LFW: TOPSHOP UNIQUE SS16

London Fashion Week is here again, and The Modernist is here to give you the top trends and looks you should be coveting next season. The Topshop Unique show in particular caught our eye on Sunday with easy to wear styles that we can't wait to wear.

Spring Summer '16 looks to be a continuation of Winter's top trends with faux fur a consistent theme throughout the collection. White and blush pink hues are contrasted by Autumnal shades of navy and forest green to give this collection a luxe feel.

Colonial influences and 1920's and 40's shapes and styles give next season an update on the banana leaf and palm prints of last season.

Power dressing and 80's fashion also make an appearance in the collection. Blazers that would be at home on the set of Working Girl bring an androgynous element to the otherwise feminine looks. 

Oriental embroidery and silk fabrics play another key role, but throughout the range the colour palette of rich navy, green and red bring the looks together into one of the most exciting and different Spring collections we've seen for some time.

Look out for more LFW show reviews on The Modernist this week as we take a look at the top trends and designers of the moment!

The Style Edit No.1

Pictures gathered from Pinterest. Pinterest: Phoebeaa

Trés Chic

Sometimes you just have to sit back and think, 'blogging made me do it'. Today was one of those moments. These trousers are unlike anything I'd ever even consider wearing but would always admire on others. I'd seen them featured on a few blogs (such as 'Tres Monikh'- I love this blog!) but wasn't sure about whether to purchase them for my own wardrobe but I am so pleased that I did. 

These trousers certainly look expensive and chic, but were only £15 from H&M. They are so lightweight and comfortable and look effortless for the Summertime. I paired them with my ZARA mules and a sleeveless black top from Oasis. I love this look and I hope you all do too!

Details

Trousers- H&M (Link) | Top- Oasis | Mules- ZARA | Watch- River Island | Bangles- Forever 21 

Summer Stripes

A Summer post today to counter-balance all the rain that has just fallen where I live (why can't it be Summer everyday?). 

These shorts are from Zara. I've been wanting to blog about them for a little while but wasn't quite sure about the perfect outfit combination until I saw this blog post here. Charissa teamed a stripy shirt with yellow shorts and I felt so inspired I had to do the same. This is such a lovely outfit for a summers day and I can't wait to wear it on holiday. I love the classic combination of royal blue and stripes, and stripes are one of my top trends this season! The cropped cami is from ASOS and I've teamed the outfit with my Zara mules. 

My backpack is another recent find that I'm excited to share. I've wanted a bag to carry my camera around in for a while now and this backpack from Urban Outfitters just screamed out to me. I've never thought of myself as a backpack person (I think they're a bit 90's personally!) but it's just so useful! I take it with me whenever I'm in London for the day and I don't have to worry about people nicking my camera and I always have my hands free so it's perfect for that. It also comes in black if that's more your colour and I definitely recommend it.

I hope you like this look, thanks to Charissa for the style inspo! 

Details:

Shorts & Shoes- ZARA | Top- ASOS | Backpack- Urban Outfitters (link) | Rings- Primark

Moroccan Nights

Another blog post for you all today. Ever since I bought this skirt from Topshop I've wanted to blog about it as it's one of those pieces that just makes me so happy every time I wear it. The skirt has embroidery to the front and is plain woven fabric on the reverse. It definitely gives off a Moroccan vibe and can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. I recently wore it with a tighter black crop top to my friends 21st birthday party and felt really special all night. This is one of those 'trend' pieces for your wardrobe. It's a tad pricer than perhaps a plain skirt might be, but honestly, I just love it so much. I like to have a few 'key' items each season and team them with various basics to create different looks.

Today I'm wearing a cropped cami, also from Topshop. I think the skirt needs to be paired with a cropped item or with the top tucked in as there is so much pretty detailing on it, it would be a shame to cover it up.

I'm also wearing my trusty Zara mules- I told you they would be useful!- and some pretty gold accessories. If you want to hop on the mule bandwagon but can't find the Zara ones in stock, check out my last post (here) for some similar styles you can still get your hands on. I can't wait to wear this outfit to Marbella on my holiday this Summer and if you can still get hold of the skirt in some Topshop stores, I recommend you grabbing it.

