Style Theory: Boho lives on for another season this Autumn/Winter thanks to Chloe, Lanvin and Burberry. On the high street Monsoon is waving the Boho flag with style, I popped in there yesterday for a quick browse and was soon armed with so many gorgeous tops and dresses to try on. Their designs have echoes of Ukranian designer of the moment Vita Kin, with the heavy embroidery and shapes but are a fraction of the price..

Here is my edit of my favourite pieces..

Clover Embroidery Top £45

This top has been designed by Jessica Simon the daughter of the Monsoon founder Peter Simon. It is one of those tops that is really easy to wear, I love the embroidery detail on this top and the coverage on my arms with fluted sleeves. This would be a great top for a late summer getaway, or wear under a biker jacket now to toughen up the look.

Loretta Embellished top £59

Another Jessica Simon top, this top comes up a little big so size down. This would look fab in the Autumn tucked into a pair of dark blue flared jeans, add a pair of tan heeled ankle boots and a trench to add some structure. Again this will see you through the seasons layered up and be perfect for next Spring Summer.

Tammi Jacquard Top £49

I would size up on this top, I am wearing a size 8 which I think is too small, as this is heavily embroidered it looks more luxurious being bigger, more blouson. Wear now with skinny, ankle length white jeans and white stan smiths and in the Autumn team with distressed, pale blue skinny jeans and tan ankle boots.

Mandoza Top £45

This top is so flattering if you have a bit of a tummy, it has a tie at the bottom to make the top blouson over and sits perfectly over your jeans or trousers. I would size down as this does come up a little big (this is a 10, I am normally a 10 but feel this is a little too big) I love a square neckline, they are so flattering on all shapes.

Marianne Print Dress £89

I first saw this on stunning Laura from WITblog's instagram and immediately fell in love with it, it is stunning on, this is a size 8 and was a little small over my (weirdly large) ribcage so I would say it is true to size and I am going to order a uk 10. This would be perfect for a September wedding styled with black strappy high sandals and an oversize black clutch for a cool boho look. For the winter style with tan knee high boots and a tan slouchy bag. Love, love this...

I tried this dress on, unfortunately I cannot see it in the website but it is available in store. Again I would size up on this one (this was uk8 and not quite generous enough) I love the square neck and embroidery detail on the arm. Style this in autumn with tan accessories for a cool boho look.

Rosario Dress £59

I did not spot this dress in store but it really caught my eye on the website, I love the embroidery detail at the top and the pocket detail, chic, sophisticated and beautiful.

Erin Lace Top £59

So not really boho, more Victoriana but I had to add this top into my Monsoon edit, as you may know I have a real soft spot for high necked tops and this is stunning, it has pearls sewn on to the lace, this top would look fab dressed down under dungarees (black or denim) or wear with skinny jeans or cigarette trousers and heels, add a leopard print clutch for an edge.

There is my round up of a few items that would be a fab addition to my Autumn/Winter wardrobe. This is not a sponsored post I just happened to stumble across Monsoon yesterday while out shopping for school uniforms (the joy!) and was pleasantly surprised!

Have you been into Monsoon lately, what do you think of the range. As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, they really make my day! 

The Essential Black Dress

Style Theory: When in doubt I often reach for the safety of a black dress for an event. They are always flattering, can be matched with any accesssories and always look chic and understated.

Images via pinterest

So versatile and timeless, the black dress is the perfect fall-back dress in your wardrobe and works for every season. Over the past 10 years my black dress hemlines have got longer but I always tend to buy ones with fairly high necks as they suit me shape better and I wear them again and again. 

Here is my selection of the best on the high street now:

&Other Stories Pom Pom dress £55

This is a great, light cotton, comfortable dress. It is one of those dresses that works just as well with flats as with heels. It does crush but as the fabric has a slight pattern in it you can get away with it crushing a little throughout the day. It also comes in cream, I know I will wear this non-stop and it hides my mum tum perfectly! Fits true to size.

This dress is a great cover up piece, I love feeling comfortable at an event, top arms covered, and legs..makes me feel unselfconscious...

&Other Stories Broderie Anglais £65

A beautiful, delicate but structured dress. I love the broderie look on the arms, will provide arm coverage whilst looking interesting and extremely pretty.

Zara Cape Sleeve Tie Neck Dress £69.99

The cape detail of the sleeve on this dress is very 2015, I would wear with high black/tan strappy sandals M&S ghillie sandals look fab on.

Mango Fringed Dress £49.99

Fringing is on trend this season and this dress is a perfect way to wear it. Would look amazing with the mango strappy, flat sandals, a cool boho look for holiday. Add a large straw bag and some fine gold jewellery and it will look beach to bar perfection.

Next Boho Dress £26

An easy to wear lightweight jersey dress. Great for throwing over a bikini/swimsuit on holiday.

Topshop Plunge Neck Dress £40

Balance out the midi length of this dress with a plunge neck. I had one of these from French Connection many years ago and it was so flattering. Pointed court shoes make this dress look super sophisticated.

M&S Sleeveless Maxi Dress £52

Chic and glamorous, the black maxi dress is endlessly useful. Dress up with chunky gold bangles piled high, gold boho drop earrings and high strappy tan or black sandals. By day wear with flat sandals and fine gold jewellery, add a coloured bag for a pop of colour.

