Dani’s Little Book of Fashion: the wide-legged trousers

so-many-lovely-things-7-of-11Recently I became obsessed with these wide legged trousers. When I say recently, add around 6 months.

After years constricting ourselves into skinnies, my pins welcome the freedom and breeze of these babies.

so-many-lovely-things-6-of-11This particular pair is a fantastic cut for my body shape: high waisted, flowy and skimming the bum. It doesn’t pinch too much at the waist, just the right amount. Just flattering and perfect.

These Forever 21 bargain trousers are so versatile it’s not even funny – they do day, evening, flats, heels, summer and winter without any effort. I always feel elegant on them.

so-many-lovely-things-1-of-11Here, I paired them up with a netted (super) crop tee from Topshop, which add a bit of informality to the attire.

so-many-lovely-things-9-of-11These silver block heels are amazing. Also very versatile, a manageable heel height for every day and super comfortable leather from Kurt Geiger.

The shoes are a very easy way to add some metallics to the outfit without being too out there.

so-many-lovely-things-10-of-11Statement sunglasses were in order for this hot day in London – and Le Specs does it effortlessly, for a pocket friendly price.

so-many-lovely-things-5-of-11I wore a basic day makeup (escaped from the office to  do the shoot), red lips, plenty of rings and my Mulberry Lily bag.

And I had the best time with the wonderfully talented Sarah Bacchus, the photographer from 2Boxes Photography.

She made me feel so comfortable, was fabulous at directing and getting the best shots out of me.

so-many-lovely-things-3-of-11She was also very speedy, making the lunch break shoot a fun and smooth reality!

2Boxes does styling sessions, but also amazing photography of all types – wedding, children, events, fashion… name it and it will be done in a magical and professional matter.

My wide-legged trousers joy was captured brilliantly!

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Dani’s Little Book of Fashion: a, well, fashion affair

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Photo by @JoinComb for The Apartment

It’s early, I’ve had little sleep, I’ve been so tired I refused champagne. Yes. That. It must be fashion week.

Honestly, I don’t even do that much for it and it is rather tiring. On my day 1 (actually day 2), I was lucky to watch Rohmir frow with Crabtree & Evelyn.

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Photo by @JoinComb for The Apartment

They were an official Fashion Scout sponsor this season and created beautifully illustrated special edition packs of their fabulously classic hand creams to celebrate; I had a divine hand scrub and massage, which all Freemason’s Hall guests could have too!

Their #HandsOnFashion hashtag was all over!

Rohmir show was entitled my English Garden and, quite appropriately to Crabtree & Evelyn, had a its share of flowers! A pretty, flowy collection and very wearable. I could certainly do with some pieces.

I also visited the fabulous The Apartment, a space I am very lucky indeed to be invited to. The atmosphere is fantastic, Abi, the founder behind the concept is a joy to be around and she gets it beyond right every season.

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Photo by @JoinCOmb for The Apartment

This season’s star had to be the concept room, full of pink balloons. In love.

I had my hair done – a small side plait and some waves and a photo shoot with the amazing guys from Comb. As I mentioned, The Apartment has some fabulous partnerships every season!

I decided to go a bit girly-goth on Saturday. Cats seem to be a recurring LFW theme for me – this season it manifested itself with a Karl Lagerfeld tee, with Choupette illustrated by Tiffany Cooper.

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Photo by @JoinComb for The Apartment

Add my little Karl phone cover to it, a dinky cat necklace from Forever 21 and voilá: a theme is re-born.

I also threw my Karl Lagerfeld for Riachuelo jacket in for good measure (it’s London after all).

lfw-5This magnificently full voile skirt, bought from Amazon, was Primed over in 24h for a ridiculous £8.95.

Little dotty socks (I freaking love little socks) are from Primark, these chunky sandals from New Look have been with me forever, handbag is my beloved Chanel, of course, which completed its first birthday with me.