Details:

Top and Skirt (both Topshop) | Mules- Zara | Watch- River Island | Rings- Primark | Hoop Earrings- Miss Selfridge 

Back to Blogging

Hello. Here I am, back blogging again, have you missed me? Sorry for the tremendous lack of posts since Feburary, trying to balance university exams with blogging and my lack of funds (due to being a student) has meant blogging took a back seat for a little while. That being said, I'm pleased to be back and I'm excited for the direction I hope to move my blog into the future! It will still be very much a high street fashion blog however I'm moving close to London next year for my year in industry and hopefully I'll be able to incorporate much more lifestyle into 'That's so Phoebe' and take you all around with me on my adventures! 

So, apologies over, now on to the outfit. The star of the show is this gorgeous khaki utility shirt I bought last week from Topshop. It's the nicest material and I know it will be so useful as it looks great buttoned up and open like this, layered over a cami. I think it's a real transitional piece that will take me through the seasons so despite it being a little pricey (at £42 to be exact!) it's such a versatile item that I didn't mind the cost. 

I have layered the top over a cropped cami and paired it with my Topshop skort. Although I aquired the skort a few weeks ago, they are very much still on trend so you can pick them up all over the high street. Again, this black number is perfect because it looks gorgeous with tights in the cooler month and it's the ideal choice for those warmer days that you perhaps don't want to be rocking the denim hot pants...! This is England after all. 

These mules are my new favourite shoes and they are just so comfortable. I know some people aren't sure about them, but honestly, they go with so many things, I've even managed to persuade my boyfriend they aren't hideous! They also look great with jeans and trousers so look out for them. This pair is from Zara and have gone into the sale now, but they only have a few pairs left. Similar (but cheaper!) pairs can be found here and here. 

This is a perfect outfit for that in-between weather when no-one really knows what they should be wearing as the shirt is a great layering item. 

Details

Shirt (link), Cami & Skort- All Topshop | Mules (link)- Zara | Gold Rings & Clutch - Primark | Braclets (old) - River Island 

AU REVOIR PARIS

Coat & Knee High Boots- ASOS | Cable Knit & Necklace- Topshop | Jeans & Earrings - River Island | Bag- Warehouse 

This is my first post on my new blog layout, I hope you like it. I have just returned from a weekend away in Paris (photos to follow!) which was lovely. The French are so chic but luckily I took this new coat with me so I didn't feel too underdressed.

There are some people who are amazing at finding hidden gems in the sales, season after season. I am categorically not one of those people. In fact, I would go as far as saying that I dislike the sales, especially when you have money from Christmas that you want to spend on the latest trends and all you can find is past season stock. This time however, was different. I've been following this coat on ASOS for sometime. I have a Winter coat, and normally (due to how expensive they can be) I tell myself that one is enough. It started life at £85 and I loved it then. It went into the sale at about £60 and I told myself that it was still too expensive, I mean, I had a coat already. Gradually the coat decreased in price and eventually it went right the way down to £29.50, still I restrained myself, until one day ASOS offered an extra 15% off sale purchases. It was still in stock, it was fate. And so that is the tale of how the coat became mine and I finally found myself a sale bargain at £25.

What I love about this coat is the Céline-esque look it has. I'm a little bit in love with Céline at the moment so I adore this coat. The purple tones work perfectly with my bag and the brushed effect is my new favourite texture. If you look on ASOS they still have this coat in stock in some sizes, trust me it's worth it. If I had known how much I would love it I would have bought it full price.

I paired it with a simple cable knit from Topshop which I wore around Paris, it's so snug and cosy. I also wore jeans and some knee high suede effect boots I got for Christmas. I love this outfit and I felt so nice in it whilst I was in Paris last week.

Photographs by Emma Dane

Walk on the Wild Side

Photographs by Emma Dane

Hello again! I'm starting to blog more regularly once more now that I have the help of my fabulous housemate so you should be seeing many more outfit posts soon! As you might have guessed from my previous post, I have a bit of a thing for hats. I love how they add something extra to your outfit and on a practical note, they keep your head warm too. As a Made in Chelsea addict I generally want to buy everything those girls wear and Fran Newman-Young happened to be wearing this hat in a picture on her Twitter so I had to buy it. It's a gorgeous burgundy fedora from New Look. It's slightly more structured than my Topshop fedora but I love it all the same. It has a gorgeous black bow detail to the side and matches my Warehouse bag perfectly. 

