AW15 High-Street Sneek Peek

Yes, its the height of summer and I'm focusing on autumn/winter fashion! I think a lot of us are curious about what trends await us for the colder part of the year though right? The AW15 catwalk shows teased us in February with what's to come, but what can we get our hands on with affordable prices? Well, I've picked some of my high-street favourites from Topshop, ASOS, Primark and River Island to give you an idea.

Topshop will have a variety of textured coats, polo-necks, boxy jackets, victoriana blouses, long boho dresses and printed a-line skirts. Many of their shoe designs for next season are seventies inspired, including velvet and mock-croc.

River Island as usual will be spoiling us for choice in the coat department. I love the silky trench coat above. You'll also find seventies influenced patterned knitwear, chic blazers, and halter-neck tops. Trousers come in a variety of lengths from ankle to mid-calf.

Primark's AW15 lookbook features beautiful lace dresses and blouses in a victoriana style. The black dress above looks gorgeous when worn. There's also plenty of fringing, suede and earthy tones within their collections.

ASOS feature a lot of seventies glamour in their collections for next season, from coloured fur to sequins. Suede is still going strong for the winter season and if you want to go for a daring look, ASOS will be stocking a variety of knitted flares.

As you can see, seventies influences are probably going to be even more prominent than this season. I'm most looking forward to wrapping myself up in the playfully textured coats and mixing a victoriana blouse with my leather a-line skirt. 

Which trends are you excited about for next season?

Chokers + Cuffs

Jewellery is often the best way the complete an outfit. It's that extra detail that can add either an edge, sophistication or glamour to your look. At the moment my favourite piece is the ear cuff, worn by the likes of Cara Delevigne and Jennifer Lawrence. I think I'll be buying the vine leaf one by Topshop. 

The bracelet cuffs below have a contemporary look to them and would look amazing worn with a sleek monochrome outfit. As for the chokers, I much prefer those with stones and metal rather than the velvet kind. The leaf choker below looks so unusual with the opening at the front. 

Let me know which is your favourite piece! 

Accessorize - Zara - Topshop

ASOS - Regal Rose - Topshop

& Other Stories - Whistles - Coast

Love from Lou Lou

Catwalk Worthy Coats

It breaks my heart to say it, but it seems like the summer sunshine won't be making many more appearances this year. On the plus side, at least we have some exciting new trends to look forward to. My favourite winter piece is definitely a good coat. I'm always so impressed by the British high street's take on the many styles seen at Fashion Weeks. The quality is usually fantastic too, which is exactly what you need from this wardrobe staple. 

The faux fur coat has been around for the last few winters, and my black cocoon shaped one will be coming out of my coat cupboard again this year. If you're feeling more daring, this season offers multicoloured and striped versions. 

Another classic style to re-emerge is the parka. I love the luxe take on it this winter, as modelled by Cara Delevigne in the recent Topshop campaign. If anyone wants to buy me the Pamella Roland metallic parka below then that would be nice!

For more coat inspiration, take a look at my top picks below.

The Check Coat

Catwalk - Rodarte / High street - River Island

The Luxe Parka 

Catwalk - Pamella Roland / Highstreet - Topshop

The Fur Coat

Catwalk - DKNY / High street - Motel

The Long Coat

Catwalk - Chanel / High street - ASOS

Will you be investing in one of these coat styles this coming season?

Love from Lou Lou

The Sixties Edit

The 1960's has always been my favourite era for fashion. From mini skirts to a-line dresses, this was the decade when women were given freedom to dress with fun and flirty styles, thanks to designers such as Mary Quant. I love it when catwalk looks are inspired by the iconic sixties designs, and this year is no exception. Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Saint Laurent all referenced the era in their Autumn/Winter 2014 collections. I can't wait to see the high-street versions for next season, and in the meantime there are plenty sixties inspired pieces to snap up this summer. 

Bag - Oasis  Skirt - Topshop  Coat - Daisy Street  

Dress - New Look  Boots - Topshop

Love from Lou Lou

The Colours of Summer '14

One of my favourite things about dressing for the summer is that you can wear such beautiful and cheerful colours. This season you will find bold shades of yellow and pastel shades of blue everywhere on the highstreet, along with my other favourites below. Not all of them are easy to pull off, but my tips might help!

FREESIA YELLOW

Keep yellow pieces looking chic by pairing it with white 

or dare to wear it with a green tropical print for a fun look

Zara jacket £89.99

EMERALD GREEN

This colour is such a confidence booster and the perfect choice for holidays. 