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Photo by @JoinComb for The Apartment

Nails were painted grey with Essie Now and Zen, lipstick is the fabulous Di La LA from MDMflow, a cleaner eye with fierce eyeliner and the pretty Eylure Rosie Bea Kitsch lashes.

I loved this look so much! And it worked with flats too, to run around, although I was lucky enough to be ferried around in style (and comfort) by Hyundai – another great Apartment partnership!

I also visited the Pandora lounge and they had Mii makeup, Nails Inc Paint Can nails and the most amazing Pandora treats vending machine!

Lookfantastic also has a fab lounge; when I went, I had a makeup refresh and a fab lip done by Lord & Berry and I also popped to the Perrier Jouët L’Eden in London, which is a gorgeous lounge and bio-responsive garden by Bompas and Parr, part of the London Design Festival (well worth checking their activities this week).

Perrier Jouet L'Eden

I mean, anywhere you can pick your pretty flute from a tree, I am totally in. Glam and gorgeous!

And that was just Saturday…

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Making shopping easier

octer (4 of 11)Imagine finding everything you need to buy in one place – think shops, designers, fashion, home… From high street to high end.

Octer does just that. And a bit more. It actually compares different retailers so you can find the right colour, size and price.

And what’s more, you complete your transaction with the retailer itself, so you’re safe.

You can browse by category or store and you can see similar products to your selection – you never know when you’re gonna find a very similar item which is a bargain!

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I was set on a wrap skirt for my holidays and after using the search to find them, I fell in love with this beautiful flowery one from New Look.

As I am already registered with New Look, the last part of my transaction was quick and smooth and I got it delivered at my local store, within the shop’s usual delivery conditions.

I teamed it up with this pretty peach frilly, off the should Forever 21 top, even though I bought the top to match the skirt too, and nude wedges I bought in Brazil a while ago.

While browsing, I was taken aback with the amount of products available; to make your life easier, you can browse by style once you’re in a category and styles are also split so you can browse bodycon dresses only!

A suggestion: maybe it would be nice to filter by brand too. But there is always the search box!

octer (10 of 11)You can then filter by price, store and choose to see sale items only!

But beware: the sheer volume of information in the site, which is amazing, can be a bit overwhelming at times.

I have to say, I was quite impressed to see Louboutins next to Linzi?! Octer does have something for everyone!

Go on and have a browse at Octer. Ah, you can also download the app!

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This post contains PR samples. This review, however, is based on my experience with the product and reflects my honest opinion on them.

My pick of Christmas jumpers

christmas_jumper_selectionOnly recently the air started smelling like Christmas. This is a weird time of the year for me. I love Christmas, but I grew up having tropical Christmas: super hot with thunderstorms. And I miss my family.

Thirteen years on, I find comfort in the smell that winter brings, that cold air that fills your lungs and announces that my favourite time of the year is coming.

It’s December and we are allowed. Grab your mulled wine, create a Christmas playlist on Spotify and cosy up with one of my picks of Christmas jumpers, also handy to dazzle at that Christmas lunch, Jumper Day at the office or just putting your tree up!

missguided_xmas_jumperShake your tinsel, Missguided, £22

My kind of Christmas jumper. Off the shoulder: check. Cheeky message: check. Worn as a dress: check.

What’s not to like? And of you are looking for cheeky, sexy jumper, Missguided is the place to find them – their selection is fab.

asos_xmas_jumperHappy Pug-Mas, ASOS, £20

This Missguided jumper is perfect for dog lovers. Cute.

boohoo_cat_xmas_jumperElla Meowy, Boohoo, £15

Now for cat lovers. with this one, you are guaranteed a happy Cat-mas (sorry!).