Today I went for quite a simple outfit and opted for my trusty leopard print skirt. I bought this from River Island last year and stopped wearing it for a while, but recently animal print has been making a comeback (when doesn't it?!) and I decided to wear it with my new fedora. I added a simple black, oversized fine knit jumper from H&M to give the outfit a relaxed feel. 

The boots are Zara from last year and I love them so much. I always get compliments on them as they are so unusual. Although ankle boots are very much my thing, I'm on the hunt for a good pair of over-the-knee black boots, is anyone else? I think it could be a little to do with my obsession with Millie Manderson's wardrobe and Style Diary (click here) as she wears them a lot.

I'm also wearing my favourite bracelet at the moment- a leather, black and rose gold cuff from Whistles. They sell these on ASOS and you can buy them in a variety of colours, including burgundy- which I think I might need!

I hope you like this simple post. Do any of you share my love of hats? I think I'm addicted, I want to buy a black floppy 70's style one next! I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend- look out for more outfit posts next week! 

Hat- New Look 

Jumper- H&M

Skirt- River Island

Boots- Zara

Bag- Warehouse (link)

Necklace- Topshop

Cuff- Whistles at ASOS (link)

Love Bracelet- River Island

Watch- River Island

Gold Bangle- Holiday Purchase

OOTD: Easy Like Sunday Morning

I couldn't post this without showing you the amazing breakfast I had this morning!

Today my flatmate Emma and I decided to go out for breakfast so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to show you all what I have been buying lately! 

These gorgeous tartan trousers are from the new Zara on Market Street in Manchester. If you're from the area you'll know that Zara has been shut for months now but it's finally reopened, and honestly, it's worth the wait! I really recommend you check it out, it's one of the best Zara stores I've been in and everything is displayed so well. I wanted it all but managed to restrain myself and only buy these trousers. They are quite muted which I like and the colours work well with my new handbag. They are made from a thick, warm fabric so are perfect for this chilly weather, especially in Manchester at the moment! 

I paired the trousers with my new ASOS jumper. It's a simple navy sweater with 3/4 sleeves and a pocket on the front. I love the classic, understated style of this piece and I can tell I will get a lot of wear out of it. I'm also wearing my new loafers which are New Look but I bought them from ASOS. They were reduced to £12 and are worth every penny. They are a nice alternative to slipper style shoes or brogues and really give this outfit a smart feel. I love the androgynous style of this look, it's effortless, yet classic which is a look I'm really enjoying at the moment. 

I'm excited to tell you all that I am also wearing my new Kate Spade bow bracelet!* It's honestly one of the nicest pieces of jewellery I've received in a long time, it's really simple yet looks absolutely gorgeous on and I can tell I'm going to wear it a lot! I've also been loving my new Kate Spade purse* at the moment as well. It really matches my style and looks so classic, I'm really enjoying using it. You can now buy Kate Spade from Selfridges and I highly recommend taking a look online or in-store because all the pieces are stunning and would make perfect gifts for Christmas. I have my eye on a few more things myself that I'm hoping might be under the tree for me this year! 

After taking these blog photos Emma and I went to breakfast so I had to include the obligatory picture of my Sunday morning fry-up (vegetarian of course!). I hope you like this look and this different setting. We shot these pictures on a road near our house and I'm really pleased with how they turned out. I hope everyone has had a lovely weekend, mine's been a busy one but a good one!

xxx

Trousers- Zara (link)

Jumper- ASOS (link)

Loafers- ASOS (link)

Bow Bracelet- Kate Spade at Selfridges 

Purse- Kate Spade at Selfridges 

(there are no links for the actual Kate Spade products I have but check out the range at Selfridges HERE and I'm sure they will be adding the purse and bracelet soon!)

Necklace- Topshop

Bag- Warehouse

All products marked with an * have been gifted to me but thoughts and opinions are my own