Warehouse Gypsy Style Dress Midi Dress £28

An easy to wear, un-expensive dress, will make an impact when dressed up with heels and accessorised with gold/silver clutch bag.

H&M Embroidered Dress £59.99

This is a little short but I love the embroidery detail, it is stunning. A great holiday piece and wear in the winter with black opaque tights and knee high 70s style tan boots.

I could go on forever, I do love a black dress, I have kept all of mine (since I was 18) as I wear them again and again (the ones I can still squeeze into!)

Do you have a favourite black dress? Do you tend to go for the safety of black when attending a function? As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, have a great hopefully sunny weekend Frances xx 

The Long and Short of it...

Style Theory: Shorts..incredibly practical, a key item in any Summer wardrobe and when styled right they can look pretty cool....

ph via Pinterest

Here are a selection of the best shorts from the high street that will be endlessly useful throughout the summer..

The Khaki Short

Hush Marseille Shorts £40

H&M £14.99

Khaki is a neutral that you can throw on with any colour top. I particularly like khaki with bright oranges and denim. These shorts would look stunning with a lightweight denim shirt and a pair of tan strappy sandals.

The Denim Short

Levis 501 Cut Off Shorts £45

Fat Face Short £38

Denim shorts, year after year these are the perfect item to wear on hot sunny days, perfect for walking down to the beach with a boho top and a pair of black sliders. I have the Fat Face shorts, they are a supersoft denim and actually slightly longer on than in the image (see photo in My Style below) so they are perfect for wearing day to day in the UK, I tend to feel more comfortable in the shorter shorts on holiday!

The Patterned Short

Zara High Waisted Print Shorts £29.99

H&M £14.99

A dressed up version of the short, taking you seamlessly through from day to night. During the day pair them with a neutral grey t-shirt, in the evening wear with a loose, soft cream blouse tucked in and again I would pair with flat tan strappy sandals.

The Skort

Topshop Textured Wrap Skort £36

Topshop PU Asymmetric Wrap Skorts £36

These are really flattering as the front section hits further down the leg and the points elongate the legs. These are great when chasing after the kids in the evening on holiday, they create the effect of a skirt without the exposure when bending down to pick up a child!

The Longer City/Boyfriend Short

Asos Linen City Shorts £18

Gap Boyfriend Short £24.99

I have long been a fan of the long short (see streetstyle Pinterest photo above top middle of Pandora Sykes) the styling is perfect. I love these with an oversize striped shirt and flat black pointed shoes. I wore these when I was in my 20s constantly and I really feel the need to bring back this styling as it is super flattering and such a cool look.

Shorts are definitely worth their weight in gold for me in the summer, so easy to throw on, so comfortable and look good. My advice, as usual, is to try, try lots of different styles on, length is really important so they hit your leg at the correct, most flattering point. To flatten a tummy avoid pleated fronts and go for a flat fronted short. 

MY STYLE 

Coat: H&M similar here
Top: Zara similar here
Shorts: c/o Fat Face £38
Bag: Spain Boutique
Sandals: Mango £19.95

Are you a fan of shorts, do you wear them constantly in the summer, or am I just getting older and loving the idea of them?! 

As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, until next time Frances xxx

The Timeless, Elegant Suede Skirt

Style Theory: The suede skirt, a multi season piece, timeless and cool, an invaluable addition to your 2015 wardrobe.

The Marks and Spencer midi skirt has been leading the pack so far this season seen below on Alexa Chung and Olivia Palermo...

It encapsulates the 70s boho trend with hints of Gucci and Prada, the fact that it is from M&S means the designer look is all the more accessible. It has been billed as the skirt of the season by Vogue and has been much hyped in social media making it a cult item. 

Marks and Spencer £199

The styling is stunning, the white stitching so perfectly 70s and the split avoids it looking mumsy.

However, if you are like me and find midi skirts a little difficult to wear, how about a shorter suede skirt? They are easy to style, wear with boho top in the summer and black roll neck, black opaque tights and black flat boots in the winter. There is also no problem with coat lengths, shorter skirts work just as well with short or long coats (with midis there is always the problem of ensuring your skirt hangs below your coat length) I love the styling below..

When I popped into Topshop the other day I tried on a perfect little, button through, real, suede skirt.

Jumper: Boden similar here
Skirt: Topshop £75
Shoes: Isabel Marant

It is a slightly heavy suede that sits really well and the A-line cut is extremely flattering. I tried on a size 10 and size 12, the size 10 sat on my waist and was slightly shorter than the size 12 which sat on my hips and hit just above my knees (I am 5ft2ish) Both looked good, to be honest there was not a major difference between them.

Topshop £75

At £75 this is far more within my budget than the M&S midi skirt, I have ordered it and know it will be worn so much this summer and through the winter, the neutral tan colour will work well with any colour of coat, I now have my eye on the new M&S coat for next season...

M&S AW15 Per Una £159

The shape of this coat is fab and I love coloured leopard print...but first lets concentrate and enjoy summer!

Do you like the M&S midi skirt or do you prefer the shorter version? Will you be buying into the suede look this summer? As always I would love to hear your thoughts and comments, until next time Frances xxx