 

asos_vintage_xmas_jumperVintage ski pattern, ASOS, £38

I love the vintage pattern on this jumper. Discreet and rather elegant, is perfect for the more demure Xmas jumper wearer.

boohoo_reindeer_xmas_jumperReindeer, Boohoo, £15

More traditional with Rudolph and a bobble red nose. Also available in black and navy.

primark_robin_xmas_jumperRobin, Primark, £12

A cute seasonal robin with super fluffy wings. What’s not to love?

topshop_cracker_xmas_jumperCracker, Topshop, £38

I love this sparkly sequin explosive cracker.

peacocks_reindeer_xmas_jumperReindeer, Peacocks, £18 (now £14.40)

Another reindeer, but this one lights up! The Christmas lights tangled up on its antlers come on. And there is pattern on the back too, so there’s no mistake it’s a festive jumper!

hm_elfie_xmas_jumperElfie Selfie, H&M, £14.99

H&M went all out for Christmas, bringing no one less than Katy Perry to be their Christmas fairy. This lovely jumper is sold out online, but maybe you are lucky to find it in-store.

matalan_snowman_xmas_jumperSnowman, Matalan, £20

Became a snowgirl with this Matalan jumper. Complete with pink tie-up scarf, which is my favourite part of this one! Oh, it plays music too!

primark_gingerbread_xmas_jumperGingerbread man, Primark, £14

Very delicate, super wearable and only £14. Yes, Get it. Primark has a great affordable selection of festive jumpers, sweats and t-shirts.

matalan_elf_xmas_jumperElf, Matalan, £20

Your head becomes this lovely elf’s when you are wearing it. Plus, it is musical.

Christmas jumpers are bigger every year. There are so many around and there are lots of lovely ones I missed.

Have you find your for this season?

Happy Christmas!

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Stepping into another era in Camden, with Collectif Vintage Clothing

100 dresses. No, it is not number I go through every morning before deciding what to wear, silly. It is the number of Collectif dresses donned by lovely ladies at the Collectif Big Camden Party, which lived up to its “night of style, sass and swing” tagline wonderfully.

Choosing from seven beautiful Collectif vintage inspired dresses, we were treated to a fabulous retro hair do as well as a few glasses of prosecco and an unlimited amount of fun at the Collectif shop at Stables Market, in the heart of Camden Town.

I am a huge vintage inspired clothing fan. I don’t make it a lifestyle and don’t really stick to an era, but I pepper it around my own style; and the 50s are by far favourite time.

I love pencil skirts, cinched waists and I think that’s the best shape for my body; I feel comfortable and of course, pretty!

After squeezing myself into the gorgeous Yvonne Hanna Check Trim pencil dress and with my head suitably adorned with Victory rolls (by Lucy’s Vintage Hair) we moved on to Solomon’s Yard for the party.

And what a party it was. We were promised live bands, DJs, burlesque, magic, hoola hooping and Unicorns (yes, UNICORNS) ad boy, did they deliver that and more.

Welcomed by a vintage car and motorbikes, the stage was always filled with the most amazing acts: the Victory Sisters, an impeccable wartime vocal trio wearing pretty Collectif Maria Woodland Bloom Swing dresses.

There was beyond sassy burlesque from stunners The Folly Mixtures, with two cute and sexy acts, music spanning the eras between performances, courtesy of DJ Gem Precious and Diana Thompson.

Fabulous in orange drag queen Meth killed the comedy lip-syncing and got us all singing and laughing, and I even got some bonus spanking from the hilarious Levitating Elvis, with his boxing glove hair, an act so weird that is wonderful.

I do have to single out the not only gorgeous but super talented The Tootsie Rollers.

All five of them wore sultry siren Ingrid Fishtail evening dresses and left me smiling throughout the whole performance of pop sons with a swing twist. Extraordinary.

Finally, the unicorns. They came all the way from The Fabulus of Unicorns, a group of horn wearing, glitter-spreading people whose sole purpose is to disseminate love and happiness among humans. I mean, I just felt so happy around them that it’s not even funny.

I was of course, “kissed” by a unicorn and can still find glitter all over my house.

And there was dancing. Laughing. Such a fabulous atmosphere, fantastic happy people, all supporting a great brand with glamour that keeps giving.

My dress (and all the others I tried – sorry guys, you were fabulous and so kind trying to accommodate me) has an excellent finish and detailing, amazing cut, fits well and made me feel a million dollars.