Team green with gold jewellery and black leather accessories

Zara dress £59.99

Baby Pink

This pretty colour can be worn with grey, white, blue denim, black and

all pastel colours. Don't go too overboard on the pastels though!

Monki for ASOS blazer £45

MINT GREEN

Mint looks amazing in various forms: leather bags and shoes, lace tops and dresses and also PVC skirts. Team with white, cream or nude.

Topshop shoes £40

POWDER BLUE

Seen at Dior, Burberry and Preen, powder blue is the chicest 

shade this season. Keep the look minimal with white.

Lavish Alice dress £45

What's your favourite colour to wear this season?

Love from Lou Lou

Best Bargains of the Sales

The mid-season sales are popping up all around the country and online - just in time for pay-day! This is a perfect opportunity to grab your holiday essentials for bargain prices. You'll be surprised how many lust-worthy pieces there are. Here are my top picks from the sales that have been launched so far.

ASOS

Jeans - Was £160 Now £62  Sunglasses - Was £25 Now £12

Shoes - Was £40 Now £28  Top - Was £60 Now £30  Jacket - Was £55 Now £38.50

Topshop

Dress - Was £60 Now £30  Bag - Was £85 Now £45
Shoes - Was £85 Now £45  Top - Was £32 Now £15

Motel

Top - Was £25 Now £15  Bag - Was £99 Now £59

Jacket - Was £60 Now £29  Dress - Was £48 Now £29

Love from Lou Lou

P.S. I was chosen as a runner-up in ASOS's #YvesInspired styling competition. If you missed the outfit post I did, you can see it two posts below this one. I can't wait to receive my voucher prize!

The Skirt Edit

I haven't had a lot of luck with my skirts lately; one came back from the dry cleaners ruined (a manufacturing fault apparently) and the other I managed to ruin myself a week later as I forgot that it shouldn't have been hand-washed. However, this has made me more determined than ever to own the prettiest collection of skirts a girl could dream of! I usually stick with an a-line cut which is flattering for my figure, however I am ready to take on the drop hem mini skirt (see no.2) and next season's double drop (see no.3).

1. ASOS Pencil skirt 2. Zara Poplin skirt 3. Topshop Lace skirt

4. Zara box pleat skirt 5. Motel printed skirt 6. Urban Outfitters PU skirt

Have you had your eye on any new skirts lately? 

Love from Lou Lou

New Trend Alert: Gingham

Tartan has definitely been the biggest trend of this Winter from what I've seen, however there is a new check to go mad for during Spring, and that's Gingham. Dorothy wore her iconic gingham dress on her way to meet Oz, and now we can wear our modern-day versions to parties, hitting the shops and flying away for our Summer holidays. My favourite piece is the Topshop shirt below, which also ticks off the sheer trend. I love the small collar on it and the long rolled-up sleeves. 

Clockwise from left - Shirt: Topshop Jumper: Boutique by Jaeger @ ASOS

Dress: Nordstrom Shirt: Denim & Supply By Ralph Lauren@ ASOS

Will you be picking out any gingham clothes for Spring?

Love from Lou Lou

The Season of Fur and Fluff

As much as I dislike the freezing temperatures we have recently been facing in Britain, I'm so glad that there is a fashionable solution. This winter, you can find more fluffy and fur pieces on the high-street than ever before. My friend Kate and I (pictured above) are obsessed with these faux fur stoles we found in Zara. They just ooze old Hollywood glamour don't they? Although I wore my fur coat that day, I wouldn't advise opting for fur-on-fur! It's just too over the top! Instead, try fluffy or fur items with contrasting textures such as leather, wool or waxed denim.

Topshop's must-have fluffy pieces are the teddy coat (I'm still pining after the pink version that sold out recently) and the cropped jumper (super soft). The monochrome and pastel choice of colours are perfect. I wouldn't advise wearing a bright colour of fluffy jumper though as you may end up looking like a character from Sesame Street!

The Furry Edit

Fur bag - Zara Fur collar - River Island Fur gilet - ASOS

Fur hat - River Island Fur lined boots - Topshop

The Fluffy Edit

Fluffy mittens - ASOS Fluffy heels - Topshop 

Fluffy top - New Look Fluffy cardigan - MissGuided Fluffy coat - Topshop

Which are your favourite pieces? Have you bought any fluffy or fur pieces this winter?

