe, you can imagine my excitement on seeing the fashion world turn in to a hue of tonal grey. Grey is no longer a faded black, a dirty white or a mere shadow of a colour. No, grey has emerged as this autumns front running staple colour. Forget those dark blacks, deep burgundys and forest greens that have so long been a member of your fall wardrobe. ( Ok, maybe don't forget them. Perhaps just tone them down a bit. A burgundy croc bag, or a chunky knit green jumper should do it. ) Grey is now your staple colour this season! 

While at first the thought of a grey wardrobe can seem like quite a dull pallette, I am here to hopefully (though not all that confidently) show you that Grey is not boring. Different shades, textures and patterns can bring your grey outfit to life, adding contrast and interest to what could otherwise be a washout of an outfit.

I can not stress enough how important the cut and texture of clothing is to the overall effect of an outfit. Though I have only been blogging fashion  for a few months, I have already established that simple details are key to creating an outfit that works. Whether or not I achieve a successful outfit is still questionable, BUT I am learning and hopefully progressing.

What's more, is that a simple grey pallette allows room for your accessories to take centre stage. Small hints of colour can really stand on their own against a background of grey hues. 

I was lucky enough to be sent this beautiful Jade Stone ring with very simple yet extremely elegant sterling silver detailing from gen K. Jewelry. Genevie, the creator of these beautiful pieces, makes it her mission to travel around the world to source the materials for her jewellery. Each pieces is carefully and thoughtfully selected, and this is what gives her brand the uniqueness and tranquil characteristics. 

The ring I was sent was made out of Jade. gen K. Jewelry uses Jade because it is an enchanting gemstone with unique properties that fosters zen and promotes calmness. Back in ancient Chinese history, only the emperor and official of high ranks were allowed to wear jade as it was considered a precious stone. It was believed to ward off evil and protect the wearer. 

Taking these historic properties of the stone, gen K. Jewelry decided to modernise the jade with a "face-lift" incorporating avant-garde concepts and contemporary design to enable the discerning individual to portray a sense of style and originality. I, myself, find the ring absolutely stunning and am so happy to be the owner of such a unique item.

I wanted to play about with the location, so decided to try an urban vibe. Closest I could find was this skatepark, so I had to have a bit of fun while I was there!

The piece that I feel really finishes this look is the bag! I actually grabbed this off my friend Lydia last minute and stole it for my outfit! I love the rough-finish leather and the boldness of the backpack. Definitely need to invest in one for myself. I feel the rucksack really breaks up the outfit and adds in another layer of volume to keep it from looking flat!

All my love,

CJ.

Ring | gen K. Jewelry

Top | H&M

Jumper | H&M

Skirt | H&M

Boots | ZARA

Bag | From Lydia

Style Great Lengths

I was  lucky enough to be sent these gorgeous pieces from Orelia. They are so wonderful and really hold a very elegant and dainty feel. I love the incorporation of the natural amethyst stone, its hazey purple tones compliment the gold perfectly!

I am a huge fan of statement jewellery, but sometimes you don't need anything too out there to make your statement. These pieces are a perfect example of how a few smaller, delicate pieces can come together to not just complete a look, but to make it altogether. Adding these touches from  Orelia change the outfit from something very casual, to an outfit that holds some character and detailing. I love them! 

 I think long, floating, skirts are incredibly feminine. While midi skirts found themselves in the spotlight for a while, long floor length skirts can always be found styled on the streets no matter what part of the year. There is something about the Grecian style and bohemian trend that encapsulates pieces of great length and which makes the such a solid staple in peoples wardrobes.

I love the way long pieces hang and drape off the body, while each piece is made the same, when put on it changes to envelope the shape of our own unique bodies meaning the same skirt could look completely different on various body shapes. 

What's more, these lengths of floating material show off the body without showing anything at all. While the wrong cut may leave you drowned in a mass of unflattering material, finding the right piece will flatter you to no-end. It leaves much to the imagination, a trait that is often much more loved then showing off the real thing. 

As you know by now, I am a huge fan of black. So, what better colour to style a long black skirt with than more black? You see my point. I paired my skirt with a beautifully simple off the shoulder black crop. The off the shoulder detailing, along with the lengthy thigh slit in the skirt gives that hinted suggestion of what lies underneath. A perfect way to show you are wearing great lengths, not to cover, but to frame.

I paired this outfit with my plain Carvella pointed flats, they have a lovely bit of gold detailing on the heel just to add to the Grecian style of floating dresses and half-up do's.

Hope you are all well!

All my love,

CJ. 

Style | I Take My Coffee Black...

I love the new statement jewellery trend, huge chunky necklaces now complete any look to add more colour and interest. That is why I jumped at the chance to work with Rose and Storm and feature one of their gorgeous necklaces on my blog.

I received this beautiful candy pink chunky bead necklace and I couldn't be more happy with it! The necklace sits well and is the perfect size to catch peoples attention. While some statement necklaces can be too overbearing on the outfit, this one from Rose and Storm is perfect and gives just enough colour and detail while still being simple and clean cut.

If you have read my previous posts, you already know my obsession with black. I love black clothing, and I always feel really comfortable wearing all black and it saves me from having to think about colour and pattern matching! 

I do, however, love interesting clothes so for me it is important to add shape and texture to any of my mono-coloured outfits. I love this tailored skort from Zara! I picked it up in the Zara spring sale for under £10 and love it. I feel that it is great at slimming down my not-so-slim thighs and also helps to elongate my legs thanks to its pointed design! 