All their clothes are amazing, the designs are obviously, vintage inspired, but very wearable. I have my eyes on a few little numbers, I tell you!

You can browse the beautiful Collectif Vintage Clothing collection on their website, I highly recommend it.

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Dani’s Little Book of Fashion: a little quirk

outfit_quirky_somanylovelythings - 20I started this outfit with the shoes. There. I said it. I fell in love with these lovely boy-ish brogues in silver leather and cow’s hair (yes, how amazing is that?) from Office and had to style it.

Coords are another little obsession of mine and I am finding quite hard to find AW ones; but this Zara number fit the bill ok.

outfit_quirky_somanylovelythings - 23The fabric is thicker and slightly textured; the trousers are super wearable. Although the sleeves are shorter than 3/4, it looks great under a little jacket! Also, I love the little buttoned up details on the back and the small roll neck.

Plus, it makes decent office wear, just add heels and voilá: it’s business proof!

outfit_quirky_somanylovelythings - 7Bag wise, as I went for another little bit of quirk, I opted for my gorgeous Lulu Guinness Lips clutch, in black. I’ve wanted a LG lips clutch for forever, so I am glad I got one to call my own!

outfit_quirky_somanylovelythings - 12For the colder days, a fur coat, which is another obsession of mine. This one is short, from H&M, a discreet black ombré, with purple-burgundy “roots”.

Since I wore black lips for LFW, I’ve been dying to wear again. Admittedly, it is not a look that you can insert anywhere in your life, but I am trying to make some space for it.

That shift to striking lip colour really made me think more about different shades and purple was always something I wanted to wear. So I got my NYX Face Art Purple Blaze eyeliner and filled it in.

To amp it up, I added MAC’s impossibly bright Nicki Minaj Viva Glam pink in the middle, to create a subtle ombré.

Eyes were simple, with MAC’s Vex across the lid and brow bone and a little bit of MAC’s Iris, a fabulous lilac perfect for bringing out brown eyes (and lifting them when you are tired!) on the crease.

They were lined in a super flick with Urban Decay Ink for Eyes in Perversion and I added my super fave Eylure Fleur Loves lashes for a discreet flutter.

A comfortable, simple outfit with a few quirky twists; a very easy way to incorporate a different touch to you neutral daily outfits – a bag, a funky lip, striking shoes. Only one will make your outfit pop!

And I am still on the lookout for winter coords! Send them my way if you spot any!

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Styling and posing: Dani Dutra

Photography: Andy Edwards

Location: Stratford’s Gerry raffles square

Dani’s Little Book of Fashion: Autumn in the countryside

lbf_countryside_autumn - 3If you know a little bit about me, you know I am not a country loving person. That is limited to not enjoying “long walks”, hiking and camping.

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How I feel about trends

trends - somanylovelythingsTrend. Such a powerful word nowadays. Everyone uses it. There’s a trend overload in all aspects of life.

Now, let me get this out of the way: I don’t dislike the word trend (or real trends themselves). In fact, I quite like it, as helps give you guidance to easily update your wardrobe, but sometimes I do think it is overused to mis-sell stuff.

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What I’ve been wearing, June 15

Now that I am posting the Dani’s Little Book of Fashion articles, I am limiting my “what I am wearing” posts to one a month.

The posts differ a bit in the sense the book of fashion is one particular look, taking trends or occasions and breaking it down in wearable chunks.

What I’m wearing brings my daily ensembles – what I wear to work and to events. Instead of the sporadic round-up of outfits, I will be sharing a selection of my favourites of the month to provide a bit of an insight on my style and hopefully a little bit of inspiration.

Outfit #1

what i'm wearing somanylovelythings I love this flowery suit from Matalan. It’s a bit sports luxe and the flowers make it perfect for the season – it looks great in the office too. It is gorgeous and the price is fab – the jacket is £20 and the sports trousers £15. I teamed with a nude colour vest top from New Look, nude court shoes from Christian Louboutin, necklace from Primark and rings from Forever 21, H&M and Primark.

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