Love from Lou Lou

My Perfect Jumper

Jumper - Topshop

Skirt - Topshop Boutique

Wedges - River Island

Necklace - gift

As soon as my workmates saw this jumper in Topshop, they knew I was going to buy it! It's floral, it's embroidered and it's colourful - basically it's my dream jumper for winter. It even put me in a good mood for working the first day of the sale yesterday! I also loved teaming it with my leather skirt as it reminds me of my favourite Christopher Kane collection from A/W10.

Do you have any favourite jumpers this season? Or do you have a loyal piece of knitwear that gets you through each winter?

Love from Lou Lou

Dark Craft

All clothing from Topshop

My apologies for the lack of blogging this month. My work and social life have been a bit mad, however I've bought lots of new clothes with my Topshop staff discount so there are plenty of outfit posts to come! This outfit mostly comes from my favourite Topshop trend called "Dark Craft." It takes it's inspiration from the nineties film "The Craft" and Christopher Kane style silhouettes. I love the contrasting textures of my fluffy jumper and boucle skirt. 

To all my Scottish readers, I recommend going to the fashion photography exhibition "Coming into Fashion" before it finishes on the 8th September. The City Art Centre in central Edinburgh is displaying a large collection of Conde Nast's images that have been published in magazines (mostly Vogue) throughout the decades. It's great that my hometown is showcasing a fashion exhibition as the only ones I go to have always been in London. 

Love from Lou Lou

My Mom Jeans

Jeans - Topshop

Top - River Island

Necklace - Accessorize

Leather jacket - Topshop Boutique

Boots - Topshop

I'm not usually a jeans wearing kind of girl, but ever since Mom jeans landed in Topshop earlier in the year, and the more I saw girls wearing them, I wanted to try them out for myself. So finally I got around to trying them on and I couldn't be happier with the fit! I love that they're not super tight like every other pair of jeans you find in shops, and the high-waist means I can wear all my crop tops with just a flash of skin, or tuck in a loose top for a casual look. The turn-ups are perfect for wearing with ankle boots, however they would also look great with a pair of trainers or high-heeled sandals. 

If you're wondering whether to try out a pair of Mom jeans yourself, don't hesitate like I did, and go for it! It's not every day you find clothing that is both super comfy AND super stylish!

Also, don't forget about my Sugar & Style £50 voucher giveaway, in my previous post. You've got just a few days left to enter so good luck!

Love from Lou Lou

High-waisted Mom jeans Topshop

Tweed Dungarees Look

Dungarees, top and boots - all Topshop

This is the other outfit that my friend Emily (of new blog Birdbones and Blouses) photographed. It's the first tweed item to enter my wardrobe and I have to say I didn't know how itchy it would feel! However, I love that it's an unusual material for the current dungarees trend. If I'm going to take on a popular trend, I would rather do it differently! The crop top underneath adds to the classic look and I love the extra thick cotton material it's made from. 

Love from Lou Lou

My Summer Jumpsuit

Jumpsuit, necklace & sandals - all Topshop

This is the outfit I wore to my friend's hen party in Leeds last weekend. As per usual, I forgot to ask for my outfit picture to be taken, however my friend Emily took pictures of me wearing it today for a mini blogging shoot! In-between our photoshoot, we were asked by STV's filmcrew (the Scottish version of ITV) if we would like to be filmed for "Get The Look", which will be aired in July and September, showcasing Scottish style. The clips of us posing in the street will be shown in the advert breaks during Coronation Street, and hopefully I can post it on my blog too as they said they'd send me the film footage. I was wearing my yellow printed kimono and black shirt-dress when I was being filmed, and Emily was accidentally matching a little with some yellow floral print too! 

Follow me on instagram - LouLouBrooke

I love my new jumpsuit and feel a bit like a disco diva from the seventies when wearing it! It's so silky and also flattering for my figure. Plus I love the colour combination of cobalt blue with gold.

Love from Lou Lou

Rocking The Florals

All clothing from Topshop!

Spiked rings and arrow bracelet from Forever21

This is the outfit I wore last night to see one of my favourite bands called Haim. I like the idea of being inspired by a band's dress sense when seeing them live, and Haim are fans of the t-shirt, the leather jacket and the odd floral - so why not combine them in my own way? If you haven't listened to this amazing band before (where have you been?) then click this link to see one of their videos. The three sisters are all lead singers for different songs, they all play guitar AND they all drum! Could you get a more multi-talented band?!

Have you seen any good bands recently? What did you wear when you saw them?

