LSD* - My Drug of Choice, 2

Holly Fulton

* LSD = Long Sleeved Dress

Back in the balmy summer months (remember those heady days?) I presented on one of my first posts LSD: the Little Summer Dress, as an ultimate style staple for any wardrobe. Now that winter has well and truly arrived, please allow me to reintroduce LSD: the Long Sleeved Dress.

I would be quite lost without my collection of long sleeved dresses during the winter months and the best part is, they work equally well during the day and at night.  For daytime chic, feed your sartorial habit with jersey, wool and velvet, worn with ribbed tights and ankle boots. For evening glamour, look towards lace or embellished numbers with opaques and heels.

Baby, it's cold outside.

Winter Warmers

London. Winter has officially arrived and is here to stay (for a while at least!). The leaves have fallen from the trees, the air is chill and crisp, people are adding logs to the fire and thoughts are turning to Christmas time, mistletoe and wine. As the festive season approaches, the fashion magazines fill their glossy pages with promise and glitzy cocktail dresses (yes, please!) But what is the best way to keep warm between parties? Here are some of my favourite ways to wrap up this winter.

1. Fur

Fake or real (vintage or inherited, obviously!). Head to markets, granny's closet or even the high street (Zara in particular have done a great range)

Lambskin by Zara (I clocked this today in the store and it looks stunning and is quite different than the usual options out there!)

2. Military

This is always a winner (polish those brass buttons!)

Stand to attention and raise a salute to Burberry. Yes Sir.

3. Capes

Love the drama!

Nail the camel trend too in the Alexander Wang cape coat

Complete the look with gloves (I like leather); and a hat (trilby, fur trapper, cloche.....the options are limitless)! So cosy.

Colour Blocking

This winter, it is all about neutrals; however this does not mean that you have to stick with one colour scheme. Be bold and mix up your neutrals in unexpected ways. 2 of my favourites for autumn:

1. BLACK AND NAVY

This colour combination DOES work and looks quite fresh as not many people wear these colours together. Try, for example, a simple black structured mini dress with navy merino wool tights and black suede wedge boots.


2. CAMEL AND GREY

Again I really like these colours together as the warmth of camel offsets the coolness of grey to perfection. Opt for deeper shades of oatmeal with cobalt and charcoal.


Pictured: camel and grey as seen at Marni

The trend that just won't quit

Once again, for Autumn Winter 2010, designers have taken inspiration from the wild as leopard, ocelot, and cheetah prints stalk their way onto our fashion consciousness. When worn correctly of course, animal print can be extremely high-octane glamour. It cries out for perfection: immaculate makeup and killer accessories to offset its impact. It demands a certain amount of dramatic flair and attitude. It is the attention seeker of the sartorial world, the fashion equivalent of a high maintenance friend or lover. That is what makes it just so irresistible to wear and to experiment with, and why it has become one of the most enduring trends of our time. Let your animal instinct take over and dare to wear.

Daytime Dressing: Prep School

The preppy look was one of my most unexpected trends this autumn. At the same time however, it is a very simple trend that anyone can carry off.

Style references: Clueless, Empire Records, Miu Miu, Ivy League colleges

Styling tips: be a back-to-school rebel with ankle socks in bright pops of colour worn with wedge heeled ankle boots; add classic touches like leather gloves or a prim handbag; accessorise with fierce cuffs or bangles piled high, Gap Year style; wear shirts under pullovers and roll up the sleeves and undo the buttons on your cuffs and collars.

Best of the high street: Cos, Zara, Tabio, H and M

September Object of Desire

I bumped into my best friend's brother the other night; I had just arrived at her house for a girlie dinner as he was heading out for the night. As he was leaving he put on his overcoat, and I nearly died. This super mannish city coat is EXACTLY what I am after this season. I never really did the whole Diane Keaton in Annie Hall 'girls will be boys' look: before now I have always favoured femininity, which in coat-terms meant princess cuts and furs. However.....I have changed my mind, or rather my aesthetic sensibilities and am loving the idea of contrasting such a coat with a slip dress or structured skirt/silk shirt. (It sort of reminds me of turning blue with the cold in marquees at black tie events in the English countryside, only for a chivalrous gentleman to slip his dinner jacket around your shoulders).