These little strappy heels were also a bargain! The beauties come from H&M and were less the £15. While I usually love super high heels, I had a sensible turn when I purchased these, they are the smallestheels I own but they are super comfy and I still think they look fine!

I love the delicate feel that these heels have, the slender straps make them look really elegant and I think the minimal detail and minimal fabric really work with the bulk of black that the outfit uses! 

I always love to look quite smart, and that's why I love the structured shoulder pads that are hidden in the boxy top. The outfit as a whole has quite a masculine feel, but the heels soften it up. 

I also love white nails, as I feel they always look so fresh and crisp! I am wearing Models Own new HyperGel Range!

All my love, 

CJ.

Necklace | Rose and Storm

Top | Zara

Skort | Zara

Shoes | H&M

Bag | Ebay

Style | The Tropics

I have been lusting after a cute two piece for ages, so when I saw the amazing pieces by by Sarah from Sewn by Sarah Lou I jumped at the chance to feature them on my blog.

Two pieces have been a key statement in the fashion world this spring/summer, and Sarah's sets are absolutely perfect for buying into the trend. She offers beautiful fabrics and a range of style so that each two piece set is custom-made and individual to you.

Sometimes, handmade items can lack the professional quality of shop bought clothes. But this is not the case here. When I received my two piece and tried it on, I was completely happy with the quality and fit. They came just as described, and were exactly what I had ordered. The tropical pink print Emily crop and white shorts. I fell in love with them and couldnt wait to blog them!

The shorts are really great, they are a stretchy fabric and have an elasticated waist band which is always good! The top itself came in a lovely bold print, I am usually quite boring with my patterns but I couldn't resist this amazing print. Sewn by Sarah Lou has amazing fabric to choose from, but this was by far my favourite!

I paired my two piece with a simple white clutch as I felt that the top should be the feature of this outfit. I loved the pattern so much and wanted to frame it in all its beauty!

I also paired this with some white wedges with wooden detailing, I love wedges and white so they were the perfect combination! I was tempted to wear my black strappy heels, but for some reason I just couldn't replace the white wedges.

While the outfit is a perfect summers day piece, it can also be easily layered with a blazer or jacket and worn out in the evenings.

I can not wait to wear this out and see peoples reaction to the bold print and contrasting white shorts. The pieces on Sewn by Sarah Lou  are just so incredibly priced, and fantastic! I am so happy to now be the proud owner of one.

All my love,

CJ.

Top | Sewn by Sarah Lou 

Shorts | Sewn by Sarah Lou 

Wedges | New Look

Clutch | New Look

Nails | Chanel Inspired Black Glitter Mani

I've always absolutely loved doing my nails, I'm a complete polish addict and even has a filing system due to the amount of polishes I own! I'm always on the lookout for new brands, colours, textures - anything. Recently, I've been seeing some fantastic nail inspiration around on tumblr and instagram and decided to do a little inspired post of my own.

These nails were inspired by Chanel packaging. Chanel has a very sleek black design, everything is very clean and simple, yet the brand itself stands for luxury which can be symbolised by a gorgeous glittery polish! 

I tend to find that black polish looks to harsh on me, as I'm necessarily olive toned when it comes to my skin. However, adding this bit of sparkle has really helped to soften the polish and I love the glamour that it gives to the simple black.

Although I used a Matte Black polish, I didn't really like the effect of the matte and glitter combination. But that was nothing that a glossy OPI topcoat couldn't sort out!

I actually added a glitter stripe to the plain black nail a little later as I thought it looked too bare!

Let me know if you like my nail posts, I am quite keen to do some more!

All my love,

CJ.

Style | Simple Monochrome

I still haven't strayed away from black yet, but at least today I added some white in too! I absolutely love monochrome looks, I personally feel they always look very put together. It seems to be a colour palette that just will always work well.... well almost always. 

I have really been loving wearing simple pieces with interesting details. I'm not a massive print and pattern kind of girl, so for me it's great when clothes have an interesting cut or shape. I used to try and stay away from anything that showed off my shoulders as I packed a bit more weight previously and would often find the halterneck style cut VERY unflattering. 

However, though i'm still not where I want to be weight wise, I have trimmed down. And now (at last) I am happy enough to show my shoulders off to the world. I am absolutely in love with this top, not only is it a crisp white but I think the cut around the neck is just really interesting and quite bold. Happy Clara.

Today was a day for heels. I used to be absolutely obsessed with chunky massive high heels, but now I have found love in smaller elegant ones. Not only have I gone for a smaller heel but I have also found myself lusting over pointed shoes. I can't walk past a shop window display without being pulled in by the promise of some new point shoes. It's bad, I know. But there is something about the pointed toe that really elongates the leg and makes things look a bit slimmer! 

My clutch is from last summer, I am always keen to recycle my favourite pieces from last year. I really like the transparent sections of the bag, and again I love it just because its white! 

I've also been experimenting a bit with my make-up recently, trying out lipsticks and blushes and all sorts of things! I love bold lipsticks, especially the vampy kind. I'm not too sure just yet whether or not they suit me, but hey i'm just going to go for it!

I've been having such a lovely time so far this summer, catching up with people. Definitely good to be home!

All my love,

CJ.

Top | River Island

Jeans | Topshop

Clutch | New Look 

Shoes | Asos