Love from Lou Lou

Birthday Outfit

Kimono - Topshop

Shirt dress - Urban Outfitters

Sandals - Topshop 

Yesterday I turned 26, which I was dreading a little, however I had such a fun day. It involved shopping for running kit (Mum bought me a magenta and black Adidas outfit); lunch at a stylish pub called The Rose Leaf; walking in the sunshine; popping into a couple of little galleries by the shore; dinner at Jamie Oliver's restaurant and eating lots of birthday cake with my friends and family. It couldn't have been better!

I always feel extra good when I'm wearing a new outfit so I put together my two new Topshop purchases. I love all things oriental therefore when I saw the pattern and cut of this kimono, it had to be mine! It is also the perfect length to wear over three different LBDs I have in my wardrobe. These clog sandals are so perfect to wear from day to night. Ever since I discovered Swedish Hasbeens years ago, I have loved the look of a wooden heel. The way that the sole is curved to the shape of your foot also make these beauties very practical!

Love from Lou Lou 

P.S. Check out the lovely variety of colours my 'nano' sandals come in...

Nano clog

Fashion Fling Look no.6

Ray-Bans - c/o McArthurGlen

Leather  jacket - Topshop Boutique

Sequined top - Lashes of London

Jacquard trousers - Lashes of London

Boots - Topshop

Hat - Topshop

This is my final look for McArthurGlen's Fashion Fling challenge, styling my Ray-Bans for a night out. I would ideally wear this out for drinks in Hoxton while visiting London. 

Blue sequins and a jacquard pattern sounds like a bad case of clashing, but somehow they work with a leather jacket thrown over, and accessories that match the clothing colours. I was particularly pleased when I discovered how perfect my boots are with the trousers. It's like they were made for each other!

I'm so relieved my hat didn't get swept away into the harbour, although it did fly off my head after these pictures were taken!

I would just like to thank the McArthurGlen team for letting me be a part of this challenge as it's been so much fun. Also, thanks to Lianne MacKay for taking such fab photos. I hope you have all enjoyed checking out my entries and wish me luck for winning the style challenge!

Love from Lou Lou

Fashion Fling Look no.5

Sunglasses - Ray-Ban

Coat - ASOS

Handbag - Warehouse

Boots - Topshop

Today's Fashion Fling look is an outfit I would wear to work. Aviators became popular during the 1960s so I have been inspired by this era to create a sixties look. My coat makes me feel very ladylike and retro chic! As for my handbag, it  is big enough to fit in everything you might need for your 9 to 5! The rose tint and gold frames of my sunglasses work well with the colours of the coat's tweed panels, so I hooked them over the top of my coat. That's also the thing about Scottish weather - it changes so often that you may need to take your sunglasses on and off through-out the day! 

Love from Lou Lou

Fashion Fling Look no.3

Clutch bag - Ted Baker c/o McArthurGlen

Sequin crop top - Topshop

Slip dress - Topshop

Wedges - New Look

Necklace - H&M

Gold cuff - Maybury

The final look I have centred around my lovely new clutch bag is styled for a night out. I'm thinking a posh cocktail bar or maybe an after-party hosted by some of fashion's finest! My fashion tip for today is to layer clothes in a way that will make your outfit truly unique. I love adding to a dress by wearing either a crop top over it or a shirt underneath, and I've even worn a dress on top of a dress! Just make sure they work well together in terms of colour and proportions. You can't see so well in this picture, but my crop top is made up of tiny multi-coloured sequins which compliment the colour of my pink dress. I also like wearing it with a black and white striped top for a slightly more casual look. 

Next week I will be styling a pair of Rayban aviators in three very different ways. Remember also that it will be the last week you can get special offers and join in with the exciting events at McArthurGlen shopping outlets. Click here to find out what Livingstone's outlet has to offer.

Love from Lou Lou

Spring Jackets - The 2013 Edit

Now that spring is slowly but surely creeping in, we can pack away our parkas  and welcome in some lightweight jackets. Bomber jackets are the jacket of the season, and I am obsessed with the luxe twist on Dahlia's. The gold oriental style is like a piece of art. If you're looking for a jacket to invest in, a leather jacket will stand you in good stead. You don't necessarily have to stick to black though. White and mint are an exciting choice and would make the perfect finishing touch to pastel outfits. Last but not least is the denim jacket, which is a great wardrobe staple. I am tempted by Mango's biker style, but I also like  how Topshop have embroidered the sleeves.

What do you think of my choices? Have you bought a new jacket recently?

The Bomber Jacket

Dahlia £55                                         Dahlia £65

The Leather Jacket

Karen Millen £325                              Topshop £58

The Denim Jacket

Topshop £70                                    Mango £55

Love from Lou Lou