'Nice coat', I remarked.

'Yes, gorgeous', said another friend of mine also in attendance. 'My brother has one just like it'.

'I want one for myself!' I had to explain. I was positively drooling, almost more than over the delectable smells coming from the kitchen.

Luckily, this season designers have answered my sartorial prayers and there is a plethora of such coats to be found around town. I especially like this type of coat in traditional menswear fabrics, such as tweed and with a smart collar. This week's mission: find my dream coat before the chill sets in for winter.

(Pictured: Men's City Coat by Chloe)

Instant Autumn Outfit under £150

For easy autumnal daytime chic for those on a budget: a 50's silhouette from the high street. Mix your fabrics, for example heavy tweeds with the softest wool you can find. Accessorise with groomed hair and natural dewy make up.

The socks, Tabio, £9 95
The wedge boot, Aldo, £50 00
The skirt, Mango, 39 90

The Cashmere jumper, Uniqlo, 49 99

Less is More

Fashion, to a degree follows 20 year cycles (although some would say that as designers produce more and more collections such as cruise and resort, this vintage is decreasing). Nonetheless, this has made it inevitable that designers have been referencing the 90s for the past couple of seasons. As well as the grunge look that characterised Britpop and that was made famous by Marc Jacobs, the other seminal look of the decade was pared down minimalism, courtesy of Helmut Lang. This season sees the return of the cigarette pant: a slim, tapered cut which ends just at the ankle: a look made famous by Uma Thurman in 1994's Pulp Fiction. To make this work, think androgyny: so clean lines, and a masculine silhouette. During the day, wear with a super sharp (almost stiff, straightjacket material) white shirt and flat brogues in a completely monochrome palette, or pair with heels and a sheer vest top for a cocktail party alternative.

(Pictured: Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction; Stella McCartney Fall RTW)

Midi Madness

I blame Mad Men. I never thought I would say this, but having spent the last 26 years of my life capering about town in mini skirts, shorts and dresses; I think I am finally ready to embrace mid-length this autumn in all its full-skirted glory. Notoriously difficult to wear, I think that this can however look extremely sexy in a super-elegant sort of way. Now that winter is approaching it is best to play with different fabrics as well as proportions. Pair a heavy wool or tweed midi skirt with a sheer, beautifully cut silk blouse tucked in and of course finished with high heels (boots or shoes) for a chic daytime silhouette. As usual I have done some homework so you don't have to. Zara and Mango are doing the best skirts on the high street and elegant shirts are in abundance but it is worth making an investment on this as it is easy to tell from the material and drape if you have scrimped on your silk, and this is an investment that will last a life time. I think it is time to grow up.

Over Rated

You simply can not open a fashion magazine this season without being told that you can not live without this season's must-have.....the aviator jacket. Topshop have picked up where Burberry began and no doubt Primark will jump on the band wagon too. I am not usually one to diss a fashion trend or especially Christopher Bailey (I have avoided negativity completely up until this post). However in my humble opinion, sheepskin belongs on a sheep. And I will not be a fashion sheep to this trend.

Saying that, now that it is September (where did summer go??), I can not shake off that back to school feeling and to me this means a shiny new pair of shoes. There is nothing like buying shoes to put a spring in your step and having worn out last seasons boots to the extent that I am now traipsing around London with holes in my shoes like Oliver Twist I can hardly wait. At the moment I am loving wedge ankle boots especially these ones from Surface to Air at Urban Outfitters (pictured). Having done some work for those of us on more of a budget, Zara is doing a similar pair for about one quarter of the price. Happy shopping.....you can thank me later!

Not for Children

I just can not make up my mind regarding this autumn's trend for camel coloured coats. This is a proper GROWN UP trend. There is something super-decadent about buying a pale coloured coat too, and to keep it absolutely pristine an accompanying luxurious, (and taxi) lifestyle is therefore essential. If you do choose to make this investment, remember this: you are buying so much more than just a coat; it could change your life. Elegance may be an attitude, but it is also a coat.